“You are so perfect. I’m the luckiest man alive.” He lowered me down until my back met soft cotton. “I love you,” he declared as he pressed into me. I wrapped my long legs around him and held on tight, my heels pressing into his back as I kissed and sucked on his neck. No words were spoken, only soft moans of pleasure or approval filled the space between us. I could tell that he needed to get lost in me, and I quietly enjoyed the ride. This was what he tended to do when he needed to clear his head. I found myself wondering if this is what it had always been like for him before I became a part of his world. His body jerked against mine, and he collapsed with his head on my chest. This had lacked the passion that usually accompanied our lovemaking, but he had needed it. This was for him. Later, he would take care of my needs.
“Oh baby, I needed that. I love the way you make me feel,” he groaned, as he steadied his breathing and feathered my lips with kisses. “I can’t seem to get enough of you.” He twisted to lie flat on his back and pulled me tight against him.
“I’m here. I’m not going anywhere,” I assured, as I kissed each of his fingertips, biting down on the pad of his thumb. “I can’t wait to hear you perform again. I know you’ll be great.
“I’m so glad you’re with me. I can’t wait to look over my shoulder and see you standing behind that curtain.” His other hand stroked back and forth over my arm in semi circles. “Stay here with me while I fall asleep.”
“Okay,” I agreed, unwilling to break our bond. I must have dozed off too because when I woke the bus was no longer moving. I sat up and peered out through the small tinted window. We were in a large parking lot that was nearly empty. Jesse stirred beside me and reached over to touch the small of my back.
“What do you see out there?” he asked, groggily.
“Just a parking lot. Where do you think we are?”
He sat up and leaned over me. “Shit, we must be here already. Paul must have hauled ass.” He stretched, and then flopped back down, taking me with him. “Umm, you smell good,” he said, rubbing his nose on me.
“What do I smell like?” I asked, already knowing his answer because we often played this game.
“Sex, and me. That’s my favorite scent on you,” he said, nipping at my shoulder.
“Maybe you could bottle it for me so I could always wear it,” I quipped.
“No,” he replied, thoughtfully. “I’d rather be the one to make you smell like that. You don’t need a bottle when you’ve got the source baby.” His eyebrows wiggled and he gave me a goofy grin. He got up and kissed me chastely on the mouth. “I’ll dance through the shower and then you can take one.”
“Okay,” I called after him. I watched him head into the bathroom and remained under the blanket, excited to watch him on stage. He had given me the rundown on how the night would go. Mel and I would hang out backstage with Stefani while the opening act performed a series of five songs, then Twisted Fate would take the stage and perform for ninety minutes. He had told me that we would be in the center of the action while watching from behind the scenes. From that vantage point I would be able to see Jesse perfectly. After a few minutes, he came out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a huge grin that showed off both of his sexy dimples.
“What?” I smiled, wickedly.
“I haven’t had a hickey since I was eighteen! Look at how you’ve marked me woman,” he teased, pointing to a large purple bruise on his neck.
“Oh wow, sorry about that, must have gotten caught up in the moment,” I shrugged, innocently.
“Uh huh,” he laughed, shaking his head and swatting at my ass as I scooted off for a quick rinse. “You’re just trying to mark me to let the ladies know I am unavailable. I’m down with that.”
“You bet your sweet ass you are,” I retorted. I finished my shower and dressed quickly before we made our way across the parking lot and into the auditorium.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The opening act was a group of five young men who played raucous music that vibrated throughout the building and hurt my ears. They had loads of energy and their enthusiasm brought the audience to its feet. Regardless of how I felt about them, it appeared the crowd loved them. According to Stefani it was a great way to kick off the event. She was standing between us and as Twisted Fate took the stage she grabbed each of our hands and squeezed tightly.
“This is it ladies. Be prepared to rock out!” she yelled, happily.
She wasn’t kidding. From the very first guitar lick Tyler belted out the crowd went wild. They had kicked off the set with a popular song from their last album. I knew the song well, and soon found myself caught up in the lyrics, singing loudly right along with my man. Mel jumped up and down, screaming at the very sight of David strumming out the bass line. Their sound was amazing. Jesse’s voice echoed right through me, electrifying all my senses. He moved comfortably around the stage and engaged the crowd by encouraging them to sing along. Each time they started off a song from their new album the room would go quiet as Jesse introduced the new material and began singing. By the time the song was over the words were now familiar and the noise level would multiply as everyone joined in. When they finished their set the audience demanded more. Shouts of “Encore” could be heard throughout the auditorium, and after the obligatory three-minute delay they took the stage for one final song. The clapping and stomping continued until Jesse sat on a stool in front of the microphone, but rather than singing, he started talking.
