The Complete Tempest World Box Set

by Mankin, Michelle

  “Hey guys.” I glanced up at the sound of a familiar feminine voice. Avery Jones, Justin’s twin, stuck out her hand in greeting. I rose to take it, but she ducked in and gave me a quick hug around the waist instead. “We’re better friends than that,” she explained. She tucked a wayward lock of her red hair back up into the knit cap she wore, shifted, and her pretty emerald eyes danced as she glanced expectantly at King.

  “Mamacita, it’s been a while.” He stood, opened his arms and embraced her when she walked into them.

  “You wanna join us?” I offered gesturing toward our table. “We could pull up another chair.”

  “No, thanks. I already ate.” She smiled. “Marcus is settling the bill. I always make him pay at Tojo’s.”

  Out of the corner of my eye I noticed her imposing fiancé making his way toward us. He didn’t look happy. The dude was irrationally jealous. Not that he needed to worry. King and I were never a threat to him, though Bryan might once have been. As if she sensed him watching, Avery glanced over her shoulder. A fan had intercepted the lead singer of Brutal Strength. She had her cell out. He ran a hand through his shoulder length brown hair looking frustrated.

  Avery turned her attention back to us. “I’ll let you eat.” She pulled the ski cap down further over her ears, a pretty effective disguise with her recognizable auburn hair completely covered. “I just wanted to say hi. Make sure we were still cool even though things didn’t work out with my brother.”

  “Of course we are,” I told her.

  “Good.” She nodded. “Things with my dad are tough right now. I realize more than ever that life’s too short to let good friends go for trivial reasons. I know you’ve had plenty of opportunities to spill about the embarrassing things I did on the tour. I really appreciate it that you haven’t.”

  Marcus stepped up and dropped his arms possessively around her shoulders lifting his chin to acknowledge the two of us in turn while his light blue eyes flashed warning flares.

  Yeah, dude I get it, I thought smiling. Avery was his. I would be the same way if I had a girl like her. If I had the girl I wanted. The one I was determined to win.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Melinda

  As soon as Tyler slid out I jumped out of the bed and practically ran to the bathroom shutting the door to the water closet, locking it and lifting my chin to the ceiling hyperventilating so I wouldn’t cry.

  Why had I agreed to Sager’s friendship proposal?

  I had begun the week at Whistler on a high because of it, but ended it feeling bottomed out. Not because of anything Sager had done. He had been a perfect friend. Texting every day. Just brief messages. How are you? What are you doing? That kind of thing. Innocuous inquiries. Little nothings that were big somethings to me since I had absolutely no one else checking up on me. My responses had been just as casual, though I had perseverated a great deal on each reply. Good. Tired. Doing well. Coming back into the city today. Maybe I’ll see you around. I had thought about the last open ended one for at least thirty minutes before sending it. I was afraid maybe I had crossed a line and made him uncomfortable until I received a response.

  Sager: Call me when you’re available. We’ll meet somewhere and talk

  And my brain hadn’t shut off about it. I wondered what he wanted to talk about. I had been thinking about the message and him while Tyler had been inside me making what had already been lackluster sex completely intolerable. And why the hell was I feeling guilty? Sager and I were only going to be friends. It wasn’t like I was hiding anything. But I did. Even now behind the locked door I felt like I wanted to peel off my skin everywhere Tyler had touched me. Not that he had touched me a lot. The first time we had been together, yeah. But more and more lately with him it was like I wasn’t even there when he mounted, thrust in and out a couple of times and grunted his climax.

  A sharp rap on the door made me flinch.

  “Hey, baby, you ok?”

  “Yeah sure. I’m just tired,” I lied, flushing the toilet to facilitate the ruse. Unlocking the door, I came out with my chin to my chest planning to avoid him, get in the shower and then climb into bed to feign sleep as soon as possible. But he had other plans. He caught me, swinging me around, his fingers digging so deep into the flesh of my upper arms that it hurt.

  “Not the best for you, huh?”

  I met his gaze and shook my head deciding that maybe he was more tuned into me than I had given him credit for.

