Her gaze grazed over the group. She tried her best not to look directly at Zane, the leader of the band, but she was drawn to him, a moth to a wicked flame. With sun-kissed skin, broad shoulders, and blue-black hair that stuck up in perfectly disheveled spikes, he looked every bit the part of rock star. Her stomach flipped over, nerves getting the best of her as she quickly looked away. Three years of working for High Velocity and Zane had always somehow had the ability to look straight through to her soul. That, and he had a wicked smile that always made her burn.
Enough was most definitely enough.
Flashing a quick sliver of a smile, she gave them a brief rundown. “All clear here. Everything ran smoothly, so I don’t have much to report. If there’s nothing else, you can call on Conner. He’ll be taking over my usual post tonight.”
Charlie braced for their protests, knowing none of them were going to be happy with what she had to say, but for her sanity, she had to go. She couldn’t keep doing this. It was starting to eat at her, little by little.
“What?” one of the men barked, the others jumping in.
“You feeling all right, Char?”
She took a deep breath in and patiently waited for the quartet to settle down before she continued. “Conner’s going to take over tonight. He’s been in training for awhile now. He can handle it. He’s stepping up to take over my position.” She paused. “I’m going to be leaving you guys.”
The looks they shot her were sharp and drilled straight through to her nerves. The mix of confusion and surprise that etched across their features nearly made her reconsider, made her stay here where everything was familiar. In a way, they were family… Instead, she steeled herself and forged on. “As part of that, Conner is ready to take over the after show security.”
“How soon are we talking?” Zane’s voice was quiet, calm, but she could feel the intensity behind his words.
She took a breath. This wasn’t going to be easy. “In twenty-four hours, I’ll be off the clock. For good. I’ve already put my notice in.” She’d gotten that out of the way two weeks ago. She was actually surprised none of them had picked up on it before now, but they’d been busy with the tour. Too busy with the after-show parties.
There was silence for a heartbeat. “You can’t go, Charlie. None of the other security guards have an ass like yours,” Parker said with a wink. Micah frowned, lines etched between his brows, but he had never been much of one to react, so it wasn’t a big surprise when he said nothing.
Benji, on the other hand, moved closer, nudging tentatively at her shoulder like an uncertain young wolf might his alpha. “Ha, April fool’s, right, Charlie?” This was the hard part. Leaving this guy was going to tear at her—she had always had a soft spot for Benji. They had sat together, side by side under many full moons, understanding the community that the silence could build. They didn’t need words as wolves. What had started as simply stumbling upon each other one night had become sort of a tradition and Charlie cherished both the memories and the friendship that had blossomed.
But it was Zane who surprised her. His normally cocky grin vanished, fast replaced by the hard tension in his jaw, the sharp drop of his eyebrows. His entire demeanor stiffened and she thought for a moment he was going to cause a scene, because—let’s face it, they were talking Zane Alexander. Her palms grew damp and clammy as she gazed at him.
Please, just let me go.
Memories swirled to the surface. The secret smiles he always seemed to save for her, aimed straight for her heart, slipping like sand through the cracks of her resistance. The way her heart skipped when he teased her. They had a past, in a way. They’d worked together for three years and he’d flirted with her since day one, wining and dining like a pro. Still, she resisted.
He was gorgeous, she was attracted. She’d always been attracted… But she also knew what kind of a man Zane was. He wasn’t a steady-relationship kind of man and she didn’t need to fall hard and fast, only to get her heart broken. They’d never been lovers, even when the spark had always been there. She never allowed it.
But he said nothing and the breath she was holding escaped her slowly. Setting her jaw, she turned, but his stare stabbed into her back with all the force of a blade. Reminding her.
Too late.
She shrugged it off, stepping away. For once in a long time, she was actually going to be able to run wild and free after a show instead of holding back until it hurt, until the moon only had a short hour or two left to shine. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought, her wolf surging forward, eager. She was finally free.
