Wicked: Tempt Me Not [Wicked Series Book 1] (3 page)

Her hands started sweating instantly. Devin Shaw. She was in the same room as Devin Shaw. Roxy would shit bricks when she found out!

He'd lain back down after giving her one last grin and she stared at his silent form wondering what to do. All that pretty flesh was laid out right before her eyes and she had to shake her head to remain focused on the problem at hand and not him.

But, how many nights had Roxy drooled over every member of that band, Luke especially, going into detail of what she'd like to do to them given the chance?

And here she was, her hungry gaze devouring Devin Shaw in the flesh.

She bit her cheek to keep from smiling and turned, making her way quickly to the upper loft.

She searched her bags again for the phone charger. How could she forget to pack it? Sitting on the bed after the third rummage through her things, she sighed.

Now what?

What Devin Shaw was doing here was a better question. Weren't rock stars supposed to be living life in the fast lane? Yet, here he was, sleeping on her rented sofa in the mountains of Tennessee.

What did she do now?

Roxy would know what to do. Of course, knowing her friend, she would tell her to take advantage of the situation and ride Devin like the stallion he was, but that was something Holly couldn't do. She'd never been the go-get ‘em kind of girl. Besides, just because he was a rock star didn't mean he was fuckable.

Her inner eye recalled all that sinful flesh laid out on the sofa and she grinned. Okay, so maybe he was fuckable. That didn't mean she would throw herself at him like some love-crazed groupie.

The thoughts of actually sharing the cabin with him lasted about as long as it took for her mind to register how bad an idea that was. The last she'd read, he had been in rehab for substance abuse, and what that substance was, had never been revealed.

He was ill tempered, arrested after he attacked someone at one of his concerts, and every detail of his life splattered on every magazine cover and trash paper imaginable.

Then again, how many times had Roxy gone on and on about how the press lied to sell magazines? She was probably right too. Every time that band appeared in a magazine, Roxy snatched it up and devoured every word written about them, proving her point.

She sighed, lifted her hand, and pushed her hair back away from her face. What was she going to do? She couldn't possibly share the cabin with him. The idea was insane. Devin Shaw? How would she ever survive two weeks with him underfoot?
Maybe he isn't staying that long.
She frowned and lay down across the bed.

Devin let out a long breath and turned his head to look up at the bedroom loft. Dim light shown on the walls but he couldn't sense any movement. The cabin was quiet; the only sounds were that of the fire popping and the wind outside whistling through the trees.

Holly had looked completely shocked when she finally realized who he was. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little disappointed it had taken her so long to figure it out. He was used to screaming girls recognizing him from four blocks away. She was a first.

He didn't know what to do. His cell phone didn't work and hers was useless as well. He was here for the next month. There was no way he could spend that much time with her and still expect to get anything done. He was here to write and get his shit together.

Having her underfoot would be a distraction. He'd yet to meet a woman he didn't eventually sink his cock into. Women threw themselves at him daily and he was happy to oblige. Of course, bedding Holly was in no way a burden. The girl was a looker. A little plain compared to the girls he'd been with but that didn't make her less attractive. She looked sweet and innocent, like a grade-school teacher with curves and tits that would stop traffic. The vision of her sweating and screaming his name put a smile on his face. Seeing her by the fire, naked and beautiful, was proof enough. He'd fuck her silly given the chance.

He sat up and stared into the fire.
If you can't get rid of them, fuck ‘em.
It had worked for years. Why not now? Besides, how long had it been now? Too damn long.

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Holly stretched out her limbs and opened her eyes. She was still lying across the bed in her clothes. She turned her head to the window, looking out across the mountain. She could hear the birds singing their praises to the early morning light. The fluttering of life outside brought a smile to her face.

The sun was cresting the mountain and showering its rays across the valley below. It was too beautiful for words. Turning and grabbing the edge of the blankets, she pulled them up and under her chin, and stared out into a new day. She lay there, watching nature stir to life for long minutes.

