Lovestruck (Rock Goddess Reverse Harem Book 1) Read online

  “Beer?” I ask him, knowing for certain when he nods, yes.

  She scowls. “He shouldn’t be drinking that.”

  I pass him it and he drinks half the bottle in one go.

  “What did you do to him?”

  She narrows her eyes at me and snatches up the other purple-pink cocktail. “Nothing.”

  “I’ll bet.” Wondering about it wasn’t going to do me any favors besides. “Where’s Eden’s date tonight?”

  I don’t think I can sneak away, but the curiosity is going to drive me crazy until I know who he is.

  “Some restaurant,” Sky says, glancing at Cain before she downs her drink and strips off her jacket.

  The black dress is maybe three layers of lace that completely shows off her purple underwear. The panties are a thong. I catch Cain’s wince before she spins around and heads to the dance floor through the crowd. He just stands there watching her helplessly.

  “You’re not going to follow her?” It’s kind of his job.

  He lets out a sigh. “She gave me the night off.”

  “And yet you came here with her,” I say it like it’s any kind of surprise. Everyone knows they’ve been fuck-buddies for years. Well, everyone but Eden, apparently.

  “I told her we were done.”

  I’m sure my ears are deceiving me when I hear that. He has a good thing going with a super-hot rock star. Why would he give that up?

  “She broke up with you?”

  He shakes his head. “I told her I’m not fucking her anymore.”

  Wow. The guy has balls of steel.

  “How’d she take it?”

  “Not well.”

  “You’re not fired, though, right?” I don’t think she’d be that pissy, but you never know.

  “She said she might fuck Logan. Teach me a lesson. Whatever that means.” He drank the rest of his beer and put it on the bar.

  I got him another. “So you wouldn’t care if she started something with another guy?”

  He shrugs. “It’s not like our thing meant anything to her.”

  Ah. Took a while but I got there. He wants more than she does. Usually that goes the other way around in an unhappy relationship, but with Sky I’m not surprised. She acts like she doesn’t give a shit and mostly she doesn’t. She might like Cain but there’s no way she’d change for him. I don’t think there’s anyone out there she would change for. Good for her.

  Not so good for this guy. I get another beer ready. He tanks his and takes the third.

  “Plenty more fish in the sea,” I say, shrugging when he frowns at me.

  “She’s a fucking mermaid, man.”

  I get what he’s saying. I’m in love with a mythical creature too.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  * * *

  ASHER

  Eden is in a good enough mood to drink most of the wine tonight. She’s been glowing since I made her climax against that tree. The sexy flush on her cheeks is made permanent by the wine.

  I sip mine, but I’m very aware of how sober I want to be when we get to her place later. Crashing out inebriated in her bed is the last thing I want to have happen. I almost order another bottle when I realize I don’t want to forget a moment of this night. The haze of alcohol isn’t required or wanted.

  Eden smiles at me. “Well, I have to say, this isn’t quite as cozy as last time.”

  I glance around. The place is as busy as it gets which is to say it’s half full. “It’s a Saturday night. It hasn’t been too bad, has it?”

  One girl asked for an autograph when we got in, and we were getting a few curious glances, that’s about it.

  She strokes my ankle with her foot. “Maybe we should give them something to really look at.”

  I laugh. She’s definitely tipsy-drunk now. “No more wine for you.”

  “You have a point. Wouldn’t want you to have to carry me all the way home.”

  “I wouldn’t mind that. Maybe I could rest you against a tree on the way. Take care of that thing we were talking about earlier.”

  She raises an eyebrow. “Get the check.”

  “Really?” Desert hadn’t come yet. That was usually her favorite part, even if she did barely taste it before declaring herself full.

  “It’s dark out now, right?”

  “It’s almost midnight. How did that happen?” I suppose our detour by the park and the walk all the way here could have used up a good couple of hours.

  She shrugs. “It was like nine by the time we got here and that fish thing took ages for them to serve.”

