Darla spun to Stephanie and glowered. She mouthed a thank you as Stephanie relieved her of her car keys.
Blaine took a step closer to Darla. “Your eyes are beautiful. Dark.” He studied her for an extended moment and turned to Eric as a slow smile crawled across his face. “I’d even call them haunting. Wouldn’t you, Eric?”
Eric didn’t reply. Blaine chuckled as he glided to Stephanie. He took her hand and slanted his head to whisper something into her ear. Stephanie giggled again.
“Seeing as you two are old friends and all.” Blaine grinned. “I’m gonna take it you can work out whatever conflict’s going on between you. M’lady and I are heading over to get my vehicle.” He nodded at Eric. “I’ll check out our place before we go and bring you back some clean clothes.” He guided Stephanie outside, each saying, “Thanks, Darla, and take care, Eric,” as they disappeared into the hallway.
Hands on her hips Darla viewed the entire scene, as it played out, powerless to stop it. She stared at the closed door for several minutes before she pivoted to Eric, who’d propped himself up on a stack of pillows.
“I’m guessing this trip will take a while. They’re probably going to continue their date.”
“Of course they are. Blaine’s nothing but a horny son of a bitch.”
“What a nice thing to say. He’s your good friend, isn’t he?”
He flicked a sapphire gaze over her. “Call ’m as I see ’m, luv.”
She eyed him up and down. “So what happened to you? Did you call ’m as you see ’m one too many times and someone beat the crap out of you?”
Eric actually laughed, then flinched. With a sluggish move, he maneuvered his hand to reach into his pants pocket and removed his cigarettes. He strained into a sitting position and stretched an arm to her, offering her a blood-smeared hand.
“I need a smoke. Get me outside. I’ll tell you the whole sordid details.”
Darla maintained eye contact as she walked around the bed and snatched the pack away from him. She held them above her head. Then she smiled.
Eric stared at her as if waiting for her to move. “Are you gonna stand there or are you going to take me out?”
“Let’s get things straight, right now.” Darla crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a stern glare. “You’re hurt and as long as you’re in this condition, we’re playing by my rules. You can forget about puffing on anything. I’m not going to help you tar and nicotine up your lungs any more than they already are.” She waved the package in front of him and shook her head. “No smoking on my watch, buddy.”
Chapter 12
Eric stared longingly at the package woven through Darla’s fingers. He transferred his gaze to her face, which he could see clearly now. His vision had finally returned, plus the meds from earlier were beginning to wear off.
“Fine,” he snapped. “I won’t smoke.” He bowed his head and muttered, “Right now.”
“You’re pale. You need medical attention.” She dropped her arm and spun toward the exit. “I want to go talk to the nurse and find out when the doctor is coming.”
“Not necessary. I’m okay.”
“You certainly don’t look okay.” Darla stopped and turned back to him. She clutched the cigarettes between her hands and examined the package as if debating whether to believe him.
“Well, I am.” He leaned forward. With his good arm, he pressed against the mattress to sit straighter, but the whirling inside his head drove him back into the bed. “Soon as everything stops spinning, I’m going home.”
“How do you plan on getting there?”
“I’ll walk if I have to.”
“By yourself?” Darla smiled. “Can I watch?”
Eric raked an annoyed look over her, before he returned to her grinning face. “You’ve got a bit of an edge, don’t you? I never would’ve believed you to be such a smartass.” He released a sardonic chuckle. “The way you kissed me last night should’ve given me a clue you weren’t as innocent as you like to give off, eh?”
“Interesting.”
“What is?”
“You so intrigued about our kiss.”
He casually lifted a shoulder. “I’m not intrigued.”
“Except this is the second time you brought up the subject tonight. And you also referred to it on the beach earlier today.” She gave him an inquisitive look. “I wonder why?”
Eric touched his pocket before he remembered his cigarettes were sandwiched in between her palms. Still, he wished he had one, along with the nerve to light up. He ignored her question and asked one of his own.
“Why did you kiss me back?”
Nervously, she combed her fingers through her thick waves as if to consider her next words. “Because, I—” She sighed. “I can’t tell you. I don’t have an answer.”
“I think you do,” he retorted in a soft voice.
