Destined, A Lair Novel (Lair Series Book 4)

by A. m Madden

  Her brows rose as her lips twitched. “Yes. Why?”

  “You’ll see,” I repeated, rushing us to my room before locking the door. Like a tornado, I threw our bags on the floor and pulled her into my bathroom.

  “Anxious, are we?” she asked when I pulled off her T-shirt, flipped off her Chucks, and quickly removed her shorts and panties.

  “Two weeks since prom, Liv. Two. Weeks. I’m pretty sure I will die if I don’t fuck you soon.”

  “You won’t die,” she quipped while her hand molded over my hard-as-steel cock. “But watching you walk with a limp has been fun.”

  “Has it now?” I twisted her around until she faced the mirror, unzipped my jeans, pulled out a condom, and covered my dick. With a steady thrust, I slid into her. The maneuver was met with her releasing a rush of air.

  “Fuck, Liv.” Unable to wait a second longer, I began to piston my hips while reveling in her warmth. “Holy shit,” I growled, my voice strained because of the searing pulses at the base of my cock. With my eyes trained on her reflection in the mirror, I added, “This feels unbelievable, Liv.”

  “Uh-huh,” she said with a hard nod, while her eyes screwed tightly shut.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes,” she answered breathlessly. “Don’t stop.”

  I hadn’t planned on it. In fact, finally having her again made it fuck-hard to hold back my release. Determinedly, I reached around and circled her clit to push her along, but by doing so the soft pants became loud moans.

  “Shh,” I hissed through gritted teeth while never breaking stride. “Are you close?”

  “Uh-huh,” she repeated, gripping my forearm to ensure my hand remained right where it was and lifting her toes to deepen the angle. “Oh my God.” The next thing that came out of her mouth was my name before she tightened around me like a vise.

  “Shit… shit.” I was at the point of no return and watching as I disappeared into her body with each pump of my hips captivated me. Freezing my movement while deep inside her, I stilled while croaking way too loudly, “Holy… fuck!”

  It was her turn to shush me, but at that point I didn’t care if her father heard us from the Garden State Parkway. An amazing orgasm rolled on and on. What we’d just done, with her crudely bent over the bathroom vanity and me still fully dressed, added another level of hotness to the situation. She had yet to lift her head, still dragging in breath after breath while my body curled over hers. The only thing that would make it better was if I didn’t have to deal with the damn rubber. “We’re so dumb,” I said when I pulled out and peeled the latex off my still-throbbing cock.

  “Why?” She straightened and met my gaze in the mirror.

  “We planned the perfect weekend to lose our virginity, but we should’ve planned not having to use these fucking condoms.” Wrapping it in a few tissues, I tossed it into the trash.

  “Oh well.” Her lips lifted into a gorgeous smile. “We can’t cry over spilt… cum.” I chuckled at her comeback and wrapped her in my arms, which caused my cock to wedge between her legs and set off a secondary shudder for both of us. “Oh… wow…” She shimmied her backside against my crotch.

  Instantly, I hardened again. Being eighteen did have its advantages. “Time for round two.” Suddenly, her cell dinged from the back pocket of her denim shorts. When she bent to lift her phone, ignoring me and my compromising position, I griped, “What the hell?”

  Ignoring me, she gasped. “Oh my God. Kim just texted me.” She flipped her phone so I could read the screen.

  Breaking news! Kristi just texted me. Guess who came out as a couple?!

  Kim hadn’t waited for Alivia to even guess when a new bubble appeared directly below the first one.

  MOLLY AND JETT! They arrived at the bus together, sat huddled in the back together, and haven’t been apart all morning!

  As Alivia stared at me with a gaping mouth, I said, “Good for them,” pretending ignorance.

  “This is huge, Shane. Maybe Jett will remove the stick up her ass.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” I responded casually while ignoring the anxiety coursing through me for playing a role in it all. “Can we have sex again now?”

