“I
miss you. I want you. And I need you by my side.”
“Okay,
that's three.” I got up, placing the book back before walking out of the library, slamming the door shut. “What time should I be there?”
“Eight
o'clock. I have a backstage interview with some reporter named Gigi Bordeaux, but I want to see you before I go onstage. I miss your sexy ass.”
Just
like that, my core clenched at the allure of his voice. “I wouldn't mind seeing you either, Mr. Gunner.” I stepped into the elevator, taking a quick ride to my apartment. I paused before sighing heavily. “I really feel sorry that your name was mentioned in that trash article this morning.”
“No
one believes it, Storm. The likelihood of me needing an escort service is slim to none. The media laughed that shit off. Besides, Jeff Hunter was well known in media circles as weird and disreputable at best.”
“Well,
the irony of this mess is that, this time, everything he reported was actually true.” I walked into my spacious closet, looking through all of my clothes, only confirming that nothing I had was remotely appropriate to wear to a concert. I plopped down on the cushioned chair as I looked at my rows of shoes. “I'm worried, Knox. Something’s not right. I can feel it.” It was a relief to confide in someone besides Light.
“And
I'm worried about you. Let me provide some security for you until this whole thing blows off,” he stated flatly.
My
back stiffened. “I don't want some strange men following me around. Really, I appreciate the gesture, but this whole thing will die down soon. I'm sure of it.” I don't know if it was wishful thinking or my slow slide into a delusional state, but the words felt hollow. This crap wasn't going to die down; it was just the beginning of craziness. He knew it and so did I.
“It's
not a good sign when you start lying to yourself.”
“Don't
I know it.”
“After
the concert, you're coming to my place.”
“Yes
,” I responded without pause. I needed to be with him tonight and I needed to forget the churning chaos of my life.
“Finally
, submission,” he responded.
I
shrugged. “It was inevitable. But my submission extends only to the bedroom. I don't have time to play coy games. That's not who I am.”
“And
that's why you're the woman for me.” He paused. “I've got to go. Harper will be waiting to escort you backstage. See you later.” He clicked off and I looked around my closet one more time. It was shopping time.
* * *
Light smiled at me, checking out my outfit, a biker jacket with a pair of super-tight leather pants I finished with lace-up, black ankle boots. “Now, this is the girl I used to know. You look smoking hot.” She hip-checked me. “That Knox must be putting it down royally in bed for you to shed your boring clothes for something finally fitting the real you.”
I
shrugged, not letting the curious stares of the backstage crowd distract me. “I'm all for any opportunity to shop,” I said with a tone deliberately emotionless.
Light
stopped with hands on her hips. “Holy shit! Wait a minute.” Her eyes narrowed as if she were finally noticing something. Her mouth dropped open then closed then open again. “Really?”
She
didn't have to say it aloud. We both understood each other without all the unnecessary words. I was falling for Knox… again. And this time there would be no running away. No denial because Knox wouldn't allow it. And neither would I. I closed my eyes, calming my racing anxiety, and then snapped them back open looking like a deer in headlights. Damn, this was too new and I was scared shitless.
“Yes,”
I responded flatly.
She
hugged me tightly. “You do what’s necessary to snare your man. And I’ll stand by your side regardless of what our mothers have to say about it.” She looped her arm through mine as we walked through the backstage chaos. We both skidded to a stop at the sight of petite Harper squaring off with another blast from the past—Kaydee.
Harper
pointed in Kaydee's face. “Your artist is the opening act, not the headliner. There will be no perks.” She did air quotes. “Other than what's stated in the band's rider. Lastly, Knox is not interested in seeing you. Something that you should’ve gotten a clue about by now given your countless unanswered attempts to contact him.”
Kaydee's
face twisted. “You little bitch. Without me, there wouldn't be a Knox Gunner.”
Nothing
changed about her. She was still vile and evil.
Harper
looked her up and down. “Uh-huh… look, ice queen, you've milked that cow for all it's worth. That's why Knox granted your artist this opportunity. Well, that and they happen to have a number one single that's hot right now. All good for making Knox and me…”—she smiled spitefully—“more money. Now, hobble your plastic ass back to your band's dressing room and I won't have to tell security to throw your skanky ass out.”
