by Jenna Jacob
He licked his lips and thrust his hips, grinding his erection against me.
Panic spiked higher. I continued screaming for help while kicking and thrashing. The hard stone bit into my shoulder blades as I pressed myself against the building and tried to knee him in the balls. But his strong body held me in place.
Like acid, terror sped through my veins while I begged the people on the sidewalk to help me. To my dismay, they didn’t even look at me. It was as if someone being forcibly assaulted under their noses was an everyday occurrence.
“Help! Please, someone…anyone… Help me!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
“Shut up, cunt. I’m not going to hurt you. I just want a taste.”
He leaned in toward my mouth.
His wet breath wafted over my face.
Panic surged and my stomach pitched.
Bile burned the back of my throat.
Jerking my head to the side, I pinched my eyes shut.
As he cupped my breast and squeezed, I screamed out a long, petrified sob.
A feral roar pierced the cacophony of blood thumping in my ears, and a split second later, the wretched man let out a strangled cry and released me.
I’m free. He let me go.
Blinking my eyes open, I found Ross gripping the man by the throat. As he lifted the man off the ground, the big drummer’s biceps bulged and rippled. His powerful legs, parted and planted in place, flexed. Nostrils flaring, he pulled the stunned man in close to his snarling face.
“You don’t get to touch her,” he growled, then tossed the creep like a rag doll, onto the hood of a taxi parked at the curb.
Relief flooded my veins as the guy landed with a heavy thud and a guttural cry.
Wearing his command like a well-tailored suit, Ross clutched my hand—sending electricity humming up my arm—before tugging me toward the hotel.
The crushing combination of fury and fear rolling off him melded with my own terror and sent a cluster of quakes shuddering through me.
I hadn’t even stopped trembling when a barrage of what-ifs began pelting my brain.
What if Ross hadn’t heard my screams?
What if he had decided not to turn around?
What would that horrible man have done to me?
The last question sent gruesome, violent visuals whipping through me.
Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t keep up with Ross’s long, powerful strides.
Tugging on his wide, calloused hand, I dug my heels into the concrete and desperately panted, “Stop!”
Spinning to face me, his mouth was pressed in a tight, angry line. His brows were slashed in a fierce frown. “What?”
“Can you slow down…please?” I gasped. “My legs aren’t as long as yours.”
Starting at my toes, he dragged a stare—that felt like the rough stroke of his big hands—up my body. The next shiver that assaulted me had nothing to do with fear or being attacked or what might have happened if… No, the heightened awareness skating through me was because of Ross…all Ross.
Though he was massive, intimidating, and downright scary when he tossed that creep onto the cab, Ross was also ruggedly gorgeous. His physical beauty, masculine smell, and the commanding power in his presence unleashed a primal, feminine ache within me. The man overwhelmed me in every way. So much so that I wanted to run to…and from him all at once.
Exhaling a heavy sigh, he dropped his chin. His expression had softened, and there was now a ravenous need in his eyes that bored through me. No man had ever looked at me that way before. My skin tingled and my stomach twisted. Not from fear but from desire.
“Yeah, sure. Are you all right?”
If fighting the urge to wrap my arms around his chiseled muscles and soak his dark tee in my tears while I bled the fear and adrenaline from my system was all right, then yeah, I was fine. And if fighting the desire to drag my tongue over every inch of his flesh was all right, I was doubly fine.
Instead of giving in to my cravings, I simply nodded. “Thank you for…rescuing me.”
“I didn’t. I just pulled that sorry sack of shit off you.”
Clearly, Ross didn’t have a hero complex. In fact, he’d just shown a surprisingly humble side of himself. It didn’t take any of my special abilities to grasp the fact that Ross possessed far more emotions than he chose to share. Or that beneath his intimidating exterior was the heart of a gentle giant. I mentally started compiling these insights in two categories—fact and persona.
Still clutching my hand, he started walking again, this time in a slower pace that allowed me to stay in step beside him.
