Rockin' the Heart (Hot Wired) (24 page)

He scooped her into his arms and carried her into the adjoining bedroom.

Sam’s booted toe tapped against the floor as she watched the band belt out their lyrics. An upbeat tempo song with hip-thrusting action, her body felt compelled to move to the rhythm. Heath moved like the rock star god
Celebrity Beef
and other rags labeled him. Face sheened with sweat and hair damp, he gyrated around the stage while the audience worshiped him like devout parishioners. He executed a two-step move, threw his head back and screamed into the mic. The crowd erupted, screaming while stomping their feet, creating a drumbeat sound that sent vibrations through her feet.

Chaos in music.

They loved him.

I love him
. Had for a long time. What would Jase think? She feared how he would react? His temperament toward his best friend had cooled over the last few days. Little things most wouldn’t notice. He avoided casual conversation, and if they were together, Jase either wouldn’t look in their direction, or he’d glare at them with an intensity that’d rival a stalker.

Sam was torn. Even though she didn’t want to come between them, she feared regardless
of what happened Jase would never be able to return to his carefree ways with Heath again.

The song hit a lull near the end. Heath
clasped the microphone and crooned a sweet, piercing melody that Sam felt in the pit of her stomach. Emotion double-fisted her in the gut and tears hit her eyes.

I slept with Heath Fangor
. The most wanted man in the music industry if Tab and
Celebrity Beef
could be believed. None of that mattered to her. She wouldn’t care if he was a coal miner with two teeth in his head, she would still love him and want him.

Heath was her love affair, the sweet melody that
crooned her soul. Sleeping with him had been the most exhilarating experience of her life. Memories of his mouth on her body, his fingers gliding over her flesh, and the erotic buzz that caressed her skin, sensual and amazing, but it’d been the connection of their spirits melding together that bonded them in love.

Obligations kept them apart. A lonely bed with soft sheets made for a cold bedfellow. Ditching band parties wasn’t an option.
Revelry came with the fame.

“Watching them perform makes me wish I were gay.”

Sam burst out laughing at Dixon’s dry statement. Most men wouldn’t have admitted that even if they felt that way. She cleared her throat. “They know how to throw out a kickass performance.”

“You had
the crowd by the balls tonight too. Fucking sexy, witty, and provocative.”

An unladylike snort drew a grin from him.

A curious expression flitted across his features. “You’re all over the net, Sam. My band mates want to do something crazy like you.”

“The fans
had a love-hate relationship with me until they found out I was dating the elusive rock god.”

“You sound a little bitter.”

The fine hairs on her nape launched an irritated assault. “Far from it.”

“Jealous then.”

That comment was so stupid it didn’t warrant a valid response. “You trying to piss me off, Dixon?”

“Not my mission.”

“Then stop butting your nose into Hot Wired’s business.” She peered at the band. “What
is
your mission?”

The band tarried
between sets, each resting as they took swigs of their beer. Heath met her gaze as he swiped the back of his wrist across his mouth. He winked at her and she blew him a kiss.

“Want to grab a burger before the after-party demands your attention?”

Topic change instead of answering her question only sufficed to intrigue her further. But a greasy burger and fries smothered in ketchup sounded divine. It’d been a long time since she enjoyed either. “Maybe.”

Most of the
dishes she concocted were heart healthy because someone in the family needed to watch out for their cholesterol.

Jase vacated his perch and strode across the stage like he owned it. In a way he did. The audience’s low-
hum indicated they recognized the oddity of his showboating, but possibly expected something big. He swiped the mic from Heath’s grasp. He seemed as surprised as the rest of them.

“Y’all wanna spice up the evening?” Jase’s scratchy voice boomed through the speakers.

The crowd cheered their agreement, as Heath swirled his beer bottle and contemplated her sibling with distrust shining from his expression.

“I need a
hot babe that can shake her ass and doesn’t mind showing some skin.”

Shit
.
I will kill Jase
.

They’d played this game before.
A lot. The deafening eruption by the audience indicated they knew what would soon transpire. She could imagine the boob flashing that was spewed among the spectators, whatever it took to be selected. A muff or two probably saw some exposure.

A
s Heath brought the bottle to his lips, he froze with his hand detained mid-air. He shot Sam a nervous look.

What the fuck was Jase up to? She tried to keep her features blank so Heath wouldn’t realize how upset she was by the idea of him getting hot and dirty with another girl. In the past they’d invited girls onstage to dance with him
. Often turning explicit. Didn’t mean Heath had to participate… but he always had before. Any of them could and did get in on the performance. If things progressed too far with Fang running the show—well, Sam wasn’t sure how she’d react.

“What are they up to now?”
She got the feeling Dixon’s question was said more to himself than her. She answered anyway.

“Something Tone Deaf should try. Interacting with the audience is important.”
I believe that. I
do
. I just don’t want some strange easy chick rubbing all over my man
! Or doing other, more provocative things.

Heath drained his beer, tossed it into the trash
, and snatched the microphone out of Jase’s grasp, but not before her brother selected his volunteer.

