Breaking Free (2 page)

He grasps my bottom lip in between his teeth. “Tell. Me. Your. Name.”

“Holly…Holly James.” My name comes out as more of a moan than I would have liked it to.

He releases my lips and starts to kiss his way down my neck until he gets to the V of my shirt. His hand starts to move faster against me as he continues his assault on me with his mouth. I can’t believe this, but I am so damn close to an orgasm.

His hand stills and he rests his forehead against mine. I push my hips toward him, begging him to finish what he has started and not to leave me in limbo. A cocky laugh escapes his lips. He presses his mouth to mine again and then steps away from me. My hands slowly sink down and I look at him in confusion.

“Nice to meet you, Holly James.”

My mouth drops open and I am completely speechless as I watch him walk away.
Nice to meet me? What a fucking asshole.

I try to smooth out my hair and clothes as best as I can. The show begins but I have no ambition to go join the girls. I walk around for a while before I decide I probably should go and see them. As I’m walking back toward the stage, I’m squeezing my thighs together, trying to get any little bit of relief. I can’t believe that bastard did that to me, but even worse, I can’t believe that I
let
him. Why did his touch not bother me? I can’t even stand when my best friends or my brother touch me, but
that
asshole can?

Since the attack, I have been so careful around men I don’t know. Even sometimes just a look from a stranger will make me panic, but doing me against a wall…
that’s
okay? My head is so royally fucked up. I doubt any of this would make sense to anyone, especially because it doesn’t even make sense to me.

The girls are all the way at the front of the crowd and I push my way through the people, flinching every time I touch one of them. This only pisses me off more because all I can think about is that jerk’s hands all over me. He was so insistent to learn my name, but did he ever tell me his? Nope.

Christen spots me first and looks relieved. “Where the heck did you go?”

“I just took a walk around to get some air.” The look she gives me tells me that she isn’t buying it. Everyone is cheering and singing along to the music while I’m freaking out. Having everyone around me like this is so suffocating that I think I might actually have a panic attack. The band is playing but all I can focus on is the fear laced through my body. I almost feel like I’m drowning and dizziness sets in.

I don’t want to leave and have everyone start to ask me questions about what’s going on with me. Christen is already really suspicious; she’s known that something was up since day one. There have been a couple of times that she tried to talk to me about it, but I just blew it off like it was nothing. It’s my problem and I’ll figure out how to deal with it.

The music has stopped and someone starts talking. My head is spinning and my ears are ringing, so I can’t really make out what is being said. I lean in to whisper in Christen’s ear, “Listen, I don’t feel good. You guys have fun, I’m gonna catch a cab home.”

She opens her mouth, about to protest I’m sure, when Nicole grabs my hand, lifts it in the air, and starts yelling. My wrist is on fire, and not in the good way like it was earlier with Mr. love ‘em and leave ‘em.
Please let go. Please let go. Please let go.
Something else is said on stage and she starts to jump up and down.

I look at her in confusion. “Go up, Holly!”

I take this opportunity to pull my hand down and free myself of her hold. “What? Go up where?”

“On stage! They picked you!” I look around and everyone is staring at me. “Go! Come on!”

Nicole goes to grab my hand again, I’m assuming to lead me up there. I decide to just go myself to spare the pain of her taking me. As I walk toward the stage, everyone moves out of my way, almost like the sea parting. When I get to the side of the stage where the steps are, a security guard stops me and pats me down, I guess to check for weapons.

“Here you go.” He hands me a microphone and then moves out of my way. I look at him in confusion. “Listen, don’t be nervous you’ll be fine.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

He laughs. “I’m guessing you weren’t paying attention when your fiend volunteered you.” I shake my head no. “Every show they pick a girl to come up on stage with them and sing their newest single
Love and Hate
. It’s a duet, so I hope you know the words.”

