All Fired Up (18 page)

She knew things had been strained between various members of Black Halo, you could still see it when they were all together, but she’d honestly believed they were slowly improving. They could all sit in the same room and chill together without anyone throwing a strop or walking off, which was a vast improvement on just a few weeks ago.

‘Wankers.’ Iain slapped the railing again, making it shake and knocking her off-balance. She reached out to grab the metal, which somehow seemed to jump away, so that her hand closed on thin air and she toppled backwards with a yelp.

Iain grabbed hold of her blouse. ‘Gotcha.’ He righted her, so that she had her feet on the ground. ‘Wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself. Are you all right?’

‘No. Yeah …’ Actually, no. He was far too close and completely out of focus. She reached out to clutch the railing to steady herself and somehow ended up clutching Iain’s arm instead.

His thick black brows pulled down so tight that they almost met in the middle to form one enormous monobrow. The image tickled her, making her giggle.

‘Maybe you’ve had enough of that.’ His voice sounded like an old-fashioned cassette tape being stretched and then suddenly fast-forwarded. She shook her head and his face came back into focus, but her brain was full of static. He kept on saying things to her and standing too close, but the buzzing in her ears meant she had to decipher each utterance as if it were a cryptic crossword.

‘Shit! I don’t feel good.’

‘Really?’ He pried the beer from her fingers and put it on the ground with his and the one he was saving for Ash. ‘You seemed fine a moment ago. I didn’t take you for someone who couldn’t hold their drink.’

She didn’t recall drinking enough to feel this sloshed.

‘Maybe you shouldn’t have downed that last one so fast.’

She hadn’t downed it. She only recalled drinking about half, and in any case one beer … two or three even … shouldn’t make her this woozy. She tried pushing against him so that she could get some air and find some water. ‘I need a drink.’

‘No,’ he insisted. ‘No, you don’t. There’s something you need, but it’s not that.’ His thigh lodged between her legs, further destroying her balance. Fear raised the hairs on her skin. ‘What are you … let go. Where’s Ash? What did you do to him?’

‘He’s having a piss. I didn’t do anything to him.’

‘Why are you holding onto me? Get off.’ Panic welled behind her eyes. Her brain throbbed with the effort of thought, but her limbs wouldn’t cooperate enough to actually shove him away. Every signal from her brain seemed to go out scrambled and come back further masked by noise. Why did he need to be so close with the stench of beer on his breath and that alligator smile?

‘If I let go you’re going to fall over and hurt yourself. Ash would never forgive me.’

‘You’re hurting me.’ His grip on her arms was too tight.

‘Don’t be silly, Ginny. I’m just doing what you asked me to. What you’ve been begging me to do the whole time Ash’s been gone. Remember you wanted this. You’ve been giving me all the lines.’

What? What the hell was he on about? She’d not asked him to do anything. Shit! He was creeping her out.

‘You’re a right flirtatious tart, aren’t you, and so very forward.’ He moved her hand so that it was sandwiched against his crotch, and somehow she couldn’t seem to move it away again, as though he’d superglued it there. ‘See, you’re loving it.’ He laughed, then took possession of her breast and rolled the nipple until it stood taut. ‘You’re very into this, aren’t you, Ginny? So very, very affectionate, and see, I’m affectionate too. I’m willing to give you what you need.’ His cold lips pressed against the heat in her temple, then on each of her cheeks just below her eyes. ‘I’m not handing over Ash though. The first chick was bad enough and she didn’t even put out, but you’re an even bigger distraction. He needs to see you for what you are – a groupie, with no shame and no loyalty. You’ll do anyone, won’t you, Ginny, and you’ve just begged and begged to do me.’

‘No,’ she managed to slur.

But Iain took hold of her head, and made her nod instead.

‘He’s here,’ he told her. ‘Heading right this way. Let’s show him your true colours.’ He roughly shoved his hand up her skirt and straight between her legs. ‘Fuck, you’re even wet. No wonder he loves shoving his dick in you so much. I bet you make a real sweet ride.’ His teeth rasped against her earlobe. ‘I’m not going to compete for him, Ginny. It’s bad enough having to claw him back from Xane’s fucking clutches. We’re going to have our band, just as soon as he realises there’s no life left in the current one and that it was a mistake to walk away all those years ago.’

