Tainted Heartbreak (Tainted Knights 3)

He gave a low laugh. “That doesn’t help. Trust me, I tried that already.” He touched his lips to my ear. I shivered and reached out to steady myself by grabbing hold of one of his belt loops. “I think we both know there is only one way to ease this ache we’re both feeling, little dreamer.”

My heartbeat was thundering in my ears as I lifted my eyes to look at him through my lashes. “Oh no. There are so, so many ways to ease the ache, Cash.” I touched my bottle to his neck, enjoying the way his eyes became hooded and full of lust. “So many.”

Chapter 4

Cash

The laughter around the room made it nearly impossible to hear anything except those right beside me. The private room at one of the local steakhouses wasn’t exactly the place someone would expect to find a plethora of rockers hanging out. If someone came looking to see what all the laughing was about, they would have been stopped by any number of Emmie’s security detail, but what they would have seen wouldn’t have been anything unusual at a family get-together.

That was exactly what the members of Demon’s Wings and OtherWorld were, though, literally for a handful of them. But even those who didn’t share a drop of blood between them treated each other like brothers. It was something I’d long admired about the two bands. The brotherhood between them was something I’d always craved. Now that I had my own band, with bandbrothers who had my back, I was able to appreciate their connection even more.

But they were currently sitting between me and Amara, and I wanted to kick every one of their asses as they talked and laughed with her. My fingers flexed around the neck of my beer bottle, the only alcohol Emmie wouldn’t frown on whenever the members of Demon’s Wings were around, out of respect for Drake Stevenson and his sobriety.

As soon as we walked through the door earlier, Emmie had taken Amara and Riley and kept them down at her end of the table, forcing me to sit alone with my bandmates—minus Sin, who was still back on one of the tour buses with the Blonde Bombshells eating pizza. Now, Shane Stevenson said something that had Amara and her friend tossing their heads back and laughing.

Even over the sounds of everyone else’s conversations and laughter, I could pick out Amara’s laugh, and I forced my fingers to relax their hold on the bottle before lifting it to drain the contents.

“Take it easy,” Kale advised with a grin as he chewed a bite of his steak beside me. Ever since I told him what had happened earlier with Amara, he’d been giving me hell. I deserved it, fuck knows I did, after the way I’d criticized how fast he’d gotten all possessive over Santana and started threatening anyone who looked twice at her. But after seeing how quickly Jace had fallen for Kin, I knew what Kale was feeling was probably legit. That didn’t stop him from making me eat my words now that I could see it through clearer eyes. “The look on your face right now is making that frown wrinkle Emmie’s brow every time she looks this way. While I’m glad not to be on the receiving end of it, I don’t want you ugly dead if she decides she’s pissed at you.”

“Wow, you went with ‘ugly dead’ and not just regular ‘dead.’” Kassa lifted her glass of water, studying Kale over the rim for a moment before shaking her head and taking a sip. “What’s the difference?”

“Well, my dear Kassa, let me explain…”

Santana groaned, “Why? Why would you encourage him? Now you’ve got him started, and it won’t end anytime soon.”

“Ugly dead is when you can’t identify the body…”

Amara turned her head, her fawn-colored eyes catching mine, and I tuned out whatever ridiculousness Kale was spouting that was making Gray and Jace snigger and everyone else groan. The amusement that had made her eyes glassy and her skin glow turned to something that made my body throb and an edgy feeling crawl up my spine. The tip of her tongue skimmed over her bottom lip ever so slightly, teasing me and heating my blood that much more. I was in physical pain with how badly I wanted her, and the little minx knew it too.

“Heads up!” Jesse Thornton called across from Amara, snapping her attention on to him, then to the waitress who was bringing in a huge cake.

“What’s this?” Nik groaned as he looked at his wife. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything. This isn’t me.” The waitress didn’t stop beside her, however, but kept walking to the end of the long table and placed the cake right in front of Jace.

His face paled when he looked down at the cake, and we all leaned forward to read what had been written across it.

You lied. Again. I’m done.

Oh shit.

Jace jerked back from the table so quickly the waitress didn’t have time to move, and he nearly knocked the girl on her ass. Liam Bryant caught her and gave her a grim smile as she walked away in a daze. I watched Jace cautiously. His eyes were wild, his breathing labored as he pulled his phone out of his pocket with fingers that shook noticeably and swiped his thumb over the screen. Jace normally kept his cool in most situations, but for the first time, I could tell he was fighting not to panic. Pressing the phone to his ear, he muttered a mantra of “Pick up, pick up, pick the fuck up, Kin!”

The entire room was completely quiet now as all eyes were turned on him. Looks of sympathy were in some of the older rocker’s eyes, but Jace was staring blinding at the wall behind me, his eyes glazing over with emotion as he got Kin’s voice mail. Cursing, he hung up and dialed again, only to get the same result.

His tortured gazed landed on me. “Call Caleb. Find out if he knows anything. Please.”

“Jace.”

He looked to Emmie. “Have you talked to Kin today?” Her green eyes were so full of surprise I knew she hadn’t realized anything was amiss between him and her newest honorary niece. Shaking her head sadly, she opened her mouth, then clamped it shut and shook her head again as tears filled her eyes.

“Cash, man. Call Caleb,” Jace pleaded again, his voice catching and breaking.

I pulled out my phone, saw that I had a few texts, but I ignored them as I pulled up my best friend’s contact information and hit connect. I didn’t have time for that chick—or this shit Gigi had emotionally blackmailed me into. I was fine with it up until I’d set eyes on Amara. Now, I was ready to tell my grandmother to find another solution.

It rang thr

ee times before my friend answered. “I know nothing,” were the first words out of his mouth in greeting.