“I wear that term with pride,” Justin defends.
“You would,” Aria teases. Then Justin walks up to her, embraces her in a hug, and lifts and spins her. Her laughter a twinkling sound, one I haven’t heard in far too long. It’s infectious, but I know better than to smile.
“Who’s this?” Kael asks.
“That is my bestie Lana,” Aria tells us. She watches Kael watch her friend. “Don’t get any ideas, rocker boy. I’m not sure you could handle Lana.”
Lana smiles.
“Oh, I could handle her… with Gage,” Kael claims.
“Come to mama,” Lana retorts, and everyone starts laughing. Everyone but me. Dread fills my stomach so much it feels like it’s full of lead.
Finally, Aria turns to me, stepping out of Justin’s embrace. I prepare myself. It’s not going to be pretty.
“You.”
I nod.
“You’re an asshole.”
I open my mouth to say something, and she shakes her head.
“No talking.”
Meggie snickers. I would, too, if I weren’t the one getting the tongue lashing in the worst possible way.
“I’ve tried to hate you. It worked for a while.” Aria walks closer, slowly. “Then I’d hear another one of your songs on the radio. I’d hear your voice whispering all the things to me you once said.”
Lana sneers at me.
“Then I’d hate you again for a little while. I refused to listen to rock music stations for quite some time, but then you went ahead and somehow crossed over to pop briefly. I wanted to murder you then. I wanted to cut your tongue out, so I never had to hear your voice again,” she says, calm as can be.
Me? I’m not feeling all that calm. In fact, I’m feeling slightly attacked and, maybe it makes me a pussy, but I’m also somewhat fearful. I know she’s just telling me the truth about how she felt, but damn.
“But I knew it didn’t matter what I did. I’d still have to hear you. You already recorded songs—albums. There was no escaping you.”
Now she’s standing in front of me in her tight top and shorts. Those boots. Damn.
“So I just accepted it for what it was—you doing what you left me behind to do. You living your dream.”
Justin clears his throat. “So, wait. You don’t hate him?”
“No. I don’t hate him.”
Justin gapes at her.
“But…,” she begins, “I hate that fucking song, and if I ever have to hear it again, I’ll puncture my eardrums with an ice pick.”
Justin laughs, and everyone else has no idea how to react—including me.
“You just had to go and record that,” Lana scoffs.
“It was recorded before—”
Meggie elbows me in the ribs. “You might want to quit while you’re ahead.”
“But—”
Meggie throws me a look, and I close my mouth. But it wasn’t meant to be portrayed like that. I meant to tell her she was my air, and without her I can’t breathe. I sigh inwardly. She doesn’t want to hear it, and I don’t want to argue.
“Why did you summon me back here, Lucian?” Aria asks.
“I wanted to make things right between us.”
She shrugs. “Things are just fine between us.”
But they’re not. Seeing her, hearing her voice, smelling her—I want more.
“Time to head back to the hotel,” Gage calls out. He reaches for Lana’s hand, and she giggles. Kael grabs the other hand.
“Looks like I’m coming with,” Aria announces.
“I’m sure Lucian has no issue with that whatsoever,” Justin taunts.
Absolutely none. If I get a chance to have her alone in a room with me, maybe she’ll give me the time I need to talk to her… maybe we can hash things out.
“There’s going to be a big crowd out back. Head straight for the car. Don’t stop, no matter what. The fans have been rowdier than usual lately.”
“I blame it on Styx,” Justin throws in.
“It’s always Styx’s fault,” Meggie teases. “He’s so big and bad and sexy.”
Justin snorts. “Even the ring doesn’t deter them.”
“They’re groupies. They wouldn’t care if we were married. They’d still grope him. Remember what I told you happened to Jesse when Falling Down and Blush were touring together?” Meg reminds me.
Jesse Kingston, the lead singer of Falling Down, married Luciana Russo, actress and the lead singer of Blush. Well, not anymore. Meggie and Trace left Blush due to personal reasons, so Blush broke up. But when they were touring together, the groupies were all over Jesse, right in front of Lucy. They’d gotten married in Vegas and didn’t bother trying to keep it a secret. For one, it’d get out anyway. For two, they were in love, and they didn’t care who knew. That’s what it’d been like with Aria at one time.
I still think I did the right thing leaving her behind so she could live her life. The life she’d have lived if I’d have brought her with me, she’d have resented me. She’d have had no freedom—just a tour bus for months, and then a studio on the break. The band vowed to dedicate themselves to music to get to the big time, and we did just that—sacrifices be damned.
Now, I feel a sense of regret, even though I know it could have never worked. But we’re slowing down on the touring. After thirteen years, we can take the time we want and need for ourselves, knowing when we put out an album, the fans will be there waiting.
Aria hid from me for years. Not anymore. I’m going to do what I have to do to hold onto her this time. No matter what it takes.
Aria
“We missed Falling Down,” I chide Lana. Lana, who’s doing some weird finger-licking with the twins. Gross.
“I’d say I’m sorry, but it’d be a lie,” Lana admits.
I scoff. “You owe me.”
“Uh-huh. I do.”
“I’m recording this,” I tell her.
“Recording what? Don’t put this on camera, you kinky girl,” Lana scolds.
I snort. “Yeah, not that. Just you telling me you owe me. Big time.”
“We don’t mind videos,” Gage purrs into Lana’s neck as he licks along her pulse point.
Damn. Is it hot in here? Their sexiness is making me hyperaware of Lucian sitting next to me, his leg resting against mine, the heat flaring from our skin’s closeness.
“I need a shower, but we could get something to eat when I’m done?” Lucian asks.
I nod. “I could eat.” Eat Lucian up like a giant old cupcake. Lick him like a popsicle. Bite him like the bad boy he is. I know without having to look that my nipples are hard. That’s the first signal that I’m aroused. The second is the wetness between my thighs—and it’s so very wet right now. Oh yes, I’m going to fuck Lucian long and hard tonight.
“I don’t think she’s hungry for food,” Kael mutters.
Lucian looks at my nipples and lifts a brow. “I don’t think she is either.”
I lift a brow, not backing down, not being shy or ashamed. I’m just going to let everything happen how it’s supposed to.