by Heather Long
Charm bracelet on my wrist, ring on my hand, necklace on, and I glanced around the room.
“Hang on,” Rachel said, with a pin between her teeth. “Turn.”
I pivoted away and she tugged the strap on the tank, and then pinned something to my bra under it.
“Better. Now everyone can see the tattoo. No mistaking that you’re taken. I don’t really want to have to bail Jake out of jail tonight.”
I made a face at her in the mirror. “You wouldn’t have to. Archie would take care of that.”
Laughing, she glanced at herself in the mirror then hooked her arm around my shoulders and stood side by side with me. “We look badass. You think the boys can handle all of this?”
A shiver went through me. I was pretty sure my guys could handle anything. A fact they disputed as soon as Rachel and I appeared in the living room. Jake dropped his game controller and raked a hand through his hair. “I’m going to jail.”
“No you’re not,” Archie said. “No bodies, no crimes.”
Ian gave me a once over followed by a slow approving nod. “Be worth it though.”
“Oh yeah,” Coop added. “Do we have to go to the concert? I mean, we could start the private party right here.”
“Still present,” Rachel reminded them, and Archie flashed a wicked grin.
“You’d be down for watching, don’t give me that.”
“Normally,” she countered, “I’d agree with you, but this is Torched we’re talking about and backstage passes. I will cut you if your dicks make us late.”
“Rachel…”
“I said cut them…not cut their dicks off. I wouldn’t do that to you. They’d live. And be fully functional.”
I couldn’t help it, I cracked up and I wasn’t the only one laughing.
“Don’t worry,” Ian said as he rose. “Frankie’s as excited about this as anything. We’re not going to miss a moment.” I bounced a little as he reached me and traced his fingers down my arm. “You want a jacket in case it gets cold?”
“I figured I’d just snuggle you guys if I got cold.”
Rachel made a gagging noise, and I flipped her off behind Ian’s back, which sent Coop into a fit of snickers.
“It’s okay, Rach,” Coop told her. “We’ll make sure you have a jacket.”
“Ass,” she declared and I grinned without once looking away from Ian’s heated gaze.
“You look good enough to eat,” he murmured before stealing a kiss. Oh, it was a good thing I’d not taken Rachel’s advice, because now my panties were damp. Thankfully, the bra was also padded so my nipples weren’t on proud display, but considering how good the guys all looked in their jeans, concert T-shirts, and relaxed, happy expressions? I was going to be horny as hell before we made it back.
Correction—hornier.
“Let’s go,” Rachel announced as she hooked my arm. “Down, girl. I promise to leave you alone to devour them later.”
It wasn’t until we were heading back out to the cars that it hit me. We weren’t all going to fit in Jake’s SUV. It was snug with just the five of us. I didn’t think Archie had ordered a car tonight. “Don’t worry, babe,” he assured me. “We have this covered.”
We did?
Instead of heading to his car or Jake’s, he headed over toward a…Tesla. It was brand new and it had three rows of seats. Archie touched the handle and opened the door for me.
“Happy birthday, Baby Girl,” Jake said with the widest, most shit-eating grin I’d ever seen. “Archie and I have been taking one of these apart and putting it back together for the last couple of months. We wanted to make sure it was the best, safest car for you, with the most room to do whatever you needed to do.”
They got me a car.
I turned toward Archie, and he pressed a finger to my lips. “It’s from us. All of us.”
“It is?” Coop gawked. “Even if we weren’t in on it?”
“You’re not the engineer,” Archie told him, not lowering his finger. “But you deserved the best car with the safest rating that fits who you are. This isn’t flashy or bright, but it’s you.”
And it was red too.
Man.
“Do. Not. Cry,” Rachel ordered. “What is wrong with you? We do all this makeup, and you want to make her cry?”
A watery laugh escaped me, and I twisted to look at the car. Archie wrapped his arms around me, but Jake stood just a half step away, his expression fierce and fixed on me.