‘O
h, my God, it’s Ash Gore. You’re Ash Gore, aren’t you? I just watched you rock! Did Xane really stick his hand down your pants and fondle your cock?’

Whoa! Ash raised his hand in a bid to get the shapely blonde to slow her tongue for a moment so that he could reply. ‘Um, yes, it’s me.’

The blonde and her three girlfriends performed some weird little tap-dance-cum-stomp then closed in around him, leaving the guys they’d been with watching from a short distance.

‘That’s really great that you watched the show. Good performance?’ He rolled his thumb from side to side questioningly.

‘Fab.’

‘Completely awesome!’

‘You rocked so bloody hard.’ One of them slapped him on the shoulder. He stiffened, expecting a second touch to follow, and one of them to shove something or other inside his pocket, or else grab his arse.

In fact, two of them tried it, from different angles. Ash clasped both of their hands and brought their knuckles to his lips instead, which satisfied them enough that they didn’t immediately try to grope him again.

‘What about the last part, about you and Xane?’ the blonde girl asked him again. She was wearing shorts and wellies, and came up to just below his shoulder, much like Ginny. Except his Ginny was lighter and lither, and dark-haired instead of blonde, and he ought to get back to her. He was going to share his bed with her tonight. Fuck lying on the cold, hard ground. He could draw the curtains across his bunk and they could pretend they were in the Dome of Delicious Delights, and to hell with what anyone on the other side of the barrier thought.

‘Did he?’ One of the friends prompted him, as she snuggled up to his side, and her other friend took a picture with her phone.

Ash decided that tactfully avoiding giving a straight answer was probably the best course. Xane had only actually stroked his lower abs, but the minds of fan-girls did like to wander along homoerotic pathways, and he didn’t want to flatten their fantasies. On the other hand, he didn’t want to end up on the front of tomorrow’s papers having come out as gay.

‘Can I have your babies?’ one of them asked him.

‘Uh, ’fraid not. Wasn’t planning on any.’

‘Oh! OK, how about a kiss?’

That he could manage. He pecked her on the cheek.

‘Not something a little less superficial?’ She grinned. ‘I’m free all night.’

‘But I’m not.’ Damn, his reputation preceding him. ‘Got to get back.’ He attempted to extract himself from her grip upon his waist.

‘Are you guys partying? Can we join in?’

‘Um, no. I was on my way to bed, actually.’

And that was totally the wrong thing to say, as he immediately received four offers to tuck him in.

‘You know it’s really lovely talking to you ladies, but I’ve left somebody waiting, so I really ought to get back.’

‘Oh!’ He faced four pouty faces. Six if you included the two guys, who were beginning to look kind of bristly.

‘Nikki, let him go,’ the long-haired guy said, allowing Ash to wriggle his way out of the group, his arms raised above his head to stop anyone latching onto his hands and trotting along behind him. He’d learned that one long ago. If you didn’t want to leave a room with someone, you had to make sure your arms were out of reach.

‘See you around.’

‘Absolutely,’ they agreed.

Ash chuckled to himself as he jogged back to where he’d left Iain. That was another thing he’d learned: if you were already running, people didn’t tend to pursue you, whereas if you were strolling then it was no effort at all for them to tag along behind.

He was rather surprised when he couldn’t immediately see Ginny. He couldn’t believe she hadn’t returned yet, even allowing for the fact that the queue for the ladies’ was always twice the size of the one for the gents. Iain had been busy in his absence. He was cosied up tight to some lady he’d picked up. God was obviously smiling on him tonight, because that got Iain out of his hair so that he and Ginny could get smoochy. He had an idea or two he’d been mulling while she’d been at home, inspired by their many sexy phone conversations, about one or two things he’d like to try involving some buzzy toys and her pussy.

‘Where are you, Gin?’

He scanned the nearby crowd, wondering if she was dancing. Ginny wasn’t the green and prickly type. If she’d arrived back to find Iain making out, she’d have given him some space, just as he was doing. Though he was going to have to intrude in a minute to find out where Ginny had gone.

Ginny, he realised. His gaze jerked back to Iain. She wasn’t keeping her distance at all; she was the one making out with Iain.

‘What in frickin’ hell!’ Protests, even the odd reciprocated shove, didn’t slow him as he covered the ground between them in ten long strides. And no, he really didn’t give a toss whose drink he’d just spilled.

‘Ginny? What in God’s name is going on?’

