Pause (ROCK HARD Book 2)

  Pause

  Rock Hard Book Two

  Kat Mizera

  Copyright © 2021 by Kat Mizera

  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 written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Editors: Tera Cuskaden, Ashley Martin

  Cover Design: Dar Albert, Wicked Smart Designs

  Cover Photographer: Wander Aguiar

  Cover Model: Zack Salaun

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from “Rewind”

  About the Author

  Also by Kat Mizera

  1

  Lindsay

  There were probably a billion different ways to celebrate your birthday. But doing it at an exclusive sex club while your best friend’s rock band played a show was pretty damn epic. I’d graduated law school two days ago, and Lexi, my best friend of more than a decade, had shown up in Minneapolis to surprise me. Then she’d surprised me again with a plane ticket to come to Las Vegas with her for a week to celebrate both graduation and my birthday.

  Did I already mention that it was pretty damn epic?

  Of course, having a rock star for a best friend was epic in and of itself. Her band, Nobody’s Fool, had just finished recording their first album and were hopefully going on tour this summer. In the interim, they played gigs both here in Las Vegas and in Los Angeles to get a buzz going about them. I didn’t understand a lot about the music business, beyond the things Lexi told me, but I understood how the crowd reacted to the band and their music.

  And they were on fire tonight. The room buzzed with excited energy, moving to the hard rock beat, many people even singing along since they’d played here before.

  I was on my fourth glass of prosecco, enjoying my first buzz in months, and lost in the music when Lexi motioned to me, a big smile on her face as she spoke to the crowd.

  “Club Inferno! I need you to help me wish someone special a very happy birthday!”

  Oh, fucking hell.

  My traitorous best friend was about to do something really embarrassing, and I looked around in what may have been the stupidest attempt ever to escape something inevitable.

  The crowd started to cheer and one of the roadies had run to the edge of the stage, holding out a hand to me.

  Jesus fucking Christ.

  They were going to bring me up on stage?

  No way. I hated being the center of attention.

  “Come on, Lindsay!” Lexi grinned down at me and winked.

  I was going to kill her.

  But the whole crowd was cheering and nudging me forward now, so I had no choice. I also didn’t want to embarrass her because she really was the best bestie a girl could ask for.

  I grudgingly moved to the stage and gripped the roadie’s hand, wondering how this was going to work. The stage was a good four feet off the ground, and I wasn’t one of those tiny little women guys could just scoop up like they weighed nothing. This guy did, though, bracing with one foot and all but lifting me onto the stage as I put one foot on the wall to give me leverage.

  Damn. He was strong.

  I smiled at him and he winked before he jogged off stage, and Lexi came over to put her arm around me.

  “Club Inferno, can you help me sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to my bestie?”

  The crowd cheered and I probably turned a dozen shades of red, but it was kind of fun too. Being up on stage with the band was the coolest thing that could happen in my very mundane academic life, so I tried to swallow the fear and live in the moment. I wasn’t good at enjoying life, but I came closest to it when I was with Lexi.

  “Happy birthday to you…” Lexi started to sing, and the guys in the band joined her, all of them crowding around me except Bash, the drummer, who was pounding the bass drum in time to their singing.

  “Happy birthday, dear Lindsay…”

  “Happy birthday to you!” The crowd finished it off and everyone starting clapping and cheering like they knew me or something. It was as exciting as it was ridiculous.

  “What’s your favorite of our songs?” Lexi asked me.

  “‘Wicked X,’” I replied automatically.

  “Let’s do it!” She turned to the band, Bash counted off, and they hit the first notes. I started to move off the stage, but Lexi grabbed my hand. “Sing with me…”

  “What? No.” I shook my head wildly.

  Someone handed me a microphone and that was that.

  Holy shit.

  I knew the words, of course. I had all of their recorded music thanks to Lexi, and “Wicked X” was a great, sexy, gritty song.

  She’s my ex

  My sexy wicked ex

  We’re always having sex

  And she makes me start to flex

  Come on, sexy girl,

  Show me how it’s done

  Let’s have a little fun

  Before I head into the sun

  X marks the spot

  That makes this hot

  I’ll take a shot

  You’re my sexy wicked ex.

  Standing tall

  Against the wall

  Baby, we can do it all

  Take me down

  On the ground

  You know what I found?

  She’s my ex

  She’s the best

  No one knows my Wicked X.

  I sang the chorus with Lexi like I knew what I was doing, grateful for all the years of chorus in middle and high school. I couldn’t sing like Lexi, of course, but I could hold my own, so it was fun to be up there with her. Until Stu Killorn, the sexiest lead guitarist in all of rock and roll, came up to me and sang into the mic I was holding, grinning as we finished up the second chorus. I felt his sweat against my side as his arm rubbed up against mine, the smell of his aftershave wafting through my nostrils, and I momentarily forgot where I was and what the lyrics were.