“You
little…” Kaydee sputtered,
Harper
rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” She turned her head, spotting us. “Hey, my girls are here. Sorry I couldn't greet you… but…” She looked over at Kaydee with disgust. “I had some trash to deal with.”
I
placed my hands on my curvy hips. “I understand. Believe me.”
Kaydee
looked me up and down with a cruel smile. “What are you doing here?”
“Unlike
you, she was invited,” Harper responded quickly.
Light
snickered. “Damn, I love you Harper.”
Kaydee's
face went pale. “You're back together?”
I
batted my eyes prettily. “Uh-huh. He can't seem to get enough of the Storm.” I smiled widely. “I just can't get enough of him either. You see, that little stunt you pulled years ago can't stop the inevitable. Us.”
Kaydee's
fists clenched and unclenched. “It won't last. I'll make sure of that.”
For
the first time, I really looked at her and she had crazy written all over her. “Oh my goodness, how desperate are you? You'll never have him. A fact proven by you standing here foaming at the mouth, and I'm looking at you and loving it,” I stated calmly.
Harper
nodded toward security. “So, Kaydee, what's it going to be? Play nice and go to your corner of shame? Or get thrown out on your boney ass? Either option is all good with me, but I'm just saving security some effort.” The guards edged closer, waiting to carry out Harper's orders.
Kaydee
gave both Harper and me a simply evil stare. “This is not over,” she spat before walking away.
Harper
shuttered. “That woman is simply vile.”
I
looked at her curiously. “What is she doing here?”
“Liam.
He practically begged Knox to give the band she manages the opening act tonight. She's desperate and probably doled out a blow job to Liam for the favor. And the band is young, talented, and clueless to the toxic waste they've hitched their wagon to,” Harper said before looking down at her watch. “Shit. The interview with the piranha reporter is over. Light, security will escort you to the VIP section. Stormy, Knox wants to see you before he goes on.”
Light
fluffed out her hair. “Yes.” She did a fist pump. “VIP city. That's what's up. Got to love it.” She practically bounced away, talking animatedly to the guards.
Harper
dragged me along as she barked out orders and asked questions to the employees moving things in the sea of crazy. She knocked on the door, pushing it open, revealing Knox strumming his guitar and looking like sex on a platter.
His
gaze went straight to me. “Come here.” He moved the guitar aside and stood in one lithe move. I strode over, stepping before him. Without a word, his hands cupped my jaw, pulling me to him before slamming his mouth onto mine. I gasped, making soft mewing sounds at the back of my throat, burying my hands in the soft strands of his jet-black hair.
“Damn,
you two are so fucking hot together,” Harper mumbled under her breath before the door clicked closed.
He
plundered my mouth. His tongue darting in and out, taking what was undeniably his. Our tongues dueled as he grabbed the back of my neck, controlling me and then easing me off the kiss. A warning that he was in control of this kiss and of me. I pressed into him, loving the fact that I didn't have to think, just feel.
He
tore his mouth from mine and stared into my eyes. “Now are we clear that you belong to me, Storm?” He nipped my bottom lip. “Do you understand now what I need from you?”
I
closed my eyes, fighting the tears of emotions, before nodding.
“Open
those beautiful eyes, baby. I need to see them concede to me.” He grabbed the back of my neck softly. “This is not a fling. You and me… we will make it work. You will not run when it starts getting hard or when I demand more than you've ever given any man. Or when I make you angry or when you get scared.” He kissed my lips hard. “You will trust me to do the right thing by you. As I will trust you to do the same.”
I
swallowed hard. “There are things you don't know about me, Knox. Things you may not understand.” He arched a brow. “Fuck it—okay, yes, to everything. I can't keep going on living half a life.” I grabbed his T-shirt desperately. “But you better understand that everything I've done in the past I did because of my feelings for you. Because I was scared of the repercussions of what and who I am.”
He
tilted his head to the side. “I'm not afraid of who or what you are, Storm. I'll take you as you are. Trust me on this.”
For
the first time in my life, I just let go of the baggage and trusted. In him and in me.
* * *
Light was busy dancing and singing embarrassingly out of tune to the loud music of the opening band. She leaned in, singing in my face, pointing the invisible microphone at my mouth as she bobbed her head to the beat.
“I'm
happy that you're enjoying yourself,” I said loudly.
