The Fan Ch. 03-05

Author's Note: This story is based on fiction, and all characters are 18 years of age or older. The setting for this story takes place in 2006 when MTV was in its prime as the source for musical information. Kind reminder that this is a novel length fantasy with a semi-slow burn. If you haven't yet read the first installment, I encourage you to do so in able to immerse yourself in the romantic fantasy.

I would like to thank the various editors who have also taken part to make this story what it is today. A very special thank you goes out to my main source of inspiration, encouragement, feedback, and support, thatsbogus - a fantastic writer in his own right. I encourage you to check out his collected works if you haven't already. You will not be disappointed. Thank you for joining me and happy reading!

Chapter Three

"Worth the risk"

Driven with the thought that Rowan might be attached and unavailable, Jax cleaned himself up quickly, stripping his soiled shirt and tossing it in the adjoining bathroom laundry bin. He washed his hands in record time so he could get on the phone, not bothering to replace his shirt. He felt a little jittery about talking to her one-on-one without the presence of production assistants and attention-hungry fanatics drawing their focus and keeping them in check. Mostly because he feared the loss of control. He had spent nearly his whole life in front of a camera when around his fans. Without those to keep him in check, who knows what might happen, what he might say, what might be skewed or drawn out and misinterpreted. Calling Rowan, inviting fans over to his mother's home was, without a doubt, a very clear risk to his person and his privacy. She also could be pretending and hiding her true self for the purpose of winning this contest. Though he had just met her, he knew, deep down, that Rowan was worth the risk.

He checked the rap sheet from the packet Chase handed him one more time and then dialed from his personal cell, throwing caution to the wind. She answered on the second ring and he smiled unconsciously to hear the soft, sweet tone of her voice once more.

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Jax."

"Oh! Oh wow... hi."

"Sorry to bother you, or if I'm interrupting you," he settled down on his bed, leaning back against the pillows and headboard, the bright afternoon light flooding his private place.

"Oh no, of... of course, hi... I mean, there's no interruption. Just a little shocked is all. I didn't expect to hear from you. And now I guess we're coming out to dinner? I just signed this liability thing someone brought up to my room."

"Yeah, the price of hanging out with me. It was a nondisclosure agreement. You just promised not to leak the location of my parents' home to anyone or you'll be sued."

"Oh, wow. Heavy."

"I know, right? Sorry about that."

"No, I get it. It's ok. You of course need to check all the boxes. I'm just more confused about what exactly is going on. I thought we weren't supposed to meet again until tomorrow morning when we went back to the studio for the announcement."

"That was the original plan, but since Mica didn't get a chance to hang out with us this afternoon and the doctors released him, we thought it would be nice to give him a chance too. Well, to meet him at least." Jax relaxed back into the bed, feeling comfortable and at peace talking to her. It was a kind of a settling feeling; hearing her voice, speaking normally about mundane things.

"Awe, that's great! I'm so glad to hear that. He's such a sweet, sweet kid. If you have to pick anyone, you should pick Mica. He's the kindest, most genuine fan. Really."

"Okay, interesting. I did not expect that. Here you are, promoting your competition."

"I know, but trust me. If you're looking for someone that is a fan, like that type of fan, then he's your guy."

"And you're not?"

"I mean, I'm a fan, but really, I'm a fan of your music. I'm not the kind of fan who keeps track of your movements and knows 'all the things'."

Jax laughed. "Yeah, I got that from your video."

"Oh lord, you watched my video, huh? Was it as bad as I'm thinking it is? Knowing my friend Diana... I wouldn't put it past her to like record me in my skivvies and post it all over the internet. She has no shame, that woman."

"Uh..." Jax began, smiling with a ridiculous giddy feeling rising in his chest. She was adorable.

"NO! She did, didn't she. Tell me please. Right now. I tried looking it up but the videos were all taken down by the time I knew about all this and Diana won't send me a copy of what she sent in. It's because she recorded my naked butt or something, isn't it?! Oh, I am going to kill her."

"No, no, no... nothing like that, I promise. Close, but not naked, naked."

"On second thought, I don't think I want to know."

"I'll send you a copy. It's not as bad as you're thinking, I promise."

"Oh. I believe you. I'm still going to murder her, but I believe you."

Jax's unrestrained laughter rang out into the room. It was so easy to talk to her. She was speaking to him like he was just a normal human, letting her frustration and annoyance at her friend sing free in her voice, and not like he was this untouchable idol for which she had to maintain this perfect facade. His anxiety from earlier dissipated as each frustrated huff made its way to his ear.

"So, Mr. Jaxon, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call? Sorry for the tangent."

"It's ok! Your righteous indignation is well earned. I'd be upset if my best friend did something like that to me behind my back, though I can't be mad at Diana. Without her, I wouldn't have been able to meet you. Remind me to tell her thank you and that I owe her one." Jax toyed with his bottom lip, using his index finger and thumb to roll it around. There, he said it. Put it out there.

"You are too right. I will thank her for both of us. She has had a stay of execution. Did you happen to call for a purpose? I find it interesting that I'm receiving your call at all, actually."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Well, so far anyone who has contacted me directly has been one of your people, or MTV's people. I'm quite pleasantly surprised to pick up the phone and hear your voice on the other end."

"Yeah... about that...." Jax laughed self-consciously. "You caught me."

"I caught you? What does that mean?" He could hear the smile in her voice which made him smile as well.

"I mean... um... I just... I did have a purpose, ok? To ask you if you have any food allergies or are a vegetarian so we know what to make for a dinner tonight. You caught the fact that normally, yes, someone other than me would have contacted you to find that out, but... I wanted to be the one to call you."

"Oh?" she asked somewhat innocently.

"Yeah," Jax laughed at himself, chuckling into her ear. "God, I just realized how much like an idiot I sound."

"What? No. You're not an idiot." She rushed to his defense.

"Well, a fool then. I certainly made a fool of myself this morning, or at least my body made a fool out of me and I want to apologize to you."

"If you need to apologize, then so do I... I... hell, I..." There was a bit of a pause and he waited with an infinite patience that he didn't feel, but was bred into him. "I'm just going to be honest with you because you were honest with me just now and it really is the best way to be," she rambled. "I truly believe that honesty in all things is the best policy, so I'm just going to put it out there and let the chips fall where they may..."

Jax's skin tingled in anticipation as the silence stretched. He was about to tell her she didn't need to confess anything more than she had this morning when she continued.

"I nearly came in your arms this afternoon, when you hugged me that last time," her voice took on a conspiratorial note, soft and beguiling. "Feeling you... hard... pressed against me... listening to your voice in the flesh... seeing those big blue eyes of yours... hell... the feeling came over me all of a sudden, in a flash of what can only be explained as pure... lasciviousness."

Jax gasped, his cock twitching in his pants, attempting to come to life again despite the fact that he had orgasmed moments before. He was beyond surprised to hear such a thing. Being born in the South and raised by Baptist parents, he was used to the "shrinking violets" that were the female population of his youth, and then throw in being a celebrity for over half his life - he was used to people either playing coy or saying what they thought he wanted to hear. He couldn't ever remember being spoken to so frankly. It was sexy as hell.

"There I said it; it's out there now," she breathed into the phone and he could hear the anxiety in her voice, tinged with regret. "Say something please. Did I just mess up by telling you that?"

Jax shook himself free of shock. "No, no... of course not, I uh... I'm just a Southern boy, you know... trying to figure out how to respond and still be polite." At that they both laughed, the tension easing. "I can't deny that I felt it too. After all, you literally felt it pressed against you, and I was trying everything I could to reel those feelings in. I know I should have been trying harder, what with being on live TV and all, but it was too strong to control."

"I know, right?" she said, and he felt relieved, like some kind of line had been crossed between celebrity and fan and it was now just two people on the same level sharing an embarrassing moment. Smiling now at her earnestness he was glad to hear that he wasn't alone in this mess. "What was that?"

"I have no idea," he said, "But I do know that I'm glad I'm not alone in this uncharted territory. Nothing, and I mean nothing has happened like this to me before, well, at least not since I was 13 or 14 and just discovering girls. I guess we'll just have to figure it out together."

"Yes, I guess we will, but..." she started, "there is one thing... about the together part." Jax's stomach clenched. This was it, she was going to tell him she was attached to someone else. "Aren't you in, like, a relationship with that actress Catherine something? I remember Diana bemoaning the fact that you were off the market." Jax laughed full and rich at that. He was relieved that she was concerned about his state of commitment, but amused that she didn't know.

"Oh god, no," he said when he had sobered. "It wasn't Catherine, but Carmen. And no, not anymore, thank god."

"Oh, wow. Ok. Touchy subject, understood."

"Aren't you one of my biggest fans? Shouldn't you know this?" He teased.

"With my schedule, you should feel lucky I knew you even dated someone if being a fan is what does it for you. I don't get out much." He laughed again, admiring the note in her voice.

"And what about you? Is there a significant other for you?" Jax asked, his stomach in his throat.

"Nope. Not for just over a year, actually."

"Really? That's surprising."

"Why?"

"Um, have you ever looked in a mirror?" he chuckled. "You are - pardon my language, but it is totally called for here - fucking gorgeous. I mean... so, so hot. How do you not have a boyfriend taking advantage of all that luscious-ness? And you smell amazing. Like warm cream in an antique rose garden. It's ridiculous." Rowan gasped at his words.

"Wow, you certainly have a way with words, Mr. Trentwell. You've got me drooling over here, and I don't mean from my mouth." Damn! A hot rush of arousal pulled down and settled into his cock, springing it fully back to life.

"Oh my god, what are you doing to me! My parents are going to be at dinner tonight, you know. How are we going to fix this and keep from splashing the dinner table?" Rowan laughed.

"You have a dirty mouth, Mr. Trentwell. I would never have suspected.... As to how to keep from jumping each other, I honestly don't know. I've never been in this situation before."

"Well, let's establish some rules then. Um... first things first, no touching. I don't think I will be able to make it if you touch me." Jax said, though that was the last thing he really wanted.

"Agreed, me either."

"Second rule, no eye-fucking. Let's get through dinner without undressing each other with our eyes. By the way, you have the sexiest eyes I have ever seen. Smoldering... they do things to me, so if it seems like I'm not looking at you all that much don't take it personally." Jax listened to her voice grow heavier on the other end and resisted, just barely, dropping his pants again to stroke his cock. He would resist, he could resist, he had to resist. Where in the hell was his self-control?

"Third rule," he croaked, "fuck... where was I going with this again?"

"I don't know," Rowan gasped into the phone, and his imagination ran wild. "Um... I think we were talking about ways not to embarrass ourselves?"

"Right, right... back to the rules. How to get through the evening without jumping each other or ruining our pants. Do you think that's possible?"

"I will certainly try," she said with all sincerity. "I'll keep my distance."

"Why is that the exact opposite of what I want, even though I just met you?"

"I know. Same here, but you're right. It would mess things up. And despite what it seems like just now, I'm not a kiss on the first date kind of girl."

"Not even for me?" He teased and Rowan laughed.

"Alright, alright, I guess we'll see.... Maybe we should end our conversation so we don't start breaking the rules." Jax's mind spun at that intriguing thought.

"What rule could we possibly break on the phone?"

"Well... Hearing your voice is dangerous. It's liquid velvet that just seems to slip into me and make me lose my mind with the potential to ruin my panties, thereby breaking the third rule. That's what it's like sometimes listening to some of your songs." She purred, and his skin started to warm again.

"Oh yeah? I think I can appreciate that kind of effect. But do tell; which songs?"

"Nope, see? Dangerous ground. Let's change the subject before my panties give up the ghost all together here." Jax's cock jumped at that powerful image of her drenching her panties to just his voice. Fuck this girl was bold, so real, so sexy. "We need to be on our best behavior this evening, that's what you said, right? Practice makes perfect, so let's practice that best behavior."

"You're right," he agreed. "We do need to be on our best behavior, but damn, Rowan. It is going to be hard, or rather I am going to be." She giggled and Jax smiled. "That is a beautiful sound, by the way, your laugh." Jax found himself craving to hear the sound again.

"Thank you, that's very kind of you to say."

"Ok, so, change of subject." Jax closed his eyes and slowed his breathing, willing his body to back down from the edge so he could return to the normal conversation they had been having. "Back to the uh, the whole reason why I called; do you have any food allergies?"

He heard Rowan take a deep, steadying breath too before responding. "No, nothing like that, but is there anything that I could bring to dinner, like a dessert or something? I'm sure there's a bakery or grocery store around here where I could pick something up. Think I might escape my MTV keepers long enough to find one?"

"Probably not as it might make you late to dinner or heaven forbid MIA for tomorrow, and we all know how nothing can interrupt the show, right?"

"God, I know, what was that?" Rowan said, genuine concern lacing the sweet tone of her voice, calm now and backed off the edge of lust. "You said Mica was coming to dinner, right? So that means everything's ok. If we had just waited for the doctors to check him out, he could have joined us for the interview."

"Exactly, but that's what it's like to work in this industry. Nothing can interrupt the almighty show. I'll for sure check in with him and try to convince him to come to dinner if he's feeling better."

"Oh, you should, Jax, you really should. He's the sweetest kid, so kind. We got to know each other a lot during all the prep yesterday and in the... the... I forgot the name of it, but it's that little room we were in before the interview today."

"The Green Room, they call it," Jax smiled.

"That's it, the Green Room. He is really deserving of this opportunity. I hope he can come and you can get to know him. I know I said it already, but you really should pick him to go to the show. It would mean so much to him."

"You don't want to go?"

"Oh it would be fun, for sure, but if you're choosing someone who is supposed to be your biggest fan to accompany you, he'd be the one. Like I said, I'm not as dedicated of a fan as say someone like Danni or Mica, and if that's what MTV expects of the person going to the show, then you really should choose Mica over Danni because he's more deserving."

"Interesting. So tell me, what are the different kinds of fans?"

"Well, there's me, someone who just likes your music for the music. It's good, it's art, it appeals to your pathos and evokes an emotional response. And then there's the kind of fan that screams and jumps up and down and faints at the sight of you... the kinds of fans I'm sure you got a thousand videos from during this contest. I just think your music is great and you deserve respect for your talent. That's the kind of fan that I am and I don't know how to pretend to be the other kind of fan. I'm not that good of an actor."

"Ah, I see." and he did see. He also saw the kinds of fans she didn't; the male and female groupies that followed him from concert to concert, the middle aged moms or dads dragged along to chaperone their teenage daughters who secretly sang along to every song.

"I hope I didn't just offend you."

"No, not at all. No offense whatsoever. It's actually immensely satisfying to meet a fan like you. It's proof that there are people out there who like my music for what it is, which is the whole point of all of this actually. Despite what you or the world might think, I'm not the kind of celebrity who needs all that adulation, the teenagers screaming their lungs out, or grown women's panties and bras with numbers written in them thrown onstage."

