Starstruck (Fusion #1)
Read Starstruck (Fusion #1) Online
Authors: Adalynn Quinn
STARSTRUCK
BY
ADALYNN
QUINN
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accordingly. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.
Copyright © 2013 by Adalynn Quinn.
Published by Daydream Books. September 2013
Starstruck
is a work of
fiction. All names, characters, places and events portrayed in this book either
are from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to
real persons, living or dead, establishments, events, or location is purely
coincidental and not intended by the author.
Cover created by Sarah Hansen, Okay Creations
One: Anonymous
August 2009
Indi
Although Indi had just returned from saying goodbye to her
two sisters, Sadie and Angel, at the airport after enjoying a week of fun with
them, she couldn’t help but feel relieved that they were flying back to London.
While Indi did not begrudge the girls accompanying her, she now wanted to enjoy
the freedom of three weeks alone. Following the endless police
interviews, meetings with the Criminal Prosecution Service and being
cross-examined by the opposition’s solicitor, she was all talked out. The stress
of appearing in court was finally beginning to dissipate.
With only half an hour of light left, Indi wanted to end the
day by taking photographs of the sunset from within the grounds of the villa.
Leaving the beach behind her, she made her way back up the spiral staircase
from the beach to the pool area. As she moved across the hammock-filled
terrace, the maid who came every day to clean the villa appeared in front of
her. The woman, who looked to be in her mid-fifties, reminded Indi of the
Italian grandmother of one of her school friends, with whom she had stayed
during her fifteenth summer.
“Senorita, I’ve put the food in the cucina,” the woman spoke
in broken English while pointing towards the lit-up kitchen.
“Thank you, Signora.”
The older woman nodded and left, leaving Indi alone once
again within the massive villa and its picturesque surroundings.
Before positioning herself beside the pool, Indi hit ‘Play’
on the remote control of the music player, allowing the divine tones of Xander
Keats to serenade her. He was the frontman of Fusion, an indie rock band
that had been setting the music arenas of the world alight for the past few
years. Despite Indi’s classical music upbringing, the man was her idol,
and the main inspiration for her choosing to attend Goldsmiths College,
University of London, for her music degree.
The pool’s tiled surroundings were in perfect alignment with
the half-disappearing sun, enabling Indi to capture the dramatic yellow, orange
and red hues glistening upon the murky sea. To her, sunset was the best
part of the day – the time when light and colour merged into the dark and
moonlight. The stillness of a slowed-down world had always helped her to unwind
after a frantic day at Goldsmiths.
Feeling satisfied with what she had accomplished, Indi began
to pack up the camera gear and lenses. As she did so, a shadow moving
through the garden of the neighbouring villa caught her attention. She
turned her face just as the lights sprung on to reveal a dark-haired man who
glanced her way inquisitively, tilting his head in the direction of her blaring
music. The intensity of his stare made the hairs on the back of her neck stand
up.
Was it too loud? Did he not appreciate the
velvety chords of the singer?
Flustered, Indi averted her eyes, but was unable to resist
the gravitational pull to move them back straight away. This time the
man’s mouth curled into a lazy smile as he nodded an acknowledgement to her
before disappearing back under the covered terrace as quickly as he had appeared.
The stranger’s presence had been too brief for Indi to make much of an analysis
of his appearance, but it was long enough to note his wide shoulders and narrow
hips, outlined by the tight T-shirt and low-hung cargo shorts.
Exhaling the breath of air she had not even been aware of
holding, Indi couldn’t help thinking the man looked familiar.
Heading back inside the villa,
she put the camera gear away, and started to assemble a light dinner of cheese
and ciabatta while bopping her head in time to the music thumping around the
room. Taking her prepared meal out on to the terrace, Indi sank into one of the
soft cushioned seats, intent on spending the rest of the evening enjoying the
revitalising sea air while finishing the paperback she’d bought at the airport.
The book was one that Indi had not read before, so the next
few hours slipped by undisturbed until some loud voices from the neighbouring
garden drew her attention from the printed text. This time she saw two beefy
men walking by the side of the boundary wall separating the two
properties. As Indi looked in their direction, they stopped and
scrutinised her for some moments before moving on again.
