Trouble-Maker

I danced with Ronnie for quite a while before the singer distracted me by looking and smiling over my shoulder. I turned around quickly, arms still around Ronnie's neck, and grinned at Derek.

"You mind if I steal your girl?" Derek asked, looking between the two of us.

Ronnie held his hands up, detaching himself from me. "I have to fucking pee, anyway," he laughed and stepped away, "Come find me when you're done, yeah?" Ronnie pressed a kiss to my cheek before turned and heading towards the stairs to find the bathroom.

I shook my head at him and then turned to Derek and threw my arms around his shoulders. We danced playfully for awhile, making up moves and falling into each other. It was so easy to be a part of Ronnie's world. His best friends welcome me effortless and I loved them already. Derek pulled out some obviously made up dance moves and I was laughing so much that my ribs hurt. When another woman stepped up and challenged him with her own moves, I decided it was time to go locate my singer.

I heard him before I saw him.

"Chick, get the fuck off of me," he growled. I followed the sound of his voice out of the living room and towards the stairs. I stopped, just far enough back to watch without interrupting, and saw him standing at the bottom of the stairs, facing a woman who was climbing up them, fingers grabbing at his shirt, reaching for his hair. Ronnie smacked her hand away and leaned back from her.

"Get away from me," he growled as he backed away from her. He frowned, trying to get her grasp off him, but she kept coming.

"Ronnie, come on," she said, grinning at him brightly, "It's not like they'll even notice we're gone. I really enjoyed your music and I want to show you how much." She reached forward then and twisted her fingers in his shirt, holding him still enough to lean down and press her mouth to his. She slid her hands up his body then, fingers cupping his jaw, and her eyes closed as she kissed him.

Ronnie had enough leverage then to shove her off, and he did, sending her stumbling back into the steps, letting go of him to reach for the railing to hold herself up. "What the fuck!" he shouted, wiping at his mouth, "I have a fucking girlfriend! You can't just go around assaulting people!"

The dark blonde frowned, wiping at her own lips, and her eyes darted past him to me. He looked at her for a moment, expression changing as he saw hers, and then looked back quickly, eyes landing on me, lips parting. "Atticus," he said automatically, turning to come to me, "I didn't- She-" he didn't know what to say and he kept trying to formulate the right words as I walked towards him.

I walked up to him and fiddled with the edges of his shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles that she'd caused. "I know," I said, looking up to meet his gaze, "Don't worry, I saw everything." I pushed up and pushed my mouth against his, feeling him relax. His fingers cupped my face and he kissed me greedily, grateful at the turn that this had taken.

I kissed him again once more and then glanced at the woman who was still standing on the stairs, staring at us, mouth parted slightly as her eyes stayed on the singer. I ducked my gaze back down when her eyes moved to mine.

"You want to get out of here?" Ronnie questioned me, looking at the woman so harshly that it might've killed her, "We don't have to stay any longer."

I shook my head, not wanting this to ruin our night, his night. "No, we should dance again," I said, rolling my eyes at the woman, "She's not even worth it, Ron."

The woman scoffed and that seemed to catch Ronnie's attention. He let go of me and stepped up the two stairs. I watched, surprised, as he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her down. "You fucking bitch," he growled, passing me and rounding into the hallway that lead to the kitchen.

I followed after them, unsure of what else to do, and stopped in the doorway as Ronnie burst in, practically shoving the girl into the room before wiping his fingers on his shirt like he didn't even want to touch her. "Who the fuck is this?" Ronnie asked into the room.

The men standing in the kitchen, who'd previously been talking to a couple of women, turned and looked surprised at the sight of Ronnie and the blonde woman stuck between them. "What?"

"Who is this bitch?" Ronnie asked again, looking at Trey sharply.

Trey spared a glance at the woman, probably wondering why Ronnie didn't just ask her himself, and then he spoke about her like she wasn't there with her arms crossed, leaning against the island that blocked her in. "I don't know," he said, eyes roaming Ronnie as he realized the singer was worked up, "What happened?"