"Oh my goodness, people actually do that?"

"All the time. And this whole 'pick the biggest fan' circus falls within the same vein."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah, I hate it. Most celebrities I know, most musicians anyway, are in this for the craft, for the music, not the fame. I'm not narcissistic enough to want the entire world fawning over me and attempting to prove that they love me more than the next fan does. God, that must seem so self-centered."

"I can understand why you are saying that, but I also understand that this is probably just part of the gig, like, part of the process of producing a record and getting it out there. But trust me, if time machines were a thing, I would go back in time to tackle Diana and wrestle the camera from her hands. This is so far from my idea of a good time."

Jax laughed at the hint of distress in her voice mingled with good humor. She was so funny and such a good sport.

"Finally someone who isn't crazy! No, I'm joking, you're right, of course. This is all part of the process, but it doesn't mean I can't complain about it."

"Oh you can complain, feel free. Join me on the complaint train, please. Woo-freaking-woo," Rowan said and Jax laughed again. "In the end you would know better than me the reasoning behind all of this. After all, you've been doing this for how long now? A hundred years? You know the process."

"Oh for sure, at least a hundred years."

"Good, so I'll look to your expertise here to guide me through it. I trust you."

"Well thank you, that means a lot given the fact that you don't know me."

"You're right. I don't, but I can't help but trust you. Maybe it's my lust for you that has got me in so much of a fog I can't make my way through this without you."

Jax bit his lip, a little spike of arousal hitting him in his gut all over again. "Well, then we are screwed because I'm in the thick of it too."

"The blind leading the blind here?"

"One hundred percent. You know, it's been really nice meeting a fan like you. It gives me hope as a musician to know there are people out there like you that appreciate what I'm doing, that understand my vision. I don't usually get to talk to people who just listen to my music and not fan all over me."

"Awe, that's kind of sad."

"You're pretty rare."

"Or maybe you just don't get a chance to interact with people like me."

"You're probably right."

"This is the way I see it. You put your music out there, right, but you don't invite the world into every tiny aspect of your life, that's your business. If you wanted the world to learn all about you, then you'd tell the world all about you. All we are given is a picture and a voice, nothing personal and frankly, I don't think the public deserves to get anything personal unless that's the kind of artist you want to be. You know what I mean?"

"I do, I do. And, I personally know some celebrities who are way into that, who crave the accolades and use it as personal motivation to continue producing work. That is just not me. You're not saying anything that I haven't been saying for years, trust me. I will never understand the public's fascination with all things celebrity; with what they eat to what they drink and who they date. Why is that so important to everyone?"

"I don't know, except that maybe they feel close to you in a way? Music, after all, can be a very personal thing to the listener and also to the performer." Rowan said conscientiously.

"I know what you're saying. It's like they think with every album I put out that it's a piece of me and that they get to know me personally, when really it's just music. It's a craft. That's not to say that there aren't some personal pieces, but most of the music I make is because I just freaking love to make it. It's like..." Jax searched for an appropriate word, "... my calling, I guess."

"With your talent, that is the exact right word. Music is one-hundred percent your calling. But it also might be because listeners can have a personal experience when listening to your music that it makes them want to get to know you personally, or feel that they do know you personally. Your lyrics are basically poetry and you address some pretty heavy topics that speak to people. I could go on and on about how art is art because it holds a mirror up to humanity, but I don't think we have time for one of my English 101 lectures."

Jax laughed. "You know, I've never really thought about it that way before. You're really smart Ro, you know that?"

"Please, I'm not nearly as smart as you Jax, really."

"Whatever, you're brilliant... Ro-Ro." Jax bit his lip, chuckling when she snorted into the phone.

"And how do you know that charming nickname? Diana of course. Goodness. That girl's a menace."

"She did use it a lot," he smiled, admiring her sweet indignation.

"Yeah, that's her special nickname. But it's ok because she's known me since I was 12. She's allowed to call me that."

"What, not me?" Jax asked with feigned hurt.

"We'll see... But thank you for your earlier compliment. I may seem smart and all that, but it doesn't mean that I am. I'm just good at pretending."

"You and me, girl, you and me both." They laughed and Jax's heart skipped a beat. Not only was this woman a fan which was a shocking enterprise in and of itself, but someone so funny and intelligent and sexy beyond belief, and all around someone who was shaping up to be a very interesting person that was incredibly easy to talk to. Conversation with her felt effortless and was supremely enjoyable.

Jax felt something on the tip of his tongue that he wanted to express, but knew not how or even if it would be proper to do so. Even if he couldn't name it, he was genuinely glad to be able to hold a normal conversation with Rowan without his balls turning blue. It gave him some hope for dinner that evening.

Unable to stand the silence for too long, Rowan couldn't help but break it. "What are you thinking?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry if that was an inappropriate question, and I probably shouldn't have asked that, but it was silent for like a full minute, and I can't stand silences really, unless we are face to face. On the phone, I'm crazy when it comes to silences."

"No, no, me neither, usually I can't either. There's just something about you that makes me speechless."

"Wow, uh... that was slick. Smooth move."

Jax smiled, warmth blooming in his chest.

"Well, you know, you left me the widest opening ever. I couldn't resist." She laughed at that and he relished the sound a moment before continuing. "But it's not a personal question to ask me what I was thinking."

"Ok, so then what were you thinking?"

"Uh-" Jax chuckled and felt his cheeks start to burn. "Um, honestly I was thinking about how good and easy it is to be able to hold a normal conversation with you without thinking about, um, well... thinking the thoughts that led to... well... um...."

"What, shy now? How interesting." Rowan teased and Jax felt that blush bloom again. She was so good at getting straight to the truth of every hesitation.

"Ok, ok, challenge accepted... Truth be told, I was thinking about tonight and wondering what the magic number of times I would need to rub one out in order to hold a conversation with you at dinner without sporting a giant erection under the dinner table and developing a serious case of blue balls." Rowan burst into laughter and he warmed inside.

"You know, I didn't expect you to be so funny."

"Why not, I can't be funny?"

"Never! No, I didn't mean it like that. I just... I guess I've always kind of expected celebrities to be all jaded and stuffy, to put themselves at a distance because just like what we were talking about, how they are kind of hunted by the world, but you're pretty cool. You're really easy to talk to and really funny. Not that I have any frame of reference. You're the first celebrity I have met after all."

"Thank you, thank you, you're pretty cool yourself."

"Well, thank you." They laughed again, and his spirits soared.

"Man, I can't wait to see you tonight." Jax sighed into the phone. Just thinking about seeing her beautiful face was making his cock twitch again and he mentally scolded that treasured member of his anatomy.

"Me too, and I'm not just saying that, though it will be hard to keep from... what did you call it? 'Eye-fucking' you."

"Damn," Jax's breath hitched when she said the word 'fucking.' "You can't do that." He breathed into the phone.

"Do what?" she asked, genuinely.

"You can't even say that word and expect me to just continue with a normal conversation."

"What, 'eye' or 'fucking'?" This time her voice turned sultry and she elongated the last word.

"Yes, please, you're killin' me over here." Jax groaned playfully.

"Ok, I'm sorry. That wasn't nice to tease you. It's hard to resist, though. I'm feeling the same way you are right about now. So, on that note, I will see you this evening. I'm going to go clean up and get dressed."

"I was teasing you too! Don't believe me. It's ok. You can say whatever you want. My blood may be boiling but I'll deal with it." He grimaced. He didn't mean to make her feel bad.

"Oh, no, I'm not upset, but I should go. I'm actually feeling a little worn out from all the excitement and the jet-lag... I'm more afraid of falling asleep at the dinner table than soaking the ch-a-a-ir." The last word caught on a yawn and his chest tightened. He relented, though, despite her desirability and absolute cuteness. He knew what it felt like to be jet-lagged.

"Of course, yes, I wasn't thinking. Yes, please, rest. Thank you for talking to me for so long."

"Thank you, Jax. It was... eye..." he smiled and he could almost see her sexy little smirk through the phone, "opening."

"Yes, yes it was. See you tonight sweetheart. Sweet dreams."

"No doubt about that. Thank you."

Jax ended the call and dropped his phone on his bedside table, dragging himself to the bathroom to take a shower. His cock felt suddenly painfully full. He fervently hoped that a second tug during his shower would be enough to squash this lust for Rowan long enough to get through this evening.

He stepped under the warm spray, letting it ease the tension in his shoulders before gripping his erection in his hands. It was a little sore from the earlier session of self-abuse, but there was nothing else doing so he gritted his teeth against the slight sting in his sensitive skin. He closed his eyes and Rowan's flushed face from the end of the video flashed before his closed lids. He could still hear her sultry voice in his ear and in next to no time he came again, splashing the gray tile of his shower. Once he came down from his orgasm, he washed up, turned off the water and dried off.

In his bedroom, he picked out a warm cashmere sweater to ward against the October chill in a deep navy that brought out the intense blue of his eyes and a pair of soft light blue denim jeans. For shoes he chose a pair of blue plaid slip-ons. He gave his hair the once-over in the mirror, and ran his fingers through it in an aggravated way, it was getting too long. He liked to keep it short when he was getting ready for a tour. There were so many routines to learn and outfit changes that it ended up being more effort than it was worth to tame his curls. By three-thirty he was satisfied with his appearance, but not with his nerves. He went to find Chase and play a little PlayStation to relieve his tension - or to maybe talk a little more about Rowan - before it was time to start dinner.

CHAPTER FOUR:

"You know what? Fuck the rules."

Jax checked his watch for the hundredth time as he paced the foyer of his mother's house. He paused every other step in order to look out the window for signs of the black SUV that was bringing his guests to dinner. Lisa Trentwell smiled and elbowed Chase in the ribs as they watched Jax pace back and forth in front of the foyer window. Pat Trentwell, Jax's father, joined his family in the foyer and looked at his agitated son in confusion.

"You alright there, Jaxon?" Pat asked.

Jax looked up from his bent position at the window to greet Pat only to discover the whole household there watching him. "Oh yeah, uh, fine. What are all of you doing?"

"Watching you. I haven't seen you like this in a long time, Jaxie." Lisa beamed up at her son who stood quite a bit taller than her. Jax blushed and mumbled an incomprehensible excuse and then stalked away into the living room, but not before seeing his mom give the other two gentlemen in the room a knowing smile. Moments later though, he was back at the ring of the doorbell. Jax reached it first and opened it without hesitation. On the other side, Danni, Mica and Rowan stood waiting, looking drastically different from one another.

Jax opened the door fully and his breath caught at the sight of Rowan standing before him. Luckily, his last jerk-off session in the shower seemed to have been enough to stem the tidal wave of lust that he felt in her presence and his cock lay thankfully dormant in his pants. Her hair was perfectly styled in a hip and provocative way, accentuating the fine bone structure of her face. She wore the perfect colors for her too; a deep maroon half-blazer over a dusky rose satin blouse which brought out the soft pink-peach hue of her cheeks and emphasized the brilliance of her green eyes. Her slow smile made him realize he was staring. She mouthed the words "rule number two" at him and then deliberately broke their eye contact.

Jax smiled and started to turn to the other two, but while he was 'eye-fucking' Rowan, Chase had taken over for him. He had already greeted Danni, and a timid Mica and gestured them inside. Danni stood preening before him, smiling cheekily and Jax turned to nip that in the bud right then and there.

"Okay, welcome to my home, and Mica, it is good to finally meet you properly. I'm so glad to see that you're feeling better. But uh, there are a few things that I want to make absolutely clear, just for propriety's sake and all that. First, this is not part of the show. There are no cameras. Please just be yourselves. I'd love to meet the real you and show you the real me, sans cameras. Secondly, this is my parents' house so please be on your best behavior, no cursing, stuff like that. Okay, then, let's go meet everybody." Rowan nodded in agreement and Mica as well, but Danni looked slightly put out. Jax shook his head. He knew a lost cause when he saw it and led everyone into the living room where introductions were made.

Jax cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Hey, um, everyone, this is Rowan, Danni, and Mica, from the contest. This is Chase Axle, my best friend, my mother Lisa Trentwell and my father Pat Trentwell." While Danni and Mica stood idly by, Rowan stepped forward at each introduction and shook hands, causing each to smile in turn.

"Your home is beautiful, Mrs. Trentwell." Rowan said with warm sincerity.

"Thank you Rowan, but please, call me Lisa."

"Thank you, Lisa." Lisa held out her arms and squeezed her. Lisa turned to the timid young man standing just inside the door.

"How are you feeling, Mica?" Lisa asked sweetly.

"Better," the boy squeaked then turned pale when he caught Jax's gaze. He decided it would be safer not to talk directly to him too much. The last thing he needed or wanted was for the kid to faint again.

"Let's go out to the deck. We've got drinks and everything out there and it's a nice night for it." Lisa led the way out through the family room and onto the back patio. As soon as she opened the door, the company was bombarded with two rambunctious differently colored Labrador retrievers sniffing and jumping around. Danni shrank back in disgust and Mica in fear, but Rowan dove right in.

"Oh my gosh, look at these two, they're adorable! Who are these guys?" She bent at the waist stroking the exuberant dogs and cooing into their upturned faces.

"That's a girl Bree there, the white lab, and the chocolate lab is a boy, Buck." Jax said with pride.

"And what good doggies, they haven't jumped up or anything! What good babies. Are they yours, Lisa and Pat?" Everyone looked at her and the dogs in amazement. Not only surprised that they were taking such a liking to her, but that she didn't know whose dogs they were. Looks passed around the group, all questioning, as if to ask 'is she for real?' Danni looked on in disbelief, convinced that Rowan was faking surprise and delight.

"You mean you don't know?" Danni asked, animosity dripping from her words.

"Should I?" Rowan asked politely back.

"Well yeah, if you're a real fan of Jaxon's," Danni bit out.

Rowan straightened but didn't stop petting the two dogs.

"Well okay... I guess you and I have two very different definitions of fan then." Rowan's tone was still polite, but had turned somewhat cool in response to Danni's animosity. Sensing that the situation was close to getting out of hand, Jax decided to interrupt.

"They are my dogs, my babies. My mother bought them for me about three years ago. I try to take them with me as much as I can, so they pretty much go everywhere with me."

"Well, they are fantastic, I love animals. I grew up with a slew of them and it's been pretty lonely at college with only one little cat to get my pet fix from. And If you're going to have a dog, you might as well have big ones. I mean these guys are as big as I am." Everyone smiled, still unsure if she was feigning ignorance or genuinely didn't know. The silence kind of stretched on for a bit so she cleared her throat and changed the topic.

"Wow, this is fantastic." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the change of subject. Rowan gazed in awe at such beautiful surroundings; the backyard was privately fenced in with rich greenery. The protected deck was as spacious as the house and made of rich walnut. A large heated Jacuzzi sat in the far corner on a raised platform. Looking completely at home in the other corner was a built-in bar and grill.

