Chapter 21
CHAPTER 21
SILVER
S omething was wrong with Ice.
It wasn’t just that she’d been out of bed for nearly a whole day and he hadn’t kissed her, though that was certainly adding to her unease. It wasn’t even that he’d barely said two words to her. A quiet Ice wasn’t anything unusual. If anything, he’d been far chattier during her visit than she could ever remember him being before, even with her.
No, the silence didn’t bother her. Especially since he was still working on that song he’d started a couple days ago, which seemed to be occupying most of his time. But there was an undercurrent to the silence, something simmering just beneath the surface that had her walking on eggshells all morning.
That was a feeling she was used to with Ace. Not with Ice.
And she did not like it one little bit.
Picking up her coffee—her fourth of the day, not that he’d noticed—she carried it over to the couch, where she curled up on the opposite end from him. “How’s the song coming?”
“Hmm?” He barely glanced up from the paper he was frowning down at. “Good. I think. Guess we’ll see when it’s finished.”
“Right.” Hard to tell when you were in the thick of it, sometimes. “Want any help?”
“Nah.”
Great. Not only was he shutting her out emotionally, he was shutting her out of his work, their work, as well.
Anger and hurt swelled inside her. She had no clue what she’d done to upset him, but it was clear he was pissed about something. And it was just as clear that he had no intention of actually telling her what she’d done to make him mad.
Well that was just fine by her. If he didn’t want her around, she wouldn’t burden him with her presence.
She dumped the rest of the coffee she hadn’t actually wanted into the sink before stomping back to their room to change. And maybe it was petty of her, but she pulled out the shortest skirt she could find, a tight tank top that made her breasts look fantastic, and did her makeup the way she knew he liked it. His favorite boots completed the look, giving her a sexy gothic schoolgirl look designed specifically to drive him wild.
If that didn’t get his attention, nothing would.
“Lottie called. I’m going to head over to the club and meet her for a drink and maybe an early dinner. Wanna come?”
Again, he barely looked up from his guitar. “I think I’ll stay in tonight. Have fun with your friends, baby.”
For once, the pet name did nothing to ease the fury boiling in her veins. How dare he talk to her like nothing was wrong when he wouldn’t even look at her?
Turning on her heel, she marched stiffly to the entryway, where she grabbed her purse and his keys from the hooks by the door. Ruthlessly blinking back the tears threatening to blur her vision, she jabbed at the button to start the sexy little car in the driveway. She shot off a text to Lottie, letting her know she was on her way to the club, then tossed her phone aside and threw the car into reverse.
With the windows down, she cranked up the volume on the stereo, belting out song after song as she drove into the city. The drive and the music gave her an outlet for the anger, but the hurt lingered, churning in her stomach as she tossed her keys to the valet and made her way into the club.
Vivian looked up from the front desk, her usual smile brightening a bit when she spotted Silver. “Lottie said you’d be here early. She’s waiting for you up in the bar area.”
She flashed the receptionist a grateful smile and turned toward the stairs. “Thanks, Viv.”
“Um, Miss Sterling?”
A familiar nervousness tinged Vivian’s voice as Silver turned back to her. “Yes?”
“I know this is probably really out of line and Master Braden will have my ass just for asking but…” Red flooded the other woman’s face, clashing horribly with the teal of her hair as she fumbled for something in her pocket. “Could I possibly get a picture with you? My friends and I have been listening to your music for ages and it would just mean a lot to me if I could have a quick selfie.”
The nervous babbling brought the first genuine smile of her day to Silver’s lips. “Of course. And it’s not out of line at all.”
“Really? Awesome!”
Vivian’s eyes lit with excitement, and Silver was reminded why she loved what she did so much. The music was the core of it, but the fans made it all worth the long nights, the months of travel, the time away from her family. It was their love, their support that kept her going.
And it’s the fans who keep you stuck in a band with a man who cheated on you, in your bed. With you in it.
Shaking off that dark thought, she posed for a string of photos with the mermaid-haired receptionist. Bolstered by the interaction, she headed for the top floor, making herself a mental note to send Vivian some swag when she got back home.
It was almost enough to make her forget why she was so pissed at Ice.
Almost.
Lottie was seated at one of the VIP booths Beckett had reserved a couple nights before, and Silver’s entire body flushed with the memory of being on her knees, Ice’s cock in her mouth like she was nothing more than a convenient hole to be used while he chatted with his friend.
Ugh. She did not want to be all hot and flustered by that particular memory, not when she was supposed to be pissed at him.
Shoving the memory aside, she plopped down across from Lottie, who was dressed up like an actual schoolgirl. Eyebrow raising, she gestured to the getup. “You and Braden have some role play scheduled for tonight?”
“Not at the moment.” Lottie’s smile flashed, quick and a little wicked. “I’m working tonight and some of the regulars love the schoolgirl look. I always get better tips when I wear this.”
Guilt pricked at Silver’s chest. “Fuck. I’m sorry. I didn’t even think to ask if you were working tonight.” She’d forgotten entirely that Lottie worked at all, if she was being honest.
“Don’t be sorry. I was here anyway, keeping Daddy company until my shift starts. What’s up with you?” Tilting her head to the side, Lottie frowned slightly. “You look… unsettled.”
“I guess that’s a good word for it.” But now that she was here, she wasn’t sure exactly how to explain why she felt so ‘unsettled’. “I’m just being stupid. I shouldn’t have bothered you.”
“You’re not bothering me at all. Something happen with you and your hot viking Daddy?”
“That’s the thing. I don’t know.” Letting her head fall back, Silver let out a groan of pure frustration. “Last night everything was fine and this morning he won’t even talk to me.”