  Chapter Six

  Alivia

  “Here, babe.” Shane offered the soda he’d gotten for me, but at seeing my thumbs flying over the screen, he grumbled, “You two still at it?”

  As I typed back one final response to Kim, I defended myself by saying, “I told her to stop, and that I didn’t care.” My friend thought she was doing me a great service by keeping me posted.

  The texting had been going on since yesterday. It seemed that Molly and Jett were the talk of the weekend—quarterback and head cheerleader had finally come together. Blah. Blah. Blah.

  Every time Kim heard from her mole who had gone on the class trip, she felt the need to fill me in. The gossip only worsened when the pair had appeared at a party Kim and Chase were currently at. That gave my friend a front-row seat to what she had missed by skipping Senior Cut Day, and the need to confirm all the chatter had been true.

  “I don’t want to think about Molly, or Jett, or even Kim and Chase.”

  “Ditto.” I slipped my phone into my back pocket and took the ice-cold drink from Shane’s hand.

  “What I really want is to figure out a way to get you alone.” He positioned himself behind me on the chaise, forcing my body to lean on his before he kissed the skin behind my neck.

  “Good luck with that,” I mumbled, glancing over at the mass of people not fifty feet away.

  At that moment, our conversation halted as the first blast flared through the dark sky and burst into a technicolor bloom. Sounds of the kids squealing and clapping echoed around us, causing me to smile and Shane to chuckle. Even the adults were mesmerized as they all watched the spectacular display. There wasn’t a doubt that other beach residents could see them from miles away.

  I welcomed the distraction and relaxed against my boyfriend, enjoying the elaborate show. The entire weekend had been a huge party with enough catered food to feed a village.

  There was much to celebrate between Shane’s parents’ birthdays, which were a day apart, and their wedding anniversary. Overall, it was a typical Devil’s Lair party… including the fireworks currently exploding over our heads. Who needed the Fourth of July when you were famous and wealthy?

  Not surprisingly, Jack had gone all out. The man loved spoiling his wife, his kids, and his band. The scene wasn’t what someone would imagine happening at a rock star’s beach house… mainly because of all the kids present.

  “While everyone is so engrossed, we can take a walk,” he casually said. Instantly, my eyes searched and found my father standing behind my mom. With his arms around her waist as she leaned back into him, he was in his own little world, which revolved around my mother. “Your father is in a good mood. We may as well take advantage of it before the fireworks end.”

  “Okay, but we need to be quick, or he will have an aneurysm if we’re gone too long.”

  We stood from the lounge, left our drinks where they still rested, and slipped off the deck undetected. It was the first time we’d had some privacy. It wasn’t like we had any opportunity to sneak off anyway, with all the activity happening all day. Leila Lair always ensured there was plenty to keep the kids occupied.

  For the first time, Shane and I did nothing but lie around the pool, stuck somewhere between the kids and the adults.

  Usually they lumped us in with them. It was strange watching our transition happening this weekend. I guessed becoming graduates in a week had us also graduating into pseudo adulthood with our families. And now that we’d had sex, hanging out with the adults, who I normally loved being around, had me feeling out of sorts.

  It wasn’t as though I had a neon sign blinking above my head that read “No Longer a Virgin.” Still, it felt obvious for some reason. It hadn’t helped when some of the other band members innocently asked, “How was prom?” and my cheeks redde
ned in a way that confirmed our guilt.

  Except for my mom, and probably Shane’s parents, no one knew what had gone down in this very house most of that weekend. Dad seemed to be in some sort of denial about the whole thing. He couldn’t fool me, though. Especially when he made it obvious that he was keeping tabs on Shane every chance he got.

  Once we were no longer visible, Shane pulled me against him and pressed his mouth to mine. His lips moved urgently, and his tongue probed anxiously, making up for lost time. I kissed him back just as frantically, getting lost in him. His hard body pressed against mine, and I could feel every part of me coming alive under his spell.

