“He gave me back my panties.” She rubbed her nose, scrubbing at her eyes.
“He did what?”
“After we… He still had my panties. When Carly announced things, Joe went green. At the end of the set, he climbed down from the stage and gave me back my panties.” She rubbed her eyes as more tears fell. Damn it.
“Oh…I get it.” Zach nodded. “Dude was really pissed, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, you’ve just got to try to explain again. If it’s this fast… Well, he’s probably your True Mate.”
“He can’t be. If he was, he wouldn’t think I could cheat. He’d know better.”
“Love isn’t logical and we wolves are possessive bastards, Mands. He hates thinking you and I are lovers.”
“We aren’t.”
“But we have been.”
“That wasn’t being lovers. We’ve been fuck buddies. Well, heat buddies.”
“But he doesn’t know that. You’ve got to tell him. Now.”
She sighed. “He went outside.”
“Go find him.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
“But you might want to fix your face first.”
“Why?”
“Your makeup is all smeared.”
“Crap.”
* * * * *
Joe leaned against the side of the building, watching his breath form clouds in the chilly air. He wanted to pound on something. He wanted to shout and swear and stomp around like a little kid in the midst of a tantrum. Instead, he leaned against the cold brick wall and stared at the stars.
What the hell was wrong with him? Why did he always pick women or wolf bitches who cheated on him? True, Mandy didn’t cheat on him. This time. But if she could cheat on Zach she could cheat on him someday and it would kill him. He knew it would be because she was special. He wasn’t about to take that chance—it would be better to walk away now. Heart whole. Except his heart wasn’t whole. It was shredded like a piece of bloody meat in his chest.
You’d think he would have learned his lesson with Valerie. He’d given her five years of his life. Five faithful years—which was not easy when you were on the road in a rock band. But he’d done it. Then she told him she was pregnant and that he was going to be a father. Shit, she was human. What did he know about human pregnancy? He believed her. Swallowed her story—hook, line and sinker.
He stayed off the road during her last three months. Took Lamaze classes with her. Coached her through delivery and held her son in his arms. Her red-haired son. Red hair—just like the band’s drummer. There was no way two black-haired people produced a carrot top. No fucking way. When he finally confronted her, she admitted it. She swore it was just once, but she wanted the boy to be his. The truth was her boy wasn’t his son. Joe had made sure the drummer paid child support then he walked away. From Valerie and from the band. Joe heard the door slam and prayed it wasn’t Mandy.
“Hey, Joe. You’re acting flaky as hell tonight. What’s up?” Eddie asked, leaning against the building beside him.
Joe looked at the man who was growing to be a close friend. He didn’t want to tell Eddie, well man, your daughter just stabbed me in the heart so I’m a little pissy right now.
“Turning forty isn’t a walk in the park. That’s all.”
“Yeah, I remember. Sixty is a little better, but not much. Rockers shouldn’t turn sixty.”
“Better sixty than dead, my friend.”
“Better forty than dead.” Eddie nudged his arm.
Joe laughed wryly. “Right.”
“Hey, look at it this way. You don’t have a strand of gray and you’re lucky as hell because you can still nail the chicks. Carly would castrate me if I banged a groupie between sets at a concert.”
“And you’d deserve it. You don’t screw around on your mate. Ever.”
Eddie grinned. “Yeah. I guess I’ll keep her.”
“Hey, man, you’re lucky she keeps you.” Joe took a deep breath. “Time for the third set?”
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
“Hey, are you cool with changing up the set a bit?”
“Sure. It was kinda chick oriented and we have a good mixed crowd tonight.”
“Great.”
Mandy came out of the bathroom with freshly reapplied makeup just as the band started to play. She adjusted her panties under her skirt, desperately wishing Joe still had them in his pocket. She’d find a way to talk to him before the night was over. She had to convince him that he had her all wrong. She wasn’t a cheater. Not at all.
She returned to the stage and dance floor area and winced when she heard the song they played. A cheating song. She’d sneaked a peek at the set list before they started playing and there wasn’t a cheating song in the entire thing. Damn him he’d changed the set list.