“What about you? You’re not doing all right and it’s my fault.”
“No, it’s Quinn’s. He likes to meddle in things…personal things…things he has no business fucking with.”
“In his defense, he’s only trying to help you.”
“I didn’t ask for his help.”
“I get the feeling you never ask, even when you need it.”
“You don’t know anything about me, princess.”
But I did. A few things he probably wouldn’t like or want to hear.
“I know you don’t really want to quit the band.” He didn’t refute my claim, merely sent me a sidelong glare. “Look, I’m not thrilled with this situation, either. Pretending to be something I’m not doesn’t give me the warm fuzzies. But if I can help the tabloids focus their attention on someone other than you, it’s well worth it.”
“Only because you and Quinn assume that I give a shit what those vultures print or say. I don’t.”
“What about Burk, Darren, Ozzy, and Syd? I’m sure they’d rather not have your fans thinking they’re on suicide watch instead of you guys working on a new album for their listening pleasure.”
As we reached the hotel, he turned and faced me. “Clearly, you’ve graduated from the Quinn MacKinnon Academy of Guilt and Manipulation. Tell me, were you valedictorian?”
His accusation stung, but I let it slide off me. Ross was simply lashing out. Clearly, it was too soon to teach him the difference between toxic anger and healing anger, but I had to start drawing my boundaries to keep my chi in healthy alignment.
“Why did you automatically assume I was trying to send you on a guilt—”
“Fuck. Me. You’re a shrink, aren’t you?” he spat, releasing my hand. His touch still lingered, humming in my palm and pulsing in my veins. “I don’t believe this. Quinn hired me a god—”
“I am not a shrink. I’m simply asking what you want out of life.”
A humorless scoff rolled off his lips. “Princess, the life I want doesn’t exist.”
“Why not?”
“Doesn’t matter.” Yes, it does. “I meant what I said at breakfast. I’ll pay you double…no, triple, if you’ll just go away and leave me alone.”
Though his offer was generous, I wasn’t the least bit tempted.
After spending these precious minutes alone with Ross, I finally realized I did know what I was doing. The something more that had been floating on the fringes of my psyche was now crystal clear.
Ross needed light and love to replace the inky shadows in his soul, but he needed peace and forgiveness far more. I didn’t know why his barriers were so thick and strong. I hadn’t been able to read him fully yet. But I couldn’t in good conscience leave him wallowing in darkness the rest of his life. Because I’d never met a living soul that needed saving more than Ross Walker.
“I can’t. I signed—”
“Yeah, yeah, a contract. I know. But contracts are made to be broken.”
“Maybe for others, but I don’t break promises.”
“Of course you don’t,” he groused. “Tell me something. If you’re so damn altruistic, why did you agree to play a part in Quinn’s little game?”
“I agreed, because”—you need my help—"it was the right thing to do.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face and scoffed dryly. “What part of this planet are you from?”
“Kentucky.”
Ross leaned down until his alluring mouth was nearly touching mine. The hint of coffee on his breath was muted by the scent of his sharp, woody men’s cologne that made my mouth water and my nipples grow hard.
“I’ll tell you the right thing to do…go upstairs, pack your bags, and put your sexy little ass on a plane back to Kentucky.”
His low, guttural growl ignited a needy throb between my legs.
Does he really think my ass is sexy?
Focus.
I was trying, but with his irresistible lips close enough for me to kiss and his masculine scent wrapping me in a blanket of arousal, I couldn’t think, let alone string a coherent sentence together.
“Thank fuck you’re back. We’ve been worried shitless, bro,” Burk barked as he grabbed Ross in a brief man hug and clapped him on the back. “Be as pissed at Quinn as you want, but you can’t quit. You’re family, fucker. Deal with it. Besides, you wouldn’t let me quit when I wanted to, remember?”
“I do, but this is different.”
