Chapter Three
Harley
I hated how unsettled he made me feel. How my body trembled, how anger, doubt, and flickers of fear bounced around my body like it was their playground.
Yet, mixed in with all of that, there was an underlying buzz whenever I looked at him.
Dark brown hair, that perfect fade on the side, and a fistful left wild on top.
Short beard coating his squarish jawline.
Mesmeric warm, light brown eyes. If he wasn’t scowling at me every time he laid eyes on me, he would be pure magic.
Alas, he was scowling, so it bumped him down to seriously hot.
Still, there was a pull that seemed impossible to fight.
The only way I could think of to beat it back, was to avoid him, but that was impossible since he was with me twenty-four seven.
It left me with only choice I had to try and get a brief respite from the turmoil in me that came to life whenever he was near.
And that was to sneak away. To have a few hours of normalcy so I could be able to feel something else.
To feel free. To feel alive. It was essential for my lyrics, for my music.
This past week all my songs turned dark, and dark was not me.
The problem was, I was never successful in my escape.
I needed normalcy. I needed fun. I needed people. And I needed music.
The only other option was to take him with me.
I dove straight into the backseat of a car waiting at the hotel entrance already breathing a little bit easier. Just leaving the stuffy hotel room made the lyrics swim in my head and the notes whisper in my blood.
All of that came to a screeching halt as Carter slammed the door at the front seat. He turned and those cognac eyes trapped mine. “Where to?”
“They already know,” I muttered and looked outside of my window. I was behaving like a spoiled teenager, but in that moment I couldn’t care less. I couldn’t lose my freedom. I couldn’t let him win.
“The Castle it is,” he said as he turned around, and nodded for the driver to go.
I fought the urge to stick my tongue out at his back. Thankfully, I won that fight.
The fact that he already knew all my hiding spots was grating on my nerves. I chose to ignore the fact that it was his job, and he had to know everything to do it properly.
He was driving me up the wall, and in a moment of complete honesty, I wasn’t sure if that was because the label blew everything out of proportion and made an overzealous fan into a non-existing threat.
Or was it because no matter how much I tried to deny it, I wanted his eyes on other parts of my body.
Once we came to a halt outside the club, the crowd parted like the Red Sea.
Bouncers kept the fans at bay, and I beelined from the car to the door, feeling Carter close behind me.
People screamed my name, hands reached for me, and Carter’s pissed off vibe all hit my back.
I ignored everything, my sole focus reaching the inner sanctum where music and bodies intertwined in a beautiful flow that fueled my soul.
“She’s here,” Finn, my drummer, screamed over the beating music.
“And she brought her babysitter,” Cassie sneered but her eyes betrayed her as they traveled the length of Carter.
A sudden wave of heat washed inside me, my hands started to shake, and a sting pierced my stomach. What the fuck? I had never in my life experienced a fierce moment of jealousy strong like this before. What was even more insane was the fact that I didn’t have a right to be jealous.
“Settle down, Cassie” Zoe pulled her hand and forced Cassie to sit in the booth next to her.
My two back-up singers are as different as night and day, but complementary in every regard.
“I had no choice.” I sighed and sat opposite Cat feeling Carter's warmth behind me. I reached for a glass, sniffed the contents, and when I encountered straight vodka, pushed it back. “It was that or try and sneak out again. And you all know how that ends.”
“Yeah, the bad Daddy comes and takes you to time out.” Cat pouted and sent glances Carter’s way.
He grunted on hearing her words, but he stayed standing behind me, his eyes going over the crowd of people on the dance floor below us.
“Well, those can be fun.” Finn wagged his eyebrows.
“These ones are not, I assure you.” Now I sounded like I was pouting. I shook my head to get out of this funk and do what I came here to do. To have a good time, to find inspiration, to feel. “Where’s everyone else?” I looked around but couldn’t see the rest of the gang.
Usually, the whole band went out together. Sometimes, the crew members joined us. But tonight, it was only Cat, Zoe, and Finn.
“Day and Bodhi left with friends.” Cat smiled. “Probably won't see them until the show tomorrow.”
Noted. Those two loved going from city to city and dipping their toes, hands, and other parts of their bodies into any willing woman. And there were a lot of them.