“This has been your secret project?” I asked.
“Pretty much,” Jake said. “We wanted to understand it, make sure it was everything they said. It’s…pretty fucking impressive. But we also wanted to get in and change a few little things. We just needed to know what to do and how.”
“Do you like it, babe?” Archie asked, and I laughed.
“How am I supposed to answer that? I love it.”
“Yes,” Jake said with a fist pump.
“I love that you guys went to so much trouble.”
“Get in,” Archie said, ushering me into the driver’s seat. Now I realized why the rush to leave “early.” The others climbed in, and there were three rows of seats, plenty of room for all of us. Holy crap. There was a huge screen, and with the car on, Archie pressed a button on the dash and it brought up a camera in the apartment. I could see Tiddles sitting on the middle of the coffee table, eating the last of one of the guy’s snacks.
“Oh snap,” Coop said. “Jake, you left your fries out.”
He laughed, and so did I. There were so many bells and whistles. I didn’t know what to play with first. Archie put in the address of the concert venue, and then a crisp voice came over the speakers.
It was Jeremy.
“You recorded Jeremy?” What the hell?
“We got him to provide the voice print. He’s very soothing,” Archie said with a grin. “Don’t you think? I was going to do it, but then that didn’t seem fair. Jake and I tried to work out how to make it all four of us, but that just got complicated and wasted like a week of dev time.”
Jake snorted. “It was worth exploring.”
“Not disagreeing,” Archie said. “Just we wanted it to be perfect. I wanted it to protect you when you were in it, and I wanted you to feel safe and confident. And it’s environmentally friendly, and there’s some other perks.” He switched the screen to a crackling fireplace and heat even puffed from the front vents. “Romantic too.”
I half-expected Rachel to make gagging noises, but she was curiously quiet. When I stole a look back at her, she was dabbing her eyes. She caught me looking, and I bit my lip. No, I wouldn’t draw attention to it, the softy. But still…
I let out a little squee. I couldn’t help it. It was a brand-new car, and it wasn’t anything Maddy had ever owned. It was way too extravagant, and I probably shouldn’t be so excited, but at the same time…
“Can you hear the mental argument?” Coop mused.
“Probably five-four in our favor right now,” Jake said. “Or she’d have already said no.”
“Shut up,” Ian said firmly. “Let her decide her own reaction.”
A laugh escaped me, and I glanced over at Archie, then twisted to look at the rest of them. “I should say no.”
“Yes!” Archie said with a fist pump.
“I haven’t said yes yet,” I scolded him, still laughing.
“But you’re going to,” he said, his grin widening. “You said ‘should say no,’ but that means you’re not going to say no. You’re going to take the car we want to give you, because we want to give it to you and for no other reason than we love you and want you safe.”
It was really hard to argue with that. “Don’t think you can always get away with this.”
“Damn,” Coop said with a laugh. “That’s twenty bucks I can kiss goodbye.”
“Pay up,” Jake said. “I told you he can talk his way out of any trouble with her.”
“You’re all terrible, horrible, awful people,” I announ
ced, and Ian chuckled.
“All of us?”
“Yes, guilty by association.” Then I grinned. “And I love you all. Now put your seatbelts on.” I did a little dance in the seat.
I was eighteen, in love, I had a brand-new car, my boyfriends were with me and my best friend, and we were going to a Torched concert.
“You heard the lady,” Archie said, and he switched the screen back to the GPS. The engine was practically silent as we glided out. “Want music, babe?”
“That’s a dumb question, and you’re a really smart guy.”
He laughed and hit two buttons, and the next thing I knew, it was me and Ian singing in the car. I groaned, but Ian laughed and the guys cheered. Even Rachel did. We ended up listening to all our demo songs, even the one Coop and Ian had teased me through multiple orgasms during it playing.
The best part, the car could zoom, and the guys were laughing and cheering as Ian and I sang along. The car handled like a dream. When we switched to the Torched songs, I already imagined I’d be hoarse before the night was over.
