I sighed heavily, climbing out of the SUV. When my feet hit the ground, I wanted to collapse from exhaustion. It was a task to put one foot in front of the other. Thankfully, Taylor picked me up and held me tight to his chest as he walked toward the bus. I rested my head on his shoulder and let him take care of me. For once, I gave over the reins of my control, letting someone else call the shots.
I liked it way more than I should. I had always been in control of everything around me. The fact that I gave that up to him now? That was saying a lot about how I was faring at the moment. The fact that I liked it…scared the fucking shit out of me.
Chapter 8
Taylor
She fit against my chest like one half of a custom made puzzle that only consisted of two pieces to complete the set. I was almost a foot taller than her, but somehow we worked. Coraline’s tiny frame was curved in all the right places and soft…oh, God was she soft. My cock twitched in my jeans when I remembered running my hands up and down her naked body when we’d been alone on that island. Well, fuck! I needed to quit thinking about her naked. I had to get her inside the bus and safely into a bunk so we could keep an eye on her.
I didn’t want to wake her up, but we’d arrived at the venue. Kane and Eric slipped out of the backseat after I told Kane to go inside and make his appearance. I wasn’t part of the band, so I could afford to miss a meet and greet from time to time. Tonight was pretty stressful for both of us. Seeing Coraline unconscious on the floor with a battered face scared a few years off both mine and Kane’s lives.
As I walked onto the bus with her in my arms, I smiled at the note Ash had left on the table.
Take Cora to the back bedroom. You can stay in there with her.
Shit…Did everyone know we had something going on?
I shook the questions from my mind and moved forward, passing the bunk where I slept. The bedroom door was ajar and the sheets on the queen size bed were already pulled back. In true rockstar fashion, the black sheets and black comforter were designed for a sexual romp even though all of the band members of Glory Days were already married and didn’t play around with the ladies anymore.
“Taylor,” Coraline moaned, squinting her eyes.
“What’s wrong, baby?” I whispered, knowing that her head was probably killing her. “Are you hurting?”
“Yes,” she said, swallowing. “Thirsty.”
“I’ll get you something,” I said, laying her out on the bed. The loss of her touch left a sharp pain in my chest, but knowing that I was taking on the responsibility of her care made it ease a bit. I found the prescription pain killers the doc had prescribed and a bottled water, hurrying back to her side.
“Here,” I said, sliding my arm behind her shoulders to help her sit up.
“Thank you,” she said, taking the pill and water from my other hand.
“We want you to rest and stay with us for the next few days,” I said, not liking that I said “we” when all I wanted to do was say, “I want you to stay with me.”
“I just want to sleep for two days,” she mumbled. “Then I’ll be good as new.”
“I’m sure you will,” I chuckled, seeing the Coraline I’d fallen for all those months ago. “I’ll wake you in a few hours to check on you.”
Just as she drifted off to sleep, I heard soft footsteps climb the bus stairs. Looking through the door that I’d left open, I saw a flash of pink hair and knew Rita had come to sit with her while I was onstage.
“Hey,” she whispered. “How is she?”
“She’s hurting,” I admitted, standing up from the bed. “She just took a pain pill and should be out of it for a few hours.” I turned and pulled the covers over her to keep her warm. She looked so soft and beautiful in her sleep. It was all I could do not to climb in the bed with her and hold her until she was better.
“I’ll take care of her, Taylor,” Rita comforted, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder.
“Okay,” I nodded. “I’ll be back after the show.”
The concert seemed to last forever. We’d performed and blew the crowd away. I was thankful for the opportunity to be onstage with these guys. My band was not quite as big as Glory Days, but Fatal Cross was holding their own since our comeback two years ago. It was amazing the things you could accomplish when you were clean and sober.
The crew rushed around us, taking down the equipment so we could hurry on to the next stop. I, on the other hand, was in a hurry to lay eyes on Cora. I just wanted to make sure she was okay. After a quick shower in the arena, I hurried over to the bus where I found Kane cursing for all he was worth.
