My relief left me in a shaky exhale. “You fucking assholes,” I said with a laugh.
Matt laughed, along with Evan and Kellan, and seeing their humor brightened my spirits more than being allowed on the show. We could fix this. We could fix us. All I had to do was win.
Chapter 26
We Can’t All Win
A PA led me from the judges’ room to the winners’ room. He put a hand on the door to open it and I held my breath. Please let Liam be in there too. The door swept opened and a roar of cheer met my ears as I stepped in. People were clapping me on the back, congratulating me, and someone handed me a drink as I scanned the crowd. When I spotted Liam striding my way, I let out another sigh of relief. He’d made it too. Good.
He tackled me in a bear hug when he joined me, almost spilling my beer. “Can you believe it, Griff? We both made it!”
Even though I was buzzing with energy and excitement, I gave him a nonchalant shrug after we pulled apart. “That shouldn’t surprise you. I told you we would, and as you know, I’m always right.”
He slugged my shoulder and we both started laughing.
While diligent crew members recorded everyone’s reactions to making the “team,” I noticed something strange near the doors. Sam had just walked in. Looking like an imposing fortress of bone-crushing muscle, he searched the room. When his eyes fell on me and he started heading my way, my stomach leaped into my throat. Was it the guys? Had they changed their mind about me?
I clenched my fingers into fists to stop them from shaking. Emotionless, Sam stepped in front of me and said, “Someone wants to see you outside.”
My heart sank. “It’s Matt, isn’t it? He’s still pissed at me, and he changed his mind, didn’t he?” Sam didn’t respond one way or the other and I sighed. Yep. Matt had changed his mind. Turning to Liam, I told him, “I have a bad feeling about this…If this goes south, and the guys kick me out, it’s up to you to represent the Hancock name, okay?”
Liam’s mouth dropped open. Speechless, he alternated between gaping at me and Sam. Downing the rest of my drink, I handed Liam my empty cup, then followed Kellan’s burly bodyguard outside. As we walked out the doors, I told Sam, “You know, I think I liked you better when you were bouncing at Pete’s. At least you smiled back then. And talked. And even occasionally had drinks with us. Now you’re all business, all the time. What the hell happened to you? Did Kellan buy your balls as well as your brawn?”
Once the door to the party room was closed, Sam turned to me with a cheesy grin on his face. “Shut the hell up, Griffin,” he said, then he grabbed me and hugged me. I was so shocked I couldn’t move. And I kind of couldn’t breathe either. Sam was fucking strong. “Congratulations, man,” he said, setting me down. The D-Bags just haven’t been the D-Bags without you.”
I gasped for air once I could breathe again. “I haven’t won yet, you know.”
Sam swished his hand like the rest of this contest was just a formality, and I had it in the bag. Tilting my head, I asked him, “So, it’s not Matt who wanted to see me? He’s not kicking me out?”
Smiling, Sam shook his head. He pointed down the hallway, and my eyes followed. There, looking like a goddess under the fluorescent lighting, was my wife. She was standing there with her head tilted, staring at me and chewing on her lip. For the second time today, I was taken aback by how fucking gorgeous she was. I smacked Sam on the chest with the back of my hand. “I’m gonna be a minute.”
A low rumbling laugh escaped his chest. “Yep, I know.”
I started walking her way, and my eyes roved over her body with every step I took. It was warm outside, and she was wearing shorts that were almost illegal they were so tiny. Her trim thighs were a golden honey color, and I knew they’d be smooth as silk to the touch. My dick twitched just thinking about it. Then my eyes wandered up to her chest. She was wearing a tight tank top with think straps and…fuck me…a built-in bra. Her nipples were poking through the fabric in a way that almost made my legs give out. I walked faster.
When I was almost to her, she started coming my way. We instantly melted together when we met. Her arms went around me, mine went around her, and our lips joined. Goddamn…she tasted so good.
“Congratulations,” she murmured between hungry kisses. “I knew you would make it.”