“The night was crazy. You, the murder, and the storm was a bad one.” Her mouth twisted. “Everything was—strange.”
He stared at her, giving his head a modest shake. “Yep, the night was a wild one. Even in my world.”
“You don’t think all those occurrences aren’t weird in mine? I doubt there are any set rules on how to behave in such a situation in anyone’s universe.”
“So you’re telling me the reason you kissed me was because the oddness of the evening.” His voice conveyed his doubt.
“I was flustered from everything. And seeing you on the beach just increased the tenseness.” Her tone raised an octave. “Why else would I do something so crazy?”
Eric waited a moment. “Because of what’s happening. Between us.” He intentionally let the words drop like dead weight and then sat back to view her reaction.
Darla’s jaw plummeted. The cigarettes she gripped glided through her fingers and fell to the floor. The package slid across the faded tiles coming to a stop after hitting a wall under a chair.
Even in his depleted position, he had to hold back a laugh. And despite the horrible events of the entire night, he liked her. If only for a few minutes. She was feisty. Prettier than he first thought. By her outer appearances, she was in good shape too. He admired the almost black cascade of curls flowing over her shoulders. He also enjoyed listening to her. She had a nice voice. He never gave much attention to the different accents in the states, but hers definitely had a cute southern twang.
“Don’t pretend you don’t feel it. We’ve a load of chemistry between us, luv.”
More unspoken thoughts hung in the air.
She hacked a dry cough. “Okay. I’ve noticed.”
“I’m sensing a ‘but.’”
“But I don’t know if I want to do anything about the situation. I just got out of a relationship. The romance didn’t end well, at least from my standpoint. Getting close to someone else so soon after doesn’t seem to be a smart idea.”
“You like to put your cards on the table.” He nodded. “I respect that. To be clear, I’m only talking about a good time. Nothing more.”
Darla’s eyebrows shot up. “What an enticing offer.” She folded her arms across her middle. “You sure can tempt a woman.”
“Sarcasm?”
“Oh, you got that.” She paused. “I shouldn’t be surprised a good time is all you want. Our romantic kiss should’ve given me a clue, eh?”
“What was wrong with the kiss?”
He’d never had any complaints about his kissing techniques before. On a normal plane, he enjoyed the process, although he found the act more of a necessity to get to the next physical level as opposed to anything romantic. Admittedly, his behavior toward her last night was unorthodox, though he didn’t find the moment unpleasant.
“Nothing. For a woman who appreciates a lip lock that stems from zero. Frankly, I don’t care for unfeeling kisses.” She lifted an eyebrow and gave him a slight grin. “My turn to call ’m as I see ’m.”
He stared at her. Damn. It happened again. He was doing fine holding his own and WHAM, she’d taken over, leaving him baffled on how to deal with this gutsy lady. And he certainly hadn’t hidden his feelings very well. Still, he wouldn’t go down without a fight.
“Fair enough. But you need to understand, I’m not the type of guy who plays games.”
“So you told me.”
“Glad you remembered. Let me be clearer. I don’t believe in this whole love, happily-ever-after crap. An attraction exists between us. I acted on that. My thinking is, once you return from your trip we’ll see things through and let them run their course. No reason to make any more of this than what it is.”
“You attitude is such a cynical one.” Darla unfolded her arms and gave her head a negative shake. “Someone sure did a number on you.”
“No one did any kind of number. I’ve been all over the world and met a lot of people. I have found most of them are either alone, unhappy in their relationships, or they’ve had their heart stomped on by a person they thought would be with them forever.” He pointed a forefinger in her direction. “You’re a prime example of what can happen when you give blind trust to someone.”
“Yes, but your outlook confuses me.” Her expression mirrored her words. She held her arms out to her sides and lifted her shoulders. “What about all those beautiful love songs you write?”
“Easy. I write what the people want and I get paid. Well.”
She dropped her arms and squatted, and then glided to her knees. “I’m totally disillusioned.”
“Just being practical, luv.”
“Good to know. I’d hoped your head injury was the cause of you spouting out this butt load of nonsense.”
Even though he hurt, Eric laughed. Darla placed her hands on the floor and crawled under the chair. He raised his head from the bed to get a better view. A grin stretched across his face as he watched her squirm in further, her ass swaying back and forth like a flag in the breeze.