A blonde hussy with tits too big to be real was guided onstage by security personnel. The top she wore was too tight and too revealing.

Sam buried her nails into her palm.

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” Heath asked once the girl halted in front of him.

“Daisy.” She launched herself against him so hard Heath grunted, and she proceeded to hug him like a clinging monkey. “I love you so much, Fang!”

Counting to ten, Sam became engrossed
with her boots. When ten failed to relieve her erratic emotions, she counted some more.

She could feel Dixon’s focus. “I can tell by Fang’s expression he’s uncomfortable.”

This isn’t my first rodeo, I can handle a little showboating
, she wanted to snap at him, but didn’t because she wasn’t certain of the truth of the statement. Instead, she said, “I know the routine.”

He choked on a snort. “Everyone does.”

Jase’s sticks hit his drums, setting the tempo for the rest of the band to follow. What end did Jase hope would come from this? Did he hope to piss her off enough she’d end her relationship with Heath? She wouldn’t put it past him.

His speculation prompted him to ask,
“You got a knife?”

“Always.”

“Just so I know how carefully to watch you, how intimate does Fang get with the girls?”

“
I promise not to cut her face.”

He whistled low. “
That
intimate?”

These demonstrations had gotten really
cozy several times. At least once Heath had gotten a girl off while the audience watched, his hand down her pants and the microphone picking up each moan and groan she made. Derringer and Keys had taken the performances even further.

“
I’m only slightly relieved by your promise.”

“It’s the best you’re going to get.” Sam stuffed her hands in her back pockets, the pocketknife
’s metal mocking her fingertips.

“
He keeps looking at you.” Dixon draped his arm across her shoulders and pulled her snug. His sudden closeness surprised her, and she tensed. “He doesn’t like me touching you.” A devilish grin teased the corners of his mouth. “Gives him a taste of his own medicine.”

Across the distance her gaze connected with Heath’s.
Regret bled from his expression, and he gave her a microscopic headshake as if to say he couldn’t get out of this. He could refuse.
He should refuse
. Their fans knew he claimed her as a girlfriend, so this felt a little like he cheated with no regard for what the world would think. What message did these antics send to the audience about her and their romance?

Sam knew t
he moment he shifted into performance mode. His eyes glazed over, shutting her out. He lowered his head, his mouth against Daisy’s shoulders, he palmed her midsection, and he began to sway to the music’s beat.

The whore
cupped the back of his head and ground her ass into Heath’s crotch! He did nothing to stop her advances. Not that she expected anything different.

“
Shake that hot ass for me, baby!” Fang screamed into the mic.

Breath lodged in Sam’s lungs
, and pain slammed into her chest. Heart beating as fast as Jase’s drums, tears burned her sinuses. She should be angry. Instead she was hurt.

T
he bimbo bent over and ground into his groin. The crowd went fucking wild as Heath belted out the first of the lyrics.

Sam grit her teeth until they ached. When he caught
the girl’s hip and pumped against her in the suggestive act of doggy-style, Sam couldn’t take any more. She met her brother’s eyes, and he gave her a smug grin. Itching to use her blade on him, she stalked off instead.

“
Whoa! Slow down!” Dixon shadowed her step-for-step.

Heath had
fondled her with the same hands he touched the groupie with. Those same fingers had been inside her. Now they gave another woman bliss. Minor on the ecstasy charts compared to what he’d given her, but the girl would tell everyone about the demonstration. It’d be all over the news and tabloids. Probably even hit ViewTube. Daisy would talk to the reporters, eating up the attention, and the story would expand. There’d be even more speculation about Sam’s relationship with Heath. How serious they were and if she understood it was her
duty
to share him with his fans.

“You want to talk about it?” Dixon’s voice sounded strained.

Anger hemorrhaged through her nervous system. Finally she’d become furious! About time!

Her heart pumped faster than Jase beat the drums. She abruptly stopped walking. Tone Deaf
’s drummer tripped as he tried to mimic her actions.

“
You going to the after-party?”

Mild confusion flitted across his features.
“Wasn’t invited.”

“You are now. You’re coming with me.”

“I’m not helping you stir up shit.” He tossed his waist-length hair over his shoulder.

“Think of the publicity it’ll generate for Tone Deaf.” She sounded like Tab
, and she hated herself for that. “After that performance, I cannot go alone.”

Her voice cracked on the last two words. The desperation in her tone
dismayed her, and she blinked fast to hold the tears back.

“
You up for that burger?” That question came from nowhere, and she opened and closed her mouth. Before she could say anything, he said, “We’ll discuss the terms of the arrangement while you get your emotions under control. I don’t want to help you cause problems you’ll regret.”

“Burger isn’t code for oral sex, right?”

Seriousness tightened his features. “As much as I wish it were, I realize I’m out of my league with you. So until Fang decides if he wants you or not, I’ll settle for a friendship. But let’s get something straight….” He leaned close enough she could smell his aftershave. “If you and Fang call it quits, I’ll be coming after you like an arrow for the bulls eye.”