"Thank you, Pat designed it." Lisa said.

"It was nothing, but thank you for the compliment."

"Yeah, it's nice, must have cost a fortune, but nothing too big for you, huh Jaxon?" Danni slapped him on the back, drawing all eyes to her.

"Actually, this is my parents' house, but uh, thank you for making it awkward." Put in her place, Danni merely rolled her eyes and moved to the built-in bar for a drink. She popped the top, right quick, on a beer without asking and drained half of it while everyone watched on in awkward silence.

"Anyway, let's get to eating, shall we?" Jax grabbed plates of barbecued steak, chicken and vegetables and set them on the round table in the middle of the deck where they would eat family style.

"Beautiful day, isn't it? I just love fall. All the colors of the changing leaves, and the temperature... It's like a real fall, not the five seconds of a breeze before the temperature jumps into the 90's like where I'm from. I'm just loving it out here." Rowan took a deep breath of the chill fall air, and most everyone smiled at her pleasant conversation.

"This is my favorite time of year, it really is. In the autumn when the leaves are falling, everything's changing colors. Right before it gets cold; it's good golf weather." Rowan nodded and Danni rolled her eyes. "It's different than in California, especially LA where the coldest it gets is, what, 60?"

Jax pulled Rowan's chair out for her, his fingers grazing her shoulders as she sat. With just that simple touch, he felt his stomach flip over itself. Rowan stiffened and whispered softly enough for only him to hear, "Tsk, tsk, Mr. Trentwell, breaking rule number one." The urge to chuckle suddenly seized him and he hastily bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud for what would seem like no apparent reason.

While he was seating Rowan, Chase seated Danni who had been hovering next to Jax waiting for him to direct her into a seat beside him. Mica tried to make himself inconspicuous by seating himself at the end of the table next to Pat.

"It is different than in California. Do you two get out to California much?" Rowan asked Lisa and Pat as everyone served themselves family style from the bowl of red potato salad, platter of grilled chicken and steak, steamed seasoned vegetables and warm, sweet honey rolls. Jax sent his dogs to the corner to lay down away from the table with one command.

"We do, we do. You know Jax has a house in LA so we try to get out to see him whenever he's out there for more than a few days at a time." Lisa answered with a smile.

"Are you in LA a lot then?" Rowan asked Jax.

"Well, I live there, my business is there so yes, but when I have time off I come out here. This is home, you know?" Rowan nodded with a smile and Jax found himself lost in those sparkling eyes. She broke their gaze and looked around the table at the other occupants who were all interested and focused on their exchanges. She cleared her throat and drew attention from herself to someone else.

"What's your story Mica, where do you come from?" Mica jumped, spilling the contents of his fork all over his lap. He dabbed with his napkin at the barbecue sauce steadily seeping into the khaki pants he was wearing and then blushed furiously. Rowan and Jax both gave him an encouraging and comforting smile and he smiled sheepishly back at them.

"Um," he croaked, "I uh, come from uh, Florida."

"Florida, I've never been. Did you grow up there?" Rowan asked.

"Yeah, in uh, Orlando. I live down the street from where Jaxon," he blushed "lived with In-Time while they were recording their first album." Jax smiled.

"That's neat. If you grew up there, we were probably there at the same time." Jax smiled gently which made Mica miss his drink by a mile to grab the salt shaker. He half-way brought it to his mouth before he realized what he was doing. His blush grew even darker and he slammed the salt shaker to the table.

"Uh, um," he stammered, "Yeah, I grew up there, on that street."

"Cool." Jax said and Mica flushed again, this time knocking over the drink he was attempting to grasp.

"Oh, shit!" Mica yelped as his soda flew from his cup and splashed the table and the majority of its contents, including his own plate. "I'm sorry." He gasped, looking so stricken, tears instantly standing in his eyes.

"That's okay, no worries. Here, I'll help you clean up." Rowan rose from her chair but froze in place when Mica yelped again.

"Oh, no, don't, it's my fault I'll clean it." He picked up his plate and swiped his napkin over the table to sop up the spilled soda. Rowan bit her lip in sympathy and took his napkin gently from his trembling grasp. She took over cleaning up the drink which allowed Mica to retreat with a tear stricken face into the house with his plate of soda-laden food. The rest of the occupants shared an uneasy glance except Danni who smirked over the rim of her beer.

"Poor boy. You just make him too nervous, Jax." Lisa said before getting up with Jax to follow Mica into the house.

"Mica?" Jax called when he reached the kitchen. "You okay, buddy?" Mica stood before the sink, his shoulders hunched, his back heaving with muffled sobs.

"I feel like such an idiot!" He hiccupped to the sink.

"Hey, it's okay, we all get nervous sometimes." Jax said. "I was so nervous waiting in that studio to meet you guys, I get it. It's okay, you're allowed to be nervous, just like me."

"Yeah, it's okay sweetie, come on back and get yourself a new plate." Lisa said.

"No, it's not just that, it's more... I can't look at you, I can't talk to you... You are so," hiccup, "amazing and I wanted so badly to tell you all of this this morning, and I up and fainted. I'm a fool and... and... I'm sorry... I know you're not going to take me, why would you, I can't even look at you, and I don't even care if I go. I just wanted to meet you so badly and tell you that your music has changed my life, that it's just amazing and... and... I ruined it all by being so stupid!"

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Jax said softly to his back. He reached out and touched a trembling shoulder causing Mica to recoil and sob all the harder, but Jax wasn't about to give up. He pulled Mica away from the sink, turning him so that they were face to face, well, as much as they could be considering Mica was a foot shorter. He held Mica in place by the shoulders and bent his head to look him in the face.

"Look, it's okay. I completely understand. I get star-struck myself sometimes, like when I met Carrie Fisher for the first time. I was like 'oh my God, it's Carrie Fisher!' I didn't think I would ever get over that feeling, but I did eventually when I realized that she's just a person, just like me. And hey, that stuff you said about my music? Man... that really means a lot to me. It's the whole reason I make music in the first place. So don't feel stupid or anything for feeling that way because I sure don't think that you're stupid, all right?" Mica nodded stiffly and heaved a weary sigh. Jax smiled.

"Do you want to come back to the table?" Mica shook his head no and stared at his feet.

"What do you want to do, honey?" Lisa asked from the doorway.

"I think, if it's all right, I'd just like to go home now. I don't think I'm feeling all that well after all."

"Of course it's okay. Thank you for making that video, it was really nice." Mica smiled his first smile of the evening.

"Thanks, and uh, if it's okay, would you sign this for me?" He pulled out a shiny new copy of Love Mimic from his jacket pocket and a Sharpie pen. "And maybe take a picture too?" he pulled out a camera from his other pocket, his face a perfect picture of hope and despair.

"I'd love to." Jax penned his name in scrawling letters on the inside jacket adding "For my friend Mica,'' which made Mica smile his biggest smile yet. Lisa took the camera from his hands and Mica, tears streaming down his face, wrapped his arms around Jax's waist to pose for the picture.

"You know, I think the car from the hotel is still outside. How about I walk you to the door?" Jax said after Lisa had snapped a couple pictures.

"Thank you for everything." Mica hugged the signed CD and his camera to his chest as Jax led him to the door while Lisa went back outside. Moments later Jax joined her, returning to his seat beside Rowan who smiled and patted his arm.

"That was nice of you two, Lisa and Jaxon." Rowan said, resting her hand on the exposed skin of his forearm. Jax smiled, trying to focus on what she had said, despite the distraction of her touch. He looked at Rowan out of the corner of his eye and just as he suspected, she was wearing a smug smile. She knew what she was doing. Before moving away, Rowan leaned a touch closer and whispered just for his ears "turnabout is fair play." She slid her hand off his arm and sat back in her seat. Touche, baby, touche, Jax thought as he squirmed in his seat.

"I just feel bad for the poor heart." Lisa said and they all nodded their heads, except Danni of course. The table sank into a quiet, somber contemplation of the 'poor heart' Mica but Rowan, ever uncomfortable with lengthy silences, broke it with a question.

"So, what do you do, Chase, for fun?" Rowan asked, attempting to lighten the mood with a change of topic. Chase looked up from his plate in surprise.

"Me?" he asked with a touch of incredulity, seemingly taken aback by the fact that he had the attention of someone who was supposed to be one of Jax's biggest fans.

"Yes, you. What do you do for fun? What are your hobbies? Do you like sports?"

"Well, sometimes I play golf with Jax, but I'm not nearly as good as he is. I don't really like it all that much, but it can be fun. But I, well, I'm not really into sports as much, I'm more of a gamer, a nerd really."

"Oh, I doubt you're a nerd. You can be into video games without having to be a nerd, my sister Haley loves video games, and she's one of the coolest people I know."

"Cool, that's cool. There's other stuff I do though, not just video games." Chase said. Rowan looked up, listening intently.

"Like what?" She asked.

"Like, uh, right now I've got this athletic clothing and shoe line that I put together with Jax..."

"Oh, yeah, it's fabulous," Danni interjected but she didn't say it to Chase, she said it to Jax. He stopped mid-bite and listened to her following tirade with an amused expression. "You know, Jaxon, I just love your line, you did such a good job with it. I like, own every piece you ever produced for girls. What made you decide to do it, you're so amazing, you have such an eye, you..." Jax put up a hand, not liking where this was going. He looked at Chase who didn't look upset, only slightly amused.

"Hey listen," Jax said, interrupting Danni. "You know, that's been the thorn in our side. People want to insist that it's only me. It's not just mine, it's my self and my best friend Chase's. That guy right there." Danni smiled and turned to Chase.

"Sorry," she said, not sounding sorry at all. "That's really good that Jax wanted to do this with you."

"Actually," Jax said, "It was his idea. He came to me and to be honest, I wouldn't have done this if it hadn't been for Chase being so passionate about it. I liked the idea, but I don't want to be that guy. Know what I mean?"

"You don't want to be the singer with the clothing line kind of stereotype." Chase said and Jax nodded.

"It's almost like the clothing, no matter what kind of clothing, for a celebrity when you're launching it, you get a huge platform. After that it's like a cinder block tied to your ankle. If I could do this and have people not know I was doing it, it would be way better for me. Unfortunately, my life doesn't work like that. It would be like me going to a club and being upset about people taking my picture."

"Jax is just too nice to admit he's only doing this to help me out. It's something I've always wanted to do, and I think it was just perfect timing for the both of us and a perfect combination, really." Chase said. "If I could, I would have been a professional basketball player and I'd always dreamed about having a pair of court shoes with my name on them."

"It doesn't hurt that they are really good shoes. Makes game play better, really. I'd be mad at you, Chase, if it was a crap product, but since you did such a good job at ethically sourcing the materials and labor, I can't be that mad." Chase laughed.

"Thanks, bud. I appreciate that." Rowan smiled at the two, admiring their friendship that was so like the friendship between Diana and herself. Danni observed the ease at which Rowan conversed, clearing her voice loudly to draw attention to herself.

"I like to play basketball for fun and I play in your shoes too. You're right Jax, they do wonders on the court." Danni announced, drawing the eyes she had been desiring all evening to her.

"Is that right?" Jax asked warily, but with all politeness.

"Yes, it's my favorite; I play it all the time. I even played on my high school team. I love basketball, do you?" Jax smiled and nodded his head. He thought it was hilarious that she would actually try and play like she didn't know he did considering the fact that he just announced how he appreciated Chase's shoe's performance on the court. I mean, how stupid did she think he was? It was kind of insulting.

"You look like a good player, tall people usually are, you and I should play sometime," Danni continued, bowing open the front of her topless dress in his direction. Jax didn't like the way she accentuated the word play so he just nodded, uncommitted, rather than affirming it with speech. "I see you guys have a basketball court. Why don't you and I have a game?"

"That might be a possibility. Maybe after dinner we could all play some."

"You have an interesting accent, Danni, where are you from?" Lisa changed the subject quickly, noticing the subtle yet tell-tale signs of annoyance flickering over Jax's features. Danni turned a reluctant eye toward the slighter woman, but answered in all politeness just the same.

"I'm from New Jersey."

"That's nice, and what do you do?" Lisa pressed.

"I'm a massage therapist and acupuncturist."

"That sounds interesting, do you enjoy it?" Lisa asked in all graciousness, but the corner of her mouth turned down, something that Jax knew revealed a growing disquiet while maintaining an outward social politeness.

"Yeah, you know, as much as a person can enjoy it." Put off by Danni's short responses and total lack of enthusiasm for the conversation, Lisa turned to Rowan instead.

"And what do you do, Rowan?"

"Me? I am about to graduate with a Masters in English Composition and Literacy, so... not much. That consumes pretty much all of my time."

"A Masters degree, that's very impressive. You know, education is important." Pat lifted his glass to her in an admirable gesture and she lifted her own with a smile. Pat must mean it, Jax thought, because he rarely spoke in mixed company. He tended to occupy the silent supportive role while his mother shone in the spotlight much like their son, the center of any conversation naturally. For some currently unfathomable reason, Jax felt a surge of pride in Rowan for pursuing her education and drawing Pat's admiration.

"Thank you, it has been hard work, let me tell you," Rowan said, drawing Jax back to the present.

"What are you going to do with it?" Chase asked.

"Teach, eventually. Hopefully at a Junior College or even at a high school, depending on what's available."

"When will you be done?" Jax asked.

"I have the rest of this semester which will be over in December and then next semester. I'll be done in May provided I can get my thesis approved by the master's committee."

"Have you always wanted to be a teacher?" Lisa asked.

"Oh yes, from when I was a little girl. My mother will tell anyone that will listen that I came home from my first kindergarten class when I was four and told her that I wanted to be the teacher instead of the student." Everyone but Danni smiled and chuckled softly at that. "But let me tell you, I can't wait till I'm done. I can't wait to teach. It's been six years, six long years of school. I am ready."

"I bet you'll be a great teacher," Jax commended, giving her a big smile and refilling her glass of water from the pitcher on the table.

"Thank you, I look forward to it."

"Do you like basketball?" Danni interjected, completely off topic so it took a moment for Rowan to realize that she was talking to her.

"Yes, I do. I may be short, but I played point-guard on my high-school and junior college teams once upon a time. What position did you play?"

"Position?"

"Yes, on your team in school. You did say that you played, right? What was your position?"

"Oh, all of them."

"Wow, an all star, that's cool."

"What's your point?" Danni's face was growing steadily redder, nearly matching the deep red of her hair at Rowan's questioning.

"No point, just attempting to make conversation." She raised her glass to lips, unconsciously teasing the rim with a flick of her tongue first, causing Jax to stare. Danni glared at Rowan intensely. Jax cleared his throat and removed his napkin from his lap, setting it by his plate. The tension was palpable so he rose from his seat.

"Well, if everyone is finished, why don't we all play a friendly game? It'll help me work off all this food. Great dinner, mom and dad, thank you."