My hand ran down her back, and I groaned as I grabbed her ass. Fuck, I wanted her so much. “I’m so glad you’re here, Anna.” I meant that in every way possible—physically, emotionally, all of it. I didn’t know what I would do without her. Well, no, I did know…I’d be miserable, just like I had been the last several weeks.
Even though all I wanted to do was hold her up against the wall and drive into her over and over again, I made myself step away. She was surprised and breathless when we separated. I was struggling to breathe normally too, and I was pretty sure my cock was turning colors. It was definitely screaming at me to keep going. I ignored it though, and held her a foot away from me. “I don’t want you to think that everything is back to normal just because you came back here and stuff. I know I fucked us up when I lost everything…when I lied to you. I know I ruined what we had. And I know it will take time to repair us. I’m willing to put in that time.”
With a sigh, I smiled. God, I want to be inside her right now.
Anna smiled as she studied me. “It wasn’t you losing everything that messed us up, Griffin, and it wasn’t just the lying. It was you…deciding everything. It was you shutting me out. It was you keeping me in the dark and treating me like I didn’t matter, like my opinion didn’t matter.”
I tilted my head in confusion. I’d never treated her like she didn’t matter. Not intentionally, at any rate. Seeing that I wasn’t connecting the dots, Anna stepped closer to me. She put her arms around my neck again, and I laced mine around her waist. “I know you don’t like to show your emotions, it makes you uncomfortable and stuff…and I get that.” She shook her head. “It’s hard for me too, and I’m not the kind of girl who needs flowers and sonnets anyway…but the last few weeks, when you’ve opened up and reached out to me…in the letter, in your phone calls…it’s meant the world to me, and I suddenly realized that was what went wrong for me.” Smiling, she rested a hand on my cheek. “I think that was what was missing between us. I never felt like you needed me. Yes, you liked having me around, and you definitely liked having sex with me…but you never really needed me, and that made me really…lonely.” She frowned and removed her hand from my cheek.
I grabbed it and held on tight. “That’s not true. I do need you…you’re all I need. All I’ve ever needed. I was…lost without you.”
Anna smiled, and I felt the warmth from it inside the deepest parts of me. She was all I needed. “I finally feel like that’s true,” she told me.
She leaned in for a soft kiss that electrified me, and at the same time, moved me. I felt dazed when we pulled apart. “You’re my best friend,” I told her. “You’re the only one who gets me, and loves me anyway. And I will do anything to keep you. Anything,” I repeated, holding her gaze.
Anna closed her eyes, absorbing my words, then a devilish smile spread on her face. “There is one thing you can do for me,” she said. Opening her eyes, she shyly asked, “Show me the stage?”
I blinked in surprise. By her expression, I thought she’d request something else.
Her smile turned playful, so I grabbed her hand and started leading her away. She giggled, like we were on an adventure. It reminded me of all the fun times we’d had in our relationship. Before Anna, I’d never met a girl as fun-loving as me. She really was up for anything. I loved that about her.
When I found the door to the stage, I fully expected it to be locked, but it wasn’t. Thankful that I didn’t have to try my hand at picking a lock, I checked to make sure the coast was clear, then hurried Anna inside. She let out a low whistle as she walked past the rows of empty seats. “It’s bigger than I thought it would be.” When she got to the stage, she hopped up
and looked around with awe on her face.
The room was dark, with only the emergency lights gently illuminating it. I hopped up to join her on the stage, then headed to the back to turn on some lights. I found one that I thought was a spotlight. Luckily, it was, and a circle of light formed around Anna. She laughed at being in the limelight, and I shook my head at her amusement. As I stepped out on the main part of the stage with her, I took a look around. It wasn’t nearly as big as the places I was used to playing with the D-Bags, but it was pretty decently sized. “Yeah, it’s all right.”
“So this is where you’re going to show the world how magnificent you really are for the next six weeks?”
I looked over my shoulder at her. “Yeah. It’s my new home away from home.” I returned my gaze to the rows and rows of empty chairs. “Where my future will be decided…”
“Well then, I say we spread a little good luck upon it.”
