Alpha Male Incorporated Under Your Protection (21 page)

Well, if he wanted to be an asshole he could just be one. Tonight was too important for her to allow Jax’s jealousy to get in the way.

“Fine, you don’t want me to kiss you, I won’t and you don’t have to worry about me bothering you again.” Turning away from Jax, Sahara headed for the dressing room door. She needed some air and time away from Jax and his bruised ego.

“Sahara...Fuck...Wait a minute,” Jax yelled at her the same time Archer opened the door and walked in.

“Am I interrupting something?” Archer asked looking back and forth between her and Jax. “Do I need to come back in a few minutes?”

“No, I’m ready to hit the stage,” she said walking up to Archer. “Let’s go and give this crowd a show that only Coco can do.”

“Oh, I like how your pretty little mind thinks.” Archer placed his hand in the middle of her back as she went out the door.

“Sahara, we need to talk,” Jax’s voice interrupted. “I only need five minutes.”

“Sorry Jax. I need to go to people who want to be bothered with me,” she tossed back over her shoulder as Archer escorted her from the room.

****

Silently Jax walked next to Sahara as she headed towards the stage with Archer at her side. He didn’t know what possessed him to move his head when Sahara tried to kiss him back in the dressing room.

Yes, he was horny and craving another taste of her blood, but he shouldn’t have hurt her in that way because of his hunger and need.

His birthday was fast approaching and he was scared he might fall to the sleep of the dead if Sahara didn’t admit she loved him and allowed him to make her his forever. He hadn’t told her about how she needed to be a vampire after his four hundredth birthday because he wanted Sahara to come to him with her own free will and not out of pressure.

The loud ringing chants of Coco touched his ears even more the closer they got to the stage. He couldn’t afford for his mind to be on anything else but watching out for Sahara’s stalker tonight. Everything in him warned him that the guy was going to be here lying in wait for the perfect chance to make his move.

He stopped walking when Archer positioned Sahara in front of a black curtain. This was his chance! He would wait until the club promoter went out to introduce Sahara as Coco and then he would straighten out the misunderstanding between them. He couldn’t let her go on stage thinking he didn’t want her sexy mouth on his lips or anywhere else on his body.

“Coco, stay here while I introduce you. After I say your name wait a few seconds and then walk out,” Archer instructed then disappeared through the curtain.

“Sahara, you need to listen to me,” Jax said the instant they were alone. “You misunderstood what happened back in the dressing room.”

“Jax, I didn’t misinterpret anything. I tried to kiss you and you moved your head away. It was pretty easy to understand. How about we just end things altogether? You can find me another bodyguard and I’ll find another man.”

“The hell you will!” Jax growled as his hand shot out and he grabbed Sahara by the arm. He felt his fangs descending as his blood pounded through his veins.

“You’re mine! If you didn’t think it before we made love know that you are now! I’m not ever letting you go. Yes, I was a bastard for what I did in the dressing room, but that doesn’t give you the right to torture me by saying you want another man in your life and bed.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry, Jax,” Sahara said touching his face. “How could I want any other man when I love you so much?”

At Sahara’s stunning confession, Jax let go of her arm as all of the heated anger evaporated from his body.

“You love me?”

“How could I not especially when you get all demanding and start showing a hint of fang to me. It’s very sexy...but I can’t get into it anymore right now. Archer is done introducing me.” Sahara gave him a quick kiss before stepping back and heading through the curtains.

****

Sitting at the table off to the far side of The Kitty Kat Club, the man glanced down at the flyer someone gave him this morning while he was walking along the beach. The image of Coco on the front was good, but it didn’t do her justice as he glanced at her walking out on the stage for her performance tonight.

Oh, how the desire to hurt Sahara right this second pushed at him, but he had enough willpower to shove it back down. He couldn’t do anything with her new accessory standing not ten feet from her.

Jax Irizarry was the best known bodyguard money could buy. He wouldn’t have a chance at Sahara unless she was away from that giant.

The stalker crushed the flyer in his hand before tossing it down next to the chair. He wasn’t going to give up before the night was over. He would get a chance to be within touching distance of that lying bitch Sahara Chantel.

Chapter Forty

“When I woke up this morning I expected to see

Your handsome face and loving eyes, but to my

Surprise you weren’t there in bed next to me.

All I found was a cold empty space that left me hurt,

Confused and wondering

What went wrong between us?

Why did you leave?

Where did you go?

How could you do this

To me when I needed you the most?

How could you toss me to the

Side when I thought you were holding my hand?

V
ANISHED

You vanished from my life without a trace.

Vanished.

You disappeared leaving me wondering what I wasn’t even worthy

Of a card or note.

Baby, how could you take everything we had worked

So hard for away and vanish without so much as

A farewell good bye?

Didn’t I support you the way I should have?

Maybe it wasn’t me, but you were the one

Who wasn’t strong enough to wake beside me every day.

Instead of staying here you ran

Away like a thief in the night.

Could you not stay and tell me what went wrong before

You decided to pack up and leave me.

My mama warned me about your killer eyes and sweet smile,

But I didn’t listen because I thought she was wrong and I was right.