  “For me, either.” While I was still reeling from that bit of information—he had sure seemed enthusiastic a couple of moments earlier—he added a few more qualifiers that stung. “I mean don’t get me wrong you’re a lot sexier now that you’ve lost all the weight, but it’s not like it’s been all that exciting the last couple of times. Definitely not hot as shit.” My jaw tightened. He remembered what Sager had said the previous weekend, and it had obviously gotten to him, which I was pretty certain had been Sager’s intention.

  Tyler drew me closer, his naked body pressed tightly to my own. I could feel his rod, hot, solid and ready to go again apparently. “I wanna fuck you, but this time I wanna go bare.”

  “Um, no.” My eyes were wide. “Are you crazy?”

  “I’ve been checked out. They take samples from me like vampires every two weeks checking for drugs and ’roids. I had them do the STD and HIV panel extra just to be safe.”

  “Still.” I shook my head vehemently. There had to be trust for me to take that leap, and trust was something I didn’t have in him.

  “Well this vanilla routine is not doing it for me anymore.” His gaze narrowing, he released me, stomped over to his jeans like a petulant child and stepped into them, drawing the boxers up at the same time. “I’m going out. Don’t wait up. You’re welcome to stay the night. But listen…” He paused to hit me with a disdainful look. “After this, I’ll call you next time. You don’t have to do bare if you don’t want to. That’s your choice. Fine. But you’re going to have to consider spicing things up. I wanna play around with some handcuffs and stuff and maybe bring another chick in, if there’s a next time.”

  Arms at my sides, insides churning, I stared dully at Tyler as he snagged his shirt from the bed, swiped his wallet from the dresser and tagged his socks and shoes from the floor. He avoided my gaze and I was fine with that. I didn’t have it in me to pretend the things he had said hadn’t hurt.

  “I’ll see you around, baby.” He tossed over his shoulder before throwing open the door and exiting.

  Fingers curled into fists, nails digging into my palms, I stared at the closed door for a while, longer than I realized because when I eventually turned away I was shivering from the cold. I stumbled to the bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror, turning my naked body one way and then the other. Tears blurred the image but not before I saw the truth. I pinched an inch at my waist disgusted with myself and the extra fat that lingered despite all the dieting and exercising. No wonder my fuck buddy thought I was inadequate. I stepped into the shower and turned on the water staying under it and scrubbing my body with the textured bath soap until my skin was raw.

  Afterward, I dried off with the towel avoiding my reflection in the bathroom mirror. I knew my flaws. I was just going to have to work even harder to fix them. I dug in my overnight bag and pulled out my exercise gear. The gym at the Sutton was open 24 hours. I shrugged into a top and shorts that used to be form fitting. They were looser on my frame now. But I still had a long way to go. I knew my life would be better when I was thin. Tyler wouldn’t be able to walk away from me so easily once the roll around my middle was gone. It would be me saying sayōnara when I got bored with him. It would be me walking away and not the other way around.

  I swiped my key card from the dresser. I had a modeling interview at the Fairmont in the morning. I might be able to lose a pound maybe even two if I worked out hard, restricted my fluid intake and skipped breakfast. I needed that job.

  I entered the hall, strode determinedly down the le
ngth of it and pressed the elevator call button. When it arrived, I busied myself tying my hair back into a ponytail feeling too raw to make eye contact with the people already inside.

  “Hola, puta.” Hello, bitch.

  My battered around heart sank to my toes. “King.” I turned around to acknowledge him. His dark hair was a little longer than I remembered. A new peace patch and a goatee drew attention to the shape of his chin giving him an even more dangerous look. He leaned against the back wall with his arms around two girls. A third one stood nearby seemingly part of his entourage as well. His tawny colored eyes flashed with disapproval as they swept over me.

  “Heard you were back in town,” he spit out. “Saw you on the television at the Canuck’s game earlier. Saw Tyler Sutter lay a big one on you after. Hard to avoid it when the sports bar had every channel tuned to the game.”

