Fatal Seduction (Fatal Cross Live! Book 3) Read online

  I climbed into my bunk and closed my eyes, only waking slightly when I felt the bus pull away from the parking lot.

  An hour later, I awoke with a nagging pain in my arm. I didn’t want to take any pain medicines, but when I tried to stretch my arm, I realized I was going to be miserable without it. I flipped on the small lamp above my head and reached for the small bag I had tucked at my feet. There was a warm bottle of water in the mesh side pouch that ended up being exactly what I needed. I took the pill and pulled the blanket up over my shoulders.

  It was only five in the afternoon, and we had another sixteen hours of driving before we arrived in Los Angeles for the first show of the tour. The schedule would have us spending the day in northern California, so our driver would be able to rest. Coraline had mentioned that she wanted to go check out some mall in the area, and I’d agreed to go.

  The show was two days away, and I was ready to see Fatal Cross perform for the second time in my life. I chuckled to myself as I thought about how ridiculous that sounded. If I was going to be working for them, shouldn’t I have better knowledge of their show? Thankfully, I knew their songs, but that was about it.

  My eyes fluttered closed, and I reached up to turn off my light. I closed my eyes again, not thinking I would actually fall asleep, but I must have, because I was woken up when Braxton parted my curtain slightly. “We have food. You should eat something.”

  “I’m not hungry,” I mumbled as I burrowed down further into my pillow.

  “Abby,” he whispered. I felt his hand touch my hip, and I opened my eyes, not realizing how close he actually was. “Please come eat.”

  “I’d rather sleep,” I slurred, seeing Braxton frown.

  “Are you hurting?” he asked. “Did you take something?”

  “Yeah,” I nodded. “Nothing too strong. I think I laid on my arm wrong when I fell asleep. I’ll be alright.”

  “If you’re sure,” he replied.

  “I am,” I yawned. “Please, just let me rest.”

  Braxton didn’t say anything else, just let the curtain fall. Darkness took me back into a peaceful sleep.

  Chapter 13

  Braxton

  Fatal Cross hadn’t played a venue this large since before I’d come along. The fact that we were opening for Bleeding Secrets meant things were looking up for us. It seemed like overnight we’d gone from playing for three thousand fans to almost ten thousand.

  Our latest single had only been out for two weeks when Ace had gotten the call. Being direct support for this huge tour could be the door we needed opened to move up to our own headlining spot. We were on the cusp of something huge, and now was the time to work our asses off for that spotlight.

  Coraline made her way off the bus, resting a hand on her very small baby bump. I watched as she moved toward the trailer that transported all of our gear. She spoke with Liam and pointed toward two cases. When she started to pick up a box of shirts, he took it from her and shook his head. I laughed when she flipped him off and stormed away. I couldn’t contain my smirk as she approached me, looking as pissed off as a wet cat.

  “I’m pregnant, not incapable,” she growled.

  “You’re not allowed to lift anything too heavy, you know this,” I reminded her. “You’re still the tour manager. Just not a roadie.”

  “Yeah, I know.” She frowned. “I miss working.”

  “It won’t be forever,” I said. I wasn’t sure what their plans were for after the birth of their child. I was sure Taylor would want her to stay home with the kid, but knowing Cora, she’d live on the road and be a mom all at the same time.

  “I need to go,” she sighed, casting a glance over her shoulder at the men who were pushing cases up to the venue. “Please be on the bus at six for dinner.”

  “Okay.” I nodded and watched her follow our crew inside.

  Ace bounded down the stairs of the bus and stopped when he saw me leaning against the side. He looked at his phone and slipped it into his back pocket before copying my pose.

  “When does Witch’s Spawn head out on their tour?” I asked, curious as to how my vocalist was handling being without his new bride.

  “Day after tomorrow.” He paused, taking a moment to look up at the sky. “I’m not worried, but I’m worried.”

  “Those boys are not going to let anything happen to her,” I said, knowing her band was as close to Presley as any blood bond could ever be. She was going to be fine.

