The Complete Tempest World Box Set

by Mankin, Michelle

  She took a couple of steps toward me, her stilettos clicking angrily on the wood. A hint of high dollar fragrance wafted in the space between us. Somewhere in the back of my mind it registered that though she was older than me, and my boss, she was a woman, and actually a quite attractive one, especially when she was angry.

  “This is my record label. You work for me, kiddo.”

  Bloody hell. She was almost a foot shorter than I was, but she suddenly seemed to tower over me.

  “Everything that relates to Tempest—past, present, and future is my business. And I make it a habit not to leave any loose ends unraveled. So, I’m going to get the information one way or another, but I’d appreciate it if you made my job easier by telling me what I need to know.”

  “He’s in Mexico. Cabo, I think.” My fingers tightened around the key fob in my pocket. “Tremors. Nausea. He’s in bad shape. Went off of everything on his own. Cold turkey. No tapering. Sounded like shit the last time we talked. That the info you needed?” I raised my studded brow.

  “Thanks for your candor, Mr. Lowell.”

  Probably should have stowed the sarcasm. The fire had turned to ice. I wondered if the deep freeze meant I’d lost all my brownie points I’d earned post compliance.

  She lifted a cell to her ear, a thoughtful crease forming between her narrowed eyes as she stared through me. “Beth. Tell Reese at Atlas Security that Warren’s in Cabo. I want a man on him. Tell him I want to know if Morris so much as…” She stopped speaking, blinked a couple of times as if she’d just remembered I was still there right in front of her.

  “It hasn’t escaped my notice that you’re the most level headed member of the group, Mr. Lowell. You need to remember that we’re on the same side. We have the same goals. We both want to see Tempest succeed. You keep on track and help Justin learn the ins and outs, and I guarantee the band will make it, and that you’ll make it bigger than any of you ever dreamed possible.”

  • • •

  April

  “Oh, Mel.” My throat tightened as I approached her. She was near Black Cat Record’s garage entrance, sitting on the concrete, her head on her drawn knees, her form nearly completely camouflaged in the shadows. I would never have known she was there except that she’d called me, and even then I would’ve walked right past her except for that shock of blue hair.

  I sank down beside her, the chill of the ground cutting right through my jeans, but I ignored the discomfort. “What happened this time?”

  She lifted her head, wet ebony ribbons staining both cheeks. “The same old shit. He never listens to me. He’s never going to let me live my life.”

  I slid an arm around her shoulder, curling my fingers into her soft hair, tucking her head under my chin, and kissing the top. “I’m sorry.”

  She sniffed. “It’s alright.” She said the words, but I knew she didn’t mean them. Her dad’s refusal to let her pursue her dream was a long standing source of contention. It was driving a wedge between them, and I feared if something didn’t change soon it would end up tearing them apart permanently.

  I didn’t want that for either of them. He was a good father, but was extremely protective, and his free spirited daughter yearned to escape those bonds.

  “You know it’s only because he loves you. He doesn’t want to see you get hurt again.”

  “I know,” she whispered lifting her head. Her eyes were shiny with unshed tears. “It’s just that I have enough points now. If I win the race on Saturday or at least make the semis I could move up to the Noram circuit.”

  “I realize that, Sweetie. But there’ll be other opportunities. Don’t give up. He’ll come around.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t think so. I’ve kept my grades up, helped with the band. I’ve done everything he asks, but he still hasn’t budged.”

  “He got really scared when you got that concussion six months ago,” I reminded her.

  “But that was different. I was on a mountain bike.”

  “You know but it’s all the same in his mind,” I said gently.

  “Hurtling down the mountainside at a million miles an hour is not a sport,” she mimicked the tilt of his chin and the cadence of his voice perfectly. “It’s a death sentence, Bluebelle.”

  I opened my mouth, a speech about patience on the tip of my tongue, when the glass door behind us suddenly flew open. Warmth from inside and a blistering curse from a familiar voice sliced through the air at the same time. We both turned.

