“That’s too bad,” I murmured, offering some sympathy. It would look really bad if I suddenly started screeching at him. “Sons? Daughters? Both?”
“One of each. My son is in the movie business. His mother is an actress.” Which meant that the son’s mother was also Cole’s ex-wife. “And my daughter… I haven’t seen her since she was a baby. Fuck, I don’t even know what her name is. Her mother was a real bitch.”
I stiffened. He had to be lying. Had to! No way had he seen me when I was a baby. Layla would have told me that kind of thing. Unless… Maybe she didn’t know? Crap, now I was going to have to call her and ask her if she knew about it. Layla was going to worry, and Jesse was going to get pissed. Then hot head Jesse was going to fly out to New York and all hell would break loose.
Because as soon as the tabloids found out that I was Cole Steel’s daughter and the reason for his expensive breakup from his wife… Oh and that I was currently Drake Stevenson’s girlfriend… I wasn’t going to have a moment’s peace.
Chapter 18
Lana
It seemed like I had just blinked my eyes and five weeks had gone by. Maybe it was because I was so happy. I had no free time with summer school, the beginning of the fall term, and dance practice with Linc.
If possible, I had lunch with Drake every day. The auditions were still going on with the end of the line nowhere in sight. People actually had backpacks full of food and drinks, and they had sleeping bags so they could camp out in the line. Of course when I showed up, the producer always started muttering under his breath and was quick to wrap things up so I was out of the way sooner rather than later. Axton and Cole had lunch with us several times. I enjoyed spending time with Axton. His sarcasm was amusing, his sexiness easy on the eyes. He was a good friend. Cole―I had mixed feelings about. I wanted to keep hating that old fucker, but he had actually chipped away at the ice around my heart where he was concerned.
Turned out Cole Steel wasn’t all bad. He could be charming when he wanted to be. Don’t get me wrong, I would always hate that bastard, but at least I didn’t have to try as hard to hide that hate all the time. I hadn’t asked Layla about what Cole had said. I didn’t want to open that can of worms just yet. It was getting harder and harder to keep Jesse in LA with each passing day, and I didn’t want to give him a reason to jump on a plane with my sisters.
Today was Friday and I had talked Dallas and Harper into going with me to have lunch with Drake and the guys. Shane had begged me all evening last night to bring Harper, refusing to leave Drake and me alone until I gave in. He had it bad. Harper wasn’t falling for any of his usual tricks, which normally had women handing over their underwear and pleading for the rocker to give it to them hard.
If possible, Axton was worse than Shane. Drake had asked me to persuade Dallas to do the OtherWorld video. I had worked on her for three days before she had given in and accepted. You had to know how to push the right buttons with Dallas because she was stubborn as hell. Mostly, she had mommy issues and was a real daddy’s girl. Lucky for me—and Axton—that Austin Bradshaw hated his ex-wife just as much as his daughter disliked her. One phone call and Austin was in New York telling Dallas to accept the job.
That had been two days ago. Dallas had called Axton and told him that she would do the video… If I did it with her. Sneaky bitch! Put on the spot, I had had to agree. She had been staring me down at the time daring me to say no. Drake hadn’t liked the idea. When his manager had suggested that I be in Demon’s Wings video last Thanksgiving, Drake and Jesse both had gone a little crazy.
The producer shut down the auditions as soon as he saw me, shooting me a frustrated look. I shot him a grin, not caring that I was interrupting his day. Drake had to eat and he hadn’t had a day off in over a month. My presence was the only thing that got the producer dick wad to move his ass and make things happen at a faster pace.
“Lana’s here,” Axton told Drake.
Drake stood without looking up from his phone. He was frowning down at something and I could only assume it was a text from Emmie. I went to him, not wanting him to bump into anything in his attempt to reach me. Standing on tiptoe, I kissed his cheek.
“What are you reading?”
His eyes lifted to meet mine, and he raised a brow at me. “Jesse just sent me a really interesting text.”
