They finished up their set with crowd going frantic. The Freaks did an encore song, and that got them even more worked up. I was pretty worked up myself. Their show was over, and it'd been so great. The silence they left behind had me feeling empty.
I wasn't sure what to do with myself as the guys got up. They'd go backstage, but I didn't know if they wanted to be alone for a while or what. After a normal show, we all hung out together, but this had been different. It'd been magic.
Before I could move, Crow grabbed hold of me.
He didn't just grab me; he picked me up in the air and swung me around. His beard tickled against my cheek. I held him tight. This was the perfect end to their show. I was in his arms, and it felt like heaven.
It became even more perfect when he pressed his lips against mine. This time, he kissed me slowly. Gently. Nothing like that kiss from before. I kissed him back. He tasted of burger, but then so would I. I sank into him, wanting this kiss to last forever. The crowd keep screaming, and it seemed like they were screaming for us. My heart screamed just as loud.
That kiss proved it. It proved everything. Things between us had shifted.
But just as suddenly as he'd lifted me up, he let me down. He grabbed a towel from one of the crew and wiped himself down, then walked off.
Huh?
What had that been about?
Would he have kissed any girl who'd been standing here? I didn't know. I'd never seen him even look at anyone else before. Not so much as a glance.
Rose and Elijah went back to the VIP area, and I tagged along with them, still shell-shocked. I needed answers.
Crow wasn't in the Freaks' area when I got back there.
I sat alone at the table, not sure what to do. Damo and the crew stood around chatting about the show. Elijah and Rose were wrapped up in each other, literally. Matt had disappeared again.
"Hey, Damo, is that food area still open?" I asked.
He looked at his watch. "Yeah, for the next half-hour or so. You'd better run if you want stuff before they sell out, though."
I nodded. I wasn't even hungry, but standing in a food line beat the hell out of sitting around here, being all awkward. It wasn't like I'd say no to another of those tacos.
I got to the food vans. The taco line was long again. I looked around, wondering if this was where Crow had got to, but I couldn't see him anywhere. That guy drove me crazy with his attitude. I could still taste him on my lips and smell him on my skin, but he'd run off like that.
The line moved slowly. They'd better not run out of tacos before I got to the front. I traced circles in the dirt with my foot. I wasn't even in a hurry, just anxious.
Finally, I got to the front of the line.
"We only have two chicken left," the girl said.
"I'll take them."
I waited for her to make them up, then headed back to the Freaks. Even if I was ignored, I could eat my food and maybe have a beer. The world seemed flat and dull, but who knew. Maybe Crow had returned and maybe he had a good excuse for running out on me.
"Hey there, girlie," someone said as I walked back.
Shit. It was the double jerk from before. I screwed up my nose and kept walking.
He grabbed my arm. "Don't screw up your nose at me," he said. "Don't you know who I am?"
Actually, I didn't.
"Yeah, you're the jerk from before. Listen, I'm not interested, so take your hand off me."
I tried to walk off, but his grip tightened. He moved his body closer to me. Way too close. His breath stank, and he really needed a shower.
"Your beardy boyfriend isn't here to rescue you this time," he said.
I twisted, trying to get out of his grasp. He put his other hand on me so I couldn't get loose.
"I shouldn't need him here. I need you to stop being a jerk."
He laughed. "Come on, sweetie. You're hot to trot. Don't put on that bullshit."
"I'm hot to kick your ass," I said.
I wasn't sure how I'd do that, since he was a lot bigger than me and I had my hands full with tacos. Then he started pulling me. If he got me inside his closed-off area, I'd be screwed. He had a hold of me from behind, so I couldn't strike out at him or rub one of those tacos in his face. All I could do was kick back at him, but my foot didn't connect.
A few people walked past, and I screamed out. Surely, they'd stop him. But they just laughed. Who did that? It was obvious the guy was being a dick.
I struggled, but he was way too strong for me. Someone had to help me, but there was no one else around.
