Rock Chick Reckoning (Rock Chick #6)(76)

“You need to understand where I’m coming from,” he told me.

“I don’t care where you’re coming from,” I shot back.

Morph complete, Mace was straight out angry. “Stel a, I’m warnin’ you, you got one shot at this, you throw it back in my face, you won’t get another one.”

Hard-hearted or not, that scared the snot out of me.

Regardless of the fear, self-preservation took firm hold and answered for me. “I’l take that chance.” His face stayed angry but I could swear I saw pain flash in his eyes, sharp and fierce. The sight of it made bile climb up my throat but I had no chance to take back my words.

He let me go.

Then he exited the bed.

The loss of his body felt like a cold slap.

I sat up and pul ed the sheets around me as he walked to his jeans. His body was taut, his movements jerky. It didn’t take a body language expert to know he was pissed.

And, what was even scarier, maybe even hurt.

Shitsof*ckit!

Now, what had I done?

I felt my heart start racing and swal owed the bile in my throat.

I opened my mouth to cal to him when the buzzer went.

“Jesus,” he muttered, yanked on his jeans and walked to the alarm panel.

“Mace,” I cal ed but it came out more quiet than a whisper and he didn’t hear me.

Mace hit the button on the alarm panel, Al y’s face fil ed the video screen and Mace said, “Yeah?”

“Open up!” Al y demanded. “Rock Chicks!”

He took his finger from the button, muttered, “Jesus,” again and then hit another button, buzzing them up.

He unlocked the doors, turned to me and said, “I’l take the dog out.”

Then he went to his bag, pul ed out a navy blue henley, yanked it on and was sitting on the platform, pul ing on his boots when the Rock Chicks stormed the door. Al y, Indy, Jet, Roxie, Ava, Daisy, Shirleen, Annette and even Jules was there.

“We hit the news!” Al y shouted, holding up a copy of the paper. “This time al of us.” Then she snapped her mouth shut and her eyes swung from me, to Mace, back to me.

I sat, stil frozen, stil naked, stil in bed, staring at my friends as they al stood, silent, realizing from the heavy air that they’d interrupted something.

“Um, is this a bad time?” Jules final y asked.

In answer, Mace got up, stalked to the leash hanging by the side of the door and whistled for the strangely attuned to her human’s emotional turmoil thus silent Juno.

As he did al of this, the Rock Chicks and my eyes fol owed him.

Mace did one more (very weird) thing before he left.

He yanked the paper out of Al y’s hand, ignoring her surprised, “Hey!” and he shoved it under his armpit.

Then he was gone.

I stared at the closed door.

The Rock Chicks stared at it too.

Slowly, Shirleen turned to me.

“Shirleen’s not thinkin’ good thoughts,” she announced.

“You got that right, sister,” Jet muttered.

Effing hel .

Chapter Fourteen

Maybe in a Towel

Stella

I wrapped the sheet around my body and then shuffled on my bottom to the edge of the bed.

“You okay?” Al y asked.

“I’l make coffee,” Ava muttered and headed into the kitchen.

My feet hit the floor and I headed toward my robe. “I think something bad just happened,” I said softly, not certain I wanted to share but too scared at what I was feeling to keep it inside.

“You think?” Shirleen asked. “Air was so heavy you could cut it with a knife.”

I looked at her as I struggled to put the robe on over the sheet. Her eyes were sharp but her face was soft and that combo eloquently showed her concern.

I felt the tears hit the backs of my eyes again. I pul ed breath in through my nose and decided maybe I shouldn’t share.

“What was in the paper?” I asked, changing the subject and dropping the sheet.

“Unh-unh, girl, what just happened?” Daisy was standing, hands on her slim, faded denim-covered hips.

I took a moment to peruse Daisy’s ensemble which was faded denim from head-to-toe, literal y. She was wearing a bil ed, slouchy, denim cap on her platinum blonde head, pigtails peeking out from under it at the back, wispy bangs at her forehead. She had on a tight, faded, buttoned up, denim vest, so much cle**age bulging forth from the v-neck that she was forced to leave one button undone taking the vest from indecent to mildly  p**n ographic. Completing her look, she wore jeans, skintight al the way down to her ankles, and denim covered, pointed toed, spike heeled mules.

I al owed myself another moment to marvel at her ability to pul off this ridiculous outfit as if it was the height of couture before she snapped, “Wel ?”

I grabbed my sky-blue lace undies and pul ed them on while saying, “I think I just did something stupid.”

“More stupid than not just lettin’ Mace back into your life without this idiotic rigmarole? Bul ets flyin’, Hot Bunch boys puttin’ their asses on the line, threats against al you al …” Shirleen whirled her finger around to take in al the Rock Chicks. “Stil , you al act like getting a booty cal from one of the Hot Bunch was like being tortured. I just don’t get it.”