  “Diz.” Mel leapt to her feet furtively wiping her stained face on her sleeve.

  “Bluebelle,” he returned the irritated expression on his face changing to one of surprise, the fingers on the pull of his black leather jacket zipper stilling. “What’s going on? What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” His sexy velvety voice seemed more potent in the quiet setting. More intimate. More unsettling.

  Shit. Was I developing some kind of damsel in distress crush on him just because he rescued me? I gave myself a mental shake to snap the hell out of it.

  Mel’s chin dropped. I rose to my feet next to her, leaving space to watch the drama unfold. He stepped closer to her, his eyes on her face narrowed with concern. Surprising. In my experience men usually ran in the opposite direction when crying was involved.

  Diz lifted her chin with a ringed thumb, his golden gaze intensely focused. “He said no, huh?”

  My brows crashed into my hairline. She’d told him about the stuff with her dad?

  “Yes,” she admitted softly.

  “Well, fuck it, then.” His gaze flicked to me as if he knew I’d disapprove of his next words. “I say do it anyway.” He put both his hands on her shoulders, and I stared, wondering what that felt like having those strong masculine fingers touching your body. “You’re nineteen. That’s legal age in BC, isn’t it? What’s he gonna do?”

  I frowned. I did disapprove. This wasn’t good advice, but as soon as he said the words I watched Mel’s jaw set into a determined line. Anything I said to the contrary was going to fall on deaf ears.

  “Will you come watch me?” She fluttered her eyes at him.

  I sighed.

  She must’ve heard me. She turned her head. “You, too, April.”

  “I can’t, Sweetie. I’m sorry. It’s on a Saturday night. I’ve got to work and besides, I wouldn’t be able to stay overnight like I’d need to. James would never go for that.”

  “You could give Ryan your shift. He’s always wanting extra hours.” She grabbed one of Dizzy’s hands and skipped over to me taking one of mine, too. Now that she had the idea in her head she was running with it. I could practically feel her excitement crackling along the connection we three shared.

  She looked back and forth between Dizzy and me. “I really need both my friends to be there.”

  “Sure,” Dizzy agreed without hesitation, surprising me once again. “I’d love to see you in action.”

  Mel’s eyes glowed like multifaceted sapphire suns. She was practically supernova with delight. She didn’t even try to play it cool. She turned her fiery eyes on me. “April, please come.”

  I pulled in a deep breath. “I don’t know.”

  “James is usually really busy on Saturday. You’ve told me that before. You work really late, too. He won’t even expect you home till four in the morning, right? The competition will be over long before then. You could probably even go to the after party for a while and still get home before he does. He doesn’t even have to know. We just need to find someone to drive you back.”

  “I’ll do it.” Mesmerizing amber eyes ringed with thick lashes captured mine. “I’ll have my car, and I need to get back into town early anyway. It’d be no problem. For me I mean, if you think you can go.”

  He didn’t think I’d do it. I could tell. I could hear the challenge in his voice, see the dare in his eyes. Then he arched his studded brow really ratcheting up the pressure and putting me on the spot. He didn’t think I had it in me to defy my husband and most of the time he
’d have been right. But this was for Mel, and I so wanted to remove that expression on his face that said he thought he had me all figured out.

  “Sure,” I found myself saying, the pre-James April blinking her sleep filled eyes and awakening from her slumber. “If Ryan can cover for me, I’ll go. It’ll be fun.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Dizzy

  I tapped my fingers against the Panamera’s steering wheel, double parked in front of April’s apartment building. Mel had gone on ahead to Whistler hours ago. She needed to check in early and wanted to make a couple of practice runs before the actual competition started. Since April had another commitment Saturday morning, I’d offered to pick her up as well as take her home.

  Admittedly, not one of my most brilliant ideas.

  But I liked seeing that flare of defiance in the bartender’s eyes. I wanted to see it again and knew that I wouldn’t get the chance if she backed out. So here I was idling at the curb and second guessing myself. The chick was married. I was putting myself in a situation where I was going to be alone with her. Just the two of us. For hours in both directions now. With only the thin inches of the console separating us.

