Chasing Kade (Thrill of the Chase Book 1)

by Anna Paige

"And how could you be so sure? How do you explain the photos of Kade with those two barely-legal girls?"

  "We have a no cell phone rule with our hookups. They leave them in that basket," Kade pointed at the gray wicker basket that sat atop a small table all the way up front by the driver's compartment. "And they aren't to touch them until they're ready to leave. No pictures. No videos. And no one ever stays the night. Whoever fucks them always escorts them out afterward. No exceptions."

  I tried not to flinch at the crudity of his words, focusing my attention on the one glaring problem with his statement. "You still haven't explained the pics that caused all the shit that brought me here."

  Kane and Kade exchanged a glance before Kade finally admitted, "I fucked up. I fell asleep for like five minutes afterward and one of them grabbed her phone and took the pics. I woke up right after but didn't realize what she'd done until the next day. And of course by then the story was that they were both sixteen and I was some kind of predator." He spat the word out and stood, heading for the fridge. "Doesn't matter that they were both legal, once one person said 'underage' no one was interested in the truth. Anyone else want a beer?"

  "Dude, it's not even ten yet." Kane blinked at him, at a loss.

  Kade's footsteps halted. "Really? Shit. I guess time drags when you're in hell." The refrigerator door opened and closed before he made his way back to the table, water bottle in hand. "Anything else you need to know?"

  I raised my brows expectantly. "Yes, I need to know everything about all of you. Anything that can be used as fodder to feed the gossip rags. I need to be prepared for whatever might get thrown at you guys right now. You think those photos are the end of it? That could be just the beginning. Every shitty thing that's ever happened, every mistake or misstep is just fuel waiting to be dumped on the fire by someone looking for their fifteen minutes of fame. So, I need to know what might be out there. All of it."

  They both considered for a moment before Kane nodded. "There are a few more things that might need protecting. But those aren't our stories to tell. You need to talk to the rest of the band."

  I dropped my head into my hands. "Great. I bet that will go much easier than this has." I commented wryly. "I mean, I've barely spent an hour in their presence. I'm sure they're dying to cough up all their secrets."

  "We'll talk to them." Kane offered.

  I peeked between my spread fingers at Kade who was glaring at his brother. When he saw me looking, he threw his hands up in surrender. "Fine. We'll be sure the guys talk to you." He leveled his stare at me, waiting for me to sit up and face him fully. "But if you fuck us over, if you even so much as mutter something confidential in your sleep, I'll cash in every favor I'm owed in the industry just to make sure you never find work again. And I’m not like you, I don’t serve up empty threats. I make promises that I damn well keep."

  I didn't get a chance to reply. Kade had already stood and snatched up his phone, calling the rest of the band and suggesting we have a little chat before that night's show.

  I'd never been more nervous in my life.

  •••

  "Shit…" I muttered, looking around the room letting my gaze pause briefly on each member of the band. "That's a lot to take in. And a lot to protect."

  "More than you ever wanted to know, I'd imagine," Ethan acknowledged, watching me thoughtfully.

  "A little,” I admitted.

  Jared cleared his throat, speaking in that slow steady drawl of his. "Do you think we'll be able to keep it all under wraps?" There was more concern in his eyes than in any of the others, and for good reason. He had a lot to protect, and it affected more than just him if I failed to keep it secret. His was the biggest—and most noble—story I’d heard in the last hour, but they all were at risk in one way or another.

  "I think anyone can find anything if they dig long enough, but you've all done a decent job at keeping your private lives private, better than a lot of celebrities, actually. I tend to credit that to your loyalty to one another." I gave them a soft smile. "I have to admit, I'm more than a little impressed by how well you've looked out for one another's secrets. In a group this big, that's extremely rare."

  "We're not just a group of guys playing music. We're family. Brothers," Lennox said, garnering nods all around. "And now that you know all of this, I guess you've just been adopted." He chuckled. "Provided that you can ever bring yourself to look any of us in the eye again."

