Heiress vs Rockstar (Love in Illyria Book 4) Read online

  "I could use a nap before driving back," he said, stretching along its length.

  Alice pulled a decorative pillow from under his feet.

  "You can sleep in my bed if you really need to. I can smother you there just as eas-"

  They both noticed Vy at the same time. She had walked into the living room wearing the longest and most raggedy t-shirt he'd ever seen. Her disheveled hair and smeared mascara told a very vivid story. She must have finally heeded his advice and jumped Ryann's bones. Good for her.

  "Your paid date with Ryann went well I see," he said.

  "What are you doing here?" Vy asked in an angry whisper. "Can't you leave her alone at least in Salona? What's wrong with you?!"

  "Oh, yeah, because I'll fall for that," he said loudly. He was going to have fun with this. "Hey, Ford," he shouted, projecting his voice behind Vy.

  "Will you shut up! We have neighbors, you know?"

  She came closer to scold him in the same whispered voice. The marks on her skin proved that she'd been having a lot of fun for the past few hours. Ryann was probably asleep in her bed. He could well imagine Vy having enough energy in bed to drain the guy.

  "Mhm, neighbors. Those are hickeys, Miss Cesara," he said, pointing at the traces visible on her uncovered shoulder.

  "Stop being such a jerk," Alice said in an outraged whisper. "It's her business what she's doing."

  "Who she's doing," he said without looking at her. "Hey, Ford, come out, man," he shouted again. "I take it he's all tuckered out. I would have expected more stamina from-"

  He stopped midsentence when he saw the leather jacket. That was not something Ryann Ford would wear, but it was a constant of Andrew King's style.

  The man himself showed up behind Vy, barefoot, with his jeans riding low on his hips and minus a shirt.

  "Good morning, Carter," King said.

  He turned his head to look at the setting sun in the window. Whether King had intended it or not, that was downright sweet.

  "Maybe it's morning for you," he said, unexpectedly delighted at King's slip-up. "For the rest of us it's evening."

  The guy didn't seem in the least bit embarrassed. He couldn't blame him. Not when Vy was blushing like that.

  "If that's settled, we're going to retire," he said taking Vy's hand.

  "Finally!" Alice said. "I was getting fed up with the two of you! Now go back to your room and think about you did! I have a coffee to make and a butt to kick out."

  King nodded and he disappeared with Vy down the corridor. His hatred for King was real, but no one had ever brought such a smile on Vy's face. Maybe it was true love, what the hell did he know about that?

  "You can't possibly expect me to leave," he said, turning to Alice. "I am going to stay right here while they try to have sex quietly."

  She took the remote control from the coffee table in front of the couch, switched on the TV and turned the volume up. He snatched it out of her hand and muted the TV.

  "I mean it," he said. "They have two of the most powerful voices I know. I bet it's going to be hell for them to be quiet."

  "Why do you want to make them miserable?" she asked with a sigh.

  Because King would be uncomfortable and messing with Vy was always fun.

  "What's wrong, baby? Are you getting naughty thoughts to know your BFF and your hero are getting hot and heavy in the next room?"

  The flicker in her eyes intrigued him. Could the ice witch of the North get such inklings?

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Tim

  The next day he decided to follow her when she left the Sing House. If she went toward Salona, he'd leave her alone this time. He planned on visiting her there randomly. It was more fun to know she was constantly expecting him to show up.

  He tailed her until she pulled over in an unfashionable neighborhood. Not quite a slum, but not the fancy part of the city center. The sign on the building said Stratford Foundation.

  That was new. He checked the list on his phone. Reg had made inquiries about her and now he had a complete list of the organizations with which she was affiliated.

  Maybe he should have taken her up on her offer to give him her schedule. He wouldn't be staking her out like a jealous lover. Who could she be here to see? After breaking up with Sinclair 2.0 was uptight miss Lewis slumming it with some guy she met on the charity circuit? He leaned back in his seat, taking a few deep breaths to calm down the unexpected headache.