  But I felt the pull, my brain all full of static, and I just couldn’t seem to think logically when it came to her.

  Instead of banging my head against the wheel to clear it, I leaned over to adjust the volume on the car’s sound system. I noticed the door to her building open and looked over, immediately wishing I hadn’t. She wasn’t alone. She was with him. Her husband. James.

  He had his back to me. He was a big dude. He towered over her by at least half a foot, and she was at least five seven. I caught a glimpse of the tight jeans that were painted onto her long legs, but I didn’t relish the view the way I normally might. What held my attention and made my stomach churn was the position of the husband’s hands. They were low, under her puffy powdery blue ski jacket. He was blocking my view of her now, but he was definitely grabbing her ass.

  Touching her in a way I’d only dreamed about. I was a bloody fool. I’d bought into my stupid little fantasy. In my mind I’d convinced myself the husband was a myth, and that she was mine for the taking should I ever decide to cross that line.

  James, that all too real bastard, leaned in. I couldn’t see anything but him anymore, but it was obvious what was happening.

  Unable to look away, I stared, clenching my jaw, my grip tightening on the leather around the steering wheel. It creaked under the assault. His stance was wide. He had her positioned between his legs, the brick wall behind them, those soft sassy lips under his own, sampling her lush mouth, maybe even swallowing her low moan of arousal.

  Bloody hell.

  I slammed my fist into the dashboard, needing an outlet for my frustration, needing the pain to distract me from the wild shit running around in my brain. I shifted in my seat, insanely jealous and turned on at the same time. Until now, I never understood why some guys got all hung up on things that they knew they could never have.

  What the hell was wrong with me?

  When I looked over at them again, the husband was done with her. I stared at his back till my eyes burned, hating him and feeling loads of other stuff I had no right to feel. Like how if she was mine I wouldn’t have ended things with just a kiss. I would’ve backed her sexy ass right back into the apartment, got those jeans off, pinned her arms over her head, rocked my body into hers…

  Bloody, bloody hell.

  I needed to get her out of my head and my cock into the first available piece that came along as soon as I got us to Whistler.

  I forced myself not to look anymore and turned the music louder. A moment later the growl of a motorcycle engine cut through the Pixies’ bombastic groove. She ducked back into the building, as he rode off on a Harley. His taillights disappeared as he rounded the corner. A couple of minutes later, she reappeared at the top of the landing, a knit cap that matched her jacket covering her hair, closed the door, and hurried down the steps.

  I got out of the car and rounded the hood, opening the passenger door for her. She hesitated for a beat, surprise registering on her face as if she wasn’t expecting me to be a gentleman. Hell, even though I hadn’t had that kind of upbringing, I did know how to treat a lady…theoretically.

  She got in, and I closed her door. After I settled in on my side, I glanced over at her. She had a leather saddle bag held in front of her chest as if that could shield it from my gaze.

  “I know I’m late,” she mumbled eyes straight ahead, distracted, her cheeks heightened with color.

  “Right.” It pissed me off, seeing the evidence of how much his kiss had affected her. “It’s not like I’m doing you a favor or anything, sweetheart.” Her chin shot up in response to my sarcastic snarl.

  “I’m sorry to put you out.” Her words were clipped, and her posture stiffened. “But as I recall, you did volunteer...” Her eyes seemed darker muddier green when they flashed with this much ire. “Anyway, I was ready, but then James couldn’t find his belt.”

  Hearing her recount the setup of their little domestic scene didn’t help improve my mood. “And he just had to cop a feel before he left, huh?”

  Her gaze slid away, her throat working as she swallowed. “I shouldn’t have agreed to this,” she whispered. “It’s wrong for Mel to deceive her father, and an even worse idea for me to lie to my husband.”

  “Mel’s a grownup last I checked. She needs to start living her own life. And you seem to have forgotten that you’re an adult, too. I bet you don’t even remember how to have fun anymore.”

  “That’s not fair,” she sputtered hurt glistening in her eyes.

