Page 25 of Her Beastly Billionaire Rock Star
As soon as Charlotte realized he wasn’t worth her affection, she’d be gone. At most, he had six months with her…if that. Once his friend, the private investigator, found out Octavia’s secret and gave Charlotte the information she needed, she’d probably drop him altogether.
He needed to be smarter about the whole situation. At the end, he needed to be ready to be alone again…and handle it better than he had in the past. If he couldn’t have her, then he’d settle for second best. Being a person worthy of being called friend.
* * *
Malakai broughthis bike to a stop in the garage, and Charlotte pulled the helmet off. Who would have thought his kisses were great for staving off motion sickness? Or maybe she was still trying to piece together the parts of her brain that were fried. Her lips were certainly no less tingly.
No one had ever kissed her like that, and she wasn’t sure anyone would ever measure up to it again. And now having experienced it, it only made her want more. She liked being held by him. There was safety in his arms that she could foresee craving. She could confidently say she liked pretty much all of him.
“So, are you okay?” he asked.
They’d taken three slow rides from the garage to the gate and back. Each time, he’d returned to the garage and asked if she was okay. He’d been so sweet, but she didn’t know how to answer him.Didshe feel okay? “I think so.”
His eyebrows rose. “I don’t know if that’s good or bad.”
She dismounted the bike and handed him the helmet. “I think good. I don’t feel sick.”
A smile quirked on his lips. “Good. I’ll make a biker out of you yet.”
That was going a bit far. “I’m not so sure about that.” She rubbed her hands down her jeans. “Remember, I also don’t like crowds. I kinda sorta panic.”
“Then why would…” Malakai shook his head. “Right.”
“Yeah. I—” Charlotte’s phone rang from where she’d left it on the shelf in the garage. She’d thought about taking it, but she wanted the ability to truthfully tell Octavia she hadn’t heard it ring. Over twenty calls had been missed, mostly because she knew Octavia wasn’t going to be pleasant.
She touched her finger to her lips and then answered. “Hello, Octavia.”
“Do you have me on speaker?”
“Yeah. I’m taking a bath, and you hate it when I don’t pick up.”
“Yes, well, that’s why I’m calling. I’ve been calling you since last night. What exactly have you been doing that you couldn’t send a simple text? You were supposed to text me as soon as you left the house. Do we need to have another conversation about your employment and what will happen should that end?” The words came out clipped. “It seems you need that reminder more often as of late.”
Charlotte wasnotgoing to cry in front of Malakai. Forcing the tears back, she chose her words carefully, making sure the tone she used was conciliatory. “No, I haven’t forgotten. I was tired when we returned last night, and I woke up late. I couldn’t text you when we left the house because it all happened so quickly.”
“You just now woke up?” Her sister paused, a question lingering in her tone. “I find that hard to believe.”
“I—”
“You really need to have something for me. You’ve been there over a month now. You should have him eager to pour his heart out.”
Charlotte lifted her gaze to Malakai’s, and her resolve to keep the tears at bay nearly melted. His eyebrows were drawn together, and his lips were turned down. It hurt him to hear what Octavia was trying to do.
I’m sorry, Charlotte mouthed.
He gave her a small smile and winked. Holding up a finger, he pointed to the door and mouthed,Be right back, as he entered the house.
Charlotte nodded acknowledgment.
“I’ve been here a month. He’s been used and abused and tossed aside like his thoughts and feelings don’t matter, and you expect him to put his trust in the first person who shows him kindness?”
“He’s an addict. Nothing more. Nothing less. My job is to keep him in Crush. I don’t care about his feelings.” Her stepsister took a slow breath. “Which brings me back to you. Have you forgotten what will happen if you fail?” The sound of rustling paper filtered through the phone. “I also see you took a tumble last night.”
“I…you know I get carsick, and the photographers were surrounding us. I just…tripped.”
“I know. It made for a fantastic front page today. That’s the only reason I’m forgiving you for failing to text me last night. Malakai swooping you up and running off with you. From the comments I’m seeing online, the public loved it. Rumors are already beginning to circulate. For once, your clumsiness is a positive instead of a negative.”
Charlotte almost wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but the call wasn’t over. Octavia had a knack for springing unpleasant things near the end of a conversation. “Okay, well, that’s good. Anything that helps him stay with Crush is good.”