  “I know,” he said, chewing on his bottom lip.

  “Are we going to cross paths with them at any point on this tour?” I pushed.

  “A few times.” He smiled, running a hand through his curly hair. “We are planning on meeting up in about ten days.”

  “Good,” I said, pushing away from the bus. I was happy for him, but knowing he would be seeing his wife soon put me in a sour mood, knowing I couldn’t have Abby. She wasn’t mine anymore. “Cora said food would be on the bus at six. I’m going to my bunk for an hour.”

  “Okay, man,” Ace replied, but he was already retrieving his cell phone. I was sure he planned on pestering her until it was time to go on stage.

  I slid into my bunk and closed the curtain to block out most of the light. Closing my eyes was necessary. My mind was tired, even though my body was coiled tight with excitement for the tour. The constant highs and lows to this business could drive someone mad.

  Her soft giggle woke me from a dreamless sleep. I stared into the darkness for several seconds while I tried to remember the last time that had happened, and frowned when I couldn’t. My sleep had been disturbed since the night of the accident, and I didn’t know anything else besides Abby’s screams as my body lay paralyzed in the bed.

  “That’s not funny, Liam.” Abby giggled again. “You have no shame.”

  “With a pretty woman like you, I can’t help myself,” Liam replied. His obvious flirting sent my feet to the floor. I wrenched the door to the bunk room open and marched forward. Our roadie’s eyes widened as I approached.

  “What the fuck did you say to her?” I demanded, clenching my fists at my sides. I didn’t want to punch him, because he was half my size, but I’d do it if he was being less than honorable with her.

  “Braxton!” Abby gasped and stepped between us. I didn’t want to touch her damaged arm, but I would if I needed to move her out of the way. Why the hell was she defending him anyway? “It was nothing!”

  “It better have been nothing,” I warned, narrowing my eyes. Liam mumbled out an apology and tucked his tail between his legs, fleeing from the bus.

  “How dare you be mean to that man,” Abby growled as she put her tiny hand on my chest. “We were teasing each other. He wasn’t being rude.”

  “He was flirting with you,” I replied, still looking over her shoulder at the empty space left from where Liam had been standing.

  “And?” she pushed. “So what if he was?”

  My heart roared in my chest. The thought of another man looking at her with lust in his eyes sent me over the edge. I tried to brush past her, but she stood her ground, knowing I wouldn’t touch her.

  “He’s a dead man.”

  “Oh, shut the hell up, Braxton,” she scoffed. “We are not together, and I can flirt with anyone I want.”

  “You think so?” I snarled, stepping up close. She had to look way up to glare into my eyes. I saw the fire in them that made me love her back then, and in the back of my mind, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt I still loved her now.

  “Yes, actually…I do,” she continued as she moved forward so that we touched. I felt her breasts as they came in contact with my chest. I squinted my eyes, praying that her touch wouldn’t affect me, but it did. It always did. “I am not yours anymore, Braxton.”

  “You will always be mine,” I whispered as I cupped her face, careful of the scarring on her neck. I pressed my lips to hers, knowing what I was doing was a bad idea, but I needed her touch. Just once more.

  As our lips connected,
I felt her body relax. She let me devour her lips, taking control like I always did with our love making. Abby was very submissive when it came to my wishes, and she had the power to bring me to my knees so I was the one worshiping her.

  I was stunned when her hands came up to squeeze the tops of my shoulders. Her soft tongue swept out and found my own. I slipped my hand into her hair and closed it into a fist, holding her tightly to my lips as if she’d slip from my grasp at any moment.

  “Don’t let me go, Braxton,” she whispered as I started to release my hold and pull away from her embrace. “Please…”

  “I won’t ever let you go, Abby,” I began, sighing heavily as I moved my hand from her hair to the top of her uninjured shoulder. “I cannot seem to get you off of my mind, but when you are around, it’s easier to remember what we had.”

