Page 14 of Her Beastly Billionaire Rock Star
Once again, her touch was making his skin tingle, and he wondered what the effect would be if he kissed her. He needed to get away from her before he did something he’d regret. Until he was confident of his ability to stay clean, he needed to leave love off the table.
Like that would even happen. Yeah, in theory, he could have any woman he wanted. The problem he’d encountered most was that women didn’t want him; they wanted his fame. Charlotte seemed sweet.
Then again, she worked for Octavia. There was a good chance she was there to get dirt on him. Charlotte didn’t strike him as someone who would be like that, but he’d found out more than once that he was wrong when it came to judging a person’s character.
He wasn’t ready for another heartbreak just yet. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Turning, he grabbed his pizza box and strode into the house.
Why was he even thinking about relationships? Charlotte was staying with him because she was paid to do it. Which meant everything was fake. Even if it didn’t feel fake, he was lonely, and he knew it. Once the marriage to Charlotte was over, he’d figure out where to go from there.
Chapter 6
In the days following Charlotte’s first night in Malakai’s home, he’d been pleasant but not overly friendly. Mostly he’d stayed in his room, and anytime he saw her coming, he found a reason to leave the room. It was pretty obvious by the end of the week that he was avoiding her, which didn’t make any sense. He’d said they needed to get to know one another. How could they do that if they never spoke to each other?
The only thing she could think of was that maybe talking about Sunny got to him. There was no denying Malakai cared for her. Charlotte could see it in his eyes and was even more convinced that the story about the crash wasn’t as cut and dry as the media had made it out to be. He’d been so adamant about not relapsing that she found it hard to believe that he had on the night of the accident.
It wasn’t uncommon, though, and addicts were good at manipulation. She’d watched her father for years when he was running the company. More than once, someone had looked him in the eyes and professed innocence, only to have evidence to the contrary show up later.
At the moment, Charlotte didn’t know what to believe. All she knew was that he’d asked for help, and she’d agreed to convincingly participate in this farce.
Her phone vibrated on the bed where she sat with her laptop open. Glancing down at the caller ID, she groaned. Octavia. If Charlotte didn’t answer, her stepsister would only call back. Picking up the phone, she sandwiched it between her shoulder and ear. “Hello, Octavia.”
“I’m calling to check in. Anything you need to tell me?”
“No, I’ve only been here a few days. It takes longer than that to gain someone’s trust.” And had he told her anything, there was no way she was telling her stepsister.
“I see, but you’ve been talking, correct?”
How should Charlotte respond? If she said no, Octavia would be livid. If she said yes, it’d be a lie and her stepsister would press her to tell her what they’d spoken about. “We’re getting used to living in the same house. He’s used to being here with his family. I’m a complete stranger he’s hired to pretend to be his girlfriend slash fiancé slash wife. It’s going to take time, and if I press him too quickly, he’ll never trust me.”
It sounded as if the phone switched ears. “Then you need to figure out how to get his trust quicker. This little house arrest he’s under is only for three months. At the end of that, the two of you will have to convince every person on the planet that you genuinely care about each other. And your part is especially crucial.”
Charlotte pinched her lips together, holding back the anger she felt. “I know that, Octavia.” Her words came out clipped. “And I’m doing my best. This is a man who has had no one in his corner for a long time. He’s used to people buttering him up and using him. If he thinks I’m doing that, this whole thing will blow up in our faces.”
“I’m aware of that, thank you. I just want to make sure you aren’t hiding out in a bedroom with no intention of following through, dear sister.” The disdain practically dripped from Octavia’s words.
Taking a couple of breaths, Charlotte tried to reel in the things she really wanted to say. “I’m not hiding out in a bedroom. I’m trying to give Malakai space so he can come to me.”
“Just make sure you give him enough of a reason to want to come to you.”
“I—” Charlotte stopped short as she heard the doorbell ring.
“What was that?” Octavia asked.
“The doorbell.”
“What? It’s past ten at night. Go find out who it is and then text me.”
Charlotte scoffed. “He’s under house arrest. You don’t have to know his every move. It’s probably just a food delivery or something.”
“See, this is why I’m better at running this company than either you or your father. I do need to know his every move. He’s paying me to do it. So find out who it is and text me. If you don’t—”
“I know.” Charlotte ended the call. It was probably a mistake. One she’d have to begrudgingly apologize for later, but she could only handle so much of Octavia.
The doorbell rang again, and Charlotte slipped her computer off her lap onto the bed, glad she’d thrown on sweats. She scrambled to her feet and rushed to the door. Octavia was mostly likely timing her.
As she reached the banister, she paused as Malakai opened the door and grinned at his guest. “Hey.”
He stepped aside, and Chris Nichols, the bass guitarist for Crush, walked in. “Hey, mate,” he said with a slight Greek accent as his gaze lifted to Charlotte. He smiled. “And hello, cutie.”