“This is a song from our upcoming album. I wrote it when I was at a pretty bad place in my life. See, I was a man that had everything, but at the same time I had nothing. I was in a downward spiral of lust and greed, and my world had gone upside down, until a special lady came into my life and turned everything I knew right side up. She showed me what it was to love, and be loved. We’ve had some good times, and some rough times, but the good always outweighs the bad. Now she’s pregnant with our first child, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life taking care of them. This song is for you, my beautiful Rhyann. I love you baby.”
Driving to another town,
standing on another stage
The crowd cries out for one more song,
Another hotel room and one more nameless face.
So many memories running through my head
A different girl in every town
Trying to make sense of it only drives you insane
You take another drink to try and drown the pain
Letting go, of everything that I thought to be real
Take my life back, regardless of the sacrifice or cost
The chains that used to hold me, now lying on the floor
And what I see before me beats all that I have lost
You look so much like an angel that you must be from above
Cause you’ve shown me what it means to fall in love
You came into my life and saved me
Gave me your heart to have and hold
But then I took your trust and broke it
And made the love in you turn cold
And now I’m standing here before you
A greater love I can’t recall
Tore down the fences that surround me
To win your love I’ll freely fall
I'll freely fall, fall, fall, fall
For your love I'll fall, fall, fall
I'll freely fall
Letting go, of everything that I thought to be real
Take my life back, regardless of the sacrifice or cost
The chains that used to hold me, now lying on the floor
And what I see before me beats all that I have lost
You look so much like an angel that you must be from above
Cause you’ve shown me what it means to fall in love
The song was a ballad that had the audience mesmerized. I looked out and saw bright lights above the crowd where people held up their cellphones and lighters. The lights seemed to sway along with the music. The song was beautiful, and it h
ad been written for me. I was overwhelmed at the honesty of the words he sang. He loved me, and now everyone else would know that as well. The impact of that reality made me cry. They were not tears of sadness this time; these were tears of sheer joy.
The band stepped off stage and Jesse came to me with open arms. “Are those good tears or bad tears,” he asked. “Did you like it?”
“They’re good tears, and yes, I loved it. It was so beautiful. I had no idea you were going to do that. Thank you. It was a wonderful surprise.”
“Thank you. You inspired me.” He kissed me firmly on the lips. I grazed the tip of my tongue across his dry lips.
“You need some water,” I admonished, sweetly.
“Yeah, it gets pretty hot up there. Come on, let’s head back stage, we have a small party set up.” He led the way to a dressing room. “Just let me change first, I’m burning up in this leather.” He shut the door and began stripping out of his clothes. I handed him a towel and he wiped himself off. “Don’t worry, I’ll shower right after,” he assured me.
“I’m not worried. I don’t mind if you’re a little dirty,” I smiled and playfully ran my hand over his abs.
“Oh sweetheart, don’t start now. We have to join the others,” he grunted.
“Hey, I can’t help it, it’s the hormones you know. I promise to keep my hands to myself,” I replied, holding my hands up to demonstrate.
“I didn’t say not to touch me,” he grabbed my waist. “I just said we needed to wait. That doesn’t mean I can’t have a little taste though.” He brought his lips to mine and kissed me deeply. He slowly broke the kiss, but kept hold of my bottom lip with his teeth. He nibbled on it before pressing his lips against me for one final kiss that made a loud smacking sound. “Let’s go, wife,” he teased, swatting me on the ass as I stepped in front of him.
The party consisted of the band members, family, the stage crew and a handful of concert attenders who managed to snag a backstage pass. There were tables of food and drinks, and music played in the background. We walked in and the applause started.
“Holy shit Rhyann! That song was awesome. I can’t believe he wrote a song for you. That's so cool,” gushed Mel, as she came over and hugged me. “Can you believe that show? What a rush.”
“Yeah, it was something else. I’m still on cloud nine,” I smiled. I looked over and caught Jesse’s eye as he winked and jerked his chin in my direction. By now I had come to understand that was his way of saying he loved me from across the room. I returned the chin lift and blew a kiss.
“Next stop Vegas baby,” Mel announced, loudly, laughing until she saw the look on my face. “Something wrong?”
“No, quite the opposite actually. I want to do something while we’re in Vegas, but I want to keep it a secret from Jesse and I’m going to need your help.”