  “What about the nightmares?” she asked, her face falling with the question. I’d yelled at her and told her about hearing her calling for me in my sleep.

  “I didn’t have one today,” I admitted.

  “What about yesterday?” she asked, talking a small step away. I felt lost without her close, but I didn’t pull her back. I needed room to breathe.

  “Yes,” I admitted on a growl, feeling uncomfortable talking about them.

  “I hate it that you have so much guilt, Braxton,” she replied, biting on her bottom lip. I reached up and pulled it from her teeth with my thumb.

  “You always do that when you are nervous,” I said, dropping my hand.

  “I know,” she said with a smile. “Habit.”

  The door to the bus opened and Cash entered the living room as he slipped his phone into his back pocket. He ignored us and moved toward the bunk area, pulling his clothes from his bag. He mumbled something about a shower and disappeared into the small bathroom at the back of the bus.

  “I need to get inside to finish setting up the merch booth with Coraline,” Abby said, excusing herself. “We will talk later.”

  “Okay,” I replied, taking a seat on the couch as I watched her leave.

  Somehow, the pain in my chest was gone. I felt lighter, more like my old self. My mind knew Abby was the cause of it, but I couldn’t let go of it all at the snap of my fingers. I’d always have guilt for almost killing her. Every single time I saw the puckered skin of the scars, I’d be reminded of taking something so precious and destroying it.

  Chapter 14

  Abby

  The headlining band, Bleeding Secrets, was already inside as we entered the back door. Four very handsome rockstars stood around talking to Ace and Taylor. Braxton came up beside me as I walked. I didn’t say anything to him, feeling a little loss at the fact he didn’t hold my hand or even really acknowledge I was there. I didn’t want to look too deeply into his kiss, either, but I would be lying if I didn’t admit I wanted more.

  The fact he actually touched me that way was one step I honestly didn’t think would happen for us. He’d been so hell bent on not even being in my presence just a few weeks ago. Now, I was on tour with the band and working as part of their crew. The pay was good, but I didn’t even need it. I was happy just being around him, because I’d missed him so much. The old Braxton was the one I missed, not this newer, sadder version of the man I’d known for five years.

  “Hey, Brax,” Ace called out, turning from his position to see us walking together. Ace gave me a warm smile and began his introduction.

  “Braxton, Abby,” he began, holding his hand out toward the other band. “This is Michael Ryan, Jesse Majors, Preston Salvatore, and Archer Moss of Bleeding Secrets. Guys, this is my drummer, Braxton Keller, and our merch girl, Abby Hampton.”

  “Hello,” they said, almost in unison.

  “Hi.” I waved as Braxton shook everyone’s hand.

  Those men were completely, one hundred percent rockstars, and even though I’d never seen them before, the air of authority and famousness that rolled off of them made me feel a little awkward, but it didn’t take long for me to realize they were just like everyone else.

  “I heard there’s food somewhere.” Preston smiled, looking around the backstage area as if he could just summon food to appear. “I’m starving.”

  “You’re always starving.” Archer laughed, running a hand through his dirty blond hair. “I think they are catering out to the buses in about twenty minutes.”

  A very handsome guy with short, black hair approached, and I was momentarily struck silent by his pretty boy looks and stunning blue eyes. His left arm was covered in tattoos and I noticed he acted a little shy, proving my guess by standing by silently until Archer introduced us. He cleared his throat before speaking up. “I’m Jesse Majors. Nice to meet you.”

  We stood around and mingled for about fifteen more minutes. I found out that Archer Moss was the lead singer for Bleeding Secrets, Jesse Majors was their bassist, Michael Ryan was the drummer, and Preston Salvatore played guitar.

  Braxton narrowed his eyes at Jesse when he stared at me a little longer than necessary. I wanted so badly to reach out and touch Braxton just to let him know I was only interested in him. Jesse gave Braxton a shrug when he noticed the fire in his eyes and excused himself.