Light
whistled and clapped loudly when their set ended. “Did you see those guys? Smoking hot. Pretty please, can I have one of those?” She sipped her drink, looking at me with a wide grin. “I love seeing you so happy, babe.”
“I
was happy before, Light. Just having Knox in my life for however long it lasts is the icing on the cake.”
The
light dimmed and the crowd roared. The music ripped and lights flickered. Suddenly, the spotlight was on Knox in the middle of the stage. Girls screamed as they jumped up and down. There was a tumultuous crash of screaming as arms stretched out, cameras flashed, and a deafening cacophony of, “Knox! Knox! Knox! Over here! Over here!” erupted.
Light
winked at me. “Your man is hot.”
I
rolled my eyes, all the while my lips curling up into a smile. I was really proud of him.
“Thank
you, New York. It's been a long time,” Knox said with a gravelly growl. The crowd roared again. “This next song is really special to me. It’s a song I wrote for the one woman that believed in me when I first started out years ago. And I promised myself I’d never sing the song again until I had her back in my life. So, Storm, baby… welcome back to my arms—forever.”
My
mouth dropped open as the melody rolled and he began to sing in that toe-curling way.
“There was no me before you. You brought me something I didn't think I ever wanted. The roar of the Storm. The thunder. The lightning. And when the clouds rolled in, all I could think about was the Break in the Storm. My Storm. Breaking the Storm.”
L
ight wrapped her arm around my waist as we swayed back and forth. It was then that it hit me. No matter how much I tried to stop my emotions, I couldn’t stop the love I felt for him. I needed him in my life. And if he accepted what I was, there was no one or nothing that was going to keep me out of his life for as long as he wanted me. Because just like the song said… there was a Break in the Storm and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I
didn't realize there was so much mayhem involved in shuffling a celebrity out of a location until I saw five bodyguards strategizing our way through a maze of tunnels under the concert arena. Knox was eerily silent as the bodyguards talked logistics via earpieces. I could tell that he was tired from performing, but I couldn't help wondering if there was something else that kept him mentally removed, like maybe second thoughts about us. Nope, I wasn't going down this road. No doubts and no sabotaging myself. My thoughts were interrupted when three bodyguards abruptly went one way and the other two led us down another tunnel ending in an empty garage with one motorcycle parked.
The
bodyguards smiled at Knox, the biggest one saying, “Knox, it's clear. Be safe.” He winked at me before both of them stepped aside as Knox pulled off two helmets locked to the bike, handing one to me.
I
pursed my lips. “I'm assuming that you're really good at riding this thing?”
He
answered, “Of course. I'm good at a lot of things, but you know that all too well.” He slapped my butt before putting on his helmet. He threw his legs over the motorcycle and gripped the handlebars. The engine roared to life as I put on my helmet.
“Come
on, baby. Let's go home,” he said huskily.
My
stomach clenched at the word home. The thought of him and me eventually having a life together. A home was very enticing. He extended his hand and I threw my left leg over, sitting perfectly with him between my thighs. He pushed back and I quickly put my feet onto the footrests. I wrapped my hands around his waist, leaning into him and pressing my breasts into his back as he pulled off smoothly. He barreled out of the garage into the cool night air. The street was practically deserted as we drove through the streets of Manhattan.
My
eyes narrowed when we pulled up to the block that Ryker lived on, well, not lived on, owned. He owned all the brownstones and the building that held his penthouse, among other apartments his enforcers lived in. This was pack territory and this pack was the most dangerous and ruthless pack in NYC.
I
was trying to figure out what the hell was going on when the underground parking garage opened, allowing Knox to drive in swiftly as it closed smoothly behind us, cutting off our escape.
I
was one second away from going into interrogation mode when three terrifying-looking men I knew for a fact were wolf-shifters walked toward the motorcycle grimly. I'd seen them a couple of times with Noah and knew that they were Ryker's friends—Rip, Jackal, and Soar—and they didn't look too happy to see us.
Soar
looked at Knox coolly. “Ryker's not here,” he said while Rip and Jackal gave me the stare-down. My fingers clenched Knox's shoulder anxiously. He pulled off his helmet, arching a brow at me questioningly.
My
fingers fumbled as I pulled off my helmet. I just stared at him dumbfounded.
“What's
wrong?” Knox asked me.
What
the hell was wrong with him? These guys were huge, mountain-sized men. And from what I knew, U.S. Special Forces veterans.
