Page 21 of Her Beastly Billionaire Rock Star
“Was it really that bad?”
“I get motion sickness. Ever since I was a kid. I can handle a regular car, but open-air stuff makes me so nauseous. I’d be the kid getting off the roller coaster and throwing up, but I think I was so scared tonight that it took a moment to catch up to me.” She took another sip of the drink. “Apparently, I’m much neater than I thought.”
“Charlotte…” What could he say? How could he ever apologize enough? He’d done the same thing to her that he accused others of doing to him. The same thing Octavia had done to her. He’d even used her fear of Octavia to force her onto the bike. “I’m…” His body sagged, and he draped his arm across his knee. “I’m so sorry. I was—”
She touched his arm. “Used to people treating you like you don’t have a say in your own life? Lying to you? Using you? We’re trying to fix your image. You had every reason to believe I’d go along with it.” She gave a slight one-shoulder shrug. “I understand.”
Malakai covered her hand with his. “That doesn’t make what I did okay. I was a jerk. You were trying to tell me, and I wouldn’t listen.” He sighed. “I was angry, and instead of speaking to you like an adult, I behaved like a spoiled brat.”
Charlotte set the drink down by her feet and scooted closer to him, rubbing her thumb across his skin. Lifting her eyes to his, she caught his gaze. “I’m on your side. Despite what you say, I know that accident wasn’t your fault. I know you weren’t doing drugs or drinking. I don’t know why you keep insisting it was your fault, but it’s your secret. I just hope that one day I can gain your trust enough that you’ll confide in me. It can’t be easy carrying it, especially given what you’ve been through with the press and your band.”
There was no argument between his head and his heart now. She was showing an abundance of mercy and grace when he didn’t deserve an ounce of it. He just didn’t understand why she believed him so fully, especially after the way he treated her. “Why are you so sure?”
“Because…” She pulled her hand back. “I just do. I don’t have a logical explanation yet.”
That was more than he’d had from anyone in a long time, even his bandmates. “Thank you. Iamsorry. I—”
Before he could finish the sentence, Happy returned. “Car’s here, but it looks like the paps have cleared.”
“Strange.”
Happy shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. They know when you come in here, you’re staying a while and they’re wasting their time.”
Malakai nodded. That was true. Plus, they’d taken a ton of photos on his way in. The chance of them hurrying to get their photos sold first was pretty high.
Charlotte rubbed her face with her hands and stood. “If we’re careful, maybe any that are left won’t see us sneaking out.”
Malakai pushed off the couch and stood next to her. “Are you okay?”
She lifted her gaze to his and gave him a small smile. “Yeah, I’m okay now.”
“I’m—”
She held up her hand. “We’ll talk after we get out of here. Okay?”
“Yeah.” More like she’d talk and he’d feel like a heel. He looked at Happy. “Front or back?”
“Front. You usually go out the back. If any have snuck around, you’ll be gone before they get wind.”
“Okay.” He waved Charlotte ahead. “I’ll take up the rear.”
Charlotte nodded and followed Happy out of the office, keeping her head down as they hurried out of the club and into the waiting car. Maybe by the time they got to the house, he’d figure out a way to make this evening up to her.
Chapter 10
Following their return to the house, Charlotte had agreed to talk to Malakai after a hot bath. She was angry with herself for being such a wimp. He’d pulled the bike to a stop, and she’d been so sick to her stomach.
Then photographers were surrounding them, and lights were going off in her face. Malakai had taken her hand, she’d taken a step, and her legs had given out. It had all happened so fast, and not only could she picture her fall splashed on every gossip rag known to man, but she could only imagine how she’d feel later on while attending red carpet events and conferences. How was she going to manage those?
Stepping out of the bath, she dried off and dressed, pausing at the mirror to look herself over. She still looked a little pale, or, well, paler, if that were possible. Glancing over her shoulder, she looked at her phone on the bed, trying to decide if she should take it. So far, there’d been no call chewing her out or threats from Octavia. Charlotte suspected the reason she hadn’t received a call yet was because her stepsister was looking at paparazzi photos. No doubt Charlotte would get an earful about falling.
With a sigh, she shook her head and left her room. She looked a mess with bulky sweats and wet hair, but she just couldn’t find a reason to care. She was so tired, and the only reason she was even venturing out of her room was that she told Malakai she would. When she reached the living room, she spied him through the glass doors, sitting by the pool.
As she approached him, she said, “Hey.”
“Hi.”
Apparently, he’d felt the need to get cleaned up too, and she didn’t feel as awkward since his hair was also wet. “I guess you needed to wash the day off too?”
