Lick (Stage Dive 1)

Mal dropped my backpack at my feet. He was so busy looking around the place he didn’t even seem to have heard my question, rude or not.

“David is still asleep,” I said and rifled through the contents of my bag. Oh, my stuff. My wonderful stuff. My purse and phone in particular were a delight to lay eyes on. Many text messages from Lauren, plus a few from my Dad. I hadn’t even known he could text. “Thank you for bringing this.”

“Dave called me at four in the morning and told me he’d written some new stuff. Figured I’d come up and see what was going on. Thought you’d like your gear.” Hands on hips, Mal stood before the wall of windows pondering the magnificence of nature. “Man, check out that view.”

“Nice, huh?” said Tyler from behind his drink. “Wait till you see the studio.”

Mal cupped his hands around his mouth. “Hipster King. Get down here!”

“Hi, sweetie.” Pam wandered in, twirling a set of keys on her finger. “I tried to make them leave it a few more hours, but as you can see, I lost. Sorry.”

“Never mind,” I said. I’m not much of a hugger normally. We didn’t do a lot of it in my family. My parents preferred a more hands-free method. But Pam was so nice that I hugged her back straight away when she threw her arms around me.

We’d talked for hours the night before down in the recording studio. It had been illuminating. Married to a popular session player and producer, she’d lived the lifestyle for over twenty years. Touring, recording, groupies … she’d experienced the whole rock ’n’ roll shebang. She and Tyler had attended a music festival and fallen in love with Monterey with its jagged coastline and sweeping ocean views.

“The lounge and another couple of beds are on their way, should be here soon. Mal, Tyler, help move the boxes. We’ll stack them against the fireplace.” Suddenly Pam stopped, giving me a cautious smile. “Hang on. You’re the woman of the house. You give the orders here.”

“Oh, against the fireplace sounds great, thanks,” I said.

“You heard her, boys. Get moving.”

Tyler grumbled but put down his can and lumbered toward a box, dragging his feet like the walking dead.

“Hold up.” Mal smacked his lips at Pam and me. “I haven’t gotten my hello kisses yet.” He caught Pam up in a bear hug, lifting her off her feet and twirling her around until she laughed. Arms wide, he stepped toward me next. “Come to daddy, bed-head girl.”

I put a hand out to halt him, laughing. “That’s actually really disturbing, Mal.”

“Leave her be,” said David from the top of the stairs, yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Still wearing just the jeans. He was my kryptonite. All the strength of my convictions to be careful disappeared. My legs actually wobbled. I hated that.

Were we married or not today? He’d had a hell of a lot to drink last night. Drunk people and promises did not go well together—we’d both learned that the hard way. I could only hope he remembered our conversation and still felt the same way.

“What the f**k are you doing here?” growled my husband.

“I want to hear the new stuff, asswipe. Deal with it.” Mal stared up at him, his jaw set in a hard line. “I should beat the living crap out of you. Fuck, man. That was my favorite kit!”

Body rigid, David started down the stairs. “I said I’m sorry. I meant it.”

“Maybe. But it’s still time to pay, you dickwad.”

For a moment David didn’t reply. Tension lined his face but there was a look of inevitability in his weary eyes. “Alright. What?”

“It’s gotta hurt. Bad.”

“Worse than you turning up when Ev and me are having time alone?”

Mal actually looked a little shamefaced.

David stopped at the foot of the steps, waiting. “You wanna take this outside?”

Pam and Tyler said nothing, just watched the byplay. I got the feeling this wasn’t the first time these two had faced off. Boys will be boys and all that. But I stood beside Mal, every muscle tensed. If he took one step toward David I’d jump him. Pull his hair or something. I didn’t know how, but I’d stop him.

Mal gave him a measuring look. “I’m not hitting you. I don’t want to mess up my hands when we’ve got work to do.”

“What then?”

“You already trashed your favorite guitar. So it’s going to have to be something else.” Mal rubbed his hands together. “Something money can’t buy.”

“What?” asked David, his eyes suddenly wary.

“Hi, Evvie.” Mal grinned and slung an arm around my shoulder, pulling me in against him.

“Hey,” I protested.

In the next moment his mouth covered mine, entirely unwelcome. David shouted a protest. An arm wrapped around my back and Mal dipped me, kissing me hard, bruising my lips. I grabbed at his shoulders, afraid I’d hit the floor. When he tried to put his tongue in my mouth, however, I didn’t hesitate to bite him.

The idiot howled.

Take that.

Just as fast as he’d dipped me he set me to rights. My head spun. I put a hand to the wall to stop from stumbling. I rubbed at my mouth, trying to get rid of the taste of him, while Mal gave me a wounded look.

“Damn it. That hurt.” He carefully touched his tongue, searching for damage. “I’m bleeding!”

“Good.”

Pam and Tyler chuckled, highly amused.

Arms wrapped around me from behind and David whispered in my ear. “Nice work.”

“Did you know he was going to do that?” I asked, sounding distinctly pissy.

“Fuck no.” He rubbed his face against the side of my head, mussing my bed hair. “I don’t want anyone else touching you.”

It was the right answer. My anger melted away. I put my hands on top of his and the grip on me tightened.

“You want me to beat the shit out of him?” asked David. “Just say the word.”

I pretended to consider it for a moment while Mal watched us with interest. We obviously looked a lot friendlier than we had in LA. But it was nobody’s business. Not his friend’s, not the press’, nobody’s.

“No,” I whispered back, my belly doing backflips. I was falling so fast for him it scared me. “I guess you’d better not.”

David turned me in his arms and I fit myself against him, wrapping my arms around his waist. It felt natural and right. The scent of his skin made me high. I could have stood there breathing him in for hours. It felt like maybe we were together, but I no longer trusted my own judgment, if I ever had to begin with.