Kiss the Witch Goodbye

by Lisa Olsen

  Dressed in tight, low slung, leather pants and a black button-up shirt with the arms ripped off, hanging loose and open to reveal lean, chiseled abs, he looked good enough to eat. With his hair tousled and spiky and a touch of liner at the eyes to give him a dark, sexy stare, he looked every inch the predator her father imagined him to be. Hastily shoving that idea away before it wigged her out, Veronica let the music wash over her, dancing along with those beside her.

  Amid the enthusiastic applause that followed, the first few notes of the second song filtered through, deep and throbbing, and Veronica held her breath, knowing what was coming next. The crowd heard it too, the cheers falling to a pregnant hush as Jax took center stage. Invoke Me, the song that made Forsaken a household name swelled louder, Jax commanding all eyes in the room as he stepped up to the mic. His voice slid out like a caress and the crowd fell unusually quiet for such a size as they became caught up in his spell.

  Invoke me

  Let me inside you

  Let me provide you

  With all that you need

  His gaze raked over the crowd and stopped in her direction. Even though she knew it was stupid, and he probably couldn’t see her at all with the stage lights, Veronica felt like he was singing just for her.

  Invoke me

  Let me inside you

  I know how to guide you

  I know what you need

  “Oh my God, he’s looking right at you!” Kristen squealed, grabbing at her elbow so violently, Veronica almost lost her balance.

  “No… he’s not. He’s…” It really did look like he was, but in the next instant Jax shifted focus, stalking to the other side of the stage to deliver the next verse. Veronica felt a soft puff of disappointment leave her lungs, but it was easier to breathe now, and she settled in to enjoy the rest of the show.

  Next up after Invoke Me was I Feel it Coming, followed by Ruby’s lazy rendition of Summer Breeze. The audience was less in awe by the fourth number, singing along with Ruby’s hauntingly beautiful vocals. The band was killing it, every bit as good as their recordings, only better, because they were right there, up close and personal.

  Veronica hardly even felt the passage of time, and before they knew it, Jax announced the final song of the night. Too exhilarated to be tired from all the jumping up and down, she caught up Kristen’s hand, dragging her to the backstage entrance. “Come on, let’s beat the rush and see if we can get backstage now!” she yelled.

  “But I don’t want to miss this, I love this song!”

  “This will be better, trust me!”

  It was easy enough to be admitted past the velvet ropes with the backstage passes hanging from their necks. The girls stopped for a few moments to watch the end of the performance from the wings, Jax still in view, but somehow more intimate in profile. From there they could see the back of his shirt was drenched with sweat, tiny beads of perspiration trailing down the sides of his neck.

  The last few notes of the song hung heavy in the air amid thunderous applause, and they clapped furiously as well before they had to duck out of the way to make room for the technical crew. “Let’s go,” said Veronica, pulling Kristen along to the stairwell that led to the “backstage” area below.

  The stairs opened up into a large open room set up with couches and chairs to lounge in. There were several doors along the interior wall leading to dressing rooms and the management offices for the place. Framed posters hung on the walls, most of them signed by famous bands who’d played the venue. A buffet table was set up on the far end with ice cold drinks and snacks, though nobody seemed to be munching.

  If they’d thought to beat the rush, they were mistaken. There was already a gaggle of fans in the backstage area below (most of them women), along with various crew members hurrying from place to place. Veronica and Kristen took up a spot in the far corner of the room, their eyes on the stairs as the band started to descend.

  She’d thought maybe Jax and Ruby would stop and sign autographs, at the very least say hello to the crowd, but the entertainers made a beeline for their respective dressing rooms, without so much as a glance in the direction of the fans that clamored in their wake.

  A guy in a dark suit with a band t-shirt under the jacket held his hands up, forcing the gaggle of girls back. “Let him catch his breath, ladies. He’ll be out for a celebratory drink in just a few,” he said with authority. He was young, early to mid-twenties, younger than Jax and Ruby, at least. His brown curls bobbed as he nodded and smiled gregariously, trying to draw one of the girls into conversation, but she didn’t seem very interested.

  Kristen flashed a nervous look at her phone. “We’re supposed to be home by midnight.”

  “We can’t leave now, you heard that skinny guy, they’re going to come out any minute. Your mom won’t even notice.”

  “Yes, she will. She’s working the nightshift tonight and she needs to be there by one. She’ll kill me if I stay out past curfew.”

  Veronica understood curfew better than most with a cop for a father. But she also understood this was a once in a lifetime chance. “It’ll be worth it, I promise. We’ll still get back in time for your mom to get to work, we just might be a teensy bit late. Better to be grounded and live a little than to miss out on this opportunity.”

  “I don’t know…”

  The door opened then and Jax strode out. The sweaty shirt was gone, leaving him in the pair of leather pants and a smile. “I’ll stay,” Kristen murmured, transfixed by the dark trail of hair that started from his navel and disappeared under the leather pants.

  Veronica stifled a grin as she caught sight of her friend’s dazed smile, looping her elbow through hers. “Come on, he’s super cool, I want you to meet him.”

  “He’s not going to remember you.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Don’t you want to be close enough to him to smell his sweat?”

