“You planning to put all the gear up?” Reese asked.
“Yeah,” Tristan muttered, frowning. “Whoever has the car stores the shit. I know the drill.”
“See ya, then. Practice. Same time tomorrow.”
“Yeah.”
Tristan shuffled away, and Journey came back to me.
My fingers tingled, but I wasn’t thinking about what his hair would feel like. I was thinking about jotting down that phrase. It seemed like a perfect opening line for a poem.
“Sorry about that,” Journey mumbled, lowering himself beside me again.
“Nothing to apologize about.”
“I lost my temper. Zero to sixty when something or, in this case, someone pisses me off. Most times, it’s necessary not to back down with a guy like him. But with you . . .” He scrubbed a hand over his face.
I scoffed. “Tristan’s an asshole.”
“You got that, huh?” he asked, his dark brows raised.
“Yeah. What’s not to get?”
“Chicks think he’s the shit.”
I pointed to myself. “Not this chick.”
“Yeah, I can see that you’re different. Simple tastes, maybe, but not at all simple. Unless simple means fascinating.”
Leaning close, his gaze intense, Journey captured a lock of my hair. He considered it, rubbing it between his fingers as he let out a low approving humming sound before he tucked it behind my ear.
A warm shiver swept through me as the rough pad of his finger skimmed the sensitive shell of my ear. When he lifted his gaze, the flames of the campfire were reflected in it. He was so close, I could see the intriguing pixels of green within the warm brown of his eyes.
“Where did you come from, Lotus?” he said softly. “You being here, it’s like you emerged from the ashes of some forgotten dream.”
“I just drove up from Ocean Beach with Ash.”
“Ocean Beach is farther from where we are now than you think.”
“Not so far,” I whispered. “Just a couple of hours with no traffic.”
I stared at him, my eyes on his as he framed my face in his hands. I placed mine on his strong shoulders. Half of my palm was on the soft cotton of his shirt. The other half was on his warm skin.
Touching him didn’t feel new or frightening. It felt necessary and exactly right.
I held my breath as the fire crackled on the other side of us. A cool breeze swirled around us, and the ocean roared.
“Maybe not as far as I thought,” he said softly.
Coming closer, he tilted his head one way, and I tilted mine the other. As his lips hovered close, mine buzzed with anticipation. His eyes closed, and mine did too as his mouth touched mine. A firm press of lips became a soft blending as I yielded to him and his kiss.
The connection between us was all sparks, consuming heat, and utter bliss. My skin crackled, a fire as hot as the flames of our campfire blazing beneath the surface. Then his wet tongue pierced the seam between my lips. My mouth molded to his as he rubbed his tongue against mine, providing the perfect friction.
My fuse ignited, I moaned into his mouth and climbed onto his lap, straddling him. He cradled my skull in one of his large hands, twisting my ponytail around the other, tugging gently to get the angle he wanted to deepen the kiss.
As our passion rose, we shared breaths. Desire. Heat.
Darkness like a velvet curtain drew around us, closing out the rest of the world.
It was just Journey and me.
The embers of who I’d been before this moment, before his kiss, fell like fiery drops of rebirth on my fevered skin.
Lotus
After the kiss, a seismic shift occurred that made everything seem more intense. The fire was brighter. The ocean was louder. Or maybe it was only that the tumult of indecision inside me subsided.
It was right. This was right, my being here with Journey. Before with Saber was over. Step by step, or maybe in one big leap because of Journey, my doubts were gone. I was ready to move on.
I ate the sandwich that Journey unwrapped and handed to me. After seeing to me, he offered food to Sophia and Reese, but they were too busy making out to respond.
“Nice of you to offer,” I said from behind my hand, munching on a turkey avocado on whole wheat with a little spicy mayo. “This is fantastic. Thank you.”
“You already thanked me.” Journey reclaimed his seat beside me, tipped back his beer, and then rubbed the back of his neck. He seemed almost embarrassed by my praise. “It’s not a big deal, but I’m glad you like it.”
“It’s a big deal to me.” I was unaccustomed to anyone else looking out for me. Taking another huge bite, I chewed and then swallowed while formulating words to explain. “You went and got the food with me in mind, right?”
“You, the guys, Sophia. Yeah.”
“That’s thoughtful. It took time. It involved you spending your money, and you expended physical effort to bring it here to the beach. I saw you moving the ice chest across the sand.”
“Not much, L—Lotus.”
I set down the sandwich and reached for his hand, squeezing it while holding his gaze. “Something that’s not much to you means a lot to me. Time’s precious. Money’s short. Any effort on my behalf is important. It’s caring, and caring should never be dismissed. So, thank you for caring for me. Truly.”
“God, I missed— I mean, it’s been a long time since I talked to someone like you.”
Considering his words, I tilted my head and picked up my sandwich again. I wasn’t going to let a bite of it go to waste, nor a single drop of my beer. Everything about this night, I planned to consume, and while consuming, to savor.
I liked Journey, and he liked me.
I didn’t need to make it any more complicated than that.
“So, what kind of people do you usually talk to?” I asked a broad question on my quest to learn more about him. It wasn’t only his good looks, the mystery surrounding him, or his skill on the guitar that intrigued me.
“Studio execs, band managers, other musicians,” he said, his gaze drifting over me. Was he having difficulty focusing around me the way I was around him? “No one like you.”
His eyes darkened. He seemed to appreciate my denim shorts overalls and the hot pink tube top I’d paired with them. I certainly liked his muscle shirt and jeans. Or maybe it was more the way he filled those items out. His broad shoulders stretched the cotton, and his biceps strained the frayed arm holes of his tee.
My gaze met his after a drifting of my own. Were my eyes darker? He’d been watching me check him out. My cheeks warmed as his lips curved.
“Don’t you have any friends that you talk to about non-work stuff?” I narrowed my field of questioning.
“Some.” He glanced across the fire. Reese and Sophia had disappeared beneath a blanket.
“Reese?” I asked.
“Yeah, he’s cool.” He took another sip of his beer, and I watched his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed while he peered at me through his thick lashes.
“But you’re leaving the group.”
“It was a temporary gig. I knew that going in. I prefer temporary. I don’t form lasting attachments. It’s time for me to move on.”
“Where are you going next?”