  “I’ll get the check.” I got up and went to the counter, checking out the window as I pass. Dark enough for the moon and stars to be glowing brightly in the night sky. I hope the park is as empty as it had been earlier. I don’t think I’m going to be able to wait to get her into bed. I pay up and head back to the table. “Ready to go?”

  She smiles. “I am. I hope you are.”

  Chapter Forty

  * * *

  LOGAN

  The brunette with the rose-pink lips is wearing a low cut dress when she opens the passenger door and steps into my car. She smiles at me.

  “Oh, good. You’re still around. It’s almost time.”

  “It’s late,” I grumble, watching her hand stroke my thigh and wondering for a moment why I’d spent all day sitting in this rental car, waiting to remember something important that I was supposed to do.

  “What are you going to use to kill him?”

  I glance her way and bring out the gun. “Good enough?”

  She shivers. “I knew you were the right choice.”

  “What do I get out of this?”

  “You get the pleasure of being the one to put a bullet in Asher’s brain. You do know to aim for the head, right? He’s more likely to die that way. Wouldn’t want you to waste your precious bullets on his heart.”

  My headache starts to come back, full-on and thumping. I groan and she removes her hand from my thigh.

  “Head shot. Right.” I nod, wondering why my voice sounds so far away. My mouth feels weird. Like it’s full of cotton. Then I look her in the eyes and she smiles at me.

  “I’d offer to show you a good time, but I know you’re not interested in a slut like me. Eden’s the slut you want.”

  I frown at her. “Shut your filthy fucking mouth…”

  She shrugs. “No skin off my nose. You do know Eden’s fucking Asher and some other guy, though, right? She likes having lots of men at once. If that’s not the definition of a slut, I don’t what is.”

  She’s lying. She has to be. Eden would never…

  “Oh, she would. And she will. Unless you take them out and claim her for yourself. She’ll go right on sleeping with as many men as she can find. She can’t help it. It’s in her nature.”

  “Shut up,” I snap. The woman’s pissing me off. If she keeps going I don’t know what I’ll do. “Shut the hell up.”

  She leans in close and whispers, “It’s time.”

  “Where is he?”

  Chapter Forty-One

  * * *

  EDEN

  Asher, true to his word, carries me all way down the dark path to the tree. I stroke my fingers over the heart he carved before he presses me against the trunk. I hold tight as he reaches down and frees his engorged cock from his pants. I bite on my lip. My panties were already soaked at the thought of this moment. He rips them away and I gasp out a breath as he fills me with his rock-hard shaft. There’s no warning, no fondling, no getting me ready. Just hard, deep thrusting. It’s exactly how I imagined him taking me right here on our first date. I close my eyes and arch my back as he slams into me, over and over. It’s so rough and so raw I cry out his name when I hit my climax. It’s over seconds after that, and I’m shaking as he withdraws. His seed is spilling down my legs and all I can think about is how badly I want more. He kisses me, and rests his forehead against mine. He’s breathing heavily and there’s still desire in his dark blue eyes. He wants m
ore too.

  “I wish my house wasn’t so far away.”

  He lifts me into his arms. “It’s faster if I carry you.”

  I love this man. I hold on tight as he walks quickly through the park, carrying me home. I can hear faint bursts of noise in town; music from the night club. It’s carrying on the wind. We get inside the front gate and it’s too awkward to close it again.

  “Leave it, doesn’t matter,” I insist.

  He carries me to the front porch before setting me down. I get my key and open the door. I don’t bother to hit the lights as we get inside. He pulls me back to him and kisses me insistently in the dark hallway before he lets me go. I feel the hard swell of his erection pulse against my stomach and it only makes me more desperate to get him into my bedroom.

  “If I get into your bed, I may never leave,” he breathes as I drag him towards the stairs.

  “Sounds good to me,” I tell him, kicking off my heels and leaving them scattered in the hall.

