Treat Me (One Night with Sole Regret #8) (21 page)

Leah’s eyes widened. “Shut the front door! Do you think it’s true?”

“Of course not. She just doesn’t want me or anyone else to have him.”

Leah used her straw to stab at the hunk of ice cream at the bottom of her glass. “One of these days this is all going to bite her in the ass.”

“God, I hope so. For now I’ll bide my time to protect Julie and Jacob, but I’ll be looking for an opening. And when I find one, she’ll be sorry she ever crossed me.”

The bitch better watch her back.

Shade handed his bag to the copilot, who stuffed it into the near-empty compartment beneath the plane. Shade had assumed he was late and that they were holding the plane for him, but apparently he wasn’t the only one getting a late start.

“Please hurry, sir,” the copilot said. “We’re going to miss our departure time.”

Shade climbed the awkward metal steps and ducked his head to enter the small craft. The only one inside was Owen, who offered him a smile and a friendly wave.

“Hey,” Shade grumbled as he strode past Owen and took the seat in the far rear corner. He didn’t want to chat with Owen. He didn’t want to see or talk to anyone until he got his emotions completely in check.

He still wasn’t exactly sure what had set Amanda off, but he was too pissed—too
hurt
—to want to set things straight with her. And he wasn’t sure his pain or anger would diminish with time. He’d thought his lack of education—his stupidity—didn’t matter to her. Well, apparently he’d been too dumb to recognize her disdain. Last night, he’d replayed every moment of the weekend as he’d stared at the darkened ceiling in Julie’s bedroom. Sleeping on the couch had been out of the question—the first time he’d made love to Amanda had been on that couch—and her scent still clung to his own bed, so he’d found no rest there, only heartache. There was comfort in being surrounded by reminders of his daughter who never judged him even as her bitter mother tried to belittle him. But not comfort enough to let him find sleep.

He remembered every time Amanda had faced his struggle to read. Remembered well the look of pity on her face when he’d convinced Julie to give up her bedtime story so he could sing her to sleep. Remembered how she’d automatically read all the signs at the zoo when Julie had a question. That little speech she’d given him in the car about how she couldn’t care deeply about an idiot had obviously been true. Maybe it had been the only truth she’d spoken to him all weekend. He kept hearing those words over and over in his head. “I could never care so deeply about an idiot.” And the ones she’d said to him at the bar. “Do you really think someone like me would fall for an idiot like you?” Oh yeah? Well, fuck her. He’d gotten this far without having a firm grasp on written language. An illiterate moron could do a lot worse for himself.

Owen rose from the spot he’d chosen up the aisle and flopped himself into the seat across from Shade. “Have a good weekend?” Owen asked as he fastened his seat belt.

“Most of it,” Shade admitted. Until last night, it had been one of the best weekends of his life. It had ended as one of his worst. “Where’s Gabe?” Kellen and Adam had stayed behind in New Orleans, and he guessed that Owen had ditched Lindsey at his mom’s house, but the plane was still emptier than it should have been.

Owen shrugged. “The pilot said he flew back last night. I have no idea why.”

That was odd.

Shade didn’t have time to fire off a text to Gabe asking him what was up before the scratchy voice of the pilot came over the intercom to remind them to turn off their devices during takeoff and that they were a few minutes behind schedule.

Owen grunted. “Well, I’m in the dog house, but—”

“I’m going to catch a nap,” Shade interrupted. He wasn’t in the mood to chat. And he was tired. There were no reminders of Amanda on the plane, so maybe he could actually sleep.

“Uh, okay,” Owen said. “I wonder what Kelly’s up to.”

Owen apparently needed a friend at the moment, but Shade couldn’t force himself to be that for him. Not now. He was sure Owen was feeling lost without the ever-present Kellen at his side, but Shade had his own shit to deal with. Or not deal with. Whatever.

Shade tried sorting through his thoughts while he feigned sleep and Owen played some loud shooter game on a handheld device. No matter which rabbit hole he went down trying to figure out how Amanda’s feelings for him could do a one-eighty in less than an hour, he could only come to one conclusion: she’d finally figured out that he wasn’t good enough for her.

