The Complete Tempest World Box Set

by Mankin, Michelle

  Dizzy leaned in, placing his hands on the bar beside mine. I looked at the handsome face so close to my own and into those sparkling amber eyes and was completely lost for a long moment. He took advantage and came closer, his cheek nearly touching mine.

  I inhaled deeply filling my lungs with his unique scent; remembering how it felt to be in his arms and wishing we’d completed that almost kiss in the storage room.

  “Can I get three Molsons?” he murmured the request near my ear, his voice low and deep like a secret caress.

  “Oh, yeah, sure.” I replied, but didn’t move, enjoying the moment, fantasizing that if I turned my face just a little, I would be able to scrape my cheek against his, maybe even touch the scruffy surface with the tip of my tongue. A sigh of longing fell from lips that sadly belonged to me, awakening me from the improbable spell I’d been conjuring. Reluctantly, I eased away from him tossing my ponytail over my back and turning around to grab the mugs for the beer. “Coming right up.”

  “Truer words were never spoken.” He chuckled.

  When I spun back around, his gaze popped up and his lips slowly curled. “Nice jeans,” His studded brow rose as if challenging me to call him out for having been caught staring at my ass. I didn’t bother, the direction of my thoughts had been much the same, and besides my mouth was too dry to form a retort. The seductive glitter in his golden eyes had stolen my breath and ignited a fire in my blood. I totally overfilled one of the mugs, unnerved by his focused flirting.

  “I wanna run a tab.” He slid his credit card across the counter. “I plan to be here a while. Can’t seem to stay away… for some reason.” He stared at me meaningfully before angling his head toward the Crown Royale bottle I’d filled with water and used as a vase for his flower.

  I turned pink as the peony under his perusal, blushing uncontrollably.

  “Sure smells good around here,” he said to emphasize his point as he picked up the beers.

  I didn’t reply. That I’d kept the flower said more than any denial I could voice.

  Balancing the three brimming mugs as he moved, I stood mesmerized as he picked his way through the crowd. His confident manner, his take no prisoners stride, his broad shoulders, his firm ass…what a perfect male spectacle.

  “Hey, can I get those tequila shots I asked for ten minutes ago?” A guy with an impatient expression interrupted my musings waving a twenty under my nose.

  “Sure thing. Coming right up.” I replaced my faraway expression with a professional smile and refocused on the job that I loved, though I did manage to find time for a few quick peeks toward the Tempest table.

  The next night featured more of the same, only this time it was a purple rose in my locker. Tonight the note read, “You have enchanted me.” Just as he had the night before, he gave me a lengthy scan. But then he touched me as he passed me his credit card. Just a simple brush of his roughened finger tips over mine. But that, combined with the mint and spice of his cologne was all it took to make my knees weak.

  The third night, I began to notice other things besides the pattern. Like the fact that though the women came around his table as usual, he didn’t pay attention to them, nor did I ever see him move to the back with one of them. I couldn’t help it. I let myself fantasize that it was because of me, and I found myself hurrying to work, heart beating faster and faster the closer I got. I was eager to see him and discover what new gift would be in my locker. Even when I’d been dating James, he’d never written me notes or given me flowers. It hadn’t been his thing I guess. I hadn’t realized how much it was mine until Dizzy started doing it.

  Tonight there was an entire bouquet of lavender, but no note. In its place were tickets to the benefit concert in which Tempest would be performing. I inhaled the sweet fragrance of the blooms and wished I could attend. I relished the thought of seeing Dizzy and Tempest in action. But I knew I shouldn’t even be considering it. It was this coming Friday, and Friday’s were the busiest night at the bar. Plus I couldn’t risk lying to James again. I’d have to ask him, and I knew what his answer would be, no matter what kind of spin I put on it.

  Besides Dizzy’s seduction routine, as flattering as it was, needed to come to an end. It was dangerous. I was deep in my worried thoughts, carefully arranging my growing cache of flowers when Mel came over and climbed into an open seat at the bar.

  “Hey, Sweetie,” I smiled at her. We’d talked earlier on the phone, but I’d forgotten it was Ebb Tide’s night on stage. I’d been more than a little distracted lately. “What’s up?”

