Rock King

by Tara Leigh

  I bit down on the candy, its chocolate coating tasting like dirt in my mouth. “Our relationship is genuine. I love him, Piper.” The admission slipped through my teeth effortlessly, and I knew it was true. I love Shane.

  She patted my knee, a pleased smile smeared across her glossed lips. “That’s perfect. Exactly how you should act.”

  I wasn’t acting.

  “Piper, have you ever been in love?”

  Longing streaked across her face, so quick I wasn’t sure I’d read it right. She started to turn away, but I caught her wrist. Piper looked at me, frowning, then down at my fingers.

  I let go, mumbling an apology.

  She didn’t move though, as I’d expected her to. “Once.”

  “Someone from home?” I prodded.

  As the seconds ticked by, I began to think she wouldn’t answer. That I’d pushed my luck. But, again, Piper surprised me. “No. I met him here, my first year at UCLA.”

  She disappeared into the bedroom then, and I heard her rustling through my clothes. When she emerged holding an outfit, I swallowed the gritty remnants of the last M&M. “What happened?”

  She sighed. “Nothing. The guy turned out to be a complete jerk.” Squaring her shoulders. Piper extended the hanger in my direction, clearly signaling that our brief conversation was over.

  I changed quickly, then endured another session with hair and makeup. The thrill of being fussed over had definitely worn off.

  By the time I walked out of the hotel at two in the morning, I looked like a mannequin and felt just as animated. My brain was sluggish, my movements stiff and slow. “Look sad and take your time getting into the car. Let them get plenty of photos,” Piper whispered before pushing me out the door.

  Her advice was redundant. I was sad, and putting one foot in front of the other required herculean effort. But I did it, and repeated the process in reverse at the police station. “Where is he?” I asked Piper once we were inside, the closed door immediately reducing the shouts of the reporters to a muted rumbling.

  “I’m not exactly sure. You probably won’t get to see Shane tonight, unless they release him.”

  I sat down on one of the folding chairs lining the wall, a confused frown denting my forehead. “Then why am I here?”

  “If you didn’t come, the story would shift to you abandoning Shane, either because you think he’s guilty or because you lied about your feelings for each other. We have to stay on message. You love Shane and you support him, one hundred percent.” Her eyes bored into me as if she doubted my commitment.

  I nodded weakly. Right now I was doubting just about everything.

  Everything except my feelings for Shane.

  For the next hour, the door opened and closed several times, people came and went. Drunks, dealers, prostitutes, well dressed, barely dressed, loud, silent. Piper barely looked up from her phone, giving me play-by-play updates from Travis, news alerts from social media, and online tabloids.

  The door swung open again as a female police officer escorted a wraith of a woman into the station, the officer’s face a puckered show of distaste at her charge’s filth and pungent stench. “Got another one for the drunk tank,” she called to the man sitting at the front desk.

  I crossed my leg just as the woman jerked her arm out of the officer’s grasp. “Not drunk, damn you! Had one drink; jess out for a walk.” She knocked into my foot, sending my shoe flying across the hall. Losing her balance, she pitched forward on the dingy floor.

  I sprang forward. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

  “Miss, you’ll have to—”

  “Take her,” the disheveled woman slurred angrily, making no attempt to get up. She pointed at me, looking back at the officer. “She deserves to be here, not me!”

  A river of terror slid down my spine as I grabbed my shoe and backed away. The officer threw me a pitying glance, hauling the woman to her feet. “Let’s go.”

  Piper took one look at my overflowing eyes and jumped up, dragging me into the ladies’ room. “Here.” She shoved a stack of paper towels into my hands. “Do you know that woman?”

  Unable to speak, I shook my head and wiped at my tears. “No.” But apparently she knew me better than anyone. Looked at me and saw the guilt all over my face.

  Piper grabbed my earlobes, squeezing them fiercely.

  “Ow,” I screeched, pulling away. “What are you doing?”

  A wry smile slanted across her face. “Just a trick I learned. No one likes to ugly cry in public. You good now?”

  A couple of years ago I never would have dreamed “Perfect Piper” had anything to cry about.