She knew the truth. Zach was not her mate and she hadn’t done anything wrong. Well, other than telling the fib that she and Zach were together, but they weren’t and they both knew it. If only she wasn’t so protective of Carly. Her mother had a tough time of it when she and Eddie first got together so Mandy had done whatever she could to make Carly happy when she was growing up and she still did. Mandy admitted to herself that she also wanted to get her mother to quit nagging.
So how did she fix this mess? And it was a mess. Mandy walked back to her table. She toyed with her camera as Joe sang, clenching her jaw as she tried to figure out how to hold out for the rest of the night.
Finally, she waved a passing waitress over and asked for a stiff drink, a soft drink, and some garlic cheese bread. Then she looked up at Joe, determined to stare him down. She took a deep breath and met his condemning gaze. She knew she’d screwed up, but damn him anyway. She raised her brows at him. Just daring him. He met her dare and then some.
The entire freaking third set was hard rock songs intermixed with cheating songs. Mandy focused on working with her camera to get great shots and ignored the music. As they approached the end of the set, she found she couldn’t block it out anymore. She wanted to cry again. But she didn’t. Instead, she went back to her table to sit down. She had to put things right…tonight. She hated having Joe think she was capable of cheating on a mate.
“Ladies and gentlemen. Before we start our last song of the night, we want to thank you all for coming out tonight. Remember to tip your waiters and waitresses generously.”
The crowd cheered in response to Joe’s request.
“You all know we’re a rock band right?”
More cheering.
“Well, what we all really want to be is…rock stars!”
With that he launched into Rockstar. The crowd screamed and flooded the floor. This song was definitely Joe’s influence. Eddie stuck to the music of the sixties and seventies. Occasionally the eighties. But Nickelback? Oh yeah, that was Joe. She smiled and decided to dance too.
Joe couldn’t get over Mandy’s brazenness. How did anyone decide that fucking someone who wasn’t your mate was perfectly okay?
When she got up to dance to the last song, he fought against watching her but he lost. How could he still be attracted to her? He hated cheaters, yet Mandy was special. Full of life and exuberance. He shook his head. Son of a bitch! He still wanted her. He was a fucking idiot.
Joe took his bows with the rest of the band as the crowd cheered at the end of the song, so they played an encore. It was his absolute favorite, The Load Out/Stay. Carly knew how to make the piano cry during the song and he loved the words. It had been his life for twenty years and God willing, for another twenty too. The crowd whistled and howled in appreciation. Damn, he loved performing.
After the concert he mingled with the fans but kept his eye on Mandy. Not once did she even look Zach’s way and he all but ignored her too. Zach was too busy flirting with a Whitewolf female. Jeez, didn’t anyone believe in fidelity anymore? Shit, maybe he was getting old.
After the crowd thinned out, they started to break down the equipment. Joe continued to watch Man
dy and Zach out of the corner of his eye. The more he watched, the more confused and pissed he got. What the fuck was going on?
Chapter Three
Mandy grabbed Zach as he passed her on the way to his office. “You need to come home with us.”
“Mands, I’ve got to close up. Clean. You know—the usual shit.”
“Delegate. Your manager is perfectly capable.”
“I need to count the money.”
“You’re such a chickenshit, Zach. You just counted the take and gave the band’s cut of the door to Eddie.”
“You got me into this goat fuck…”
“And I’m going to get you out…tonight. But I need you there to help me. If they can see we aren’t mates it will go a long way toward repairing the damage.”
“You owe me so big.”
“You already said that. Just get sorted. They’re all staying at my place. They’ll follow me in The Beast.”
“The Beast?”
“The bus. The Beast actually fits in my back driveway.”
Zach grumbled but he agreed to come home with them.
To speed things up, Mandy went over to help them break down. Sometimes she thought she could do it in her sleep, she’d been doing it so long. Twice Joe corrected her about how she was packing things.