Fay
I KEPT SCREAMING, BUT no one cared. There was music playing in about ten different spots around the VIP area, and no one would even hear me unless they were close.
"Let go of me, you stupid jerk!" I screamed. "I'm not interested!"
He ignored me. I dropped the tacos and tried to hold on to one of the metal poles holding those tarps up, but my fingers were all greasy from the tacos, and he easily pulled me away. I had no chance against him.
"Settle down," he said. "I just want to talk."
"You don't talk by mauling people," I told him.
I'd fight this bastard to the death if I had to. I couldn't count on Crow coming to rescue me again. I couldn't count on anyone.
This guy's area wasn't nearly as fancy as the Freaks', but he had a sofa, and he threw me on it.
"Come on, just a little taste," he said. He started undoing his belt buckle.
Hell, no. I jumped up off that sofa and rushed out of there. He tried to grab me again, but he was too slow. I ran as fast as I could, my feet bouncing on the rubber mats under me until I got to the Freaks' area.
"What's wrong, Firecracker?" Elijah asked. "All out of tacos?"
I tried to answer but couldn't talk. Then he looked at me and put his arms around me.
"What's wrong?"
I didn't want to say. People kept saying I'd get myself in trouble, but I'd only gone to get a taco. It wasn't like I'd been doing anything wrong. I couldn't tell him anyway because every time I tried to talk, it came out as a dry sob.
Then Crow walked in. He saw me in Elijah's arms.
Damn. The way his face dropped. This was not good.
"It's not like it looks," I said, pulling away from Elijah.
"It looks like you're upset and Elijah's comforting you," he said. "Is that right?"
I nodded.
"What happened?" His dark eyes flashed.
I didn't want to tell him. He'd tried to punch the guy earlier. If I told him about this, I didn't know how he'd react. This could mean trouble. But I couldn't lie to him, either.
"Nothing. I'm overreacting," I told him. "It's fine." I forced myself to smile.
He put his hands on my shoulders. "Don't lie to me," he said. "It takes a lot to wipe that bubbly smile off your face. You're a little ray of sunshine. Now, tell me."
I wanted to rest my head on his chest. I wanted him to tell me it was okay. But I did not want to tell him what had happened.
"Promise you won't do anything," I said.
"I can't promise that," he said. "But I'll try."
The music buzzed around us, an annoying mish-mash of noise. People whooped somewhere in the distance. I didn't want to tell him. I wanted to get far away from here.
"It was stupid. I'm overreacting, I tell you. That guy, the jerk who knocked my burger--he was being a dick."
"Did he touch you?"
I hesitated. The look on Crow's face suggested he might kill the guy. I didn't want him doing anything stupid.
"Where is he?" Crow asked. I didn't want to answer, but he turned to Elijah. "That electro guy, Elijah, what's his name?"
"Bilson?"
"Yep, that's him."
Crow strode out.
"Go with him, Lij. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," I said.
Elijah nodded and took off after Crow.
Rose put her arm around me and led me to the sofa. I sat down, but I couldn't keep my hand
s still.
"You didn't do anything wrong," she said. "And Elijah will make sure Crow doesn't do anything stupid. Just wait for them to come back."
I tried to smile. "I shouldn't have--"
"There's nothing you shouldn't have done. Well, except the hitchhiking. But going to get some food--you should be able to do that without some idiot molesting you."
I nodded.
She started talking about the show. Asking me questions. I knew what she was doing: trying to distract me. But it helped a little. I was just worried that Crow would punch him, and he'd end up being the one in trouble. Even so, a part of me wanted him to grind that guy into the ground. Make mincemeat out of him. The freaky creep.
"I shouldn't have said anything."
"Even if you hadn't, it was clear when you walked back in here that something was wrong. Even Elijah noticed, and he's not the most switched-on guy in the world. You were as white as a ghost."
"If I'd stayed back in Brussels--"
"He'd have attacked someone else. It's sad it had to be you, but guys like that are just shits."
I pulled my knees up to my chest. This wasn't the way this night was supposed to go.