  Our make-out session went on until the last boom echoed in the night sky, followed by distant cheers.

  “Shane, we have to get back,” I said after breaking away from him.

  “Yeah… yeah,” he reluctantly agreed before adjusting himself and adding, “but I need a minute.”

  That minute he needed became a lot longer. Not knowing what we would walk in to, Shane and I slowly climbed the deck steps from the beach.

  The kids were nowhere to be found and were probably watching a movie in the theater room with Beverly, the Lairs’ beloved nanny. She had retired a few years before, but she always helped whenever Jack and Leila had a house full of guests. The teens were also MIA, most likely in the adjoining game room playing video games, and my money was on my brother squirming his way in to play with them. The ladies were at the kitchen island making fancy cocktails, and the men were in a circle around the firepit—“jamming,” as they liked to call it.

  “We’ve been gone longer than I thought,” I whispered.

  “We’re fine. They probably didn’t even notice when we left.”

  “Shane!” my father called out. “Get your ass over here… right now!”

  Shane released my hand and raised his in defense. “All we did was go for a walk,” he lied, going pale.

  “Relax, son. We’ve been waiting for you to play with us,” Jack added, shoving my dad’s shoulder. “Don’t give my son a heart attack like that, jackass.” Their bandmates chuckled as my boyfriend released a very audible breath, no doubt relieved that he would live to see another day.

  “Do you mind?” he asked.

  “Of course not. Go.” After a wink, he rushed off to grab a guitar and slid right into their circle.

  As I went to sit on the edge of the pool nearest to where they played, I watched the talented group while wondering what life would be like in five or even ten years. Would the next generation take over as our parents went to bed? Something told me this crew would be living life in this fashion for a very long time.

  “You okay, baby?” my mom asked. I hadn’t even noticed that she’d come over to where I sat alone. She placed her margarita on the stone edge and lowered herself, mimicking me by slipping her bare legs into the warm pool water.

  “Yeah, I’m great,” I said with a smile, ignoring how one brow rose in disbelief.

  Our relationship was more like sisters than mother and daughter. Besides the fact we could talk about anything, we looked a lot alike, except for the ice-blue eyes that I had inherited from my dad.

  We dressed alike too. She loved wearing her hair up in a youthful ponytail. The white T-shirt she had tucked into her favorite well-worn denim shorts was something I’d borrowed many times. Mom had a body most girls any age would kill for. Camilla Deron Taylor was aging well, and hopefully the same would hold true for me.

  “Talk to me,” my mother prompted. “You’ve been very quiet for a few days now.”

  “Just my period.” I used the same excuse I’d given my boyfriend. Again, she seemed unconvinced, and before she could interrogate me, I said, “Hey, guess what?”

  The concerned expression smoothed out. “What?”

  “Molly and Jett are together.”

  “Wait… isn’t that the guy she really likes?”

  “Yep,” I said with a firm nod. “Kim found out they showed up together at the bus yesterday and were inseparable the entire day. Tonight they are at a party together.”

  “Well, maybe that girl will finally let joy replace her vindictiveness.” My mom laid an understanding hand over mine. “You’d be amazed how unhappiness affects a person.”

  Mom knew that firsthand. Becoming pregnant at only twenty-one by a rock star had had my mother’s already strained relationship with her parents and brothers disintegrating. I hardly knew my maternal grandparents, or my uncles and their families. They’d never accepted me, and later, once my father was in the picture, they surely hadn’t accepted him.

  My first few years of life, it had been only my mom and me. The only family we had, the only support system we had, was her best friend. The only reason I met my dad at the age of five was because my mom had had a scare and faced possibly losing me. She’d assumed the promiscuous rocker with no self-control would sign over custody without hesitation. Boy, was Mom wrong in that assumption.

  Dad had not only refused to sign anything, but he’d also wanted to get to know the daughter he never knew existed. During that time, he and Mom fell in love. Who knew where I’d be now if my father had rejected me as Mom had hoped? And if she had contacted him a few years earlier, at a time when he had hit rock bottom in his personal life due to tragedy, the chances Dad wasn’t ready to be a father to me were pretty damn high.