  “I made the NorAm circuit,” she announced with less enthusiasm than I would’ve thought the news warranted. “I’ve been waiting to tell you in person.”

  “That’s fantastic.” I reached across the bar and squeezed her hand. “Congratulations, but you don’t seem all that happy about it.”

  She frowned, an out of place crease forming between her brows. “Yeah ’cause I haven’t told my dad yet,” she mumbled.

  Ah, well that explained it. “Sooner probably would be better,” I offered scooting back in front of her after placing a receipt under the glass of a man who seemed ready to leave without paying.

  “I know,” she sighed. “I plan to. After we play tonight.” She swiveled around on her seat, scanning the club. When she turned back around, she asked, “Have you seen Dizzy lately?”

  My heart tripped over a guilty beat. I hadn’t told her about what was going on with Dizzy, about him coming out to the house, or about the notes and flowers. To me it was all tangled up together with the secret he knew, something I’d never shared with her. Couldn’t share with her. But I still felt like a bad friend for not doing so. “I’ve seen him around a time or two,” I replied purposefully vague. “How about you?”

  “Just in passing at Black Cat.” She picked up a bar napkin, folding and refolding it. “I called and invited him tonight,” she finally admitted, peering at me through her heavily mascaraed lashes. “I told him I was singing, and he said he’d come.” She sighed. “April, I’m tired of waiting for him to make a move. I’m going to ask him out after.”

  It was my turn to frown when I realized he hadn’t yet taken the time to set her straight.

  “There he is.” She glanced over at the entrance then back at me straightening her shoulders. “How’s my lipstick?”

  “It’s good, Sweetie. You look beautiful. Same as always.”

  “Wish me luck.” She knocked on the bar twice with her tatted knuckles. “With my dad and Dizzy.”

  I nodded, in my heart wishing her just one of the two.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Dizzy

  The Mine was overrun by hordes of people when I arrived. A line snaked out the door. Ebb Tide had more than a decent local following. I navigated my way through them on my way to the bar.

  April had her head down, her ponytail hanging forward over her shoulder and her bottom lip between her teeth. She didn’t see me approach, and I was free to take a longer look than usual. No apparent injuries. She didn’t even have a scarf on tonight, and her arms, completely bared by the tank she wore, were free of bruises. But relief wasn’t the only emotion I felt each night. It was just the first of dozens more that followed, including a ton of unfamiliar ones. Plus there was always that invisible connection between us. It stretched uncomfortable tight each night when I had to leave and let her go back to him.

  “Hey.” April jumped a little in response to my greeting, but she gave me a soft reluctant smile when she saw me.

  “Surprised?” I grinned, stepping up to her bar. It was completely deserted. Everyone had their eyes on the show. I could hear Mel on the stage behind me, her voice sounding brilliant as she fashioned the lyrics on one of Ebb Tide’s original tunes.

  “That wouldn’t be the word I’d use,” she replied.

  “Oh, yeah? I can suggest some better ones. Irresistible. Enticing. Captivating. Any of those work?” I teased. Being near her made my heart suddenly feel light and so did not
icing that she’d added tonight’s flowers to her makeshift vase. She hadn’t thrown any away. I wondered if she’d kept the notes, too.

  “Nope those aren’t right either,” she mused placing a lime wedge on the rim of a salt encrusted tumbler. She set the drink on a tray before turning back to me, her hand going to her cocked hip, assessing me. “Do I have to choose just one?”

  I shook my head.

  “Ok. Then how about these…ill advised, needs to stop… and have that talk with Mel already, too.”

  I lifted a brow. “Those are phrases and sentences, not words.” I leaned forward, reaching out and tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear before she had a chance to stop me. It seemed like forever since I’d touched her, and I’d wanted to see if her hair was as silky soft as it looked. It was, and the skin I’d skimmed with the pad of my thumb had been even softer.