  I blinked, realizing my tears had dried up. “No. But I’m not crying anymore.”

  “Well, that’s enough for me.” She spilled the contents of her purse on the counter, makeup rolling everywhere. Picking up a travel-sized pouch of makeup-remover towelettes, she began wiping at the mess of mascara streaking my skin.

  “That guy…Was it hard seeing him on campus after you broke up?”

  Her hand stilled. “He wasn’t a student. And we didn’t break up. He basically took off, dumped me without a word.”

  “He dumped you?” I asked, incredulous.

  She crumpled the towelette and threw it at the wastebin attached to the wall. “Yes. Not my fondest memory, so…” Her voice trailed off as she uncapped an eyeliner.

  I took the hint. “Got it. Didn’t mean to pry.”

  “Musicians are trouble. Some are worth it, some aren’t.”

  Musician? I wanted to ask more, and not just because it was a relief to focus on something besides my fear for Shane. But it was obvious Piper didn’t feel the same. She rarely came to Nothing but Trouble concerts, and I’d never seen her talk to any of the guys in the band except for a few brief exchanges with Shane. The man must have left one hell of an impression if he’d permanently turned her off all musicians, even rock stars at the top of their game.

  Piper finished with my liner and picked up a tube of mascara. “All right. Once you’re fixed up, we’re going back out there to sit down. And as soon as Travis is done talking to Shane, he’ll fill us in.”

  I gnawed at my lower lip, rocked by a fresh wave of anxiety. “You know, by the pool at Travis’s house, I asked what he did for a living.”

  Piper dotted concealer beneath my eyes. “Oh yeah? What did he say?”

  “He said he solved problems.”

  She let out a soft laugh. “Well, he’s got his work cut out for him tonight.”

  Shane

  “You okay?” Travis bounced into the room as if he’d been drop-kicked from the corridor.

  “Just great. My favorite way to spend the night.” I glanced at the clock on the wall. “How did you get here so fast?” If Travis had come from Los Angeles, he would still be in the air.

  “Believe it or not, high school reunion. I drove down from Westchester as soon as I heard.” He looked around, as if finally noticing I was alone. “Where’s Gavin?”

  “He just left to get copies of the extradition agreement. He’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  Travis nodded. “Good. Okay, listen. I can’t practice law in Clark County, but Gavin can. He’s going to fight this charge with every resource at his disposal. Meanwhile, I made a few calls on the drive in. Both sides have agreed that we’ll fly back private rather than commercial, given the circus that’s going to follow you wherever you go. Make no mistake. They’re not shying away from publicity, but they’re not going to push for chaos at a major New York City airport.”

  I expelled a deep breath, splaying my hands out on the metal table. “It’s finally happening, huh?”

  Travis regarded me soberly, offering a curt nod. “Hopefully not for long. You and I both know this is bullshit. They’re not looking to try Sean Sutter. They just want to tie Shane Hawthorne to their bumblefuck town.”

  My chest squeezed, and I pressed my lips together to keep back the tortured howl rattling in my lungs. Caleb’s dea
th wasn’t bullshit, but I knew what Travis meant. “How’s Delaney?”

  “I have Piper with her now, making sure she’s on the same page. The NBC interview made the two of you look like some kind of rock ’n’ roll fairy tale, and we’re going to ride that horse-drawn carriage away from the courthouse and all the way to the bank.”

  “Travis.” My tongue felt heavy in my mouth. “Leave her out of it. I don’t want to use Delaney like that. She’s been through enough. I don’t want her sucked into my mess.”

  Travis leaned back in the tiny chair. “What are you talking about? How will it look if she doesn’t stand by you? You can barely spend more than a few days at a time at your beach house. You want to spend the rest of your life in a six-by-eight cell?”

  Bile rose, bitter and harsh, stinging the back of my throat. “If she wants out, let her go.” Maybe she would finally make the smart choice and leave me.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Shane

  You shouldn’t be here,” I gritted out, fighting the urge to gather Delaney’s lush body in my arms and breathe her sweet scent in deep. My hands rolled into fists as I stalked off to the shower, jaw clenched tight enough to crush diamonds. Travis had rented the nicest house in town, and after I’d spent the night in county lockup, Gavin had managed to get me assigned to home confinement. I couldn’t say anything else, couldn’t even look at her until I’d washed the stench of prison from my skin.

