Rock Hard (Rock Kiss 2)

“You convinced me to be brave,” Molly whispered. “I think you can be too.”

“I’m not like you, you know that.”

“Do I?” Her best friend shook her head. “You said you were in awe of me for standing up to Queen Bitchface, but I remember you telling off the worst clique in the school until they crawled off with their tails between their legs.”

“It’s different when it’s someone I love.” She’d take on anyone who hurt someone who belonged to her. “When it’s me…” Charlotte swallowed, her next words a rasp. “He scares me.” It was a confession torn out of her soul.

Molly’s expression suddenly somber, she drew Charlotte to a bench in the nearby square, the water fountain to the side creating a gentle background melody. “T-Rex?”

At Charlotte’s nod, Molly put her hand over Charlotte’s. “Are you afraid to be around him?”

“No,” Charlotte said, realizing her best friend had taken the wrong meaning from her words. “No, not like that.” Stomach tense and chest tight with the weight of what she was admitting, she glanced at her watch. “We better go—we’ll be late getting back to work.”

“I’ll make up the time.” Molly squeezed her hand. “And since T-Rex didn’t let you leave till ten last night, I’m sure he can’t argue against a long lunch today.”

“Yes, he can.” The man was totally unreasonable.

“Do I need to storm the battlements and steal you away from his clutches?”

“Ha-ha.” Teeth sinking into her lower lip, Charlotte just blurted out the truth. “He scares me because of the way he makes me react. Sometimes I want to grab that tie of his and—”

“Do the kind of things I’ve been doing with my rock star?”

Charlotte blushed. “Only in my more insane moments.” She pushed up her glasses. “Have you seen how big he is?” Even thinking about his body made her breath catch, and it wasn’t in fear.

“Sexy big.” Molly waggled her eyebrows. “Also, you shouldn’t expect rational advice from me—I brought a man home after meeting him in an elevator.”

Charlotte laughed, gleeful. “Now you’re about to head off with him for a dirty, dirty weekend.” She was so happy for her friend.

Dropping her head in her hands, Molly moaned. “What am I doing, Charlie?”

“I told you, being the brave one.” She jumped as her cell phone rang. “It’s His Carnivorousness,” she muttered after reading the caller display. “Hello,” she said in a far more professional tone. “Charlotte speaking.”

“Ms. Baird, where the hell are you?” came the growl down the line. “Do you not realize I pay you to be available when I need you?”

Charlotte’s hands itched for that jug of ice water. “Yes, I realize that,” she said, managing to keep her tone polite. “However, I did work well beyond my contracted hours yesterday.”

“What? Ermine complaining already?” A snort. “Don’t tell me you’re pacifying your boyfriend when you should be at your desk.”

Charlotte saw red. “Yes, I am,” she said, her mouth moving ahead of her brain. “In fact, we’re about to check into a hotel.” Stabbing the End key, she turned to find Molly staring at her.

“Did you just tell your boss you were about to check into a hotel with Ernest?” her best friend asked in an awed whisper.

Charlotte froze, suddenly realizing what she’d said. “Oh God!” It was a mortified wail, her breath stuck in her lungs. “I told you he was driving me insane.”

Molly nudged Charlotte’s head between her knees. “Breathe, Charlie.”

Charlotte tried, but she could tell her face was still bright red when she sat up. “I can’t go back to the office now.” How would she even face Gabriel Bishop? “I’ll have to quit.” Interviewing for a new position couldn’t be any harder than trying to explain to the boss that she hadn’t in fact been about to check into a hotel with her boyfriend who wasn’t really her boyfriend.

“No, you don’t.” Hooking her arm through Charlotte’s, Molly dragged her to her feet and escorted her to the Saxon & Archer offices.

“Be brave,” Molly mouthed when Charlotte paused in the doorway, breathing choppy again and her heart thumping.

Charlotte had never been brave, but she couldn’t let Molly down, especially when her best friend was trying to aim for her own dreams. Be brave, she mouthed back, and forced herself to the elevator.

The walk down the corridor to her office was as bad as the day she’d thought she was about to be fired. Even when Brent Sinclair caught her in passing to say a heartfelt thank-you for her part in getting his idea in front of the boss, it didn’t stop the sick feeling in her gut.

Not only had she thrown a stapler at the boss’s head, she’d hung up on him after saying she was heading out for some afternoon delight.

Wanting to whimper, she walked through the doors to her office and took off her coat while placing her handbag aside. Then she cleared the messages on her phone and sat down to finish up work she’d left half-complete when she’d gone out for lunch. Taking it into T-Rex’s office, she placed it on his desk.

He looked up, a gleam in his eye. “Nice lunch?”

Feeling her cheeks turn tomato red, she managed to say, “Yes.”