Soar's
grim face broke out in a weird smile as he clapped Knox on the back. “It's the rocker man, adored by thousands of oversexed screaming women… and men.”
Knox
shoved his hand. “Yeah, okay. Fuck off, Soar,” he said with a smile, then looked over at me. “Come on, baby, get off. I'm hungry.”
Rip
winked at me. “I bet you are… but not for food.”
Their
camaraderie was shocking. Wolf-shifters hated humans and only embraced their own. I just sat there looking at them suspiciously when Knox reached back, caressing my thigh. “Don't let these Neanderthals scare you. This is what happens when friends come to visit for a week and decide to stay indefinitely… They become unruly guests who have overstayed their welcome.”
Could
Knox be a wolf-shifter? I quickly scoffed at the idea. I would know. There were only a handful of powerful Others that good at disguising their Other status.
Jackal
nodded toward me, looking at Knox. “May I?” he asked.
Knox
and Jackal maintained eye contact with some kind of unspoken message passing between them before Knox nodded his head with consent.
What
the fuck?
I
sat there stunned with my head swinging to look at all of them, only to receive blank stares. Something was going on here, and I was going to figure it out. Giving Soar my helmet and Jackal my hand, Jackal pulled me off before releasing my hand quickly and stepping back with deference.
Looking
at Soar, Jackal, and Rip curiously, I asked, “So will you guys be staying in New York long?”
Rip
grumbled, “Apparently.”
I
looked at Soar quickly. “Where's Noah?”
Rip,
Jackal, and Soar looked at Knox with raised brows before clearing their throats loudly. “We thought you knew Noah decided to take a position in England,” Soar responded.
My
eyes narrowed. “No, I didn't know. I've been trying to get in contact with him for days. Is everything okay with him?” Now I was really concerned. It wasn't like Noah to not return my calls, and now he abruptly left the country for good with no good-bye. Something about this situation did not sit well with me.
Rip's
mouth twisted sardonically. “As well as he can be given the situation.” Soar elbowed him hard in the ribs. “What? She asked me a question,” Rip responded indignantly.
Knox
swung his long leg off, locking his helmet and mine to the motorcycle. I was so engrossed with trying to figure out what the hell was going on that I wasn't prepared when he gently grabbed me at the back of the neck, a gesture used by wolf-shifters as a sign of possession. My mind revolted, but my body had a mind of its own. My neck tilted to the side, giving him access to the crook of my shoulder that he nipped harder than I thought he was even capable of.
“A
little rough there,” I whispered in his ear. Then I looked over at the wolf-shifters, feeling stupid. Because with their keen shifter hearing, they could hear a pin drop. But they just looked on like this was the most natural thing in the world—for them.
“We
would ask you to join us for drinks, but we can see you're busy—very busy,” Jackal said gruffly.
“
Uh-huh… very busy,” Knox responded without even looking at them. He kissed my neck, sending a jolt straight to my sex, making me rub my thighs together—jeezus, I was about to come right here in the garage.
Jackal,
Soar, and Rip's eyes narrowed. Their noses twitched, no doubt smelling my need. I wanted to sink into the floor with embarrassment. Knox's head slowly came up and I swore his eyes did some weird flashy thing before turning back to sea green. “Let's go,” he said gruffly while pushing me toward the elevator and away from the more-than-interested Jackal, Soar, and Rip.
Leaning
against his side on the ride up, I decided to probe for information. “So… you seem to know Ryker's friends well. Do you also know Noah?” I asked with a forced infusion of nonchalance.
The
elevator opened directly into a foyer with a brightly hued hallway and a view of a private gallery. He pushed me gently in front of him. “Noah’s not an option, Storm.” He followed close behind me. “A fact that he is more than aware of now.”
I
almost tripped over my feet. “Oh, hell to the no! You have no right to tell me who I can be friends with. He's a good friend and workout buddy.”
He
snorted, walking around me. “Uh-huh, like I just said, Noah’s not an option.”
I
stood there watching him walk away with my mouth hanging open. It took a minute for me to snap out of it, chasing behind him to finish this dispute, only to skid to a stop. My mouth dropped open as I stared at the open floor plan with an expansive living room and an open gourmet kitchen equipped with marble countertops and stainless steel appliances. My eyes narrowed on the gorgeous raven-haired woman holding out a spoon full of sauce for Knox to taste.
