The Complete Tempest World Box Set

by Mankin, Michelle

  He threw his long leg over the bike with practiced ease and indicated that I should do the same.

  “But it’s so big.” Finally, I found my voice though it came out an octave higher than usual.

  My words elicited a masculine chuckle. “I hear that’s a good thing.”

  My face heated and I rolled my eyes at the innuendo.

  “Just keep your shoes on the foot rails as you step on,” he suggested. “And hold on tight to me once we get going. Relax. I’ll do all the work.”

  I would never admit to him that his words brought to mind an entirely different scenario, one with me holding on tight to a naked Justin with tangled sheets all around us. I shook the erotic vision away, took a deep bracing breath, and climbed on.

  The seat was surprisingly comfortable, the leather supple and cushioned. But the very best part was being so close to him.

  I watched his firm rear lift off the seat as he released the kickstand and turned the handles to rev the engine. As it rumbled vibrating the seat beneath me, he settled back and glanced at me over his shoulder. “Give me your hands.” I did as I was told and his gloved fingers immediately tightened around mine. He brought my hands forward and tucked them under his shirt. His skin felt like warmed satin under my fingers. As we moved forward, surging up the ramp out of the garage, I linked my hands together and pressed them into his taut abdomen while at the same time tightening my thighs around him. It felt so good I let out a long contented sigh.

  The beautiful nighttime scenery of downtown Vancouver barely registered in my peripheral vision as we sped across town and I rested my cheek on the smooth leather covering his shoulder. Sure I knew the air rushing over my skin was bitterly cold, and that the sharp florescent glare of the street lamps on the Granville Bridge hurt my night adjusted eyes, and that the ghostlike snowcapped outline of the Cascades hovered in the background. But quite honestly what I noticed most was the strength and heat of the man I held tightly between my arms and legs.

  “We’re here, babe,” Justin announced after what seemed like only moments later, his gloved hand squeezing my clasped ones right before he dismounted. He removed his gloves and then my helmet. He grinned arrogantly at me as I continued to remain on the bike and he noted the dreamy expression on my face. “You liked it.”

  I didn’t reply. Were words really necessary?

  He held out hands and helped me climb off.

  The restaurant had big plate glass windows that faced the street. I peered up at the neon sign. Justin hadn’t told me where we were going for dinner, but I could tell it was Indian cuisine because of the enticing aroma of curry and cardamom that deliciously tinged the crisp night air. My stomach grumbled and my mouth watered in anticipation.

  “In New York my sister and I started out working at an Indian restaurant,” he confided. “Vij’s is the best in town.”

  “I love Indian food.” I grinned enthusiastically. “Do you think they have mango lassis and coconut pudding for dessert?”

  “I think they can manage those sweets for the prettiest woman in Vancouver.” His seductive smile was back. “And anything else you want, baby.” He moved in closer, his chest almost touching mine as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. My skin felt like it was on fire where his calloused thumb touched me. I forgot all about food as I brought my hands up to rest on the cool surface of his leather jacket. He covered them with his own and squeezed. “We’d better get something to eat, beautiful. The way you were holding me on my bike’s got my mind on all sorts of other things that have nothing to do with getting you fed.”

  My heart was beating so furiously I found it difficult to look away from the heated promise in his darkened eyes. Lucky for me he took over, once again twining our fingers together as he led me inside the restaurant.

  We didn’t have to wait and were immediately escorted to an elegant table for two. Every chair was filled, and the restaurant was warm and the air fragrant with spice. That coupled with the steady murmur of conversations all around us, and the periodic flash and sizzle of fires from beneath twirling pans in the open kitchen created a cozy and relaxing atmosphere.

  Once we ordered and I’d taken my first blissful sip of mango lassi, we eased into small talk. When I told him I was twenty-one, I was surprised to discover that he was almost an entire year younger than me. He had so much confidence that I’d just assumed he was much older.