This is what she had wanted when she left the city. Peace and quiet.

"What the fucking hell!"

Holly jumped at the sound of Devin's voice before rolling her eyes. “So much for peace and quiet."

She listened to a montage of colorful words before she sighed and sat up. Throwing the blankets back, she crawled from the bed and walked to the railing, looking down.

Devin was in the kitchen opening every cabinet door, looking inside, before cursing and slamming it shut. He still wore nothing but jeans, his chest and feet bare. His hair was dishevelled, sticking up in various places on the top of his head. The morning sun coming through the kitchen windows illuminated him, casting a small halo around his form. If possible, he was more gorgeous in natural light. She rolled her eyes at the thought.
Don't even go there, Holly. He's not staying.

She watched him for a few minutes before she cleared her throat. “Do you mind? Some of us enjoy peaceful mornings, not the obscene ramblings of the clinically insane."

He turned his head, looking up at her before he smiled. “Well, good morning, princess. Sleep well?"

"Knowing there is an insane man sleeping under my roof? Oh sure. Best night of my life."

"That's what most women say,” Devin grinned, before turning back to the cabinets.

Holly stared at him for long minutes, chewing on her bottom lip to keep from smiling. He could be such an ass. A cute ass, but still an ass.

Rolling her eyes she stepped back from the rail. Walking over to her luggage she almost growled in frustration at the smile still trying to form. “He's not cute,” she mumbled under her breath. “He's smug and arrogant and, and ... his hair looks stupid all curly and wild like that. There.” She nodded her head to prove her point.

Clothes in hand, she grabbed her toiletries before making her way down the stairs. She kept her focus on the hallway but she could see Devin out of the corner of her eye.

He was watching her.

She walked around the sofa, making her way to the hall. A small glimpse into the kitchen revealed Devin leaning against the cabinet, arms crossed over his chest. He was
still
watching her!
What is his defect?

Entering the bathroom, Holly locked the door behind her. She laid her things down on the sink and sighed heavily, looking around the room.

She'd only had a brief glance at it the night before and the fluorescent lights did nothing for the beauty she saw now. Much like the cabin, it was a work of art.

Bright morning sun filtered through the tinted glass that made up the ceiling. The shower was the most impressive thing she'd seen in years. There wasn't a shower door, only a wide opening. The entire back wall was smooth rock. The large showerhead jutted out from between the rocks making it almost invisible.

She crossed the room, finding the control knobs on the wall, and turned it on.

"Wow.” The rocks glistened as the water ran over them; the sound it made reminding her of a trickling stream.

She undressed while waiting for the temperature to adjust before stepping inside under the spray. Her smile was huge by the time the water hit her skin. She washed quickly, not taking the time to enjoy the shower like she should have, and was finished in record time.

Dressing in jeans and a simple blue shirt, she towel dried her hair. The desire to dry and fluff her hair, slather on make-up, and dash her body with perfume caused her to roll her eyes.

She sighed while looking at her reflection. If Devin weren't here, she'd walk out there as is without another thought. Why, just because she knew a famous rock star was in the other room, did she feel the need to be someone she wasn't?

You're not interested, so why bother?

The argument sounded good in her head but her hand stilled on the bathroom doorknob. What if he found her unattractive? There wasn't anything glamorous about her. She was plain, nothing special about her at all.

Maybe a little make-up wouldn't hurt.

Growling in frustration she shook her head. No. She wouldn't dress up for him. She would be herself. If he didn't like her, then so be it. But what did it matter anyway? She wasn't interested.
Nope, not interested at all.

She stepped out of the bathroom and her stomach growled a second later when the scent of bacon and eggs reached her. She smiled and straightened her spine, fluffed her slightly damp hair, and made her way down the hall.

Devin was sitting at the kitchen bar reading a magazine when she walked into the living room and she put her things down on the coffee table. He glanced at her briefly, his gaze roaming over her body from head to toe, before returning to his food.

"Smells good,” she said, crossing the room and entering the kitchen.