“Jenn has a headache.” Zoe picked up after Cat got too busy trying to get Carter’s attention once again. “And Cassie said she has a meeting with the PR manager to go over your schedule for the next week.”
Damn, was I supposed to be at that meeting? I checked my phone, but there was nothing from Cassie. This whole situation was turning everything upside down. Usually, I was on top of everything, and I never missed a meeting or an appointment, and here I was not sure if I dropped the ball or not.
“Don’t worry, babe.” Zoe reached over and put her palm over the phone in my hand. “If you were needed, Cassie knows how to get hold of you.”
I smiled a weak smile and nodded. She was right.
Then why did this all feel wrong? Why couldn’t I settle down, and do what I came here to do?
I looked around, trying to pinpoint the source of my angst, but nothing caught my attention.
I glanced behind me, and Carter was still there, scanning our surroundings..
I shifted on the low couch, searching, trying to pinpoint the thing that was making me shift this way and that, but nothing stood out.
Cat tried to get my attention, but again, I couldn’t focus on her.
Something was not right.
Then a heat hit my back, and momentarily all my anxiety vanished. “You okay?” Carter’s voice vibrated on my skin.
I looked up into his cognac colored eyes. He was bent over, his body shielding mine. He was so close I was positive I could feel his heart beating, and mine instantly adopted the rhythm of his.
God, he was beautiful. Like grass right after the rain.
I quickly banished the thought, but I couldn’t tear my eyes from his. It felt like he could see every inch of me. I wished he would let me do the same.
Clearing my throat, I leaned a bit back, just to get away from temptation, and murmured, “Always.”
The lie came so easily, but the moment it slipped from my lips, I knew I disappointed him.
Not because I wasn’t okay, but because I lied to him.
He didn’t say anything, didn’t call me on it. He simply nodded his head, stood up, and went back to surveying the crowd.
Ten minutes later, I was still a fidgeting mess.
The air was sticky; my mouth felt dry, but I couldn’t get myself to drink something.
My skin itched, and I was constantly looking over my shoulder.
I’d had enough of this. I stood abruptly, pushing the table between the couches, making everyone look up at me.
“Going to the bathroom.” I threw my thumb over my shoulder and mumbled, but I was sure no one heard a word of what I said. Partially thanks to music, and partly because they went back to their fun, making matches for the night.
I walked quickly, craving the sanctuary of a private bathroom and the escape it provided. It was clear to me the night was a bust. The normalcy I wanted was not going to come, and instead I became a jumpy mess. All thanks to Carter.
I could kick him in the shin just for ruining my night. Hell, for ruining the tour for me.
“He’s going to hear me,” I grumbled to myself, determined to save the rest of the tour.
If he didn’t get back in line, I was going to get Tim to either replace him, or better yet, forget this whole fiasco of a crazed fan, or whatever was happening, ditch this whole idea of a bodyguard and let me be free.
“Tim too,” I grumbled again, remembering he was on my shit list too.
“Harley.” Someone called out to me.
I stopped and turned, expecting to see a manager of the club or someone like that.
They usually hung around whenever I came into their joint to make sure I had everything I needed, and occasionally, they could be a little overbearing.
Like now, when I needed a minute in the bathroom just for myself.
But it wasn’t a manager wearing a suit who called my name.
The man stood at the mouth of a dimly lit hallway. He looked thirty, maybe a little older. Not my usual age group. His blonde hair was damp and combed back. He had a T-shirt under a blazer. The guy looked like a teacher that was trying too hard to be cool.
“I knew you’d come.” The excitement in his voice was unmistakable.
His smile was a little too wide. Something was off about the man. I didn’t say anything, just gave him a shoulder shrug coupled with a small, non-committal smile, and turned around.
But he kept talking. “I told everyone you would be here. They said you’re too famous now. To come to The Castle, I mean. That you came here before you hit big. But not now. Not now when everyone knows you.”
Every nerve fiber in my body vibrated. I was rooted to the spot, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get my legs to move.
He started moving then, and all I did was turn around to face him fully again.
“But I said no. I know how Harley is. Harley remembers where she belongs. Harley will never forget her roots.”
He came to stand in front of me, a wide smile on his face, his eyes going up and down my body. There was something seriously wrong about him. He seemed over-hyped. The corners of his mouth trembled, his whole body vibrated, and there was a feverish gleam in his eyes.