Chapter 6
Six
STONE
Did I change my route so I could follow Hazel?
Abso-fucking-lutely.
Do I have any shame?
Not a single bit.
She looks damn good this morning. The dress she was wearing on the morning show hid so much of her figure. Then last night she disappeared into her room so fast I didn’t have a chance to disentangle myself from the woman trying to get in my pants to say anything.
I had been considering letting the groupie suck my dick just to take the edge off, but then I saw Hazel. Everything else faded away when I locked in on her somber eyes. I don’t know what it is about them, but I could drown in their swirling gray and blue depths.
Adam has the good sense not to say anything as he matches his pace to mine, which is slow as fuck so we can follow her at a distance.
He ponytail sways as she walks down the sidewalk past cafes and shops until she stops and looks up at the sign over the glass fronted building.
She pulls a door open and then disappears from view.
As soon as she’s inside, we pick up our pace and head toward the waterfront.
The pain in my leg today is slightly more intense than usual, but I push through.
I have to train every day to keep myself from falling into a cycle of soreness.
Consistency is the key to holding the pain at bay when I can’t take anything stronger than acetaminophen.
The anonymity that comes with running in a different city always makes me feel so free. With a hat pulled down over my eyes and worn running shoes on my feet, I don’t look like anything other than a thirty-something man out for a run with a buddy.
My watch beeps to notify me with each mile we run. After two miles, we turn around and head back. My plan is to hopefully time it perfectly, so her class is ending right around the time we’ll pass by.
I know I’ll see her at lunch, but everyone will be there.
I want time with her to myself. It’s weird how possessive I feel about her.
I want to keep my little Archer all to myself.
As we pass the Pilates studio, I slow and glance in the windows, seeing her stretching on the reformer.
I turn at the intersection, going across the street instead of continuing toward the hotel.
“What are you doing?” Adam asks, not remotely winded.
“Waiting for Hazel without making it look like we’re waiting.”
He smirks. “Why?”
I press my lips together and look at him from the side of my eyes. “Don’t ask questions.”
He chuckles, unafraid of my mood. “Got a thing for her?”
“Something like that.”
He doesn’t say anything else as we hang by a bus stop.
I keep my eyes on the studio doors while Adam takes his place as security, keeping an eye on everything else around us.
Thank fuck for him because I’m not paying a bit of attention to anything other than the door I want to see her walk out through.
After ten minutes she appears, and I start jogging across the street, not waiting for the signal, so I can catch her. A car honks as I dash across the street, and Adam swears under his breath at my rash decision.
“Hey.” My voice is a bit breathier than usual as I fall in step beside her.
She jumps the tiniest bit at my sudden appearance. It makes me want to scare her again. Just to see that startled expression on her face. I wonder what all her other expressions look like.
The hair along her neck and temples is damp with sweat. I have the strongest urge to lean over and lick the bead running down from behind her ear. Lucky for her we’re on the street, and I wouldn’t want someone to snap a random photo and plaster it all over the internet.
“What are you doing here?” She side-steps putting a little more distance between us.
“Just finished our run. Great timing, now we can walk you back.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I don’t have to, but we are going to the same place. Might as well go together.”
“Right.” We come to a red light, and she sneaks a glance at me. “Do people not recognize you when you’re out?”
“Depends on the city, honestly.” I pull my cap down a little further as several people join us. “But no one expects to see me out on an early morning run, and I have to get my nervous energy out somehow. Better running than drugs.”
“I’ll have to take your word on that.” Her lips tilt upwards. “I haven’t run since gym class in high school.”
“I just recently started. It’s part of my recovery plan.”
“Addiction recovery or the surgeries?” she asks as the light changes, and we cross the street to the hotel.
“Addiction mostly.” If she knows about the surgeries, does that mean she looked me up? Or is she already a fan? “Why Pilates?”
She waits until we’re through the lobby to answer. “Someone once told me that Pilates was for people with Gwyneth Paltrow bodies, not this.” She sweeps her hand down indicating her own body. “And nothing pisses me off more than being told I can’t do something.”
“Good for you. And Pilates is for everybody. It was actually started as physical therapy for injured soldiers.”
We step onto the elevator, and I move to the opposite corner from her. Her skin is still flushed from her class, bringing a beautiful glow to her lightly tanned skin.
“I didn’t know that. Thanks for the random bit of trivia.”