"That it does,” he said, never lifting his gaze from the magazine he was reading. “Tastes even better."

Holly flashed him a smile and looked at the kitchen cabinets. The smile vanished when she realized there was only one plate. His.

Her lips tightened into a thin line and the look she shot him should have killed him right where he sat. He never moved. Never even acknowledged her as she stood there staring at him. Her blood boiled hot.

She gritted her teeth, stomped to the cabinets, and started opening them.

Finding the assorted boxes of cold cereals, she pulled one from the cabinet and slammed it down on the countertop before searching for a bowl.

She fixed her cold breakfast, a flurry of comments running through her mind like a tape recorder in fast-forward. If she hadn't thought him irritating before, this certainly qualified him for jerk-off of the year.

Sitting down at the bar, she made a huge production of chewing the hard, crunchy bits of cereal as she stared at him. He never looked up, just continued to eat in silence.

Why would he do that? What reason did he have to only fix one plate of food?

Because he's an asshole?

She nodded her head and glanced at his plate before shoving her mouth full, chewing with her mouth open to exaggerate the noise. The sight of his bacon and eggs made her own meal even less appealing.

How dare he? I would have made enough for both of us. Well, if I could cook, that is.

It was all Devin could do to eat as Holly stared at him. He knew he had pissed her off and truthfully, that had been his intention, but now, hearing each crunch of her cold breakfast, made him regret his actions.

He hadn't done it for spite. It was just harmless fun. She just looked so damned cute when she got all red faced and mad. Not that she wasn't cute when she wasn't mad.

He'd nearly choked on his toast when she rounded the corner. Simple jeans and a t-shirt and she looked mouth watering delicious. Hair still wet, the first thing that popped into his head was the image of her naked. He'd seen that but not with a generous lathering of bubbles caressing her flesh. He'd been half tempted to pick the lock on the bathroom just to get a peek.

He took another bite of his food, swallowing it with great effort. His plan had failed. She hadn't taken the bait. As sick as it was, he enjoyed their sarcastic banter, and thought this was a sure fire way to get her riled up but instead, she hadn't said a word.

Who knew the look on her face would make him feel like shit?

Keeping his eyes on his magazine, he had to force himself not to look up when the incessant crunching from Holly finally stopped. He did glance at her when she stood. He watched her walk to the sink, rinse her bowl, and turn to look at him.

He couldn't help the smile that automatically rose. Her face was almost red and her lips were pressed into a thin line. He couldn't stop himself.

"Problem, sweetheart?"

Her eyes narrowed and she spun on her heel, making her way to the stairs. He took a deep breath when she was out of sight. “Fucking brilliant plan, you ass."

Devin stood and walked around the bar, dumping his plate of food, before rinsing it in the sink. He stared out the window, looking at nothing in particular and thought of what to do.

They still hadn't spoke of their situation and he knew now wasn't the time. She'd probably kill him with the first uttered word.

Turning and walking to the couch, he picked up his guitar and tried to forget about the brunette upstairs.

Holly finally took the time to unpack her suitcases while she contemplated her situation. She had fallen asleep with every intention of coming to a suitable arrangement for their predicament but waking to Devin's rude outburst first thing in the morning had completely sidetracked her. Now as she stood in the middle of her room, the only thing she wanted was him gone.

She was furious over his childish behavior. Why did he do that? Was he born an asshole or was it something he needed to practice on a daily basis?

The entire morning played again in her mind's eye in slow motion. It only took her a second to come to a decision. His ass was so gone. Rock star or not, Devin Shaw would pay for treating her like that.

Walking to the railing, she looked down, her mouth open to speak. The air left her lungs when she saw him on the couch. He was picking out notes on his guitar and she finally heard it. Her inner turmoil had completely closed off the outside world.

She recognized the song he was playing. It was one of the few she didn't mind hearing. It was soft, hauntingly beautiful, and even though Roxy played it countless times, she had to admit, if only to herself, that she liked it.