King of Rock (Lions of Pride Island Book 1) (8 page)

“I’ll be fine on my own,” she said.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “I can have someone go with you. You can sit with my publicist in a VIP seating area.”

“I can do that.” She relented. “As long as I can see the stage well.”

“Of course,” he said.

She surprised herself with how much she wanted to see his show this time. Before, she’d been so reluctant, almost angry. But now, she just wanted to see him perform, to know that sexy man up there was all hers.

Or could be if she wanted him.

But would she only have his body and his sexy personality, or would she also have his heart?

Beyond his charming smiles, was there a depth of feeling growing there?

“I’m looking forward to it,” she said. “I guess I’m going to go take a nap and then pick out my outfit.”

His blue eyes twinkled at her. “Something sexy, okay?”

She nodded. “I think I can do that this time.”

He threw his head back and laughed, looking supremely happy and relaxed in the morning sun.

“What?” she asked. “Didn’t you think my outfit was sexy before?”

He snorted. “Of course. I was laughing at the fact that you said ‘this time,’ as if you thought wearing conservative clothing last time could really hide how sexy you were. I was aroused the moment I met you.”

She nearly choked on her shock, and her body clenched in response. “Um…” But she wasn’t ready yet after last night. It was already overwhelming what they’d done, and while her body was quickly becoming ready again, her heart had too many questions. “I’ll see you later, then.”

So she marched away, sure he could see her obvious arousal and hearing his laughter echoing in the distance.

S
tacy enjoyed
the concert from the VIP booth much more than she had her first experience. Which was saying something, because despite her own reservations, she’d been very caught up in the moment and enjoyed every single song.

It was even more amazing that all the proceeds tonight were going to charity.

In reality, it was the perfect setup. He was in a good place to make a difference in society and use his position politically if need be, and at the same time, he could do a lot of good because he didn’t really need the money or fame that came with his talent.

She sighed and rested her cheek in her palm as she looked out from her private box to the stage. Her seat was close to the stage, only slightly elevated a few feet above general seating, and gave her a private but thrilling front-row experience.

The only other people in the box were Beau’s publicist, a middle aged woman who spent most of her time on her cell phone, and a few guests who’d paid an exorbitant amount for special seating.

One seemed to be the son of some important hotelier, and he seemed to only be there because his girlfriend was obsessed with Beau.

She couldn’t be jealous as the other girl squealed and cheered over his songs. This was just Beau’s effect on his fans, and he truly treasured them. She’d never be jealous of him for that.

Still, as he hit a great guitar solo, she stood at the edge and cheered along with the other girl, extra loud so Beau could hear her.

She flushed at her own audacity, and even deeper when he looked up and his eyes met hers, flashing with heat as he gripped the microphone and began singing again.

Oh hell, he was sexy.

The girl next to her screamed and grabbed her. “Did you see that? He looked at you?”

The publicist looked up with a bored expression. “She’s Beau’s special guest. Please release her.”

The girl stepped back, and the boyfriend, who’d been staring at his phone with a bored expression, looked over. He had dark, slicked-back hair, a tall, slumped physique that bulged at the middle, and a look that said he thought he was better than the rest of the world.

“So you can get us backstage access?” he asked, walking forward.

“I must insist you step back,” the publicist said, looking nervous as she glanced at the stage, where Beau was still singing but seemed to have noticed what was going on in the booth.

Stacy didn’t have a good feeling about this at all. “If the tickets you purchased work for backstage access, then I suppose you can meet him.”

“Come on,” the guy said, pushing around the publicist and coming toward Stacy, backing her up to the edge of the box. “Just a few hours.” He pulled out his wallet, grabbed bills so big she couldn’t even calculate how many zeroes. “I’m sure there’s a price.”

She swallowed and shook her head. “I… don’t think so.”

The song paused onstage, and she looked over to see Beau frozen with rage as he watched them. The stagehands looked confused, and she quickly got out of the way of the douche bro and waved to Beau that everything was fine. She didn’t want him overreacting and ruining the concert.

Stay calm, please
, she silently begged him.

He finally nodded and went back to strumming. The crowd got immediately back into the song, quickly forgetting any disturbance, and the publicist sent her a look of grateful relief as they all took their seats again.

But looking over at the douche, she knew it wasn’t over. He was stewing over there, looking at her in a way she didn’t like. It was clear he thought most things could be bought. She had an odd feeling that now that she’d opposed him, he was determined she be one of those things.