"At least you got away from him," Rose said.
I nodded again. I could still feel his hands on my shoulders. I'd had guys be a bit overly keen before, but that had been different. A few stern words and they'd backed off, but that guy wouldn't ever have backed off. And those people who'd seen him dragging me, had seen me screaming, and they'd laughed. The world could be a really shitty place at times.
"They're taking a while," I said.
"They'll be fine. You really care about him a lot," she said.
"I do. Everyone keeps telling me to stay away from him, but he's not a bad person," I said. "Although he scared me a little. The way he looked."
"He's a good person. I bet it takes a lot to anger him, but when he gets fired up, it's for real. That's not a good thing, but it's not a bad thing, either, so long as he knows how to control it."
I got up and grabbed one of the beers. I wasn't sure if I should be drinking when I was so worked up, but I wanted something to hold in my hands. I didn't even open it, just picked at the label.
Finally, Crow and Elijah returned. I looked from Crow to Elijah, hoping to find some kind of clue as to what had happened, but I wasn't sure.
"It's taken care of," Crow said. "Now, we're going back to the hotel. We're supposed to wait, but Fartstard's made special arrangements."
I got up and followed him. I needed him to tell me what had happened, but he wouldn't talk unless he wanted to. And right now, it seemed he didn't want to.
Fay
CROW TOLD ME WHAT HAD happened on the drive back to the hotel. We were both sitting in the back of the van. I leaned on Crow, wanting to feel the strength of him. His solidness soothed me.
The two of them had found the jerk, but he'd tried to laugh everything off. He said I'd led him on, then got scared.
"I did nothing to lead him on," I said.
"I know that," he said. "The guy's a dick."
Then Crow had grabbed him. "I had him in a choke hold. I wanted to kill the bastard. But Elijah talked some sense into my head."
I shuddered a little. Things could get out of control so easily in this life.
Crow took my hand in his, sensing my need for reassurance.
"Then what happened?" I asked.
"Are you sure you want to talk about this?" Crow asked. "It might be better to forget about it."
"No. I'd rather know."
"It all got sorted out. Elijah called out for one of the security guards to get the organizer."
Where had that damn security been when I needed them? If you had security, surely they should keep people secure.
They'd explained the situation to the organizer while the jerk protested his innocence. He kept saying I'd led him on.
"Fay does not lead people on," Lij had told him.
Good old Lij, but Crow said that Lij had gotten fired up after that, too. If the organizer hadn't stepped in, the two of them would've beaten him into a pulp.
"What did the organizer do?" I asked.
"Kicked him off the site. Told him he'd never play one of their festivals again. He also asked if you wanted to press charges."
I shook my head vigorously. Pressing charges would be awful. I was just glad to have gotten away from him.
"I'm happy to forget the whole thing happened."
"Apparently, he was causing trouble before this. Just small things. Give some people a bit of fame, and it turns them into total assholes. He's getting a reputation for being trouble, and the guy isn't big enough to do that. Sad thing is, if he was a huge name, this would've probably been overlooked."
Yep. I'd been lucky being on this tour. No matter how annoying the guys could be, they weren't sleazes. They all kept their hands to themselves. And if anyone did act like that, Polly would cut them down to size.
My stomach lurched when I thought about it.
I'd bitched and moaned about Polly being so overprotective, but maybe that wasn't always a bad thing. With guys like that in the world, you needed a bit of protection. I just thought she was wrong when it came to Crow. I wished she'd get to know him better. He'd never act like that. If anyone around here had been acting sleazy, it'd been me. What had I been thinking? If some dude let himself into my room and planted himself naked in my bed, I'd have a fit. I blushed thinking about it from that perspective.
"Does anyone know about this besides you and Lij?" I asked him.
"You don't want Polly to know?"
"Of course not. She'd go nuts."
"Well, I can't speak for Elijah, but I won't say anything."
"Elijah had better keep his mouth shut. I'll make sure of that."
We arrived back at the hotel and went up to Crow's room.