The third time she put her hands on her hips. “Are you always this anal? The cables are fine the way I wrapped them.”
“Excuse me?”
“I know how to break down. I was raised in The Pack. Hell, I was a member long before you were, dude.” They stood toe-to-toe, glaring.
“Would you two give it a rest? You’re making my head hurt,” Eddie complained. “It’s late and I’m hungry.”
“Then tell the anal new guy I won’t hurt his precious equipment.” She tilted her head. “Any of it.”
Eddie chortled. “She’s got you there, man. Punkin, you’re definitely Daddy’s favorite.”
“That’s not hard. I’m Daddy’s only.” Mandy grinned at her father.
Eddie strode over and gave her a bear hug. “True. But you’re still my favorite.”
Joe seemed to relax as they finished breaking things down and packing them onto the bus. In spite of how pissed she was at him, she loved watching him work. He was efficient and decisive. Eddie and Tom had a tendency to stop working and start talking about bullshit part way through the job only to have Carly and Sharon jump their asses to get done. Joe kept them all on task.
As they piled onto the bus, Zach walked over to his motorcycle and started it. Mandy looked up into the bus stairwell, unsurprised to see Joe settle behind the wheel. Red always used to do the driving too. Eddie and Tom had CDLs but neither liked to maneuver The Beast.
“Eddie and Carly can get you to my place,” she told Joe. “I have a long driveway in back that’ll hold the full length of the bus.”
“Right. We’ll get there.”
Mandy backed off. She started her car and watched to make sure they followed her. The bus made an easy turn and trailed after her like a wolf on the hunt. She drove through the silent, early morning streets of Whitewolf, Colorado, relieved as they made it home without incident. They’d been stopped by Whitewolf’s finest one too many times for her to relax until they all came to a complete stop.
Joe pulled the bus up the incline into her driveway. She sighed in frustration. Damn it. Did he have to be so competent? He did everything well. Played guitar, sang, drove a bus…fucked. Shit! Mandy turned off her car and climbed out to wait near the bus. Carly and Eddie came down the stairs then looked back up the steps.
“You are not sleeping in the belly of The Beast, Joe. Mandy has space inside for all of us. It’s a tradition to stay with her when we play around here.”
Mandy stalked over and looked up into the bus, catching Joe’s eye. “Carly’s right. Family and band tradition.”
“Oh sweetie, can you make me some of your tasty Belgian waffles?” Sharon asked with a groan of anticipation as she walked down the stairs.
“I have the fixings for breakfast inside. I always plan ahead for you guys.”
Tom clapped Joe on the shoulder in passing. Joe still sat in the driver’s seat, obviously undecided. “She makes man-food as well as the fluffy stuff, Joe. She’s known how to cook for years.”
“Unlike her mother,” Eddie teased, slapping Carly on the ass.
“Edward Goldwolf…” Carly’s threatening tone had Eddie lifting his hands defensively.
“When Mandy was on the road with us we ate damn well, but sorry, honey, you can’t cook and we both know it.”
“Like you can?”
“Hell no. Well, I do barbeque pretty good, but that’s it.”
“Mandy is an excellent cook.” Carly assured Joe.
“She’s been feeding the lot of us for years. Sharon only does the basics.” Tom added, getting a smack from his mate as he hit the ground at her side.
“Hey,” he grumbled.
“So is Zach joining us?” Carly asked.
“Yes. Tonight he is.” Joe’s eyes sparked with anger, but she held his gaze. “We want to talk to all of you. Inside. Now.”
Joe stood. “I’ll get an overnight bag and join you.”
Mandy leaned against the side of the bus. “I’ll wait.” She could almost hear his teeth grind as he growled and grabbed his stuff.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with him tonight. He’s normally very easygoing after a concert,” Carly commented to Mandy. “Is the back door open, sweetie?”
“Yeah. You and Eddie are in your usual room and so are Tom and Sharon.”
“You put Joe in Red’s usual room?”
“Yeah.”
“Sounds good. It’s cold out here. I’ll herd them inside while you wait for Mr. Reluctant.”