She folded her arms and focused on the stage. Hopefully she’d be back in Beau’s arms soon. Where she felt safe and happy, no matter how weird that would have been to her just a few days ago. Now, nowhere else felt so right.

When the concert was over and Beau was out bowing after his encore, she could already feel her body primed and ready for him. Excited to see him, she stood to exit the box but stopped abruptly when someone roughly caught her arm and pulled her aside.

“Bitch, I’ll teach you to shove me,” the douche said, pulling her against him as she scrabbled and pushed at him. His girlfriend was still in the box, jumping and screaming over Beau’s encore, and hadn’t seen her boyfriend slip out.

She pushed at him as he leaned in close. “Get off me.”

“You think your boyfriend’s hot shit? Think I appreciate my girlfriend up there cheering for him while I watch? Think you can humiliate me by not even taking an offer to meet him?” He had her arms in a death grip and was shaking her. Heaven help anyone where male ego was involved.

One of his hands started moving down, threatening to grope her, and she struggled harder. She was about to call out to the publicist when a horrible sound of mashed-up guitar noises combined with microphone feedback resounded over the arena, and she was quickly released.

She looked up to see Beau, a furious, avenging angel, sweaty in his black leather stage attire and white tank top, holding the remnants of a broken guitar. The douche who’d been attacking her crouched on the ground, cursing and holding his head.

Beau looked around him, heaving, and then seemed to realize what he’d done as his manager pushed his way through to them, grabbing her with one hand and Beau with the other. Security quickly joined in, some going to the man on the ground and others escorting Stacy and Beau out of the venue, pulling them easily through the rushing, screaming crowd.

They were quickly handed into a limousine, and Beau’s manager climbed in with them.

“For fuck’s sake, Beau,” he said, running a hand through his thinning gray hair. “You couldn’t just call security? You aren’t just allowed to jump off stage and club one of your fans with a guitar.”

“He wasn’t my fan, and he was assaulting my girlfriend.”

The manager raised an eyebrow, jerking his head in Stacy’s direction. “So she’s more than a VIP now?”

Beau nodded, putting an arm around her. She still felt shaken. Something about this seemed all too familiar. Maybe just people hurting each other. Violence in general. She shivered, and Beau tightened his grip.

It sank in what he’d done for her. Jumped off the stage, attacked someone. There would probably be a lawsuit. His fans might be disappointed, depending on how they spun it.

“What do you think the damage will be?” Beau asked, running a hand through his hair.

She looked up at that, curious, too. She knew Beau cared about the people he worked with and wouldn’t want his actions to hurt them. But she’d seen the rage on his face and known there was nothing she or anyone could have done to stop him.

It was the rage of a mate protecting what was his.

“Are you okay?” the manager finally asked her, his face still red from exertion.

She nodded.

“That’s good,” he said, taking out a handkerchief to sponge his forehead. “I just… It’s going to be a bit of a mess I’m afraid. Well, at least Sherry got a good view of things. Hopefully she can spin it right.”

“I’m sorry,” Stacy said. “I should have handled it better.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Beau snarled. “That dick had it coming. Looked like the type that just likes to bully.” He sighed. “I hate those types.”

She leaned against him. A part of her was glad he’d done that for her, rescued her when she needed him. The other part was afraid of fallout.

Being with a celebrity was something else.

The limo dropped them off at home, and Beau picked her up in his arms to carry her inside.

She flushed, pushing at his arms. “I can walk.”

“Shut up,” he said tersely.

She pushed at him harder. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked. “Look, I’m fine.”

“He had his hands on you,” Beau said in a low voice. “I can’t… I need to… I don’t know.”

“Are you mad at me? You seemed fine in the limo…”

“Fine?” Beau scoffed. “I’m not fine. I needed to know you were okay, and I needed to try and calm down. But it keeps playing in my mind, what he could have done to you if I hadn’t gotten there that fast.”

“Sorry about your guitar,” she said.

“I could buy a million more. But I honestly don’t want to go onstage again if it means leaving you defenseless.”

She began wriggling in his arms as hard as she could, as if she could make him drop her, and he just laughed and held her tighter against his chest.

“That’s not going to work,” he said.

“I made you smile,” she quipped. “I’m glad.”

He sat on the grass with her in his lap and let out a long breath. “What a day.”

“I can’t believe you got so violent. You could have killed him.”

“Nah, the guitar was hollow, and I only hit him in the back.”