He lingered in the doorway. "Ah... I guess I should go to Damo's room." He glanced back down the hallway.
"Stay a little while, please. I don't want to be alone, and it might be weird being in Damo's room without him there. You know what he's like. You might nudge something out of its perfectly aligned right angle."
I didn't want him to think this was a ploy to seduce him or anything. I really did want him to stay.
Crow chuckled, but he took a step farther into the room.
"Anyway," I said. "I feel bad about kicking you out of your room like this. I've been a pain in the butt, haven't I?"
"You're barely," he said with a big grin.
That grin disappeared almost as soon as it appeared on his face. He stepped closer to me and pulled the neck of my t-shirt aside.
"That bastard," he said. "He really hurt you."
The light traces of his fingers on my shoulder took away any pain I was feeling. I wanted him to keep that up, but then I noticed that black expression back on his face. I didn't want him dwelling on this.
I adjusted my t-shirt back into place. "It's fine. I bruise easily," I said. "The bruises will fade. They look worse than they are."
I sat down on the sofa, wanting to relax. My whole body slumped after all the tension. "We can watch a movie or something," I said.
He nodded and sat down on the sofa beside me. Even though it was a three-seater, he sat right beside me so his leg brushed against mine.
I picked up the remote control and turned on the television. There was an old movie on. Some sappy romantic comedy.
"Are you okay with this?" I asked him.
Crow didn't seem like a romantic comedy kind of guy. On the other hand, he didn't seem like an explosions and car chases kind of guy, either. I had no idea what his taste in movies was. I still had so much to discover about him.
"Yep, anything you want to watch," he said.
I shuffled a bit closer. Crow was so nice and warm, and the smell of him made me happy. I didn't want to do anything weird like put my head into the crook of his neck and take a big whiff, but the thought did occur to me.
I curled my legs up on the sofa, leaning against Crow. I wondered if he'd put his arm around me, but I wasn't sure if he would. Of course, I could ask him to, but I wanted him to do it out of his own choice. The gap between him putting his arm around me of his own free will and doing it because he felt sorry for me was a massive one.
When he moved, my heart sang. He put his arm over my shoulder, lightly, as though he was worried he'd hurt me. I rested my head on his chest. He had a nice chest for resting your head on. Those muscles were a lot more comfort than you'd think. He had nice arms too. Almost everything about Crow was nice.
"Do you want me to order something from room service?" he asked. "Since you missed out on your tacos."
"Nope. I'm fine."
If we ordered room service, we'd have to move, and I was perfectly happy snuggled up with him like this. I'd be happy if he wanted to kiss me too, but having the comfort of him was pretty damn good.
"I must stink," he said. "I got all sweaty onstage."
It was too late to worry about that now.
"A little bit, but it's a comforting smell," I told him. "It's not gross." I wasn't lying, either. He didn't smell sweaty, just manly. "It was a brilliant show tonight," I said. "I've never seen anything like it."
"Did it make you happy?" he asked.
"A little bit. And a little bit jealous. I wanted to be the one up there, with that crowd and that energy."
He laughed, which made my head bounce a little on his chest. "You'll do it."
"I don't have Damo's talent."
"Damo's been doing this for years. You've been doing it, what, less than a month? Don't rush yourself. You're amazing. A natural."
I liked that.
"I always wanted to be in a band. I used to stay with Polly every summer, and I'd practice and practice. I learned all their songs. Singing and bass. Of course I did, or I wouldn't be playing with them now. Do you really think I'm good? Sometimes I wonder if I'm only here because I was the only option."
That worry had lingered in the back of my mind since I'd joined the tour: that I was the booby prize. I didn't feel like I'd earned my place.
"You don't know Damo if you're asking that," he said. "He doesn't praise much, but if you aren't up to scratch, he'll let you know. I'm pretty sure that Polly would in her own way, too. She cares about you a lot. You shouldn't take that for granted."
Rock Mayhem: 8 Complete Rock Star Romance Novels Page 67
