Relish: A Vicious Feast Book 2 (20 page)

“Ah, well,” she grinned at the partition. “Funny you should ask. Luka is actually a distant relative of mine on his father’s side.”

My eye all but popped out of its socket. “You’re cousins too?”

“Very distant cousins, but yes. He came to me early this year one distraught guy. Without getting into the details, he needed my help and so here I am.”

I shook my head. “Does anyone in this family trust people outside their bloodline?”

Samrah’s lips curled into a cheeky grin. “Blood is thicker than water. Knowing Luka, he would only be conformable speaking with a professional he could trust. Our family loyalty runs deep.”

Demitri told me something similar when I came to him for advice about Luka. “That makes sense. But even if you weren’t family, I think Luka would talk to you. It’s just easy to open up to you.”

“That’s the best compliment you can ever give a therapist.”

“Since now I know you’re family, I don’t have to worry about getting jealous anymore.” I’d meant it as a joke, but from the way the atmosphere between us shifted from jovial to serious, I didn’t think she took it as a joke.

“Luka is a complicated man.” She settled back into her seat, almost wilting from sudden fatigue. “The fact that he asked for help is a big step for him.”

On some level I understood what Samrah meant. Luka liked control. That was why he involved himself in every aspect of the business, not just the band. To have him hand over control, even for just an hour a day to someone else, must be eating at him.

“And here I am fucking up what he’s willing to give me,” I said before I could censor myself. Being in Samrah’s company opened me up enough to actually venture into my ineptitude when handling mushy situations with Luka.

“What are you saying?”

The way she stared at me with those garnet eyes, like she stared straight into my soul, made me squirm. “This morning Luka opened up about the song he wrote, saying he wrote it for me. He was telling me about how he never felt this way about anyone. And, because I’m an emotionally stunted person, I open my big mouth and dragged Phoenix into it.”

Samrah hissed. “I’m saying this not as a psychiatrist, but as a potential friend. Stupid move, girl.”

I covered my blushing face with both hands, shaking my head the whole time. “I know. Believe me, I know.”

“Here’s one thing I can say…” She paused, waiting for me to meet her gaze. When I did she smiled warmly. “I only know half the story. Luka’s half. When you’re ready, you can tell me yours. The NDA isn’t an issue here. But, know this…Luka, no matter how complicated he can seem at times, is still a man. And men can be stupidly simple. He wrote that song as a reaction to the way he feels about you.”

I sucked in a breath and held it.

“Now, I don’t know what those feelings are exactly, because he hasn’t told me. But…” She pointed at me. “The question becomes, are you ready to accept what he’s willing to give you?”   

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY
-T
WO
F
RUSTRATION

I stood by my room window admiring the magnificent Belfast waterfront. The band had chosen a beautiful hotel in the historic Titanic Quarter a few minutes away from the Odyssey Arena. From what I’d seen during our drive through the city, Belfast was in flux. It straddled the line between modernity and old world charm. My room may not have been as big as the one in Canary Warf, but the canopy bed all but made up for it. Cozy and clean, two of my major criteria for a place to stay. My old apartment couldn’t have been much bigger.

A pang of loneliness struck me. I missed the old one bedroom already, having called it home for most of my college life. Even so, the bout of homesickness couldn’t compete with the sunset I witnessed. It set the calm water shimmering like golden confetti. I’d taken no less than ten pictures of the gorgeous site.

Familiar excited screams and cheers drew my attention to the street. A caravan of black SUVs exited the hotel’s underground parking garage. Vicious seemed to prefer hotels with this feature since I was pretty sure we passed several five star hotels on our way to the waterfront. Then again, Vicious did buy out the entire building we called home for the next couple of days. That beat five-star service any day.

Mixed in with the fans were a number of reporters. Cameras flashed. And pretty soon motorcycled paparazzi trailed the band’s convoy. I pressed my forehead against the cool windowpane. I had messed up pretty badly.

