CHAPTER 27
ZIGGY
Everything about her wrecked me.
Her smile. Her laughter. Those fucking eyes.
Not to mention the way she looked at me.
I took a deep breath each time she touched me, because I knew damned well that if I didn’t ground myself around her, I’d fly off the handle and ruin everything by giving into these damned urges that continued to plague me every second I was with her.
And yet, I was determined not to leave her side. If I could have gone into the bathroom stall with her at that truck stop, I would have. I almost didn’t let the blonde in, but she insisted I let her in. I waited till she’d gone and cracked the door, listening to their every word. When I realized they were talking about me, it only made me more determined.
My determination made me feel strong.
My attraction to her, if that’s what this was, made me feel weak.
The tour bus was tiny, a complete contrast to the idea you get from pictures. It was dark and intimate and impossible to escape her energy, even by locking myself away in my bunk or the bathroom.
So, when we pulled into Los Angeles in the late evening hours and were quickly hustled into the bowels of the Hollywood Bowl, I was thankful for all the distractions, for the brief reprieve from the intensity of Lucky’s energy. Instead, I focused on every one around us, each new face a possible suspect. Still stuck to Lucky like her conjoined twin, my eyes darted around like a pinball, ready for anything that might come our way.
Of course, I wasn’t doing this alone.
By the time the show began, the Gods had fanned out, each manning a pre-assigned post, each of them presenting a unified presence that would intimidate anyone into thinking twice about crossing them. I’d never been more grateful to a group of guys in my life. Clearly, they’d re-assessed the situation and were intent on eliminating any chance for further mistakes or slip-ups. Even Slade was keeping his shit together. He stood stoically at the edge of the crowd, a warrior ready for battle. Watching them all from the side of the stage as Lucky walked out, my heart swelled with pride.
Bring it on, Nicholai, I thought. We’re ready for you, motherfucker.
Lucky started in on her first song, and my heart skipped. From the first note, her voice, her presentation, her sexuality and her intense stage presence left me breathless. I willed myself to look away, to keep my eye on the crowd, but my gaze kept trailing back to her, mesmerized.
She was magic, pure and simple. She smiled, and your heart opened. She sang, and your spirit soared. She looked at you, and made you feel like you’d been touched by love.
Love…
That word kept creeping into my head. It was absurd, really. I barely knew her. But watching her now?
Love.
Looking out at the sea of adoring faces turned up, hanging on her every word, I saw that love reflected back to me a thousand times. Like a warm blanket, that energy flowed through the air for the next two hours and by the end of it all, the bliss was almost palpable.
Lucky ran off stage a sweaty, glowing mess that reminded me of the way she looked the morning after we’d made love all night, and I damned near sank to my knees. Her usual edge had softened, her hair flowed around her face, her skin shimmered in the flashing lights and her smile was so brilliant that it beamed joy.
Her heat penetrated my skin, as she, once again, jumped into my arms so that I had no choice but to catch her. Embracing her felt like home and I lingered an extra second before placing her on her feet.
“That was even better than last night,” I said, smiling down at her.
“The crowd was amazing!” Her enthusiasm was contagious and we walked back to the dressing rooms with a bounce in our steps, Blade, Riot and Wreck close behind. When we reached the room with Lucky’s name on it, Wreck and Blade flanked her while Riot and I went inside and inspected every fucking inch of the room before letting her in.
I checked the shower three times.
“Coast is clear,” I said, after opening the door. The others waited outside while Lucky and I went in, once again in close quarters, and once again leaving me struggling to breathe.
We stood looking at each other, her breasts heaving as she caught her breath, mine from the impact that being alone with her had on me, facing off like two opponents waiting for the other to take the first punch.