Now, I’m all alone because you weren’t man enough to

Stay with me.

Vanished.

You vanished from my life without a trace.

Vanished.

You disappeared leaving me wondering what I wasn’t even worthy

Of a card or note.

Baby, how could you take what we had away and vanish without so much as

A farewell good bye?

Days after you had left me baby,

I didn’t know what I was going to do.

I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep.

I was lost and alone.

Before I realized that I

Was strong enough to pick myself up

And move on from you leaving me in your past.

So, for the first time in my life,

I wasn’t taken back by you walking out on me.

V
ANISHED
.

You vanished from my life without a trace.

Vanished.

You disappeared leaving me wondering what I wasn’t even worthy

Of a card or note.

Baby, how could you take what we had away and vanish without so much as

A farewell good bye?”

****

Standing off to the side of the stage, Jax watched as the crowd went wild giving Sahara a standing ovation. He was still in awe at how Sahara could change into Coco once she hit the stage.

He knew at the last minute Sahara had decided to sing two songs instead of one, so he was waiting like everyone else to hear what the second song was going to be. He watched as Sahara waited for the crowd to stop screaming for her before she addressed them.

“I want to thank everyone for coming out tonight to see me. I really appreciate everyone’s love and support. The next song I’m going to sing will be the first single off my upcoming CD at the end of the year. It has a special meaning to me, so I hope everyone loves it as much as I do.” Sahara glanced in his direction and then focused her attention back on the crowd before she started to sing again.

“When I first met you I didn’t want to accept you into my life.

I thought you were trying to take away my fierce independence and strength,

So I resisted you at every turn.

I had already been taking care of myself for so long that

I resented the sudden appearance of you out of the blue.

I wanted you gone as soon as our eyes connected because I

Saw something in them that scared me. I saw security and someone

I could lean on, so I tossed cruel words at you but through all

Of my nonsense you never took a step away from me.

When I needed you the most you were my protection.

Protection, Protection.

It never mattered how many times I shoved you away.

You always came back and stood there at my side

As my protection.

Do you know how much I love you?

Do you know how good you make me feel?

You are the one that I have been looking for

After all of these weeks.

I love you more than words.

I love you more than all the things that money can buy me

Because you are...my protection.

When I needed you the most you were my protection.

Protection, Protection.

It never mattered how many times I shoved you away.

You always came back and stood there at my side

As my protection.

All of the time I thought you wouldn’t be there for me.

You proved me wrong.

Time after Time.

You took care of me through the

Toughest times of my life.

That is why I love you

You are my man.

When I needed you the most you were my protection.

Protection, Protection.

It never mattered how many times I shoved you away.

You always came back and stood there at my side

As my protection.

Do you know how much I love you?

Do you know how good you make me feel?

You are the one that I have been looking for

All of these years.

I love you more than words.

I love you more than all the things my money can buy me

Because you are...my protection

When I needed you the most you were my protection.

Protection, Protection.

It never mattered how many times I shoved you away.

You always came back and stood there at my side

As my protection.”

****

As Jax listened to Sahara’s soft musical lyric, he couldn’t believe what she was telling him. How long had she known she was in love with him? Every lyric in her song was their relationship. She hadn’t left one thing out about how they came together as a couple.

He wasn’t the type to cry about anything, but he did feel his eyes getting a little moist. God, he was glad Zander wasn’t here to see this or he would never hear the last of it.

What are you glad I’m not here to see?
Zander questioned as his brother’s thoughts touched his mind.

Where are you
? Jax asked, looking around the packed bar. There were so many people that he could barely see anything at all.

I’m over near the front door. Sorry, I’m late but I was with Sabrina. Was Sahara’s last song about you
?

I
believe so. Come over here so I can talk to you the natural way.

Let me make my way through the crowd and I’ll make my way over near the stage. I know that’s where you have to be.
Zander said.

Jax broke the connection with his brother and gave his attention back to Sahara who was standing up on stage taking a bow for the ecstatic crowd as applause broke out all around him for her final song of the night.

From the corner of his eye, Jax spotted several fans getting up from their seat towards the front of the stage making their way towards Sahara. Moving away from the side of the stage, he made his way over to them and blocked their path from going any further.

“Can I help you?” he asked the boy and girl who didn’t look old enough to be in The Kitty Kat club.

“We want to take a picture with Coco and get her autograph,” the young girl told. “Can you please move out of our way?”

“Yeah, Coco is
smoking hot
!” the boy chimed in. “Does she have a boyfriend?”

“Yes! She has a boyfriend!” Jax snapped, making the two teenagers take a step back from him.

Shit! He had to get himself under control before his fangs started descending or he was going to ruin this by scaring off her fans and that is the last thing he wanted to do to her.

“Sorry about that,” he apologized. “Go ahead and get a picture and autographs from Coco.” Jax moved to the side allowing the two young people to rush past him like they were on fire.

Standing back, he noticed the crowd of people around Sahara and the smile it brought to her pretty face. He could see this was the life for her. Maybe the fear of losing all of this was the reason she was fighting him so hard.