Dread filled my stomach. I could only imagine what my brother-in-law had to say. He had been chomping at the bit for a while now. The last time I had talked to him he had demanded I tell Drake, but I hadn’t been ready. I still wasn’t ready!
Muttering a curse, I glanced back at my friends. Shane had come out of the woodwork and was talking to Harper, making her laugh like always. The sparkle in his blue-gray eyes was something I had seen in Drake’s eyes a lot. Harper was still oblivious to the fact that she quiet possibly had one of the sexiest rock stars in the world watching her with bated breath. The girl had no self-confidence at all when it came to guys!
A few feet away, Dallas was rolling her eyes at Axton as he leaned against the wall beside her. I was sure the steel support beams were going to melt he was turning up the wattage on his charm so high. Dallas wasn’t having any of it. I would have laughed if I hadn’t felt the tension pouring off the man beside of me.
Turning my gaze back to him, I bit my lip. “Are you mad at me?”
“I don’t know,” Drake told me honestly. “I keep wondering why you didn’t tell me, Angel. Don’t you trust me?”
“Of course I do!” I cupped his face, hating to see the hurt in his eyes. Damnit! I had put that pain there, and it tore my heart to pieces. “I trust you, Drake. I…I just didn’t know how to handle it. I’m sorry.”
“Let’s get out of here,” he muttered, pulling me close for a tight hug but not a kiss. Still holding me close to his side, he pulled me toward the exit. As we passed Shane, he leaned over and whispered something in his brother’s ear.
Shane nodded. “Sure. No problem. Take all the time you need.” His gaze landed on me. “See you later, sis. If you need me, call.”
Tears filled my eyes. Did that mean that Drake was about to breakup with me? All I could do was nod and let Drake push me through the door. Once we were in the back seat of Drake’s car he didn’t speak, not one word until the door to his apartment closed behind us.
I dropped down onto the edge of the couch, my head bowed to hide my tears. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I wasn’t ready to tell you.”
“Cole Steel? How the hell did your mom get involved with Cole-fucking-Steel?” he demanded, pacing back and forth in front of the entertainment center.
Swallowing hard around the lump in my throat, I told him. “You know that my mom wasn’t that great. She wanted to be a rock star’s trophy. And if not a rock star then some rich guy’s arm candy. She seduced Tommy Kirkman when she was sixteen, knowing that she would get pregnant…And seven years later, when the money that Tommy had shelled out to keep Layla a secret started to dwindle, she set out to do it all over again with another rocker. Steel Entrapment was the hugest thing in the rock world back then. Seducing Cole was no big feat. Everyone knew that he cheated on his wife regularly. And as long as he kept his dick clean, she didn’t care how many groupies he fucked around with.”
Drake paused from pacing, but I didn’t raise my head to look at him. “So what happened once your mom got pregnant? Once she had you?”
“When Lydia confirmed her pregnancy, she called Cole’s wife, who started divorce proceedings that same day. It was a nightmare and while I hadn’t been born yet, Layla still had to live through it. When I was old enough to ask, she told me all of it.”
Like how Cole’s wife had married him before he had gotten big, so he had to split everything with her fifty-fifty. Since there would be proof of infidelity once I was born, she was able to petition for alimony as well. The threat of having to shell out big money for child support for two children, as well as an outlandish figure for alimony from a vindictive wife, h
ad really pissed Cole off. When I was born he had to be court ordered to take the paternity test. When it came back positive he refused to believe them and demanded another one done. This happened three more times before the judge stepped in and took over, making Cole pay up.
“When it was all over Cole was nearly broke,” I told Drake as I wiped my damp eyes. “He hated my mother for it because really it was her fault. His son was ten and hated him because he had supposedly broken his mother’s heart.”
“And what made you hate him, Lana?”
I flinched, hating for him to call me by my given name. I was his “Angel,” not Lana! “Cole didn’t ride in and save Layla and me from the big bad gorgon. I hoped that my dad would want me. Love me. But he didn’t. He was even given the chance of custody, but he turned it down. I read the court records. He said he ‘Didn’t want the bastard that had ruined his life.’ So I decided that if he didn’t want me, hated me for causing all his problems, then the feeling was going to be mutual.”