Frowning, Indi hoped her plans for a secluded holiday were
not going to be wrecked by being on full view to her neighbour’s security team;
she would have some strong words to say if they intruded on her solitude.
Having experienced the loss of all resemblance to control over her privacy for
a time, now that it was back in her grasp, Indi was not going to allow anyone
to impose on it ever again.
With the two men now out of sight, she became aware of a
chill in the air. Marking the place she had reached with her bookmark, Indi
closed the paperback and made her way inside the villa. Closing the patio
door behind her, she checked that the double bolts had sprung across properly.
Since the attempt on her life, she had made a habit of making sure every lock
was secure.
The villa had every security installation imaginable.
It had come at a higher rental price, but the cost was worthwhile as it had
reduced the frequency of Indi’s nightmares. When she had first decided to visit
Sicily, the executor of her trust fund had insisted on Indi staying in this
particular villa as he knew the owner and wanted to make sure she felt as safe
as possible. Not that her tormentor could rock up suddenly at this place
– he was safely behind bars.
After checking the doors and windows, Indi punched in the
code to set the alarm and moved into the bedroom. Removing her clothing, she
then headed into the bathroom for a shower. Washing the sand from her skin, she
tried to keep her curls out of the stream of water as much as possible.
Afterwards, wrapped in a fluffy towel, Indi cleansed her face before slipping
between the crisp, Egyptian cotton sheets covering the iron-framed bed.
***
Getting out of bed after a nightmare-free sleep, Indi was
beginning to feel hopeful that she had started to turn a corner when it came to
keeping her anxiety in check. Changing into a vibrant pink bikini, she
headed out to the pool. She liked the way the colour of the fabric
accentuated her tanned skin and contrasted with her blonde curls, which
cascaded over her bare shoulders and back.
Every morning Indi aimed to swim thirty lengths before
eating breakfast. A toned body had never come easy, but now that she had
one, she intended to keep it. Her build was rather curvy, with an ample
cleavage, slim waist and wider hips.
Diving into the deeper end of the large pool, Indi slipped
into an easy rhythm of ten-length blocks of her three preferred swimming
styles. Towards the end of the final set, she had the idea that she was
being watched. Stopping at the edge of the pool to catch her breath, she glanced
around, hoping it was just paranoia.
Noticing the stranger from the previous day standing beside
the low wall separating the two villas, a sense of fear rose in the pit of
Indi’s stomach. He was staring at her. Whenever a man looked at her for
too long, the same feeling of anxiety started to bubble inside her. The stalker
had made her wary of everyone.
“Is there something you need?” Indi called out, unable to
hide the sour scowl from her face as she stared back at the stranger. She
remained in the pool, too self-conscious of her bikini to get out and challenge
him up close.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to intrude. I was just being neighbourly
and saying hello.” The man spoke in a smooth, upper-class English accent.
“I’m Xander,” he added as the sides of his mouth lifted into a friendly smile.
Indi felt her heart pound as she continued to glare silently
in the guy’s direction, cautious of saying anything. Offering him a
slight nod of acknowledgement, she could not bring herself to relax enough to
tell him her name. Dread filled her mind that he had probably already noticed
she was staying in the villa alone.
“Hey, I’m sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable. I’ll leave
you to it, but if you need anything, I’m next door,” the man added,
casting an understanding glance her way before moving away from the wall.
Indi could not help but experience a twinge of regret as he
disappeared. If only she could let go of her anxieties and trust people again.
After all, not every man was like the slime ball. Prior to her encounters
with Zak Ellis, she would have chatted to her new neighbour with ease. The man
had clearly noted her discomfort and been considerate enough to leave her be,
and that had to count for something.
***
Over the next few days, Indi would catch the occasional
glimpse of her neighbour looking her way whenever they were on the beach at the
same time. Although he never actually approached, he always smiled and nodded.
His continued willingness to greet her, despite her lukewarm reception to his
introduction, flattered the girl’s shattered ego.