"You better fucking find out," Ronnie answered harshly, "Because I want her and all her friends out of here. She just attacked me in the hallway, right in front of my fucking girlfriend." He shot another glare at her and Trey's eyes flashed to me, still in the doorway watching quietly.

"I thought she wasn't your girl?" Trey asked the singer, trying to break the tension.

Ronnie growled at his joke. "Damn it, Trey, that's not the point!" he shouted, "The point is that I can't even go to the bathroom without some dumb bitch trying to put her fucking hands all over me. It's bullshit and I want her gone! I don't want Atticus to have to see that shit!"

"Ronnie," I said, stepping in because the language he was using told me that his anger was rising instead of depleting, "Ronnie, calm down, baby. I'm not even upset."

I could see the impact that my words had on him and he calmed slightly and took a step back from the woman, looking at her like she wasn't even worth his time. When he turned to go, she obviously felt confident enough that it was over and spoke up.

"You're such an ungrateful asshole," she said, speaking directly to Ronnie's turned back, "You act like you're some big shot because you have a music video. Take your ugly fucking girlfriend and enjoy your fifteen minutes of fame, Ronnie, because it's not going to fucking last and then nobody will want you, not even that bitch."

The singer turned automatically, anger brimming, and Nasty stepped forward to push Ronnie back. "Come on, man, just ignore the bitch," he said calmly, herding Ronnie back to me, "She's not worth it. She's just pissed you've got something better in your life."

I nodded when he was just inches in front of me and wrapped my arm around him. "Come on, baby," I said, grabbing his jaw to make him look at me, "Lets just go. Don't let this ruin your night."

He slipped his fingers in mine. "Lets get out of here," he said, eyes finally meeting mine, "I'll owe you a dance, all right?" He was already stepping towards the door to leave, not giving that woman another second of his time.

I watched him for a moment, wondering why one person's words had upset him so fucking much, and then let him continue on as I stepped around him to say goodbye to the host and our friends. I wrapped Trey up in a hug. "Thank you for tonight," I said, "See you around."

"Look out for that one," he answered, nodding in the direction of Ronnie, who was already halfway into the hall, "He needs someone to."

I pulled back and nodded, offering a smile as I turned to Nason. "I'll see you soon, no doubt," I said, hugging him back as he wrapped his arms around me, "Don't get into any trouble, Nase."

He grinned cheekily and shrugged out of the hug. "Wouldn't dream of it, Att." He stood between me and the woman who'd kissed Ronnie and gave me a look that suggested she was nothing. I kissed his cheek before heading back to my singer.

On the way out we called goodbye to the rest of the band and the friends that Ronnie knew and I didn't. They shouted their goodbyes back at us, a few people asking Ronnie why he was dipping out early. He didn't respond to them, just wrapped his arms around me and grinned, leading me out of the door and to the car. He opened the passenger's door and closed it for me, before getting into the driver's seat and pealing out of the yard.

"Can I stay at your place tonight?" I asked before Ronnie could get on the interstate that would take us back to my house.

He didn't look at me as he nodded, but pulled into a different lane to make the drive back to his apartment in Los Angeles.

The ride back to Ronnie's was quick and soon enough I was following Ronnie into his apartment and up the stairs to the second floor. He grabbed my hand during the quick walk, but had to release it to unlock the door and let us inside.

I looked around Ronnie's apartment when we stepped inside, grinning at all the new additions to the place. There were now two couches and a coffee table poised in front of the TV and its stand. There were a few pictures hanging on the walls in matching black frames. Pictures of Ronnie and the guys. The kitchen was fully stocked, I could tell. And as I followed Ronnie down the hallway that would lead to his room, I grinned as there were even more pictures in frames.

I turned at the first door on the left, following Ronnie into his room. I looked it over as Ronnie flipped a lamp on. The walls were a deep red color and they offset the black bed frame and leather padded headboard. There was a huge TV sitting on a nine drawer, black dresser across from the bed and they matched the two drawer chests on either side of the bed. He had simple black sheets and a comforter that was accented with white sticking. Overall, the room was beautiful.

