by C A Jonelle
~ Fourteen ~
Lyndsay
I mold my body against Zaryk’s. My god does this man know how to make me happy. When he touches me, heat radiates through me. His touch sparks every nerve ending. But I can’t shake the one nagging thought in the back of my mind - Kendall. What if she wants him back? Will he give in?
He must sense the worry I feel because his fingers stop moving on my belly and he sighs. “What is it?” His voice is laced with frustration, making my body flinch slightly.
“Just … thinking,” I say, a little nervous about his reaction. I move to face him.
He collapses onto his back and rubs his face with both hands. “About what? And please, for the love of God, don’t say Kendall.”
“What if she wants you back?”
“Lynds, I could honestly care less if she wants me back. She can fuck off to another continent for all I care.”
This is crazy of me. I need to get over this Kendall junk. It’s not fair to him and I’m causing him more stress and grief than he deserves. I need to swallow my fears and just be with him.
Why does he want to be with me? I’m nothing like those gorgeous supermodels you normally see with rock stars. And yet, he can’t seem to get enough of me. Fate brought us back together and that says something, I guess.
I haven’t been able to get him out of my head since our fall out. Even when I was with Corbin I was constantly thinking about Zaryk.
“Hey,” I hear him say and I look in his direction. “Where’d you go? You spaced out.”
I smile. “Just thinking about you.”
He rolls onto his side, facing me, and propping himself up on his elbow. He’s smirking. “And what was I doing in these thoughts?”
“Nothing naughty, so don’t get all riled up.”
“When it comes to you, love, it doesn’t take much for me to get riled up.”
My giggling ends abruptly when I see the darkness in his eyes. Good lord, I do that to him? My insides clench delectably when he smooth’s his hand on my thigh and my body shivers. He grins.
“Settle down. We should probably go downstairs and mingle among the human race for a while.”
His hand slides further up my body.
“I’d rather stay here with you.” His voice is low and full of lust.
“You’re horrible.”
As I try to climb out of his bed, he grabs my hand and pulls me back down, causing me to squeal as I fall into him. His lips land on mine and I moan into his mouth as my body relaxes against his. When our lips part, he’s wearing that sexy as sin smirk again.
“See? You’d rather get all riled up with me, love. We can talk to them later.” His arms wrap around me, pulling me closer, if that’s even possible. He nuzzles his nose in my hair and I can feel his hot breath on my ear. “Stay with me, Lynds. Let me show you how much I love you and want you.”
That’s all it takes for me to give in to the man I love.
******
Zaryk
When Lyndsay and I finally emerge from my room and come downstairs we’re greeted by glares from the crew.
“What?” I ask as we walk hand in hand into the huge living room.
Zayne looks at his cell phone and shows me the time. It’s nearing one in the morning.
My eyebrows quirk up. “So?”
“We were all going out tonight douche nozzle,” Zayne’s lovely asshole-ish attitude chimes in.
“Don’t get your panties in a bunch dumbass; Riot is open all fucking night.” I smack him upside the back of his head as I walk by him.
He flips me off. “Let’s go bitches.”
The ladies give him the evil eye. He holds his hands up in surrender. “Sorry, sorry. Didn’t mean it that way.” He heads to the door.
“You’re such a dick.” Zayden grabs the back of Zayne’s neck and squeezes.
Zayne swats his hand away. “Yeah, well, this dick needs to get fucking laid. A-S-fucking-P.”
They both laugh as they walk out the door. Zayden motions for Jess to follow and she immediately obeys. That irritates me a smidge. I look at Lyndsay and her eyes are wide as she stares on at my brothers.
“Uh, yeah. Zayne hasn’t changed one bit.” He’s actually gotten worse. His sleeping around has gotten more frequent and he’s become a giant jerk.
“He’s definitely a character.” Thankfully she laughs it off.
If Zayne scares her off, I’ll kill him. I put my arm around Lyndsay and we head out with the gang to Riot.