I couldn’t wait.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Seal It With a Kiss
If I thought the drive to the venue had been fun—I was in love with my car and making no pretenses about it—our arrival had me bouncing excitedly. It was comfortable outside, the guys were laughing, and even Rachel wore a smile. She hooked arms with me after I gave each of my guys a solid kiss in thank you for the car.
“Hey, I’ll take the kiss,” Ian teased. “But Coop and I weren’t in on this.”
“Yeah you were,” Jake told him. “Course, you also write songs for her. So we have to be able to compete.”
“What about me?” Coop protested.
“Cradle to grave, dude.” Jake gave him a light punch in the arm. “You’re the only one who gets to claim that.”
Rachel rolled her eyes, but winked at me as Archie broke between us and slid an arm around each of us. “Come along, ladies, let the boys argue, we’re going to go merchandise shopping. Please, give my credit card a workout.”
“What am I going to do with you?” I scolded and then slowed, forcing both him and Rachel to stop. “And don’t we have to lock the car?”
“It’s automatic. If you don’t have the key on you, it won’t open.”
I gaped then looked back at the car again.
“Trust me, babe, it’s going to be fine, and I will make sure you have all the handbooks on it to review after this weekend.”
Rachel snickered. “After the weekend. You don’t want her distracted.”
“No, I do not.”
Coop caught up on my free side and caught my hand in his, while Jake flanked Rachel and Ian was on our far side. I wanted to bounce my way across the parking lot, but decorum and the heels on my boots, short as they were, said no.
Then again, as soon as we were in sight of the main doors and the long lines of fans, I couldn’t resist the bouncing. The guys and Rachel laughed at me, and I really didn’t care. This was going to be so amazing. Even more amazing, we had VIP tickets, which meant we didn’t have to stand in the long line.
“I bet you’re not scolding me in your head right now for spoiling you,” Archie said as he wrapped himself against my back while we waited for our turn to go through the far shorter access point for VIP ticket holders. He walked us forward the two steps, and I giggled. “You’re totally indulging me right now.”
“I love you,” I said, as if it was the answer to everything. “You make me happy. You all make me happy. And that car is way too much and so is the necklace, and you know what, probably wanting all of you is too much.”
Ian glanced over to me on the last and brushed a finger down my nose before pressing it to my lips. I kissed the tip of his finger and he carried it back to his mouth, and I grinned.
“So if you can have us, why not everything else?” Archie mused. “That’s solid logic and very practical.”
I giggled. “It also makes you happy.”
“That it does, babe.”
“It’s the perfect birthday.”
“We’re far from done, Angel,” Ian said with a wink, and then it was our turn to go through. Archie showed his phone with the tickets, and one by one, we went through the scanner. I didn’t have my wallet or anything else on me tonight. Coop had my driver’s license if I needed it and Jake had my phone, but I hadn’t even brought a bankcard.
Nope, I was totally in their hands. Rachel had a small purse she’d brought. We cleared security and received our special, holograph style cards with the band on one side and the name of their most recent album on the other. Even the lanyard it hung from glittered and gleamed.
Ian had his hands on my hips as we followed the roped off area away from the crowds toward the kiosks of merchandise. “We have about thirty minutes before they bring out the opening act,” he said over the noise. “So if we want food or drinks, we should do it now.”
“Water,” I said, and the others agreed with me. I didn’t think I could stomach food at the moment, I was way too excited. Jake peeled off from us to get the water while we went to look at the merch.
There were new shirts. I had two of the concert tees they had on display. But I didn’t need everything they owned. Well, not to say I didn’t want it all, but I didn’t need it all. Rachel let out a sound vaguely like a squeal, and I worked my way over to her, aware that one of the guys moved with me at all times. They were adorable, and I wasn’t complaining. There was a lot of people here.