“How old were you when you found out?”
“Seven, almost eight.” I pushed my hair away from my face but still didn’t look at Drake. “After that, I started listening for him on entertainment news, and if I saw his face on a magazine I always read it. He was all talk about how he wanted to reconcile with his son, but never once did he mention the daughter he had thrown away…
“A few years ago, right before my mom died, I got a certified letter meant for her saying that the child support was going to be cut off. The lab that had done the paternity tests was under investigation and for the support to continue, I had to show up for another DNA test.” I grimaced. “I tore the letter up before Mom could see it. I didn’t care if she got mad, but I wasn’t going to go through with the test. Not willingly. Screw the child support checks; it wasn’t like I saw any of that money anyway.”
Drake crouched down in front of me and with a finger under my chin made me meet his eyes. “Don’t cry, Angel,” he murmured, wiping a few of my tears away with one of his thumbs. “You don’t ever have to cry over your dad again.”
“I really am sorry, Drake,” I whispered. “I…”
“Shhh. I understand.” He kissed my lips tenderly. “Just don’t keep things like this from me again. I hate having secrets between us. Promise me we won’t have any more.”
“I promise!” I kissed him back, wanting more than just a gentle brush of his lips across mine. “Tell me we’re okay, Drake. Swear that you aren’t going to breakup with me.”
“Is that what you thought?” He sighed, leaning his forehead against mine. “I can’t live without you, Angel. I love you.”
Those words were something I had been aching to hear almost from the first day I had met this man, yet I wasn’t ready to repeat them. I was in love with Drake, would probably always be in love with him, but my heart and brain were still arguing about where I stood. So instead of saying another word, I pulled his head down and kissed him until neither one of us could think about anything except getting to bed.
--
Drake was still asleep when I left the next morning. The apartment was so quiet that I knew Shane was either out for a run or hadn’t come home the night before. I hoped it was the former. If he was going to fuck anything with a vagina while he was pursuing my best friend, then I wasn’t going to stand for that.
It was Saturday and I had a full to-do list screaming my name: laundry, homework, and dance practice with Linc. Somewhere in there I had to make time for a few extra special things before I saw Drake again tonight. As soon as I walked through my apartment door, I headed for the shower.
I should probably start leaving some of my things at Drake’s, but I was trying to go slow with big things like that. I didn’t want him to think that I was moving in and scare him. He hadn’t even mentioned it, and I was okay with that. Really…
Harper was still sleeping soundly when I came out of our bathroom in nothing but a towel. My toothbrush was sticking out of my mouth as I pulled fresh underwear out of my bra and panty drawer. I was multitasking and making good time when Linc scared the hell out of me by walking in without knocking.
“Did you hear?”
I could only raise a brow at him because my mouth was full of toothpaste and spit. He grimaced. “The competition has been postponed because two of the judges got food poisoning last night. So we have three more weeks to practice.”
I gave him a thumbs-up and walked back into the bathroom to rinse my mouth. “That’s good news. I still haven’t got that last swing perfect yet.”
“Sorry, sweetheart, but I can’t make it. I have a body builder’s competition that weekend in Miami.” He dropped down on my bed with a sigh. “Can you find someone else?”
I flopped down beside of him. “It’s too late now. But don’t worry about it.” It was a little disappointing that I had worked so hard and wouldn’t be able to compete, but it wasn’t the end of the world for me. Besides, Linc and his drill sergeant routine had started to make the whole dancing thing less fun for me. “So, does that mean we don’t have to practice this morning?”
“Not much use in it now.”
“Great.” I jumped up and started pulling on my clothes. “That means I have more time for other things…Want to go out with me this afternoon? Or do you have to work?”
“I don’t have to go in unless they call me.” Linc grinned and I had to stop looking at him for a moment. Damn that man was hot when he smiled like that. “So I’m all yours if you want me.”