When we arrive at the club it’s still packed. Zayne and Kreed go off on their own to do their typical woman hunting. The rest of us go to our favorite corner booth. Lyndsay, Amberlynn and Jessica slide in and Zayden, Deklan, and I make our way to the bar to get some drinks.
“How’s things with Lyndsay?” Zayden asks over the music as he leans against the bar.
“She’s still having some doubts about Kendall.” I shrug.
The bartender floats over to us. “What’ll it be guys? It’s nice to see you all again.” She flashes her white teeth at us in a huge smile.
“It’s good to be back, sweets. How about we get three beers for us and three Riot punches for the girls,” Zayden says.
The Riot punch is strong as hell. I have no idea what’s in it, but it’s a lot of liquor. I’m not sure Lyndsay will go for it since she’s not a huge drinker.
The bartender slides us our drinks and we head back to the booth. I slide in beside Lyndsay and she eyes her drink speculatively, then looks up at me, confused as to what’s sitting in front of her. Amberlynn and Jessica dive into theirs.
“It’s Riot punch. If you don’t want it I can get you something else.”
She hesitates a moment and then takes a sip. When she looks at me with a smile on her face I know all is well and I lean down and kiss her. I sit back and stretch my long legs out, and take a drink of my beer. My eyes wander to the dance floor and I watch the crowd sway and writhe.
This place is like a second home to us. The black walls are adorned with posters of musicians and guitar picks, vinyl records, and old and cracked CDs. The booths, tables, and chairs sit on a level up from the sunken dance floor. A stage beckons from the far side. We love to play here. It’s our home and we love playing for the hometown crowd more than anybody else.
Rock music is thumping through the speakers. No hip hop or club music here; it’s all rock. We’re laughing and having a good time when this preppy looking douchebag walks up to us. He’s wearing khaki pants and a button down black shirt.
“Lyndsay? Is that you?” the dude asks and I look at Lynds.
“Hey, Corbin.” She sounds less than thrilled. She pushes her way out of the booth.
My eyes dart back and forth from him to her. Lyndsay looks a bit uncomfortable. Who the fuck is this clown? Something he says makes her smile and it makes my blood boil. Is this an ex-boyfriend or something because I’m about to lose my shit with this dude if he continues to touch her.
She glances over at me, noticing my increasing frown. Her eyes grow wide because she knows I’m pissed. She guides Mr. Preppy in my direction. Is this dude serious? He’s just a tad taller than her, which means I tower over him. He steps back a smidge when I stand and looks me over. Piss me off, nerd-boy, I dare you.
“Zaryk, this is Corbin. Corbin, this is Zaryk, my boyfriend. Corbin and I used to date,” she says, and he extends his hand.
I’m her boyfriend. Got it preppy boy? I grip his hand firmly and force a smile. “Lips of an Angel” by Hinder begins to play.
“Would you like to dance, Lyndsay? It won’t make up for what I did, but it would be nice to catch up. It looks like you’re happy now and I’m glad for it.” What did he do to her?
She looks at me. Feeling slightly defeated, I just wave them off and sit back down.
They turn toward the floor and his hand rests on the small of her back. I extend my arm to yank it off but Deklan grabs one of the belt loops on my jeans, forcing me back into the booth. My mind wande
rs over what he said. What the fuck did he do to her? And why is she willing to be near him after whatever it was that he did?
“Boy, your temper is going to get the better of you some day,” Deklan says over the music.
I growl in pure agitation as I watch them sway to the slow melody of the song together. I’m not liking this one bit. What’s the damn difference between her and her ex and Kendall and me? She’d be livid if I was out there with Kendall. Pissed off, I stand and rush to the exit.
Flinging the door open, I step out into the cool summer air. I take a deep breath. Fuck this shit. There’s no way I’m going to sit in there and watch him put his hands on her. I lean up against a tree beside the parking lot, close my eyes and try to relax.
“Zaryk!”
I groan and drop my head back against the tree. Can I just get a moment to clear my head without someone intervening? “What is it, Lynds?”
She frowns and the light from her eyes disappears. “Are you mad at me?”
