Tainted Kiss (Tainted Knights Book 1)

by Terri Anne Browning

  “Don’t. Please, Kale. He’s not worth it.”

  Kale stopped at the first touch of my hands on him, but I could feel him shaking with unleashed anger.

  “He defiled your camera. That little pussy touched your stuff, and then disrespected you by taking a picture of his fucking dick. He desecrated something special.”

  Hearing him say it out loud like that had the anger that had started to boil in my stomach turn to rage, but I couldn’t let Kale do something that could land him in trouble just days before he was supposed to go on tour. Emmie would go berserk, and I wouldn’t be able to live with that kind of guilt.

  Deciding that a little revenge was called for, I shut and locked the door with the three of us still inside. Grabbing my camera, I took it over to my laptop that was sitting on the little desk by the window.

  “He’s going to pay, babe; I promise you.”

  Gray flopped down on my bed, a grin splitting his handsome face. “I really like this chick.”

  At that moment, I could see exactly why Gray Knight was Kale’s best friend. He was extremely immature at times, but in the brief time I had known him, I’d also seen how much he cared about his friends. Right then, I considered him my friend, too.

  I shot him a smile. “I like you, too, Gray.”

  Kale growled something, but calmed down as he watched me pull up a social media site. One of the things about taking care of Sage for so many years was that I knew all her passwords to just about everything. With just a few clicks, I was on her wall.

  For half a second, I felt bad about doing what I was doing, but only because I knew it would truly be the end of my friendship with Sage. However, remembering that she had picked her tiny dicked boyfriend over her friendship with me, the feeling faded, and I uploaded the picture.

  A nice little caption—pun intended—and I hit submit. I stood there, watching and waiting. Thirty seconds passed, and then suddenly ten different people on Sage’s friends’ list started reacting to the picture.

  “Oh!” Gray cried as he laughed at the reactions. “Tiny dick’s out of the closet.”

  Laughing along with him, I went into Sage’s personal information and changed her password so she couldn’t easily get in and delete the picture. Then, shutting down my computer, I moved back to the bed and packed my camera away.

  Kale was simply standing in the middle of the room, his eyes unfocused as he glared out the window. “I still want to kill him.”

  A shriek that echoed throughout the entire apartment suddenly sounded from Sage’s room, telling me plain as day that she had finally seen what I’d done. A moment later, she was beating on my bedroom door.

  “You little bitch. How did you get that picture?” she screamed. “Have you been fucking my boyfriend?”

  I moved so fast that the two guys didn’t have time to react.

  Opening the door, I stepped into Sage’s space. “Have you lost your mind? Why would I fuck around with that limp dick bastard? He’s disgusting. He messed with my camera and took a picture of himself with it.” I glanced over her shoulder, expecting to see Wade behind her, but if he was in the apartment, he was too scared to come out with the guys here with me. “Tell him to consider this a little lesson. Be thankful I didn’t make it more public.”

  “More public than social media?” she screeched. “That’s the most public you can get, Santana!”

  I felt a smile teasing at my lips. “Better that than letting my boyfriend kill him, don’t you think?”

  Sage stomped her feet, her face turning an ugly shade of purple. “I hate you!”

  “Right now, I hate you, too.” All the hurt I had been feeling since she’d called me the night before came rushing back, making my heart ache. Regardless, I pushed back the tears that tried to threaten and shook my head at her. “You are my best friend … Were my best friend. We’ve been through so much together. I thought we would always have each other if nothing else in this damn scary life. But you’ve proven me so wrong. You broke me a little last night.” I thought I saw regret flash in her eyes, but it was gone so fast I couldn’t be sure. “I loved you like a sister. I never would have picked some guy over you. Fuck, Sage, if a guy really cared about you, he would never make you choose.”

  Her face hardened all over again, and she glared at something over my shoulder. “Oh, yeah? You think if the roles were reversed, your precious drummer wouldn’t do the same thing? You think you wouldn’t pick him over me?”