“That stubborn little shit should not be working,” he bellowed, throwing his hands in the air.
“Cora?” I asked, looking at the guys who were standing around a very scared looking Rita. Her pink hair was in disarray and she looked worried.
“She snuck off the bus and apparently thought it was okay to go back to work,” Ash sighed. “Someone needs to go inside and kick her ass.”
“I’ll do it,” I mumbled. No one said anything as I hurried down the steps of the bus.
Kane did stick his head out of the doors as I was halfway across the lot and yelled, “Make her get her ass back to bed!”
“I will,” I called out, giving her cousin a thumbs up as I reached the doors.
Flinging them open, I dodged a few roadies who were wheeling cases toward the double doors. I scanned the backstage area looking for that fucker, Doug. I still hadn’t heard if he’d been caught, and no one had said anything about him contacting any of his friends on the crew. As far as I was concerned, the faster we got out of this city…the better for everyone. I hoped the jackass had to hitchhike back to whatever rock he crawled out from underneath of.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I yelled, looking up into the scaffolding she was climbing. “Get your ass down from there right now!”
“No,” she huffed, swaying a little as she took the next step. My heart raced in my chest and I felt myself fill with panic at the idea of her falling to her death.
She wasn’t going to just come down because I demanded it. No, Coraline Maddox didn’t do anything she was told. That woman had to do things her own way. I’m sure when she finally meets St. Peter at the pearly gates, she’ll probably argue with him as to when she was ready to walk through to spend her eternity. Hell, knowing her, she’d argue with the devil himself if she didn’t like the way things were run in hell, too.
It took about ten minutes before she sighed heavily and made her way down the ladder. I stood with my arms folded across my chest and watched as the little pixie gathered up a handful of wires, coiling them in a perfect loop before putting them away in a tote.
“You need to be in bed,” I said, stopping in front of her so that she couldn’t pass.
“I have to work, Taylor,” she pouted, averting her eyes. “I’m actually feeling much better.”
“Liar,” I growled, seeing that she had zero color to her usually rosy cheeks. She was as pale as a ghost. Her eyes looked weary and extremely exhausted.
“Now he’s interested in my health,” she grumbled under her breath. For a moment, I thought she’d said something different, but I quickly realized she was talking about her anger at me not calling.
“Coraline,” I whispered. “I’m sorry…for not calling you. Were you sick?”
“Leave it…leave it alone,” she bit out through gritted teeth. I saw the moisture well up in the corners of her eyes. I wanted to punch myself for putting that amount of pain in her beautiful eyes, but I was done with her avoiding my questions.
“No,” I said, reaching for her arm as she passed. “We need to talk about this.”
“No, we don’t,” she snapped, jerking her arm away from me. “It’s over, Taylor. We are over. It should’ve never happened, and it sure as hell won’t happen again.” She moved around me at a fast pace. It was like watching the Energizer bunny running circles around where I stood. The woman didn’t st
op moving unless she was asleep. I picked up a black cord that was taped to the ground and swung it around playfully in my hand.
“Damn it, Coraline,” I snarled, stopping her from ignoring me by walking away. She’d finally gotten close enough for me to touch, again. “I’m going to hogtie you to this fucking microphone stand if you don’t stop what the fuck you are doing and talk to me.”
“You wouldn’t,” she pushed, placing a hand on her hip.
“Try me, sweet cheeks,” I growled, still twirling the cord around in my hand. “And don’t even think about running, because I will catch you.”
“Go to hell, Taylor,” she growled back, turning her shoulder and brushing her way past me.
I made a split second decision to reach out with one hand and grab her upper arm where it wasn’t bruised. With the other hand, I snatched the microphone stand, pulling it over in front of where I’d stopped her in her tracks. With quick accuracy that even I was shocked at, I twined the cord around her wrists, binding her to the stand within seconds.