“Bullshit. Come on, the guys are waiting for us up in my suite. Let’s talk this shit out. All right?”
Ross gave him a begrudging nod, then pinned me with a stern glare. “Go inside the hotel and stay there. It’s not safe for you to be out here alone.”
I was tempted to remind him that, A, I wasn’t a dog he could order around, and B, I wouldn’t have been strolling the streets of New York alone if he hadn’t stormed out of the hotel. Instead, I kept my mouth shut and prayed Burk and the others could convince Ross to stay.
As the two men turned and walked toward the elevator, I stilled and quietly began meditating. I knew everything in the universe happened by design, but I didn’t have a clue why Ross’s path had crossed mine. Until the powers that be decided to reveal the answers to my questions, I had to put my faith in the sun, moon, and the stars. Had to keep an open heart and mind and remember that kindness and compassion were gifts that could only be reaped after they’d been sewn.
While he might not know it or want to admit it, Ross possessed immense kindness and compassion. I’d seen it…felt it. Even if I couldn’t yet tap into the life-altering trauma that had buried his benevolence under an avalanche of rubble, I would make it my mission to uncover the source of his sadness. Well, providing he changed his mind and stayed with the band.
“Harmony,” Quinn called from across the lobby, dragging me from my thoughts. “Thank god you’re back. Did you find Ross?”
“Yes.”
Quinn darted a glance around the room. “Where is he?”
“Upstairs with Burk and the others.”
“You’re good.”
“Excuse me?”
“You convinced Ross to come back to the hotel. I’m impressed.”
“No. I didn’t. He escorted me here after some lunatic attacked me, and—”
“Attacked you?” Quinn blanched. “Are you all right? Did he hurt you?”
I explained what happened, and though I was still a bit spooked by the whole ordeal, I assured him that I was fine.
“Did you and Ross talk after that?”
“Not much.”
“I told you last night that he was going to fight you tooth and nail. But I’m sure you’ll find a—”
“If he quits, there will be no fighting.”
“He’s not going to quit. Burk and the others won’t let him.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Come. Let’s head back to the restaurant and get you something to eat.”
I held my tongue until we sat down at the same, now empty, table. Placing my napkin in my lap, I glanced at Ross’s partially filled coffee cup and drew in a fearless breath. “I’m not sure lying to Ross is such a good idea. He already asked if I was a shrink. It won’t be long before he figures out that I’m more than a fake girlfriend.”
“So, you did talk to him.”
“Surface stuff. Nothing deep to explain why he’s so closed off.” Sympathy skipped over Quinn’s face and a heavy weight of sorrow rolled off him. “You know why, don’t you?”
He remained silent.
“Come on, Quinn. You hired me to help your friend. If you really care about Ross, as a friend, help me…help him. What was he trying to escape that he had to use cocaine?”
“I can’t,” he bit out. “There’s confidentiality issues at stake.”
I didn’t like his answer, but I respected it. “Okay, but at least stop lying to him. Tell him who I am and what I’m trying to accomplish.”
Quinn scoffed. “Ross is threatening to quit because he thinks you’re here as his fake girlfriend. If he discovers you’re here to pry his stubborn ass open, he’ll probably kill me with his bare hands. Even if, by some miracle, he didn’t he’d never let his guard down, or let you slide under his radar. I’m sorry. It has to be this way.”
He leaned back in his chair, steepled his hands, and tapped his index fingers to his lips like he’d done on the terrace last night. It was Quinn’s contemplative pose.
“Why is it so important that Ross knows the truth?”
“I don’t like deceiving people, but Karma hates it even more.”
“So you think the truth is going to come back and bite us in the ass?”
“Think?” I shook my head. “I know it will.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“It’s a universal law.” I could tell by the flicker of doubt in his eyes, he didn’t understand. “When you send out negative energy in any form, it’s like dropping a pebble in a lake. The ripples fan out, but they always return to the source of the disturbance. So whatever essence your pebble contains will definitely come back to you.”
