Untamed (A Moretti Novel) (2 page)

“You’ll be thanking me when the apocalypse starts.”  Lily’s voice was breathless as she responded from the living room.  “My skills will keep you alive.”

His heart picked up speed hearing her voice.  They had only been living together a few months and he fought every day not to lose himself in her.  She was his first true female friend and things were incredibly easy with her.  There was no drama.  There was no competition.  There was nothing but easy conversation and mutual respect.  Becoming roommates at the darkest time in both of their lives had just made sense.  Lily had almost lost Kevin and he had lost Amber.  That common bond had made them instant friends and sealed their fate.

Things had been disastrous with Amber.  And that was putting it
lightly.  She had ripped his heart out and stomped on it before throwing it to the wolves.  Her engagement ring still sat on his dresser, a constant reminder to himself to not fall completely for anyone else.  Ever.  The house he had purchased for them had been on the market for three weeks before he had gotten the offer he had been waiting for.  Cutting all ties with her was the only way to survive catching her in bed with his traitorous ex friend and ex morning radio co host.  He had put in for a transfer after not being able to stomach seeing his face every day.  Jennifer, the last member of the morning trio, had threatened to leave the radio show with him and the station had promptly fired the traitor.  But even that hadn’t helped.  He was haunted by the memory of tangled bodies lost in each other in the very place he slept.  The memory of losing all the dreams he had for the future.  The loss of the possibility of ever losing himself in another woman again.  He had known it was over before finding them together.  The admission from Mark Moretti had told him everything he needed to know.  But somehow, in the quite depths of his soul, the place that had loved her completely, he had hoped for a miracle.

He rounded the corner to the living room and his breath hitched.  She was covered in sweat, her tiny black shorts revealing her toned legs.  Her long hair was piled loosely on the top of her head and her makeup free face confirmed she was more beautiful than any woman he had ever met. 

“What’s up, Wain?”  Kevin’s voice pulled him out of his daydream.

“
What a surprise to see you here.  Again.”  He nodded and turned his attention back to Lily.  “Another private session in the apartment, I see.”

“Don’t be a pansy
.  Put some shorts on and join us.  We’re practicing our zombie killing skills.”  Lily stretched her arms above her head, revealing a few inches of flat stomach.  “Kevin calls it kick boxing.  I call it kicking serious undead ass.”

“Pass.  Threesomes are Merck’s thing, not mine.”  Steve
laughed and turned to leave the living room but stopped in the doorway.  “I’ve got an interview tonight with a new rock group so I need to head back into the station in a few.  Don’t wait up for me dear.”

Lily stood motionless, staring at him wide eyed.  Their eyes locked.  “You pierced your ears.”

He smiled as she approached him.  “Too much?”

She nodded her head and bit her lip. 
“No way.  Totally hot.”  Clearing her throat, she looked back at Kevin.  “You should pierce something.”

“Not a chance in hell, doll.”
  Kevin picked up his sweatshirt and his keys.  “I’m out.  I have a date with an extremely sexy woman that I plan to make scream a few times tonight.”

“Tell Andi hi.”  Lily laughed as Kevin winked. 

Steve couldn’t help but laugh.  “You can talk a big game, sir, but you are one whipped son of a bitch.”

Kevin threw his hands above his head.  “Guilty.  See
ya tomorrow, doll.” 

After the front door shut, she looked back at Steve.  She took an awkward step forward before deciding to wrap her
arms around his waist.  “They look great.  Very hot.”

He wanted to kiss her.  His heart raced.  Her eyes met his and he was lost. 
The buzzing of his phone made him jump. “Shit.  I really don’t want to head back in but his new group, Liquid Regret, just got signed and we have an exclusive with them tonight.”

“
I love them.  I heard them live once.  They opened for a group that Andi and I went to see.  They’re really good. Not bad on the eyes either. The lead singer bought me a drink after. He’s dreamy.  D Rey or something like that.”  She hummed the chorus of one of their songs.

“
Dreamy? Get dressed.  You can go with me.  We’ll grab a late dinner.”  Steve watched as she walked down the hall, stripping her t-shirt off as she went.  “Rules, Lil.  Rules.”

She laughed as she shut the bathroom door.

Steve shuffled his papers, memorizing every question the station had scripted for him.  He had listened to the Liquid Regret single that would be dropping the following morning.  It was a tortured song, filled with angst and heartbreak.  It had hit close to home and he was excited to interview the band on the night before their debut. 

Lily paced the studio and bit her lip.  She
may have been nervous to meet the band, but there was nowhere Steve felt more at home.  The feel of the headphones as they cradled his ears, the echo of the music that cut deep into his soul, the connection to the lyrics that could change lives, the smooth sound of the voices as they hit the airwaves every morning during the agonizing Los Angeles commute.  He made a great living but if he was being honest, the perks that came along with the job weren’t half bad either. He loved meeting the musicians and having front row seats at concerts and award shows.  He loved the crazy hours and sleepless nights. 

Steve had loved music his entire life.  His mother had listened to classical music when she was depressed.  Therefore, his knowledge of all things Beethoven or Bach was vast.  His da
d had preferred jazz, further deepening Steve’s passion.  Then there was Damien, the long, lost cousin that was more like a brother.  He had loved all things hip hop and reggae.  At sixteen, when he had turned to drugs and fell into the wrong crowd, his whole life had become dark.  Dark music, dark clothing, dark moods.  And then he was gone.  Without a word, in the middle of the night, vanished like a ghost.  Steve had lost his brother so young and then the only other person he loved that much had disappeared.  He had mourned him for months and as time went on, his mourning turned to despair as Steve faced the stark reality that Damien was probably gone for good.