"Yes, thank you very much. You two are wonderful cooks. Thank you so much for inviting me."

"No problem, sugar, it was a pleasure to have you." Pat rose with them and offered his hand to Rowan which she promptly took, but instead of shaking it, he lifted her small hand to his lips and kissed it, whispering over the top. "You come back any time, you hear?" Lisa who had risen as well nodded her head in agreement.

"Yes, you are always welcome," Lisa added.

"Thank you, you two are too nice," Rowan beamed at them, her sweet vivacity shining and winning smiles all around.

"Nonsense, it's you who is nice, otherwise, believe me, we wouldn't be extending the invitation," Pat said. No one seemed to mention that this invitation hadn't been extended to Danni as well and she simmered watching Pat release her hand and nod his approval to Jax. He and Lisa picked up their drinks and started to head into the house, leaving the playing of basketball to them.

"Come on, Chase, Danni, let's go play some ball. Dad, would you mind turning the lights to the court on, it's getting kind of dark."

"Sure, son." Lights sprung on, illuminating a previously darkened full basketball court towards the back of the yard. Rowan walked to the farther side of the deck that faced the court and rested her forearms on the deck railing, leaning over it. Jax walked slowly up to join her, his eyes roving freely over her body. Her elbows were tucked in close to her sides and her back was arched slightly, her hips thrust out and back. Jax bit his bottom lip as his eyes took in her behind. It was a perfect upside down heart sitting atop shapely thighs. His hands itched to touch her, to feel those curves press into his palms. He took a deep breath and clenched his fists, forcing himself to walk past without touching.

"Wow, that's impressive. Did you have that installed or your parents?" Rowan asked, looking up at Jax who had stopped directly beside her, close enough that their shoulders touched. He bent his head to peer into her face and inhaled her scent, soft and feminine, stirring his blood. She smiled up at him and her cheeks pinked. The thought that she wasn't as unaffected by his nearness as she pretended to be delighted him. He almost forgot what she had just asked him so it took a moment for him to answer.

"I did, um, and I would have put in a putting green, but the yard was too small. I have one at my house in LA though and another court. I turned tennis courts that were already there into full-sized basketball courts."

"You like to play a lot then?" Rowan looked him up and down a bit and Jax smiled knowingly. It was almost like a game, pretending for the eyes and ears around them that they weren't ready, at any given moment, to jump each other's bones right then and there.

"Yes, but it's not just that, I am an athlete. I try to stay active during my down time, at the gym or by going hiking behind my house in LA with my two labs... you can let them off the leash and watch them go. When I'm on tour, I try to sneak a round in at the various courses along the tour route. My dad told me I should take up golf now so one day I can shoot my age. That's when a man is complete; the planets aligned. At the moment I can do that in about five holes." She laughed and Jax smiled.

"Do you like to golf too?" he asked.

She started to speak and then stopped herself, hesitating. She looked at him closely then bit her lip and looked away. Jax's brow crinkled in confusion. "What is it? If you don't like it, it's okay to say no, you don't have to be into all the same things I am."

"It's not that," she hedged, biting her lip and Jax's cock twitched in his pants. Good god, don't do that. He did not know if he was begging her or begging his dick because when she bit her lip like that, looking up at him over her shoulder, under her lashes... damn it was hard to keep from... well... getting hard.

"Then what?" he prompted.

"I don't know... we already have basketball in common, so...." She paused again, rubbing a soft-pink manicured nail across the ridges in the wooden deck railing. He paused to admire the fact that she didn't have those talon-like fake nails, but instead a graceful natural nail with a muted color and white tip.

"Well, what is it? You've got my imagination running wild." Jax sighed a little forlornly, feeling suddenly sick with all the baggage that came with his fame.

"I started second on my golf team in college with a four handicap. I played for three of my five years at my CSU as part of my scholarship agreement." She nodded her head as Jax's eyes widened in surprise. "Yeah, see what I mean? It's like, how do I know you believe me and how do you know you can believe me in a situation like this. That's why I hesitated to tell you. I don't want it to seem like I'm just saying that I can play ball or that I like golf because you do, that's not the case at all. It's just some kind of weird coincidence."

Jax looked away, taking in what she said with a nod. He did not know exactly how to respond. On one hand, he was thankful for how forthcoming she was, on the other hand she was right. This was a fucked up situation. How could he trust her? How could they get to know one another in any kind of genuine way in a situation like this? Fortunately he was saved from giving a response by Danni's predictable interruption, though this time it was welcome.

"Are you'se guys gonna play or what?" Danni shouted over her shoulder from the lawn. Jax looked up just in time to observe Danni bending at the waist to pluck the heeled shoes from her feet, offering a full display all the way to her navel. It was lucky indeed that her head was bent because she missed the complete opposite reaction flash over Jax's features that it was intended to have.

"That's just wrong." Jax whispered into Rowan's ear, sending shivers down her spine and giving her goosebumps. She had to raise a second hand to smother the sound of a giggle from the tease and tickle of his breath and Jax found himself deeply admiring the light mirth brought to her shining green eyes.

"You know, I meant what I said when I told you that you've got the prettiest green eyes I have ever seen, seriously, and I've seen a lot of green eyes."

"You have?"

"I have, but yours are simply stunning."

Rowan smiled, crinkling the corners of her eyes adorably. "Thank you. Your eyes aren't bad either, but then I don't have such a wide frame of reference as you."

"Oh really," Rowan nodded and Jax grinned like a fool. Meanwhile, Danni positively seethed below them. She stomped barefoot back up the deck and dropped her shoes with a loud clunk on the wooden planks, breaking the two apart.

"Okay, let's go play then." Jax gestured to the steps and Rowan moved ahead with his love smitten dogs jumping at her heels, affording Jax another ample view of the work her jeans accentuated. He had to bite back an explicative as the view from the back was just as scintillating as the front. Rowan had very pleasing, feminine curves that she wasn't afraid to showcase with snug clothing.

They reached the court where Chase already had a ball, drilling it into the pavement as he paced back and forth across the court. His shorter, slender stature was silhouetted by the flood lights in a graceful arch as he jumped for the hoop in an impressive show of skill and talent. Jax clapped and cheered as the ball sailed through the hoop.

"Wow, Chase, that was awesome," Rowan cooed as Chase touched back down.

"Thanks," Chase said off handedly, waving away the compliment.

"Yeah, that's one thing he's got on me for sure, he pretty much owns whatever court he sets foot on, really." Jax beamed at his friend, both teasing and at the same time sincere in his admiration of his long-time best friend.

"Oh shut up and play," Chase said, rolling his eyes. Jax gestured for the ball and then it was Jax's turn to pound the pavement.

Rowan removed her maroon-velvet jacket before bending over to unbuckle and take off her heels, dramatically reducing her height. She stepped out onto the smooth pavement of the court and Jax immediately passed the ball to her which she dribbled skillfully toward the hoop. She wove it in and out of her legs before running for a jump shot, releasing the ball in a perfect arch that sent it directly through the hoop.

"Damn, for a shortie, you sure have some skills." Jax, amazed, retrieved the ball and exchanged a look with Chase who nodded his head in admiration.

"Mad skills." Chase assented with affection. He reached out for the ball which Jax passed to him. "Now let's see yours, Danni." Chase tossed the ball to Danni and it completely passed through her arms and into the surrounding lawn. She glowered at him before running to retrieve it.

Jax sauntered up to Rowan whose size was now diminutive in comparison without her super tall shoes. He looked down to her exposed, manicured toes painted in the same pale pink as her fingertips. Normally, feet just weren't something that did it for him, but everything about this girl was incredibly sexy, even her feet which were smooth and creamy looking just like the rest of her. "You're going to play without shoes on?"

"Well, I can't run in the shoes I wore over here. They have three-inch heels."

"Wow," he stepped closer still until they were what would have been nose to nose if they were the same height. A thrill ran through him as he contemplated what advantage he would have over her in the bedroom. Her stature and lush femininity made him feel incredibly masculine, primal almost. "You are so tiny."

"I'm not tiny; I'm five-four, thank you very much."

"Yeah, and that's like, what, nearly a foot shorter than me?"

"Well, good things come in small packages."

"You know, that's just something short people say." He smiled down at her and she rolled her eyes up at him.

"Really, do you like your kneecaps? Keep up comments like that and you're sure to lose them. Down here I have very easy access to them, and other..." she dropped her gaze and bit her lip "... tender things, so watch it." Jax laughed and playfully yanked a strand of her soft, silky hair, turning aside as Danni reappeared, breathless, with the ball. She sauntered up to Jax in her version of seduction, stopping a hand's breadth from Jax's face. One long fingered hand raised and then rested against the soft fabric of his sweater, stroking his stomach like a crouched spider.

"You wanna be on my team Jaxon?" Jax quickly grabbed her wrist and removed her hand from his stomach, preventing it from sliding lower.

"How about we play a friendly game of horse or something instead. There really aren't enough people to play a full game, don't you think?" Danni pouted and walked away, bumping into Rowan's shoulder as she went. She pounded the ball up to the hoop and in doing so displayed her inexperience. Jax, Rowan and Chase watched in disbelief as Danni threw the basketball at the hoop, one hand placed on either side of the ball in an overhead hurl. It fell well short of the mark and bounced slowly away, the sound cut through the silence of the four watching.

It was almost comical; three sets of eyes following the rolling ball, watching silently as it escaped from Danni's inept throw to come to rest at Rowan's feet well past the half court line. Now all eyes focused on her as she bent gracefully to pick up the ball. Jax's mouth went dry as he watched her dribble the ball, flexing her fingers and shifting from foot to foot. He couldn't keep his eyes off of each elegant movement. She wove the ball in and around the others standing motionless on the court, making Jax laugh as she passed him, keeping just out of reach. She rounded Danni on her way to the hoop for a perfect lay-up. Her petite frame was silhouetted beautifully by the lights as she sent the ball sailing for the hoop, and the soft swish of the net was the only sound as it dropped through.

"And that is how it's done!" Chase cheered from across the court.

Jax bent to pick up the ball, rising in time to watch Danni run off across the lawn toward the house. The sound of her exaggerated sob echoed over the still evening.

"Uh-oh, was it something I said?" Chase asked, his hand fluttered to his mouth in a little exaggeration of feigned concern.

"I'll go see what's wrong," Rowan's concern was genuine as she started off after Danni.

"You don't have to do that, look, if she wants to cry about the fact that she obviously lied about being able to play basketball, that's on her. Honestly, what was she thinking? Lying and then suggesting that we play? Didn't think that one through, did she?" Chase said in exasperation.

"Well, she obviously wants to win this contest very much, Chase. I don't think we are seeing the real Danni. I think she's so wrapped up in her fandom that she can't think straight," Jax said with understanding.

"I don't think that's it dude. She was probably thinking that she would finally embarrass Rowan or something to prove that you were lying about being able to play basketball. I'll go see what I can find out." Chase started off across the lawn leaving them on the court.

"Why would I lie about playing basketball?"

"Why would Danni?" Jax asked in answer, "For the same reason a hundred thousand other people that entered that contest did: to win. What other reason do they need?"

"That's still not a good enough reason for me. I don't think there is ever a good reason to lie."

"I completely agree." Jax replied. He stepped closer to Rowan and smiled softly down at her. He didn't think he could admire her more than he did right now. She was almost too good to be true so he reached out and caught a wavy lock of hair to test if she really was there and not some fantasy. He enjoyed how it curled around his finger as the intoxicating smell of her floated up to him.

She smiled up at him, sighing before she leaned forward to rest her forehead against his chest. Jax's heart swelled with more than just the flush of lust that her touch brought, but genuine feeling, surprising him and he stroked the back of her blonde head with his large hand.

"Why does all of this have to be so hard?" She mumbled against his chest and Jax grinned.

"What do you mean?" Jax subtly angled his hips away from her in that way that all guys knew how, afraid he was harder than he thought, prompting her question.

Rowan lifted her head and looked up into his clear-blue eyes. "This, all of this.... Everything is so complicated, especially with Danni. Why can't we just have fun?"

"Don't worry about Danni."

"I can't not worry about her; she makes me feel horrible."

"Why?"

"Because... I don't know, because I hate making people upset. It's just not how I was raised to be. If someone around me is upset and so pathetic, I feel like I have to do something to fix it."

Jax chuckled softly.

"No I'm serious, she's so, she's trying really hard and this means so, so much to her -"

"No, she's not trying hard. What she's doing is faking her way through something you can't fake your way through. Chase kind of had the truth of it, in a way. Look, I'm not sayin' that she has to be perfect, but I really don't appreciate it when someone lies to my face, especially if she expects me to believe her. It's like she just might as well come right out and call me an idiot."

"I still feel bad for her though. I'll go talk to her."

Jax sighed and she stroked his arm in farewell sending tingles up to his shoulder. He watched her walk across the lawn a ways before following after her.

Rowan hesitated for a moment in front of the glass doors off the deck, waiting for Jax before entering the house. He shook his head in awe of her manners, but poked her back with a finger in jest so she'd enter through the door first.

"Oh Jax, I was just about to go and get you." Lisa appeared from around a corner, looking upset. "That woman has locked herself in the guest bathroom and I tried to talk her out of it, but she's screaming that she only wants to talk to you."

"Damn, I..." he looked torn between his understanding of Danni's internal torment, and his reluctance to play these highschool-esque games with a grown-ass woman. The gentleman in him won the argument. He sighed in resignation and started to head to the hall bathroom, but Rowan stopped him.

"I'll try to talk to her, but I think you should call the car or something to come back and take us to the hotel."

Jax nodded in agreement though he was sad to see the evening with Rowan come to an end.

She walked down the hall with Lisa following. "Which door?"

"This one." Lisa pointed to a closed door on the left and Rowan knocked lightly on the door, her face poised with concern.

"Danni, are you okay?" She asked gently.

"Go AWAY!" Danni screamed behind the closed door, adding a dramatic sob on the end of it. "I HATE you!"

"Come on, you can't mean that. You barely know me."

"Yes I do! Get Jax, I don't want to talk to YOU!"

At the sound of his name screamed, or rather, shrieked, Jax's head appeared from around the corner, but he didn't speak. He only continued to listen from the front of the hallway.

"Well, unfortunately all you've got is me right now. Jax is away calling a car to come pick us up. Is there anything I can do for you?" Rowan jumped back as the door was wrenched open, revealing a very agitated Danni. Her red hair seemed to fan out in a fiery expression of her anger as she advanced on the slighter woman.

"Anything you can do for me, for me? What the fuck do you think I could possibly want from you? Like you haven't fucking done enough, you little bitch."

"Whoa, be careful who you call bitch. I don't take that lightly, and remember that we are guests here in Mr. and Mrs. Trentwell's home." Rowan's face reddened, and even though Danni took a menacing step toward her trying to intimidate her with her height, she didn't budge.