A pillow was suddenly tossed at my head, and I turned to find Harper glaring at me from her bed. “Keep it down. Sleeping here.”
I blew her a kiss. “Sorry. I’m going.” I grabbed my watch, phone, and shoulder bag before leaving. “Meet me later!” I said over my shoulder as I closed the door behind me and Linc.
“Much later!” Harper called back. She definitely wasn’t a morning person. On days when she didn’t have to be in work, she slept until after one. It was really crazy that she was the complete opposite of Shane. He was a morning person and could actually function on just a few hours of sleep. Harper, not so much! Shane was a man-whore and had fucked more women than I would ever care to count. Harper was still holding onto her V-card.
Dallas was just coming through the door as I reached the living room. She had an unkempt look to her, but that could mean just about anything when it came to her. Late night party? Maybe. Early morning breakfast with her mother and she had wanted to go for the grunge look to piss the woman off? It wouldn’t be the first time it had happened.
All night love fest with the rock god?
Perhaps.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Dallas muttered as she brushed passed me to get to her room.
“Noted.” I grinned. “I’ll just ask Ax.” She shot me a glare but didn’t say anything as she continued on down the hall. “Two thirty!”
“Yeah. I know. See you then,” she grumbled as the door to her room slammed shut behind her.
Linc shook his head as he pushed the call button for the elevator. “She so has that ‘I’ve been fucked to within an inch of my life’ look going on. Cage must be really good in the sac.”
I laughed. “I wouldn’t know.”
He rolled his eyes at me. “No. But that’s only because you have another rock star to rub up against at night…And just when am I going to get to meet this one? I’ve already meet the brother-in-law and the future brother-in-law. When am I going to meet the brother that goes with them?”
Linc insinuating that Shane was my future in-law made my heart stutter. I hadn’t let myself think along those lines for me and Drake. It had only been a little over a month since we had started seeing each other. Sure he had said he loved me the night before, but that didn’t mean he was going to put a ring on my finger.
“Seriously, Lana. When am I going to meet Drake?”
I sighed. “Soon.”
In all honesty, I was avoiding introducing my friend to my boyfr
iend. When Jesse and Shane had met Linc they had both gone all territorial alpha until I convinced them that Linc really was gay. So I could only imagine what Drake’s reaction would be when he came face to face with the man I had been spending so much time with.
But it wasn’t being fair to Linc to keep him out of the picture. It wasn’t like he was some secret that I wanted to keep hidden away. I loved the guy like a brother. “I’ll arrange a dinner for us all to meet. Maybe I will even invite Axton just to fuck with Dallas.”
Linc laughed. “Sounds perfect to me.”
Chapter 19
Drake
I frowned down at my phone for what felt like the millionth time.
It was just after six and I had finally gotten a break from listening to wannabe rockers. I was actually surprised today because I had actually liked a few of the hopefuls, and even said yes to a few that I had been only half sure of. I was in a good mood today, especially after the day and night before.
But Lana hadn’t called or texted me all day. She wasn’t answering when I called and my five texts had already gone unanswered. That never happened with my angel. She couldn’t stand to not look at her cell when it chimed. So she either didn’t have it with her…or she was avoiding me.
My stomach knotted up as the night before played in my mind. I had confessed my love to her, but she hadn’t returned the words. At the time, I had been okay with that. Fuck, it had only been five weeks. She was probably still learning to trust me. But with each passing minute, each unanswered message I left, I started to second guess it all.
Maybe the incredible night we had shared the night before was her way of letting me down easily? She didn’t love me after all…
“Dude, you okay?” Axton asked beside me. The producers were letting us out earlier than normal tonight, and tomorrow we actually had the day off. It was a welcome reprieve after nearly two months of long hours and no time off. I was pretty sure that Emmie had something to do with it after the last time I had complained to her, but it could also be because the producers were getting close to the number of hopefuls that they wanted for the show.