He
shook his head attempting to refocus on the task at hand.  What was that smell?  Jasmine?  It had tortured him for weeks.  Did she just naturally smell like that?  Was it her shampoo or that damn lotion she put on every morning?  She would rub it all over her legs before she got dressed.  Her long, tanned and extremely well toned legs thanks to all the hard work she was putting in with Merck.  What would it feel like to have her legs wrapped around his waist?  Just once.  To tangle his hands in her silky hair as he sank deep into her body, burying himself to the hilt. To see her sweating, to hear her panting, to feel her clench around him as her desire took over.  Shit.  His pants got impossibly tight. 

“Get it together.”  Steve groaned to himself.

“What?”  Lily smiled at him from across the room. 

“
Sorry.  Just ready to dive into this interview.”  Steve’s heart pounded.  Traitorous organ!  He turned his back to her to compose himself.

Lily’s eyes widened as the band filed in one at a time.  She recognized the bassist immediately. 
Lennon Chancellor.  His band mates called him Chance.  She called him the Scottish walking wet dream. He could incite a riot with just a smile.  And he did.  Then there was the drummer, Max Calum, Latin god.  She licked her lips.  The lead guitarist was a little more raw.  His smile was reserved as he locked eyes with her.  He smelled of smoke and sex.  Griffin “Harley” Miles.  Nicknamed after the legendary bike accident that had landed the band on the front page of the gossip rags, starting their rise to fame.  And finally, sex on legs, lead singer and panty melter, Damien “D Rey” Reynolds.  Tattoos and spacers and yes, the world’s most perfect teeth.  She shivered. 

She took a step toward him on instinct.  Her body hummed with excitement being in the same room with the man that had flirted with her only a few months prior. 
His mouth had been fire on her neck.  She had left that night before things got out of hand.  But tonight, she couldn’t help but move a little closer.   He bit his lip as he extended his hand. 

“Lily.”  His voice was smooth as silk.

A noise caught her attention and she looked toward Steve.  Papers scattered across the floor as they exploded from the file folder he had been holding.  He stood frozen, eyes wide, jaw dropped.  It felt as if all the air had been sucked from the room.  She read the agony in his eyes as he stared at Damien.  She dropped his hand immediately and took a step back.

“Stevie.
”  Damien’s voice was strained. He took a deep breath. “It’s been a long time, man.”

Steve sat down in his chair as his breath hitched.  “Fourteen years.”

The room fell silent.

Chapter 2

“What’s up LA?  It’s Steve Wainwright, WXXT 98.3 Rock FM.  Thanks for joining us for this special evening addition of the Wainwright Wake Up Crew.  Jennifer and I are coming to you live this Thursday night with a special treat for all your rock lovers out there.  How are you tonight, Jenn?”

“Well, Steven, I’m a l
ittle hot and bothered.  I’m sitting across from some pretty smoking eye candy right now.  And from what I’ve heard, they’re the next big thing.”  Jennifer winked at Steve.

His grin in response had Lily straightening in her chair.  She had spent so much time with him
and had never questioned who else he socialized with.  Her chest ached.  She didn’t want to share him with anyone, especially not the attractive co-host that was currently staring at him.  He was her best friend and aside from the occasional movie or dinner out with Nickie, Kevin’s nurse from the ICU, he never talked about anyone.

“Ladies and Gents, I’d like to officially welcome ‘Liquid Regret’ to the show.”

The band members mumbled their hellos into the microphones as Steve wiped his brow.  His stomach lurched, his hands clenched.  Fourteen years had crept by without a single word.  Five minutes ago, he wouldn’t have been able to tell someone if Damien was alive or dead.  His heart screamed at him to hug him and not let go.  His brain, and the commander of the situation, kept a cool distance and a cold exterior.

“As I’m sure all you ladies out there know, Damien Reynolds is lead singer and from what I hear, quite the performer.  Tell me, why the name ‘Liquid Regret’?  What’s the significance?”  Steve looked away as Damien spoke.

“Liquid Regret seemed pretty appropriate for most of us in the group.  In simple terms, it means tears.  We were just a bunch of guys that made some pretty stupid mistakes in our lives and we realized that the one thing we had in common was regret.  For me personally, I have spent a good bit of my adulthood looking back at what could have been and I’ve shed quite a few tears over it.  So, we became Liquid Regret.”

Steve ground his teeth
, his eyes pleading with Jennifer to take over.  She gave him a half smile and focused her attention on the cue cards.  “Your first hit, Without Novocain, will go live tomorrow on every major rock station in the US.  I’ve heard it and it’s fantastic.  Tell me a little about the inspiration behind the song.”  Jessica reached out and touched Damien’s hand.

“Without Novocain is actually the first song I wrote myself.  It’s a song about regret, about wanting to make the pain go away but not knowing what to do to make it better.  I wrote it for someone
in my family.  I just walked away when I was younger. I didn’t realize how important they were at the time.”  Damien’s eyes shifted to Steve’s and held.

“Before we go to the phones,
let’s hear a little of Liquid Regret’s debut single, Without Novocain.”

Harley picked up his guitar as Damien cleared his throat, centering the microphone in front of him.  He nodded once and music filled the studio.  Damien’s soulful voice filled the airways.

              I want so much to heal the pain, the wounds, the hurt, it’s all in vain

Regret is deep and stings like rain, like an open wound Without Novocain.

              Anxiety racks my regret filled mind, like a life sucking virus of an unknown kind