I watched as Ronnie slipped out of his blazer and then pulled his shirt over his head. I bit my lip as I studied his arms, chest, and stomach. The man had abs and the muscles on his arms were hard not to notice. I knew that he must of worked out a lot in prison because people just didn't casually look as good as him.

I watched as Ronnie slipped out of his boots and took his belts off. He unbuttoned his pants and let them slide to the floor. He picked them up and tossed them into his open closet. Then he turned to face me. "Want to lay down with me?" he asked as he pulled his blankets down.

I smiled softly and nodded my head, taking my own jacket off. "Can I borrow a shirt and shorts?" I questioned. I tossed the jacket onto the pile of discarded clothes in his closet.

He smiled just slightly and opened the top drawer under the TV and pulled out a pair of red and black boxers, he tossed them on the bed as I slipped my clothes over my head. I could see Ronnie taking glances at me as he went to his closet to pick out a shirt.

I slipped out of my jeans, having to push them all the way down because of how tight they were. I heard Ronnie groan as I bent over, still facing him, to pull my socks off.

"Here," he murmured as he handed me a clean t'shirt from his closet.

I shook my head. "The one you were wearing tonight'll work," I told him as I pointed to it. He looked at the clean shirt and then the sleeveless one he had been wearing and shrugged.

He tossed it on the bed too as I slipped his boxers up over my underwear. I grabbed onto the shirt and pulled it over my head, pulling my hair out from under it.

Ronnie climbed into his bed and patted the empty spot next to him. I slid in as well and rested my head on his chest as he wrapped his left arm around my shoulders and used his right to pull the blankets up over my shoulders. I was completely content with his scent surrounding me.

I traced circles on his stomach as I spoke. "What made you so upset?"

I felt Ronnie shake his head. "Nothing, Att, don't worry about it."

I pressed a kiss to his chest. "I'm going to worry about you, Ronnie. So just tell me so I don't have to stay up all night worrying about you."

I felt him sigh as he traced patterns on my left arm where his hand was. "I care about you, Atticus," he murmured into my hair and then he kissed the top of my head.

"I know," I replied as I kissed his exposed skin again. "You won't lose me just because of some crazy fan, Ronnie."

"Are you even mine to lose?" he voice asked as he subconsciously tightened his grip on me.

I shifted so that I was looking up at him, my head under his chin. "Isn't that obviously," I asked, with my lips against his jaw. "I thought you wanted me to be."

I felt him nod against my head. "Of course I do."

"Then I'm yours," I whispered, "Now please tell me what's wrong. This isn't the Ronnie that I know."

"That chick, fan, she really scared me."

"Ronnie," I murmured as I shifted back into my original position, "They can't hurt you."

"But they can hurt you," he said, clearing up what he was talking about. "That girl, she kissed me and I was so scared that you would see it and it would hurt you, that you'd think I had betrayed you or something. And then in the kitchen she sounded like she hated you... and she doesn't even know you. Like she wanted to hurt you." I felt Ronnie kiss my head, "If you get hurt I don't know what I'll do, Atticus."

I was shocked over the fact that Ronnie was worried about me instead of his own well-being. I wondered how Ronnie could already feel that much for me in such a short time. Although, when I thought about it I had felt the same way just earlier while eating dinner with my family.

"I've known you three days, Ronnie," I whispered, scared about how I could possibly care for him this much already.

"I know but it doesn't change the fact that I really like you and I don't want anything bad to happen to you because of me," he replied.

I was silent because I didn't have anything to say, my thoughts were too scrambled to even come up with a coherent response. This was too much too soon.

After a couple moments, Ronnie spoke again. "I didn't freak you out, did I?" he questioned he guided my face up to look at him.

I thought about for a moment, thought about how fast we were moving, and then shook my head. "No," I murmured, "The complete opposite actually." I moved up so that one of my hands was on Ronnie's chest, holding me up while the other was wrapped around his head and tangled in his hair. Both of his hands were on my hips as I leaned closer and kissed the side of his mouth before moving my lips slightly to the right and touching them to his.