She laughed, though the situation was still disturbing. “It’s not like he was going to mate me. It wouldn’t have threatened anything you want.”

His eyebrows pulled down in confusion. “Is that all you think I want? That as long as I can mate you, nothing else matters? That I won’t care who touches you?”

She bit her lip and nodded.

He exhaled, and she could sense palpable frustration, even anger. “Look, Stacy, I don’t know how else to tell you this…”

He pushed her down lightly into the grass and propped himself over her on his hands and knees. She could see his luscious pecs in his tank top from this position. The sun was setting because the concert had finished early evening, and she watched the orange and pink rays fan out behind him.

“I want you, Stacy,” he said. “I want to be the only one to touch you. When that man put his hands on you, I thought I’d go crazy. The lion in me could kill for you. But I could also hold back for you. Anything, really, as long as you can accept me.” He leaned forward, nuzzling his nose to hers. A gesture that felt oddly intimate and soft.

She just looked up at him, aroused by his position, overwhelmed by everything that had happened in the past hour.

“Say you accept me,” he said. “I’ll make you the happiest woman in the world. Put me out of my misery.”

She put up a hand to touch his face. She really wanted to just say yes. But she couldn’t. Something inside her kept pushing against it.

He seemed to realize that without her saying it. “I’m sorry. I said I wouldn’t pressure you.” He closed his eyes and his jaw went tight as he turned his head to the side, flinching at something invisible. “When that guy was touching you… I don’t think I even fully realized how I felt about you up until that moment. It’s way beyond oracles,” he said seriously, running a hand over her hair. “It’s just how well we fit together.”

She bit her lip and looked up at him tentatively. “I appreciate you telling me that.” Obviously, he’d been jealous, and she was oddly thrilled by that.

But agreeing to mate was a lifelong thing, something that shouldn’t be undertaken just because both of them were easily falling into the strongest lust of their lives.

She played with the collar of his shirt. “So you weren’t just trying to protect your political future?”

“No,” he said, cursing under his breath. “In that moment, I was just a stupid man going crazy at the thought that someone else was touching his woman.”

She grinned. She liked it better when they just thought on those terms. Just a guy and a girl, no matter the odds.

It almost made her forget everything stacked against them.

“Well, thanks for saving me,” she said. “It feels kind of nice to be rescued for once.”

“Stay with me, and I’ll rescue you for the rest of your life,” he said. “As many times as you need it.”

She quirked an eyebrow. “Something tells me I’d need it a bit more hanging around you.”

He flexed. “Good thing I have all these muscles to protect you with.”

She giggled. “You might end up buying a lot of guitars.”

He laughed. “Yeah, comes with the territory.” He took a deep breath and let it out, and she realized he was trembling slightly.

She put a hand up to his cheek. “Beau, what’s wrong?”

He shut his eyes, and when they opened, she could see a slight golden glint at the center. “My lion is close to the surface. It’s getting harder not to claim you. Especially with what happened today.”

She nodded. He took another slow breath, let it out, and when he opened his eyes, they were their normal, crystal-clear blue.

“I won’t push this any faster than you want it,” he said. “But can you at least tell me if I’m right for thinking you’re starting to consider giving me a chance?”

She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Yeah,” she said. “I can do even better than that. I think I’m ready for you.” She flushed. “Not for mating. But for being with you fully. Seeing how we fit that way.”

He froze, his eyes widening as her words sank in. “Seriously?”

“With protection,” she said, feeling her body already going liquid at the thought of just having him inside her. Feeling completely one.

He jerked slightly as he pulled himself off of her and snatched her into the air. She squeaked as she found herself hoisted over his shoulder.

“Beau!” she screeched.

“What?” he asked. “I’m taking you up to my room to ravish my mate.”

“Ravish?” she asked. “I don’t think so.”

“You’re right. Ravish implies you weren’t asking. Which you were.”

She felt blood rush into her face as his hand lightly tapped her bottom. “Hey!”

“So I guess taking you off to my room to make love to you is what I meant.”

She gritted her teeth but couldn’t stop the excitement running through her, her body already humming at the thought of having him inside her.

After everything that had happened today, him protecting her, him confessing how much he wanted her with it having nothing to do with the oracle, she didn’t want to hold back anymore.

She’d go as far as she could with him without mating him and having to make a final decision, and then she would hope she could somehow get a clear message on what she should do.

Meanwhile, she felt it wasn’t too bad to have a guy that could carry her to bed this easily.