Touching a gentle hand to Benji’s, she gave him a half-smile and turned to go. Saying less was always more, right?
Why, then, did it feel like her heart was breaking?
Chapter Two
Shit. He honestly hadn’t seen this one coming.
How could she leave them? She was the damn rock of the group, the one they all depended on. The one who made sure everything ran smoothly so they could get up on stage and have their fun, and now she was just going to pack up her bags and be out of their lives? No notice, just poof—gone?
Zane stared at her, a raw ache starting in his chest, like his heart had been torn out and scraped across a bed of gravel, then plunked back inside his body. He shook his head. She was bluffing, had to be. She wasn’t going to actually leave. But she did. Without a second look, she turned and started to walk away.
The guys stood tense beside him, looking at him. Alarmed. Expecting him to do something about it. Expecting him to step up to the plate and stop her before she had the chance to leave. She wasn’t just another security guard. Had it been anyone else on staff threatening their resignation, Zane would’ve helped them pack their bags and waved as they drove off. He couldn’t name half the people who worked for him, and he shouldn’t have to.
But damn. It was
Charlie
. His Charlie, the only woman who’d ever called to his blood, or his wolf, the way she did. Just the way she moved, it was perfection, even when she’d turned him down a thousand times over. The idea of her cutting ties and walking away… It ate at him. He’d gotten a little too close to her—they all had. The band relied on her, maybe more than any of them realized, and her announcement took the words from his throat and set them on fire. She’d stood there and watched them burn away, ashes dancing on the spring breeze, blowing the news back into his face.
“Zane.” Benji’s low tone touched the edge of his consciousness, even as his eyes locked on the retreating form of Charlie’s back, watching the gentle sway to her hips, as if he couldn’t bear to let her out of his sight.
Get over it, Alexander.
She was leaving. Maybe, in a way, he’d always figured she would eventually…but never so soon.
With a growl and a surge of anger fueled by frustration, Zane turned to the guys. His mind spun. Was he really going to just let her walk away? He’d worked her down from stoic and stern to someone he could call a friend, chipping away at her shell little by little.
He’d always wanted her in a way. At first it had been sexually—she was gorgeous, all trussed up in her security get-up. But it had slowly melted into something deeper. He loved her mind, her sharp wit, the way those pale eyes narrowed on him whenever he pulled a stunt. Or stole a kiss, and he’d stolen several.
She couldn’t just walk away. He’d make her reconsider. Resolute, he rested a hand on Benji’s shoulder, giving the younger wolf a squeeze. “Why don’t you guys go ahead and start the party without me? I’ll go talk some sense into her.” Micah gave a snort and Zane cut him a look. “I mean it. I’ll change her mind.” Whether she liked it or not, she would stay.
“Thanks, man,” Parker said with a small shake of his head. “Fuck. I know I’m a dick sometimes, but I never thought she’d actually leave us. Thought we were made of stronger stuff than that.”
“We are,” Benji said firmly. He looked up at Zane, determined. “Bring her back to us.”
Zane clapped Micah on the back. “Don’t have too much fun. I’ll catch up for the run later.”
Despite the situation, the band broke into a chorus of hoots and howls that sounded eerily like their wolven counterparts and Zane strode off after Charlie. He’d lost sight of her when he’d turned his back, but he’d find her again. Hell, he could find her even if she was fifty miles away. The memory of her scent was locked deep inside him. Maybe someday, if he was lucky, he would bathe in the essence that was Charlie, his skin pressed against hers, sweat-slick and—
He snorted. And pigs would fly. But hey, you couldn’t blame a man for trying.
Breathing in short, sharp breaths, he followed her through the winding corridors of the Richter Stadium, past the women’s bathrooms and down a flight of stairs. He held his breath for a moment as he slid through the remaining security crew. His golden eyes zeroed in on the whipcord lean beauty, a few dark curls coiling down from the sensible bun she always wore it in.
