“Of course you don’t.” The bitter note of pain in his laughter squeezed her heart. “Because you don’t play games.” He set the bottle of whiskey between his legs and clutched his head with both hands, pulling at his hair. “And the joke is on me, because I fell in love with you, too.”
The walls of her chest constricted so hard she could barely draw breath. She moved the bottle aside and took him in her arms. He flinched at her touch, but she held him tighter, running a soothing hand down his back. The heat of his breath warmed the crook of her neck, and the thump of his heart beat against her chest.
“I’m sorry, Elijah,” she murmured into his hair. His arms tightened around her.
“You could come away with me,” he said into her neck. “All three of us. We could go anywhere, do anything we want.” He pulled away and studied her face then smiled wistfully. “But you won’t. Like I told Luke, you guys will get married and have tattooed babies, and I’ll be the weird dude who embarrasses everyone at family dinners.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way, you know. You don’t have to be like this.”
His bitter laugh made her stomach ache. He was so broken, yet perfect. Everyone wanted to be him but him. “I never told you my secret,” he said. His eyes flicked up to hers, soft and hazy with remorse. “When you did my tat, you told me about your dad, and I promised to tell you a secret in return.” He swallowed hard. “So now you know mine. I’m trusting you not to tell him.”
“I think he already knows,” she said and leaned forward to press a kiss to his lips. “And just so you know…I love you, too, you crazy fucker.”
She hated to leave him there, alone with his demons, but his struggle had nothing to do with her. Luke was waiting to take her home, and suddenly there was no place she’d rather be.
When Tasha slid into the passenger seat of Elijah’s car, her eyes were strangely bright. Luke studied her for a beat then put the car in gear. They were halfway to the end of the driveway when she put her hand over his. His gaze flicked up to hers, disturbed by the glimmer of tears. She bit her lower lip, her eyes searching his.
“Did you arrange this? Did you ask him to be with me? With us?” The depth of pain in her eyes knotted his gut.
“You should know by now no one makes Elijah do anything he doesn’t want to do.” Their eyes met. “Except Elijah.”
“I know.”
The interior of the car blocked out the noise of the party around them. The engine purred down the driveway. He let the silence sit between them, waiting for her to process whatever she was going through.
“Just so you know,” she said, “I love you.”
He stopped the car and turned to face her, his heart beating erratically. “Did I hear you right?”
“Let’s not make a big deal out of it,” she said, although her mouth curved into a smile. “But I’ve given it some thought, and I don’t want to be with anyone but you.”
“Does this mean we’re not friends anymore?” he asked and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. He’d never seen a smile more beautiful than the one she gave him.
“You’re my best friend,” she replied. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
EPILOGUE
TWO WEEKS later, Tasha received the deed to her mother’s house. There was no return address or note inside, but she knew where it came from. The next issue of Rolling Stone featured Elijah on the cover, shirtless and sporting the phoenix tattoo. He mentioned her by name in the interview, and her list of clients expanded exponentially. Gary made her a partner in the tattoo studio. Elijah sent texts and the occasional picture, but after a few months they became fewer and farther apart. Eventually they stopped altogether.
Luke moved into her apartment after Christmas. The best part of her day was finding her best friend in the kitchen each morning with a smile on his face and a cup of coffee in his hand for her.
When she looked back at their summer together, it all seemed like a fantastic daydream. She thought about Elijah whenever she saw a pair of bright blue eyes or heard a funny story. When a Seven Drift song came over the radio, Luke’s eyes would meet hers. They’d both smile, but they never talked about it. It was over, and she’d never share him with anyone again.
Two years later, she was in the kitchen making dinner on a Tuesday when Luke called her into the living room. The evening entertainment show featured a story about Elijah Crowe. His picture flashed across the TV, along with several clips of Seven Drift concerts.
“What happened?” she asked. “Is he okay?” She put a hand on her chest to calm her fluttering pulse. “Turn it up.”
Elijah Crowe, notorious drummer of Seven Drift and winner of eleven Grammys, walked off-stage in the middle of a concert last week amid rumors of contract disputes and hasn’t been heard from since...
Luke’s cellphone dinged with an incoming text. He read the message and handed it to her, a smile on his face. “You’d better lock up the liquor cabinet.”
What’s up, my bitches? Make up the spare bed. I’m coming home.
Felony Romance Series: Complete Box Set (Books 1-5) Page 72