Patrick Buchanan, "family values" politician and vicious hypocrite, was the kind of man who'd have taken a stranger home for a night of uninhibited passion.
Fingers tightening on the stem of her glass, Molly made the deliberate decision to turn away from the rock star whose presence made her body sing. It was just as well that Fox was oblivious to her existence, because should he turn those smoky-green eyes in her direction, Molly had the heart-thudding sense that she might break every one of her rules and give in to the other Molly who lived inside her. That dangerous woman was Patrick Buchanan's irresponsible seed, someone who might well wreck everything Molly had built brick by brick after her world fell apart.
Releasing a shuddering breath, she wandered over to the plate-glass window that functioned as one wall of the exclusive penthouse suite Thea had hired for the party. The bright lights of New Zealand's biggest city sparkled in front of her, a cascade of jewels thrown by a careless hand and bordered by the black velvet of the water that kissed its edges.
"Stunning, isn't it?"
She glanced at the man who'd spoken. "Yes." Rangy, with eyes caught between gold and brown, he was only a few inches taller than Molly, but there was a contained energy to him that made him seem bigger.
"I'm David."
"I know." She smiled. "David Rivera--you're the drummer for Schoolboy Choir."
"Wow." David rocked back on his heels, hands in the pockets of the tailored black pants he wore with a stone-gray shirt. "You actually recognize the drummer. Big fan?"
Her smile deepened. "My sister's your publicist." Based in L.A., the only reason Thea even had an "office" in New Zealand was because of Molly. That fictional office had alleviated some of the pressure during their first nervous meetings, making Thea's flights to the country about something other than the relationship they were trying desperately to build.
"I didn't know Thea had another sister." David's eyes skated to where Thea stood with Fox, the lead singer's arm around her waist, and all at once, he wasn't the charming, well-dressed man who'd been talking to her, but one with a stiff jaw and rigid shoulders.
"Thea," she said softly, as the rich darkness of Fox's hair caught the light, "has three very specific rules."
Sharp interest, David's attention snapping back to her. "Oh?"
"One: never sleep with clients." The words weren't only for David's benefit--the idea of her sister in bed with Fox caused her abdomen to clench so tight it hurt.
"What's the second rule?"
"Never sleep with clients."
"Why do I get the feeling I know the third one?" Thrusting a hand through the deep mahogany of his hair, he blew out a breath. "She ever made an exception?"
"Not as far as I know." Having forced her gaze back to the multimillion-dollar view in a vain effort to control the visceral pulse of her physical response to a man who could never be hers, she followed the path of several blinking lights in the distance, a plane en route to the airport.
"You want another drink? I definitely need a beer."
Molly shook her head. "No, I'm heading off." She didn't trust herself to stay any longer, didn't know what she might do; every cell in her body continued to burn in awareness of the rock star on the other side of the room.
Putting her glass on a nearby table, she dipped into her little black purse to find the keycard Thea had handed her that morning. The card gave her temporary access to the building's parking garage.
"Thanks for the advice on Thea's rules," David said with a rueful smile.
"Don't mention it." Molly wondered if her sister had any idea of the drummer's feelings. "Will you be flying home soon?" Schoolboy Choir had played a sold-out concert three days ago as part of a new outdoor music festival that had attracted bands from around the world.
"No, we're staying in town for a month."
Molly froze.
"It's been a tough year," David continued, "and we need downtime before the tour we have coming up. We liked it here, figured what the hell, we'd just stay on instead of flying somewhere else for a vacation."
It made perfect sense... and Molly knew she'd spend the next month obsessing over whether she might run into Fox again. Her cheeks heated at the sheer ridiculousness of her response. God, she had to go home.
"I hope you enjoy your time here," she said as she turned away from the view. Of course, her gaze went straight to Fox. A leggy blonde was currently whispering in his ear while several other women looked on grim-eyed. It was a stark visual reminder of the gulf that existed between them, regardless of her body's potent response.
David's voice broke into her thoughts. "I'll walk you to your car."
