by J. Nathan
Soft classical music greeted me as soon as I stepped off the elevator. I walked slowly over to the piano. Trey played with his eyes closed, caught up in the music like I’d seen him before. I sat on the bench beside him.
A smirk tipped his lips, though his eyes remained closed. “You smell like me.”
I bumped him gently with my shoulder. “I like smelling like you.”
Though his fingers didn’t leave the keys, he opened his eyes and glanced to me. “What are you doing up?”
“I was lonely without you.”
“Oh yeah?”
I nodded, enjoying the music he played effortlessly. “What brought you down here?”
He shrugged. “Just needed to play.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Thanks.”
“You should add piano to the next album.”
He shrugged again. “Nah. I don’t need to share it.”
I pushed myself to my feet. “I’m sorry, I just—”
“Sit your ass down.”
I did.
“I don’t mind sharing it with you, Brie. I just didn’t wanna wake you to come down with me.”
I pegged him with my eyes. “Next time wake me.” I looked down at the keys and pressed one of them gently, adding my own sound to the song.
“Can you play?”
“No. My mom was the pianist. I just loved to sit and listen to her play. I wasn’t a huge classical fan. I was more of her fan.”
He eyed me sadly. “Now you can be my fan.”
“I’m already your fan.”
“Damn straight you are.”
I laughed and so did he. “I bet you were a mama’s boy.”
“What would she think of her mama’s boy now?” he mused.
“I think she’d be proud of all you’ve accomplished.”
He bumped me gently with his shoulder. “You think so?”
I nodded. “I bet all your best qualities come from her.”
“They do.”
“And you’ll pass those on to your own kids someday.”
“Me with kids?” His eyes drifted, considering the notion.
“I’ve seen you with young fans. You’re a natural. You’ll be a great dad.”
“I will be, won’t I?”
I nodded, my confidence in him lighting up his face.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Brielle
Most tourists spent their week in Paris perusing art at the Louvre, enjoying a guided tour of Versailles, or taking selfies at the Eiffel Tower, pinching it from a distance to make it look small in the photo. Trey and I were no different. We’d done the touristy things, but we also sought out something equally as important to Trey before we left. A tattoo parlor.
“Does it hurt?” I asked as he lay on his side on the reclining chair while the tattoo artist penned a music note on his left arm on a small musical scale.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” he said. “Why? You thinking of getting something?”
“Nope,” I answered matter-of-factly.
“Why not? You could get my name tattooed above your ass.”
“Right.”
“Or, you could get a piercing. Just think how good a tongue ring would feel for me.”
My thighs quivered at the thought of what he’d want me to do with a tongue ring, and I suddenly wished we were alone.
He lifted a brow and I knew he’d thought the same thing.
“Why don’t you get my name above your ass?” I teased.
He scoffed at the idea. “Tell her,” Trey said to the tattoo artist.
The tattoo artist glanced up from Trey’s tattoo. “Rule number one,” he said with a thick French accent. “Never get a female’s name inked on your body.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“It’s the kiss of death,” Trey said.
A pit formed in my stomach. It wasn’t like I was thinking proposals and wedding bells when I was with Trey. But knowing, of all the things he had inked on his body, the idea of getting my name on him was that appalling told me he didn’t view me as a staple in his life. And that sucked.
“You’re done,” the tattoo artist said a short time later. “Check it out.”
Trey rolled off the chair and looked at his new tattoo in the mirror. He met my eyes in the mirror. “What do you think?”
I faked a grin, still unnerved by his comment. “Looks great.”
He stared at me for a long time, his eyes narrowing on mine.
“Let me lather it up with ointment,” the tattoo artist said, pulling Trey’s attention away from mine.
We stepped out of the shop a little while later. Trey grabbed hold of my hand and walked me through the streets of Paris. Not the touristy areas, but the back roads with their quaint little shops for locals and the discreet homes stacked above them.
We walked in silence. The light breeze coasting through the narrow streets provided the only noise. Normally, I’d enjoy the silence. But the way Trey quickly dismissed putting my name on his body set me off-kilter. I’d been floating on cloud nine since we started seeing each other, and that single moment in the tattoo shop just brought me back down to Earth, reminding me this thing between us might have an expiration date. “Trey?”
“Brie?”
“When we get back to the States…”
“You really want to do this here?” he asked.
“No. But I think I need to know what this is.”
“What this is?” I could almost hear the irritation in his voice.
I nodded. “Are we just having fun and we’ll go our separate ways once we get back, or is it something else?”
He stopped in the middle of the road and faced me, his expression a mix of frustration and anger. “What’s this really about? You’ve been acting off since the shop.”
“I just want to be prepared.”
He dropped my hand and scrubbed his hand up and down the back of his head. “Brie, I’m not used to being with someone. You know that. I’ve never had to think past any single moment. Let alone think about someone else’s feelings.”
“I know. I just…” my voice trailed off and I suddenly felt as if I’d screwed everything up. Wait. I didn’t screw anything up. He’s the one who said it.