  I shrugged. “I know I wouldn’t. That’s the difference between Wade and Kale. Kale would never treat me like Wade does you. Therefore, I’d never have to choose. The situation wouldn’t ever come up.”

  “And you know that how?” She gave me a smirk. “You’ve known him all of five minutes.”

  “I knew how Wade was two seconds after you introduced him to me,” I snapped at her. “The way he looked me over like he was comparing me to you. The way his beady, little eyes got all glassy when he liked what he saw.” Sage gasped and lifted her hand to slap me. I caught it before it could make contact. “I’m just telling you how it is, sweetheart.”

  “You’re nothing but a lying, little bitch.”

  I refused to let that slice me apart. “Leave me alone, Sage. I have work to do. I can’t get out of here fast enough.” I turned away from her, but glanced back one last time. “One day, you’re going to open your eyes, and I won’t be there to pick up the pieces. Good luck.” Using my foot, I kicked the door shut.

  Moving back toward my closet, I glanced at the two guys who had been quiet throughout the whole confrontation. Gray was still on my bed, but he had a thoughtful look on his handsome face. It was Kale who stopped me, though. The way his mostly green eyes seemed to eat me alive.

  “I really would never do this to you if the roles were reversed,” he said after a moment. “You know that, right?”

  I crossed the bedroom and wrapped my arms around his waist. He folded his strong arms around me, holding me against him almost instinctively. Standing on tiptoes, I kissed his lips.

  “I know that. You’re a good guy, Kale Conway. I kind of like you.”

  A smile lifted at the corners of his mouth, but I could tell he was still too pissed to give me a full-on grin. “I kind of like you, too, doll.”

  “Mushy time’s over,” Gray complained from the bed as he got to his feet. “Let’s get this shit moved so we can get out of here. That Sage chick is batshit crazy, and I’m scared it’s going to rub off on the rest of us.”

  “Agreed,” Kale muttered. Giving me a quick kiss, he stepped back. “Where do we start first?”

  SEVENTEEN

  Kale

  Two weeks ago, I had been looking forward to this day. The first day of tour. Traveling around the country and sharing our music with the fans we’d acquired over the months since our first single came out and topped the charts.

  Now …

  Now I just wanted it to still be Saturday a little longer so I could have just a few more hours with Santana.

  After moving her out of her old apartment Friday morning, we had spent the rest of the day at the beach, just soaking up the sun and each other as time had quickly slipped through my fingers.

  I had a few dozen selfies to help me get through the coming weeks, but none of them would replace the real thing. Not one single photo would replace the feeling of having my little doll look up at me with that sunshine bright smile that was just for me. Or the way she always touched me, little brushes of her fingertips over my skin that worked like a match on dry timber and set my entire body on fire for her. Or the taste of her candy sweet lips as she teased me with a kiss that always drove me insane.

  We had spent the last two nights at my apartment, and I’d given her a key in case she ever wanted to just be alone and unwind. Or if she missed me and wanted to sleep with my covers tucked around her.

  She had given me one of her pillowcases that smelled so much like her cherry blossom scent to take with me. It was pink wi
th flowers all over it, so I knew the guys were going to give me hell over it, but I didn’t give a shit. It would help me sleep without her.

  Santana had made me breakfast that morning, and then we had gone straight back to bed until I knew I couldn’t put it off any longer. She wanted to come with me to see me off, and I was just glad I didn’t have to ask her.

  Two buses were already idling in front of Emmie’s office building, along with a tractor trailer that would carry all our equipment. The roadies I had yet to meet were waiting on the sidewalk with Emmie and Travis. Jace and Gray had already arrived, along with Kassa. Kin was waiting with them, a lost look on her face as she kept her arms wrapped around Jace’s waist. Emmie rubbed her back a few times as she spoke to Travis, who nodded.

  As we got out of the car, I handed my keys over to Santana.