His lips moved against mine, soft and warm. He flipped us over so that he was the one leaning over me. I cupped his face and then brought his mouth to mine. We didn't really make out, just touched our lips together softly, pulled back, and kissed again. My eyes stayed closed as I ran my thumbs over his cheeks and then his lips. When I opened my eyes he was looking down at me, holding completely still as he studied my face.

"I'd give up everything for you right now, Ronnie," I whispered, shocking myself at the pure honesty of my words.

He shook his head with his eyes never leaving mine. "I don't want you to give up anything for me, baby."

"Well I can't have you both," I whispered as I traced my thumb over his lips once again.

Ronnie froze. "Who else is there?"

I chuckled lightly, realizing that he probably thought that I was talking about another guy. "Don't worry. I meant my family."

Ronnie kissed the palm of my hand and then spoke. "Why can't you have your family if you're with me?" He looked confused, his eyes did.

I closed my eyes as I rested my head on his black silk pillowcase. I traced over his face, running my fingers over his eyelids as he closed them. "You're a good person," I murmured, "You didn't deserve that," I told him as my fingers ran over the pale blue tear drop tattoo below his eye.

He didn't reply but just moved to kiss my fingers. "You deserve better than me, Atticus," he said after a few minutes.

"I don't think so," I said quickly, "You're perfect."

Ronnie chuckled in disbelief. "I'm far from it, baby. I'm probably the least 'perfect' person you'll ever meet."

I sat up slightly so that I could kiss his lips quickly so that he'd know that I didn't care. I didn't care what he had done in the past or what he'd do in the future and that thought scared me but I knew that I could trust Ronnie and that even though my father always told me not to, that I could find myself being happy with him for the rest of my life.

"You changed the subject," he chuckled, "tell me why you can't have me and your family."

I shrugged. "My dad, when he finds out about us, he'll be furious. He'll stop talking to me and if he really loses it, he might even cut you from the label."

Ronnie laid down beside me and rested his head on my shoulder with his arms around my waist and one of his legs between mine. "He wouldn't do that," he answered, although he sounded unsure.

"He doesn't want me with someone like you," I whispered bluntly, "and he'll do whatever it takes to make sure I don't end up in the same situation he put my mother in."

Ronnie scoffed slightly and brought his right hand up to rest of my cheek. "Isn't that just a bit hypocritical? He's in the music business, but since I am I can't be with you?"

I shrugged against him. "That's how he sees it. He knows what he did when he was with my mom and he doesn't want some guy going out and cheating on me like he did with her."

Ronnie shook his head against my shoulder. "I wouldn't."

"I know," I whispered, "But Brett doesn't."

Ronnie sat up, leaning on his hand, as he looked at me. "Maybe I should show him that I'm not going to do anything to screw you over."

I shot up quickly, causing Ronnie to pull back so that we didn't smack our heads together. "No," I stated, "No way, it's just going to start a whole bunch of shit between my family and I, and the label and you."

Ronnie sighed as he began to play with my fingers. "So, I can't really be with you because you don't want to start shit with your dad? He loves you, baby, he'll get over it and if he does take us off of the label, well, we can find a different one."

"No, Ronnie," I declared, "That's not your decision to make and I can't let you throw away your career like that. You've worked so hard to get back to the top."

Ronnie pressed his lips to my cheek. "Okay," he murmured, "I won't argue for now, but you better bet that we'll be having this fucking conversation again, Atticus."

I sighed, knowing that he'd hold that against me. I didn't want to think about it now. Our good night had already been tested, and I wasn't about to let more problems rise to the surface."Sing to me," I murmured as I laid back down on his chest and kissed his exposed stomach. "The song from the music video, please."

Ronnie didn't reply, he just kissed the top of my head and then started to sing, his voice lulling me into peace as I laid in his arms and let my mind drift away.

"Heard a knock upon my door the other day,

I opened it to find death staring in my face,

the feel of mortal stalking still reverberates,

everywhere I go I drag the coffin just in case ..."