Resisting Velocity (10 page)

Giving one last shudder, the animal fell still, limp in Zane’s grip. He dropped it and her head fell to rest on the earth and Zane and Charlie shared a look. She was beautiful and dark, her tail giving a lone wag. She dropped her head and backed up—respect to her alpha, letting Zane eat first, and Zane felt a swell of pride.

Instead of taking a bite, like his now-watering mouth insisted, he nosed the deer towards Charlie. She flicked both ears back, her eyes meeting his, and he held them.
Just what the doctor ordered,
he said in her mind and in his, he could see her slightly sheepish smile.

And together, under the pale sliver of moonlight, they feasted.

Chapter Eight

As the trailer jerked to a stop, Charlie rolled off Zane’s couch and landed on the floor with a loud thump. Apparently they’d arrived at their next location, and none too smoothly. Pushing hair out of her face and squinting at the sun that managed to shutter through the blinds, she pulled herself back onto the couch-turned-bed and fought the urge to groan. Usually she slept on a nice firm bed—this ultra-fluffy couch made her feel like she was eighty.

After their run last night, Zane lightly asked where she planned to sleep and she’d been frank about it. Sure, their run had been magical, to be cliché. He was beautiful, in human and in wolf form, and though his special brand of charm kept sneaking up on her, so far she was holding strong.

Stretching and wiggling off the last remnants of sleep, Charlie set herself on auto-pilot to get coffee. Her place was much less grandiose, but a trailer was still a trailer. Of course, if Zane didn’t have the decency to keep coffee on hand, she was probably going to have to kill him. Rifling through his cabinets, she found what she sought and started the coffee pot. She headed for the bathroom for a quick shower.

She hummed softly, the scent of coffee drifting into the small room and making the steam smell heavenly. With the spray of water hitting her back and trickling down onto the shower floor, she didn’t hear the turn of the knob, the soft squeak of the door until Zane’s voice broke through her thoughts. “Don’t suppose there’s room in there for two?”

“Damn it, Alexander. Close the door and go away.” She turned to make double sure that the shower curtain was closed. It was.

“I’d really rather not, if it’s the same to you.”

Charlie bit back a laugh. He sounded just as sleepy as she had been only minutes ago and his usual come-on lacked some of its oomph. She had to give him points for trying.

“Yeah, yeah. Coffee should be about done, go on.”

“Hmph. Killjoy.”

On her own once again, Charlie finished her shower, hair, and makeup before staring at the suitcase now loaded with new clothes that she’d never seen before in her life. Once she had agreed to play the part of Zane’s lover, she’d realized that nothing she owned would really work as
sexy
. So she’d sent a request, along with a wad of Zane’s cash, with a somewhat-friend of hers from security and now she had to hope that Amy didn’t pick out all of her new clothing based on the outfit she wore at the last concert.

That would be a disaster waiting to happen.

Luck was on her side. Pulling on a pair of dark grey leggings that molded to her body, she paired them with a red jewel-toned halter top. She didn’t know as well as she knew Conner or the guys, but as she looked at herself in the mirror, Charlie decided that she had pretty good taste. Securing her Glock at her belt, she wandered out into the kitchenette and found a hastily scrawled note stuck to the table.

Went to go do sound check and get ready for the concert. Have a good day. I’ll see you tonight—Zane.

Son of a bitch.

Her very first morning on the job as his bodyguard and he’d already ditched her. Grabbing her cell, she put a call through to Conner. “Hey, Alexander just gave me the slip.”

“Nah, he’s fine. Called me a bit ago and asked for someone to pick him up. He said you were still getting around and he had to go.”

“He did?” Her surprise was audible.

“Yep, sounded pretty cheerful too. There’s not any particular reason that you needed a lie-in, is there?” The slight leer in Conner’s voice made Charlie grind her teeth.

“No—and you damn well know it.”