His conclusion was as depressing as it was infuriating.

So much for catching some much-needed sleep.

By the time the plane landed in New Orleans, he was ready to get back to the life he understood. The life he lived for. Life on the road.

It wasn’t hard to compartmentalize when his home life and his professional life were completely different. Here with his band he was Shade—badass egomaniac with the world at his feet. If not for Julie, he’d never leave this part of his life behind. This part of his life came easy. It made sense to him. If someone insulted him or
tried
to hurt him, he brushed it off. He was untouchable. Unreachable. He didn’t give a fuck.

But he’d allowed himself to be vulnerable with Amanda. Let himself be Jacob—the sensitive, weak idiot he resented now more than ever. From now on, Shade would let that guy out for Julie and only Julie, but he’d never allow another woman see the Jacob part of him again. Jacob got his heart broken too easily.
Shade
didn’t have time for heartache. Or for love.

“Adam has our room keys,” Owen said when they exited the limo. Shade had almost forgotten Owen was even there.

“Okay, cool,” Shade said. He tossed his bag over his shoulder and strode confidently into the hotel lobby.

Several women—and a couple of men—stopped what they were doing to gawk. He was used to people staring. He wore his confidence like a Kevlar vest. It had taken a few hits courtesy of one pretty schoolteacher from Austin, Texas, but he’d get over it. Hell, he was already over it. Over her. Fuck her. He didn’t need her. He was much better off without her.

Liar, a little voice whispered to him.

He and Owen were directed to Adam’s room by a gushing hotel clerk at the front desk. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I can’t stop talking. It’s you, it’s really you. I saw Adam Taylor and Force Banner go through the lobby a couple of times this weekend. But
Shade
Silverton?” She fanned her flushed face with both hands.

“And Tags,” Owen said, shaking the dog tags around his neck at her.

She spared Owen a sideways glance before focusing on Shade again. “This is totally unprofessional of me, but could I get a picture with you?”

“Now?” Shade asked. “I’m in a hurry.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle when instead of going through the back and circling around the chest-high reception counter, the woman hiked up her uniform skirt and climbed over the top so as not to inconvenience him. Owen rescued her from falling flat on her face.

She thanked Owen briefly before plastering herself to Shade’s side and holding her smartphone in front of them. Shade put on his fan-friendly face and waited for her to snap several pictures. But she eventually handed the device to Owen because she couldn’t get a clear shot to come out.

“And one with you too,” she said to Owen. Apparently his dejected-puppy look had finally gotten through to her.

After she was satisfied with her photos and had forced Shade to give her an inappropriately long hug, which involved more than one hand on his ass, she allowed him to escape. Owen trudged after him.

“Always an afterthought when I’m with you,” Owen grumbled as they waited for the elevator.

“Can I help it that I’m cooler than you are?” Shade teased.

“Apparently you’re also hotter than I am.”

“Ah . . . well, hot gets you burned. And everyone actually
likes
lukewarm; lukewarm is comfortable.” Shade hadn’t meant it as an insult—Owen
was
easy to like—but the guy apparently took it the wrong way.

“Fuck you,” he said before pushing his way past Shade to get on the elevator.

“So how was your weekend?” Shade asked Owen as he followed. Though still sleep deprived, he was feeling slightly more personable now that he was back in his element. And he really did care about Owen’s problems. Somewhat.

“It sucked giant monkey balls,” he said.

“I saw giant monkey balls this weekend,” Shade said.

“Huh?”

He grinned at Owen’s flabbergasted expression. “Took Julie to the zoo.”

Owen smiled. He loved kids—especially Julie—and dogs, of course. “I bet she enjoyed that. Did you see Amanda?”

“Not really,” he lied. He didn’t want to talk about Amanda. Not now, not ever. Fuck her.

“That would explain why you’re so cranky.”

Adam answered their summons at his suite door with a dark expression and an even darker disposition. Shade hadn’t seen this side of Adam in over a year. He couldn’t help but wonder if he was using drugs again. Because that was what Adam did when his life turned to shit. He wrote deep, soulful metal music and got high out of his fucking mind.