  Had Sager been with him and seen me, too? I held my breath pathetically interested in whatever he might have said to his best friend about me.

  “Can’t say that I’m happy to hear that you’re back around again, Bluebelle.” King shook his head. “Muy malo” Very bad. “Trouble seems to follow you wherever you go. Don’t get any ideas about sinking your claws into mi hermano again. He’s moved on. Fortune smiled on him the day he got shot of you. It’s been a fiesta of pussy since then.” He slid his arms lower over the shoulders of the girls beside him and grabbed their tits. They giggled like clueless twats. The elevator dinged, the doors slid open and he steered his harem past me before I could think of a clever retort. Not that there was much I could say. I knew that most of what he had said had been the truth.

  “Have a good workout, Bluebelle,” he added snidely. “Mi hermano and I certainly will.”

  • • •

  Sager

  “Hey,” I said surprised to run into Melinda in the hallway that separated the gym from the spa. She was wearing exercise gear again. But she had dark circles under her eyes and looked as exhausted as I felt. It had been a miserable sleepless night for me after seeing replay after replay of her and that douchebag on six different screens at the bar. King hadn’t let up about it, and I longed for my drawing pencils as I imagined what she might have been doing with him last night that had her looking so worn out this morning.

  “Hey,” she returned, pressing her lips flat together. “What brings you down to this level? You’re not dressed for the gym.” She gave me a serious head to toe scan and snapped her wet ponytail back over her shoulder. “But then I guess you wouldn’t need to work out. I’m sure you burned plenty of calories with the fiesta in your room.” I didn’t know what the hell she was talking about but whatever it was seemed to irritate her.

  “How’s your goalie boyfriend?”

  “He’s not my boyfriend.” Her delicate brows drew together.

  “Sure looked the part on TV last night.”

  She shook her head, her eyes darkening as if what I had said hurt her.

  “Melinda, are you ok?” I asked stepping closer.

  “Sure, why wouldn’t I be?” she quipped curtly.

  “Well, you seem kind of upset, and you look really pale.” There was no color in her cheeks. Her dark hair was soaked, and her clothes looked like she had gone swimming in them.

  “I’m not upset.” She lifted her chin. “Did King tell you I was?”

  “When did you see King?” It was my turn to sound suspicious. What the hell was going on? “I feel like I’m missing something.”

  “I ran into him in the elevator late last night. He said that you, that he…” She blew out a breath. “It doesn’t matter.” She shrugged both shoulders as if whatever King had said had been insignificant, but I got the opposite impression. “I need to go get cleaned up. I’m all sweaty.” She started to move around me while rubbing the skin on her upper arms, drawing my attention to them.

  “Melinda,” I growled her name, an extremely restrained response considering what I had just noticed. I stepped in front of her, walking her backward until I had her caged, my hands pressed against the wall on either side of her head. I searched her widened eyes. “You care to enlighten me on how you got those bruises on your arms?” I swallowed. The heat of my anger scorched the back of my throat like fire. I couldn’t stand the thought of anyone hurting her.

  “I…” She licked her lips and started to turn her head to the side.

  “Uh-uh.” I captured her chin in a gentle grip so she had to look at me. “Don’t try to make up some lie about it happening while you were skiing. You know I’ve seen and experienced enough abuse to know it when I see it. Did Tyler do that to you?” It would give me a reason to beat the shit out of him like I had wanted to last night after seeing him kiss her. Only a phone call to Abuelita and another all-nighter with my sketchpad had kept my anger at bay. “Don’t tell me you gave him permission to rough you up like that?”

  “What?” She seemed momentarily dazed by the bright blaze in my eyes. “No, of course not, though I think he might be into the bondage thing.”

  “Huh? I’m not following. Did he hurt you or not?” If he had, he was really going to wish he hadn’t when I was finished with him.

  “It’s not important.”

  The hell it isn’t, I thought.

  “It’s really none of your business.” Her eyes turbulent, she treated me to a flash of her defiant fire. “Just like it’s none of mine what you did last night.”

  “Which is what exactly?” I had no fucking clue what she was talking about.