  Her eyes got huge when she saw what I was doing. “No,” she whispered, backing away from me. “I can’t. You can’t. That’s just too much, Kale.”

  I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her in close, kissing the breath out of her. While I had her close, I stuffed the keys into her jeans pocket. “Take it. Use it. Don’t use it. I don’t care. It will make me feel better knowing that you have something to get you to and from shoots.”

  “Kale, I’ve done it this long without a car. I’ll be fine.” When I just stood there, holding her, looking down at her with a plea in my eyes, she blew out a long sigh. “Okay, I’ll take good care of your car. Happy?”

  Something hard and painful tightened around my heart. “No, doll. I’m leaving you. I’m not going to be happy again until I’m back here with you.”

  Her brown eyes filled with tears. “Kale …”

  Lowering my head, I brushed my lips over her forehead. “Nine weeks. Don’t forget about me during that time.”

  Saying good-bye had never been so hard. Not even when I’d lost my mom. When she had died, it was something we’d known was coming, and I had prepared myself. Mostly. As prepared as anyone could be, I guessed.

  Now, even though I knew I was coming back to her in just a few months, it physically hurt to breathe.

  She slipped her soft hands under my shirt and touched my back as she wrapped her arms around my waist. Then she pressed her face against my chest, right in the spot that had become hers over the last few days. My heart gave a painful kick.

  “Forgetting you isn’t possible,” she murmured. Turning her head to the side, she looked up at me through her eyelashes. “I just hope you don’t forget about me.”

  “Impossible.”

  This girl was a part of my soul now. I couldn’t forget a single thing about her. The urge to tell her what I felt for her was choking me, but I held it back, fearing I would freak her out. We had only known each other for less than a full week. Common sense told me that it was too soon to be feeling this much, this hard, that fast.

  Common sense had nothing to do with what I felt for her, though.

  “Thanks for joining us.”

  Turning my head, I met Emmie’s green gaze and grimaced. She had a twinkle in her eyes as she glanced from me to Santana.

  Stopping only a foot away from us, she clasped her hands in front of her. “Nice to see you again, Santana.”

  Pink filled Santana’s cheeks, but she didn’t rush to release me. “Hi, Emmie. How are you?”

  “Crazy busy, as always.” She shrugged, her eyes still sparkling as she considered the two of us. “I really like this.” She waved her hand at us. Then her eyes darkened and those green orbs turned artic cold as she turned the full force of them on me. “Don’t be stupid. Understand?”

  I felt a grin lift my lips. Emmie looked fierce, but she didn’t have to worry. Hurting my doll was the last thing I would ever do.

  “Completely,” I assured her, tightening my hold on Santana. “Give me a minute, and we’ll be over to join you, okay?”

  Emmie nodded. “Take your time. Sin and Cash have yet to grace us with their presence.”

  I waited until she was back with Kin before turning us so that my back was to them. Like this, they couldn’t see Santana.

  Pulling back half a step, I took her hands. “I’m going to call you so much you’ll get sick of seeing my name on your phone. The text count will be in the hundreds … per day. I’ll drive you crazy, and you’ll want to tell me to just leave you the fuck alone.” I was being as candid with her as possible, not exaggerating how it was going to be. “But just grin and bear it, okay? For me?”

  She just shook her head, smiling sadly. “Babe, you’re going to be so busy. Don’t make those kinds of promises if you don’t mean them.”

  My hold on her hands tightened. “I mean it. Every single day.”

  “Okay.”

  “Have fun with Jenna and the other girls. Kin promised she would take care of you for me. So, if you need anything—anything, Santana—you tell her.” I released her hands and cupped her face. “I’ll be back before you know it.” The words were just as much for me as they were for her.

  Nine weeks. Sixty-three days. That wasn’t long.

  Fuck, it was a lifetime without her.

  “Enjoy your tour. Have fun.” Her eyes darkened. “Just not too much fun, okay?”

  Lowering my head, I kissed her long and slow. When I lifted my head, she looked a little dazed.

  “I miss you already.”