“Yeah, well, you’ve been given your walking papers for the day. Might as well do whatever it is that women do.” The way he said it, so nonchalant, made her think of Zane waving his hand in dismissal. Maybe Zane was rubbing off on him. In her head, all of Conner’s hair was dyed Velocity Violet and she found herself smiling.

“I’m not some bizarre species, but okay. See you at the show tonight. Make sure Zane knows that I’m picking up detail the minute he steps off that stage.”

“Right-o.”

Neither of them bothered with a goodbye. Charlie flopped down on the couch and glanced about the trailer. God, it was nasty in here… Why did rock stars seem to think they couldn’t be bothered with hiring a maid? They sure as hell made enough money…

Ah well
. Shrugging her shoulders, Charlie got to work.

***

After a day of cleaning and otherwise thumb-twiddling, Charlie was grateful when eight o’clock rolled around. She quickly freshened up her makeup and perfume, then headed to the main event. She had confirmation that the fans were already piling into the stadium, along with the fact that Zane and company were being monitored closely by security.

Apparently Zane’s makeup girl had thrown a fit about the bruise on his face. She’d also heard something about Parker being in no better shape and her first thought was that the stalker had taken a shot at him, too. But when she saw him strutting around backstage, no worse for the wear except for a slight crook in his nose, she shrugged it off. He’d probably pissed off Zane or Micah. That’s just how Parker was.

With a bit of a smile tipping her lips, Charlie put some hustle into her step. Tonight she was going to just try to relax and enjoy the show. Until Zane stepped down off the stage tonight, it was up to security to take care of the guys. It wasn’t her job anymore, but even though she knew Conner was perfectly capable, she worried. She’d stick close, just in case.

She spotted Lola pouting behind a metal gate, her hair trussed up in curls. Huh, she must not have been able to finagle the necessary backstage passes in time. As she passed Lola, Charlie gave a little wave, which earned her a sour look from the groupie. She only had to flash her security badge at the guard to get through, and then she was in.

Ready to rock.

Plenty of people were running around, putting finishing touches here and there, and since the crowd meant little to her tonight, Charlie couldn’t help but admire how absolutely detailed the tech crew was with everything. They seemed to notice if anything was off center, even by just an inch, or if a light wasn’t precisely where it needed to be.

Interesting. If the crew had been paying this close of attention to the stage and all that went on around it last time, perhaps the explosion had been the works of one of them? They certainly seemed to know their way around…

Shaking the thoughts from her mind, Charlie glanced up and immediately had to fight back a laugh. Zane looked like he was in the seventh circle of hell, a scowl on his face. Reese must’ve borrowed the makeup artists from the other guys because four women were wielding brushes and had an assortment of pots strewn around them, dabbing and brushing. He was their personal guinea pig and he didn’t look happy.

Charlie found herself wishing for a camera, and when she heard the tell-tale click from behind her, Charlie spun to see Parker grinning from ear to ear.

“Oh yeah. This is most definitely going to be the cover of my Christmas card. Hey Char-baby, why don’t you hold onto this during the show? That way you can get some hot action pics of yours truly. I don’t have enough pictures of myself yet.”

“You’re so full of crap. Have somebody else do your dirty work—and if you don’t get me a copy of that photo, I’ll go straight to Zane.”

“Aw, Charlieeeee.” The whine was exaggerated to the extreme, but she expected no less from a man like Parker Wilde. “You’re killing me.”

“Yeah, yeah. Aren’t you guys about to go on?”

As if on cue, the lights on stage went completely dark and Parker shoved the camera into her arms. She fumbled with it, her heart pitching into her throat at the idea of dropping the probably-expensive piece of equipment, but Parker didn’t notice. He dashed off with, “Gotta go to work, baby. Remember those action shots!”

Moving comfortably, the guys took their places before a lone light came on and zeroed in on Zane. He started the show out the same way, with a song that showcased each of their talents, piece by piece. His voice, Benji’s bass, Micah’s drums, and then Parker’s synths before they built together in a deafening roar to get the crowd into the spirit.