  I should have locked the door.

  “Why? Why don’t you want me here?”

  I twisted the shower knob, set the water to hot as I balled up my shirt and threw it angrily in the corner. And then I turned, saw the hurt and confusion streaking across Delaney’s face. “So you can witness another shit storm firsthand?” I asked.

  Her attention fell to the side, shoulders slumping as if considering defeat. But no, she straightened almost immediately, posture stiff. Not backing down, ready to fight. “As opposed to watching it play out in the media?”

  My hand stilled over the top button of my jeans. “You need to forget about me.” Her flinch sent a lancing pain into my gut, and I forced myself to lower my zipper and kick my jeans away. “You should go.” Stay. Please stay.

  Delaney’s eyes were fierce as she leaned against the cabinet, her hands wrapping around the edge of the stone top. “Why don’t you want me here?” she repeated.

  I hesitated, exhaling a breath weighted down by frustration. Oh, I wanted Delaney. I wanted her here. I wanted her on top of me, under me. I wanted her mouth on mine, her arms around my neck as I slid into her sweet center. I wanted to taste her, hold her, lick her, fuck her.

  Maybe even love her.

  My cock twitched, and I stepped into the shower before she could see exactly how much I wanted her. “I might spend the rest of my life here. Get out now.” Besides, what the hell did I know about love? Even the idea was laughable. Shane Hawthorne, lovesick fool? Fool, yes. Sick, yes. But love? Hell-to-the-no.

  I closed my eyes, letting the water drill into my scalp. I didn’t hear the door open or close, but I assumed she took my advice and left. The loneliness was suffocating.

  Until the curtain was wrenched aside and Delaney, naked and so fucking gorgeous she took my breath away, stepped beneath the spray. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily. Are we real or not?”

  I swallowed, trying to muster up the strength to lie. Just say no, let her walk away.

  As if she could read my thoughts, Delaney spread her hands out flat on my chest, my heart racing beneath her palm. “Don’t you dare lie to me, Shane. You’ll hate yourself for it.” Those whorls of aquamarine locked onto me, a captivating chaos I couldn’t look away from.

  She was right. I would. I already did. “Delaney.” My voice broke as I stared at her helplessly. She was finding every one of my fault lines with an accuracy I couldn’t comprehend, making them deeper, wider.

  “What fairy-tale castle do you think you’re sending me back to, Shane? You think you’re the only one with baggage?” Delaney’s voice trembled as she slid her hands up my neck, cradling my face between her palms. “Don’t shut me out. Don’t send me away. Let me stand with you.”

  I held on to the last shards of my control, barely breathing. “Do you really know what you’re getting into? There’s no way of knowing how this is all going to play out. I can’t make you any promises.” Delaney’s thumbs swept along my cheekbones as I kept my hands rigidly at my sides. There was a roaring in my ears that had nothing to do with the shower. If I touched her, I wouldn’t be able to let go. Right now I only wanted to make love to her, to sink my body so deeply into hers that we became one.

  She inched closer, her nipples already tempting pebbles. “I know exactly what I’m getting into, Shane. I’m a big girl, and I can make my own choices. And today, right now, I choose you. I don’t need empty promises. In this moment, all I need is you. And I think you need me, too.”

  My resolve crumbled beneath the intensity of Delaney’s stare, my chest squeezing tight. “That’s enough for you? Living day to day, moment to moment. Not knowing what’s coming next?”

  In a voice laced with optimism, she answered. “When it’s all we have, yes. Let’s not throw it away just because you don’t think it’s enough.”

  Delaney’s words battered at the logic that told me to end things with her until my life was figured out. Her eyes were wide open, and she wanted to stay. A frisson of hope sputtered to life, warmth racing up my spine, melting my resolve. Why was I fighting her so hard?