Now that her initial fears had lessened, Indi began to
notice how amazingly hot he was. She observed the dirty blonde curls falling
just below collar length, which framed his square jawbone, and his silver-blue
eyes that were piercing, even from a distance. His firm abdominal muscles
strained against the various tight T-shirts he wore.
Thoughts of the stranger’s presence continually invaded her
head in the days after their first encounter. Something about the way he
moved intrigued her; there was a sense of familiarity to it. Indi began
to wonder if he was a celebrity, especially since he was constantly accompanied
by the two men whom she assumed to be bodyguards. She had got herself
into such a tizzy about him watching her in the pool that when she tried to
recall his name she just couldn’t.
Two: Lust
Xander
With each passing day, Xander felt
a growing thrill every time he observed his neighbour’s acknowledgements of him
from afar. At first it was just a smile, but then a nod accompanied it.
The development warmed his heart, even though he’d long forgotten that he even
had one. His rough childhood had seen to that.
Gaining confidence from the woman’s responses to him, Xander
gave her a short wave when he saw her at the other end of the beach some days
after their first meeting. She had glanced up from a book and in his direction
as he descended the steps from the villa, intent on swimming in the sea before
lunch.
His alluring neighbour waved back; perhaps not a full-on
wave, but a definite raise of the hand in his direction, which was
progress. His heart fluttered pleasurably, catching him by surprise as a
woman had never sparked such a passion within him before.
Even in the dimness of the evening sun when he had first
laid eyes on her, Xander could not help but notice the woman’s bronzed,
curvaceous form, poured into a blue halter-neck top and white capri pants; her
layered, dark blonde curls cascading down her back to her waist. In just
one glance, his attention had been captivated wholly.
Xander was not ashamed to admit that he’d been with a fair
few stunning women in his time, but nothing came close to the memory of this
girl’s body in that outfit. It had given him an instant hard-on. But it wasn’t
all about her curves. The way his neighbour’s gaze had met his, almost
defiantly, fascinated him. It made up his mind that he was going to have her.
Xander was curious how someone would react to him initially
if she didn’t know his identity. Admittedly, this woman’s hesitancy when he
first tried to strike up a conversation had postponed any intended seduction
that he’d planned when he saw how spooked she was. He had seen the same
reaction many times before in the eyes of his sister, Freya, after the
discovery that a supposed family friend had been pressurising her into a
relationship she didn’t want.
Freya had been at a naïve and impressionable age, living
away from the family home in Warwickshire and attending the Royal Academy of
Music. Xander remembered how she had worn the same panicked expression
for months after the man was sent to prison. The way she jumped at every
noise and avoided eye contact with people was a reaction he would never forget,
and his neighbour was acting in a similar way.
It made Xander feel angry that a man had obviously put this
woman through the same distress that his sister had experienced. He might
not be the most loving boyfriend material in the world, but he would never
dream of harassing a woman until she was so intimidated that she would do
whatever he wanted.
All the lies and deception surrounding the breakdown of his
parents’ marriage had left deep emotional scars, setting Xander on the path of
keeping everyone at arm’s length, allowing no female to get too close. He
was a playboy who did not date the same woman more than twice; they never met
his family or entered his home. He would wine and dine them, and then
take them to a hotel when he felt the burning need for a quick fuck. Once that
purpose had been served, Adam or Hayden always escorted the girls from the suite
before they could create a scene after being told to leave.
Xander had never been one for sparing people’s feelings once
he’d gotten what he wanted from them. However, this new woman’s look of
vulnerability spurred something alien within him. Yes, he wanted to fuck her,
but he also felt a deeper interest. It made him want to make sure she did not
feel threatened by him, before or after his planned seduction. Friendship first
was his plan; to gain his neighbour’s trust while enjoying her company before making
any more serious moves. He would just have to enjoy gazing at her
steaming hot body until he could finally reap the rewards of his tenacity by
burying himself deep into her core.
After waving to the woman, Xander slipped off his T-shirt
and waded out into the sea, acting as casually as he could handle. He
tried to steal a glance in her direction after removing his top to see if she
was watching him still, but she’d already lowered her gaze back to her book
once more.