"No, that's okay." When he frowned, she added, "There's a guard on duty in the garage. It's safe." Smiling her good-bye, she began to tunnel her way out of the packed room.
Skirting around the tall form of the guitarist for Schoolboy Choir, an almost too-handsome blond male in the midst of charming an actress Molly recognized from a local soap opera, she managed to snag Thea for a quick hug. "I'll call you later in the week," her sister said in her ear. "I'm staying in the country with the band for the first part of their vacation."
"Oh, that's wonderful." Molly loved spending time with her older sister now that the initial awkwardness had passed. "If you're in the city anytime, come into the library and we'll sneak out for a coffee."
"Deal."
With that, Thea returned to her guests while Molly continued on to the exit--where she gave in to the inexplicable ache inside her and craned her neck for one last glimpse of the man who'd turned her blood to molten honey. Fox, however, was nowhere to be seen. "Not exactly a surprise," she muttered under her breath, recalling the gorgeous women who'd been buzzing around him.
More than likely, he was in a shadowy corner of the building, pinning one of those women to the wall while he pounded into her. The image poured ice-cold water on her fantasies.
Stabbing the button to summon the elevator at the end of the corridor, she tried to think of anything but Zachary Fox's muscled body flexing and clenching as he drove himself into that nameless, faceless woman.
Her pulse fluttered, her breathing choppy.
"Thank God," she said when the elevator arrived and, stepping inside, scanned her keycard over the reader before pressing the button for the garage.
"Hold up!"
Automatically pressing the Open button until the other passenger had ducked inside, she turned to give him a polite smile. It froze on her face.
Because there in the flesh stood the sex god whose lip she wanted to bite. All six feet four inches of him. Masculine heat, golden skin... and smoky, sexy dark green eyes focused on her mouth.
Other Books by Nalini Singh
Rock Addiction
The Psy/Changeling series
Slave to Sensation Visions of Heat
Caressed by Ice
Mine to Possess
Hostage to Pleasure Branded by Fire
Blaze of Memory
Bonds of Justice
Play of Passion
Kiss of Snow
Tangle of Need
Heart of Obsidian
Shield of Winter
The Guild Hunter series
Angels' Blood
Archangel's Kiss
Archangel's Consort Archangel's Blade
Archangel's Storm
Archangel's Legion Archangel's Shadows (November, 2014)
For detailed descriptions of these books, as well as additional titles, visit Nalini's website: www.nalinisingh.com.
Acknowledgments
This one's for all of you who have supported the launch of the Rock Kiss series. Thank you for being so amazing.
A special shout-out to Ren for answering my questions about Indonesia. All errors are totally mine.
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series Nalini Singh usually writes about hot shapeshifters and dangerous ange
ls. This time around, she decided to write about a sinfully tempting rock star. If you're seeing a theme here, you're not wrong.
Nalini lives and works in beautiful New Zealand, and is passionate about writing. If you'd like to explore her other books, you can find lots of excerpts on her website: www.nalinisingh.com. Slave to Sensation is the first book in the Psy-Changeling series, while Angels' Blood is the first book in the Guild Hunter series. The site also has a special behind-the-scenes section dedicated to the Rock Kiss series.
Untouched by Lauren Hawkeye
New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author Lauren Hawkeye serves up a captivating story of loss, self-discovery, and deep-seated desire.
Some secrets are best left locked away in the past....
Alexa Kendrick has no recollection of the car accident that left her scarred and sent her life careening wildly off course. When the half-sister she thought she'd never meet shows up at her door with an invitation to a new life, Alexa finds herself in Florence, Arizona, a town notorious for being populated with more prison inmates than actual citizens...a town that has done its best to hide its own dark secret.
After Ellie is called out of town, she leaves her sister with the keys to her flower shop and Alexa finds herself swapping lives with her sibling: running Ellie's business, living in the house left to them both by their absentee father...and forging a smoldering relationship with sexy-as-sin penitentiary officer, Nate Fury--a man with his own demons.