  I rested my chin on my hands as he talked. It wasn’t that what he shared was necessarily extraordinary. It was him. Justin seemed to be exactly the man he promised to be: kind, protective, and considerate. He treated me like I was the VIP and he was the fan. And boy was he good to look at, a veritable feast for the eyes, so arrestingly handsome that the gaze of every woman in the restaurant and even a few from the men strayed his way.

  Time flew by and it was the first time since Carter had been born that I felt like a woman, a desirable woman instead of just a mom. When I got around to asking him how things were going with Tempest, his features hardened.

  “Not as good as I’d hoped.” He raked a hand through his hair. “After the audition I was so stoked, but the reality of working together has been something else. Things are pretty tense most of the time, except maybe with Dizzy. It’s almost as if everyone’s holding their breath expecting me to screw up or afraid to invest any emotional energy in someone who might only be around for a brief interlude.”

  “Give them time, Justin.” I leaned forward and squeezed his hand before I even thought twice about it. His warm gaze went from our joined hands back to my face. “They’ll find out they’re wrong sooner than later, I’d guess.” When he continued to look skeptical, I pressed my point. “I was there at that tryout, remember. The chemistry between you guys was indescribable. They’re lucky you came along. When you sing, it feels like you make the words come alive.” His eyes grew hotter. I could see that he liked what I was saying. A lot. I felt my cheeks getting warm.

  “Thank you.” He moved his hands so they rested on top of mine. “I know I need to be patient, but that’s extremely hard for me to do, especially when I want something so much.” There was no doubt in my mind that he was talking about more than just the band right now.

  My eyes burned brightly as he continued to stare at me. I found myself more and more easily falling underneath his spell. “From what Bryan and Lace have told me, I think anyone would have a tough time filling War’s shoes,” I continued. “You know that he and Bryan were best friends, right?”

  “Yeah. Lace has mentioned that a few times.”

  “Maybe if you tried to get to know them apart from work in a more relaxed setting, they’d let down their guard.” I ran my fingers through the wet condensation on my glass.

  “That’s a good idea, one that I’ve actually considered. I just haven’t taken the time out to follow it through.” He shook his head as he looked at me. “You’re incredible, you know. Since you got here, you’ve been helping everyone else. You’re strong and resilient and have an incredibly big heart, Bridget Dubois. Those are just some of the many things I like about you.”

  There he went again saying something so sweet that it stunned me speechless. Luckily, the waiter arrived just in time to spare me a response. We ate companionably together after that, with Justin offering me bites of food from his plate and me returning the favor. It felt intimate and romantic and before I knew it the food was gone and we were sharing that coconut pudding for dessert.

  After I watched him take the last bite I finally asked the question I’d had on my mind for a while now. “You mentioned that you and Avery were on your own when you were only sixteen, but you never said why. What happened?”

  “It’s a long story.” He set down his spoon and his expression turned guarded. “I told you my mom died when we were young. Well, my dad didn’t deal with that in a healthy way. He started drinking heavily, drowning his sorrows at first, I guess, but it quickly went beyond just the occasional bender. By the time we were in midd
le school, he was definitely an alcoholic, and he was a mean son of a bitch when he was drunk. Avery and I learned to avoid him when he was like that. We escaped in our music, and we looked after each other.” He stopped and looked across the table at me. “I’d really like you to meet my sister soon.”

  “I’d like that, too.” I dipped my chin, feeling shaken and taking a moment to process what he’d shared. I had no idea. I’d mistakenly assumed that he and his famous sibling had an idyllic childhood. The reality was obviously far from it.

  He gathered my hands in his, and my gaze settled back on him. I could feel the restrained tension in him and it transferred to me. I braced, knowing there was more and that it was worse. “Over time his sadness turned to anger and that anger turned physical and he directed it toward Avery and me. The pushes became open palmed slaps, then closed fists, then whatever was handy.”

