Resisting Velocity

by Trinity Evans; Xoe Xanders

  Charlie smiled anyway. “Are you not going backstage for the show this time?”

  “Oh, I’m going. I was just seeing who all was going to be back there.”

  “That’s different. You usually prefer to be right up front and don’t care who’s behind you.”

  “Whatever, I care tonight, okay?”

  “Touchy much?” When Lola scowled at her, Charlie shrugged. “Okay then, I guess I’ll see you inside.” After several moments of silence, it was obvious the jealous woman wasn’t going to acknowledge her, so Charlie gave her a wave and sauntered off.

  Wait for it… And there it was—the gasp of outrage as Lola noticed the purple in her hair and it drew a chuckle from Charlie. She’d never been the sort to mock others, but damn, it felt good to stake her claim.

  Now she just had to tell Zane.

  The idea of giving him a very public, very loving kiss brought a blush to her cheeks and Charlie’s pace grew quicker, excitement waging war with nerves to be victorious. She spotted Zane near the edge of the stage. She raised her hand to flag him down, opened her mouth to call to him—and the world exploded with a blast of sound. Charlie felt a wave of heat dance over her, followed by a sharp pain at the back of her mind, and everything went black.

  ***

  The explosion rattled Zane. He picked himself up off the floor with a snarl of curse words, whipping around to see what exactly had been hit. The back line of amps were smoking, crackling fire licking up their sides, and the side of the stage was scorched where something had blown up in a rather nasty way. People scrambled around with shouts.

  God damn, that had been close. How the hell was this happening? Security had flooded the place since the shooting that had ended Jeremy Meyer’s life; everything should’ve gone smoothly. Zane was beginning to wonder if they had a mole, someone working for them that was also working for the enemy, and the idea soured his gut. They’d background checked every last person in the crew, they’d—

  His mind screeched to a halt when his name was shouted out amidst the panic backstage. Zane turned to see Benji waving wildly, his face more pale than usual—and then he saw the injured woman he was kneeling beside, the only serene face in the crowd.

  Charlie.

  His wolf roared to life and it took every last ounce of control Zane had in him to cage his beast back down, to not change right then and there mid-stride. He dropped to the ground beside the unconscious Charlie, fighting back a whirlwind of anger and frustration.

  “Damn it!” He wanted to gather her in his arms, take her away from all the chaos, but he knew better than to move the injured. Instead, he shouted for High Velocity’s personal medic.

  He couldn’t smell blood; that was a good thing, right? But how close had she been to the explosion? She could have internal bleeding, she could be dying even as he just sat there and worried. He should do something, he should— Mira arrived before he could finish that train of thought. She began to feel Charlie over, checking for wounds.

  He watched with a sick ache in his gut, fretting over her shoulder until Mira turned and looked him right in the eye, fearless. “I know you’re worried, but you’re not helping anyone sitting here fussing. Trust me; I’ll take care of her. Go find your band and let me do my job.” Her tone was firm, commanding.

  Benji took his arm and led him away from the area. Zane shook his head, trying to keep his world from reeling, but it only made it worse. As what-ifs plagued his mind, he didn’t realize Benji was in his face until he spoke. “Zane, breathe.”

  “She could’ve died,” he snapped.

  “But she didn’t. She’s fine. You know how our Charlie is. She won’t go down without a fight.”

  Micah jogged up a moment later. “Amps are severely fucked, but luckily we have backup. My drums got hit, but the rest of the instruments weren’t touched.” He paused, meeting Zane’s gaze. “Not to be a coward, but maybe we shouldn’t go on. Conner’s got people checking the stage for any more booby traps, but hell.”

  “Charlie got hit.”

  “She was in the wrong place at the wrong time, or?”

  Zane frowned. He couldn’t see why anyone would go after Charlie, unless it was to get to him. He was praying this was just a freak accident, but instinct was on the other side of the fence, roaring at him, telling him to face the music. “I don’t want to play the show.” He kept his voice low. He wanted to be with Charlie, wanted to make sure she was okay.

