The man looks me up and down disinterestedly and scowls. He says nothing.
How rude. I’m not the most confident or beautiful girl, but you’re not keeping me from finding Ellie.
“Hello? I’m speaking to you. Can you get a message to one of the band? We went to school together and I’ve come to surprise them.”
He narrows his gaze, shooting me one of the most contemptuous looks I’ve ever seen. “Riiiiight. Friends. You think I was born yesterday, sweetcheeks? Hit the road.” The idiot shoves a thumb towards the exit.
Alrighty, now I’m good and aggro. I let out my inner bitch, the one that hardly gets a chance to see the light of day.
“Listen you uptight wanker, I’ve known Dax and Adam since primary school and I am going to speak with them!” I dig my finger into his stupid chest. “Let me in, it’s important!” I realize I’m making a scene, but I don’t care. I’m going to find my friend and this idiot isn’t going to stop me.
The bouncer puffs up his body and his face turns purple. Before he can kick me out or say something rude, someone shoves him aside.
“Kate?”
Dax’s dark eyes bore into mine from next to the increasingly hostile looking bouncer. They crinkle adorably in the corners when he breaks into an enormous grin.
Holy shit an actual reaction from the Iceman!
“Kate!”
Dax pulls me around the bouncer, Dax’s huge, muscular, six-foot plus frame towering over almost everyone around us, garnering admiring looks from both men and women alike. Dax snags my arm, yanking me into a massive hug and I swear, I hear him let out a sigh of relief once I’m in his arms. I can’t take the time to be shocked. I’m too happy to be surrounded by Dax. I inhale deeply, reveling in the fact that he smells exactly the same—spicy, delicious, and utterly masculine.
When he finally releases me from his tight embrace, Dax holds me at arm’s length, his fingers gripping my shoulders to keep me in place. He flicks his eyes up and down my figure, making me squirm from the intensity of his stare. Even though we’re surrounded by squealing groupies and a scowling bouncer, the moment is as intimate as if we were alone behind closed doors.
It seems as if he wants to say something, but before he does, his expression shuts down, back to stone-faced Dax. He stares, waiting for me to speak. No way do I want to have this reunion out here, so I try to get him to take us somewhere private. Pointing at the backstage door, my question comes out in a rush. “Can we go somewhere else?”
Dax glances around, finally taking note of the small crowd that has gathered. A blush pinks his cheeks as he lets me go, directing me to go backstage first. A blush! Cold, unemotional Dax Davies, the Iceman, blushed because of me! Boring, plain Kate Campbell. It’s both endearing and an enormous turn on to think I have that kind of power over him. That and the fact he completely ignored the squealing crowd of sluts have my feelings for Dax all jumbled up again.
“How have you been?” he asks, his eyes meeting mine for a fleeting moment before dropping to the floor again as he leads me backstage. There’s that blush again. He’s going to make it impossible for me to let him go, isn’t he? How can I possibly be expected to stay angry with someone that I’ve loved for as long as I can recall? Especially when his loud confidence and stony indifference has been replaced by this adorable, blushing man.
He leads me to a tiny room crammed full of electrical equipment. Dax shoves a few things off the battered old sofa and onto the floor, clearing a place for us to sit. I tremble, lowering myself to the cushion slowly. The air seems to have gotten scarce, my lungs having difficulty expanding in his proximity. There’s just enough left to force out a quick reply.
“I’ve been good. How about you, Dax?”
His downturned eyes flick up to mine, trapping me, owning me. Then again…he’s always owned me, heart and soul, hasn’t he? Even after that night at the fight club, I never really let go of Dax… of the dream of us being together someday.
Is someday now?
48
Dax
Hell, Kate’s even more stunning than I remember. The sunny L.A. weather has done her well. Playing football has her tanned and toned from her head down to her feet, those killer legs of hers perfectly showcased by a criminally short skirt.
My heart has always been an empty shell, until Kate brought out the best in me. Being around her innocence, her radiance, then losing her had me thinking there was more to life than getting off and keeping everything inside.
Without her, I’m back to being a cold and heartless bastard. Any warmth I may have gained in the short time I knew her seeped out long ago. Today, having her right here in front me, the black hole in my chest feels as if it’s beginning to recede.
Kate never rang me after I stopped by her dormitory, not that I know if her crazy flatmate gave her my number. I had begun to think I’d never see her again. Unbelievably, I’ve got Kate sitting next to me, picking at a tiny hole in the hideous sofa backstage at the Viper Room, and I’m not sure what to say.
“You look gorgeous,” I blurt out, immediately wanting to punch myself for sounding so bloody desperate. One of the rules flicks through my head. One I have a hard time remembering when I’m around Kate.
Rule 2—Never let your emotions show.
Her wide green eyes find mine for the briefest of moments before they drop back down to the sofa.
Forcing myself to go against everything I was raised to believe, I stupidly put it out there. “I’m sorry, Kate. About—” I swallow thickly, having a hard time putting my feelings in words. “About what you saw. It…” Jesus, I sound like such a wanker. The urge to take what I want, to kiss her until she comes undone is nearly overpowering. Especially after a performance, when my libido is flying high. Having her here is pure torture.