I laugh. “No. Not mad. Confused. Pissed the fuck off. Those words describe it better.” I turn my body so I’m facing her, resting my shoulder against the tree and fold my arms across my chest.
She looks down at her feet. “I’m sorry.”
“Kendall kissed me,” I say and her head snaps up. “I pushed her away Lyndsay. She wanted me and I pushed her away … because of you.”
“Because of me? You would have gone back to her if I wasn’t around? Nice, Zaryk. Real fucking nice.” Anger, pure anger, flows through her voice.
A low growl rumbles through me. “Lynds, I don’t want to go through this with you again. Why don’t you go back in there with Corbin? It looked like you were having a good time ‘catching up’.”
“What? I only did it because you waved me off like you didn’t give a shit.” She turns to walk away and I snatch her arm. She spins around and anger floods her eyes.
“And you willingly followed. You know what? I’m not in the mood to go over my feelings with you.” Frustration is burning in my soul. I turn and head towards my car.
She follows me. “Zaryk, you can’t drive like this.”
I pull my phone out of my back pocket and dial Deklan’s number. “Hey man, are you ready to get out of here? Thanks bud.” I tap the ‘end’ button and turn to Lyndsay. “There. Deklan and I are leaving. You girls can have your fun without us. I’m sure your ex is wondering where you’ve gone.”
“I can drive you home.”
“Not gonna happen, Lynds.”
“Zaryk, please don’t be this way.”
I just want to shake her, to make her understand somehow. “And how should I be, Lyndsay? Tell me. You could have told him to go away. Isn’t that what I did with Kendall? Even though I could be the father of that baby growing inside her, I still want nothing to do with her. Nothing!” My voice is louder than I intend it to be and her body jerks. “What did he do to you?” She turns her head so she’s not looking at me. “Lyndsay!” I snarl through clenched teeth.
Her body jerks again. This time she does walk away. What the fuck? Why won’t she tell me?
I growl loudly, echoing in the night air. “I’m not going to chase after you Lyndsay!”
Stopping, she turns to face me with a startled expression on her gorgeous face.
“What is it? Is he the reason you can’t get over Kendall and me?” I move closer to her.
“Yes.” Her answer is barely a whisper.
My heart drops into the pit of my stomach. The thought of anyone hurting her touches a nerve … a big nerve. I inch closer until I’m directly in front of her. Reaching up, I glide my fingers against her neck, rubbing my thumb along her jawline. She lifts her gaze to mine.
“Tell me how he hurt you. I want to understand where this fear is coming from.”
She twists her face out of my hands and I drop them to my side. Tears are glistening in her eyes. I can’t stand to see her like this and I can’t stand how she’s making me feel right now. I can feel the fire building deep inside me. Deklan appears at the exit.
Lyndsay turns to go back inside. I’m fed up with this shit, but I don’t want to lose her. I make one last attempt and grab her arm and turn her toward me. “If you leave, you might as well take my heart with you. I won’t need it anymore, because it won’t bother to beat without you.”
Deklan freezes and watches us, his face full of concern.
I let go of her arm and she turns back toward the building. She disappears and I feel a big part of me die inside.
~ Fifteen ~
Zaryk
I drop into the passenger seat and slam the door shut. Deklan slips into the driver’s side and adjusts the seat. “Good lord, dude. You have some long legs.”
I slam my head into the back of the seat and groan. “That woman’s going to kill me, man.” I smack my head repeatedly against the seat.
His hand slips behind my head. “Don’t give yourself a concussion, Z. Just let her be for a while.”
I look straight ahead. Deklan puts the Mustang in reverse and backs out of the parking spot. “Sorry to make you leave Amberlynn.” I rest my head back and glance at him.
He smiles. “It’s okay. She understood.”
“God, I wish Lyndsay would open up to me. Do you have any idea what the deal is with this Corbin?” I look at him hopefully, but Deklan just shakes his head. Damn.
“Amberlynn would be the one to ask about that. I don't get involved with that crap and she never tells me shit anyway.”
He drives down the long driveway to the house. I love how secluded our place is.