  Kristen’s loopy grin resurfaced. “Okay, let’s go.”

  Only it was impossible to get close to him with the other girls swarming like locusts. There was no sign of Ruby yet. After trying to skirt their way into the throng from multiple angles, Veronica was willing to admit defeat. “Come on, let’s get something cool to drink. Maybe they’ll back off after a few minutes.” Leading her friend to the refreshment table, she looked it over before picking up a small cluster of red seedless grapes.

  “Do you think we’re allowed to drink these beers?” Kristen whispered at her side. “Nobody carded us to get in or anything.”

  Drinking hadn’t been Veronica’s plan. In fact, for what she had in mind she’d rather keep her wits straight, but she could hardly deny her friend if that’s what she wanted, especially after talking up how easily she’d get introduced to Jax. “Ah, go ahead if you want to, I don’t think anybody cares. I can drive us back to your place later.”

  “You’re not going to have one?”

  “No, I think I’ll stick to water.” Her throat was sore from all the yelling and screaming during the concert.

  “I’d better not,” Kristen chickened out then, reaching for a diet soda instead.

  “Hey… I know you, don’t I?”

  Veronica didn’t have to turn around to recognize the voice, and Kristen’s death grip on her arm provided the confirmation she needed. Fighting the urge to squeal, she turned around slowly, a faint smile on her lips as she regarded Jax May.

  “Maybe,” she said in a voice she didn’t recognize, husky, almost sultry. His eyes narrowed as he tried to come up with it, and Veronica hoped like crazy that nothing about her cop of a father jumped in there. “Don’t strain yourself.” Her smile widened slightly as she popped a grape between her lips.

  Predictably, his eyes fell to her mouth as she chewed and swallowed. “Those are my grapes,” he protested lightly, and she brought another one to her lips.

  “They’re good.” They’re good? What kind of an answer was that? It was like someone else was speaking for her, but it seemed to do the trick, the
corner of his mouth twitched into a half smile.

  “Yeah, I know. I have them after every show.”

  Kristen practically vibrated by her side, but Veronica couldn’t look away from Jax’s dark gaze, her head tilting to one side as she flirted like she had an idea what the hell she was talking about. “Really? They’re so plump and juicy, I can see why.”

  He held out his hand for the grapes but she deliberately pretended to misunderstand, slipping her hand into his instead. “Nice to see you again,” she smiled, leaning up on her toes to kiss his raspy cheek, lingering long enough to catch his scent mingled with the tang of leather. When she pulled back, her heart skipped a beat over the hungry look he gave her, and she could tell it had nothing to do with the fruit. There… now’s he’s looking at me, she thought to herself with a touch of amazement.

  Veronica was sure he could feel the way her heart pounded from his grasp on her hand. Instead of objecting to his hold on her, she jerked her head to one side, remembering her promise. “This is my friend, Kristen.”

  “Hey, cutie,” Jax said with a practiced grin but his eyes almost immediately swung back to Veronica, narrowing slightly. “Where do I know you from again?”

  “If you can’t remember, it must not have been all that memorable,” she considered aloud, tugging her hand free as the guy in the suit came to talk to Jax, exchanging a few low words.

  “V, we have to get going,” Kristen whispered, tugging at her elbow, but she was able to shake off the hold fairly easily. Veronica had no intention of leaving before she got what she came for.

  “We can’t leave now, I need to talk to him,” she insisted, eyes on Jax, who gave the other guy the brush off, turning back to them with a slight frown.

  “You’re not leaving already, are you?”

  “No, of course not,” Veronica said with a forced smile. How would it look if she had to get home by midnight?

  “But the car…” Kristen hissed, clinging to her arm again and Veronica gave her a tiny push.

  “Go ahead, I’ll catch up with you later.”

  Kristen stared at her, mouth gaping open like a fish. “How will you get home?”

  God, he was going to think she was a kid, unable to stay out after dark. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll make it home on my own.” Worst case scenario she could catch the late bus and walk part of the way. Of course that was definitely against the ground rules her father had set, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.

  “I’ll take care of your friend,” Jax smiled, placing a proprietary hand on the small of Veronica’s back, his palm hot against her bare skin. “Come on, let’s go get to know each other better.”

  Before she could stammer an appropriate response, the guy in the suit intervened, blocking their way. “Hey, hey, hey, where are you going?” he said, his smile stretched tight though his tone was clearly upset. “I need you to stay and press the flesh. There’s a reporter here from the Willamette Weekly.”

  “So? It’s not like it’s from Spin Magazine or anything,” Jax balked, guiding Veronica around the man. “Just let them write up how the show went. I need a cold drink, I’ll be out in a while.”

  “You’re killing me, Jax.”

  “I could say the same,” the rocker scowled. “Now would you get lost, Gideon? I need to unwind.”

  Veronica flashed Kristen her crossed fingers and hoped for the best as he steered her to his dressing room.

  Chapter Eleven

  Veronica preceded him into the room, which had a lit makeup table in one corner with a scatter of cosmetics all over it. A rolling garment rack up against the wall held a row of clothes on hangers, with a bunch of duffel bags thrown beneath in a jumbled heap. A buffet cabinet tucked against the other wall with a coffee pot at one end and a mini-fridge on the other. A red velvet loveseat dominated the rest of the space with a low oval coffee table before it.