But arranging flowers by day and tangling with the only man who has ever seen her real self by night isn't enough to silence the mysterious panic that fuels Alexa's dark dreams. When Nate brings home a book written by an inmate, one describing an unspeakable crime, the shackles binding Alexa's own lost memories begin to shatter. And as the devastating truth comes to light, she realizes that Nate holds the key to unlocking her past, as well as her heart.
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Stupid Girl by Cindy Miles
Only fools fall in love...
After her senior year of high school leaves behind nothing but heartache, Olivia Beaumont escapes to Winston College--only to fall head over heels for cocky baseball star and Boston Southie, Brax Jenkins.
Special Excerpt:
Butterflies slammed against my stomach the whole walk down, and it irritated me. It wasn't just anxiousness about seeing Brax. It was just the idea of going out with a guy. Any guy. And the closer I got to the parking lot, the more nervous I became. The more I wanted to turn around, run and hide. No matter if it was just a friendly dinner, that I was now a freshman in college and not a dumb high school teenager. Why couldn't I just be calm, cool, collected? I willed those qualities to fall on me, and fast. To infuse in my DNA and make me full of confidence. After a few deep breaths, I had it together. I crossed the common room to the doorway, and pushed it open. And those newly summoned qualities fled the moment I laid eyes on him.
Braxton Jenkins straddled his motorcycle just in front of the walkway. His helmet was off, shades on. Faded jeans, the bottoms cuffed. Black boots. White tee shirt. Black leather jacket. I couldn't see his eyes, but I knew the moment he saw me. A wide, white smile split his face in two.
The butterflies returned, full force and rabid, with teeth gnashing.
Holy God. I couldn't do this.
Beaumont! Breathe, girl! Nutcracker! Nutcracker!
The entire silly conversation with Tessa from the night before poured into my brain and instantly calmed me. Just thinking the safe word made me smile. I couldn't help it. It was just so damn funny. Anyway, it eased my nerves. I walked up to Brax, calm and cool. Friends. Nothing more.
"Hey," I said. "So you won. How'd the pitching go?"
Whatever expression his eyes held was hidden behind those shades. "Bitchin' as always. We spanked 'em good. Nice blouse there, Gracie."
I smiled, and his face launched into another heart-stopping grin. I inclined my head toward my truck. "Thanks. Let me grab my glasses and jacket."
Brax said nothing, and I felt his eyes score a jagged blazing hole into my back as I walked toward my truck. It unnerved me a little, but I pushed it aside. I opened the door, and leaned in across the seat to grab my faded denim jacket and shades. Jamming the key in and locking it, I headed back toward Brax and his bike. His eyes were still hidden, but I knew his gaze followed me. I shrugged into my jacket, which, at this time of evening in August I highly doubted I'd freeze my ass off without. "Ready," I said. I slipped my bag cross-ways over my head and shoulder, and plopped my keys in.
"Come here, Gracie," Brax said.
My heart slammed. I stepped closer.
Brax reached behind him and retrieved a helmet. He slipped it over my head and snugged it down tightly, tucking my braid inside. I was glad he still wore his shades as his face drew closer and secured the strap under my chin. Those eyes, so close, would've made me squirm in discomfort. I stared at myself in their reflection, and at his fingers nimbly moving with the black nylon strap. I noticed a few scars I hadn't seen before, small nicks that had turned silvery white with age. Definitely a roughened face, yet I had a hard time looking away. He smelled good; recently showered, light cologne. I drew a deep breath. Then another. It barely worked to settle me. My lungs just kept filling up with ... him. Unavoidably, my eyes dropped to that mouth. Another breath ...
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Copyright Information
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
Copyright (c) 2014 by Nalini Singh All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
eISBN: 978-1-625175-39-7
Cover image by: Jenn LeBlanc/Illustrated Romance Cover design by: Croco Designs
Nalini Singh, Rock Courtship
(Series: Rock Kiss # 1.50)
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