Rock Addiction (Rock Kiss #1)(37)

A glare. “I admit he’s a bit obsessed with his models, but he’s small like me, kind, and he doesn’t raise his voice at me.”

“You know I like Ernest; he’s a lovely, sweet man.” She bumped her shoulder against Charlotte’s. “I understand why you want to be attracted to him”—the reason a heartbreaking one—“but the truth is you aren’t.”

Charlotte ducked her head, not saying anything.

Refusing to give up, Molly said, “You convinced me to be brave. I think you can be, too.”

“I’m not like you, you know that.”

“Do I?” Molly shook her head. “You said you were in awe of me for standing up to Queen Bitchface, but I remember you telling off the worst clique in the school until they crawled off with their tails between their legs.” Her best friend had been a tiny blonde fury that day.

“It’s different when it’s someone I love. When it’s me…” Charlotte swallowed, her next words a rasped whisper. “He scares me.”

Her hope for Charlotte flickering under the sudden cold front of her friend’s words, Molly drew Charlotte to a bench in the nearby square, the falling water of the fountain quiet music in the background. “T-Rex?” Receiving a nod, she put her hand over Charlotte’s. “Are you afraid to be around him?” If her instincts had led her in the wrong direction and this guy was—

“No,” Charlotte said before Molly’s mind could continue along that disturbing path. “No, not like that.” She checked her watch. “We better go—we’ll be late getting back to work.”

“I’ll make up the time.” This conversation was too important to abandon. “And since T-Rex didn’t let you leave till ten last night, I’m sure he can’t argue against a long lunch today.”

“Yes, he can.” It was a grumpy response.

“Do I need to storm the battlements and steal you away from his clutches?”

“Ha-ha.” Charlotte bit down on her lower lip before blurting out, “He scares me because of the way he makes me react. Sometimes I want to grab that tie of his and—”

“Do the kind of things I’ve been doing with my rock star?”

Charlotte’s blush was adorable. “Only in my more insane moments.” She pushed up her glasses in a quick, nervous movement. “Have you seen how big he is?”

“Sexy big.” All wide shoulders and heavy muscle, though he had nothing on Fox as far as Molly was concerned. “Also, you shouldn’t expect rational advice from me—I brought a man home after meeting him in an elevator.”

Charlotte’s shoulders shook, eyes gleaming. “Now you’re about to head off with him for a dirty, dirty weekend.”

Molly dropped her head in her hands. “What am I doing, Charlie?”

“I told you,” her friend said softly, “being the brave one.” She jumped as her cell phone rang. “It’s His Carnivorousness,” she muttered after glancing at the caller display, then answered in a professional tone. “Hello, Charlotte speaking.”

A pause, Molly watching in interest as Charlotte’s eyes sparked fire.

“Yes, I realize that,” her best friend said, still in that polite tone. “However, I did work well beyond my contracted hours yesterday.”

Another pause. Charlie’s teeth gritted as her fingers clenched on the phone. “Yes, I am,” she said in response to whatever she’d heard. “In fact, we’re about to check into a hotel.”

Molly squeaked, slapped a hand over her mouth. “Did you just tell your boss you were about to check into a hotel with Ernest?” she asked when Charlotte stabbed the End key.

Charlotte’s eyes went huge. “Oh God!” she wailed, as if only now realizing what she’d done. “I told you he was driving me insane.”

Molly nudged Charlotte’s head between her knees when her friend began to hyperventilate. “Breathe, Charlie.”

It took several minutes, Charlotte’s face bright red even after she’d sat up for another couple of minutes. “I can’t go back to the office now. I’ll have to quit.”

“No, you don’t.” Delighted that dealing with T-Rex was forcing Charlotte out of hiding, Molly dragged her to her feet and walked her to her office. Charlotte’s breathing was choppy again by the time she stepped through the automatic doors.

“Be brave,” Molly mouthed when her friend paused in the open doorway and looked over her shoulder.

A shaky smile, then Charlotte squared her shoulders and mouthed the same thing back at her. Be brave.





Chapter 15


Having taken two days off work, Molly stepped out of the Arrivals gate at Sydney Airport early afternoon the next day to find a driver waiting for her. He held a sign that said only SC Crew. Already in her roadie disguise, complete with jeans, cap, and a long-sleeved, checked shirt, she followed him to the car and got in. No one seemed to pay her any special attention—either at the airport, or when she checked into the hotel—though according to Fox, she had the room that directly connected with his.

His room wasn’t booked under his name, of course, but that of another roadie. The other man was having a luxurious time up on the penthouse floor with the other members of the band while Fox and Molly had the invaluable gift of privacy.