21. Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty
Scarlett
Breathe in, breathe out. Repeat. That’s it, that’s all.
Don’t think about how excited Kian was to meet you, or how he stared at you for a whole minute like you were a work of art. He’s a rock star, Scarlett. He sleeps with women as a hobby. Of course he knows how to make them feel good with one look.
He probably knows a lot more interesting things, too.
And you can’t think about that, so stop it.
I take in a deep breath as we continue up the steps that lead into the band’s private jet.
Staying calm and collected is going to take iron-clad willpower, and I’m just now realizing I might not possess that kind of strength. If these men want me, it’s going to be so damn hard to say no.
I’ve loved their music for so long. I’ve idolised them as if they were Gods.
I don’t stand a chance. Especially if they’re all as charming as Kian is.
Please don’t let them all be this sweet.
We get to the top of the staircase and Kian leads me into the main cabin of the jet.
It’s as luxurious as I imagined the second I heard I’d be travelling in style.
Though it’s also a little smaller than I pictured, I guess.
The aisle between the big leather seats is kind of narrow.
There are two seats on either side, with tables between them.
And two of those seats are presently occupied.
I let go of Kian’s arm, and I try not to seem too awkward standing there beside him, hands playing with the strap of Sapphire’s purse.
Kian clears his throat. “Riley, Trick, this is Sapphire Faris.”
I give the band’s drummer and lead guitarist a casual nod.
“Nice to meet you,” I tell them, while I scream inside my head that these are the guys who’ve been hanging on my bedroom walls for fucking years.
How the hell did this happen?
“You, too,” Trick mumbles, taking out his phone and immediately dropping his gaze to the screen. He looks a little different without his hat. It’s always there when he’s on stage, and he’s never without it in photos. It’s weird to realize I’ve never seen his face this clearly before.
“Nice,” Riley mutters, not sounding like he means it, barely glancing at me before leaning his head back and closing his eyes. I suspected he might be an Alpha-hole type of guy, and I’m kinda glad to see I wasn’t wrong about that.
Hopefully, it’ll make it easier to keep them all at arms-length.
“Ignore that asshole,” Kian murmurs, his lips close to my ear. “He doesn’t like to fly.”
Well, there’s a surprise. It makes me smile, but I can’t exactly tell Kian the reason I’m here is because my twin sister is afraid of the same thing, so I keep my mouth shut.
He rubs his hand over my shoulder, and I turn back to him, our faces close enough for a kiss.
His bright eyes are sparkling as he gazes back at me.
I can feel my skin warming under his stare, and it makes me feel like a teenager again.
In all honesty, if I had to guess which of these men would break me, I never would have thought he’d be the most likely. There’s something so magnetic about him in person that just doesn’t translate the same way to an image.
He nods toward the cockpit’s door.
“Come meet Xane before take-off.”
“Sure,” I answer, letting him take my hand to lead me the couple of steps to the door.
Come on, Scar. There’s nice, and there’s taking any excuse to hold a guy’s hand.
You can’t have these guys. Not a single one of them.
You’re supposed to be Saph.
Don’t forget that.
I swallow as Kian opens the door, letting his hand drop and clutching the strap of my purse tightly instead.
“Xane, this is Sapphire Faris,” Kian introduces as he steps into the cockpit.
I step inside as Chaos Burning’s lead singer removes his headset and turns toward us.
“Hi,” I mumble, as I try to tell myself he’s not as hot as I thought he was.
It’s a complete lie. His intense gaze is so compelling I don’t want to even blink.
With that thick, black hair, and those cheekbones that could cut glass, he’s always been strikingly attractive, but if you ask me, it’s those mysterious, wounded midnight-blue eyes that make it so damn hard to look away.
It feels like he’s hiding a part of himself, a wound that he’s tried to bury deep, and I can see the shadow that casts in his eyes.
I want to know what he’s hiding.
I’ve always wanted to know.
“Hi,” he echoes, as he studies me with a vaguely hostile curiosity.
It’s funny. I always assumed suppressants would have some kind of effect on my inherent ability to feel what others are feeling, but, so far, I can still read people, and I get a familiar mix of emotions when I read him.
He’s attracted to me, for sure, but he’s fighting that feeling, and using anger to stomp on it.
It’s a very Alpha response. I can’t say it’s surprising.
Most of the Alphas I’ve met have had those feelings, though sometimes they don’t get the angry part until after I’ve rejected their advances.
He’s probably feeling it right now because I’m a reporter, and Xane Orion does not enjoy spending time with the press.
In fact, he’s perfected Chaos Burning’s promo line up to the point where everyone they interact with knows they have a few minutes to get things right, or else he’ll never use them again in the future.
Sapphire would have found that out when she did her research.
I didn’t have to, because I was already obsessed.
It’s so damn hard not to get flirty with him.
Knowing he’s attracted right back makes it even harder.
What I wouldn’t give to be me in this moment.
I’d be sitting in his lap before he could say another word.
Words are for people who want to talk.
I’d much rather be a woman of action.
But I’m supposed to be my mild-mannered sister, and I don’t want to give Sapphire a bad reputation or ruin her shot at that big promotion she’s waited so long for.
So, I stay right where I am, letting my imagination run wild because my body can’t.
Really should have brought a vibrator on this trip.
If I’d been thinking ahead, I would have known I’d need it.