  “No more, Dizzy.” She jumped back breathing heavily, her eyes flashing fire. “You can’t do shit like that. I don’t know what game you think we’re playing, but it has to end. Tonight, ok? It’s over tonight. No more flowers. No more notes. It’s finished. Done.”

  “What’s done?” a deep gravelly male voice questioned.

  “James.” April’s eyes flew wide. She took a step back, the flicker of fear on her pretty face, the same one I’d seen that day I’d ambushed her in the rain.

  I swiveled around anxious to see this asshole for myself. I nearly swallowed my tongue. I knew him. Well, I’d seen him before. The night I’d seen April for the first time. At PTU. He was the guy the bitch I’d fucked that night had wanted to make jealous. She’d accomplished her objective. There’d been a hell of a scene between the two of them. Not something quickly forgotten. Additional realization suddenly dawned. So the piece of shit was stepping out on April in addition to all the rest. The missing pieces were coming together, and the picture they were forming was twisted.

  James stared at me for a beat, his expression sharp enough to cut diamonds, his eyes widening slightly in recognition before narrowing again. His face set in a frown as he turned back to his wife. “This guy bothering you?”

  “No.” I watched as she swept all the emotion from her face. She smiled at him, but it was a pale imitation of the one she’d given me earlier. It was tainted with a desperation that I now thought I better understood. “Not at all.” Unclenching her fists, she wiped her palms on her jeans then stepped toward him covering his hands with her own. The gesture seemed to placate him somewhat. “This is Mel’s boyfriend. Dizzy Lowell.” She looked to me as she completed the introduction, eyes begging me to go along with the ruse. “I’d like you to meet my husband, James Reynolds.”

  I smashed his fingers as we shook hands. He was cranking hard, too, as we took each other’s measure. Bastard. I’d never hated anyone more in my life. I wanted to mess him up. It made me furious knowing that he’d hurt her. I wanted to plant my fist in his face as much as it seemed that he wanted to do the same.

  Hell, yeah. Game fucking on.

  April sensed the tension. She drummed her fingers on the bar nervously as she glanced back and forth between us. I couldn’t be a hundred percent sure, but she seemed to be holding her breath. “What a nice surprise,” she said finally. Again that fake smile. “Is everything ok, honey?”

  “Does a guy need a reason to come see his beautiful wife?” He took a seat in the stool next to me, shooting a disgruntled glance my way before refocusing on April.

  She shook her head.

  “Things were slow tonight. I thought I’d come keep you company a while and then drive you home.”

  “Ok.” I watched her throat move as she swallowed. She looked even more nervous. “Great. That’d be great.” I noticed her hands visibly trembled as she mopped up a nonexistent bar spill. “Can I get you anything?”

  “Whiskey, neat.” As she turned to do his bidding her elbow hit her makeshift vase and knocked it over.

  James zeroed in on it. “Where’d the flowers come from, baby?”

  April froze.

  Bloody hell. This was killing me to watch. She was a better actress than I’d given her credit for being. She wasn’t just scared of her husband. She was fucking terrified. I didn’t understand it. Why would she stay with him? Why didn’t she just leave?

  “They’re Mel’s,” I quickly covered for her. “April’s just holding them until she gets through singing tonight.” April’s shoulders visibly relaxed. She pulled a high ball glass off the rack and turned back to us, pouring James his drink with her head down, her expression once again blank.

  “You and the pixie, huh?” James turned to me.

  I shrugged.

  While we’d been talking, the band had stopped. People starting cozying up to the bar. April excused herself from us and began serving them.

  I could feel the animosity between James and me growing. I wanted to throttle the guy and it was taking everything I had in me not to clamp my hand on his windpipe right then.

  “Dizzy!” Mel scooted sideways between us, launching herself at me, twining her arms around my neck. I stiffened reflexively but removed them slowly knowing James was watching us. “You came.” Her sapphire eyes sparkled reflecting the flashing club lights. “Did you hear me sing?”

  “Yeah, Bluebelle, I sure did. You were intense. Had everyone mesmerized.”

  “I only care about one,” she murmured shyly cheeks turning pink.