She stopped, hesitating right outside the doors. Two more steps and he’d lose her to the nightlife, his identity keeping him from following her any farther. If fans saw him, his life would become a hurricane of screams and groping hands. He wasn’t in the mood to put on his usual charming-playboy air to deal with them and he knew that going furry on their asses would damage his career.
Now or never.
As she stepped out, he lurched forward, his pulse pounding furiously at his throat, and he crossed the floor in three strides. His fingers curled around her shoulders, firm and commanding, though he knew she hated it when he pulled the alpha role. She spun and her lips formed a thin line, as if she’d been expecting this. She’d known. You couldn’t really lie to pack and get away with it.
“Charlie.” The one word was all he could say before her eyes pinned him. They were pale as a sheet of blue ice, staring up at him with a gentle ferocity that she’d only ever reserved for him. He had no doubts that she wanted him—he’d smelled it on her in the past, saw the way she looked at him sometimes, as if she was seeing through to his soul—but she was wary. Guarded. The walls around her heart were made of marble and he was left pounding both fists against the cool stone.
“You can’t leave.” His words were a statement. A fact.
“I can and I am,” she replied coolly.
“What about the guys? What about High Velocity? You’re just going to throw it all away?” He was surprised at the intensity behind his words, but he was far from done. “Are we not paying you enough? There’s always ways around that. How much will it take?”
She blew out a harsh expel of air and glanced down at his hand clamped around her arm, but she didn’t bother to pull away. Her winter gaze met his molten gold once more. “I’ve made my decision, Zane. You need to respect it. There comes a time in everyone’s career where they have to make a choice and take a stand. This is it. I’ve put in my notice, I’ve followed protocol. There shouldn’t be a problem.”
A growl slid up his throat, escaping with a rumble. “I don’t give a
damn
about protocol. You could flash your tits to the crowd if you wanted and we still wouldn’t fire you. I don’t care. You’re part of our group. And, like it or not, you’re part of the pack.
My
pack.”
“You and I both know that I’ve never really been part of the pack.” Her voice carried a touch of wistfulness. She was right—she’d always been a bit of a loner, keeping herself estranged from the members of Elysium, try as his parents might to welcome her in. But she’d never been distant with Zane and the guys and he wasn’t about to let that happen. Not now.
“You’re staying.”
She lifted a brow. “Since when are you my master?”
“Since you started talking crazy shit about leaving us!” He tamped his anger back down. He never had a temper. What was up with him? He took a deep breath, letting it whistle out his nose as he tried to soften his posture, tried to be less demanding. “We need you. Okay? I respect your decision to quit, but you don’t have to skip town and leave us. Just stay.”
Please…
Her smile was tight. She shook her head slowly, like he just didn’t get it, and pulled free of his grasp. “Goodbye, Zane.”
His mind spun, thoughts bouncing off the walls of his head as he tried to scrape ideas together in a last-minute rush. He needed more time. He needed a damn good reason for her to stay, but damn it, he couldn’t think! She turned around, agonizingly slow, and he could see the muscles in her back through the crispness of her suit.
“Charlie. One last night.” His voice was soft, a plea in the undercurrent that he cursed himself for exposing. She stopped and he moved forward until his chest was pressed against her back, one arm wrapping around her waist. He pulled her against him, her body cupping his perfectly, like it was made for him.
She stiffened, but he didn’t let her go. His arm snug around her, he rubbed his chin lightly across the back of her neck, letting the stubble scrape gently against her skin. He murmured in her ear, using the sexiest voice he could muster. His beautiful-girl voice. “Go for a run with me. Tonight. One run.”
He’d figure something out between then and now. He’d get her back.
***
Whoa, buddy. What planet was she on?
One minute, she’d been on her way out of their lives, ready to go for a blissful moonlight run before crashing for the night, and the next second she was wrapped in Zane’s strong arms, the wild musk of his wolf tickling her nose. She tensed and tried to tug free, but he held her tight.