“What the hell are you doing?” she cursed, glaring daggers at me. Damn, I really wanted to kiss that smart ass mouth into submission.
“You have been avoiding me and I want answers,” I demanded. “Woman! You are driving me crazy!”
“I’m driving you crazy?” she roared. I placed my heavy boot on the bottom of the mic stand, locking her in place. I watched as she wiggled her fingers, looking for any give in my bindings. She found none. “Untie me!”
“No,” I barked angrily, standing my ground. “Not until you tell me why you hate me so badly.”
“I…I don’t hate you, Taylor,” she confessed, defeated. I noticed how her shoulders dropped from exhaustion, but I didn’t move forward to hold on to her, even though my every instinct was to pick her up and carry her to a soft bed so she could rest from her injuries.
“Then there’s something you are not telling me,” I scolded, throwing my hands in the air. “You are mad at me for something I don’t even know I did, Coraline. Do you know how frustrating that is? I can’t even make things better with you because you won’t tell me what I did wrong!”
“Was your phone broken? For a month?” She cursed and yanked on her bindings, still not able to slip free. I saw the first tear drop from her eye before she leaned forward, wiping her face on the shoulder of her cotton shirt.
“I…I was, damn,” I responded, skirting the truth. “I was away.”
“Where, Taylor?” she demanded, the life flared back into her beautiful eyes. She was angry. Angry was so much better than mopey and depressed. “Away, where? Were you off doing drugs? I thought you were clean.”
“I am clean,” I scowled. “I haven’t touched anything in over two years.”
“Is…is there someone else?” she questioned softly. I saw the sadness in her eyes and knew that standing on stage wasn’t where we needed to be holding this conversation.
“We need to find somewhere more private,” I mumbled, unwrapping her hands from the mic stand. I took both of them into my hands and rubbed the feeling back into her wrists and fingers, mindful of her injuries. She moaned gently at my touch and I smiled warmly, because I felt the same way when her tiny hands touched me.
I pulled her along, not dropping the hold I had on her hand. Coraline would run away given the chance, and I was tired of her bolting instead of talking to me. We were about to get to the bottom of this and hopefully move forward. That was, if Coraline Maddox could forgive me for being an idiot.
Chapter 9
Taylor
I found a backroom where we could have some privacy. The switch on the wall beside the door clicked when I flipped on the lights, pulling her inside the room. I slammed the door shut and threw the lock before turning around to see her glaring at my chest. She wouldn’t even look me in the eyes as she folded her arms across her chest.
I stood in front of the door with my arms crossed over my chest, ensuring she couldn’t slip out without moving my body out of the way and fumbling with the lock. We needed to finally talk about this thing…whatever it was between us.
“There hasn’t been anyone else since you,” I admitted, pulling her close to my chest. I kissed the top of her head sweetly, inhaling her natural scent. She felt so right in my arms.
“I…I can’t do this,” she squeaked out, but betrayed herself by clenching my shirt tightly in her fists. I felt her shoulders start to shake, and I tried to push her back so that I could look into her beautiful hazel eyes, but she held on for dear life and buried her face in my chest.
“What happened, Cora?” I asked, stroking her short hair, stopping so that I could cup the side of her face. Being careful of her bruises, I tilted her head back, feeling my heart crack from the torture in her beautiful face. This had nothing to do with the attack that’d happened as a result of a roadie with a death wish.
Whatever was going on with Cora, I wanted to fix it. Seeing her hurt and shaken up over something that I may or may not have done had totally thrown me out of my element. I wanted to kill whoever had hurt her or fix whatever was broken. My heart physically ached seeing her so upset, because I knew that I was the reason she was upset. I’d done this to her, and I hated myself for it.
“Baby, you have to talk to me,” I urged, seeing as she wasn’t talking through the tears streaming down her face. “I can’t make things better if I don’t know what the hell is going on with you.” She didn’t look like Cora in that moment. This headstrong woman, who was in charge of every aspect of her life, stood before me with her eyes downcast and her body slumped almost in defeat.