  His eyes had a depth of darkness in them, and I knew instinctively that the old wounds he was opening still felt fresh to him. “Most of the time I was able to keep him away from Avery when he got like that. But not the day we turned sixteen. He went too far.”

  I swallowed back tears, sad for the boy it didn’t sound like he’d ever had the chance to be, but I don’t think he noticed. His gaze was unfocused, and he seemed lost in the memory.

  “He came home hours earlier than we expected. Surprised us. Caught Avery and me rehearsing. She had my mom’s old guitar.” He pressed his lips tight and his eyes flared with intense emotion. “Music was always a big part of our lives when Mom was alive. She was a professional musician. But after her death, Dad didn’t allow any music in the house. The silence was deafening, the quiet almost as bad as the other stuff.”

  He sighed, seemed to come back to himself, and his tone became more narrative and less emotional though his words were not. “He hurt Avery really bad that night. Scared the crap out of me. She ended up with a concussion and a couple of busted ribs. After that, I convinced her we had to leave. I couldn’t protect her from him anymore. Since I knew a guy who had moved to the city, we headed there.”

  “New York City?”

  “Yeah. We were more fortunate than most runaways. At least we had a place to stay. We found work right away at that restaurant I mentioned earlier. That kept us fed until we started making enough money at the clubs to focus on our music. We’d almost signed a deal memo with RDA when…” Justin stopped abruptly, his face changing and his eyes flickering with something I didn’t understand. Whatever he had been about to say, he stopped short of sharing. He waved the waiter over instead.

  While he took care of the bill, I found myself sifting through the details. His childhood sounded horrific, worlds worse than mine. So I’d been abandoned emotionally by my father and mistreated by my stepmother and Richard. I didn’t consider the bruises Richard left on my arms from his shakes and shoves to be in the same category as the physical abuse Justin and Avery had endured at the hands of their father. No wonder Justin seemed older. He’d been dealing with cruel reality and looking out for his sister for a long time now.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Justin

  “What happened with RDA?” she asked once we were back outside in front of the Triumph. I should’ve known she wouldn’t let that rest. She’d just been so easy to talk to that I’d unwittingly barreled right into subject matter that I hadn’t intended to get into tonight. Frankly, I was afraid to share. The decisions I’d made back then were not going to win me any points with her and after the fantastic way the date had gone so far I loathed doing anything to wreck it. But I’d made a promise to be truthful and because I planned to keep that promise my only remaining option was to delay the telling.

  I drew in a deep breath of cold air. “How about I tell you all the sordid details after we get to our next stop,” I hedged while helping her get her helmet back on.

  Suddenly she threw her arms around my waist, the helmet banging hard against my shoulder.

  “What the hell was that for?” Not that I was really complaining. Quite the opposite. In fact, my hands slid down to her lower back to press her closer.

  She leaned back tilting her head so she could look at me, her adorable face framed by the helmet. “I just wanted to thank you for dinner, and for being so honest with me, and for sharing stuff that I know wasn’t easy,” she ended on a whisper. She was so sweet. I don’t think she had any idea how effortlessly she plucked at the strings of my heart, a heart that was already so in tune with her.

  “You’re welcome.” I pulled on my gloves and touched the tip of her nose with a finger before leading her over to the bike.

  “Where are we going?” she asked once she was settled in behind me her voice warm near my ear.

  “Just a quiet place I think you’ll like.” I started up the engine and just barely managed to stifle a groan when I felt her soft hands slide back into place at my waist without being prompted. Oh heck yeah that felt good, but I was too keyed up to really enjoy it the way I wanted. I knew there was a very real chance that what I was about to share would end for good what was growing between us.

  I took the Granville Bridge back to downtown and turned on Georgia Street. The main waterfront thoroughfare was as busy as usual. Though I couldn’t pick up any real speed, we got lucky with green lights along the way. I put my indicator on, turned, and we dipped into the underground parking garage. My headlamp lit the way to my usual spot before I shut off the engine and helped her down. This time she removed the helmet on her own and handed it to me.