  A blush crept up my neck as I contemplated some of the things I now knew about the five of them. "I think I'll manage, eventually." I laughed quietly. "Though there are some visuals that have been seared into my brain. I may never recover from those."

  The guys laughed along with me. Well, most of them. Kade hadn't said anything in a while, choosing instead to sit and grouse at me from one of the couches. I lifted my eyes to his, determined not to let him punk me down with his surliness. "And we're sure that I know everything now? No more ticking bombs that I need to be prepared to diffuse?"

  He just glared right through me. "Why ask me? You already know all of my fuck-ups. They were headline news, remember?"

  I drew in a long, calming breath in an attempt to harness my annoyance at his attitude. "Yes, I'm aware," I said in a clipped tone, pretending to consult my blank notebook page. "I have you down for one sex scandal and one aggravated assault charge, both in the last twelve months." I made little check marks with my finger, being as sarcastic as I could possibly muster as he leveled his death stare at me. "What I'm asking is, do you have anything to add or are violent outbursts and indiscriminate sex your primary niches?"

  "Nope. Those are my happy places, especially when I can find a way to blend the two," he taunted through gritted teeth.

  "What's your problem?" Ethan chimed in. "Stop being a dick and let her help."

  "Help?" He turned his blazing eyes toward him. "You're out of your fucking mind. She's here to look out for the label's interests, not ours. You think she wanted to know all this shit to protect us? No. She wanted to know so she could protect them. We're a means to an end for her, for the label, for half the people we know, who just want to ride our coattails into the spotlight. We're only valuable when we're making other people rich. We're only allowed to be this." He waved his hand around the room. "We're a band; we're a money train. We're not allowed to be people. They don't want the real us, they want whatever version of us that's gonna make them the most money."

  "Tell us how you really feel, man," Lennox quipped, looking uncomfortable.

  "He's right."

  All eyes were suddenly on me.

  "Care to repeat that?" Kane looked at me warily.

  "I said he's right. The label sent me to protect their interests—basically meaning their bottom line—by cleaning up your image and making nice with the media. You all knew that was why I was sent here." I gave Kade a pointed look. "But you're not a means to an end, not for me. I don't work that way. If I say I want to protect you, that's exactly what I mean. I don't use people like pieces on a chess board. And despite our less than stellar start, I like you all and want to do whatever I can to help. Not just because it's my job, either. I think you all deserve a damn break. It can't be easy living under a microscope and being expected to be perfect all the time. I can't imagine that kind of pressure." I was still watching Kade, wanting him to really hear me. "But I can only help if you let me. You have to trust me for this to work."

  His eyes locked on mine for a moment before he snorted and stood, exiting the bus without a word.

  "He'll come around." Kane assured me. "He just needs to process everything. It's not easy for him to hand over control to anyone, not even us, so try to remember what I said about not taking it personally."

  I quirked a brow at him. "So, what you're saying is, Kade's a stubborn jackass who’s going to throw a toddler-caliber tantrum before finally admitting he needs my help. That sound about right?"

  "Wow, she's good," Jared laughed.

  "She's gonna have
to be to tangle with Kade," Lennox added, giving me a sympathetic look.

  They all muttered their agreement.

  Looked like I was in for a fight.

  •••

  I told the guys to hang back as I went after their surly singer, hoping I wasn't making a mistake by confronting him alone. The bus that usually housed Jared, Lennox, and Ethan was parked behind ours, and I suspected that was where Kade had gone. It was too early for sound check and the venue seemed eerily deserted, the early afternoon sun gleaming off the silent amphitheater's angular peaks. Taking a fortifying breath, I tugged the handle to open the bus's door, surprised to find it unlocked.

  My heart was racing as I made my way up the steps and into the quiet interior.

  It smelled of the same leather oil and floor polish as the other bus, but it was definitely a newer setup. Lots of extra ambient lighting ran beneath the cabinets and along the floor, glowing a faint green that illuminated the space in a surprisingly calming way. There was no other light source, not that any was needed. The layout was similar to Kade’s bus; couches closest to the front, then kitchen/dining space, bathroom across from that—though it was reversed on this bus—and the same bunk-lined hall leading to the bedroom at the back.