  Benji and Micah looked at him, frowns on their faces, as if they were weighing the dangers of the situation versus the chaos that they would bring upon themselves if they didn’t go on. “We should talk to Parker first.”

  “You know Parker. He’ll just say fuck it and demand we play anyway.”

  “Someone’s out there, trying to put the fear of God into us. And we’re taking the bait. Okay, so maybe we’re a little freaked out. We’re proving them right. Are we seriously going to be scared off by our amps exploding?” The outburst from Benji was enough to pull his mind from its rut.

  “Charlie—”

  “Charlie’s fine. You’re the one who’s spooked. You’re letting them win.”

  Zane sucked down a breath, running both hands through his hair, messing up Reese’s handiwork without even thinking about it. He stopped and tried to fix the damage, imagining her expression when he went on stage looking like he just rolled out of bed, in a bad way. “I just…”

  “Dude, did you see what blew up?” Parker burst from the crowd, his eyes bright with excitement. He seemed to falter as he saw the guys’ faces and toned it down a notch. “Uh oh, Zane’s got his serious face on. What happened?”

  “Charlie got caught up in the explosion. Zane doesn’t want to play the show.”

  “What the hell, man? We’re so close to being done with this tour. We can’t just run off because some big, scary bastard is trying to kill you. You gotta laugh in the face of danger. What happened to the old Zane, Mr. I’m Scared of Nothing? Huh?” He poked Zane in the chest. “Is Charlie breathing?”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “Grow a pair, Alexander. She’s alive. She’s fine. She would want you to play the show. We’ve got, oh, about ten minutes before we go on. I want you to go over there, pull your big boy pants on, gather your wits, and get your ass up on stage before I kick it.” Parker imitated kicking someone’s ass and both Benji and Micah snickered.

  For a moment, Zane just stared at him, trying to sort out his true emotions and feelings from the panic flowing wildly through his system. If someone really was out there, trying to get rid of High Velocity, then Parker was right. He was letting them win. “Okay.”

  “All right?”

  “Yeah. We’re playing the show. I’m sorry, guys, just—”

  “Can it. You have eight minutes. Go make sure Charlie’s safe then meet us on stage.” Parker let out a whoop. “Let’s do this shit, guys!”

  Zane wound through the crowd as quickly as he could and was slammed with relief when he saw Charlie sitting up, propped up against the wall. She was holding an ice pack to the back of her neck and she looked irritated, but alive. His chest squeezed as he ran the distance between them, making Charlie glance up, then wince at the sudden movement.

  “Shit, you okay?”

  “Been better. Apparently I got hit with debris from an explosion I hadn’t anticipated.” Her smile was wry. “The doctor doesn’t think I have a concussion, but I’ve got a bitch of a headache. Maybe you should take a look.” She bent her head down and Zane drew closer, focused on the back of her neck. There was a long cut just below her hairline that was already healing, thanks to werewolf magic.

  And then it hit him: Her hair. Half her hair was a brilliant purple that contrasted perfectly with her natural ebony locks. She’d never believed in following the trends, even when the rest of the crew had adorned themselves in Velocity Violet as sort of a tribute to the band.

  “Charlie—”

  She cut him off with a kiss, wild a
nd demanding, that touched him to the core. Any other words were stolen away. She turned to face him, tangled her fingers in his hair, then pulled away. He looked at her, a mix of shock and a pleased smugness about him, when her lips twisted into a beautifully wicked smile. “Hey, Zane. Guess what?”

  “You hit your head harder than you thought? Not that I’m complaining, but—”

  She nipped at his lip, a growl simmering in her throat. “I love you.”

  Desire coiled in his gut at her words, igniting a fire that he’d have to extinguish. His thumbs brushed against her cheeks and the smile that danced across her face was beautiful, radiant. “I love you more,” he said on a laugh, skimming teeth across her jaw before planting one last kiss on her lips. “But I have a show to play. Promise me you don’t have a concussion and that you’re serious.”