  “Me, too,” she whispered, her chin trembling.

  The next hour passed in a blur. We joined the others, and by that time, Kin was silently crying, which was tearing Jace to shreds. She didn’t get in our way, though, as we helped the roadies pack the buses and make sure that everything we needed was on the tractor trailer. The tour buses were huge, but other than their sizes, there was nothing else to mark who was going to be inside. Most bands had their pictures on the side of their buses, or their latest album’s art work. Emmie owned the buses and had told us we would thank her in the long run for keeping them so non-descriptive.

  The roadies were a mixture of older veterans of the trade, experts who had been around since Emmie had first gotten started managing, and newer greenhorns. Some were friendly. Others were indifferent and couldn’t have cared less who they were going on the road with. By the time we were ready to hit the road, I had a few of their names memorized.

  Stepping off the bus after securing the last of my stuff, Emmie was waiting with a clipboard in her hand. The five of us lined up without even being told, and she gave us a smirk that was sassy, and yes, sexy as hell.

  “Just a few last things, guys.”

  “Don’t get into trouble?” Jace offered.

  “Don’t do anything that will make you have to come out and beat the shit out of us?” Gray smarted off.

  She actually laughed. “Okay, so there are two less things I need to remind you of. Good. Remember them.” She handed the clipboard over to Travis, who wasn’t wearing a suit for once, but a pair of jeans and one of our new T-shirts. “Make sure you take care of the merchandise booths as scheduled. That’s going to give you a hell of a lot of revenue. Even though I know you won’t want to half the time, listen to Travis when he has something to say. He knows what he’s doing, and I trust him with you guys.” She shot her employee a side glance, her face darkening. “That doesn’t mean you take shit from him. And by that, I mean, don’t let him run the entire show. It doesn’t mean using him as a fucking piñata if he pisses you off. Which I know he will, because he pisses me off at least once a day.”

  “I must be doing something right, though.” Travis smirked. “You’ve kept me around this long without killing me.”

  “Mostly because I don’t want to have to do road tours myself,” she snapped at him. “Remember what we talked about. You’re there to work.”

  He clenched his jaw and nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Emmie turned her focus back to us. “This isn’t going to be all fun and games, guys. You will have very little time for yourselves. There will be five a.m. radio interviews you w
ill have to do in some of the cities you stop at. There will be meet and greets before and after shows. At some of the festivals you’ll stop at, there will be nonstop shit that will require your attendance, rain or shine, sick or not. This is a job, so take it seriously, or I will kick the shit out of you.”

  She folded her hands in front of her. “I know you’ve had a little taste of the paps following you around already, but that’s nothing to what it’s going to be like now. I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to stay under the radar. The least little thing could be misconstrued, and then we will be facing some huge media backlash that could affect ticket sales. The right media is a good thing. Turning your life and mine into a three-ring circus, not so much.”

  She lectured us for another five minutes before stepping back, her face losing some of its sternness. “Okay, with that being said, I want you guys to have a good time. Just keep your noses clean and your heads out of your asses.” She glanced at Kin who was standing off to the side behind her. Kassa and Santana were hugging her from either side, but at least she had stopped crying. Giving Kin a smile, she moved out of the way. “All right, honey. Give the boy a kiss. They have to hit the road.”

  Kin put on a brave smile that was all kinds of wobbly as she practically jumped into Jace’s arms.

  I moved forward and pulled Santana close. “Nine weeks,” I breathed into her ear. “I can’t wait to be back here with you again.”

  Her arms were tight around my neck as she pressed her face into my chest. “I’m already counting down the days,” she mumbled. I felt her tears soaking my shirt.

  “Be careful when you have to travel for shoots. Don’t take chances.”

  I hadn’t told her how worried I was about her going to all the different locations she sometimes had to travel to for some of her custom shoots. People were crazy. There was no telling what kind of people she could come across, and she would be alone with them.

  “You, too. Stay safe. I want you back in one piece.”