Before I can say another word, a girl dressed all in black with a headset on goes to reach for my hand and I jerk away from her. She gives me an annoyed look. “Let’s go, you’re holding up the whole show.”

Fuck.
I’m not a horrible singer, but I definitely don’t want to do this shit. I think about walking away, but I know the girls will freak and insist on me telling them what’s going on. I take a deep breath and walk up the steps.

The lights are blinding when I first get on stage. I walk to middle and stand there, but the lead singer is nowhere to be seen. There are two other guys on stage—one at the drum set, and one off to the side playing a guitar. I know there is a third one, though. Nicole is always talking about how the singer is gorgeous.

Everyone is cheering, and I would love to think it’s for me, but I’m not that naïve. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I’m about to turn around when I hear, “We meet again, James.”

Oh my God. It’s him.

The music starts the song that I’ve been singing along to on the radio for the past couple of months. I’ve never seen a picture of the band and had no idea that the asshole in the parking lot was actually the lead singer. My cheeks flush with embarrassment and when I look over at him he’s smirking at me. That damn smug bastard.

He starts singing and I have no idea how I’m going to be able to do this now. I mean, I was nervous
before
I knew I would be singing with the guy that almost made me come in the back of a building with all of my clothes still on. While I’m getting lost in my own thoughts, he sneaks up behind me.

I wanna take you away

To a place where you’ve never been

Do you like to play?

I’ll show you how good it feels to sin…

He moves toward the front of the stage, running his hand over my butt as he does. I get goose bumps all over.
How can he do this to me?
My hands are shaky but I raise the microphone to my mouth. I’ve heard this song a thousand times, I can do this. I put on my best sexy siren face and strut toward him.

I’ve never met anyone like you

Never needed anyone before

I want to see what you can do

Come on baby, rock me to the core…

The lyrics are so cheesy, but singing them to him and having him look at me with his hooded eyes is so erotic. By the end of the song, the sexual tension between us is suffocating. I leave the stage and head straight for the exit. My mind is running a million miles a minute and I can’t believe everything that just happened. I’m about to hail a cab when I hear someone calling my name.

“Holly!” Christen is running toward me. When she finally reaches me she’s out of breath and panting. “Why did you leave? You were absolutely amazing!”

I don’t even know what to say to her. Before I get the chance to reply, a black SUV pulls up next to us. The window rolls down and he’s looking out at me. He doesn’t ask me to get in, nor does he even say a word to me. I stand there, staring, trying to figure out what to do.

This is crazy.
There is
no
way I’m getting in his car. I wave a cab down and jump in. As it pulls away, Christen is looking back and forth between me and the SUV with her mouth open. I probably should go home with her and the girls but I just need to get away and clear my head.

I lean my head back against the seat and close my eyes. The music on the radio stops and the DJ starts talking. “Here is the newest hit that has been blowing up the charts from the group The Renegades.” The song that I was just singing with…it just dawns on me that I don’t even know his name. I let him feel me up against a wall and never even got his name.
Real nice, Holly, can you say hoe?
The cab pulls up in front of my house, I pay the driver, and then make my way in. Jason and Shawn, Nicole and Christen’s boyfriends, are sitting on the couch in the living room. I’ve grown up with them because they’re Carter’s best friends.

I flop down on the couch and they’re both staring at me. “What?”

Jason just looks at me and shakes his head. “You know Carter was flipping out ‘cause you went home on your own, right?”

I’m just about to tell him off when the door flies open and everyone else walks in. “What the hell, Holly?! I told you I was picking you up. Anything could have happened to you.” Carter looks pissed.

I let out a groan of frustration. “Like what, Carter?! Plenty of people take cabs every day, it’s not like I walked home. I’ve told you before that you’re not my father!” He opens his mouth to say something else but I cut him off. “No!
I
am going to make my
own
decisions and I’m done with you trying to micromanage me.” I storm past him and intentionally bump into him on the way. The doorbell rings, interrupting my dramatic exit.