  We dart across the kitchen and run up the stairs, as if we’re desperately trying to get to a finish line.

  I push open the door to my bedroom and pull him inside. He kisses me slowly, reaching around the back of my dress to find the zipper. Feeling him unzip me, I move my arms down to let him push the dress down my front. One hand stays on my naked back, while the other rubs teasingly at my lace-clad breasts. The clicking sound comes before the light flashes on.

  I open my eyes and break the kiss, fear taking hold as I seek out the cause of the sound.

  “Logan! What are you doing?”

  He’s standing in front of the balcony doors, staring at us with his gun in his hand. I don’t like the expression on his face. He doesn’t look like himself. His eyes are blank.

  “Get away from him,” he orders, his cold stare moving to Asher.

  I make sure I’m right in front of him. “Logan, put the gun down.”

  “He’s a psycho, Eden. He’s planning to kill you.”

  “No, he’s not.” I don’t know what’s gotten into Logan, but I’m so afraid for Asher right now that I can barely keep the tears from falling. My vision blurs. “What happened to you, Logan?”

  “You did, Eden. You made me love you.”

  He takes the safety off the gun and Asher pushes in front of me.

  “Don’t fire that thing around Eden. She could get hurt.” He’s deadly serious and not showing even the faintest sliver of fear. My heart is racing at the thought of the gun being fired. I’m shaking. I have to do something. I need to stop Logan. Asher reaches behind and grabs my wrists to keep me there. His grip is firm. I start to sob. Everything is out of control. I feel helpless.

  “You don’t deserve her,” Logan snaps. I can hear the hatred in his voice. “I won’t let you hurt her.”

  “You’re the only one in this room with the potential to hurt her right now.” Asher sounds so calm. I don’t know how he’s managing that. The thought of Logan shooting him is making me panic too deeply to think straight.

  “Eden, get out of here,” Logan says. “This is between me and him.”

  “No,” I cry out. “I won’t let you hurt him.”

  There has to be something I can do… The light! Using it on Logan might calm him. I know I could get him to put down the gun. There’s no chance this is something he really wants to do. He’s not a bad person, he’s not a murderer. Wait. Technically he is. I swallow hard.

  I pull but Asher won’t let my hands go. He’s trying to protect me.

  “Let go,” I whisper, sending the light through him.

  “No,” he murmurs back. “You’re in danger.”

  I remember Cupid telling me I was immortal. I didn’t know how that could be true. My mother had died, my grandmother too. They were Goddesses. They denied who they were. Was that the difference? I swallow. “Asher, I promise you, I won’t be hurt.”

  He’s still reluctant but he takes the order to let go the second time I make it.

  I move quickly to Logan and use the light on him. He doesn’t drop the gun, but his arms fall to his sides.

  “How did you do that?” Asher’s hushed question makes me glance back at him. I’m not sure how much he’s aware of, but he can see something of what I’m doing right now. I really hope this isn’t the same as telling him what I am.

  I turn back to Logan, touching his shoulders. “Logan, this isn’t you. What are you doing?”

  “I’m protecting you, Eden. He’s a killer. He’ll hurt you. I can’t let him.”

  “Asher’s not a killer. He loves me. Who told you that?”

  “The woman in black, the one with the pink lips.”

  Diana. Why am I not surprised? It had to be that bitch, didn’t it? She’s a Goddess of Destruction. She’s the one who can use my men to get at me. The thought of Logan being one of my men sent a pang of regret through me. I never should have told him I loved him. He shouldn’t be here at all.

  “She told you Asher’s a killer?”

  “She told me to kill him before he killed you. She said you’d be mine when that happened.”

  “Diana,” Asher whispers behind me. He’s come closer and he’s looking at the gun.

  “Drop the gun, Logan. Asher’s not a killer.”

  He lets go and Asher takes it from him, breathing out a relieved sigh.

  “You need to leave, Logan. This isn’t where you belong.”

  “I love you.”