Xander felt a small pang of disappointment that she did not
continue to look his way, as his vanity liked the idea of this mysterious woman
admiring his body. But it simply made him even more determined to make
her talk to him properly, and to provoke the same interest in him as he felt
for her. He knew it could only be a holiday acquaintance, but he felt
pulled towards knowing her nevertheless. As long as they agreed not to
discuss their backgrounds in any depth and to keep an air of anonymity, what
was the harm? It wasn’t as if he owed his
fiancé
any loyalty.
By the time Xander returned from his swim half an hour
later, his hot neighbour had gone. Grabbing his wet towel, he headed back up to
his villa to make some phone calls before getting ready for an evening out with
his two main security details, Hayden and Adam. Since his band’s
elevation to rock god stardom, the need for such an entourage had become a
constant in Xander’s life, doing everything from deterring screaming teenage
girls from loitering outside his hotel suite to keeping the cameras of the
paparazzi out of his face.
When Xander strode into the seating area, Hayden had his
mobile pressed against his ear and he heard him say, “He just walked in.
I’ll update him if you can keep us abreast of the situation.” The security
guard’s face contorted into a weary expression as he closed the handset and
caught his client’s questioning glance.
“What do I need updating about?” Xander asked, pausing to
bundle his towel and T-shirt into a ball, ready to place into the laundry bag
for his maid to deal with.
“Poppy has been given fair warning that a story about your
pending marriage is to appear in
The Daily Globe
.
It seems someone leaked part of the pre-nuptial,” Hayden replied. Poppy Croft
was Fusion’s publicist and all-round media advisor.
“The bastard,” Xander raged as his face began to redden
with anger. “He can’t even wait until I’ve been out of the country for less
than twenty-four hours before playing dirty.” He knew, deep down in his belly,
who would be behind such a disclosure.
John Keats, his father – or
the
devil,
whom Xander and his brothers likened him to – did not approve of
the band’s lifestyle of jet-setting around the world playing music, rather than
taking on the various responsibilities within the family of companies.
As his oldest son, John viewed Xander as the instigator of
the rebellion when he’d allowed Milo and Noah to join his band once they hit
eighteen. Xander could hear his father’s lecturing speech even now: “
You’re the one who should’ve known better, and
discouraged them from getting involved in the hectic touring schedule of a
successful rock star
.
”
Now, after months of avoidance, Xander had conceded to focus
on bringing the Keats name to the next generation as soon as possible on the
condition that his sisters, Freya and Livvie, were left out of any warped
arranged marriage ideas. At least that was how Xander wanted it to appear,
because he planned to teach his father a lesson once and for all before the ink
on any marriage certificate became binding.
John Keats had handpicked Caitlin Harper for the job of
Xander’s future wife himself. She was the daughter of one of his friends who
had the same social status and business assets as himself; something that
mattered to him above all else. John did not care that his son lacked any
feelings for Caitlin.
The decay of two further marriages since John’s bitter
divorce from Xander’s mother made the son realise how emotionally hardened his
father had become. He believed John only gained enjoyment from ruthless
business takeovers and making his current wife’s life a misery. Xander felt
sorry for the woman, especially after the discovery of his father’s latest
deceptions just before he set off on this holiday.
The villa in Sicily was the first piece of property that
Xander had ever bought with his own hard-earned cash, not wanting its
acquisition to be tainted by the family fortune that his life was otherwise
hindered by. He loved hearing the sound of the crashing waves just a few
hundred yards from his bedroom and the tranquillity of the secluded beach. It
represented Xander’s escapism from what he viewed as the hollowness of duty and
honour, which his father continuously lectured him about whenever he saw yet
another made-up newspaper article about the musician’s life.
Striding determinedly into his bedroom, Xander grabbed his
mobile from the top of his dresser and started to dial John Keats’
number. Predictably, the call diverted straight to voicemail. After
leaving a strongly worded message, he threw the handset down on the wooden
surface and headed into the bathroom to take a long shower. Sometime later, he
emerged from his bedroom, dressed and ready for a drink.