“No problem, I’m full of it.”
Adam muffles a laugh and turns his body toward the corner. I chuckle at how ridiculous that sounded and when I look up Hazel is smiling at me, wide and genuine. I’d make a fool of myself every day for the rest of my life just to see her like this.
“I’ll remember that,” she says as the elevator door opens, and she walks off in the direction of her room.
“What the fuck was that? I’m full of it?” Adam laughs as we turn down the opposite direction of the hall.
“I’m just trying to make her feel comfortable.”
He side-eyes me. “Is that all you’re trying to do?”
“Yes.” For now. “What are your first impressions of her?”
“She’s quiet, so it’s hard to tell for sure, but she seems nice. I don’t think she’ll pose any security risks.”
“Clearly.”
“If anything, I’m worried for her sanity on the bus with the three of you and Darren. At least Jade will be there, too.”
“Agreed.” I open my door and step over the threshold. “See you in a few hours.”
He walks into his room across from mine. “Later.”
When we get to the restaurant, Darren, Jade, and Hazel are already seated in a private dining room.
Jade is sitting next to Hazel with Darren across from her.
I hang back and let Xan and Tobias sit first. Tobias sits across from Hazel and Xan drops down beside Jade, exactly what I was hoping for.
I’m at the opposite end of the table but across from Hazel, so I can still look down at her without being too obvious.
Her hair falls down her back in long dark waves that look so soft and silky they belong in a shampoo commercial. Her makeup is light aside from her bold red lips. I can’t tell what exactly she’s wearing, aside from it having long sleeves.
Jade leans over and whispers something to her which makes her laugh, and, fuck me, it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. I want more of those. But I want them to be for me.
A server comes out with water for the table. Xan, Tobias, and I will only have water, but Darren orders a soda. The girls stick with water as well. I pick up my menu after the server leaves, but all my attention is on listening to Tobias as he asks questions, getting to know Hazel.
He never eats before a show due to having a nervous stomach. It’s something he learned the hard way early on by nearly shitting himself during one of our sets. Neither Xan nor I have that issue, but we do tend to eat lighter prior to shows.
“You’re being oddly quiet,” Darren says to me with his menu held up to give us privacy. “Are you feeling good?”
“I’m fine.” I stretch my arm over the back of his chair. “More nervous than usual not being able to throw back a couple shots before the show, but I’ll get over it once I’m on stage.”
He nods. “You’ll be fine. We’ve got you.”
“I know.”
Fuck, do I ever know it. I doubt I’d even be alive if it weren’t for the people at this table. I owe them everything. Fucking up this tour is not something I’ll permit myself to do.
“Are you coming to the show tonight, Hazel?” Xan asks after we’ve all placed our orders.
“Yes, Jade gave me my pass already. I think I’ll watch from the audience.”
“You should sit in the VIP tent.” It’s safer there. The thought of her getting injured in the crowd somehow makes me ill. “Our shows can get a bit wild.”
“I’ll be okay.” She locks eyes with me, her gray eyes holding mine until Tobias pulls her attention away.
“You’re welcome backstage, too.”
“I’ll think about it.” She gives him a smile.
My stomach churns at the thought of her getting caught in a huge crowd surge. Our shows are loud and wild; even being sober, I’ll still be encouraging the crowd to let themselves go.
I lean over to Darren. “Should we have security on her if she’s in the audience, just in case?” I ask quietly.
“I’ll look into getting one of the backups assigned to her for shows.”
She looks back and forth between the two of us as if she knows we’re discussing her.
Her lips press together, but she doesn’t say a word.
The food arrives, and she settles into conversation with Tobias, asking him why he’s not eating.
She laughs at something he says, and an irrational stab of jealousy shoots through me.
I need to get a fucking grip. This is a new side of me, one I’ve never experienced. Have I been protective of people I care about? Of course. But have I ever been jealous and possessive like this? Never.
Is it because I’m sober? Is this part of the real me? I suppose it could have been suppressed by the drugs and alcohol. Fuck knows I’ve never been so intrigued by a woman before. From the moment I saw O’Malley being an asshat to her, I’ve felt the tug to protect her.
Forcing myself to refocus on the concert tonight, I turn to Xan as he suggests a slight change to the set list. It’s exactly what I need to stop fixating on Hazel. Even if the sound of her voice and laughter chases all rational thought from my brain.