For hours I trolled the Web for news of what happened between Graham and Luka. Already I’d read more than ten articles reporting the fistfight. Some alleged Graham threw the first punch. Inside sources were quoted in saying Luka beat the crap out of the Raging Pistols drummer. While bloggers condemned Luka for his behavior, tabloids speculated about my identity. In all the pictures, my face was obscured by Luka’s chest. Yana said she’d be performing damage control. I trusted her. I just couldn’t bring myself to think how she’d clean this up. Vicious prided themselves for their privacy. My one night of drunken recklessness blew the lid on that.

I hadn’t seen anyone from the band except for Luka since arriving at the hotel. I didn’t know if Demitri and the others were pissed at me for what happened. The giant ball of guilt in my stomach would remain until I’d apologized to all of them. According to the schedule, they would be at the arena rehearsing until late tonight. Luka added another new song to the set list. My long exhalation fogged up the glass. I drew a heart in the moisture and frowned. Luka hadn’t spoken to me since we left London. Yet another thing I had to apologize for.

Samrah invited me to dinner when we arrived. I declined, blaming the lingering aftereffects of my night with Guinness. She smiled and let me go with only a reminder of our session in the morning. I took my keycard from Eli and excused myself. Honestly, ten hours of talking, more than my hangover, drained my social skills. I wanted to be alone with my thoughts. Not that stewing did me any good. I’d had enough of company for one day.

As if the universe heard my thoughts, the doorbell to my room rang. Pulling myself from the window, I padded to the door and peeked through the eyehole. Yana, in her golden goddess get up, stood on the other side. I silently thanked the powers that be for room keys because she would have burst in without them. I took a deep breath, preparing myself for the lecture I was sure she’d come to dispense, and opened the door.

“Yana,” I greeted. “I thought you were going with the band to the arena.”

“I begged off,” she said, swishing past me into my room. She scanned the space. “I have closets bigger than this. I should really transfer you to one of the suites, but they are no bigger, to be honest.”

I shut the door and joined her at the tiny seating area opposite the bed. “I kinda like it. Don’t transfer me. Coffee?” I pointed at the pot I’d ordered from room service half an hour ago. I needed to keep busy or else I’d turn into a blubbering fool in front of her.

She waved a hand, settling into the couch. “I can’t get any more wired today or I won’t sleep. Tomorrow’s another long one.”

Her seriousness did it more than her words. I turned around, my lower lip quivering. I sank beside her and covered my face before the first humiliating tear fell.

“How bad is it?” I asked, my hands muffling my voice.

A small hand followed the length of my spine, rubbing up and down. “This is nothing. In fact, it’s good all around.”

“What?” I looked back at her, cradling my damp cheeks in my hands. My elbows rested on my knees.

She tilted her head and smiled. “Look, what Luka did was excessive. He could have handled things better. But the publicity he generated by coming to your rescue is priceless.”

“What?”

“I got a call from the lawyers of Raging Pistols. They are not pressing charges.”

“But Luka almost killed Graham.”

Yana pursed her lips. “Apparently, Graham has a reputation. This is not the first time he’s gotten a girl drunk. Or attacked her. The guy’s got a nasty temper underneath all that charm.” She bit her lip and growled. Such a ladylike sound for a growl. I chuckled, my heart melting even more for the band’s Gothic Lolita manager. “I would have cut his balls off if I were in Luka’s place.”

I shook my head and wiped away all evidence of my guilt. “It’s not like I unwillingly got drunk. No one can make me do anything I don’t want to do.”

“Don’t I know it.” She cocked an eyebrow at me. “What happened isn’t your fault. God knows I’ve had to clean up worse things.”

I could only imagine what Yana referred too. Vicious wasn’t known for a squeaky clean image. On more than one occasion Demitri and Luka started a bar fight based on some of the articles I’d read about them when I’d researched the band for my project. Hotel rooms had been trashed. Cars wrecked. And lots more unsavory rumors. The reasons were never clear, but I suspected the fights originated with Phoenix or something involving her. The only band member not in the limelight was Dray. Knowing his personality, I completely understood why.

“Are you sure?” I sucked in a shaky breath, slumping back into the couch upholstered in a beautiful golden brocade fabric.

“I wouldn’t be this calm if I wasn’t. Don’t think about it anymore. And if any of the paparazzi harasses you, let me know.” She pinned me with a pointed stare until I nodded.