  He watched the door through which she entered the building. Hot fury was rising inside him. He hated her with every fiber of his being. She was deluded if she thought he would allow her to rebuild her life with someone else. He tore her from Christian's arms with a ten minutes interview. What would he do to her if she got close to someone else while he had said to the world that he loved her?

  The door opened and Alice walked out laughing. He was getting used to seeing misery and despair on her face. Laughter made her look younger.

  He focused on her clothes, to draw his attention from the girl. She had her own style, distinct from that of Maison Pellerin. If he hated her any less, he'd say she was a style icon in her own right, like Alba. But he did hate her. He hated the careless elegance of her white shirt. He hated the long elegant neck she exposed by gathering her hair up in a loose bun. Even her ridiculous long fringe was cute now that the eyes she usually hid under it were smiling. He gritted his teeth and his hands tightened on the steering wheel, waiting to see who could make her so happy.

  The boy who walked out didn't bear any family resemblance to the Lewises. He was wearing tattered but clean clothes, and he was looking up at Alice with a guarded smile. As if he expected her to hurt him somehow. He was a great deal smarter than he had been. He had opened the door wide for the bitch to waltz in and play him.

  Alice and the boy got into her little black Mini. He followed them discreetly. A few minutes later, they were getting close to Andrew King's studio.

  Damn. That was one of the few places where he didn't want to step in. Not yet. He was saving a grand scene on King's domain for later. He savored the thought of embarrassing her in front of her closest friends. She'd been embarrassed when he'd taunted her at the fancy parties, but he was aware that Alice didn't really care about the opinion of Paul Cesara, that Leonie woman, or even her ex-boyfriend. She would care if he managed to reach into her soul and leave deep claw marks on it in front of her band, and King himself.

  To his surprise, Alice's car didn't stop in front of the studio. He kept following her, weaving through the narrow streets of the Orsino's old town. She pulled over in front of an elementary school and walked inside after the boy. He found a spot a little way away and kept the engine running while he considered his course of action. Stratford was not one of the charities she endorsed publicly. He could needle her with the mere fact that he knew about it.

  No.

  He got out of the car and went through the same door as Alice. The school hallway was empty, but before he wondered how to find where they were, a girl ran passed him and opened one of the doors. He heard Alice's voice from inside that room. He cracked the door open so he could hear what she was saying.

  "All right guys. Settle down. We have the room for a couple of hours. We should make the most of it. Did you practice this week like we talked?"

  "Yes, Miss Lewis," a few young voices answered.

  "Do you have any questions?"

  "When can we meet Andrew King?"

  Alice answered with laughter in her voice.

  "I didn't promise anything like that. Let's see what we do at the battle of the bands, and we'll see."

  "How is he?"

  "I see what happened here," she said. "Let me rephrase. Do you have any questions about the songs? You can ask me anything about Andrew when we go for ice cream after practice, ok?"

  The children seemed to mumble agreement.

  "With what song do you want to start?" she asked.

  "Sixteen," said one of the kids.


  He pushed the door another inch, enough to see her at the front of the auditorium and two of the children on the stage. The first notes of Sixteen-year-old heart flowed into his ears. She was teaching them to play one of the Waves' most beloved songs.

  The boy's voice was raw, uncultivated, but strong and alive. Tim tried to guess his age. Not even sixteen yet probably. He sang Tim's own song with the purity of a boy who hadn't had his heart broken in a million pieces. He waited for them to finish before he stepped inside the room.

  "Well done, everyone. A great improvement," she was saying.

  She had her back to the door, but two of the children were looking straight at him. The girl he had seen running into the room was standing up, holding a guitar. The boy who had come with Alice jumped to his feet from his seat behind the drums. The singer was wiping his forehead with his sleeve when he turned around to look at what the others were staring.

  All the blood had drained from Alice's cheeks when she saw him.

  "That was very good," he said. "I'm sorry I'm late, Miss Lewis," he said, and came over to her.