Her blood rushed through her veins as if she’d had too much to drink. Charlie screamed out at the end of the song, her voice rising with the multitudes of fans around her. A punchy, edgy song came next and by the time it was over, Charlie was not only yelling with the other fans around her, but she was jumping up and down with the best of them.

For the first time ever, she took the ride of High Velocity as a band. The crowd moved around her, pushing and shoving as fans tried to get closer to the stage. Excitement swelled around her, the heat of several hundred bodies packed inside the small stadium. Music thrummed through the speakers so loud that her chest vibrated with each bass note. It was pure chaos, but at the same time, it was beautiful as the sensations swarmed through her body. Charlie found herself singing aloud, feeling the magic that Zane’s voice spun around them.

Then Zane’s gaze slammed into hers. Heart pounding, she just stared; she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. It was a ballad, one of the few songs Zane had written on his own. Charlie had heard the song countless times on this tour, on the radio, and during rehearsals, but tonight… It was different. It was hers.

Every crooned word was filled with longing and she could almost feel his desire licking up her body. Charlie stood still and stared, her eyes intent on him. Oh, he was still playing to the audience, but he seemed to know just the right moments to glance her way and the knot in her stomach grew tighter. The beast within felt the need and demanded release, demanded to be appeased from the burning sensation. Charlie didn’t know how much more of it she could take. Digging her nails into her hands, the last syllable finally dropped off.

It was then that Zane did something he had never done in his entire life of stardom.

He walked off stage before the concert was over, his golden eyes just as hot, just as fiery as hers. And despite the screams and pawing hands of people around them, he flowed through them and picked her swiftly up off her feet.

A startled gasp escaped her, but any thought she could’ve had floated on by; they seemed impossible to grasp. The heat she felt was burning her alive from the inside out and she had never felt anything like it. Was it her secret want of his love, of his acceptance? Was it her wolf’s desire for a mate, something she’d kept tamped down for the last few years? She couldn’t be sure…

But right now, there was only one thing in this whole world that she wanted.

Him.

***

The song was torture—every melody, every syllable, like pulling teeth just to get the words out. And when he sang, he sang to her, looking straight into her eyes and through to her soul. A soul call. He wanted her. God, no other woman compared to Charlie and he knew right then that he couldn’t wait. Three more songs would be the death of him.

So he hopped off stage, gathered her in his arms with the strength only a werewolf possessed, and carried her away. Right out of the crowd and around the stage; their screams were only a din in comparison to the rush of blood in his skull, heavy and thick.

Charlie gazed up at him, dazed, and he saw through to the want—the need—in her eyes. He squeezed her to his chest and he could feel the beat of her heart kick against his skin. He couldn’t wait. He knew he should, he knew this was an immature move, but if he stopped himself now, he’d break.

And from the look in her eye, he knew she’d probably kill him if he stopped.

He moved through the hustle and bustle backstage, past confused looks and the murmurs of security and crewmembers alike. The trailers came into view and he was torn between taking her here and now on the grass in front of his trailer, and getting her inside.

Inside was safer, from both stalkers and prying eyes. Inside it was.

He placed her on her feet, where she swayed, and dug around in his pocket for the key. Damn it, if his jeans weren’t skin tight, maybe he’d have an easier time… He let out a frustrated growl as he finally fished it out and stepped up on the stairs.

Only to find that his hand trembled every time the key came close to the lock.
Keep your cool, Alexander.
Was he nervous? Zane Alexander, playboy-of-the-year—and he was fucking nervous. Like a thirteen-year-old boy with his first crush, he couldn’t get his hands to stop shaking long enough to get the damn key in the lock. Then Charlie stepped up beside him and he couldn’t help himself—he pinned her against the door and took her mouth, his lips demanding. She answered back just as fiercely, kiss for kiss, and his heart soared. In this moment, she wanted him, just as much as he wanted her, and hope rose from the ashes, a phoenix reborn. She placed her hand against his chest and gave a push.