Page 41 of Her Beastly Billionaire Rock Star
“It’s a miracle she got to the club safely.”
No kidding. “Yeah. So, I’m driving her home, and about two miles from the club, she got angry again.”
“Why?”
Malakai shrugged. He didn’t know how many times he’d replayed that night, wondering what had happened with her. “I don’t know. I don’t even remember what we were talking about. Next thing I know, she slams her elbow into the side of my face, right at my temple. I was trying to keep the car on the road, but she hit me hard enough that it dazed me. Then she started pummeling me in the face and head. It was surreal.”
Charlotte covered her mouth with her hand. “That’s awful.”
“It was all happening so quickly. Before I could get control of the situation, she somehow got her foot on top of mine and floored it. She wasn’t watching, though, and we hit the curb just at the right angle. The car flipped and hit a tree. I was okay with my seatbelt on, but she’d unbuckled hers at some point, and she went through the windshield.”
“Oh, wow.”
“Yeah,” he whispered. “When I came to, I managed to unbuckle and crawl out. I found her, and…” He shuddered. This part was the worst. Seeing her crumpled, mangled body. “She was so messed up. I took her in my arms. Moments later someone was yelling that they’d called an ambulance.” He took another deep breath, trying to keep his emotions at bay. “I was holding her…” He stopped again. Not talking about it since it happened was catching up to him. He hadn’t realized how much that night had affected him emotionally and mentally.
Charlotte moved closer to him and hugged him around the chest. “I can’t imagine how horrible that was.”
Malakai gently wrapped his arms around her, soaking in the comfort. “She made me promise. At the time, I felt so guilty for not saving her that I didn’t know what else to do to make it up to her. So, I took the blame. Before the cops got there, I got one of the beer cans out of the car and poured it on me. Pretended to be drunk when they field-tested me.”
Leaning back, Charlotte sighed. “That was a pretty selfless thing to do, and it couldn’t have been easy having that alcohol on you.”
He barked a laugh. “Funny thing was, I didn’t even crave it. I saw what it did to people, what it did to me, and I wanted nothing to do with it.” He kissed her forehead. “I just can’t figure out how you knew it.”
“That first day in the office, I was pretty sure of it. Then that first night, I knew without a doubt. The way you talked about your grandma. Seeing that video of yourself affected you deeply. You didn’t want to cause anyone else that kind of pain.”
Malakai threaded his fingers through her hair as he swept it back from her face. “I don’t know that anyone outside of family has ever believed in me like that.”
Yawning, she laid her head against his chest. “Oh, I’m so sorry. That wasn’t directed at you.”
Her body sagged against him, and he pulled out his phone to check the time. In a few hours, the sun would be up, and he’d stayed up all night again. It was his turn to yawn now. “I think I’ve got the same idea.”
Carefully, he scooped her up from the bed and leaned his back against the headboard with her in his lap. “Mind if I hold you a while?”
His shirt moved as she shook her head. “No.”
He laid his cheek on the top of her head and closed his eyes. This was a seating arrangement he could get used to rapidly. Her in his arms in the quiet of the night. It certainly soothed his spirit and calmed his soul. He was also pretty sure he’d met the person he wanted standing next to him when he was old and gray. Someone he could safely get lost in.
Chapter 20
Whatever alarm clock was going off had to stop. Malakai tried finding the source to shut it up, and his hand landed on a phone. He quickly sat up. It was Charlotte’s phone, and Octavia was calling. Then he realized Charlotte was gone. He looked at the phone again. Whoa. He’d slept past noon.
The bathroom door jerked open, and Charlotte stood in the doorway dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants that seemed hastily put on. The phone rang again, and she hustled faster than he’d ever seen her run, grabbed the phone, and put it on speaker. “Hello?”
Geez, she was cute. She smelled fantastic too. Honey? Vanilla? Whatever it was, he liked it. “W—”
Her hand clamped down over his mouth. “I was taking a bath.” Charlotte took her hand from his mouth. She shook her head. It struck him just then that anytime Octavia had called, she’d put it on speakerphone. Then he realized why. She was doing it to earn his trust.
“I was calling to see how you’re doing.”
Rolling her eyes, Charlotte sandwiched the phone between her ear and shoulder. “And what function do you have us attending this time?”
Octavia chuckled. “I’ve scheduled a press conference this Saturday, five days from now. It’ll be held at the front gate, and Malakai will need to personally write it. I want him to explain how you got hurt.”
“And you’ll need to look it over first.” Charlotte huffed and looked at Malakai apologetically. “I’ll make sure it happens.”
Charlotte had earned his trust, and now he needed to show her he trusted her too. He stood, and she stepped in front of him, shaking her head.
“I guess we’ve done these enough times that you know the drill.” Octavia cleared her throat. “Areyou okay?”