She retrieved his smokes, then she inched backward. “What happened to you anyway?”
“I was shot.”
Darla rose and bumped her crown on the underside of the chair. “Shot?” She wriggled from under her hole. She sat on her knees and gaped at him. “In your head?”
“In my arm.” He pointed to his forehead. “I’m not exactly sure what happened here.”
“A bullet is lodged in you and you’re telling me you’re fine? Seriously, you need to let me go find a doctor.”
“The wound is clean. They’re gonna tell me to take two aspirin and call them in the morning. And I’m sure I’ll be expected to answer a lot of questions, and I’ve already told the police everything I remember.”
Darla studied him for a long moment before she bombarded him. “Who shot you? Where were you? Are you sure the slug is in you? Does it hurt?”
“I’m gonna have to answer a bunch of questions anyway, aren’t I?” he mumbled, and then sighed, “No clue who did the shooting. I was at Finn O’Conner’s place when the gunfire happened. The shooter got him too. The hole is in my upper arm. According to the paramedics, the pellet is still in me, and yeah, it hurts like hell.”
“So this took place at your meeting? And Finn was also shot. Is he here too? Is anyone with him?”
“Not exactly.” Eric hesitated. “He’s dead.”
“As in murdered?” Darla gulped and paused. “This is the second person within the band that’s died within hours, and Mitchell Young was injured from an attack.” Her brow furrowed. “Your former manager is missing? Someone is targeting Raging Impulse’s members, aren’t they?”
“Kind of seems so.” Eric sighed again. “Though we did get some good news. After the disaster at Finn’s, Blaine received a call saying Mitchell’s condition had improved.”
“Was he able to tell them anything? Is this the same creep who pushed me last night?”
“The word we got was he’d gone out to walk his toy poodles. The blast exploded from behind, like Drake’s. Though he was luckier. The bullet blew off his ear and a piece of his scalp, but didn’t lodge inside his skull. And no, he can’t identify the person who shot him.”
“Aren’t you afraid?” Before she gave him an opportunity to answer, she rattled on, “Wait. Your drummer raises little dogs. Isn’t he the big buff guy with a shaved head? He has tattoos all over, right?”
“That’s the guy.” A sudden wave of dizziness swept through him. He eased back, closed his eyes, and clutched the bed’s sides.
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah,” he mumbled “Why?”
“You were already pale. But now the tiny amount of pigment that was left in your skin has disappeared.”
“No worries, luv. Just need a quick nap.” Thankfully, the wooziness had subsided and fatigue replaced the vertigo as he drifted off to sleep.
A loud rap jerked him awake. Eric slowly raised his head and blinked. Darla sat across from him, her fingers still wrapped around his smokes. She watched him with a concerned frown.
“How long have I been out?”
“Over an hour.”
Blaine and Stephanie entered the room following the knock. Hands still connected, both wore sheepish grins. Blaine carried a small suitcase and set the bag down near the doorway.
He walked to where Eric lay. “You’re looking a little better.” He turned to Darla. “You must have a positive effect on him.” He rotated back to Eric. “Has the doctor visited you yet?”
“No, and he still won’t let me go find one,” Darla put in.
Eric took a deep breath and expelled noisily.
“One should be here soon.” Blaine cleared his throat and looked at Darla. “We were wondering if maybe you wouldn’t mind giving Eric a ride home after the doctor comes, if he’s released.”
“Given the circumstances, Blaine and Eric are considering disappearing until the police catch this guy,” Stephanie explained. “We’d like to spend what little time together we can before they go.”
Another tap came from the outside, followed by a doctor entering the room. A nurse was close behind. He glanced up from a clipboard that he held, and studied the group, then instructed everyone leave.
Eric’s three guests disappeared. The physician checked his knot, the bullet hole, and his eyes and pretty much made the same inquiries as the paramedics did earlier, and again with the nurses, when he was transported into the hospital.
The doctor confirmed he had a concussion. His gunshot appeared to be non-threatening and unless the circumstances changed, they’d leave the slug in his arm. He wrote a couple of prescriptions and suggested he stay the night, although the decision was up to Eric, then he left.
Darla peeked around the doorway.