“Yet you signed the contract knowing all that. Why? Why would you agree if you knew there would eventually be consequences?”
I might have to lie to Ross, but I wasn’t going to lie to Quinn. Lifting my chin defiantly, I looked him straight in the eyes. “Because I plan to dismantle his barriers, break down his walls, and show him the life he’s been missing before he discovers the truth.”
“I hope you achieve that goal.”
“I will if you tell me what happened to him.”
“That, my dear, will have to come from Ross himself.” Quinn summoned the waitress, arbitrarily bringing our discussion to a halt.
After taking our order and refilling our mugs, the woman left. I didn’t press my point any further. I’d given Quinn something to chew on, and maybe, just maybe he’d change his mind.
He sipped his coffee and quirked a brow. “Tell me about Gaia Garden. I’m curious to know what commune living is like.”
I’d wondered when he was going to ask about that. Usually, when people found out where I lived, they began pelting me with questions immediately. The fact that Quinn had waited this long told me he possessed a great deal of patience.
Just thinking about home brought a soft smile to my lips. “It’s…amazing, but we prefer the term ecovillage.”
“Ecovillage. Huh, that’s got a nice ring to it. So, what exactly do you do there?”
“Work, and lots of it,” I chuckled. “Everyone works forty-eight hours a week.”
“How many people live in your ecovillage?”
“We have a hundred and thirty-seven adults and twenty-two children. Well, a hundred and thirty-six now that I’m here.”
“What kind of work do you all do?”
“Laundry, childcare, schooling, hunting, cooking, plowing the fields, planting the crops, chopping wood, repairing houses…everything.”
“So, you’re a completely self-sustained community?”
“More than self-sustained. We also have a general store, where we sell the fruits and vegetables we grow, honey, eggs, milk, cream, cheeses, breads, pies, cookies, jams, jellies, herbs, art, clothing, rugs…pretty much everything. People come from all over the world to shop there.”
“Is it lucrative?”
“Yes, very.”
Well, it had been until my greedy mother lost her way.
“And the people there didn’t mind you leaving them one worker short?”
“No. They were excited.” And counting on me to fill the coffers again to restore cosmic harmony.
Chapter Five
Ross
“I’m fucking done with Quinn. We need to find a new agent,” I snarled to my band brothers seated around me in Burk’s suite.
I’d been venting for forty minutes, but it wasn’t doing a damn bit of good. I was as livid as I’d been when I entered the room. Not so much at Quinn—as I was protesting—though he’d royally pissed me off. Truthfully, I was still enraged at the motherfucker who’d had his hands all over Harmony. I’d heard her call my name as I strode down the sidewalk but ignored her. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to deal with her or anyone at that moment. But when her yelp and cry for help had sliced the air, something inside me snapped and blinded me with a level of fury I’d never felt before.
“He’s the best in the business. We can’t fire him. But we sure as fuck can draw some ground rules,” Syd rallied. “He’s our agent, not our fucking father.”
Ozzy nodded. “I wanted to kill him, and myself, when he’d announced that Mia was going to be our opening act.”
“Yeah, but I think his motivation for that was nothing but greed. He didn’t know that you and Mia had history,” Darren pointed out.
“You sure about that?” I lifted a skeptical brow. “It seemed awfully coincidental. And you all know I don’t believe in coincidences.”
“I’m not putting on a cheerleader skirt and raising any pom-poms on Quinn’s behalf,” Darren assured. “But I don’t think he’s actually trying to hook you and Harmony up. Not in the real sense. I think he really is just trying to get the tabloids off your ass.”
“Bullshit,” I spat. “If that’s all he was after he could have hired a million different groupies to act the part. But he didn’t. He hired the sweetest, most innocent woman on the planet because he knew she’d be my sexual napalm.”
“Is she?” Burk asked, biting back a smile and failing miserably.
I didn’t bother answering, simply sent him a glare and snarled.