Rock Star Returns: Carlie's Story (Access All Areas 2)

IT'D BEEN A NORMAL day at work when Razer came in. He and Violet had just gotten together — about bloody time too. Any fool could see she had the biggest girl boner going on in her pants for him but she had screwed up ideas about dating rockers. Well, I could understand that. Rockers were the worst boyfriends. Hell, I'd been hurt more than most but that didn't stop me dipping my toes in the water now and then. Well, a quick dip and then I'd kiss that water goodbye. But I'd not stopped swimming altogether.

Anyway, everyone was curious as hell about what was going on between them.

They were in her office. I bet he wanted sex. He’d gone in there with that sex-hungry look in his eyes. She'd say no, though. Too worried someone would hear and that it would be unprofessional and that kind of Violet stuff. I'd have no qualms at all about it but that's me.

"I'm going to mop the storeroom," Mark said.

"Leave them alone, Mark, you dirty perv. She deserves some peace. If they want to have a quickie, that's fine. And mopping is Drew's job."

I wasn't even sure why Mark was in early. Normally, he turned up just before his shift started and left as soon as he was finished. I guess he had a life, unlike the rest of us. I’d come in early because it was easier to go to work straight after the gym than go home.

"Drew's busy sorting things out upstairs. It's just being a good team player."

And, with that, he headed to the storeroom. I was just thinking of warning Violet when they both came out. Good move, go home and have sex there. The two of them shone like they were the first people in the world to ever fall in love. Razer worked so hard to prove to Violet that he was right for her, even though she'd resisted him like hell. I was so glad that she was with him and not Alex. Alex would never make her glow like that.

I needed to restock the bar and I'd just picked up a bottle of whiskey when I heard the door open. No matter how often Drew was reminded to lock the door before the bar opened, he always forgot and we'd get randoms wandering in off the street. I glanced up, ready to yell at whoever it was to get the hell out of the bar. That pretty soon made them move, usually.

When he walked in, my stomach clenched before my mind even registered him. I froze on the spot, not sure if this was really happening.

"Fuck, no," I whispered. "Fuck."

The bottle of whiskey fell from my hand, shattering on the floor and spraying all up my legs but I couldn't move. I'd turned to stone. I wanted to believe that I was seeing things. My vision blurred but it was him. He had the nerve to walk into the bar where I worked. He could NOT be here. This was my turf and my town.

"Get the fuck out, Holden” My body trembled by my voice stayed strong. ”Get out or I'll have to kill you.”

As he walked toward me, the air got sucked out of the room. If anything, he looked better than he had three years ago. Broader in the shoulders, cockier in his movements. When he'd left me, he’d still clung to the edges of boyhood, a bit baby-faced. That was all gone now. He had the look of a man who got what he wanted and wouldn't take any arguments. His face was all angles, a bit cragged but in a way that only made him hotter. And his body was hard and solid.

“Hey, Carlie.” He still had that tinge of country boy drawl with a voice that rumbled through your body.

Violet and Razer glanced from Holden to me, the unspoken questions flittering over their face and followed by alarm like they wanted to get the hell out of the place.

Holden stood between them and the door.

As Violet turned back to Holden, the recognition dawned over her face although she fought to control it. Of course, she knew who he was but, being Violet, would never admit it in a situation like this.

"Are you okay?" Violet asked.

I nodded, even though I was as far from okay as a person could be. That glass on the floor was less shattered than I was. Still, I didn't want to put a grey cloud over their happiness. That freshly in love feeling never lasts long enough anyway. I forced a smile onto my face and told them to leave. If Violet thought for a moment that I was not coping, she'd stick around to help out. That wasn't what I wanted at all.

Luckily, the bar provided a barrier between Holden and me. If my legs worked, I could skip out to the storeroom, even run up the stairs to the band room and escape. But my legs didn't move.

Violet and Razer lingered in the bar. I tried to smile at them so they’d think I was okay.

I sucked in a breath and held onto the bar to steady myself because, despite my fear and horror, every primal instinct in me screamed to run to him, jump into his arms and tackle him to the ground. I craved him like a crackhead craves his hit but crack would be a helluva lot better for my health than Holden King.

He made me react physically like no other man could. I hated that. Even when I wanted to slash his throat, he just had to touch me and I'd lose all sense. I didn't want to lose sense like that ever again. I wanted to be on steady ground.

"Long time, no see." He gave a slight salute.

What the fuck? What the fucking fuck? He couldn't just waltz in here after all this time and give me a casual greeting like that. As though he'd just gone away for a few weeks’ vacation. As though he'd left on friendly terms.

The blood rushed to my head. I couldn't think, my brain was too busy fighting off all the hormones flying around my body. I moved out from behind the bar and walked toward him.

He smiled like his charm was enough for me to forgive all the hurts and misery he'd caused. It didn't. It didn't by a long shot.

When he saw the fire burning in my eyes, he stopped.

I paused in front of him and, without saying a word, swung my fist and smashed him in the face as hard as I could. Which was pretty fucking hard because I put my time in at the gym.