  Fuck.

  Stu had been the object of every one of my college fantasies since the first time I laid eyes on him. From his soulful brown eyes to his sexy Scottish accent to the way his leather pants fit his spectacular ass, I’d thought of nothing but Stu when I wasn’t studying. Which admittedly was most of the time, but late at night, just before I fell asleep, it was all about Stu.

  Having his sweat on me just about did me in and I didn’t even look at him as I hurried off stage once the song was over. My best friend was wonderful and thoughtful, but she had no idea how hard it was to be in such close proximity to the man of my dreams when he didn’t even know I was alive.

  The band came off stage after the show, Lexi grabbed my arm to drag me with her as we were hustled into the makeshift backstage area that
had been arranged for the band. Club Inferno was a super-secret, private sex club owned by friends of Lexi’s husband. Normally, they didn’t have live music, but the members had loved it so much when Nobody’s Fool played the club’s anniversary party, they’d started inviting the band every so often for special events. Tonight’s event had been open to a limited number of the public—mostly word of mouth. The sex dungeon in the basement and the private rooms upstairs were closed off for the night, but the main floor was packed to the gills.

  I sank into a chair as a waitress brought me another glass of wine and I watched Stu through the corner of my eye. God, he was hot. Leather pants. Ripped, sleeveless T-shirt. Tattoos. Scruff of a beard. And those hands. He had big hands with long, tapered fingers that I often imagined running through my hair—and other places. I’d probably instantly combust if he ever touched me like that.

  “We’re going to go to the ladies’ room,” Lexi told me, motioning to herself and her bass player’s wife. Tyler had married a huge pop star named Ariel Fox earlier this year and they were the darlings of the music world at the moment. The media was obsessed with them after what Ariel had been through last year, and it was a little unnerving to be around her sometimes because the press never ever left her alone.

  She was really sweet, though, and I had to pee anyway, so the three of us headed to the back where the managers’ offices were. Regular guests couldn’t get back here but we were VIPs tonight and the guard at the door smiled and nodded as we brushed past him.

  “I can’t believe you pulled me on stage,” I pretended to complain to Lexi.

  “She loved every second of it,” Lexi told Ariel.

  “The only part I loved was Stu sweating on me,” I laughed.

  Ariel raised her perfectly arched pale brown brows. “Oh, really? Is there something going on between you?”

  I snorted out a derisive laugh. “Not hardly. But a girl can dream, can’t she?”

  “Why just dream?” Lexi asked.

  “Because guys like Stu don’t date girls like me.”

  “Girls like you?” Ariel asked, confusion marring her pretty features.

  I sighed. “Look, I’m a great human being and I think I’m a good catch. I’m attractive, intelligent, and relatively easygoing—just ask my bestie.” I grinned at Lexi. “But the truth is that bona fide rock stars like Stuart Killorn don’t date girls who have boobs so big they already sag, thighs that touch, and stretch marks. My belly isn’t flat, my butt is kind of big, and I can’t walk in heels. What’s a guy like Stu going to do with me?”

  “What any horny, virile guy does with a sexy, voluptuous woman who can suck the chrome off a tailpipe?” Lexi dissolved into giggles.

  I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, okay, make fun of me.”

  “Oh, come on, you know I’m kidding.” Lexi shook her head. “But seriously, is this a thing? Is Stu the man of your dreams?”

  “Look, it’s my birthday and I’ve literally spent ninety percent of the last three years doing nothing but studying. It’s been a year since I’ve had sex and, despite being a workaholic, I’m still a woman with needs and desires.”

  “So you’re talking about a hookup?” Ariel asked. “That’s easy. Just go for it. Despite what you consider your faults, you have a beautiful figure, and guys don’t care about saggy boobs. Guys just want to touch them.”

  “Go for it how?” I asked, leaning against the wall. “I mean, I can’t just go out there, grab him by what’s left of that shirt he’s wearing, and plant one on him.”

  “Why not?” Lexi asked. “Women do it all the time and he loves it.”

  “Yeah, but it’s my birthday and he’s my fantasy, so there has to be an element of desire on his part too. It can’t be a pity fuck… Do you understand what I mean?”

  “I do,” Lexi said softly. “Truly, I do, but in a few days, you’re leaving to go back to Minneapolis and start two months of hardcore studying for the bar—this is your last chance to have fun for a while and I don’t think he’s just going to chase after you. Not with the number of women angling for his attention tonight. So if he’s what you want for your birthday, you’re going to have to go for it.”