The shirts she found had my eyes widening. Holy crap, I’d never seen ones like this before. Each one sported an artist’s rendering of one of the girls in the group. The back of the shirts declared whose team you were on, with the Torched logo following it.
Team Kaitlin, Team Aubrey, and Team Yvette. “All three of these times two,” Archie said from the side, and he gave our sizes. Rachel glared at him, and I poked her.
“Don’t argue, he’s really good at that. And those shirts are to die for.” I grinned, and Rachel made a face at me, then laughed.
“Fine, but if we’re getting all three, then we need the booty shorts to match.” When she held up a pair that were just hip hugging, boot cupping shorts with the Torched roses on fire across the ass, Coop let out a whistle.
“Hey, Arch…”
“Already on it.”
I laughed, and Ian pointed to a hoodie with a single microphone on it and musical notes on the back. It was simpler than the others, and when I nodded, he hooked it down and turned it around so I could see the front. Oh, it had the Torched logo over the breast. It was a plain zippered hoodie otherwise, but super soft.
“We’re going to have to come up with a name for us,” he said as I ran my finger over the logo and then glanced up at him.
Holy shit.
I twisted to look up at him. “I…”
“Not right now, Angel,” he said with a laugh. “Just something to think about.”
It hadn’t occurred to me at all. I mean, I wanted to do this with Ian because he wanted me to do it. The entertainment lawyer had pushed back on the recording contract, so we hadn’t signed anything yet. As long as Ian and Arch were content with waiting for better terms, I really didn’t argue. There was already so much on our plates.
A name.
“I thought we’d just be Frankie and Ian,” I admitted, and he grinned as he tugged the hoodie from my hands and pulled me over to the checkout. Archie was paying for our stuff, but Ian wouldn’t surrender the hoodie. When Archie shrugged, we moved forward, and Ian paid for my hoodie.
“We can do that, or we can work on something else,” he said. “I’m open.”
I grinned at him. “You’re the best.”
He winked at me. With water and loot acquired, we followed the velvet ropes past the throngs and down to the floor of the arena. Apparently, our VIP tickets included seats near the front, and not just the front, right off one of the runways where the girls could dance and move wh
en they sang. Oh, I was already bouncing again. This time, I had my hands on Jake’s shoulders as I hopped down the steps.
“Don’t break anything,” he warned, even as Rachel laughed at me. I couldn’t begin to describe just how awesome today was and in all the different ways that it was amazing. I didn’t want to. I just wanted to bask in the feeling of having them all here, including Rachel, and of how happy and content everyone looked. We’d made it.
It was like crossing a finish line in a race I hadn’t even realized I’d been running. It wasn’t over, but at the same time, we had come so far.
We had almost a whole row to ourselves, though there were a few people down at the end where there were two extra seats. They put Rachel and I in the middle, with Coop on the other side of Rachel and Jake on the aisle. Archie was next to me, and Ian on the other side of him. Rachel reached over and pinched my thigh hard enough to make me jump.
“Ow, what the fuck was that for?” I asked as I swatted her hand.
She laughed. “Just making sure you knew this was real.”
I rolled my eyes and then bumped my shoulder to hers. “I know it’s real, and wait until you hear them up there. It’s so much better.”
“Yeah, yeah, rub it in.”
“Don’t pinch me next time.”
It took an hour almost before the first act opened, and we swapped seats a few times so we could all talk. I was sitting between Coop and Ian when the opening act began, and it was just a girl with a guitar, all by herself.
Ian nudged me, and I stuck my tongue out at him but grinned. I got it. Solo performer, and he thought that might be me? Yeah, no. First of all, there were thousands of people here. Second of all, if he wasn’t doing this without me, I sure as hell wasn’t doing it without him.
The opening act was all ballads, but she segued into something faster with a rhythm that had us clapping along. She really had a sweet voice, but I swore she must have been nervous, because this close, there was no missing how her hands trembled, even while she played. I felt so damn bad for her, and I cut my gaze to the arena around us and then back to her.