  “What, did my hair magically turn purple before the explosion?” She rolled her eyes, then gave him a push. “Go play your show. Wait.” She curled her fingers in his shirt and dragged him back for one last kiss, smiling against his lips. “Okay, now you can play. I love you.”

  And his heart sang.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Charlie stayed backstage throughout the show, pissed about what had happened, but also grateful that whoever had blown the amps to hell and gone didn’t seem to know much about explosives, or at least that was what Conner had been grumbling about when he came to visit her.

  Exhaustion seeping through to her very bones, she dozed lightly while the sound of Zane’s voice floated around her, wrapping her in a cocoon of warmth and love. Thoughts sprang unbidden to her mind as she drifted in and out. High Velocity only had one more show after they finished tonight and she, personally, was excited for the break.

  While admitting her true feelings had been the hard part, she wanted time with Zane so that they could settle into each other—and she wanted to enjoy that time without having to deal with pieces of herself potentially being blown off.

  When she heard the guys thank the audience before making their way off stage to the backslap of a screaming mob, Charlie roused herself enough to slowly rise to her feet, her body a mix of aches and pains, but nothing that a good hot shower wouldn’t fix. Before even a minute had passed, the boys were descending upon her, Zane blazing the way. She gave a wave and as much of a smile as she could muster.

  “Good show, guys. I listened from here.”

  Zane’s long arms wrapped around her and any other words she had to say were cut off as his lips took hers in a gentle kiss. He pulled back just enough to search her eyes. “Are you okay, love?”

  “I’m fine, now quit it before you make the guys throw up.” Instead of pulling away from him though, she moved to stand in front of him and relaxed as his arms crossed around her to hold her snug. She leaned back, letting him take some of her weight while relishing in the simplicity of his touch.

  Parker, always the soul of brevity, said, “So what the fuck is going on? I’m getting more than a little tired of fire and shit. Those were some nice amps.”

  Micah huffed. “Could’ve been worse.”

  Benji’s eyes scanned around with a hint of worry before they came back to settle on the group. They rested on Charlie and softened. “We’re glad you’re okay, Char.”

  A smile beamed like the sunlight breaking through a cloudy day. How could she have left these guys? They were family. “Honestly, I’m more pissed than anything. And I really could use a shower right about now.”

  Zane’s arms tightened around her. “We’ll get a shower, sweeting, but you can’t say words like that around me right now.” His tone was low enough that only she heard exactly what he said, his breath hot in her ear, and turning her head, Charlie looked into those golden eyes questioningly. “Don’t say shower—or anything else that can make me imagine you naked.”

  Feeling her face heat up, Charlie stomped on his foot in a light warning, but deep down she knew he was always going to be incorrigible. And she loved him anyways.

  She loved him. The truth of it made her a little giddy.

  “What’s with the hair, Charlie?” Parker asked.

  “I just felt like a change, I guess.”

  “Yeah, sure you did. More like you really couldn’t get away with marking your territory the old fashioned way.”

  “What’s the old fashioned way?”

  “Piss on Zane’s leg.”

  “Parker!”

  Zane’s arms tightened a bit and Charlie glanced up at him as he spoke. “Well, on that charming note, we’re headed back to the trailer for a shower and some well deserved sleep. We’ll get together tomorrow afternoon, since we’ll be travelling through the night to our last gig. Until then? Everybody should go home and stay home, just in case.”

  The same arms wrapped around Charlie, then scooped her up, making her blush and she was thankful that Zane spun away before the guys could mock them for it. He made a quick exit and Charlie struggled in his arms. “Put me down.”

  “Nope.”

  Her cheeks continued to burn and she couldn’t help it—she peeked over Zane’s shoulder to see the guys laughing and shaking their heads. Then they wandered off to their separate trailers, each of them followed by two security guards.

  “Shouldn’t we have security up our butts, too?”

  “We do.”

  She blinked. “Where?”

  “They’re already at the trailer. I think Conner arranged it after all hell broke loose, to make sure that my trailer didn’t end up with a bomb strapped under it.”

