“Thank you.” I smiled.
“No need to thank me,” he said, and then winked. “Sometimes we just need a little outside help sorting things out.”
Chapter 3
Ace
“We’re back with Fatal Cross,” the D.J. said, beginning the last portion of our interview. “We’d like to thank them again for spending the past hour with us. They will be playing a sold out show tonight at the Stash House. We will be giving away a pair of tickets in about five minutes, so be ready to call in for your chance to win.”
“Thank you for having us,” I said, leaning forward toward the microphone. “We hope to see everyone out at the show tonight. Make sure you come early and check out our opening band, Witch’s Spawn.”
“I want to talk about Witch’s Spawn. Now that’s an amazing female-led rock band that’s been blazing up the charts lately.” Marcus smiled, wagging his eyebrows in obvious lust over Presley. My gut churned and I had the sudden urge to throttle the guy. “I heard they put on one helluva show.”
“Presley is one bad ass chick,” Taylor announced. “Never seen anything like her vocal abilities. I’m kind of jealous.”
Everyone laughed at Taylor’s joke, and that started an entire conversation on female rock singers. The topic only lasted the five minutes remaining in our interview, and the guys pretty much took over on talking about Presley and some of the other female leads in the industry. I gave one or two-word answers when appropriate, but otherwise didn’t get into much detail about her.
The interview ended with a giveaway of tickets and one very excited woman who basically screamed into the phone for 30 seconds while telling us how much she loved us and couldn’t wait to see the show.
After we signed a few CDs and a poster, Coraline ushered us out to the awaiting SUV. There was heavy traffic on the interstate, and it took us a bit longer than it should have to arrive back at the venue.
“Food should be ready for you guys,” Coraline said, climbing over Taylor so she could get out of the vehicle. “Eat and take a break. You have plenty of time before you’re on stage.”
“Thanks, Cora,” Braxton said, cupping the top of her tiny shoulder with his big, beefy hand. She patted his arm and turned for the door, pulling it open wide as she entered the building.
As we entered the green room, the sound of Presley’s voice greeted us as she warmed up before they were set to go on stage in the next few minutes. She was singing one of her more bluesy ballads and I felt a cold chill run up my spine as the lyrics hit my ears.
Monsters don’t always have an ugly face.
They don’t always look for their prey in the dark.
Sometimes they are right in front of you.
Sometimes they are the ones that made you.
I stood at the threshold of the door with my shoulder leaning on the frame as I listened to her sing. She was amazing and I couldn’t help but be in awe of her vocals. There were no other female rock singers out there that could match her talent.
The lyrics to her song gutted me. Whoever she wrote this song about was a monster. I wondered if it was personal and I hoped to hell that it wasn’t. I couldn’t imagine a person hurting someone as beautiful as Presley Pittman.
I absorbed everything about her as I stood there quietly. She rubbed the back of her neck absently as she continued to sing. When she looked up to find me standing there, her eyes went dark and I found myself lost in her gaze. We were just existing, waiting for the other one to make the next move. Her lips moved and a beautiful sound poured out…until her expression fell and she tucked her chin to her chest, looking away.
Tiny hands wrapped around my arm, tugging me out of the doorway. I cringed when I turned around and saw one of the women that worked at the venue. She was a bartender and I’d partied with her a few years ago.
“Ace,” she purred, pulling me into a tight hug and stroking my back with her long fingernails. My eyes flicked over her head and I saw Presley scrunch her nose and look away. There was disappointment in her eyes and, for some reason, I didn’t like that look on her face. I had the sudden urge to do anything I could to wipe what she’d just seen from her memory.
“Hey, yeah…Um,” I stuttered. What the fuck was this girl’s name?
“Marcy!” she screeched, stepping back as if I’d burned her. The girl was already high, that I could plainly see. Her brown eyes heated in anger as she glared at me. I didn’t really care about this girl, she was a dime a dozen. “Come on, Ace! Really?”