  “Where are we?” she asked while smoothing her hair.

  “My sister’s apartment building.”

  She looked a little nervous about that, so I quickly explained. “Avery’s not here. She’s on the island for the weekend.” I shoved my gloves into the pockets of my jacket and took her hand. “C’mon. I’m taking you up to the roof. I think you’ll like the view from up there.”

  I entered the key code for the elevator, and we stepped inside.

  “Mega high tech,” she commented on the way up.

  “Yeah, it’s a pretty high security place.” I shrugged. “Took some getting used to for her, but it’s the way she and Marcus have to live.”

  As soon as the door slid open, I heard her gasp.

  “Yeah.” I grinned enjoying her look of wide eyed wonder. “That was about the same reaction I had the first time I came up here.” She squeezed my hand in a silent thank you before stepping out into the greenhouse and slowly turning around in a complete circle. She appeared just as enchanted by the rooftop conservatory as I’d hoped she would be. “It’s beautiful here, Justin,” she whispered. “The plants, the fountain, the view of the city and the mountains in the background, but,” she unzipped her hoodie and smiled at me, “it’s a little warm. Feels like spring in Florida.”

  “Thought you might appreciate that.”

  “I totally do.” She reached back for my hand, but this time didn’t release it as she towed me with her to explore.

  As we completed the entire circuit, I appropriately oohed and ahhed at each one of her discoveries. She’d been especially fond of the twinkling lights in the trees, the tropical flowers, and the butterflies. I realized it was time to stop stalling and go ahead and get it over with.

  “Bridget,” I called.

  She turned with a question in her eyes.

  I gestured to the concrete park bench and shrugged out of my jacket, arranging it fabric side up for her to sit on. “I think now’s a good time to tell you about the RDA deal and everything else.”

  She nodded.

  I could tell she picked up on my unsettled vibe by how rigid her posture went when she sat. She bit down on her lip and waited patiently for me to begin.

  I clasped my hands together behind my back. “The deal never went through because I died.”

  “What!” she exclaimed, brows soaring into her bangs. “Don’t tease. You scared me for a minute, Justin. You seem so tense. I thought you were going to tell me
something serious.”

  “It was serious. Everyone thought I had really died, that I’d been murdered, including my sister. It was a pretty messed up time. I was doing a lot of dope, and I got involved with the wrong type of girl. A woman named Antonia who was a lot older than me, something that I thought was flattering at the time. But she was also engaged at the time to a very dangerous man, a man involved in organized crime… Joe Campanella.

  Her lips formed a surprised o. “I’ve heard that name. He’s supposed to be going on trial soon.”

  I nodded.

  “I read about it in the Florida papers. They carry a lot of the East coast news because so many New Yorkers retire down there.”

  “Yeah, well, the biggest charge they have on him is attempted murder… of me. I’ll have to take the stand and give my testimony soon. The only reason Campanella didn’t succeed in knocking me off was because of an undercover cop. He intercepted the order and made it appear as though it had been carried out. Then he helped me and Antonia disappear. The FBI put us in the witness protection program for a while.” I rubbed the back of my neck, risking a glance at her face to try to gauge her reaction so far. Besides looking a bit incredulous, her expression didn’t tell me much. “Being in tight confinement with Antonia…especially being sober,” I clarified. “I realized that she wasn’t who I thought she was, definitely not the kind of woman I wanted to be with long term.”

  “Wait a minute.” Her brows pinched together. “Does this have anything to do with why Avery dressed up like a guy when she first joined Brutal Strength?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So it wasn’t just a publicity stunt?”

  “No.” I took a seat beside her and shifted toward her, raking a nervous hand through my hair. “She was desperate and afraid of Campanella because I’d run up a big debt borrowing money with him to finance my drug habit, and he held her responsible for repaying it.”