  It might have looked the same but it didn’t feel the same, not to me. It was missing something important. It didn’t feel like him, didn’t smell of the crisp, woodsy cologne that was particular to only one member of the band.

  Of course, if he kept hiding from me here, it eventually would. And the scent would fade in the other bus. The thought of it made me a little sad, though I wasn’t sure why, given how he’d been acting toward me.

  He sat on a plush couch to my left, head tipped down and quietly strumming a worn acoustic guitar. He must have heard me enter, but he didn't look up.

  "Kade?" My voice was barely a whisper as I watched him lazily finger the fret board, playing a slow, haunting tune. Seeing him there, body folded around the guitar as if in an embrace, made me feel something I couldn't quite identify. Empathy? Sorrow? Pain? Maybe a mixture of the three. He wasn't so formidable just then, seeming wounded somehow.

  "What are you doing here? Can't take a hint?" His voice was hoarse, gravelly.

  I edged my way closer, forcing myself to relax so he didn't think me fearful. "You mean looking at me like you wanted to rip my spine out and storming off the bus was supposed to be a hint that you wanted to be left alone? Hmm…" I tapped my chin thoughtfully. "I had no idea." I looked at the ceiling and shrugged. "Oh well, I'll know next time."

  "An attempt at humor?" He tilted his head, raising one brow. "I didn't think you had it in you."

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  He carefully set the guitar on the floor beside him, propping the neck against the couch and letting his fingers linger on it reverently. I hadn't realized he played. "Joking around with someone implies some sort of connection, an attempt at friendship."

  "Would it be so terrible if we tried to be friends?"

  "Yeah, I think it would." He clasped his hands between his knees, leaning forward.

  I moved to sit at the table across from him, pulling out one of the chairs and turning it to face him before sitting down. "Why? What is it about me that you hate so much? It's barely been a day, Kade. You got pissed when you thought I was judging you, but aren't you doing the same thing?"

  His eyes blazed. "I'm judging you because of how you judged me. You came here with a fully formed opinion based on shit you heard secondhand. You basically implied that you're fucking afraid of me, like I'm some monster who's lurking over your shoulder, waiting to strike. How the hell am I supposed to feel about that? And what do you think all that says about you?"

  "Kade…" I started, my mouth twisting into a shamed grimace.

  "You want to help us?" He cut in.

  "Yes, I do." I offered my most earnest expression.

  "Then don't pretend to care." He pointed toward where the other bus was parked. "Don't give them the impression that you're their friend. They get let down often enough as it is without you feeding them that line of bullshit. Just do your job and stay the hell out of the way while we do ours. Got it?"

  "I can't do my job with you spitting and snarling every time I offer up a suggestion. Like with the party you blew a freaking gasket over. You have to give me the power to do my job or I might as well be out there bashing my head against that brick wall." I pointed to the door.

  "That idea was shit and, like I told you, we already have plans that weekend." His tone was so obstinate that I found myself wanting to throw something at him.

  "Plans you refuse to divulge, even though you know I'll be going along, no matter what?" I slowly counted to ten in my head as my eyes roved the space looking for potential items to throw.

  "Yep," he spat, giving no indication of backing down.

  "Why are you so set on fighting me?"

  "Because I've discovered pissing you off is kind of entertaining, and I have nothing better to do right now. Not until my next scandal, that is."

  "I assume that one will be more of the same, then. Which will it be, fighting or fucking?" I tossed out angrily. "Just so I can be prepared."

  He stood suddenly, moving to tower over me. "Depends." His eyes drilled into mine.

  "On?" I refused to back down, no matter how hard my heart was hammering in my chest.

  He bent at the waist, leaning down so close his breath skittered across my lips. "Whether or not you enjoy an angry fuck."