“Taylor…,” she swallowed. “I…I…”
“What is it?” I begged, my voice cracking as I spoke.
“Why didn’t you call me?” she asked, her voice only a whisper. She’d cast her gaze to the floor again after a quick glance at my face, and I wasn’t sure if she was hiding from me or from my answer. It felt like she didn’t want to see me shut her down in person.
“I was going to call you, but we’d been busy at the studio,” I sighed, very heavily. “I had a bad week after that…things were stressful, and I just wanted to get high. My dealer showed up at my house and offered me some coke. It took all I had to tell him I wasn’t interested, and after that, I called my sponsor. I ended up staying with him for a few weeks. By that time, I thought I could just wait another few weeks to see you and then explain in person.”
“So you didn’t do any drugs?” she asked, biting her lower lip. At that moment, all I wanted to do was to pull her lip away and bite it as I kissed her. The urge to comfort her was a driving need inside me.
“No, baby girl,” I smiled, brushing my thumb over her bottom lip and pulling it away from her teeth. “I didn’t.”
“Thank God,” she breathed. Her shoulders relaxed with my words, and I vowed right then and there that I would never do anything again to make this tiny woman doubt my words. I didn’t need illegal drugs anymore…I needed Coraline Maddox, because I was quickly becoming addicted to her. “I’m so proud of you.”
“What did you want to talk to me about?” I asked. It was her turn to finally tell me why she’d blown up my phone for a few days before I’d gone MIA.
“It was nothing really,” she said, looking away sadly.
“Yes, it was something, Coraline,” I said, pulling her back to my chest when she started to pull away. “It was obviously something, because you haven’t given me the time of day since I stepped foot on this tour and your cousin glares daggers at me every time we are in the same room.”
“He does?” she scowled, narrowing her eyes. The little pixie made me smile with her harsh stare. She was so tiny and completely petite that no one would take her anger seriously. That’s why her mouth always got her into trouble. The fact that she was so upset honestly worried me. She wasn’t acting like herself.
Her phone rang, stopping our conversation. I started to protest and take her phone away, but she raised her hand, haltin
g my action. “It’s Eric. This could be important.”
She answered the phone and pushed away from me while she listened to what the band’s head of security had to say. It seems that Doug was still on the loose. Her face flushed in anger at whatever Eric was saying.
My protective side flared and all I wanted to do was to hide her under my skin, shielding her from any danger. Cora wouldn’t allow that, because she was too strong a woman to have a man fight her battles for her. I just wished she’d let me care for her the way I longed to do.
“I have to go talk to the police again,” she complained.
“Do you need me to go with you?” I volunteered, reaching out to take her tiny hand into my own. The connection between us when we touched could light the world on fire, if she’d just let me inside that hardened shell of her’s. I stroked my thumb over the back of her hand, trying to calm not only her nerves, but my own.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. I watched as her eyes dropped to our joined hands. I felt the tension release from her muscles, but only for a moment. Her hand jerked as if I’d burned her, causing me to frown when she jerked her hand away completely. “I need to do this on my own.”
“Okay, but I’m here,” I promised. She nodded her understanding and headed for the door.
Watching her walk away, I made a vow. Before we finished the show in Los Angeles, I would know exactly why she wouldn’t talk to me or even come clean about why she was so angry when I didn’t answer her calls after we’d been back from the island.
I had a bad feeling whatever Cora had to tell me was going to turn my world upside down.
Chapter 10
Taylor
She closed up and wouldn’t talk to me. Cora spent the next few hours avoiding any type of contact, and that was just starting to piss me off. Every time I felt like I was getting close to breaking that shell around the hardened woman, she would clam up again and leave me in the dust as she ran away from whatever demons she was harboring.
Fatal Desires (Fatal Cross Live! Book 1) Page 6