  “I love Asher.” I can’t be soft on him, not now. It pains me to do it but he needs to leave.

  He doesn’t say anything. He turns towards the balcony. I hold my breath. Please go, Logan. Don’t make this harder than it already is.

  He puts his hand on the door, then he glances back at Asher and his hand slips into his pocket.

  “No, Logan,” I order, feeling the light surround me. “Leave.”

  There’s a smaller gun in his hand when he takes it out. He smiles at me. “This is for your own good, Eden.” The shot is fast, and I can’t move fast enough to block the bullet. I see blood blossom on Asher’s shirt before I even hear the bang. The balcony door opens and slams shut again as I rush to Asher’s side. He falls to the ground. The blood isn’t stopping, and I know what I have to do. Instinct takes over.

  I place my hand over the wound. The light begins to spread over his body.

  “You look like an angel,” he whispers, squinting up at me. I can tell I’m glowing like one. Maybe he can see everything I can see.

  I sense Cupid before I turn my head to see him looking over Asher. “You can only do that once.”

  “What?” I frown at him.

  “You can only heal one human of a fatality. You can only give that gift to one person.”

  “What are you saying?” Is he telling me Asher’s going to die? That I can’t save him? “No. I have to save him. There has to be a way.”

  “Who are you talking to?” Asher’s voice is starting to slur.

  I feel tears dripping down my face now. “There has to be a way.”

  “You can give him the gift, but it will be taken from the other if you do.”

  “Taken? What are you talking about?”

  Cupid sighs. “You panicked when you revived him. He died of a heart attack when you accepted your powers and started to fill with the light. You restarted his heart, Eden. You made that choice already.”

  Logan. His heart really had stopped beating. I’d brought him back. I looked at Cupid. “Will Asher die if I don’t heal him?”

  He nods. “Shot to the heart. I’m surprised he’s not gone already.”

  It’s a horrible choice, and it’s one I don’t want to make. I love them both, even if I can never be with Logan. Neither of them deserves to die.

  “You have a one-time change over option now, Eden. I can only help you with this because you didn’t know what you were doing the first time, because you acted on instinct. Whatever choice you make, that’s it done.”

  Asher smiles up at me weakly. His p
ulse has slowed right down. He’s almost gone. I hang my head. I can’t let him die.

  “You’re going to be okay, Asher. I promise.”

  I lift my gaze and take a shaky breath. “Tell me what I need to do.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  * * *

  EDEN

  I know I made the right choice. I didn’t need to question that after it was done. Asher had been willing to die to protect me, he was a good person. The only thing that had troubled me was Logan. Supposedly he’d die the way he was meant to. Heart attack. The same moment I saved Asher. That was the trade off. I’d expected to go onto the balcony and see him lying dead by the pool. He wasn’t there. Maybe he’d gotten to the woods, or just far enough away not to be seen.

  I couldn’t leave Asher’s side until the damned balcony lock had been changed. The locksmith hadn’t been able to come out the day before and apparently Diana hadn’t given the keys back to Sasha without copying them first. I’m assuming. The key was in a lock on the outside so he’d definitely used a key to get in.

  Logan might have been dealt with as a threat, but he’d been used by her. She’d tried to have Asher killed. She wasn’t making idle threats about my being here. She actually would have killed him to hurt me. I have to find a way to deal with her. She can’t be allowed to do this.

  Cupid had assured me that Asher was safe now, that the life I gave him would last as long as my own. I could only die if I let myself be destroyed so now that was the only way he could too. That was why my family hadn’t been immortal. They hadn’t embraced becoming Goddesses. They’d chosen to remain human and decay.

  “So are we doing anything today?” Asher clears his throat to ask.

  “Just waiting around for a locksmith,” I tell him. “He said he’d be here later in the afternoon.”

  He smiles. “I’ve heard fancy houses like this one have double showers.”

  “Well, there’s a big bathtub with a Jacuzzi function in there,” I tell him, pointing across his chest.