Page 19 of Crimson Desires

“You’re not supposed to be here. I’m calling security,” I snapped.

The girl seemed to take my defensiveness as validation for her suspicions. Before I could react, she shoved me to the side. I fell backward, my ass hitting the concrete. Little chunks of gravel dug into the bottom of my thighs.

With me out of the way, the girl rushed to the equipment box and began scrabbling at the metal latches.

“Jack? Jack, are you in there? It’s me, Kelsey!” she screamed. “We met in Denver once at your show!”

“Are you insane? Security! Security, help!” I shouted.

Two big security guards rushed over to us. They grabbed Kelsey by the arms and yanked her away from the equipment boxes. Kelsey screeched like a harpy, crying hysterically that she was being “assaulted” by the guards, and begging Jack to come save her.

I staggered to my feet. I nearly lost my balance and fell again, but a pair of strong, steady hands grabbed me and held me upright.

“Aster, what’s going on here?” Jack’s voice rumbled behind me.

I turned, shoving him away from me. “Just an insane fan. That’s all.”

Jack frowned. “Are you okay? Did she hurt you at all?”

“She pushed me, but it’s not a big deal. Security’s taking care of her,” I said. I brushed bits of dirt and gravel off my legs. “Shouldn’t you be on your bus?”

Jack’s expression darkened. He didn’t answer my question. “Security should have prevented her from being here in the first place. How many more boxes do you need to move?”

“Two after this one,” I said.

Jack nodded. “Let me come along with you. I don’t want to risk you getting hurt a second time.”

It was an unexpectedly sweet gesture. But I couldn’t bring myself to accept it. I shook my head, breathing evenly through my nose to mask the fact that my heart was still pounding relentlessly in my chest. “It’s fine, Jack. She wasn’t after me anyways. She was after you. It’s probably best if you get back to your bus.”

“Aster, come on.”

“Jack. Seriously. Just let me do my job.”

The last thing I wanted was Jack’s help. Something about his protectiveness scared me. As contradictory as it was, I was afraid that if I dared to trust him, I’d wind up letting down my defenses and making myself more vulnerable in the process.

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like Jack would be willing to take “no” for an answer.

I sighed, throwing up my hands. “Okay. Whatever. Do what you want. You’re the rock star, after all.”

I grabbed the handle of the equipment box and hauled it the rest of the way to the truck. I passed it off to one of the production crew guys before heading back into the venue to get the last two boxes.

Jack followed me. I could see him scanning the area as we walked.

Uncomfortable with how quiet it was, I spoke up. “So, are your fans always that crazy?”

Jack shook his head. His watchful gaze didn’t waver as he answered me. “Not always. But when they’re bad, they’re bad. The reason that girl thought I was in your equipment box was because there have been times that I’ve genuinely had to hide in equipment boxes after concerts for my own safety.”

My eyebrows raised. “Seriously?” I grabbed one of the boxes. Jack grabbed the other.

“You’re surprised?”

“About the crazy fans? No. About the fact that your team thought the best way to hide you was to stuff you into one of these equipment boxes? Absolutely. Did you get a box all to yourself, or did you have to share with the T-shirts?”

The corner of Jack’s mouth twitched upward. “You think you’re funny, huh? For your information, hiding in an equipment box wouldn’t have been my first choice, either. It’s hot and sweaty in there.” He opened the door to the loading dock for me. As I passed by him, he leaned in close to me and whispered, “Although I have to admit, I’m not exactly opposed to hot and sweaty.”

I shivered as his warm breath tickled the shell of my ear. “Are you trying to be sexy?”

Jack laughed. “You can try to resist me all you want, Aster. Just know that it’s only a matter of time before my impeccable charm and good looks win you over. You’re fighting a pointless battle.”

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