Iain peeled himself away from her, mouth open as if in shock, and, seeing Ash’s clenched fist, raised his hands as if in surrender. ‘Whoa! Man … Ash …’

‘What are you doing?’

Ginny just looked at him gobsmacked, her mouth forming a perfect O.

Iain was as ever more vocal. ‘Shit! You mean you’re not OK with this? I totally thought you were. That’s what she said. She’s been whispering a heap of sweet nothings while you’ve been gone. Said it was a favourite fantasy of hers to have two guys fucking her at once and that you and Xane going at it earlier had totally turned her on, but he wasn’t up for it because of Dani.’

‘She said that to you?’

He stared at Ginny, expecting an explanation, but she only managed to garble his name.

‘I thought we’d agreed we were exclusive, but I’m gone ten minutes and you’re coaxing my mate into bed with us without even bothering to consult me?’

‘Didn’t …’ she croaked.

‘You fucking bitch.’ His jaw locked unbearably tight, making not only his teeth but his whole skull ache.

‘Ash …’

‘Fuck you. Piss off.’

‘Better do as he says.’ Iain led her away until they hit a band of people coming to watch the live show on stage. Drunk Alien Fuck were finished and a new band had just struck a few warm-up chords.

‘I’m sorry, man,’ Iain said turning back, having released Ginny into the crowd. ‘I swear, if I’d had any idea, I wouldn’t have … you know I wouldn’t. I’m so sorry.’ He came over and tried to pass Ash a beer.

‘You can fuck off too,’ Ash yelled, taking the bottle and throwing it so that it smashed against some gravel. He bent and grabbed another from where the bottles were huddled by the base of the barricade, but instead of throwing it chugged it down instead. He should have known. He ought to have fucking known that trusting a woman was stupid. The only reliable one was his mum. Shit! He’d really thought he and Ginny had something special, but then he’d thought that about Connie too, and she’d let him down.

He really ought to have known. Ginny hadn’t exactly been picky the night they’d met, and then she kept banging on about Spook all the time, trying to get him involved in stuff. He guessed Iain had been more willing to act on her whispered lies, being far more easily led by his cock than Spook ever was.

Great! Just fucking great.

A
n overloud voice dragged Ginny from her foggy stupor. Every muscle in her body screamed at once when she tried to move. Where the fuck was she? And what was with the shouting? She needed someone to get her a drink. Even the Sahara wasn’t this arid.

‘Gin – are you awake?’ She somehow managed to raise a hand enough to signal yes, and cover her ears, before the cacophony in her skull deafened her. What cesspit of hell had she landed in? It fucking stank of vomit and fermented barley.

Someone smoothed back her hair, and wiped her face with something moist. ‘Ash?’ she croaked. No, the dark hair was the wrong shade and much too long. Also, her vision might be fucked owing to an inability to make her eyelids open, but she was resting against boobs, not a slate of rock-hard abs. Dani, she concluded. ‘Where am I?’

‘Your tent.’

‘Smells like a sewer.’

‘You threw up.’

That explained it.

‘Do you mind if I hang with you for a bit?’ That made no sense at all. Who the hell asked to spend time with someone who was sick? Her head hurt too much to fathom it out. It buzzed across her temples and down into her ear canals.

By the time she had figured it out and mopped Dani’s tears, she’d gagged twice over a washing-up bowl commandeered from the Deanna Rädsla camper van, and screwed her head on well enough to wonder what the hell had happened to Ash and why he thought it was OK to leave without saying goodbye or discussing where they were meeting next. Hell, she hadn’t anticipated needing to meet him anywhere else. She figured that now all his friends knew about them, he’d be all right with her hitching a ride on the tour bus.

‘Where’ve they gone?’ she asked Dani for the third or fourth time. Not that her friend was making a whole lot of sense. She’d told a long sorry tale about Xane and Luthor and temptation and promises. The gist of which seemed to be that Xane had screwed up in some way that involved Luthor and not cooking breakfast, and so Dani had stormed off the tour bus in a fit of fury without telling anyone, and they’d driven off and left her behind.

Normally she could wrap her head round Dani’s screwy logic and massive biases, but there were too many holes in Ginny’s head this morning for her to be able to sympathise with her friend. She was sure she’d made some unintentionally crass remarks, but where was Ash, and why hadn’t he said anything about making an early start?