I’d promised myself it would be a cakewalk to be around the four men I’ve spent the last seven years of my life idolizing, but the reality is hitting me in the lady parts now.
It would be a hell of a lot easier to be here if all I wanted was an autograph or a photo for bragging rights on my socials.
The truth is tougher to stomach.
I don’t want to capture a fleeting moment in time.
I want something much harder to ignore.
Them.
All four of them.
At the same time?
Maybe.
Really, I don’t care how.
My body is warming up just thinking about the things we could be doing together.
Desire to know and be known by them has been inside me ever since the first bars of their debut single hit my ears. Now that I’ve met them, the ferocious core of that fire is starting to fan the flames.
Their sound unlocked something inside me.
The aimless girl I’d been as I drifted through high school quickly grew into a woman with a real dream, and that might never have happened without them.
It takes everything inside me to stand still and do nothing.
“Well, don’t just stand there,” Xane mutters, his gaze shifting to Kian. “Go bring up the steps and secure the door so we can get moving.”
He turns away from us both, bringing his headset up.
All business. Just like I expected.
These guys really don’t disappoint.
“Okay,” Kian says brightly, touching my arm. “I’ll show you to your seat first.”
If I had my way, I know exactly where my seat would be …
But this isn’t one of my secret naughty fantasies, so I step back, and let Kian do what needs to be done. The second we’re out of the cockpit, Xane smacks the door shut.
I jump on the spot, feeling that sound like a slap to my ass.
“I’m sure his mood will be improved by the time we’re at the resort,” Kian assures me, motioning to the empty seats across from where we’re standing. “You can pick your seat.”
My gaze drifts over Riley’s muscular form, moving to Trick’s smartly dressed slender figure across from him. I can face Riley and his sullen stare, or I can have my back to the cockpit and Trick’s face in my eyeline.
“Prep for take-off, everyone!” Kian announces beside me.
I slip quickly into the seat across the aisle from Riley, putting my back to the cockpit.
The big guy’s irritation might be caused by his fear of flying, but I don’t think my presence is helping with that, either. No one wants to have a stranger around while they’re trying to get through something they struggle with. It’s better for both of us if I stay out of his eyeline.
I can hear Kian doing his duties behind me, bringing up the steps and securing the cabin door.
I set Saph’s purse down on the table in front of me before I turn my attention to fastening my seatbelt.
Riley lets out a grunt beside me, and my stomach flutters.
Oh God. It’s exactly the kind of sound he makes in my fantasies.
I play around with my seat-belt straps while I try to push away the images he just conjured in my thoughts. It takes a few seconds for the backstage set-up to disappear, and even longer for the naked fantasy version of him to fade out.
I rest back in my seat, and the second I do, Kian leans over from behind, and I find myself gazing up at his grinning face, my heart starting to pound faster in anticipation.
He’s looking at my lips, and he’s more excited than I am, somehow.
This can’t actually be happening. I must still be in Sapphire’s bed. I’ve probably slept right through the alarm …
He leans in a little more, and murmurs. “Almost time for take-off.”
“Almost?” I ask, breath catching.
The thirsty look he’s giving me is solidly backed up by the lusty feelings that start to pour out of him, spurring my own desire on to a boiling point.
My seat belt stops me from moving up, even an inch.
It’s like I’m sitting here waiting for a spark to catch fire, and he’s holding a lit match right next to me. This is the moment in my fantasy where he would steal my breath with his kiss.
It feels like he wants to …
But instead, he clears his throat and looks up. “Everyone, get ready for take-off. I’ll be co-piloting up front. We’re about to start moving onto the runway.”
“About fucking time,” Riley complains, his low, rumbling voice making my stomach flutters multiply.
“Great,” Trick says, his gaze on me when I glance his way.
He’s quick to look away, and it’s starting to feel like I’m losing my mind, but I think he’s attracted to me, just like Xane and Kian. The only thing that’s taking the heat out of the tension in the cabin is Riley’s agitated mood.
“Well, get going. We don’t have all day,” Riley gripes at Kian, who’s still looking down at me when I glance back up at him.
Kian leans in close. “Ignore him. Press this button if you need me.”
I’m about to ask what he means, when he takes my hand in his and directs my fingers to a button on the arm of the chair. His hand is warm and his touch is soft but firm.
My breath catches again, but somehow, I manage to nod back at him.
He goes into the cockpit and the door closes. A second later, we’re starting to move.
When I look back at the chair’s arm, I see there are a bunch of buttons on a panel at the end, and honestly, I have no idea which one he rubbed my fingers over.
That’s probably a good thing.
I would only be calling him back to act on my impulses.
Which would be bad, I guess, probably …
You’re Sapphire, remember! You can’t do anything with any of them!
So all I can do now is sit still and try to ignore my body’s achingly needy responses to these Alphas.
They’re mortal men. They’re nothing special.
I turn to the window to find a distraction
The blind is down, so I open it.
It’s a slow crawl to the runway, apparently.
I watch the tarmac slipping away underneath us, thoughts swirling as I try to find some way to calm my racing heart.
This twin swap might have been a bad idea.
Not that I’ll ever admit that out loud.
Sapphire was right to worry.
She never should have said yes to this.
If any of these guys make an actual move on me, I’m screwed.
There’s no way I’m gonna be able to resist.
You’re damn well going to have to try!
I know. I have to. For Sapphire.