Page 29 of Her Beastly Billionaire Rock Star
Instantly, everything went from light and fun to electrified. “I didn’t know I did that.”
“Not shocking. I suspect you’ve had to build a pretty thick wall since fame hit.” She covered his hands with hers. “From my observations, the world you live in can be cruel, and the people surrounding you can be selfish.”
He took his bottom lip in his teeth and nodded. “I think the part that got me was finding out I’ve been crunchy on the outside since long before fame hit.” The words came out soft.
“You were being pulled in two different directions. Whether you admitted it or not, you wanted your dad to be proud of you. It made you angry that he cared more about what he wanted than seeing you as your own person with your own desires.”
Malakai’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “I hadn’t thought about it in those terms before. My dad has never attended anything I’ve done that was music-related. To this day, he thinks I’m wasting my time.” His voice broke. “I…I’m successful at this, which isn’t the easiest thing in the world, and I made it. There’s nothing I can do to change it except do what he thinks I should be doing.”
Charlotte’s heart ached for him. No wonder he was so angry. He was…well, he wasn’t a little boy anymore, but he still longed for that approval from his father. She lifted to her knees and put her arms around his neck. “I’m—” She almost said sorry, but he didn’t want that. “I will hurt with you.”
Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her and laid his head on her shoulder. “I feel stupid that I’ve never thought about it like that. It would have saved me years of grief.”
“You know now. You can’t change what you did in the past, but your future can be anything you want it to be.”
Tightening his hold on her was his only response. Minute after minute ticked by as they held each other. It had been so long since she’d had anyone to hold on to or be held by. The little taste she was getting, she could easily see craving, especially when the world around her was more than she could handle.
A buzzing noise got her attention, and she leaned back, looking around to find the source. “That’s a drone…” It was also carrying something.
Malakai kissed her forehead and pulled free, standing to grab the bag dangling from it. “Sweet. Jasper is awesome.” He dug in his pocket and pulled out his phone, quickly typing out a message before sticking it back in his pocket. The drone left as quickly as it came.
“What is this?” Charlotte asked, studying the bag.
Turning to her, Malakai hung his head. “I treated you pretty horrible last night. Even if you’d deserved it, I shouldn’t have done it. I saw my reflection in your eyes last night, and I didn’t like what I saw.”
Charlotte closed the distance between them, took his hand in hers, and smiled at him. “All’s forgiven, Malakai.”
He lifted his gaze to hers. “I promise I won’t do that again.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
“Please do.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I’m tiny, but I’m vicious, like a Chihuahua.”
His lips spread into the widest smile yet, and she was mesmerized by it. The long hair, arms full of tattoos, and piercings everywhere were what she’d suspected the first time she saw him: his way of keeping people at arm’s length. All she could do was feel sorry for anyone who hadn’t looked a little closer.
Maybe that’s all he needed all along. Just someone to care enough to see what was beneath the surface. For someone to decide he was worth their time and effort.
He tipped his head toward the golf cart. “I have some more blankets. If you want, we could hang out here tonight.”
Stay the night? It was certainly tempting. She looked around the area, trying to devise a reason they couldn’t and shouldn’t stay. The ease in forgetting what they were would be ten times harder when the world felt so far away. But how did she turn him down without hurting him?
A cool breeze rustled the trees, and she shivered. “I think it might be too cold.” She nearly lifted her gaze skyward, thanking the universe for the save.
He looked around as the leaves danced in the wind. “Yeah, I think you might be right. Too bad. I love coming here, the feeling of freedom from whatever is waiting for me out there in the world.”
In that moment, her heart broke a little. At the end of six months, he’d be free and have no reason to need her. This was all fantasy, and she had to keep that in the forefront of her mind. Inwardly, she wilted. The next few months were going to be agonizing. She was falling for him, and she couldn’t see an end in sight.
Chapter 13
Malakai whipped the garage door open and bear-hugged Emilia. It had taken a little longer to wrap up her last case than she’d anticipated, a month longer. Charlotte had come up with the idea to get Emilia inside the gate, and the second she’d said it, he’d smacked himself in the forehead for not coming up it.
His koi pond.
Charlotte had reported to Octavia that his fish were sick and the man who takes care of them would be coming to the house. Emilia had flown in that morning, Jasper had picked her up, and she’d hidden in the fish caretaker’s truck. It had been the perfect plan.
“Are you trying to hug me to death?” Emilia laughed.