“What?” Shock filled Lottie’s voice. “He’s just straight up ignoring you?”
“Not exactly. Like, he’ll talk to me but it’s the bare minimum. He won’t even let me help him with the song he’s working on.”
“Oh. So… he was working?”
Something in Lottie’s tone had Silver raising her head to glare at her new friend. “Why do you say it like that?”
“Nothing,” Lottie said, far too quickly for it to actually be nothing. And when she smiled, there was a hint of apology in the gesture that had Silver’s stomach twisting into knots. “It’s just, was he ignoring you or was he working? Those seem like really different things.”
“He was working, and ignoring me.” But Lottie’s words had those knots in her stomach tightening.
“Sure. And that sucks. But is that like, weird for him? To ignore the people around him when he’s working on a new song?”
Narrowing her eyes at the woman across from her, Silver folded her arms over her chest. “I’m not going to talk to you if you’re going to insist on being logical about shit.”
“Sorry, babe.” A buzzing sound had Lottie sighing heavily as she picked up her phone from the cushion beside her. “I’ve gotta get to work, but we can talk on my break if you want.”
“Yeah. Sure.”
Pausing beside the booth, Lottie raised a brow. “Or you could call your hot viking Daddy and, you know, talk to him about what’s bothering you.”
“Maybe.”
She wasn’t against calling Ice, but she wasn’t quite ready to talk to him, either. Despite Lottie’s logic, she couldn’t shake the feeling that there really had been something wrong and that he was shutting her out.
“Well, hello.”
Glancing up, Silver nearly swallowed her tongue as the most gorgeous man she’d ever laid eyes on smiled down at her. Jet-black hair, eyes so brilliantly green they had to be contacts, and a face that looked to have been sculpted by a very ambitious angel, the man in front of her was far more suited to a Hollywood movie set than a kink club in South Carolina.
For once in her life, it was Silver who found herself starstruck and at a complete loss for words. “Ah. Hi.”
The corners of the stranger’s full mouth curled up just a fraction, lending him a hint of amusement that did nothing to dull the perfection of his face. “May I join you?”
Ireland whispered in his voice, not enough for him to have been born there, but certainly enough for him to have family overseas, or perhaps only recently moved to the states. The faint accent only made him more alluring.
“Sure. Yes. Of course.” Heat infused Silver’s cheeks as she stumbled over her words. What the hell was wrong with her? She lived in Los Angeles for fuck’s sake, she was exposed to men just as beautiful as the one settling onto the bench across from her every day.
But there was just something about him. A quality most A-List actors could only hope to imitate on screen that made him… Irresistible was the only word that came to mind.
“I’m Killian,” he said as he popped open the buttons on his impeccably fitted suit, leaning against the back of the booth in a way that spoke of comfort and familiarity.
His smile flashed then, and if she’d been in the market for a play partner she probably would have dropped to her knees then and there. “Silver. I should probably tell you I’m not looking to play tonight.”
One dark eyebrow raised. “Probably?”
A nervous laugh burst out of her. “No, not probably. I’m spoken for.” At least for now.
The thought brought with it another pang of grief, much like she’d felt the night before when she’d realized she would have to leave all of her new friends behind soon.
“Ah, more’s the pity,” Killian said, sincere regret in his tone. “We would have enjoyed each other.”
Not even a hint of doubt entered his voice, and she found herself grinning in response. “I’m sure we would have.”
“Are you here with your Daddy, then?” Another of those quick, wicked smiles flashed across his face. “Forgive me for assuming, it’s simply the nature of our club.”
“So I’ve heard. As it happens, you assumed correctly. But, no. He’s at home. Working.”
Now when his brow raised, it was with pure disbelief. “And he sent you here, looking like a delicious morsel just waiting to be devoured, without the benefit of a collar to stake his claim?”
Instinctively, she brushed at the bare skin of her neck. She’d always worn a collar when she’d gone to clubs with Ace. But Ice had never even offered her a temporary one. Then again, she’d never seen him put a collar on anyone.
So maybe she was just like all the others after all.
“It’s… complicated,” she offered, her voice sounding strained even to her own ears.
“Does he know you’re here?”
“Yes, Sir.” The honorific slipped out, a natural response to the slight censure in his tone. “I’m just not sure he actually cares.”
Fuck. She hadn’t meant to say that, not to a complete stranger. “Sorry.” She forced a smile she didn’t feel to cover the sickness coating her stomach. “I’m just having a day.”
“If you need an ear, I have two.”
The simple, goofy joke surprised a laugh out of her. “You don’t want to listen to my silly problems.”
“Anything that could put that sadness in your eyes is far from silly, love.”
“Ah, fuck.” Tears welled in her eyes, slipping free before she could will them back. “You don’t have to be so nice to me. You don’t even know me.”
“If people can be assholes to people they don’t know, I see no reason I can’t be nice to a beautiful stranger with sad eyes,” he returned, an understanding smile curving his lips. “But if you’re not ready to talk, perhaps I could interest you in a stroll around the pit. As friends, of course.”
Ice wouldn’t be happy to find out she’d been spending time with another man instead of hanging out with Lottie like she’d said she would be. But it would serve him right if word got back to him that she was here with someone else. After all, if he was going to ignore her and shut her out, why shouldn’t she enjoy the company of someone who clearly wanted her around? “I’d love that.”
Killian joined her as she rose to her feet, holding out his elbow with a little bow that made her laugh. Linking her arm with his, she let herself be led downstairs. Within no time at all, her worries over Ice and his—haha—‘icy’ demeanor had slipped to the back of her mind as Killian regaled her with hilarious stories and tidbits of gossip about each member they spotted during their tour.
She was so caught up in Killian, she didn’t notice the man in the shadows watching their every move.