He parks in the five-car garage and we make our way inside. I lie down on the couch and stretch my legs all the way out. Deklan drops into the recliner and kicks the footrest up. He lies back, placing his hands behind his head.
“It’s almost too quiet.” I say as I close my eyes.
“But it’s so nice.”
We both drift off and are awakened when the noise level spikes up. Well, so much for a nap. I glance at the large clock on the wall. It’s just after two in the morning. Deklan leaps up from the chair and yells, “Boobs!”
I tip my head back to see Amberlynn flashing him and everybody else. I laugh when he attacks her and slams her up against the wall. Those two are flippin’ nuts. I crash back down and Lyndsay is standing at my feet. Dammit, does she enjoy torturing me? My eyes travel up her body. Her skirt barely covers her and that tank top hugs her breasts perfectly. Her lips are parted and my dick jerks at the thought of them wrapped around it again.
I snap out of it and ice trickles in my veins. Until she opens up to me, I won’t give in.
“I thought you ladies were going to hang out at the club?” I eyeball her as she sits down.
“I didn’t feel much like staying there.”
I look around and realize everyone has disappeared into the games room. Fuck. Left alone. A frustrated sigh escapes my mouth and I get up and go into the kitchen. I grab a bottle of vodka and slam it onto the dark granite counter. I can feel the heat of her body.
“What do you want, Lyndsay?” There’s no hiding the bitterness in my voice.
She gasps. “I just want to talk.”
I slowly turn toward her. My heart feels so cold right now. How can she not trust me with Kendall when she clearly had no problem dancing with her ex at the club … in front of me even! And she won’t fucking tell me what the deal is with him. Did he fuck around on her? Shit. I guess I’ll never know.
I bark out a frustrated laugh, snatch the bottle off the counter, and head to my room. Pausing at the bottom of the stairs, I turn, and yell across the room, “If you want to talk I suggest you hop to it because I’m planning on drinking until I pass the fuck out.” Everybody peeks around to see what’s going on. I start up the steps and Lyndsay makes her way up behind me.
I stop at my bedroom door and motion for her to go in, “Ladies first.” I slam the door behind us.
I open the vodka and take a long dr
ink and then hold it out to her. She shakes her head. I shrug and lean back. “So what’s up?” A stunned look flashes across her face. “You wanted to talk right? Here’s your chance. So let’s talk.” I can’t mask the annoyance in my voice.
“I don’t know what to say.” She looks at her hands.
For fucks sake. “Now you don’t know what to say. Would you like to hear what I have to say?” I can see she’s already on the verge of tears. I don’t care right now. I want this out and I want it out now. “You’re not going to care, but I’ll tell you anyway.” I tip the bottle back again. This shit makes me braver than I really am around her; maybe a little too brave. I move towards her. “Do you mind if I sit next to you or are you going to run away like I have cooties?”
“Just sit down.” Ah, there’s that ‘shove it’ tone I wanted to hear. She looks at me and the guilt tries to come back so I take another swig from my quickly depleting asshole elixir.
“Touched a nerve did I?” I slur as I lay back and try to stop the room from spinning. “What’s going on Lyndsay? Why won’t you open up to me? If you can’t tell me then I don’t know where we go from here.”
She lets out a heavy sigh and flops down beside me. I look over at her and she looks so fragile. God, not knowing how this may end is killing me. If she leaves, I don’t know if we own enough vodka to fix me.
“Zaryk, I love you.” She turns her head and looks at me. Tears pool in the corner of her eyes and for some reason this panics me. “I’ve liked you since the day we met and somewhere along the line I fell hard. But you scare me. Your lifestyle, the drinking, the girls; it all scares me. Even if it’s not all true I still have to hear about all of it. I can’t act like it’s not there.” I feel her hand take mine and give it a light squeeze. “And then there’s Kendall. I want to trust you. I want to be able to look at you and know you would never leave me, but you already did once. Every time I hear her name all I can think about is that day. God, I’d barely left your bed and you already had another woman in your arms right in front of me.” A single tear glides down her cheek and as I go to wipe it away she turns her head.