“I’m sorry, Marcy,” I said, shrugging as if she’d understand. “I’m a little busy.”
“Jerk,” she mumbled, stomping off toward the door to the stage.
That was the thing about the groupies. They were everywhere, and at one point in time, I would have taken a few of them to a private room for a little playtime, tossing them to the side as soon as the bus was ready to roll out of town. In some ways, I felt bad for all of the partying I’d done, but those women knew what they were after and what they were doing when they spread their legs for someone they hardly even knew.
“Nice,” Taylor laughed. “Way to look like a douche.”
“Fuck off, Taylor,” I growled.
Ignoring everyone, I walked into the green room, almost bumping into Presley as she was walking out the door. I reached out to steady her by grabbing her arm. Her eyes flew up in a panic, the look on her face tearing at my heart.
“Whoa,” I said gently, leaning down slightly so I could look into her eyes. The tips of my fingers tingled as they came in contact with her soft skin. A hint of sweet perfume touched my nose and I had to hold back a groan. Whatever she was wearing, I wanted to bury my face against her neck to inhale the aroma from the source. “It’s me. Are you okay?”
“Sorry,” she replied, averting her eyes. As my hand released her arm, I felt her shiver. “I’m…I’m good.”
“You don’t look good,” I said, moving slightly to her side. “You’re white as a ghost.”
“You startled me,” she explained, breathing hard. Her body molded to mine for just a split second before she stiffened and pulled away. “That’s all.”
“I apologize.” I smiled, trying to put her at ease. She was so skittish. I didn’t want her to be afraid of me.
“I…I need to go,” she stammered, ducking her head and making her way to the side of the stage where her band joined her as they started their set.
The roar of the crowd echoed into the backstage area. I stood just off to the side and watched Presley start their first song. It was a hard song filled with angst, screaming rebellion. Presley propped one booted foot up on one of the two risers at the front of the stage. The crowd cheered as she leaned forward to growl out the lyrics to the song.
“Ace!” Taylor, our guitarist, laughed, slapping my back as he stepped up next to me. “You need to stop drooling. It’s sickening.”
“Shut the hell up,” I groaned. “I’m not drooling!”
“Uh,” he smirked, touching the corner of his own mouth. I quickly brought my fingers up, and when I found the corner of my mouth dry, I flipped him off, ignoring his bellowing laugh as he left to go find his woman.
“Asshole,” I grumbled.
Looking over at Taylor as he wrapped his arms around our tour manager and the woman who owned his heart, Coraline Maddox, I felt a pang of jealousy. I wanted that…what they had. I had everything in the world; an awesome career, money, friends who truly cared for me, but I wanted a woman to get lost in that didn’t judge me for my past indiscretions. One who saw me for something other than the lead singer of a rock band. One who didn’t have dollar signs in their eyes. I was tired of the one night stands and the nameless faces warming my bed.
A flash of hair had my eyes adjusting to the stage, watching Presley as she stood up on the platform that made her look larger than life. She raised her arm in the air while she sang their current number one song, tossing her head back to finish it off on a long note.
Ou
r eyes met as she turned to the side to grab her guitar. She smiled warmly before quickly turning around to begin the next song. I watched them perform, not leaving my spot for the entire set.
Before I knew it, the show was over. The lights went down and she hurried off the stage, grabbing a towel from one of her two roadies. All three bandmates followed quickly behind her.
I moved to my right, keeping out of the way of the crew rushing up on stage to break down Witch’s Spawn’s equipment; and then our crew, Liam, Kevin, and Coraline, would hurry through our last minute sound check.
“Amazing as always, Ms. Pittman.” I smiled at her, watching as she walked toward me in that damn corset that hugged her body like a custom-fit glove. I was suddenly jealous of some fucking material.
“Thank you.” She blushed. “Good luck out there.”