Not knowing what she meant, I turned to face her. She grabbed the edge of her tank top and lifted it over her head. Once it was free from her, she kicked off her shoes, unbuttoned her shorts, and slid the rest of her clothes down her legs. Holy crap. Seeing her perfection laid bare before me was almost more than I could handle. Were we ready to jump right into this? Was I capable of turning her down? No. I was as incapable of rejecting her as I was unworthy of her devotion. But for some reason I had it, and I was never letting it go again.
Completely naked under the lone spotlight highlighting the stage, she crooked a finger at me. “Come here.”
My breath sped with every step I took toward her. Did she know having sex on a stage was my number one fantasy? Yes, she probably did, and that’s why she was doing this. I was the luckiest son of a bitch in the entire world to be able to claim her as mine. What a fucking fool I’d been, and how blessed I was to be given another chance. I didn’t deserve her, but I’d make it my life’s mission to be a better man. And with her firmly by my side, maybe one day I would be.
When I got close enough to her, I cupped one of her incredible breasts in my hand. The familiar weight made my cock come to life. “You are so gorgeous,” I told her, stroking my thumb around her nipple.
She bit her lip as a moan of delight left her. “I have missed you…so much, Griffin. Make love to me, right here, where everyone will be watching you on Monday…”
Bending down, I sucked her nipple into my mouth. She held my head in place as she gasped. My hands slid down her waist to her hips, then my finger ducked between her legs. She was so fucking wet. She cried out as she arched against me, and I couldn’t stand it anymore. It had been too long. I needed to know how she tasted…
Sinking to my knees, I replaced my fingers with my mouth. Anna moaned my name, and her fingers cinched in my hair, telling me I’d better not fucking move. It drove me wild. And goddamn…she tasted so good.
I lay back on the ground, making her frown at me, but then I motioned for her to join me. She lowered herself so I could taste her again. I watched her body being highlighted by the spotlight on her, watched her fingers massage her breasts, rub her nipples. It was too much for me, it was too much for her.
She moved off me, then immediately got to work on my pants. Once they were free and clear of my body, she took me inside her mouth. Knowing we were center stage almost made me come instantly. I gently pushed her off, then stripped off the rest of my clothes. I didn’t want anything between us.
I laid her down on her back, so her head was to the crowd, then I drove into her. Fuck…she felt amazing. Our hands roamed each other’s bodies as we moved together, and every second that ticked by I was hyperaware of how exposed we were. We were the only thing in the room with a light shining on us, and it felt so right, it made the moment that much sweeter. It was just how I’d hoped it would be.
The excitement brought us to the brink pretty quickly. I knew I was almost there, and by Anna’s cries, she was getting close too. Wanting to give her more, I repositioned us so we were at the very edge of the stage. Once Anna realized how I was showcasing us for our imaginary audience, she groaned and dropped her head back over the side. We weren’t hiding anything.
Gripping the edge of the stage, I used it as leverage so I could thrust deeper and deeper into her; Anna’s throaty cries of ecstasy grew more pronounced with every plunge. Looking up, I gazed at the sea of seats awaiting cheering fans. Fuck, yes…with Anna by my side, I was going to own this stage Monday night.
We were both panting, shaking with need, we were so close. Fuck…she felt so good. It seemed like years had passed since the last time we’d been together, and even then, it had never felt quite like this—like we were completely and totally one, on the same page in every way.
Captivated, I watched the ecstasy on Anna’s face building as I moved against her, with her. She was stunning beneath me, made even more so by the spotlights. Being with her, here, now, was the single most erotic thing I’d ever experienced, and I felt unstoppable as my climax started building.
“Oh God, yes, Griffin…yes…there…right there! More, more…oh God…”
Anna’s words turned unintelligible as she started coming, and I couldn’t take my eyes off the sight. Watching her fall apart, knowing she was letting me do this, letting me take her there, it meant more to me than I could say at the moment. All I want is for her to be happy. Anna clutched me tight as she rode out her release, then she pulled my head to hers for a searing kiss. I started coming as our tongues collided. I could only groan in her mouth as bursts of pleasure swept over me. Fuck…yes. God, I’d missed her.