  He leaned in and brushed his lips over her cheekbone.

  "Oh. My. God," the girl said. "TC. Here."

  The boy who sang earlier was watching him with his mouth hanging open. The drummer's harsh, distrusting eyes moved from him to Alice and back. He stood up and walked out of the room.

  "Will," Alice called after him.

  When the boy didn't stop, she hurried after him.

  "I'm Laura," the girl said, thrusting her hand in his direction.

  "Hi, Laura," he said shaking her hand.

  "This is TJ," she said, looking at the mute vocalist.

  Tim took a few steps toward the boy. "You sang very well, TJ," he said offering him the hand.

  "Th- thank you," TJ said in a squeaky voice. He cleared his throat. "It's Julian really."

  "I can't believe you're here," Laura said. "Miss Lewis hasn't said a thing about bringing you over."

  "Miss Lewis loves surprises," he said.

  Laura looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

  "Why are you calling her Miss Lewis? I thought you two are dating."

  "What?" Julian exclaimed, apparently shocked by the news.

  The girl shook her head in dismay.

  "It's like you and Will don't live in Illyria sometimes."

  "Speaking of Will, what's got into him?" Tim asked, looking at the door through which Alice and Will had left.

  "Let's say he doesn't love surprises," Laura said. "Can you show me how to do this sequence?"

  The girl gave him the guitar after playing a part of Sixteen-year-old Heart. He sat down plucked the strings to get a feel of the instrument. It was far from his high-end guitars, but he was pleasantly surprised to see it was a notch above the cheap instruments he had used when he was their age.

  He played the sequence a few times, under Laura's focused attention.

  "Can you sing it, too?" Julian asked in a quavering voice. "P-please?"

  From the corner of his eye, he saw Alice walk back inside the room. He bent his head, closed his eyes, and sang Sixteen-year-old heart, accompanying himself on the acoustic guitar. He thought about Vy singing Free Fallin' and Alice playing it on the guitar, as if they were one person. He envied the deep connection between the two young women who had become so important in his life in a matter of months.

  "Wow," Julian whispered when he finished. "I have so much to learn."

  "We learn all our lives," Tim said. "But you sing it how you feel it. Don't try to copy how I sing it."

  "I know," Julian said. "Miss Lewis told us that we should always be ourselves."

  Miss Lewis had a knack of nudging people to get what they wanted. She had helped Isabella to get him. She helped King polish his contestants. What did Miss Lewis want for herself?

  "I'm Will," the boy said. He stood somewhat protectively in front of Alice. "Thank you for coming to help us."

  He looked from Will to Alice. She had been quick to lie to the boy that he was there to help them. Could he be a jerk and tell them that the only reason he was there was to take her out on a date after she was done with them? A sliver of ice and pain in Will's eyes touched him. No. He couldn't be a jerk with these children to hurt the snake woman. She was tight as the strings of her guitar. He put his palm on her back, greedy to feel her anxiety.

  "My pleasure," he said.

  She relaxed a fraction. He rubbed his thumb in circles over the small of her back. Nothing in her expression changed, but she tensed up again.

  A couple of hours later, they were watching the teenagers clearing up the practice room.

  "What are you doing here?" she asked in a whisper.

  "That's no way nearly as interesting as what you are doing here. Stratford is not on your list of charities."

  "Of course it is," she said.

  "Aly-baby," he said, rubbing his knuckles along her jaw. "You should know better than lie to me by now. I know exactly what organizations you support."

  He took out his cell phone and started scrolling through it.

  "Do you want me to tell you the full list?"

  She closed her eyes. The slow deep breaths didn't help with her anxiety. Her hands were still shaking and when she opened her eyes she couldn't meet his gaze. He liked her like that, lost, scared.

  "Fine," she said weakly. "This is the one thing I do and I don't make a big deal about it. I don't have to declare to the press everything I do. And no, I'm not keeping it a secret. The volunteer work I do here is on my resume."