  It was cozy, and she could see herself getting very comfortable on that loveseat.

  Unsure if she should sit or not, Veronica stepped deeper into the room, pretending to look over the contents of the makeup table.

  “We’ve got ourselves a problem, V… is it?” Jax said, leaning against the inside of the dressing room door. For half a moment her heart pounded as she wondered if he’d lock it, but his hands settled upon his hips as he regarded her with the hint of a smile behind his solemn tone.

  He’d heard Kristen mention her name, had he? She had to be more careful she didn’t let something else slip. “What’s that?”

  “You’ve got something I want, and I always get what I want.”

  Her mouth went dry before she remembered the cluster of grapes still in her hand. “Do you?” she swallowed, deliberately popping another into her mouth, relishing the burst of juice across her tongue as she bit into it.

  “What are we going to do about this?” He pushed away from the door, stalking closer.

  “That does sound like quite a problem,” she said with mock severity, her eyes blinking with feigned interest. Where she was going with this game, she wasn’t quite sure, but the playful give and take between them, so different from the way the boys at school talked to her, was almost addicting. It let her become someone else, someone who didn’t have to worry about what he would think of her the next day at school, or whether she should play hard to get or not. This was a man who knew what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to take it. It was a heady sensation tangling with him.

  “You don’t ever feel like trying something new?”

  His lips curved into a predatory grin. “I’m a creature of habit, honey. When something works for me, I stick with it.”

  Without realizing it, she’d started to back up as he advanced, and the sudden appearance of the wall at her back caught Veronica by surprise. It rattled her enough to drop the femme fatale act, her voice quavering as she offered up the pitiful few grapes left. “Here, maybe you’d better take them. I wouldn’t want to deprive you of something so tasty.”

  Only he didn’t take the offered fruit. “Actually, why don’t you keep them,” he said, his hands brushing over the tops of her shoulders in the lightest caress. “I’ve got another idea how to satisfy my need for something sweet.”

  Her hand came to rest against his chest as he pressed close, warning bells pealing like mad in the back of her mind, but Veronica didn’t care. Maybe it was kind of skeezy for him to scam on younger girls, but she didn’t think he knew how young she was. The errant thought slipped in that Dave probably wouldn’t like it a whole lot, but was it really cheating on Dave if it was with a famous guy? Didn’t she get a pass? She’d give him a pass if Scarlett Johansson came to town. Besides, they’d only gone on five dates. Jax May was about to kiss her and there wasn’t one tiny piece of her that objected.

  So slowly it made her insides quake with anticipation, he leaned forward, his hot breath washing over her moments before his mouth claimed hers. He tasted of nicotine gum but Veronica didn’t care, all she could think was – this is really happening, I’m kissing Jax May!

  And what a kiss it was.

  No clumsy fumbling or trying to jam his tongue down the back of her throat. Jax coaxed his way into her mouth with deliberate care, drawing her out, making her crave more. When his hands slid down her arms to rest at her hips the cluster of grapes fell forgotten to the floor. As they rose back up to tease against the edges of her top, all she wanted to do was find out what came next, but instead he broke the kiss, his forehead resting against hers.

  “Damn, I wish I could remember where I knew you from.”

  Still wrapped up in his spell, it took her a few seconds longer to catch her breath, blood pounding furiously in her ears. “Does it matter?” she breathed. She could only think he’d never kiss her like that again he ever figured it out.

  “No, I guess not.” A lazy grin spread across his face as he leaned in to kiss her again and Veronica ducked her head to one side, not quite sure she’d be able to resist him if he pushed her farther
than she wanted to go.

  “How about something cool to drink?” Thank God it came out as less of a plea and more of a request. To her great relief, Jax backed off right away, as though the distraction was perfectly legit.

  “I could definitely go for a beer, you want one?”

  “Sure, okay,” she agreed, wishing she’d asked for a water the instant his back was turned and she could think straight again. Instead of returning to where she waited by the wall, he sprawled on one corner of the loveseat, setting her beer on the coffee table. Veronica joined him there, angling her body toward him but pressing against the farthest corner the tiny couch would allow. Even so, their knees touched as she crossed her legs and sat back with the beer.

  Jax took a healthy swig of his drink, rolling the mouth of the bottle across his bottom lip as he studied her carefully. The close scrutiny made her intensely uncomfortable and she took a small sip of her own, pretending to like the taste.

  “It’s bugging me where I know you from,” he said finally. “Where do you work?”

  “I’m a student.” Not a lie…

  “Yeah? What’s your major?”

  “Criminology.” Not entirely a lie… it would be one day. It was either that or psychology.

  His brows rose as he took another drink. “Criminology? A bitty thing like you?”

  “What can I say? I have a thing for bad boys. I like to figure out what makes them tick.” She liked to think she got that from her father, though she wasn’t sure she wanted to go into law enforcement exactly.

  “We’re not all that complicated, you know.” Jax shifted closer, his arm reaching around the back of the loveseat.