Tempt Me

“What do you do at a sex club?” Madison asked Owen.

Adam’s thighs stiffened beneath her.

Owen glanced nervously at Adam. Madison turned her head and found Adam staring ice daggers at the bassist.

“Nothing that would interest you, sweetie,” Owen said. “Or Adam,” he added with a wave of his hand.

Of course Adam would never be interested in something like that. Sure. She wasn’t going to be deterred that easily. “Do you just have sex with strangers out in the open in front of everyone?”

“If that’s your kink,” Kellen said.

Madison’s heart rate accelerated. “Is it yours?” she asked him, lost in his dark brown eyes. The man had an unquestionable strength about him. He didn’t say much around her, but she was always aware of him. Owen drew attention with ceaseless interaction, Kellen by his presence alone.

“Performance sex?” Kellen shook his head. “Not particularly, no. That’s more Adam’s thing.”

“Don’t tell her that,” Adam said. “She’s liable to believe you.”

Shade leaned across the back seat and slid a hand onto Madison's knee. “I think you should come down to San Antonio and join us, sweetheart. I always wondered what it was about you that kept Adam interested. You seem pretty vanilla to me. What are you hiding behind that innocent act? And beneath that skirt?”

Adam grabbed Shade’s hand and crushed his fingers. “Don't touch her.”

Shade chuckled. “See? He's all pissed-off now. Hey, Adam, what's so great about her anyway? Does she give good head or what?”

Before she could tell Shade to go f**k himself, Madison found herself bouncing across the seat beside Adam when he tossed her off his lap and jumped on Shade. Within seconds, a full-out brawl raged in the back of the limo. Adam got in a few good punches before Shade found enough leverage to send him flying toward the backseat. Adam careened into Kellen's and Owen's legs before launching himself in Shade's direction again.

Heart thundering out of control, Madison grabbed the back of Adam's shirt to try to pull him off Shade. “Stop!”

She instantly found her back secured against a hard chest with both wrists trapped at her sides.

“Let them fight,” Kellen’s deep voice said in her ear. “This has been building for weeks.”

Madison struggled to be set free, but not only was Kellen strong, he seemed to know some technique for keeping her easily immobilized. “One of them is going to get hurt,” Madison said.

Adam and Shade’s rapid-fire punches were already slowing and becoming less punishing. After less than a minute, they separated, glaring acid at each other. Shade's sunglasses were bent and askew. Adam's full lower lip was bleeding. A red mark darkened his cheek.

“I am sick of your bullshit, Shade,” Adam yelled. “I've f**king had it.”

“What? You gonna leave?” Shade returned. “Go ahead. Leave. Then maybe we could find someone to take your place who shows up for sound checks on time, doesn’t think f**king is more important than breathing, isn’t stupid enough to smoke pot backstage while on probation, and isn't the all-around most inconsiderate ass**le I've ever met.”

Madison’s heart slammed into her ribcage. What did Shade mean about Adam smoking pot backstage? Recently? Why would he keep something like that from her? Why would he lie? And if he lied about something like that, how could she believe anything he said to her?

“Yeah, maybe I will leave,” Adam yelled. “At least I won't have to put up with getting bitched at by an egomaniac like you.”

“No one is leaving,” Kellen said. “You two need to stop pissing each other off on purpose. It’s juvenile.”

Adam and Shade gaped at Kellen in astonishment.

“It's f**king obvious that you do it,” Owen said. While Adam and Shade agreed on nothing, Owen and Kellen seemed to agree on everything. “Adam knows how much it pisses Shade off to be late, so any opportunity he has to be late, he takes it.”

Adam lowered his gaze and stared at his reddened knuckles.

“And Shade will do anything to get Adam riled,” Owen continued. “He knew it would piss Adam off to make a move on his girl, so what does he do? Makes a move on his girl.”

“Maybe I'm genuinely interested in her,” Shade said, his deep voice gruff. He removed his ruined sunglasses and stuffed them into a pocket.

Shade had gorgeous dark blue eyes set off by thick, black lashes. There were all sorts of emotions swirling around in their depths. Madison wondered why he hid those beautiful eyes behind sunglasses at all hours of the day and night.

“Yeah?” Adam asked. “If you’re so interested in her, what's her name?”

Shade shrugged and shook his head. “Like I give a shit.”

Owen released a heavy sigh. “Maybe it's time for you two to apologize—”

“I'm not apologizing to him,” Adam grumbled.

“What the f**k do I have to apologize for?” Shade bellowed.

Owen rolled his eyes and shook his head in annoyance. Gabe, who was sitting directly across from Shade, lifted a foot and nudged Shade in the knee with his toe. Gabe gave Shade a pointed glance, and Shade sank back against the seat to stare out the window again. Madison released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

The limo slowed and turned into a drive. When the car pulled to a halt in front of the hotel, Shade was out the door before the driver could come around to open it for him.

“Jacob,” Gabe called. “Wait up.” He unfolded his long and lean frame from the back seat and jogged after Shade.

Madison could hear Shade muttering under his breath to Gabe, “I'm going to f**king kill him.”

“You know he does this,” Gabe said. “Don’t let it get to you.”

Kellen's hands loosened from Madison's wrists, and she darted across the seats to dab at Adam's lip with her thumb. “You shouldn't fight. Someone could have been seriously injured.”

“Don't start,” Adam said. He pushed her aside and climbed from the car.

She hesitated. Should she go after him? He seemed awfully upset, and she didn't want to make matters worse. She was pretty sure the animosity between Shade and Adam wasn't a recent development.

“Go talk to him. He listens to you,” Owen said. “Maybe you can help him figure out why Shade has been pissed off at him for four years.”

Four years? “Do you know why?”

He shrugged. “Nope.”