  2

  Stuart

  “So if he’s what you want for your birthday, you’re going to have to go for it…”

  I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop but I’d been on my way to hit the head a few meters behind Lexi, Ariel and Lindsay and heard my name. I’d thought it would be some silly girl talk—which didn’t offend me in the least—but it had been so much more.

  I’d had no idea Lexi’s sweet, sexy friend from Minneapolis was interested in some horizontal action with me. She seemed almost virginal, though I harbored no illusions that she actually was one. She was just one of those women who was always smiling, always a delight to be around. And bloody hell, what nonsense was she spewing about her thighs and her boobs? Far as I could see, she had a body made for fucking. Curves in all the right places and a pair of tits that any man would give his left nut to suck on.

  Women were a weird lot. I loved them, in all shapes and sizes, but now that I thought about it, Lindsay was probably right that I leaned toward petite, skinny blondes. She was a tall, curvy brunette and, if I was honest, I hadn’t given her a second thought any of the times she’d come around. Not because she wasn’t attractive but because she was my singer’s best friend and a nice girl. And I didn’t do nice girls.

  I’d steered clear of nice girls since I’d gotten out of prison two years ago and Lindsay fell into that category. Not to mention her personal connection to the band. So there was no way in hell I was taking her up on her offer.

  But it’s her birthday.

  The fucking devil on my shoulder had a mind of his own and needed to sod off.

  She’s going to think the reason you turn her down is because she’s fat.

  I nearly groaned at the thought.

  What in bloody hell was I supposed to do now?

  I liked when we played at Club Inferno. It was a private sex club and once the show was over, the owners usually let me enjoy a night in the dungeon, free of charge, since membership to a place like this was in the six figures and I didn’t have that kind of cash anymore. I enjoyed a little kink now and again and this was the perfect, safest environment to indulge. Tonight, however, the show was open to the public so the dungeon was closed. Not that I’d have any trouble hooking up for the night. There were dozens of willing, interested ladies here, stalking the makeshift backstage area and following me around when I went to the bar.

  But it’s her birthday.

  If I could have slapped the invisible devil on my shoulder, I would have.

  Now that I knew she was interested, and believed I didn’t think her attractive enough for me, how the hell could I hook up with anyone else? My choices were to either give us both the ultimate birthday present—because I already knew how sweet it would be to touch her—or go home alone. There wasn’t a chance in hell I’d latch on to someone else knowing she wanted me. Hell, I’d had a few fantasies about her myself, just in the last five minutes.

  She had to understand who and what I was, though. That was my biggest hesitation. She had to understand that the convicted felon—the murderer—was not the kind of man who could get into a relationship. Or fall in love. I went after the type of women I went after for a reason: there was no room in my life for something serious. Especially not a sweet brunette with curves for days and a mouth I could picture kissing long after I finished making her come.

  Bloody hell.

  I waited until the girls had come out of the managers’ hallway and then went back to relieve myself. When I was done, I headed for the bar. I was going to need more than a drink or two if I was going to let sweet Lindsay seduce me.

  And I already knew that I would.

  Lexi had gone all out for Lindsay. She’d flown her out to Vegas for the week, they’d done a bunch of girls’ spa days and such, and tonight she’d planned a hell of a
birthday party. Not just having the band and crowd sing her “Happy Birthday” and have her sing with us, but a huge cake, champagne, and a party that would probably go well into the night. Lexi’s husband played for the local professional hockey team, the Las Vegas Sidewinders, and he and a bunch of his buddies had just shown up after tonight’s game. Lindsay was currently out on the dance floor with one of them, laughing like she was having fun.

  He was one of the newer guys on the team. Young and single and one of those guys who played the field because he could. Maybe he’d give Lindsay what she needed tonight, and I wouldn’t have to. Because I really wanted to, but I didn’t want to use her like that and toss her aside when we were done. That was my M.O. That’s how I’d survived since the accident that killed my friend and former bandmate. That’s how I’d survived the trial. The sentencing. That fucking prison term. I’d hung on to my sanity by a thread, and though I’d probably let my new bandmates get a little closer than I’d been expecting to, my personal life was a big void.

  I’d just gone back to the bar for another drink when someone sidled up beside me.

  “Hey.”

  Oh, bloody hell.

  Lindsay.

  Those big brown eyes of hers might kill me. And that fucking smile.

  “How’s it goin’, lass? Having a good birthday?”

  “It’s been amazing.” She held up her glass to the bartender and he refilled it with the prosecco she’d been drinking. “What about you? Are you enjoying my birthday?”