When I open it, my jaw drops. Standing in front of me is Mr. Rock Star.
How the hell did he find me?
“Hey there, James, long time no see.” He smiles at me and I want to punch him right in his smug face.

“Oh my God!” I look behind me and Nicole is standing there looking dumbfounded. “You’re…Why are you…How did you…Oh my God!”

I can’t believe she is so enamored with him. Sure, he’s gorgeous, but come on. An arm wraps around my shoulders. When I look next to me, it’s Carter.
Let go.
“Who the hell are you?”

The rock star seems confused and looks back at me. “Boyfriend?”

I shrug Carter’s arm off of me. “No, brother.”

He smiles at me and reaches for my hand. “Let’s go.”
Go where? Is he serious?
I don’t even know his name. I’m about to object when Carter chimes in.

“She isn’t going anywhere with you until you tell me who you are.”

I shoot him a dirty look. I am
so tired
of him ordering me around. “You know what, Carter, I
am
going and you can’t stop me.” I look back up at whatever his name is. “Come on.”

We walk to the same SUV he was in before. He opens the door and climbs in.
So much for chivalry and holding the door for a girl.
I climb in after him and flip Carter the finger before closing the door.
Take that.

Chapter Two

As I close the car door, the realization sets in that I don’t know this guy at all. I turn to look at him and he’s staring at me with so much intensity that my insides tighten. “So, what’s your name?”

He chuckles at me until he realizes that I’m serious. “You don’t know?”

“No, I had no idea who you were until you snuck up behind me on stage.”

Within a couple seconds, he’s so close to me that if he were even an inch closer he would be on top of me. He lowers his head and runs his nose along my neck. “You smell fucking delicious.” He kisses my neck and I let out an involuntary moan. His hand that is resting on my hip tightens and he bites my neck. It’s painful but full of pleasure at the same time.

He reaches for the hem of my shirt and it’s like a reality check. I don’t even know this guy’s name, or anything about him. I push him off of me and he looks back at me with a mix of confusion and irritation written on his face.

“There is
no way
that we are having sex in the back of this car. I know absolutely nothing about you.”

He studies me for a minute before relaxing against the seat. “Okay, what do you want to know?”

“How exactly did you find out where I live?”

“You can find out anything for the right amount of money.” He’s being really short and I’m getting more irritated by the minute.

“Why did you show up?”

He raises his eyebrows at me. “Isn’t it obvious?” My blank stare must tell him that it isn’t. “I wanted to finish what I started.”

Oh my God.
Is he serious?
“Excuse me!” I yell to whoever is driving—all I can see is the back of a guy’s head. “Can you pull over?” The car pulls over and I reach for the door handle.

He grabs my hand and I look up at him. “What are you doing?”

“I may have had a lapse in judgment before the show, but I am
not
some groupie slut that you are going to bang in the back of your car.” His hand tightens around my wrist. I jerk my hand free and slam the door without giving him a chance to say anything.

Looking around, I notice that I’m not that far away from the house. I start to walk and think about how the hell I got myself into this situation. When I look back, the SUV is still there.
I wonder what he’s doing.
It pisses me off that he thought I was going to have sex with him in his car.
Well, you did let him feel you up within a minute of meeting him.

I let myself remember what it felt like to have his hands on me. What the hell is so special about him? Why am I okay with him touching me? As I turn the corner, I look back to see the car still sitting there.

It surprises me how quiet the house is when I return.
They must have all gone to the boys’ apartment or Carter’s house.
I head up to my room, completely exhausted, change into some pajamas and crawl under the covers. My phone dings as I’m drifting off to sleep. For a second, I debate whether or not to get it, but I’m too curious to not see what it is. It’s a Facebook message. When I open up the app, I have a message from someone named Drew Walker.
Who the hell is that?
I click on his picture and I think my heart stops.
It’s him.

Drew: I’m coming back to pick you up.