  Bloody hell. April was right. I should’ve talked to her ages ago. After tonight I was going to have a hell of a time letting her down. “Hey.” I touched her shoulder to get her attention. “Look who’s here?” I lifted my chin. Mel swiveled around. I saw the sudden tension in her spine. I got the feeling she didn’t like James, either. Made me wonder what all she knew.

  “I haven’t seen you since the hospital. How are you?” she sounded genuinely concerned.

  “I’m alright. Those things are always harder on the ladies.” He glanced at his wife. Looking uneasy she returned his stare turning away when another customer demanded her attention. “I’m sure she’ll come around.”

  My brow creased. I was totally confused. When Mel mentioned the hospital I thought they were talking about April’s stepdad, but the rest of it didn’t make any sense.

  “I hope so, too. I’m just glad she’s out of that dark place she was in.” Her blue hair swung across her shoulders as she shook her head and her eyes became unfocused. “She was so excited when she got pregnant.” Mel’s voice trailed off.

  I looked over at April, mind spinning with this latest revelation. I didn’t want to believe it, but I saw the truth in her eyes as they tangled with mine. She’d seen our somber expressions. She knew what they were talking about. Her lips flattened, she ducked her chin to her chest, and turned away.

  “So how long have you two been together?” James’ voice brought my attention back to our end of the bar.

  “We’re not…” Mel started, but I spoke over her.

  “What she means is that we’re not exclusive yet.” My stomach churned with the lie. “But of course I want to. Who wouldn’t want to with a girl like Mel?”

  The blue haired pixie swiveled around and beamed fucking rainbows at me. She grabbed my hand and my stomach muscles clenched as she brought it to her lips. “I hoped…”

  “You coming to the concert Friday?” This was getting out of hand fast and I needed to instigate damage control and change the subject before I got buried under all the bullshit.

  “Yes of course.” Her smile widened. “You gave me the tickets, silly. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I just wish April could come, too.” She turned to James. “Brutal Strength is performing. You know they’re her favorite band. I bet you can still get tickets if you try.” Her tone was beseeching.

  “She has tickets,” I blabbed like an idiot. “I gave her four. I figured she might want to bring her brothers,” I tried to hurriedly explain my way out of the hole I’d dug as two sets of speculative eyes swung my way.

/>   James studied me with a look on his face that I couldn’t for the life of me figure out. “Sure. Since we already have tickets. Why the hell not?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  April

  “OMG! Miss V is here, and look there’s Carter Besille with her!”” Mel bounced on the edge of her plush seat at the classy Vogue Theatre, then craned her neck around and grabbed my hand.

  Those weren’t the first celebrities we had seen, but she got just as excited at each sighting. We all did really, except for James. He had a tight grip on my other hand. He’d been more possessive than I could ever remember. But I managed a discrete turn of my head to catch the infamous songstress with her black hair piled up on her head and her boobs nearly falling out of her dress walking down the carpeted aisle hanging on the arm of the popular talk show host who looked like a suntanned Ken doll in an expensive suit.

  The atmosphere really began to buzz as the eleven hundred capacity seats filled with media, national and local celebrities, and fans.

  James fingers tightened more. I stared down at our clasped hands. He’d been smothering me, overly solicitous and watchful since he’d met Dizzy at the bar. I didn’t know if it was because he sensed the current between me and the handsome rhythm guitarist or if there was something else I was missing. I just knew his behavior set me on edge.

  “Miss Belle?” A young usher with an open friendly face stopped at the head of our row that was only three back from the stage.

  “Yes?” Mel looked up at him expectantly.

  “Mr. Lowell sent me to escort you and your party backstage.”

  “Come on!” Mel swiveled to me her face alight and tugged on my hand. Her gaze passed over James, who had his cell to his ear. He’d been on and off the phone since we arrived because of some kind of crisis at the club.

  “Please, April?” John and Michael begged softly in unison, darting careful glances at my husband. They looked so cute spiffed up in their suit and tie finery, their unruly hair slicked back, but they were always subdued around my husband. As if they sensed my uneasiness. It was the complete opposite of the way they’d been around Dizzy. Telling that. If only I’d been as perceptive before our marriage.