Before I could say anything, Coraline was there with my microphone and the plugs that go into my ears so that I could hear my band clearly. When I turned around, Presley was gone, only the scent of her perfume remained.
The crowd roared as we stepped out on the stage, the lights pulsing with our intro. I clipped my microphone to the stand at center stage and began our first song. Taylor and Cash moved behind me as I raised my hands in the air, absorbing the cheers from our fans.
No matter how hard I tried to keep my focus on the show, my eyes scanned the crowd and the sides of the stage, hoping for a glance of the beautiful brunette with the stunning blue eyes. I wanted to feel her presence, and that confused the hell out of me.
There were four women in the front row dancing to our song. Cash knelt down to touch their hands, but quickly backed away when they pulled too hard on his hand. It wasn’t a surprise that the women would get riled up. Hell, we’d been known to invite a few of them back to our bus a time or two. But that time was over for all of us.
The lights went down and I grabbed my guitar, waiting for everyone to get ready for the next song. The guys and I had planned this since we’d come out of rehab. Our shows were no longer just four guys standing up here, winging each song and every move. We’d worked with a goal in mind: to make each show shine.
As the night progressed, I was soaked in my own sweat, my clothes sticking to every inch of my body. This was what I’d worked so hard to achieve. My band was at the top of the charts and we’d partnered up with the hottest female-lead rock band to hit the scene in a long time.
The lights went down after the next song and when I turned to my right, Presley was there watching us. She was sitting on top of a black rolling case, one booted foot propped up while the other dangled without touching the floor. Her hair was thrown over one shoulder and the smile on her face could light up the stage all on its own.
She was fucking beautiful and I wanted to find myself lost in her. There was no doubt in my mind that if given the chance, I would bury myself balls deep in what she had to offer.
But I wasn’t going to do that, because I wasn’t that guy anymore.
I frowned when her band showed up, pulling her backstage. She cast a quick look over her shoulder before she disappeared through the door leading outside. I told myself not to get caught up in fantasizing about the lead singer of Witch’s Spawn, but for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to walk away when she was right there at the end of my fingertips. For some reason, I had the sudden urge to make her mine.
Chapter 4
Presley
Ace watched me every night from the side of the stage. When he was there, those beautiful green eyes traced my body, and I felt myself absorbing his invisible touch. I could feel it…that touch. It was like a tangible wave of something foreign that filled me with light. There was something about him that appealed to me. It awakened a craving deep inside; something that I didn’t even know I wanted until I saw the way his eyes heated. He looked at me as if I were everything in the world and nothing could penetrate his thoughts when they were centered on me.
Drake, Brian, and Garrison met me out by our merchandise table at the front of the venue as soon as the show was over. A few women were edging closer to them, their eyes heated with lust. I knew the guys wouldn’t even look twice at those chicks, because they were head over heels in love with their own women. A small part in the very back of my mind yearned to have that; to have someone who I could love and would love me back with all of their heart.
I couldn’t daydream about what could be because I had a career that would keep me on the road. I didn’t ever think I would find that one person I’d want to settle down with and start a family.
“You ready, Pres?” Garrison asked, a worried frown marring his brow. I quickly righted my features and smiled brightly.
“Let’s do it,” I announced, not letting my stupid thoughts get in the way of my job.
We signed CDs and posters for the fans, posing for several pictures as well. My mind frequently strayed to Ace, but more times than not, I had to set aside my mental image of his body to interact with my fans.
“Hello,” a deep voice said. I looked up into the eyes of a man that was very tall and very tattooed. His gaze raked over my body and I shivered slightly from the disgusting way his eyes darkened.
“Hi,” I said, smiling warmly. His friends hung back while I signed a CD, passing it over to Brian.
“Can I have a photo?” he asked, stepping to the side of the table. We didn’t have any security, just our two roadies. Hal and Lane were out back, packing up the trailer. It was just my band at the table and I had never felt the need to have a bodyguard on tour with us. Plus, Garrison was pretty intimidating in his own way.