"I'll call you anything I want, anywhere, anytime... bitch."

"I know what you're trying to do and it won't work; you won't goad me into acting as foolishly as you. You see, I act my age. Perhaps you should try it some time, like right now." Danni's eyes flashed murder and she lunged at Rowan with an outstretched arm, slapping her across the face with her large hand. Rowan's head snapped back at the blow, knocking her head directly into the wall behind her.

"Jaxon!" Lisa bellowed to her son, who, having witnessed the attack, didn't need her invitation to rush down the hallway, reaching Danni just in time to grab her hand in the air as she raised it for another blow.

"What in the name of all that is holy is wrong with you woman, back off!" He wrenched her away, making her stumble and fall to the floor. Jax turned to Rowan who was sitting on the floor holding her face. He quickly kneeled by her side and reached for her chin, gently easing her hand aside and lifting her face up so he could see. A thick trickle of blood dribbled from her nose and a faint red outline of a hand could clearly be seen on her porcelain cheek. He felt red hot rage surge through him and his breath hissed through his teeth. Lisa reappeared by their side, handing Jax a wet washcloth which he tenderly pressed against her face. Rowan's hand replaced Jax's as she applied the soothing coolness of the cloth to her burning cheek and bleeding nose.

"Well that was embarrassing. I just got my ass kicked by a crazy woman." Rowan offered a cheesy smile and winced for the effort. Jax stroked her unharmed cheek with his thumb and Lisa's heart swelled with the tenderness she saw in her son's eyes, laced with what she thought was a hint of longing. Danni positively seethed with resentment, angry tears springing to her eyes as all her hopes and dreams crumbled with the soft smile that was spreading slowly across Jax's face.

"What the hell is going on here?" A concerned but angry Pat asked from an open door further down the hall which led to his and Lisa's bedroom. Lisa went to her husband's side with a shake of her head.

"Danni slapped Rowan for trying to comfort her."

"What? That doesn't sound right," Pat thundered.

"No, it wasn't right." Lisa turned and faced Danni who was still sitting sprawled on the floor paying no regard to her skirt hem which had ridden quite high on her thighs. "I want that woman out of my house as quickly as possible, and I mean now. I don't accept violence from anybody, even guests." For once, Danni had the sense to keep her tongue and she stood up in as dignified a manner as she could, looking suitably ashamed. She turned to go but Jax stopped her.

"But first, you need to apologize to Rowan for that uncalled for and unprovoked attack and to my parents for your rudeness." Jax stood and held out his hand to Rowan on the floor, lifting her effortlessly to a stand.

"I'm sorry, Jaxon," Danni began.

"No, it's Mr. Trentwell to you now. And I didn't say you needed to apologize to me. This isn't Jersey; we don't all act like asses to everyone and get away with it. This is Tennessee, and out here we treat each other with respect. You deliberately goaded her for the specific purpose of hitting her, and you know it. Now apologize like you know you should and then apologize to my parents for acting that way in their home." Danni's breath heaved in her chest, her cheeks flaming, nearly matching the color of her hair.

"It's okay, Jax," Rowan began, but before she could finish, Danni took a deep breath and raised her chin, doing out of spite what she should do out of courtesy.

"All right, I'm sorry then, to her and to your parents." She turned immediately on her heel and stalked from the hall, wrenching her purse from the stand by the front door. She then yanked open the door and slammed it shut behind her. The other occupants in the hall were silent for a moment in the after shock of her rude departure.

Jax once again turned to Rowan and pulled her into his arms for a warm, reassuring hug. Her small, shoeless frame was almost completely lost within his larger one as she snuggled warmly into his embrace, breathing a sigh of relief at the comfort she found there. Jax stroked her hair and back, resting his cheek on the top of her head. He tightened his arms slightly to pull her even closer, enjoying the feel of her small, yet splendidly curved body against his.

"I'm so sorry," Rowan mumbled against his chest, the sting of tears blurred her vision as she lost the fight against them.

"Shhh, you don't have anything to be sorry for, sweetheart." Jax squeezed her tighter still but then raised his head to look into her eyes, wiping a silent tear from her cheek.

Lisa stepped up to the two and patted Rowan's back comfortingly. "You really don't. That woman is fooling herself if she thinks beating on you is going to win her any contests."

Chase stepped into the hall from the front room only to stop dead when he took in the scene.

"Uh, what happened?" He looked around confused. Rowan hid her face with her cloth, pulling out of Jax's arms.

"Excuse me, I'm going to clean up." She marched to the guest bathroom and the shelter of a closed door to hide the tears streaming down her face, sprung more out of embarrassment than pain.

"What was that all about, Danni just stormed past me... wait, was that blood on Rowan's face?" Chase said incredulously.

"Yep. Danni slapped her." Jax's voice was low and harsh with anger.

"Wow," Chase shook his head, amazed at the length some women would go to get a hold of Jax. "Oh, yeah, the reason I came in was to let the girls know their ride was here. I guess the car that dropped Mica off turned right back around to come and wait here for the girls."

"Why don't you send Danni back in it and we'll take Rowan back later, give her time to collect herself." Jax said, looking concerned at the still closed bathroom door. He looked at his mom and she waved him away with her hands.

"It's okay Jax; I got this, go get that woman off the property."

"Okay, I'll be right back." He and Chase left the house and made their way to the black SUV where Danni was already seated inside. The muscles in Jax's cheek were tensing as he unconsciously clenched and unclenched his jaw. He rapped the knuckles of his right hand against the back passenger window before opening the door and climbing inside, with Chase following shortly after.

"Hey," he said to the driver, "Do you mind stepping out for a minute." The driver nodded and left the car, leaving the three alone. Jax shifted to face Danni who was plastered against the opposite door, unable to resist staring at him despite all that had just happened. It took a moment for Jax to feel in control of his temper enough to speak, and after several deep breaths he felt confident to proceed.

"Okay. Needless to say, what happened tonight cannot happen tomorrow. You have to come tomorrow even though it is against my better judgment to let you back in the same room with Rowan. That can never happen again and if it does, I will call the police myself because that's assault, cut and dry. And even if Rowan won't call you on it, I will. You can be damn well sure of that." Danni looked down, her cheeks flaming with what appeared to finally be genuine tears welling at the corner of her eyes, but Jax felt no sympathy for her emotional predicament.

"You know, what Rowan said in there about you needing to act your age was true," Danni's head snapped up and Jax nodded. "That's right, yeah, I was listening and I heard everything that went down, so, no need to lie, I heard it all."

"I wasn't...." She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Why do you think I was going to lie?"

"Because since the moment I met you, that's all you've been doing - lying to me, to MTV, to the whole world. I was just preempting your next one." Jax's fists clenched in his lap as he watched Danni roll her eyes and shake her head, refusing to take in a word.

"Never mind. You're not listening to a word I'm saying, so I'll just go. But remember - tomorrow, you had better be nice or you'll be getting kicked out, MTV contract or not. Got it?" Danni merely stared off in the distance, silent. "Just nod your head that you understand me or you will go home right now." Danni nodded her head jerkily. "Thank you, have a good night." With that Jax gestured for Chase to open the door and they stepped out of the SUV.

"Take her back to the hotel, and then come back for Rowan. These two can't be in the same space together any more, you know, man?" Jax said to the driver who nodded his head and shook Jax's hand before climbing back into the driver's seat. Jax and Chase watched as the SUV drove away and Jax felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulders.

Meanwhile, Lisa knocked on the door that separated her from Rowan, her brow crinkled with concern. "You okay in there honey?" Rowan looked up from the sink where she had been rinsing her bruised and bloodied face with cool, refreshing water and reached for a hand towel. She dried her face and opened the door to the lovely face of Lisa who immediately pulled her into a hug.

"I like that you're about my size, you're so easy to hug. Usually I have to stand on my tiptoes to hug Jax or Pat." Rowan smiled, instantly comforted by her maternal charm, squeezing her just as tightly. "Come on, I'll get you an ice pack and some tylenol for your face, and I could use a margarita."

"Thank you." Rowan followed Lisa down the hall and into the kitchen which was wonderfully cozy and homey. "I must say, you have a beautiful home, this kitchen especially. Do you like to cook?"

"Oh yes, but I don't get to do much with just Pat and me here all the time."

"Don't you travel with Jax?"

"Sometimes I do. He may be twenty-six, but he's still my baby. He gets homesick real easy, or rather I get homesick for him. When Pat has business that takes him away from home for a while, I usually hunt down my son and keep him company otherwise I'd be left here all by myself." Rowan nodded her head, understanding, and stepped further into the kitchen. Lisa pressed two tylenol into her hands and a glass of water. Rowan tipped her head back and drank them down.

"Thank you." She said when she was finished. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Oh my word, you are the absolute sweetest to offer, I must say. But no, no, absolutely not. Not only are you my guest, but you've got to be working on a mighty big headache about now. So you have a rest and take a seat. I'm nearly finished. I'll just make you an ice pack here in a jiff and then I'll get to the rest of it."

"Thank you, I will, but first I need to get my shoes and jacket. I left them by the basketball court."

"Okay, here, let me turn the deck light on." Lisa wiped her hands on a kitchen towel before walking out into the connecting family room leading to the back yard. She flicked on a set of lights beside French glass doors, illuminating the spacious deck. Rowan said thank you and stepped out into the cooling night, followed by Jax's two bounding pups.

In the house, Lisa put the ice-pack together with loose ice from the freezer and a zip-lock bag, looking up when Jax and Chase entered the kitchen. Jax hugged his mom who squeezed him back with a pat.

"How are you doing, honey?"

Jax sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "What was America thinking, choosing someone like that? That woman isn't a fan, she's a lunatic. I've been in this business so long, I thought that the things fans do wouldn't surprise me anymore, but that surprised me. I did not know that someone would go that far just to go to a concert."

Chase nodded in agreement and offered Jax a beer which he declined. Jax looked around the kitchen. "Actually," he pinched his bottom lip with a finger and thumb, thinking. "Chase, do you think you could call Rachel and see what she can do about this? I just don't feel right letting Danni in the same room with Rowan again if she is capable of violence for no reason like that."

"I'll make the call to the producer myself. I agree, this is fucked up and I want to say that I'm sorry."

"What for? This isn't your fault, it's Danni's and to some extent, MTV's."

"I looked at all three of their background checks myself and there was not a single red flag in any of the files to indicate that Danni was capable of violence like this. If I had known, Jax, there was no way in hell she would have made it within ten feet of you. I'll make sure she doesn't get the chance again." Chase pulled his phone from his pocket and headed to the living room to call.

"It's ok, Chase," Jax called to his retreating back.

"Don't bother, sweetheart. He's so hard on himself. He cares so much for you, like you're his own brother. It's not just his job to make sure you're safe, it's his brotherly duty. There's no talking him out of this mind set. It'll just take time and space. Give that to him, sweetie." Lisa squeezed his hand a moment and he nodded in agreement.

"Is Rowan still in the bathroom?" he asked his mother.

"No, she went out to get her shoes. Come to think of it, she's been out there a while."

"I'll go check on her."

"Here, take this ice pack with you. I bet her face is burning." Lisa handed him her homemade ice pack wrapped in a kitchen towel, then he headed out the back patio door and into the soft glow of the deck lights. He looked around but didn't see Rowan. Surprisingly though, he heard her. Her soft sweet voice drifted up out of the night as she sang "Come Around." Jax's heart swelled with the soulful sound of it as he walked across the lawn as quietly as possible to where she lay on the court. His two huge labs were snuggled up against her while she absentmindedly stroked them.

Unaware of his presence, Rowan continued to sing with her heart and soul. The words poured from her in a passionate flurry, the melody swelling, perfectly pitched. Suddenly she was aware of another voice singing with her in perfect harmony with her own to the end of the chorus.

Jax closed the distance between them to stop and stare down at her from his towering height. He was a bit stunned at what he had just heard. "You have an absolutely beautiful voice. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Oh please, it's nothing compared to you."

"No really, that was very impressive. Perfect pitch. Have you had any formal training?"

Rowan's laughter floated out into the night air between them. "No, no... unless you call singing in the church choir my whole life formal training."

"You could sing professionally, no joke." Jax lay down beside her on the court, Buck between them.

"Well thank you. That means a lot coming from you."

"So what are you doing out here all on your lonesome? Apart from serenading the moon."

"Oh, I don't know... it's such a pretty night! I couldn't resist." She grew quiet for a space, studying the stars and stroking the soft velvety ears of Jax's two pups. He watched her hands play for a bit before letting his eyes return to her face. She turned to look at him and smiled to see that he was already closely studying her. He smiled back, feeling that magical pull of attraction.

"So that's the key? All you need is a pretty night and you're ready to let a few tunes lose?"

She giggled at that and shook her head. "Not just that. When I get upset I like to listen to music, but since I don't have any way to do that, I had to improvise and make my own. I couldn't very well just sing in front of everybody, so I came out here. Which is a good thing because then I got to spend time with these two. I just love your puppies."

Jax nodded, smiling into the night as he listened to her enthusiastically thump their ribs.

"I hope you don't mind me borrowing your song," she added.

"Shoot, not at all. Actually I was thinking that you sing my song better than me." Rowan blushed and started to protest but Jax waved it away with a smile. "I do the same thing, I really do. I use music to escape all the stuff that my job brings which is ironic since my job is music." She laughed lightly at that and then fell silent again, a silence heavy with that pull, that allure before Jax realized he still held the ice pack. "Here, this is for your face. Does it hurt badly?" Jax handed her the towel wrapped pack.

"No, not really. I'm more embarrassed than hurt." She said, pressing the pack gently to her cheek and winced revealing her little white lie.

"Don't be. You didn't do anything wrong." Jax said earnestly.

"Yeah, well, still, I would have liked to hit her back, to defend myself, but..."

"But you did the right thing and I really admire you for that."

"Thanks." She was quiet for a moment, thinking. "I may be new to this whole celebrity/fame thing but I just can't help but wonder why Danni should get so upset over something so trivial?"

"What you have to understand is that, for Danni, this is like... hmm... how can I say this without sounding like a conceited asshole." He rubbed a hand over his mouth and chin, thinking for a moment. One thing about Jax was that he couldn't be rushed. It just took time and Rowan smiled softly in this stolen moment of private revelation.

"For Danni," he continued "she's been setting up this moment in her mind since she heard about this opportunity. She planned this whole thing out: the video, her clothes, her speeches... everything. The only thing she didn't plan was you being the exact opposite type of fan than her."

Rowan nodded, what he said made perfect sense. "She seems to really love you, I mean, not just like you but love you. She would have to in order for her to do all of those things, like the video you talked about and knowing all those facts about you."