“You okay?” Shade asked him.

“Never better,” Adam said flatly. He handed Owen a keycard and another to Shade. “Gabe’s woman took your spare key last night. So you might not want to barge in there without calling first.”

“Why are they in my room?”

“Like I give a fuck.” He closed the door in Shade’s face.

“What was that all about?” Shade asked Owen. And why the fuck would Gabe and Melanie be in his room? Maybe it had something to do with Nikki inviting herself along for their romantic weekend. Perhaps they’d needed a little privacy from the mistress of cling.

“No clue. Maybe he had a weekend that sucked giant monkey balls too.”

“Some monkeys have all the luck.”

Owen snorted and then laughed. “It’s good to be back.”

“You never did say why your weekend sucked,” Shade said as he fished his phone out of his pocket so he could call Gabe and alert him to his arrival. He tried not to let his heart sink when he found Amanda hadn’t called to tell him she’d made a terrible mistake, but the stupid organ was apparently still hung up on the woman. Apparently his heart was just as dumb as his brain was.

“Not all of it,” Owen said and slapped Shade on the back. “I’m gonna catch a nap. Didn’t get much sleep last night.”

And before Shade could ask why Owen had missed out on sleep, the guy had opened his suite door and disappeared inside.

Gabe sounded mostly asleep himself when he answered Shade’s call. Shade could only think of one reason why Gabe would still be in bed with Melanie at noon.

“Can you vacate my room now?” Shade asked. “Adam said he gave my spare key to your girlfriend. Why are you guys in my room? Did you break another set of box springs?” At least someone was having a great morning.

“I’m not with her,” Gabe said flatly. “She’s in your room, and I’m in my room.”

“Oh,” Shade said, rubbing the side of his nose. “What’s going on?”

“Shit. Lots of fucked-up shit.”

That monkey with the giant pair must have the cleanest, most delighted pair of nuts ever conceived.

“Sounds like the morning I’m having.” Or rather, the
life
he was having.

They agreed to approach the suite together—safety in numbers—and a moment later Gabe entered the corridor from his suite. He’d never looked worse. Both eyes were bloodshot and encircled by dark bruises. His crimson mohawk was flat and drooping. Hell, even the dragons tattooed on his scalp looked weary.

“What the hell happened to your face?” Shade asked, wincing at a pair of what had to be painful shiners.

“I bounced it off some guy’s knuckles a couple dozen times,” Gabe grumbled. “Good times.”

Gabe pointed at Shade’s forehead. “And what happened to you?”

Shade hadn’t even noticed the dull pain of the bruise on his head until Gabe pointed it out. The ache in his chest had been a far greater distraction. “Ex-wife,” Shade said vaguely.

Gabe sneered. He’d never been a fan of Tina. “Bitch.”

“Ball-buster.”

Gabe’s sour expression brightened as he poked Shade’s bruise and sent a sharp pain through his skull. “Head-buster.”

Gabe grinned, and Shade couldn’t help but smile back. Gabe was one of the few people who saw through Shade’s façade and yet didn’t give him grief about the softness hidden beneath his hardened outer shell. He wasn’t exactly vulnerable around Gabe—not the way he had been with Amanda—but he was more genuine. He let his guard down. But Gabe had never betrayed him.

Shade wasn’t sure which of them needed their back-pounding bro hug more as they crashed into each other and offered the manliest physical comfort possible. He actually felt a little better by the time Gabe opened the suite door with Shade’s keycard.

Melanie and her very bendy friend Nikki were curled up together on the bed all sleep-tousled and feminine. Nikki’s hand was cupped possessively over Melanie’s breast, her beautiful face pressed into her bedmate’s neck. Shade didn’t know why lesbian lovers were such a turn-on to him, but he was definitely a fan.

“Well, what do we have here?” Shade asked with a crooked grin. This was a sandwich any man would want to be the filling in. Why exactly had Gabe defected to another room?

Melanie’s eyes blinked open, and her intense dislike for him bubbled to the surface before she’d even taken a breath. “What are you doing in here?” she growled at him. “Get out!”