Carly kissed her on the forehead and waved everyone toward the back door. Zach came across the back yard from his place and she pointed to the back door. He frowned but headed inside. She heard Joe rattling around on the bus then he appeared at the top of the steps, overnight bag in hand. She stepped to the side.
“This isn’t a good idea, you know. I’m really pissed at you, angel.”
“The feeling’s mutual, stud.” Mandy turned and headed for the door as he closed the bus doors and followed.
“Why are you pissed at me? I’m not the cheater.”
She turned abruptly to face him. “Neither am I!” Mandy took a deep breath, trying to hold her emotions in check. “I have a lot of explaining to do but I’d rather not do this twice. Come on.”
Mandy mounted her back steps and opened the doors to her large three-season porch. This was her favorite place to hang out when it was warmer. One of these years she was going to make it a year-round hang out. She breathed a sigh of relief when Joe followed her inside and straight into her huge country-style kitchen.
“So what do you all want to eat?” Mandy asked the room at large. Maybe if she fed them, the bombshell explosion from telling the truth would be smaller.
“Mands, can we get on with this?” Zach asked in a pained tone.
Mandy rolled her eyes because Carly was hanging on him with her arms wrapped around his waist. Carly was probably still trying to convince him to become a father.
Carly let go, setting beside Eddie on one side of the big table. Sharon and Tom were already seated across from them. Joe started for the far end of the table.
“Nope, you there.” She pointed to Carly’s side. “Zach, you there.” She pointed to the empty chair beside Sharon. That left the head of the table empty and a spot for Mandy at the foot. Both males reluctantly followed orders.
Mandy slapped bacon onto the griddle and started cracking eggs to scramble. She quickly mixed batter for Sharon’s waffles too. The hum of conversation at the table was primarily between the two couples. Zach and Joe were painfully silent. Mandy could feel Joe’s glare right in the center of her back and whenever she turned around she found his resentful eyes on her.
She fini
shed cooking breakfast in short order, loading the table with tender scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, toast and butter, and Belgian waffles with maple syrup. She also provided coffee all around and a jug of fresh orange juice. She’d tried to talk them into warm milk in the past with no luck whatsoever so now she didn’t even bother. Mandy settled down at the table with Joe, Carly, and Eddie to her left and Zach, Sharon and Tom to her right. She served herself some scrambled eggs and bacon then poured some juice. She took a bite of egg.
“So what’s the big news, sweetie?” Carly asked. “Are you pregnant?”
Zach spit out his coffee and Mandy started to cough. As one they turned to Carly.
“Shit no.” Zach growled.
“Hell no.” Mandy choked. “Carly, one day I swear I’m going to scramble you. This is all your fault, you know.”
Carly opened her eyes wide, faking total innocence as only she could. “What is my fault?”
Mandy glanced at Zach. “Just tell her and get it over with.”
Mandy cleared her throat. “Zach and I are not mates. Okay?” She took another bite of scrambled eggs as total silence reigned at the table.
“Would you please repeat that, young lady?”
Mandy groaned. Carly was dangerous enough when she was happy. Get her pissed and heads rolled. Tonight it would be Mandy’s head.
“What do you mean, you and Zach aren’t mates?” Eddie asked.
Mandy glanced at Zach. He rolled his eyes at her. She kicked him under the table. “Hey! This isn’t my fault, Mands. Anyway, it was your idea. I just went along with it.”
“Yeah, it’s my fault but you agreed to help.”
“Yeah and never again. I swear.”
Mandy shook her head then looked at her parents, whom she adored. “I love you both, really. But I…” she paused, trying to figure out how to explain.
“Just spit it out, Mands.”
“Zach, shut up. Either tell them yourself or let me do it in my own way.”
“Then tell them. You’re such a freaking wimp. Get a spine.” He shoveled some scrambled eggs into his mouth.
“And you’re a tool.”
Sharon started to laugh. At first just chortling and then she exchanged looks with Tom. Both of them lost it, breaking out in gales of laughter.
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