"No, no, fans like Danni... I would like to say that Danni is unique, but uh, she's one of many, trust me. Fans like Danni don't love me in the sense that you're meaning. They, uh... how do I put this... they love what I represent: the fame, the fortune, the accolades - the Celebrity. That's what they love. They couldn't care one bit about me, the real me. Though this of course is mostly speculation since I've never really wanted to get to know those types of fans and honestly, I've never invited one to my house before." He grew silent in contemplation, stroking his pet between them.

"Usually there's this distance. Like I wave or sign an autograph. For the most part, a big part, I feel thankful. There are parts of my celebrity that are really cool. Like small things, a handshake, a selfie or a quick hello, maybe a few words exchanged. I don't mind those things and to be honest, they make me feel good, and I know they make my fans feel good.

"But the thing is, the thing that Danni and fans like her have to realize is that, don't get me wrong - it has nothing to do with me. It's just like she saw somebody that she saw on Television. She knows nothing about me. That's why I think you're so... um, different, you know. It's like you're how I wish all my fans were. You just like my music, that's it. You don't pretend to know anything about me."

"I don't know anything about you, nor do you know anything about me. Well, other than what you've seen on the video my friend made."

"Exactly, and that's the best thing about you."

"Thanks, and I mean that. Thank you."

"Thank you." They smiled softly at each other for a moment and lapsed into silence again. He absently stroked his boy Buck's ribs, enjoying the comfortable silence perforated only by his two dogs' huffing breaths, feeling at peace for the first time all evening.

Rowan took a steadying breath and let the cool beautiful, star-filled evening refresh her mind and soul better than anything else could. "The stars look different out here, don't they?"

"How so?"

"They're brighter, homier, if that's even a word."

"Hey, if Miss English degree is using it, it is," he chuckled good naturedly. "I know what you mean though. You can't get a view like this in California."

"You really can't. It's funny though, because it's the same sky."

"True, the sky doesn't change, only your position under it." Jax laughed. "Wow, that was deep, wasn't it."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short, that was very deep."

He laughed at that and then sighed uncomfortably, turning to lay on his side with his arm under his head so that he faced Rowan who still lay on her back, petting his dogs.

"You know, you could have picked a softer place to lay down." Rowan laughed and Jax smiled, feeling happier than he had in a very long time.

"It was this or wet grass. I chose this," she said cheekily and he smiled back. They held each other's gaze, and Jax couldn't resist touching her any longer. He reached out a hand over the top of Buck's head to run the tips of his fingers through her soft hair, admiring the silken texture. He heard Rowan catch her breath in response to his searching fingers and then she lowered the ice pack, dropping her hands and opening up her face to his gaze. The sound coupled with the scent that wafted his way with the evening breeze as he stroked her hair made his mouth water and his dick harden. His breath quickened when he came in contact with her ear, tracing the lobe of it with one long, tapered finger. He felt the overwhelming urge to push Buck out of the way and pull her beneath himself. His thumb and finger tugged on her ear lobe, fingering the tiny gold stud he found there and Rowan gasped.

He sat up and prompted Buck to scoot up so he could move closer and lean over her, resting his weight on his forearm to look down at her. She met his eyes and her lips parted. Watching the play of emotions across her face, he felt that something that he'd felt all day between them, that pull and push of desire for this gorgeous, sweet, spirited young woman. The feeling made stronger now that he had spent the day getting to know just how sweet her spirit really was.

Unable to resist, he pushed his left hand through her hair again, then let his fingers trail down the side of her unbruised cheek, over her throat to the little pulsing beat, quickened now at his touch. He felt his own pulse step up its pace in answer. Her skin was so soft and he couldn't help but imagine other places he wanted to touch that might be just as soft if not softer. He let his fingertips follow the curve of her neck then tickle over her collarbone. As his fingertips began to trace the edge of her blouse and the tops of her breasts exposed above the steep V of her top. Rowan's cheeks bloomed pink and she arched her back up into his fingertips. She bit her lip in an attempt to stifle the whimper his touch induced and his cock jumped in his pants, pumping with arousal.

"God... you are so fucking beautiful," Jax breathed down at her, in awe at what he saw before him and he meant it. Not only was she beautiful to look at... it was so much more. Her beauty was an experience. The way she moved, the way she smelled, the way she sounded, the way her skin seemed to jump, the muscles quivering beneath his touch... It was intoxicating.

"Oh Mr. Trentwell... such language. My delicate sensibilities..." her sweet voice whispered out, a hint of desperation in her attempt to dispel the desire rising between them. "And, tsk, tsk... What about rule number two?"

"You know what? Fuck the rules," he growled only half-joking, splaying his hand and groping her full breast. She gasped, her eyes turning a smokey green and her right hand slid up the length of his chest to grip his shirt and tug him down to her. He came willingly, lowering his face to hers. A mini explosion erupted in his mind at the touch of her soft lips against his own. She was warm and sweet, her mouth pressing urgently against his just as her breasts arched up into his chest. He lost himself at the first urgent touch of her tongue, giving back what she was giving. He slanted his head, deepening their kiss and tasting her mouth fully. His cock ached in his pants as he came to full hardness, crushed a bit in his jeans

As he kissed her, his free hand roamed where it wanted, feeling the lush weight of both full breasts. She whimpered into his mouth, arching more fully into his open palm. All at once the urge to see her face, see the desire he had for her echoed in her beautiful eyes overcame him, and he pulled back, breaking their kiss, his eyes roving over her face tinged pick. She was the perfect picture of desire and desperation. Her lips, wet and puffy from his strong kisses, were parted as she drew short panting breaths.

"Damn," Jax cursed, "I could take you right here, right now... you are too delicious."

"Me? Your mouth is amazing. Your kisses are driving me insane. That mouth can do more than sing..." even in the haze of lust, that humor he was learning was such an integral part of who she was, appeared.

"Ro, you don't even know the half of it..." he answered huskily, pressing his hips forward so the hot length of him cramped in his jeans pressed against her hips and her eyes widened. She felt the bold touch of him and reached down to grip him with her delicate hands through his jeans and it was his turn to gasp aloud.

"Oh my god, you're massive, so hard... so hot," she whimpered, rubbing the hard length of him and he bucked subtly into her hand. Before he could respond with a witty remark, if his brain was even capable of one at this point, feet striking the court sounded out in the dark and his pups bounded up to greet the unexpected company.

Jax and Rowan both jumped apart as Chase called out to them. Rowan abruptly sat up as soon as Jax scrambled off of her, red blooming over already reddened cheeks and Jax couldn't help but smile at her adorable awkwardness when she fumbled for her shoes to buckle them back on. He both silently cursed and thanked his best friend for the interruption, for he could very easily have sunk into Rowan and lost himself in what would undoubtedly be the softest, sweetest pussy in the world.

"Hey, another car just rolled up for Rowan." Chase said when he reached where they sat in the center of the court.

Jax heaved a great sigh and picked himself up off the ground, reaching down for Rowan to pull her up beside him. He helped her with her coat and then they all headed off across the lawn back to the house, his bouncing pups following after. He hung back as they marched across the lawn, adjusting himself in his pants to where his hard cock wouldn't be as noticeable and took great lungfuls of the cool night air, willing it to cool his heated skin and shrink his dick. The sight of Rowan's cute, curvy ass marching ahead of him didn't help much, though, nor did the fresh taste of her still lingering on his tongue.

"I was wondering where you two got off too." Lisa said as they stepped through the kitchen door. "Chase said there was a car outside, but do you have time for a margarita?" Rowan looked at Jax who nodded his head.

"Yeah, she's got a couple of minutes"

"How about a glass of water instead? My head is still smarting from earlier and I'd like to let the tylenol do its thing for me before I drown it in what looks like a beautiful margarita."

"Oh, of course! I wasn't thinking," Lisa smacked herself in the head playfully then pulled a bottle of water from the fridge. "Here you are, sweetheart. Is it feeling any better?"

Rowan smiled and accepted the water that Lisa handed her and took a sip. "Yes, the ice-pack was extremely helpful. Thank you so much."

"Oh, I'm so glad to hear that," Lisa squeezed Rowan's hand. "How about you Jax, want a drink?"

Jax, to Lisa's amusement, plucked the bottle of water from Rowan's hand and drank deeply before handing it back to Rowan who sighed exasperatedly.

"Nope, I'm good now," Jax licked his lips and Rowan rolled her eyes at his antics all under Lisa's watchful and hopeful eye.

They all moved out of the kitchen and into the little built-in breakfast nook where Pat and Chase were already sitting at the table with a pack of cards and drinks. Jax pulled out a chair for Rowan and his mother and then seated himself next to her.

"So, do you have time for a round of cards or do you have to run off?" Pat asked Rowan, shuffling the pack expertly. She looked to Jax who checked his watch. It was already past eight. He was torn between what should happen and what he wanted to happen.

"Um, probably not, she should be going, unfortunately. Actually, she shouldn't be here alone anyway, shows favoritism and all that stuff." Jax said, resting his arm across the back of Rowan's chair. His hand played with a strand of her hair absentmindedly, almost as if his fingers were drawn to her without his conscious intent. "Besides, there will be plenty of time for that tomorrow, you know, when um, after the show."

Rowan looked over at Jax and smiled a huge smile, blushing and everyone around the table laughed.

Jax shrugged his shoulders with a grin. "Oh come on, like you all don't know I'm gonna choose Rowan over Miss Slap-Happy. But the thing is, you have to look surprised tomorrow, okay, when I announce that I chose you." Rowan nodded her head and took another drink of her water before gently reapplying the ice pack to her cheek.

"I'll try; I hope my face isn't all bruised for tomorrow though." Jax leaned forward and gripped her chin in his hands, turning it in the light to study it. He brushed a thumb over the dark circle on her cheek and she winced. His throat tightened at the pain on her face even as his fingers tingled at the touch of her skin.

"Naw, it doesn't look like it will leave a deep bruise. Hopefully tomorrow it'll be barely noticeable." His phone rang in his pocket and Jax released Rowan reluctantly. He got up from the chair and moved off into the kitchen to answer it. Pat dealt cards to Chase and Lisa before Jax returned to the table.

"Hey, that was Rachel; MTV called her again and said that you should head out. Apparently MTV is unhappy that you're here and Danni is at the hotel."

"How would they know that?" Pat asked.

"Danni called them."

"What!?" Lisa looked up from her cards in disbelief.

"What a bitch." Chase shook his head in anger. "Sorry Mrs. T, but it's the truth. I bet she's trying to get Rowan disqualified or something because she knows she hasn't got a chance in hell."

"Well yeah, not after she hit you honey. What was she thinking?" Lisa patted Rowan's hand. "Did you tell Rachel that Danni hit Rowan?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah, but I understand where they're coming from, really. Until the decision is final, until I've made a statement that I chose Rowan, she really shouldn't be here alone."

"That sucks," Chase said and Rowan blushed.

"Oh, you guys, you've all been way too nice to me, thank you."

"Nonsense, we wouldn't be nice if you weren't nice yourself." Pat patted her hand from across the kitchen table and Rowan smiled.

"Well, thank you," Rowan said humbly, warmed by their acceptance and inclusion.

"So, are you excited to go?" Lisa asked.

"So excited, trust me. If it weren't for this bruise I'd be grinning ear to ear."

"I mean, that is if you have the time. Like you said, you still have to finish your degree." Lisa said.

"When is the first show?" Rowan asked, "The one that I'll be going to?"

"It's in January." Jax answered, "January 8th in San Francisco."

"Oh, good. There won't be a schedule conflict because that will be during my winter break. Are you going as well Lisa?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't miss it. Besides, someone's got to keep you company when Jax is doing all the sound checks and interviews.... Believe me you will be happy to have someone else with you, otherwise you'd be sitting there waiting for the show to start."

"That's great. I'm so excited to hear that you'll be there too, I really am." Rowan leaned over and gave Lisa a sideways hug and Lisa patted her back.

"Awe, we'll have fun."

"Awe..." Jax echoed his mother and dove in, hugging them both with his long arms. Pat and Chase laughed. A buzz from the intercom at the gate broke the mood of the room as everyone realized that it was time for Rowan to leave. They had all come to enjoy her company, but none more than Jax.

Jax stood and helped Rowan to her feet, as everyone else stood to say goodbye. Rowan immediately opened her arms to Lisa whom she hugged fiercely.

"Thank you so much for everything, you are so kind. You and Pat both must have been wonderful parents to raise someone like Jax."

"Oh, you are too sweet, I can't wait to spend some quality girl time with you." Rowan hugged her once more before turning to Pat.

"We'll see you soon, missy. It was mighty nice having you here with us." Pat patted her back in a fatherly way and Rowan smiled up into his eyes.

"Thank you so much for having me. It was very nice to meet you." Chase pulled her out of Pat's arms for a squeeze.

"You are awesome, girl. It was nice meeting you."

"You too, you too. It was so nice to meet you and I look forward to getting to know you better. I hope you'll be there too."

"I probably will, if I can get some business taken care of."

"I hope you do, that would be fun."

Jax tugged on her arm gently, leading her away from the still gushing group and into the foyer. He pressed the button for the gate to let the car up. They had a few minutes until it made it up the drive so he turned to Rowan, pulling her into his arms for a hug. He sighed the minute he felt that petite, curved body against his, squeezing her tightly before turning his head into her hair to breathe her in.

"Can I call you later? Tonight, I mean," he asked.

"Definitely," she said with a smile. He reached for the door handle, but paused. His hand would not turn the knob. He stepped marginally closer. Her breath quickened. Her eyes closed and her lips parted as did his, awash in the strength of her allure.

Jax's mouth watered, remembering the taste of her lips. Unable to resist, he pressed his lips to hers again intending to deliver a polite good night kiss. At the touch of his lips, she whimpered against him, sending a rush of pure lust through him and all thoughts of politeness fled from his mind.

He slanted his lips across hers and pulled her flush against him. She opened her mouth to his kiss and he felt the soft sweep of her tongue on his lip before he slipped his tongue between hers. Fuck, she was sweet. Her kiss was so hot, so wanting. He let himself loose, sucking on her tongue and she held nothing back, giving as much in return. Her whole body writhed against his; full, lush breasts pressed against his chest. He gripped one heart shaped cheek of her ass in his hands, holding her sweet little hips in place to prevent himself from coming in his jeans just from the seductive little swirl of her hips which rocked up into his thick arousal. He gripped her neck with his other hand, wrapping his strong arm around her.

Within moments they were completely lost in their embrace, hot and urgent, the air thick with the sound of their hurried breaths and desperate, slick kisses. Her soft breathy moans, barely a whisper meant only for him, felt rudely constrained. He wanted her desperately moaning hot desire into his mouth with that soulful songbird voice of hers.

He tilted her hips up so the juncture of her thighs perfectly cupped his thick erection, she pulled away with a gasp at his searing heat, throwing her head back, her eyes glazed with passion. He studied her face intently, her deep green eyes drawing in his very soul. Her lips were puffy from his kisses, her chin just a touch red from his stubble and her cheeks so perfectly pink with her arousal.

