“I can come to you.”
“Nope. Not this time. I’m taking you out on a date, and us guys born a hundred years ago think it’s right and proper for the guy to pick up the gal.”
“A hundred years? You telling me you’re a vampire now?”
He peeled back his lips and growled. “A vampire, you say.” He winked. “Just remember, I don’t nibble. I devour.”
He sauntered off with a swagger.
Damn, that man was trouble. And I could not wait to dive headlong first into all the trouble he could bring to my door.
Chapter 18
Joz
Time for a friendly warning.
“Great set, Joz. Same time tomorrow.”
I nodded at Carl. “I’ll be here.”
Once I’d jumped off the stool, I put my guitar in its case and left it in the corner of the room. I was the only person who would be in this studio until the album was finished, and I had no plans to play tonight. Not guitar, anyway. Now, playing Aspen… there was a game I was eager to start.
After I’d kissed her in the closet (not my finest fucking hour, by the way), I’d expected her to bring up why I’d bailed on her again, but she hadn’t. It wouldn’t surprise me if she brought the subject up over dinner, though. If she did, I’d shut it down. I’d kept that secret for eight years, and I planned to take it to the grave.
The weight on my chest pressed a little heavier. I never had managed to shake off the guilt, and after all this time I accepted I never would. It was as much a part of me as a limb. Most days, I was too busy to notice it was there. Nighttime was differentwhen darkness closed in, allowing the voices in my mind to take over.
Murderer.
On a logical level, I knew that wasn’t true. I hadn’t even been there when Caroline injected that needle full of smack into her arm, but I might as well have been. I should have seen how desperate she was, how fragile. I’d chosen the worst possible moment to tell her it was over, and then I’d hung up on her when she called me and threatened to kill herself.
I should’ve called the emergency services and had them go over to her place. Instead, I’d blissed out on my own dose of heroin.
Shaking the intrusive, painful thoughts from my mind, I left the control room and ambled along the corridor to Studio A to see if Aspen was still there. Empty. I did a one-eighty, beelining for the communal areas, and it didn’t take long to find her chatting with Presley. He was grinning and standing too close for my liking. He touched her elbow as though he had the right, sending a flush of jealousy surging through me. Aspen laughed at something he said, easy, non-flirtatious, but it got to me, anyway.
My jaw flexed. I stalked over, slow and deliberate. No rush, no drama. When I reached them, I didn’t ask for permission. I slid my arm across her shoulders and pulled her to me like she belonged there.
Because she did.
“I’m leaving shortly.” Tone low, I let my lips brush her temple, my gaze traveling to Presley, a clear message in my gaze. Stupid, really. This kid was wet behind the ears, no match for me. But there was something in his expression that set my instincts alight. A cockiness that hadn’t been there on that wet London afternoon in a dive bar. Then he’d been tongue-tied, grateful for a chance to follow his dreams. Even at his firstconcert I attended with Aspen at The Crimson Vault, he’d been the same, yet a few short weeks later, something was off with the lad. There was a steeliness in the way he looked at me, almost challenging.
Seven years between him and Aspen, and seven years between Aspen and me. She wouldn’t be interested in a twenty-one-year-old guy, though. Would she?
“Good session?” she asked, oblivious to the tension I’d created.
“Yeah. We’re on track.”
“Fabulous. Well, I’ll leave you two to chat. Presley’s had an awesome session, too. I’m sure he can’t wait to tell you all about it.” She slid from underneath my arm. “See you at eight.”
“You will.” I tracked her until she vanished from sight, then returned my attention to Presley. “So, kid, good session, huh?”
A flicker of annoyance darkened his features. “I’m not a kid.”
What was happening right now was exactly what I’d feared. I’d hoped by signing with a smaller label, his ego wouldn’t take over. I should’ve seen this coming. I’d seen it many times before. Having his first single hit number one on both sides of the Atlantic had made him think he was invincible, that he could do and say anything. That he could have anyone he chose. Time to take him down a peg or two.
“A bit of friendly advice, mate.” I clapped him on the shoulder, noting the way he stiffened. “She’s not available.”
He flashed me a brilliant grin, the earlier irritation sliding off his face. Or maybe he masked it. “Aspen? You’re warning me off the CEO of the company that gave me a break?” He threw back his head and laughed. “Buddy, you’re fucking way off base. I’m grateful to her, and I like her, but that’s it.”