  “The trio of fiesta girls King escorted to your room.” I found the accusation in her tone intriguing.

  “King didn’t escort anyone to my room, Melinda. I was alone the entire evening. Same as last weekend.” Working on sketches of her.

  “Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “You guys are all the same, so fixated on having group sex.”

  “Not all guys, Blue.” I thought it was important to point out. “Contrary to popular myth more doesn’t necessarily mean better. At least not to me.” Not after you, I added to myself. “Sex is best between two people who care about each other. When there’s a connection, like the way it was with us.”

  “That’s nice of you to say,” she said after a thoughtful beat, her eyes narrowing as she studied my face. “But I’m not sure I believe you.”

  “Your call, but it’s the truth. I’ve never lied to you.”

  “You were really alone last night?”

  I nodded.

  She cocked her head to the side. Her indignation retreating, her expression softened. “I liked it that you checked up on me this week,” she whispered quietly. Her hands came up to rest on my arms. Her fingers were hot and a little clammy, but even so it turned me on to be touched again by her.

  “My pleasure.” I spoke the words firmly. I was tired of playing games. I figured the truth was the only way to go, especially with the douche giving me an opening. What kind of guy wouldn’t be satisfied with Melinda in his bed?

  “Why don’t we go somewhere quiet to talk after you’ve had your shower?” I leaned in closer, my gaze dipping to her lips. They parted slightly. I wanted to kiss her, taste her sweet cherry flavored lips again, but I settled for tucking a wayward strand of her damp hair behind her ear, grazing my fingertips along the elegant line of her neck before withdrawing them. She shivered, her nipples becoming tight visible points beneath the scrap of material that served as her top. Remembering how good it had felt when she had arched her tits into my hands, I decided to hell with King’s warnings. To hell with the fact that I might get torched again. She was worth walking through the flames. “C’mon. You know you want to. Say yes.”

  “I do, but I can’t. I have a modeling interview. But we could try to get together the next time I come to town.” Her pink tongue peeked out to swipe across her lips. My cock lengthened behind the zipper of my jeans as I imagined a different kind of coming together starting with capturing her tongue with my mouth and sucking on it. “If you have any free time I mean,�
� she added looking vulnerable and unsure.

  “Of course I do. Of course I would.” I didn’t even try to act casual. “You have my cell.” I pressed my lips to her sweet cheek. “Text or call me anytime you want to, Blue.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Melinda

  His warm lips, even just resting on my cheek, gave me a full head to toe shiver. Suddenly my vision tunneled the same way it had at the gym in Whistler. When the floor pitched beneath my feet this time, I tightened my grip on his strong arms to steady myself.

  “What’s wrong?” Sager’s voice filled with concern. “You look like you’re going to faint.” He gathered me closer and swept me off my feet. I twined my arm around his neck and clung to him like a vine.

  “I just worked out too hard on an empty stomach. I guess I’m still a little wobbly.”

  Wobbly. That’s a stretch, my inner voice chimed in with plenty of self-deprecating sarcasm. More like you almost fell on your ass from only a simple kiss on the cheek.

  “Shush,” I hissed, attempting to blink the hazy world back into clearer focus.

  “I didn’t say anything.” Sager’s sexy voice rumbled through his chest and into the ear I had pressed to it.

  “Oops. My bad.” I lifted my head but didn’t unthread my fingers from his hair. They had somehow tangled in the silken strands at his nape. I wasn’t in a hurry to remove them anytime soon, even though my cheeks were warm from embarrassment after my moment of weakness. “I’m ok. You can put me down now.” I wasn’t ok. My ears were still ringing. “Really,” I added when he made a disbelieving noise and his arms tightened. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Are you kidding? No way.” His tone and his expression firm, he strode to a nearby bench and gently set me on it. “Stay right here.” He reached behind his head, removed my hands, brought them together, placed them in my lap and squeezed them. “I’m going to get you some water. I’ll be right back.” He yanked open the glass door to the exercise room and ducked inside while I negotiated with the room about not spinning anymore.