When the intensity was over, I slumped against Anna. Her arms came up to cradle me, and I felt more complete than I had in my entire life. We would have to do the show like this, because I never wanted to let her go. Not wanting to hide from her or ignore the emotional chaos swirling within me, I made myself say how I was feeling.
“You’re the only thing that matters to me, Anna. Sure, there’s things I want, like winning my job back, but…you’re the only thing I need. You and the girls.” I shifted to her side, so I could more easily look at her. “I got so caught up in myself, I lost you. I lost us. I think I even lost me. Because without you, I’m not really anything. Nothing worth a damn, anyway. You’re the best part of me. The very best. You’re my best friend, and I should have put you first, you and the girls. And I’m so sorry I didn’t.” With a sigh, I shook my head. Anna opened her mouth to speak, but I stopped her with a kiss. I wasn’t done yet. “I love you, and I’ll go wherever you want me to go. I’ll live wherever you want me to live, I’ll do whatever you want me to do…just take me back. I can’t be without you anymore. It’s killing me.”
Her eyes watered as she stared up at me. “Griff…I love you so much, and a huge part of me wants to say sure…come home, and let that be the end of it. But for the sake of our family, for the sake of our girls, I need you to know that what you did—the lying, going behind my back to get what you wanted—that can’t ever happen again. This is truly your last chance with me…so don’t fuck it up.” She gave me a sweet smile on the end of that, like she’d just asked me to bring home a gallon of milk.
Laughing, I kissed her again. “Trust me, babe, I would rather stab myself in the testicle than ever hurt you like that again. I just want my best friend back,” I said with a sigh. “I want my wife back.”
Anna cupped my cheek. “You’ve got her. Now be quiet and make love to her under the spotlight again, before someone comes in here and kicks both of you out of the hotel.”
I was instantly hard again. “You are the sexiest thing on earth, and I am the luckiest son of a bitch there is.” I cupped her cheek. “And I won’t ever forget it again.”
She was nodding, tears in her eyes, when I slid into her again…
Monday evening was the first live show, where we’d be showcasing our talent for the audience, not the judges. I was both excited and nauseous about performing. Sure, I’d done it a million times before, but never with this much
pressure on me. My entire career was riding on making the fans like me again, an uphill battle considering how I’d cracked things when I’d left the band. I hoped they could see my repentance onstage, my determination, my drive. I wanted this.
It was a short special, only six weeks, so multiple people would be leaving after each results show. I didn’t want to be let go in the first group. Or the second. Or the third. I wanted to make it all the way through. I didn’t let that desire turn me against my rivals though, and I helped out wherever I could.
When I wasn’t giving the contestants pointers or lifting Liam’s spirits, I helped out around the stage. There were crew everywhere, and they always seemed to need a hand with something. It helped me keep my mind off my nerves to stay busy, so I volunteered with as many tasks as they would let me do. They seemed to appreciate it; they even wished me luck on the show, then invited me to play poker with them afterward. Sounded fantastic to me.
Liking how it felt to be a part of something bigger than myself, I offered my services to anyone who needed them. I helped Anna with the girls, helped the host run errands, helped the camera guys with their equipment, and even helped the producers map out shots. All day, I was anywhere and everywhere. Wherever I was needed, that’s where I wanted to be.
When it was finally time for the show to begin, I was pumped up and rearing to go. The twenty of us huddled backstage and said a quick prayer for each other. A bunch of the crew joined us too, and I had one arm around Liam and one around the guy who controlled the lighting. I’d never felt so connected to something. After we broke apart, we all went our separate ways to do last-minute preparations for the show.
Finding a quiet corner, I closed my eyes and inhaled and exhaled deep breaths. I can do this. That was when I heard a voice full of cheer screech, “Found you, Daddy!”
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