“I thought I’ve been doing a pretty good job of showing you I’m trying,” he said.
“You have,” I agreed.
He pulled up his sleeve and showed me his new tattoo covered in ointment and plastic wrap. “See this?”
I nodded.
“Do you know what note it is?”
I shook my head.
“It’s a B flat.”
My brows squished together, unsure why he was telling me this.
“It’s a B flat,” he said, accentuating the letter B.
Goosebumps scampered up my arms as my eyes widened. “You said no names.”
His eyes softened. “I never said it couldn’t represent a name.” He wrapped his arms around me and held me to him. “This thing means something to me, Brie. Don’t ever doubt that.”
I said nothing, cursing my damn insecurities.
“If I say something that bothers you, like I guess I did back there, talk to me. Don’t make me guess what’s bothering you. Be up front like you’ve always been. That’s the Brie I fell for.”
I froze, scared to move. Scared to breathe. Scared to think. He’d gotten a tattoo to represent me. And now, he’d just admitted he’d fallen for me.
“Yes, I just said that,” he said. “Stop thinking so damn much, woman.”
Trying to stifle a grin, I pulled back. “It’s what I do. You know that.”
“Then knock that shit out.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine.
Never had a kiss felt as right as his did in that moment.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Brielle
We arrived in Madrid a few days later, heading straight to the amusement park where the band was scheduled to make an appearance. Though the p
ark had yet to open to the public, the band was greeted by applause by the VIP fans who won the opportunity to ride some of the rides with them.
The park’s PR representative led all of us through the park to one of the biggest rollercoasters in Madrid.
“You going on it?” Trey asked.
I shook my head. “You saw me on the zip lines.”
“Yeah,” he said. “I saw you conquer your fear and kill it.”
We stepped up to the massive coaster. My eyes took in the sky-high hills and death-defying drops. Fear grasped hold of me as I envisioned myself strapped into the coaster unable to escape.
Trey’s hand slipped into mine. I tried to release it, but he tightened his grasp. “What are you doing?”
“People will see,” I whispered.
“Are you embarrassed of me?” he asked.
“Completely. Have you looked in the mirror lately?”
He released my hand and slung his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into him. I laughed as he pressed his lips to my temple. “What are you gonna do now?”
I glanced around, quite a few eyes were on us. “You’re breaking hearts as we speak.”
“There’s only one heart I’m worried about,” he assured me.
“Ohhhhh. You’re good.”
He smirked. “I am, aren’t I?”
I spotted a teenager I’d seen earlier. Her eyes had been on Treyton since we arrived. Who could blame her? He looked hot in his torn jeans and black T-shirt. “Hey,” I called to her.
She pointed to herself.
I nodded as I slipped out of Trey’s hold. “Would you mind going on this ride with Treyton? He’s a scaredy cat.”
Excitement filled her features as she nodded.
I looked to Trey and winked.
“Oh, you think you’re smart, don’t you?” he whispered.
“I get you all the time. Your fans just want a little of your time.”
He considered what I’d said. “You’re all right, Brie Patrick.”
My head flinched. “Just all right?”
He chuckled before turning to the girl and wrapping his arm over her shoulders. “You gonna hold my hand on the ride?” he asked her.
She giggled as they made their way onto the ride. Trey smiled at me as the ride attendant lowered the shoulder harness over him. Then his attention turned to his fan.
She deserved her time with Trey. She deserved to know what I knew. He was not only fun to be around, but also caring and generous—and did I mention hot? Because my man was extremely hot.
We moved from ride to ride, each bigger and faster than the last. I took photos of the guys and their fans. I didn’t need to force Trey to choose fans to ride with. He sought one out for each ride. I posted the photos all over social media, some from the guys’ accounts and some from the band’s. Regardless, fans from all over the world were getting a firsthand account of what it was like to spend a day at an amusement park with their favorite band.
“Kozart’s posts are getting double the likes,” Aubrey informed me as we watched the guys get buckled into the free-fall ride.
“Oh, good. I tried to spread the posts around.”
“You’re really good at what you do,” she said.
“Any publicist would do the same.”
“You can admit you rock, you know?” she said.
I was good at my job. But only because I worked hard.
The fast trilling sound of a chain began. The guys and some fans were heaved four-hundred feet into the air on the ride. My stomach twisted into an uncomfortable knot just thinking about dropping from that height. Their legs dangled off the side of the ride as it sat waiting to drop. They were too far away to even differentiate who was who.
I lifted my phone and hit record just as the ride plummeted four-hundred feet. Screams came from all sides of the ride as the car they were harnessed into was yanked back up and dropped again like a yo-yo.
Aubrey laughed beside me as she snapped pictures. “Kozart’s probably dying.”
“What is it with these not-so-tough rock stars? Trey doesn’t like heights either.”
“The things you learn once they let you in.” She said it lightly, but her eyes drifted away as if she was reminded of something she didn’t care to share.