“Sure,” I smiled, standing up from my seat. “Guys?”
“No,” the man said sharply, his voice deepening. “Only you.”
“Um, okay.” I swallowed. The guy handed his phone to one of his buddies and came to my side. When he wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me close, I stiffened.
A commotion to my right told me that Fatal Cross had finally come out to meet their fans. When I looked away for a split second, my eyes landed on Ace Ryker, and boy did he look pissed. Ace’s eyes narrowed as he took in the man’s hand at my waist, but he didn’t say a word. Coraline pushed him toward a chair and handed him a marker so he could start signing autographs.
I quickly turned around and smiled for the guy’s friend to take the picture. I carefully extracted myself from him, but he pulled me back to his side, growling into my ear, “Have a drink with me, beautiful?”
“I’m sorry,” I said, taking the man’s hand and carefully pushing it away from my waist. The movement caught Garrison’s attention from the other end of the table where he’d been talking to a fan.
“Everything okay, Pres?” Garrison said, stepping up behind me. The guy mumbled something that sounded like an apology and walked away. I felt all of the tension release out of my shoulders and placed my hand on the back of the chair to steady myself.
“I’m fine.” I smiled, secretly breathing a sigh of relief that Garrison, or any of the guys for that matter, didn’t give this guy a beat down for having his hands on me.
“You need to say something if you’re uncomfortable,” Brian growled. “We won’t let anyone manhandle you.”
“He wasn’t manhandling me.” I snorted. “I think he was trying to flirt. Maybe…I don’t know, but that was kind of creepy.”
“You good?” Drake asked.
“I’m good,” I laughed, shaking my head and turning around to greet another fan.
It took about an hour before the venue cleared out and the employees locked the doors. A guy with a broom walked by but didn’t say anything as he started sweeping the concrete floors that were littered with beer bottles.
I grabbed my bag from the green room and found my way toward the back exit. I just wanted to crawl into my bunk and sleep until we made it to New Orleans. We had two days off and I was going to make sure I spent most of that time either sleeping or shopping. I wondered if maybe Coraline would like to get out with
me. I laughed to myself, because it might be a hard sell to get her out of her man’s arms for a few hours.
I gasped when I pushed the door open and it was lighter than I expected. My toe caught the threshold, sending my body forward, but I didn’t land on the ground. Strong arms wrapped around me protectively. A warm scent enveloped me as I heard a masculine curse.
“Fuck,” Ace growled, his face so close I could see the brown flecks that sprinkled throughout his emerald eyes. “Damn, baby. You could’ve been hurt!”
“I…I’m sorry,” I said, gritting my teeth. As soon as I had my footing, Ace released me as if I’d kicked him. His nostrils flared as his eyes roamed my body and I was sure he could see my heart pounding in my chest. That was the second time he’d caught me off guard.
“Are you okay?” he asked, concern spread across his handsome face.
“You keep asking me that,” I chuckled.
“And I will keep asking that until I’m sure you are not lying to me,” he replied. I was taken aback for a second, wondering if he could read my mind. I’d never met anyone other than my band mates that could do that.
“I’m not lying,” I lied.
“Did I hurt you?” he demanded, stepping closer. His hand was on the open door, holding it as we stood in the threshold. He was so close to me now that I could see the muscle tick in his jaw. “Earlier, in the green room?”
Was he asking me about physically? Or was he talking about that woman who was pawing on him like a bitch in heat?
“No,” I replied, shaking my head. “I was honest when I said you startled me. My mind was elsewhere and I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“Like just now,” he pried.
“Yeah.” I nodded, being honest. “Like now.”
“Is everyone treating you guys okay?” he asked, looking around for anyone on his crew that may be within earshot. “If you guys are having problems, you need to let me know.”
Fatal Temptations (Fatal Cross Live! Book 2) Page 3