"Holy fuck, you're gorgeous..." he breathed down to her and she blinked rapidly, seeming to draw herself up as out of a thick fog.

"Mmmm... you are."

Jax shook his head. "No, baby.... You are so sexy. I could kiss you all night and be satisfied with just that."

She smiled tentatively up at him, biting her lip.

"Say that again..." she leaned in closer, hanging on his every word, her eyes glazing once more.

"What?" He teased, tracing the deep blush along her delicate cheek bone.

"You know what. Say it please."

"Oh but that's a lovely sound from you, 'please,'" he teased her, holding back what he knew she wanted.

She whimpered and licked her lips. Jax smiled watching the play of his words across her face, captivated.

"Please?" She asked again.

"You mean this word? 'Baby'?"

"Mmm... yes, god you're so sexy. Your voice just does things to me."

"Well, baby, that is just so good to know."

"Hmmm" she whimpered, squirming against his grip, unable to control herself and he squeezed her ass in his hands.

"Fuck, what are you doing to me?" He breathed, amazed.

"The same things you're doing to me, I imagine."

"I wish I could kiss you all night long, whisper baby in your ear and keep making you squirm like that. It's doing wonders for me." He pressed his erection into her again and she gave a delicious little shake of her hips.

"If only."

"Yeah, if only. But maybe soon, baby." He smiled and leaned in, planting a soft kiss on that freshly bitten lip. "But not tonight unfortunately."

He wanted more than anything to kiss her fully again, to crush her body to his and suck on her tongue once more. It wasn't for nothing that he had spent his entire life under the public eye and had learned how to stifle his desires, and he reeled himself back in long enough to open the door.

As he led her out to the waiting car, he ached to say fuck it all: the MTV contract, the publicity fallout, and whatever shit storm that might arise if he asked her to stay the night or even dare follow her to her hotel. He also just physically ached, period. For the millionth time in less than twenty-four hours, he cursed his celebrity. If he was just a guy on a date with an irresistible girl, there would be no question as to how the night could end. Instead he had to settle with the feel of her in his arms, the smell of her, and the lingering memory of her taste.

"So. I'll see you tomorrow, but remember, be sure to act surprised."

"Okay, I'll try. It won't be hard to show excitement, trust me. I'm still in a shock induced daze from everything... and I mean everything..." she passed her eyes down his body to where they settled on the bulge of his dick at the front of his jeans and he nearly groaned. "Everything... really."

Jax laughed and hugged her close again. His heart surged and seemed to skip a beat at her nearness and he marveled at his body's response to her touch. Rowan rested her head on his chest for a beat before she pulled reluctantly away and out of his arms.

"All right, here I go then," she sighed and he could hear the resignation in her voice. He held the car door open for her. She got in and smiled one last time with a polite thank you. Jax shut the door, his heart in his throat as he watched the car drive away. His stomach dropped to the floor to see her go even though he knew he would see her tomorrow. He was becoming dangerously attached to someone that one, he just met, and two, he knew was a fan by her own admission, several times over. Both facts had him shaken.

With that thought, he made his way back into the house, dragging his feet and letting the crisp night air chill his heated blood and body so that by the time he was back inside, he wasn't nearly as hard and noticeable anymore. Everyone was all smiles when he entered the kitchen and Jax smiled back, readying himself for whatever witty comment Chase was sure to make.

"Well, that took a little longer than expected to put her into the car." Chase elbowed Jax in the ribs with a predictable wink.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Everyone laughed in good humor and Jax picked up Rowan's abandoned water, finishing it off.

"Well, can I just say that I love her, I really do. She is a hoot; very funny, very pretty and so sweet. Spending time with her on this tour is going to be a blast." Lisa said.

"Yeah, it'll be great. I can't wait," Jax rubbed the stubble on his chin to hide the silly grin he couldn't keep off his face. He could not wait.

Chapter Five

"So uh, that happened"

Jax looked at his watch and then shut the door to his bedroom. It was just after nine thirty pm and he had finally succeeded in begging off one more round of cards with his folks. He understood their desire to spend time with him, so he couldn't blame them for press-ganging him into nearly an hour of cards and drinks. Moments of down time were extremely rare in his world, especially now with the launch of a new album. He loved his mom and dad, and would give the world to them, but all he really wanted was to hear Rowan's voice one more time before he went to sleep. He needed to have an earnest discussion, a heart-to-heart after that epic, world-shifting kiss before they were surrounded by cameras once again. He pulled out his phone and hoped it wasn't too late. Before tapping on her number to call, he rethought and decided to text her first.

He quickly typed "Hey, this is Jax. You up for a chat?" and then hit send before he could second-guess even that decision. He mentally shook himself and smiled at his foolishness. This girl had him totally spun around. His heart gave a little leap when it buzzed in his hand.

"Totally. Feel free to call. I'm up." Rowan replied. Feeling a little breathless, he dialed her number and pressed the phone to his ear.

"Hello," she answered on the first ring.

"Hey, what's up, you okay? You sound kind of winded."

"Yeah, I just am feeling a little chill. I just stepped out of the shower and I'm not dressed for bed yet."

Jax laughed through the shock that ran through his body at the thought of her answering the phone wet and naked.

"Oh yeah, from the shower huh? Does that mean you're nekked?" he teased.

"Uh-huh, and wet, does that do anything for you?" she teased back.

He laughed, blushing from his collarbone to the top of his head. More than she would ever know, he thought as blood surged through his veins. "Wow.... So, uh," he laughed again.

"Wait, did I just throw the great Jaxon Trentwell off his game?"

"Who, me? Hell no... I'm just trying to figure out how to respond and still sound like a gentleman. I mean, I don't want to scare you away just yet with my inner freak."

"Awe, I'm sorry. I was just teasing."

"I know. Don't worry. I've got a thicker hide than that. I can take a bit of ribbing."

They laughed again and he thought to himself why not let that inner freak fly? After all, it's not like they've shied away from any elephant in any room yet.

"And I also think you know by now how I feel about you, or did you already forget the way I felt against you?" There, that ought to stop Miss Sassy-Pants in her tracks, Jax thought.

"Damn. Now I'm off my game." Her voice trembled a bit with her husky answer, a sound that went straight to his groin.

"Well... turnabout is fair play after all," he breathed right back, just as sweet, just as thick.

"You are too right." She said with that note of breathlessness reaching out to him over the phone.

Jax's blood started to pump more thickly in his veins as he sat listening to her on the other end of the line. He suddenly felt too hot and like he was wearing too many clothes. "You uh, you ok over there?"

"Oh, peachy, how are you?" She nearly gasped into the phone.

"What are you thinking about that is inspiring such beautiful sounds?" Jax asked, slightly desperate for the answer.

"Oh, you know, this and that."

"So it's that way, is it? Suddenly shy? You weren't shy before. Why the change of heart?" Jax tugged on his lip, fully expecting her to back down and change the topic. He didn't know why he was being so confrontational about this, didn't know what his end goal really was beside getting some kind of confirmation that she was as desperate to continue their kiss and rub as he was. The taste of her felt like it still clung to his lips. He needed to know if it was the same for her or if this was an exercise in futility.

"Ok, ok... All of a sudden, I can't stop thinking about your mouth and your uh... what I felt on that court and there at the door, but I'm sure you didn't need me to tell you that. It was why you reminded me of it, right?"

Jax smiled with glee. She was so feisty, so up for verbal foreplay which was insanely sexy.

"Well I was feeling lonely in this noggin of mine and wanted company. I've been unable to think about anything else. Your skin is so soft, so smooth. I've been dying to touch you since the moment I saw you, just glaze my fingertips across your porcelain skin. And your kisses..." he sucked in his breath, his body responding to the memory of her sweet, hungry mouth. "It's hard to describe, but I'll try so you have some inkling as to how tortured I am going to be tomorrow sitting across from you, looking at that mouth."

She gasped into his ear again, no doubt in response to the hunger hanging heavy in his words.

"You kiss with your whole body, baby," Jax continued, "not just your lips and tongue, but with every piece of you... the shift of your hips, the tremble in your breasts, the little hungry whimper caught in the back of your throat, the intoxicating smell of your skin, your hair, and of course, the sweet, sweet taste of your mouth.... It's like every piece of you, everything that is you is reaching out and kissing me back. It's impossible to forget. I cannot wait, absolutely cannot wait to kiss you again."

"Oh Jax... you say the most delicious things to me. I don't know what I did to deserve such compliments. You flatter me too much. Thank you."

"Flattering is a happy accident. I'm just telling you the truth."

"I can't wait to kiss you again either. When do you think that will be?" She said earnestly and none too breathlessly, producing a teasing laugh from Jax.

"Not soon enough, baby, I can tell you that." A delicate, barely audible gasp sounded in his ear along with a soft rhythmic rustling sound that sounded very familiar. He listened a bit longer and when she stifled a whimper he couldn't take anymore.

"God damn, you sound so hot right now. What are you doing?" Jax's mind spun wildly with imagination and he bit his lip. He knew what he hoped she was doing.

"I'm... um... hmmm... I don't know if I can say and look you in the face again..." Fuck, so she was doing what he thought she was doing.

"Well, I don't know what you're doing, but I can tell you what I'm going to do and then you can choose to tell me where I think your hands are or not." Jax rasped into the phone, his voice hoarse and thick, "but before I do, I don't want you to think that I'm some horny creep, ok? This is not who I am, this is just what you make me feel and no one, no one has made me ever feel this way."

"I don't think you're a creep, Jax, and yes, my hands are where you think they are. I can't help it. And ditto, please don't think I'm some nymphomaniac who can't keep her panties dry. This is completely new to me too."

Jax's cock jumped in his hand at the sound of her voice, rich with lust.

"God, then please tell me what you're doing to yourself," he begged.

"I'm touching myself, my... wet pussy. I'm sorry. It's just been such a long day and the way you kissed me... and your voice just now... I couldn't stop myself. I'm so sorry. I know it is so crude to do that with you on the phone, oh my god, what the hell is wrong with me... It's your voice."

"Nononono... please baby, please don't feel bad or ashamed. I completely understand. We've been teasing each other all night. It's totally understandable and insanely hot. Fucking hell, I'll join you. Will that make you feel better? If I joined you?" Jax rasped into the phone.

"Yes, please," she gasped aloud this time and he collapsed onto his bed, dragging his pants down and off his hips. His cock swung free as he positioned himself against the headboard and pillows. He gripped it with his free hand, shuddering as he stroked himself in his fist.

"Today, when I met you, when you pulled me into that first hug, my pussy got instantly wet. And sitting there across from you, looking into your blue eyes... I couldn't help but squirm, rubbing my clit on the seam of my jeans. You are so fucking hot." She gasped in his ear. What he wouldn't fucking give to be on the other side of this line, sitting in bed with her... doing what her little, delicate hands were currently doing.

"And then tonight on the basketball court when I could feel you hot and hard against my stomach... I nearly came, just like that."

"God, me too, baby, me too... tell me more."

"Then you kissed me, and..." her words broke away in a moan and Jax felt a little flutter of frustration that he could only hear and not see.

"Fuck," Jax said again. "Tell me what you're doing, please..."

"I'm... I'm touching my pussy, pulling on the little lips, rubbing my hard, little clit."

Dear god, Jax could not believe his ears. Was this even happening? "Yeah? You sound so fucking good, baby. Does that pussy feel good?"

"Yes, and so, so wet," she panted.

"Put the phone on speaker so I can hear that pussy purr for me."

"Ok," He heard rustling and then so much more as she put the phone on speaker.

"Put the phone on your stomach, please, let me hear you."

"Yes," she breathed and suddenly he could hear how wet she really was as her fingers circled and played with her folds.

"Oh god, you sound so beautiful, you're making me so hard and hot." She whimpered, the rhythm changed, speeding up and he picked up the pace on his cock to match.

"Use those fingers, baby, fuck that sweet pussy for me. Do what I want to do so badly, please." The wet circling sounds immediately changed to a thick sucking sound and her breathing changed into harsh little gasps. He was getting close, too close, listening to her get off, so he backed off of his cock, forcing himself to still his hand and he closed his eyes, trying to picture what she must look like: those shapely thighs splayed on the bed, her blonde head thrown back, pink lips parted in a soft gasp and a beautiful pussy opened wide with her slender fingers.

"I bet you taste amazing. Does that pussy taste as good as you sound, baby?" Jax asked. He heard her lips kiss and suck her finger and his balls clenched. He started stroking himself again, unable to hold off any longer.

"Yes." She whimpered as she sucked her own juice from her fingers.

"Oh god, you're going to make me cum. I wish I could taste that pussy, baby."

"Oh, me too, I'm close... fuck I want you."

Jax could hear the sound of her fingers pumping once again into her wet pussy. She moaned into the phone, crying out as she came. The sound of her cumming brought Jax to his own climax and his balls contracted, his cock pulsing in his hand as spurt after spurt of his hot cum splashed across his chest. He grunted and groaned through his climax, listening to Rowan's own prolonged orgasm which was so musical, so beautiful, a crescendo of magical, breathy gasps, whimpers, and moans which heightened his own pleasure.

"Holy shit," Jax gasped as soon as he was able to talk again.

"Yes, holy shit," she agreed. They grew silent, the tension dissipating into a comfortable shared moment of post orgasmic bliss.

"So, uh, that happened." He said again after a few minutes of silence and then laughed once he regained his breath. "It's not gonna be super awkward to see you tomorrow in the studio, in front of the whole world or anything."

"No, no, not awkward at all." Rowan giggled sweetly. Jax put his own phone on speaker so he could drag the second shirt of the day covered in cum off. He used it to clean up what hadn't landed on the shirt, then folded the mess in on itself. He sat back down at his desk chair after depositing the shirt in the laundry bin inside the bathroom. "But seriously, I've never, ever done anything like that before. Was that just freaking wild, or what?"

"Completely. I've never done that either, but I can tell you that I want to do that again, and more. You're irresistible," Jax admitted freely, feeling comfortable and more like himself than he had in a long while.

"We do seem to have an undeniable chemistry."

"Totally," Jax agreed.

"But, I also understand completely why anymore kisses and touches need to be put on hold. We must be on our best behavior tomorrow in the studio. Rules will be back in place. Cross my heart."

"Yes, for sure. Especially after what happened today with Danni and the MTV people."

"So they found out about the altercation, then? How mad are they? Did we mess everything up for you?" She asked with that generous spirit of hers.

"No, no, it's all good. They weren't upset as much as they were confused as to what actually happened. Danni called them frantic in tears. She said that I verbally abused her, physically manhandled her, and that you attacked her."

"She didn't!" Rowan gasped. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe that."

"Yeah, insane right?"

"So what are they going to do?"

"Nothing, I told them, or rather Rachel told them what actually went down and that I did grab her but only to keep her from hitting you again."