  "You're not organizing any fundraisers for them. I bet Leonie doesn't know about it. And she is your fairy godmother is and she?"

  "No. No one knows about it."

  "Except me. I know about it now. And I might mention it in an interview."

  Her sharp intake of breath informed him that he had hit a weak spot. He'd have to find out why she kept the secret. Maybe she was the evil which with the gingerbread cottage and the kids at Stratford were going to be her lunch. Yes, that was the sort of thing she would do.

  "I'd rather you don't."

  "Interesting. I'll hold on for now. But just so you know, I will do it if you displease me."

  "Are you kidding? Why would you do that?"

  He shrugged.

  "Because it's fun to play you like a marionette. This is just one more string I can pull to make you dance for me. You know, like you did to me."

  "You win. I will do anything last keep this a secret. From the press. From Leonie."

  "But I am curious. Why are you keeping it a secret?"

  "Does it matter?"

  "I'm sure it does. Don't worry. I'll figure it out on my own. I'm getting the hang of reading you."

  "Carter? Thank you. You know, for helping today. You could have…"

  "Been a monster? Like you?"

  "Been a jerk. Like you."

  "There's still time," he said. "After we have ice cream with your kids. I wonder what stories they will share about Miss Lewis."

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Alice

  She was staring out the window, ignoring the textbook in front of her on the table. Now Carter knew about Stratford. If he really wanted to, he could figure out why her volunteer work there mattered to her. And she wouldn't put it past him to mention it in an interview.

  At first, she thought she imagined the small sound. Ever since she had told Vy about Isabella, she had wished she would hear the soft knock on her door.

  "Come in," Alice said.

  Her hands trembled as she straightened the papers scattered on her desk. The exam was going to be in two days and all her summer preparation for the and her love of Ancient Greek weren't going to help her pass.

  Vy walked in slowly, and she looked curious around the room. Nothing much had changed. Vy's gaze stopped on the lace dress Alice was going to wear later that week.

  "You've embraced this life completely," Vy said. "Do you like it?"

  Alice did h
er best to conceal her anxiety. She tried to steel herself against Vy's disappointment. For a moment she considered lying to her friend again. She longed to have her approval again.

  "Sometimes," Alice said.

  "Do they give you a hard time about being in a band? Or about working at Sing?"

  Alice shook her head.

  "No. What counts is that I go there, and I do my duty."

  "Duty? Being a socialite is a duty?"

  "Yes. It doesn't bother me to do it. I don't crave it. It's just... normal."

  "Alice, all those times you didn't go to balls... Did you do it for me?"

  She tried to find a soft lie.

  "Maybe," she admitted.

  "I need to know," Vy said. "Did you give up things you wanted to do because I didn't like them?"

  Alice took in a deep breath. That was not the way to mend her friendship with Vy.

  "It's probably difficult for you to understand, but I never wanted anything badly enough. Being your friend was more fun than anything else I wanted to do."

  "So, if I tell you I think it's stupid and it's a waste of time to go to these parties, would you give them up?"

  Before her deal with Leonie, before Carter's stupid interview, she would have reduced her presence on the social stage if Vy made more time for her.

  "I can't do that anymore," she said.

  Vy walked up and down the room slowly. She stopped in front of the wardrobe, and ran her fingers over the dress hanged on the outside of its door.

  "It's beautiful."

  "What's wrong, Vy?"

  "Nothing. I don't know. I've been thinking a lot lately. I cut myself off from everyone who ever mattered to me. Since… we talked about… you know… I was so alone."

  You weren't though, Alice thought. Carter was with you.

  "You have Andrew now," she said. "You have him, right?" she asked jokingly.

  Vy blushed and nodded.

  "I guess."

  "Good. You two were driving me crazy with the moping and the longing."

  "I do not mope," Vy said outraged.

  "Of course you don't," she said smiling. "Anyway, I'm here for you, too. Whenever you need me."