“I want to at least apologize to the others for causing a problem,” I insisted.

She rolled her heavily-lined eyes at me. “Even if I say you don’t have to it won’t stop you, huh?” I nodded again and she sighed. “The band will be at rehearsals until late, but you’re welcome to join us for breakfast tomorrow. Can you be up by eight?”

I didn’t have to think twice. “Where will it be?”

“Come to Phoenix’s and Demitri’s suite.”

A slight blush crept over my cheeks at the mention of the two sharing a room. Why shouldn’t they? They’d been in a committed relationship for God knew how long. I blushed because of a certain set of pictures Phoenix had asked me to take during a compromising moment between her and Demitri. My hard drive still smoldered from them. I’d made sure those particular files were password protected.

“Do you need anything from me?” I asked. “More promo shots?”

“For this leg of the tour, no. But I do want to look at the ones you’ve taken at O2.”

“I’ll send you the files later tonight.”

“If you’re wondering why I’m here, I just wanted to check on you. Spending ten hours with Samrah in a car is its own brand of torture.”

“It wasn’t so bad.” I shrugged. “I’m sensing you don’t like your distant cousin.”

“Is that what she told you?” Both of Yana’s eyebrows arched. “That girl is so far down the bloodline she can’t even call herself a proper Visraya.” She squeezed my shoulder then unfolded herself from the couch. “Since it looks like you have a full night ahead of you with the pictures, I’ll leave you alone.”

“You’ll have samples in your inbox as soon as they’re ready,” I said as she sauntered to the door, leaving behind a trail of glitter.

“And I’ll send you the pictures already taken during the beginning of the tour. Maybe you can work your magic on them.” She turned around and smiled at me.

I nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Given a task that took my mind off my guilt, I plugged in my laptop and got to work. Not an hour after Yana had left when my inbox pinged with the pictures she’d promised. Rubbing my hands together, I unpacked the zip file and scanned through all the shots. Some weren’t bad at all while others were just nasty. I finally understood Yana’s frustration over the photographers she’d hired before me.

Only after I’d sent her the shots from O2 did I stretch away from my laptop and stumble to bed, not bothering with changing my clothes or showering. I could do all that in the morning.

It must have been minutes or maybe hours after I laid my head down when the mattress dipped beside me. Instead of jerking away, I inhaled, catching the sweet and spicy scent. My stray had returned. Immense comfort bloomed in my chest. I rolled onto my side to stare at a facedown Luka. A sliver of moonlight bleached his curls silver. On impulse, I reached out and tangled my fingers in the silk strands. I’d missed the softness too. He moaned. I added pressure to my caress, turning it into a scalp massage. Another appreciative moan escaped his lips.

“Long night?” I whispered.

“The longest,” he said, the pillow muffling his voice. “Why I allow myself to continue this tour is insane.”

A half-grin tugged at my lips. “Oh, come now. You and I both know you live for this stuff.”

He shifted only far enough so he could face me without forcing my hand to leave his head. I continued the massage. He blinked his lazy blue eyes at me. He looked so young right then even if lines of fatigue marred his beautiful face. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and never let go. If only I could. Instead I huffed.

“I’m sorry for what happened,” I said.

“Which time?”

The mischief in his eyes said he goaded me into revealing more. With the guilt eating away at me, how could I resist? Not like I had to give in too fast.

“Let’s make it a blanket apology.”

Luka’s answering frown made me want to lean over and kiss it away. I didn’t. Despite saving me, the jerk got his way too often. He was spoiled rotten, and I wouldn’t be an enabler. So I waited for him to respond.

With the quick reflexes I’d forgotten he possessed, Luka rolled on top of me and secured my wrists above my head with both of his hands. He used his weight to keep me from moving away. Not that I would have. The weight of his muscular body above mine sent shivers sparking all over my skin. Another thing I’d missed terribly.

Without further coaxing from him, I parted my legs so his hips settled over mine. His eyes practically rolled into the back of his head at the sweet contact. I could feel him harden beneath me. I bit my lip. Just the way I liked him.

“How’d you get into my room, anyway?” I teased, already knowing the answer.

“What are you apologizing for?” He nuzzled the column of my neck as revenge.