I wondered if she knew about Trey’s rough start. I wondered if Z had confided in her, or if Trey had sworn him to secrecy.
“Let’s go, Brielle,” Cam said as he stepped off the free-fall ride with Trey and Z who followed feet behind looking like they’d been through the ringer. “You skipped all the big rides,” Cam continued. “It’s time we ride something more your speed.”
“Oh, this has gotta be good,” Trey said as he appeared beside me, looking a little steadier on his feet.
“You good?” I asked him.
“Better now,” he said, dropping his arm around my shoulders and following Cam.
I should’ve known.
Cam brought us to kiddie land.
I lifted a brow at him. “Seriously?”
He smirked, then led us to the bumper cars.
“This is definitely more my speed,” I assured him.
We all filed out onto the track, slipping into our own cars. There were only enough for the guys, Aubrey, BJ, and me. But the fans seemed content watching us as we belted ourselves in, and our colorful cars whirred to life.
Before I could even find my first target, someone slammed into me from behind. My body was jostled around as I glanced over my shoulder. Cam howled with delight. Until, Trey slammed into him from the side, cutting off his laughter.
I smiled, as they both went after each other. I drove around in a big circle, trying to avoid all the melee in the middle of the floor.
“Don’t even think you’re getting away unscathed, Brielle,” Z shouted as he took off after me.
I swerved, thinking that was smarter than driving in a straight line, but Z slammed into my side, sending my car flying sideways and my body bouncing around. I laughed as I looked to him. He smiled, and it was the first time in a long time that I could see he didn’t hate me anymore. And it felt good.
I was finally part of their family, and I’d never wanted to be a part of something more in my entire life.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Treyton
“Where’s Brielle?” I asked BJ as our van to the venue took off from the hotel without her in it.
“She asked me to take care of things at the venue,” he said as we pulled out of the parking lot. “She had something to do at the hotel.”
Something to do? I’d been with her only an hour before and she hadn’t said anything. That was unlike her. She always ran our pre-show events—the control freak that she was.
“She’s with Aubrey,” Z added, seeing the concern on my face.
The last time she disappeared, things had taken a turn for the worse in Hungary. And we all know how that turned out.
At the venue, BJ lined us up for our meet and greets. I carried out my duties, greeting the Spanish fans, and smiling for way too many photos. And as much as I tried to be present for all these fans who’d waited to meet us, I’d be lying if I said my mind wasn’t on Brie and where she was the entire time.
“One more pair,” BJ informed us. “I hear they’re your biggest fans in the world,” he said before walking out of the meet and greet room to get the last two fans.
I pulled out my phone to send a quick text to Brie.
“Who you texting?” Brie asked.
I glanced up. My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Brie and Aubrey entered the meet and greet area, practically twins in their tiny cutoffs and Savage Beasts T-shirts. Brie looked like a fucking model with her hair in loose curls and her legs for days in ankle boots. “What the hell?”
She tucked her lips, stopping herself from smiling.
I stalked toward her, not caring who saw, and lifted her right off her feet. “You look so damn hot.”
She laughed, and I love
d that I was the one to bring it out of her.
“I’ve got five minutes. What do you say we find someplace to be alone?” I shifted my hips so she could feel what she’d done to me.
“Stop it,” she whispered.
“I can’t.”
“Get a room,” Marcus said.
We both peeked over to see the band standing there staring at us together. I guess I didn’t blame them. It was definitely the first time we’d shown affection in front of anyone.
“You two look hot together,” Aubrey said.
“You two are together?” Cam asked, completely stunned by the revelation.
We all rolled our eyes, knowing he really hadn’t caught on yet.
I tilted my head and pressed my lips to Brie’s for all to see. She laughed against my mouth, probably embarrassed that I wasn’t holding back in front of everyone. I pulled back an inch. “How do you expect me to perform with you looking like this?”
“Aubrey thought it would be fun,” she explained, keeping her voice down now that people were staring.
“Fun is definitely not the word for what this is.” I pulled my head back some more and stared at her in my arms.
“Put me down. I want my picture with the band.”
“Yeah?”
She nodded.
“Fine. But you’re gonna stand right by the side of the stage during the show so I can see you, you understand?”
Amused, she shook her head.
I lowered her to her feet, but didn’t release her as the band crowded around us. BJ snapped a bunch of photos with his phone.
“Cam, your hand better not be on Brie’s ass,” I said through a smile.
“She doesn’t seem to mind,” Cam responded.
Everyone laughed as we moved apart. I pulled Brie back to me and dropped my forehead to hers. “I’m taking these clothes off you later.”
“Deal.”
“Very slowly,” I assured her.
“Okay.”
“With my teeth.”
Laughter tumbled out of her.
God dammit. When she laughed like that, I swore I’d never need another girl’s laugh in my life ever again.
Brielle
Trey and I strolled through the hotel lobby hand in hand. Their show had been amazing and the Spanish crowd loved every moment of their set, especially “Fireflies.” Z stopped singing with his microphone extended out, and the entire audience sang along.