  The synchronized instruments faded, allowing one guitar to take over the melody. Having heard the music, the ladies sat around their guys, watching the impromptu concert. I focused on Shane playing solo while his father regarded him with a prideful expression.

  “He’s really good,” Mom said, stating the obvious.

  “I know.” I loved watching how he would close his eyes, getting lost in the music, while his fingers made that instrument come alive. Not unlike how I responded to his touch. “He’s destined for fame,” I added quietly, ignoring why that statement had my heart pounding inside my chest. It wasn’t a revelation of any kind. We all knew it was just a matter of time for Shane to break into the world of which we were born.

  “Mom?” When her gaze landed on my face, I asked, “How do you handle it when Dad tours?” There were times over the years that Mom and I would join Devil’s Lair on the road, but that had been when I was younger. Whenever we had toured with them, the Lairs had a tutor traveling with us. Once Trestan started school, and Shane and I got into middle school, our parents felt it was more important for us to be home. Since both his parents were members of the band, Shane would often stay with Mom, Trestan, and me, and we would fly out to see them sporadically during the few months every few years that they traveled.

  Their last tour had been more than a year before, which meant another would be in the planning stages for some time next year. Leila never let them travel longer than a few months at a time. Until now, that schedule had worked well for all of us, but Shane and I being in college when the next tour would typically happen would make for an interesting situation.

  When not on the road, Devil’s Lair continued to produce new music, sign new talent to their label, and record concerts locally in New York to stream online. That kept them current with their fans, while living as normal a life as being famous allowed.

  “You mean with trusting him?” Mom asked without pulling punches.

  “Not really,” I was quick to say. I did trust Shane. But we’d been together for so long, what I didn’t trust was how resolved he’d been that I was his world.

  How could he know?

  He hadn’t seen the world without me by his side… or even without his family by his side. I’d hate for him to miss out on anything because of me. And I’d equally hate if he were to realize I didn’t fit into a new world that he may discover. But I’d rather that happened sooner than later.

  I wasn’t sure why I suddenly questioned things that I had never questioned before. It had nothing to do with loving him or him loving me. It was the rest of the stuff that came with loving someone lik
e Shane. Maybe it was maturity, being months away from the next phase in our lives? Or maybe it was simply because life had been too good to me on every level, and it was inevitable before things turned to shit?

  “I mean more with being apart for so long,” I clarified. Specifically, growing up while we were apart.

  “I’m not going to lie. It’s hard, but I always have you and your brother to keep me company.” Her lips lifted into a toothless smile before she said, “It helps to talk on the phone every day, and visiting him gives me something to look forward to.” As I processed her words, she took my hand in hers and waited until I met her gaze. “It takes a special person to sign up for this lifestyle, Liv. Having said that, trust must be the foundation of your relationship, or it won’t work.”

  “I know.”

  “And always be true to yourself. Your father knows I love him, but I’m only a good partner because I know who I am.” She leaned over and kissed my forehead. “Don’t ever lose sight of yourself.”

  That was the difference between Mom and me. She had been independent for so long that she’d needed to adapt to allow Dad into her life and her heart. Whereas I’d been with Shane for so long, I didn’t know where he ended and I began.

  When the last song faded, Shane’s gaze immediately connected with mine. He threw me a brilliant smile before his father started another song. I knew the opening well and watched in awe as Jack and Leila began singing the lyrics together. Unlike my father, I was not musically inclined. But hearing Leila’s lovely voice complementing her husband’s deep masculine one made me jealous. Music had connected them even before their love had.

  Besides my mom, I had a tremendous amount of respect for Leila. She was the only female member in Devil’s Lair and handled her husband, brother, and their three best friends like a grammar schoolteacher often handled her class—with a touch of creativity and a whole lot of patience.