  My shocked inhalation pulled in the taste of his warm breath as he kept his position mere inches from my face. "Excuse me?" I managed to say, every nerve ending in my body attuned to his proximity.

  "I think maybe all of our fighting is getting you hot. Maybe you even like that you're afraid of me. It gets your blood pumping, makes you feel alive…" He reached up with one finger, tracing my collarbone through my shirt. "Have you pictured it? If not, I bet you are now. I bet you'll be in my bed later, picturing me in it with you, fucking you until you scream."

  I couldn't move. I was trapped. I knew he wouldn't let me stand if I tried. If I so much as moved an inch, his mouth would be on mine. Instead of arguing with the crude things he was saying, I just sat there, letting his warm, sweet breath wash over me, while I fought not to close my eyes and sink into the sensation.

  "Or maybe you'll be picturing yourself… what was the phrase you used earlier? Doubling down?" The backs of his knuckles grazed my neck, slowly ascending toward my jawline. "Kane thought you were appalled at the idea of me and him sharing women, but I saw what you tried so hard to hide. You were turned on by the idea. I bet you'd love every second of it, too. Kane playing the role of the tender lover you think you're supposed to want, making you feel safe, giving you long passionate kisses while I pound into you so hard your bones nearly shatter. Would you like that, Aubrey? Because I can arrange it. Just say the word."

  I struggled to find my voice, forcing back my fear and arousal long enough to say, "Why are you saying these things to me?" I asked on unsteady breaths.

  "Because I know it makes you wet. I've dealt with your type before, more times than I can count. The only women I seem to attract are ones who like to be scared. Otherwise, they'd choose Kane. He's the good twin, the one who makes them feel safe. Only the twisted ones want me, and I can tell by the way you're responding to me now that's what you are." He traced my bottom lip with his thumb, and I barely managed to stop myself from darting my tongue out to taste it. "Or are you going to sit there and pretend you're not wet right now just thinking about my cock between these pretty lips?"

  I found myself starting to lean in, eyes beginning to fall closed in anticipation of his kiss.

  Shit!

  What the hell am I doing?

  My eyes flew open as I reached up and shoved his shoulders as hard as I could, surprised when he actually stepped back, his hands falling to his sides as he smirked at me. I stood, raising a hand to point at him threa
teningly. "Don't you ever touch me like that again. Ever. I'm not one of your mindless little toys, you conceited asshole. You're so bent on getting laid? How about you go fuck yourself?" I turned and stomped off the bus, further enraged by the sound of his soft laughter at my back.

  Arrogant bastard.

  Scratch that.

  Arrogant, delusional bastard.

  Yeah, that was accurate.

  I pressed my thighs together as I walked, surprised at how aroused I was.

  Okay, so maybe he wasn't completely delusional, but he was still an arrogant bastard.

  Chapter Four

  Kade

  I held out all of two minutes after Aubrey left, quickly giving in to the urge to follow. I told myself that it was all part of the game, taunting her by stalking after her would underscore my point. She'd get off on it. I knew she would. She gave off involuntary cues every time we were in the same room. That slight widening of her eyes, the tiny gasps whenever I was too close, the way her thighs clenched together. It all might as well have been a neon sign.

  I couldn’t get rid of her, so I decided to make the best of it and torment her instead. It was already becoming my new favorite game, and I always played to win.

  I started down the steps, annoyed that she'd left the door open in her haste. When I reached the last step, I heard her voice, speaking in hushed tones to someone near the front bumper, probably in the gap between this bus and the other.

  "No, I think I'll just stay on the bus and do some scouting. I need to find some opportunities like the party I suggested. Something positive to bolster the band's reputation."

  "You can do that while we're traveling between shows," my brother countered dismissively. "Come on, Aubrey. You need to relax a little. Don't you like our music?" I could practically see the puppy dog look he would be pairing with that last question. I rolled my eyes, leaning forward a bit so I could hear them better.

  "Of course I do."

  "Have you ever been to one of our concerts?" He prodded.