  “Why only yours?”

  “Whoever the fuck did this tried to take you from me.” His words were a growl. “They’re not going to succeed.”

  “Isn’t it more likely that they wanted to make sure you couldn’t play the show?”

  “I’ve thought about it long and hard. I’m pretty sure I’m right.”

  Too tired to fuss over the semantics of a bad situation, Charlie relaxed against him with a sigh. “What are we doing tonight?”

  The devilish smile that curved Zane’s lips sent a tingle down her back. “First, I’m going to get you home and strip you naked. Once we’re in the shower, I’m going to wash and caress every inch of that beautiful body until, finally, I tuck you into bed and we sleep.”

  “Wait, what?” She had expected something a little more sexy.

  “Charlie, are you really feeling up for an animated round, or four, between the sheets?”

  “I’m sure at least once…”

  “Baby, tonight you’re going to heal because it’s been so damn long since I’ve had you, once isn’t going to be enough for either of us. And I refuse to overwork you tonight.”

  “But—”

  “Shh,” he said as he set her on her feet right outside the trailer and fished out his key. “Trust me.”

  ***

  Awhile later, freshly washed and tingling from head to toe, Charlie lay in bed nude and waited for Zane to join her. She’d been as provocative as possible in the shower and still Zane had refused to rise to the bait. Charlie didn’t realize that she wore a definitive pout on her face until Zane’s burst of laughter from the bedroom doorway startled her.

  “You’re adorable when you pout, sweeting.”

  “I’m not pouting.”

  “Oh, you most definitely are.”

  “I’m sexually frustrated.”

  “No, you’re just used to getting your way.”

  “Mean.”

  “Not mean, honey. Concerned, and making sure you’ll be okay when we do get the chance to get busy.” He smirked.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Uh-huh, you’re sleepy.”

  “I’m horny.”

  “Aw, you know I love your dirty talk, but why don’t you roll over and let me give you a massage.”

  Charlie’s mouth opened to shoot off a response, but then closed again at the idea of getting a nice rub down. Her muscles felt relaxed and receptive now, but a massage would be heavenly. She
rolled onto her stomach and waited, knowing when he climbed onto the bed from the way she dipped to one side.

  “This might be cold.” Zane’s voice was a breath in her ear, followed by a kiss placed at the crook of her neck. Then he touched her back with ice-cold hands and the yelp she couldn’t restrain had Charlie rolling to give Zane hell. His laughter echoed in the bedroom as he pinned her with one arm and started to rub the lotion into her back until it warmed up.

  “I had to do it. I figured I’d at least get to hear you scream once tonight.”

  “Haven’t you heard that payback’s a bitch?”

  “I’ll love every second of your payback.”

  Charlie clamped her mouth shut on that and relaxed, allowing her mind to wander. Some time later and becoming drowsy, she felt Zane gently move her. Plastering herself to his side, Charlie halfway opened her eyes and spoke the words that had been buzzing in her mind since the last time she had said them. “I love you.”

  “I know. God only knows why, but I know—and I love you too.”

  “I fought it. Good lord, I tried not to fall.”

  “I’m thankful you failed, but I wish you hadn’t fought for so long.”

  “I didn’t want to be just another notch on your bedpost, but… I think I’ve been half in love with you for years,” she admitted softly, feeling her heart twist.

  “Could’ve fooled me.”

  Swatting his shoulder, then placing a kiss where the light smack had landed, Charlie sighed. “So what happens after the show tomorrow?”

  “We screw each other’s brains out?”

  “Zane!”

  “I mean it! We’ll lock the door and tell everyone we’re not coming out for at least a week.”

  “I was thinking more long term.”

  “Well, first of all, you’re fired. Because my mate and someday mother of my children is never going to have to wonder if I’m talking to her as her boss or as her husband.”

  “Who said I’d marry you?”

  The disappointment on his face was nearly comical and Charlie fought not to smile at the worried tone in his next words. “I just figured, I mean, since we both—”