"Good, because I would hate it if she blamed you for her faults. Oh Jax, what if she, like, gets a hold of some pulp fiction tabloid and says all of this stuff?"

"Then she'll get her ass sued. Do you remember signing something that a bunch of guys in suits gave you before you even stepped a foot near the house? That was a legal document that stated you two would be on your best behavior and you wouldn't go to any tabloid or any reporter on anything that isn't legally allowed or unless you were given approval by me or MTV. Yeah, so, if she goes telling tales without telling me what her story is going to be or asking my permission first, she will be sued so fast, and could even be put in jail."

"Wow, I hope she knows that. I know I didn't read what I signed, I wonder if she did."

"It doesn't matter; she signed it so she is legally liable for breaking the NDA," Jax said blandly.

"Good, because I would hate to see things ruined for you."

"Yes, I would hate it if she were to ruin things for you and me, for our... whatever this is."

"How about we say friendship for now."

"Yeah, that's a good word to use... for now, I guess, I'm looking forward to spending more time with you and getting to know you better. Maybe take this friendship to the next level, and uh, I called because I wouldn't want all that mess that happened tonight to turn you off to that idea."

"I'm a lot stronger than to let someone like Danni scare me. I only didn't fight back out of respect for you and your parents. Trust me, I can handle my own."

"It's not just about Danni, it's, you know, everything, all of it. The cameras in your face, people lying about you in the media... all of it. Some of the women I've been 'friends' with in the past couldn't handle it. Do you think that you can handle that?"

"I don't know," she said gently. "I've never had to deal with anything like that before, so I don't know how I would react in that kind of situation. I guess we will have to see, but I can assure you that I don't scare easily."

"I'm glad to hear that, but you've got to let me know if it becomes too much for you before it does, promise?"

"Of course. So what's actually going to happen, with the tour and MTV and everything? Because MTV didn't really explain it all that well when they whisked me to Tennessee."

"Well, I've got a ton of stuff to do. Right now we're working on fine tuning the choreography and stage setting and lighting and then there's a bunch of promotional stuff to do right up until the tour starts, like interviews and I think there'll be a spot on the Tonight Show in there somewhere. I don't know, my publicist and Rachel have a pretty good handle on all the little things that I need to do. I usually just go where I'm told when it gets closer or it can get really chaotic, but when it comes time to actually start the tour, I'll be in LA for a bit before. My crew and I will meet in a studio there and go over the final points and then we'll all board some buses and head to San Francisco where we will do the dress rehearsals and sound checks and then start the show."

"Is that all?" Rowan asked in shock. "You just described a year's worth of work happening in less than three months."

"It gets a little hairy, I'm not gonna lie. But, you know, that's life. Touring is hard and time consuming, that's why I don't do it every year. I did that with In-Time, though, we toured for three years straight and there is no way in hell I'd do that ever again. It gets a little ridiculous."

"I bet," she said.

"I don't know all the details exactly, but I think MTV planned on having the winner join me at the point of boarding the bus and heading to the show with me so that they could experience what I go through. I think there'll be cameras and stuff too, though, following us around, so be careful when you come with us. After a certain point, you get too comfortable with cameras in your face all the time and end up saying things you might regret."

Jax paused, his eyes captured by Rowan's picture on the press jacket still sitting on his desk. His finger stroked the miniscule face smiling out from the page.

"It sounds fun, exhausting, but fun. I am a life-long learner and crave learning new things through experiences. It will be very educational to see the ins-and-outs of it all."

Jax snapped back to the conversation but kept his eyes on the little picture. Imagining what she must look like now, cheeks flushed in a post-orgasmic glow, her hair mussed, still naked on the bed, maybe lying on her stomach now, feet kicked in the air as she talked on the phone. He smiled to himself at the cute picture he was painting in his mind.

"It will be both fun and exhausting, but worth it." Jax said. "There's nothing like being on stage, nothing."

"That I'll leave all up to you. There is no way I could ever do what you do. Thousands of eyes all focused on me.... So overwhelming! I wouldn't be able to get a note out. It's just mind blowing, what you do and I love how passionate you are for it all."

"Well thank you. I've never really thought about it before. I've never had a stitch of stage fright. My mom had me singing and dancing since I was about nine on local talent show stages and the like, and then I joined In-Time when I was about 14. At 26, it's just what I do now."

"Hmmm.... That makes sense. You're so accustomed to the spotlight and cameras, like you said, they don't even phase you now," Rowan said, a note of admiration in her voice.

"It's also the thrill of it. I... it's hard to explain. I guess in a way there's a bit of an adrenaline junkie in me because it's a huge rush to entertain thousands of people all at once. It's a ballet and an orchestra and a gymnastic routine all rolled into one in some of the best arenas on planet earth, chock full of people screaming your name... the rush is indescribable. It might be hard but sometimes I crave it. Making music is my passion but playing for sold out arenas is my drug."

"I love your way with words. You're such a poet and I don't know why it's a pleasant surprise to me because you write such beautiful lyrics. Why wouldn't you speak just as lyrically?"

Jax smiled, here was the fan in her coming out and it wasn't off-putting in any way shape or form. Instead it warmed him from the inside out and he found that he was starting to hunger not just for her, but her approval.

"Well thank you, that means a lot coming from you. But I think my ability to squeeze out those analogies is due to the fact that you're so easy to talk to. I'm spilling my guts before I've even thought about what I'm saying which is not like me at all."

"I know exactly what you mean. I'm afraid I've given you the wrong impression with all this candidness about my desire for you. I swear I'm not a sexual deviant or something. I don't just go kissing people the first day I meet them and declaring my lust for them let alone having freaking phone sex, for heaven's sake." Rowan said with a hint of humiliation.

"I don't think you're any kind of deviant. That thought never crossed my mind, swear. I've been loving your honesty. It's so refreshing. And I can tell you're being honest. In my line of work, I've had so many people-pleasers. So many people who just tell me yes, or what I want to hear, from fans to promotion assistants, to coaches... It's so hard to get an honest word out of people who you pay for their criticism. That's why I know you're being true to yourself. With over ten years in this industry, I can spot a lie a mile away. Thank you for being upfront with me. Keep that honesty coming my way and I'll keep myself open as well."

"Wow... that's intense."

"What do you mean?"

"I just... I can't imagine what that's like. What any of this is like, to be you. You must not trust a whole lot of people." Rowan's tone shifted to one of sympathy.

"Yes and no. I trust my family, my close friends... and now you."

"Well I will do my utmost to be worthy of that trust. Thank you for trusting me so earnestly and so soon."

"I know I should be more wary. I know. I know what my dad would say if I were to tell him what I just told you, but... I can't help it. There's something about you. I want to know every little piece that makes you who you are, and I also know I can't do that if I shut myself off to the possibility that you're being real and my instincts about you are true."

"It's scary, right? That trust? These feelings that smacked me, and I guess you too, right in the face today. I'm a little scared," she admitted.

Jax's stomach dropped. This was what he had been fearing, that his fame would ultimately be an insurmountable barrier.

"Hopefully not of me," he said softly.

"In the spirit of trust, a little, yeah."

"You're scared of me?" Damn it, Jax thought, his worst fears confirmed.

"There's a reason I've been single and it's not just because of work and school. My last relationship was a doozy. It crashed and burned so spectacularly that I've had a hard time getting back on my emotional feet so to speak, and then I walked into that room today and BAM, smack, right in the feels. All the feelings. I almost pulled a Mica and passed out."

Jax laughed despite the turmoil in his chest. "And that scares you?"

"Absolutely. I'm a planner, Jax. I've planned my whole world. I know exactly what I'm going to do and be tomorrow, or the next day, or a month from now and a year from now. I've got a five year plan at 23. Then this whole MTV thing comes in and snatches that planner book right out of my frantic fingers."

Rowan paused and Jax listened to her sigh, his hope hanging on her next words.

"Really, the cynic in me is still thinking about tomorrow, or next week, next month, next year. I am not a one night stand kind of girl. I've never been. I've never kissed someone on the first day I met them. And without a plan in my head, I let you pull me underneath you and kiss me breathless and senseless to the point I'm groping you as much as you're groping me. How on earth does that even happen in my neatly planned world?"

Jax smiled wryly. He did feel for her predicament but he could not begrudge the end result of said unplanned or unpredicted kiss that had shaken him to his core and the resulting interaction on the phone, but he did care for her and didn't want to hurt her.

"So is it too much?" Jax asked at last. "Should we back off this thing between us? It's the last thing I want, but I also would never want to make you feel uncomfortable or hurt you in any way. I'm a selfish guy in a lot of ways, I'll admit that, but never at your expense." Jax bit his lip, waiting on the answer. His heart in his throat.

"No..." Rowan said at last, and he let loose the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "I don't think that's what I want. I don't know what I really want. I want you to exist, I guess, not in the realm of fantasy as you have been, but in whatever reality is available to me. I'm still a student, for example and you're this international music star. What reality could we really have when it all comes down to it? Where is our plan, our truth? Or am I just being ridiculous thinking about that on the first day we met?"

"I don't think you're ridiculous. That thought has crossed my mind too. You're a fan, a real human being, I'm an extraterrestrial in the real world surrounded by this universe of chaos and fame. But I'm real too. I have real feelings, wants, desires. Not to be too proud here or make a connection that is bragging, but wasn't it King Richard III that said he 'bleeds, hungers, hurts' and 'needs friends' like any other man. If that's true then how could he be named king?" Jax stroked his brow in contemplation, plunging depths of his mind and heart in order to communicate his feelings.

"I mean... to me what King Richard said proves that people in power, or people in the public eye, like kings, or for comparison's sake, celebrities, are just people. It's a little like what we were talking about earlier today, the whole tabloid take on celebrity... we are just people in the end with the same hopes and dreams, wants and desires as an everyday person," Jax finished, glad to have put into words what was struggling to get out of his head.

"Holy shit, Jax, you just became that much hotter. Quoting Shakespeare to an English major? You must really want in these nonexistent wet panties, goodness."

Jax burst out laughing. "Well, you know, I paid attention to my tutors on the tour bus in high school."

"I highly doubt many high school kids were memorizing lines from Shakespeare. The English teacher in me needs to add one tiny correction though, that line is from King Richard II."

Jax laughed at that. God, she was adorable. "Well thank you, Miss Rowan. I like English. I like Literature. I read a whole lot."

"Oh my god, I want you even more now if that's even possible. So badly."

"I want you too. So if that's our truth. Why question it. Let's see where this desire takes us. It could take us absolutely nowhere, it could be one night, one week, one month in bed, or a lifetime. All I know is that I've never had this kind of reaction to someone so quickly and so strongly before. I can't remember the last time, if ever, I nearly came in my pants form a hug, ok, or was so desperate I fucked my hands while listening to you breath on the phone? That's got to be some kind of message that this needs to be explored wherever it goes. What'd'ya say?"

Rowan drew in a breath and Jax listened on the other end, perfectly imagining and picturing her chewing that lush bottom lip in contemplation, her brow puckered with seriousness. When she finally spoke he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I say... I'm in, Jax. I'm in. Whatever this is, whatever it will be, we can take it moment by moment, bit by bit. I may ask a thousand questions and keep filling out my planner, but I'll try to be flexible for you."

"Oh Ro, I'm so glad to hear that. And I promise I won't push you too far out of your comfort zone as long as you promise to tell me if I do."

"Of course. I promise. So what's next?"

Jax laughed. So let the planning begin. "Well, the first question is when do you fly out?"

"Ummm, I think it's like five o'clock tomorrow evening after having post interviews with MTV people and all that stuff."

"Is there any reason you need to go back home so soon or do you have time to explore, this, us, the possibility, I mean, and Memphis?"

"Um... I wish that I could, but I can't stay later than the flight tomorrow. I have to get home. I have to get back by Monday because I have work and school and all that. I already took three days off to be here and I really can't afford to take any more time off and I can't afford to miss any more classes. I missed two already to be here and had to request special permission from my graduate professors and graduate coordinator. Many of my professors would automatically drop me one whole letter grade if I miss more than one class in a semester."

Jax's stomach dropped. Damn. For some reason that thought hadn't crossed his mind that she would have a job as a student, and of course the classes themselves. He needed to interact with the non-celebrity world a little more. "Woah, I see. Totally, yeah. School is important. Where do you work?"

"I teach two undergraduate courses right now, a freshman English class and an Intro to Creative Writing class, but what they pay graduate students to teach is not even close enough to live on so I also work at the tutoring center on campus and as a private tutor for a local tutoring company."

"So you work like three jobs?" Wow, Jax thought. It wasn't often that he had cause to confront how good his life really was. Not that he didn't work hard for it, he did, but hearing her circumstances put his own inconveniences into perspective. "That's completely understandable. You're amazing. And in school.... I can't even equate one piece of my life experience to any of that."

"Well, I couldn't handle what you do either; really, I think your work is a hundred times harder than what I do."

"Awe, come on, I bet you'd be a great performer. You have the voice for it, you really do."

"Thank you very much; you are too generous with your praise though, really."

"Naw, I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it." He let his disappointment silence him for a moment, feeling on unfamiliar ground.

"I'm really sorry, Jax. I am."

"Oh please, don't be sorry. You're doing the responsible thing, of course you are. You said your flight leaves at five Sunday evening... How about we play it by ear then. If the taping doesn't take us too long, we'd have time to explore downtown Memphis, hit up Beale street, grab a bite to eat... or just sit and chat like we are now."

"Ok, yes. That would be wonderful. Actually, wait... let me think. I could stay longer if there is a later flight, but it would have to be direct, no layovers. My first class starts at 1 on Monday and the seminar classes I teach are on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I usually do open tutoring hours on Monday because of the late class start. If I canceled the open tutoring hours, I could stay another night but only if I could leave early Monday morning."

"All right," Jax's heart rocketed to the ceiling and let go of the breath he had been holding. "That gives us quite a few more hours without cameras and production people in our faces." Another silence descended between them, but this time it wasn't filled with unspoken fear, but a gentle hope.

"Great, then, uh," Jax continued, scrambling to put it all together in his tired brain. He felt drained from all the emotional highs and lows of the day. "Tomorrow after the whole MTV thing, we'll go check out Beale Street and maybe have lunch there and then see what happens. Wow, I've taken up way too much of your time, you are probably exhausted with jet lag and the drama from today... and after." Jax smiled when Rowan giggled that sweet little nervous giggle. "Um, so I'll see you tomorrow. I hope your face feels better, too, and that you sleep well. Thanks for letting me talk your ear off."

"It was such a wonderful chat. Thank you."

"Okay, goodnight, baby."

"Sweet dreams."

"Oh they will be, you can be sure of that." He hung up and immediately dialed Chase's number despite the late hour. If he had to, he'd start calling about flights himself though he didn't even really know how to book a flight. He would do everything in his power to ensure he got even a little more time with this mesmerizing girl.