  I watched the tall, brown haired bassist walk away. He was really good looking; like a picture perfect cover model with massive amounts of tattoos up and down his arm, just like Braxton.

  “If you guys need anything, please let us know,” Archer said, shaking our hands again before he left.

  “I have to go,” Braxton said, turning toward me. “I’ll see you after the show.”

  “Okay.” I nodded, hoping he would touch me again, but he just…didn’t.

  I left him and found my way out to their booth. Liam was there, sitting in a folding chair. He looked up when I approached, but frowned. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m good,” I shrugged.

  “If you’re sure,” he pushed, looking around me to look for something. He reached for the money box and handed it over. “If you need anything, give me a call.”

  “I will,” I nodded, taking the seat he offered.

  I heard Ace belt out the beginning of their first song, and I found myself slipping to the side door just a few feet from the booth. No one was around and I had a few minutes, so I could peek through the crack to watch them.

  My eyes immediately fell upon Braxton, and I released a sigh of frustration. He was still going to beat himself up over what had happened. I didn’t know what I was going to have to do to change his way of thinking.

  The next song began, and I continued to stand there, absorbing every moment I could. The thrill of watching Fatal Cross on the stage was not going to go away anytime soon. Seeing them perform was breathtaking, and the fact that they were on a much bigger stage than the last time I saw them just made my heart flutter with excitement.

  They were two songs from the end of their set, and I was already in place to handle sales after the show. Coraline said I would probably have some people come by periodically throughout the show, but to hang on tight after the last band played because it would get hectic.

  Several people hovered over by the bathrooms, looking over the shirts that were displayed over my head. It wasn’t until the lights went up in the building that the fans found their way to our table. Liam rushed over when things got crazy, and I found myself smiling at their increasing popularity.

  I was really proud of all of them.

  Chapter 15

  Braxton

  I was exhausted. It didn’t matter how much I prepared myself, I always ended up sore and tired as soon as the lights went down after our first few shows. I didn’t care how tired I was, because this was my life and I loved every moment of it. The blood and sweat was just part of the job.

  “Fuck,” I groaned as I flopped down on the black leather couch in our green room. This was only the second night of the tour and I already needed a break. The cold air from the vent above gave me goosebumps when it made contact with my sweaty skin. I didn�
�t care, because it felt amazing.

  The door opened about fifteen minutes later, and I didn’t need to look to see who it was, because I could feel her presence in the room. I pinched the bridge of my nose and took a deep breath, waiting for her to speak first, but she didn’t say anything. When I opened my eyes and looked to my left, Abby was quietly looking through her backpack. She didn’t look up or speak, and that made me frown.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she mumbled, digging her hand deeper into the bag. I heard the pill bottles inside rattle and my worst fears sent a pain through my chest. “Are you hurting? You need to take it easy, Abby.”

  “Stop, Braxton,” she sighed, pulling a charging cable from the confines of her bag. “I’m okay. I just need to charge my phone, because I want to take some pictures.”

  “Oh,” I said, slumping back into my spot. “Sorry.”

  “Are you okay?” she asked, walking up to my side. I didn’t answer her for several seconds, just let my body relax further into the couch. “Braxton?”

  “Yeah,” I replied, sitting up to stretch. “Just wore out.”

  “Go rest,” she urged, turning for the door. “I’ll be out after we finish.”

  The headlining band was onstage, and Abby would be out front selling our merchandise for at least another two hours. I wanted to reach for her, maybe place a kiss on her lips, but I didn’t. I just let her walk out the door.

  I had to keep reminding myself that I couldn’t have her. Kissing Abby on that bus had been a bad decision. A decision I made when my guard was down. Nothing good would come from us reconnecting, because I’d always be reminded of the accident.

  “Hey man,” Cash said as he pushed the door open. “Abby said you were in here. I need to ask you something.”

  “Sure.” I cleared my throat and tried to not think about her. It didn’t work. “What’s going on?”

  “I have an idea for a song.” He paused, looking at his phone with a frown. “I wanted to go over this with you.”