Noticing Hayden and Adam make a move to grab their jackets,
he announced, “I don’t want any company tonight.”
“Xander, going out alone without us is probably not the best
way to be alone. What if someone recognises you?” asked Adam, persuasively. “At
least, if we’re in the background, we can get you out before a crowd shows
up.”
Xander nodded with a sigh. “Okay, you can come,” he agreed,
“but I want you to keep out of my hair. I need some space, rather than
feeling that I’m being babysat, understood?” He did not mean to sound such an
arsehole, but lately the lack of privacy had been getting to him more than
usual.
“Of course, Xander,” Adam agreed.
“Fine, then let’s get out of here.”
Arriving outside the seafood restaurant by car, Xander asked
the men to drop him off. He instructed them to remain nearby for a couple of
hours and then to head back to the villa unless he messaged them otherwise.
Reluctantly, they agreed to his request.
The restaurant was one that Xander visited whenever he was
on the island. Stepping inside, he was greeted warmly by the owner, who had
been talking with another customer near the entrance. While he and the
waiters knew who he was, thankfully they never drew attention to it.
The place was buzzing with activity and patrons chatting in
a variety of languages. Apologising profusely, the owner explained that he had
just given the last table to a lone English woman. Determined to enjoy a quiet
meal, Xander pressed the man to ask if she would be willing to share her table.
He would rather risk one person recognising him than heading into an unfamiliar
restaurant where a whole crowd might.
The owner caught a passing waiter’s attention. “Renzo,
please go see if the lady on the terrace is willing to share her table with
this gentleman.”
After chatting briefly with the owner in Italian, the waiter
soon returned with the lady’s consent to share. Xander followed him outside to
the covered terrace where he stopped at a secluded corner overlooking the sea.
As his eyes drifted over to the table in the vicinity to
seek out who he would be sharing with, Xander’s mouth curved into a satisfied
smile. His unplanned dinner partner was instantly recognisable as the woman
from the adjacent villa and the newly established resident of his waking
thoughts. He took a moment to drink in the endearing way in which she wound one
of her thick curls around one of her fingers as she browsed some papers in
front of her, looking thoughtful.
Coughing gently enough to draw her attention, Xander watched
as the woman finally lifted her eyes to meet his. Two beautiful pools of
emerald glistened against her near-perfect complexion. Flashing a
gleaming white smile at her, he stood by the vacant chair with his hand resting
on the back of it, feeling hesitant for the first time. “I’m sorry,” he
told her. “I had no idea that it would be you here.”
It was the first time he had seen her close-up. He had known
she was a beauty, but nothing had prepared his body for how gorgeous she would
be with only a wooden table between them. A whirlwind of images flashed through
his mind of all the things he would like to do to her across the said piece of
furniture.
Zoning back to reality, Xander composed himself as he
realised the woman was still staring at him, expectantly waiting for him to sit
down. “Do you still not mind sharing?” he asked.
As much as he wanted to accompany her while she looked so
delicious in her yellow sundress, he felt a glow of embarrassment overcome him
at all the lustful reactions she was causing his body to feel. He noted
her make a slight gulp before fixing a smile upon her kissable lips and replying,
“Please sit down. I honestly don’t mind.”
Xander enjoyed the way she spoke; her voice did crazy things
to the inside of his stomach. Feeling a
rush of relief and anticipation, he took his place
opposite her. “I’m not sure if you remember my name, but it’s
Xander.” He couldn’t help but stare at her with the same inquisitive
expression he had worn on that first day, waiting for her to offer her own
name.
“I-Indi, my name is Indi.”
Xander detected a touch of nervousness in her voice as she
stumbled over her words. “It’s lovely to meet you, Indi,” he said, offering his
hand across the table and showing another glimpse of his perfect teeth.
The woman accepted his hand confidently, and Xander felt a
jolt of energy pass between them as they touched, catching him unawares.
It caused an explosive sensation along his nerve endings, which passed up his
arms, down his body and into his belly. Indi’s green eyes stared into his
own for what seemed like forever, but was probably only a few moments, before she
exhaled a breath, looked down at her hand and pulled it away, blushing.