  Delaney

  With a forcefulness that took my breath away, Shane pulled me into his embrace, his lips crashing down on mine. The water sluiced over both of us, and I clung to him as if I were drowning.

  “Delaney,” he groaned, tearing his mouth away from mine to stare down at me. A crooked smile tugged at his lips. “I don’t want to need you. But God help me, I do.”

  Shane’s words sent an electric thrill racing along my nerves. “I’m here now,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around his neck, my fingertips threading into his wet hair. “And just what are you going to do with me?”

  “Everything,” he growled into the shell of my ear, guiding me against the marble wall. Starting at the tender spot where jaw met earlobe, he kissed his way down my neck, his tongue swirling against the wet flesh until he reached my collarbone. A shiver rolled through me. “I’m going to fuck you in this shower until the water runs cold.”

  I gasped, pressing against his legs, angling my hips to feel his shaft pulse against my belly. But it wasn’t enough. I reached down, wanting to wrap my fingers around him.

  “Don’t.” Shane caught my wrists, gathering both of them above my head and holding them there as he took the soap in his other hand and glided it along my body, leaving a thin white film in his wake. He slid the white bar across my abdomen and down my sides, circling around my breasts. Then he moved lower, slipping along my hipbones and inner thighs. Practically boneless, I was lost in a whirl of sensation.

  “You are so damn beautiful,” he said in an unfamiliar voice, husky with reverence. I wanted to say something, even just a simple “thank you,” but I couldn’t speak.

  His golden eyes flashed with heat, shooting sparks at me, igniting a dozen different fires that blazed beneath the surface of my skin. Spinning me around to face the wall, Shane pressed my hands flat against the tiles as he massaged my back with the soap, caressing between my shoulder blades until I was drooping in pleasure. I gladly rested my forehead against the smooth marble, pushing back against him as he followed the curve of my ass, wanting more from Shane than soap.

  Finally, he dropped the soap to the floor, threading long fingers into my hair, bunching it into a knot at the top of my head and licking at the rivulets of water sluicing down my neck. I sucked in a deep breath, fogging up tiles on my exhale.

  “Shane,” I moaned.

  Shane released my hair, gripping my shoulders as it fell like a wet curtain against his wrists.
“I need you, Delaney,” he murmured, turning me to face him. I tilted my chin upward, Shane’s breath minty as he tugged at my lower lip, sliding his tongue along the sensitive skin.

  I whimpered into his mouth, feeling something shift between us, leaving an opening I hoped would last longer than the heat of the water. Shane let go, his hands intertwining at the back of my neck. I gazed at him through the misty air wafting around us. It was as if we were in a cloud, suspended between heaven and earth, indifferent to the past or the future.

  “You have me,” I said, finding my voice.

  Shane drew in a shaky breath, understanding dawning in his eyes. I fitted myself against him, and this time he didn’t pull away. My soap-lathered skin slid against his, his shaft insistently pressing into my belly.

  Covering my mound with his palm, Shane’s finger made its way inside my cleft, rubbing slowly, precisely. There wasn’t enough oxygen in the thick air, and I sagged against the wall, grasping hold of Shane’s broad shoulders for support.

  “Please,” I begged, dizzy with want.

  The look he offered was so open and sweet I felt flayed, my heart raw. If he hadn’t been holding me up, I would have easily lost my balance. Aching with need, I kissed Shane with all the pent-up hopefulness that had been accumulating inside of me since we first met.

  “Please Shane, now.”

  A grin broke across Shane’s face as he lifted me upward, settling my thighs around his hips. Impatient, I clung to him, encircling my ankles and pulling him tightly against me.

  Resting his forehead against mine, Shane reached between us to align his engorged shaft with my entrance. I was hot, hotter than the water still flowing over us. He pushed into me with a low growl, sucking the tender skin of my shoulder as he held me against the wall.

  Bare, wet skin.

  Thick steam.

  Hot water.

  God, this man.

  Shane released his grip on me, gravity sheathing him completely. I squealed, biting down on his neck as I clung tight. “You feel so fucking good,” he said, his voice rough as he glanced down to the place our bodies met. A piece of him at home inside of me.