  “Yeah? When’s the last time you didn’t follow the rules?” I lifted a brow. “Would you have agreed to come today if I hadn’t pushed you?”

  I could see that struck home, but she didn’t respond, so I pressed on. “I didn’t think so. Man, it must suck dragging that ball and chain around. You ever tell him off? Speak up for yourself? Tell him what you like? What you need?”

  She held my gaze for a moment. A tempest of emotions swirling in them that I couldn’t begin to read before she turned away, reaching for the door handle. “Tell Mel I couldn’t come. Tell her I’m sorry.” Her voice wavered. “Tell her…”

  “No way,” I cut her off, immediately regretting being cruel. It would break the poor pixie’s heart if I showed up without her best friend. I leaned over the console, grabbed her hand, and had my world rocked to the foundation as a bolt of awareness buzzed my fingertips and surged up my arm awakening nerve endings throughout my body, a primal signal of need and longing.

  In that vivid moment, I took in every single detail about the woman beside me. Her satiny skin. Her warmth. Her smell. Her aura engulfed me. Suddenly the console wasn’t enough of a deterrent. It’d been crazy to think it would be. I didn’t think even a continent between us would be enough now. That ring certainly wasn’t going to do the trick anymore. I wanted more. I wanted to see all of her. I wanted to explore every single inch of her. I wanted more than just my dick in her balls deep. I wanted to be covered in her scent. I wanted her arms and legs wrapped around me, and that freaked me the hell out.

  She inhaled sharply as if reading my mind. My eyes met hers. Mine widening slightly as I saw in the dark color of hers my own desire reflected back at me. I’d thought my fascination with her was unrecognized and unrequited.

  Maybe I had been all wrong about that.

  • • •

  April

  I breathed in the scent of him. Crisp and warm at the same time, like cool mint and the slow burn of the white rum in a mojito. I wanted to drink him down in one greedy intoxicating gulp. He completely muddled my thinking. He was so sexy. So very male.

  I shouldn’t have been drowning in the seductive depths of his gaze. I shouldn’t have been noticing the way his hand felt on mine. I shouldn’t have been fantasizing about how it would feel to have those roughened fingertips sliding over my naked
skin. I should have concentrated on the fine details of the high performance car I was sitting in. The turbo charged engine that could take the GTS Porsche from zero to sixty in around four seconds if he punched it. The black leather interior, the round control dials, and the shiny chrome, engineered so the cabin felt like the cockpit of a fighter jet. It was so much sportier than the Mercedes CLS class coupe James’ recently incarcerated New York boss had driven while in town. But instead of thinking about all that, I found my mind wandering down paths I could never take with the enticing man beside me.

  My gaze dropped to the strong arm covered in black leather seemingly immoveable and temptingly thrown across my midsection. Every slumbering cell in my body came alive as I noticed his rock hard thighs and the definitive bulge between them. The previous flush of desire became a thundering roar of need.

  “Bloody hell,” he rasped under his breath withdrawing his arm.

  Why did the cool rush of air and the loss of connection with him feel like a rejection? Because something more had been about to happen and I’d wanted it to. Badly.

  I stared at him as he scrubbed his hands over his face, rearranging the long uneven layers of chocolate and vanilla that had caressed his forehead and tangled in his dark eyelashes a moment before. “I’m sorry, April.” His voice was muffled, but not so much that I couldn’t hear. When he dropped his hands, his hair stood up all over his head. His apologetic gaze flicked my way.

  I was in a Dizzy induced daze. I blinked back at him trying to make my mind focus so I could make sense of his apology.

  “Sorry for being such an ass.” Ah, the light of understanding slowly dawned. He wasn’t apologizing for the heat I knew he had felt between us. He eyed me with cautious brows lowered over his gorgeous amber hued eyes. “Mel would be devastated if you didn’t come. Can we start this whole deal over again?” His pleading expression matched his tone. “Please.”

  There it was… the effortless irrepressible charm of the Diamond Mine’s prince.