“You got it Rhy. What are you thinking?” I pulled her aside and told her my idea. We called Stefani over and filled her in since I would need her help. If everything fell into place we would pretend to go out shopping and catch a show before meeting up with the guys to watch their show at the MGM Grand.
After the party we headed back to the bus and everyone went straight to bed. It had been a long day for all of us. I changed into shorts and a tank top before climbing in next to Jesse. We both were lying on our sides facing one another.
“Hey,” I said, quietly.
“Hey yourself,” he smiled and brushed his thumb over my lips. I kissed the pad of his thumb tenderly.
“I really loved our song. I can’t believe you surprised me like that.”
“I wanted it to be special for you. I’m glad you liked it baby. You are a great inspiration,” he whispered, placing a soft kiss on my waiting lips.
“How far is it to Vegas?” I asked.
“About eight hours. The guys will get some shut-eye and then leave sometime early in the morning. We don’t have a rehearsal scheduled until after six. What do you want to do all afternoon,” he asked, pulling me closer. “I have a few ideas.”
“I’m sure you do Mr. Montgomery,” I teased. “I’m sorry honey but I made plans to spend the day with the girls. We were going to get pedicures and go shopping. I thought you would be busy getting everything ready. I could cancel if you want me to,” I offered.
“No, don’t worry about it. We have a whole lifetime to spend together. You go have fun with the girls. You don’t get enough of that kind of time. I’ll be fine. I’ll hang out in the casino with David and watch him lose a few hundred bucks.”
“Does he always lose?”
“Every time.” He laughed, softly.
“If he always loses then why does he keep playing?” I asked, dumbfounded by the idea of throwing away money.
“I guess because there’s always that one time it might work out,” he yawned. “Oh man, I’m tired. You mind if I close my eyes for a few minutes?”
“Go right ahead,” I said, yawning too. “Night honey.” I whispered, as his breathing turned into light snoring.
I woke several hours later, unable to sleep. I was feeling apprehensive about returning to the city responsible for making me both elated and heartbroken all in the same day. We weren’t staying on the bus during this leg of the tour. The MGM had put us up in some of their best suites since the guys were their headliner for the weekend. Rather than running the risk of waking Jesse with my restlessness, I decided to get up and join whoever was driving the bus. I threw on a hoodie and went out to find that Charlie was sitting in the driver’s seat.
“Morning Charlie,” I announced. “Can I make you some coffee?” I started filling the carafe.
“Oh wow, that would be great. Thanks Rhyann. What are you doing up so early?”
“Couldn’t sleep. Don’t get me wrong, that bed is comfortable and all, but it’s not home. I’m also trying to get used to the whole concept of moving while sleeping. Where are we now?”
“Just east of Bakersfield. We’ve got about another four hours to go,” he answered, cheerfully. I handed him a mug of coffee and sat down in the front seat opposite him.
“Mind if I join you?” I asked, putting my feet up on the dash, making myself comfortable.
“Not at all,” he laughed. “Glad to have the company. Won’t Jesse miss you though?”
“Nah, he was out cold. I can understand why though. They put on one hell of a show.”
“How’d you start working for Jesse in the first place?” he asked, making polite conversation.
“Oh you know, I was in the right place at the right time,” I shrugged. “You really want to know?”
“Sure, we've got four hours to kill. I’ll listen to anything that keeps me awake darlin’.” I rolled my eyes playfully and told him the entire story, leaving out the sexy parts. When I finished he nodded his head and stated, “That sounds like the Jesse I know, chasing after the hottest woman in the bar. I’ll bet at the time he didn’t realize he had met the love of his life.”
“That’s sweet Charlie. I’m sure he didn’t bet on a lot of things back then, including getting married in Vegas,” I mumbled.
“Is that why you’re having trouble sleeping? Are you nervous about going back there or something? You know he’s crazy about you, right? I mean, you are seriously that man’s entire universe. Even when you two were apart, all he ever talked about was how much he missed you. Trust me, you’ve got nothing to fear sweetheart. Best to leave those ghosts buried.”
“You’re probably right. I know he loves me. This town just changed us you know. Thanks for the kind words though, I appreciate it.”
“I’ll tell you what I would appreciate,” came Jesse’s voice from behind us. “I would greatly appreciate it if my gorgeous wife would come back to bed with her husband, instead of hanging out with one of his best buddies.”
My Only Regret (Twisted Fate Book 1) Page 27