Knox
licked his lips in the most indecent way. “Delicious, Rosa.”
Rosa
patted his cheek affectionately while I tapped my foot with irritation, waiting for the “I adore Knox” fest to be over. Abruptly, Rosa looked over at me with a ridiculous white, beautiful smile that made her look even more gorgeous.
“So
this is the one,” Rosa stated as some sort of fact. “And you are right. She is very beautiful, inside and out.” She handed over the spoon to Knox before determinedly walking over to me. In one smooth move, she tugged me into a big bear hug. For a few seconds, I just stood there awkwardly. But the woman patiently waited for me to hug her back; only then did she let me go. She held my hands, looking at me warmly. I stared right back at her curiously. She couldn't be more than thirty with golden-tanned skin and clear green eyes that seemed to reach into my soul, reading everything.
“She
needs more meat on her bones to have healthy bambinos,” Rosa stated simply.
I
sputtered. “Who the hell said I'm having any kids?”
Knox
picked up a slice of garlic bread, tearing into it. “And I want at least three children, so you better eat up, Storm. I need to fatten you up.”
I
gave him a simply evil glare.
Rosa
pinched my cheek. “She will give you pretty bambinos.” She patted my cheek like some doting mother before swaying over to grab her designer bag from the black granite countertop. “The lasagna is in the oven and the spaghetti is on the stove.” She slapped Knox on the hand. “And stop eating all the bread. She needs all the carbs she can get”—Rosa winked at me saucily—“to have enough energy to make it through all of the depraved things you will no doubt do to her tonight.”
Knox
slammed the bread that was making its way into his mouth back onto the plate. “Bread down. I need her energetic and ready for the baby-making marathon to begin.”
Rosa
winked at me. “My Knox is so bad.” She laughed before walking over to the elevator and pressing the button. She started to walk into the elevator when it slid open, but she abruptly stopped to look over at me with a weird assessing stare that lasted longer than I was comfortable with. Her eyes twinkled as she said, “This one is a keeper, Knox. Please don't fuck it up.”
All
of the playfulness was gone when he responded, “I don't intend to, Rosa. Now, if I can only keep her from running away… again.”
Rosa
stared at me for a few seconds before her lips curled up into a wide smile. “This time she will stay and fight for you.” She stepped into the elevator, waving at me until the doors shut.
A
shudder went down my spine. It was like some eerie prediction of things to come. “What the hell is going on, Knox? And who is that woman?” I walked into the kitchen, prepared to ask a ton of questions, when he handed me two wine glasses and a bottle of red wine.
His
eyebrows furrowed. “Rosa. She told you her name.”
Now
he was just being fucking annoying. “Yes, I know her name. But who is she? The housekeeper? Personal chef? Lover? What?”
He
came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me, kissing my neck as I poured wine into glasses, and mumbled against my neck, “Rosa's Ryker's aunt. And when she's really bored, she cooks for us. Her husband recently died, so she's at a loss for things to fill that void. What can I say? It's a nurturing thing.”
She's
a wolf-shifter. That explained the weird Other vibe I got from her and the fact that she looked like she was in her twenties with wise eyes of a woman three times that age. “Okay, so back to the Noah conversation.”
He
picked up a glass, making me take a drink before he tilted his glass for a long sip. “Can we eat before we get into this complicated conversation? It's been a long night.”
I
started feeling guilty so I backed off a little. “Okay, let's keep it simple and eat here. I quickly set up the plates and silverware before the stools surrounding the black granite countertop, then walked to the stove to help him put everything on the serving platters. I didn't even dwell much on the fact that he and I worked together in perfect domestic bliss, or the fact that when we ate there was a comfortable, relaxing silence that eased my mind.
“Knox,
I'm serious when I say that Noah and I are friends. It’s been that way for years. And I don't like the idea of you saying who I can be friends with.”
He
assessed me quietly before feeding me another bite of lasagna and taking a bite himself. He chewed silently. Then he picked up a glass of water, drinking slowly. But I was patient, waiting for his response. This conversation had to happen. This is what rational couples did… talk.
He
leaned back with his eyes locked on me. “I know how far back your relationship with Noah goes. And I'm not controlling you, at least not in that way…” His jaw tightened. “Unless there's a valid, rational reason, and believe me… there is.”