by Heather Long
Yeah. No.
When she finished, we applauded, and then the lights plunged down into near darkness. The silence stretched, then there was a clopping of boots like coming down the stairs playing over the speakers. Then a voice cut into the silence.
“We ready?” The deeper pitch to the feminine voice had to be Aubrey Miller. She was the bass player and sometimes switched out with Kaitlin Crosse on the piano if they used it.
“Oui.” Yvette Chanteur. Her playful French accent was an affectation she used when teasing others, because everyone asked if she was French with her name. “Definitely ready. We’re mic’d right?”
“Yes, we’re mic’d.” That was Kaitlin Crosse. “A little late to be asking that don’t you think?”
Laughter rippled through the darkness, and I grinned.
“Never too late,” Aubrey said. “Particularly when we have to make a big announcement tonight.”
“Shh,” Yvette cautioned with a laugh. “If we aren’t careful, we’ll blow our own secret.”
More laughter rippled through the crowd. Surely they knew their mics were on, right?
“Girls,” Kaitlin began, but a male voice cut her off calling, “Mics are hot.”
“Well fuck.” Kaitlin’s words reverberated through the stadium. “Guess it’s a good thing we’re not on TV, right?”
A moment later, the lights exploded upward with sparklers as the three appeared on stage, headsets on and hands spread wide. Kaitlin’s grin was fierce and full of good humor. Her blue hair looked even deeper and brighter than it had when we saw her in Colorado. Aubrey’s deep black hair fell in down her back from the crown she’d braided around it at the top. Yvette had cut her hair, and it stood up all spiky and dangerous, kind of like her in those killer heels she was wearing.
Fuck, they made my feet hurt just thinking about it. Glitter shown on all of their faces. It sparkled along their arms and seemed to catch all the lights playing over them.
“Good evening, Texas!” Kaitlin said as she strutted toward the lip of the stage. I swore she wasn’t more than fifteen feet from me, and my heart skipped a beat. “You guys ready to party?”
Even over the laughter and the cheers, her voice carried with the huge speakers, and I was on my feet with everyone else, screaming. She said something else with her hand over the microphone and laughed. A second later, the band kicked off with the first bars of the very first song of theirs I’d ever heard.
For the next hour, I stayed on my feet, dancing and singing along, and I wasn’t the only one. Rachel had her phone out and I knew she snapped some pictures, but I made her dance with me anyway. I danced with all of them. Hell, I even danced with the girls sitting behind us.
Torched worked their way through their first two albums, and I was breathless when the music slowed and Kaitlin headed out toward the runway, shading her eyes as though trying to look through the lights. “Are you guys still out there?”
A roar greeted her.
“Not sure I heard that, let’s try that again. Are you guys still out there?”
This time, the roar was considerably louder. I laughed at the wildness of it all.
“That’s better! Now I know you know our music, we can hear you singing out there, so sing this one with us.”
When she began the first lines of “Open Your Eyes,” I let out a little sigh. This was one of my favorites. It was also so bittersweet. It begged the people around you to open their eyes and see you, because they didn’t. All they saw was what they wanted to see. The girls sang it a capella. No band. No percussion. Just their voices and that of the audience. It was entrancing, especially when I could hear Ian as he wound his voice around mine.
There really were tears in my eyes when they were done and the whoops, applause, and whistles climbed.
“Well,” Kaitlin said with a grin. “Guess you don’t need us after all. You could do this concert.”
A chorus of nos belted out, and she laughed.
“You know, we’ve been on this tour for months. We’ve performed all over the world. We’ve been really fortunate, and I can’t tell you how much we love it and we love you. Before we get into our latest songs, the girls and I wanted to share a special announcement with you.”
“Breaking news,” Aubrey said. “You’re all the first to hear.”
“Because while we’ve been talking about it for a while, today was the day we made our decision,” Yvette tacked on. They’d come up to stand on either side of Kaitlin, and all three girls were holding hands.
“So, you might want to get your phones out if you haven’t already,” Kaitlin cautioned. I frowned, but Rachel had her phone out and so did Jake. “As Torched, we have had some of the best times of our lives, but we have been touring pretty continuously for the last three years, and with just six more stops on this tour… We are taking a break for the next couple of years…”
I barely heard the rest of it.
Torched was taking a break? Did that mean they were breaking up? The band was going away? This sucked on so many levels. At the same time, the smiles on their faces were genuine, and the longer I stared at them, the more I saw the tired there. The audience was a mixture of cheers and shouts of “we love you” and “no” and everything else.
“Okay, enough with the sappy,” Kaitlin said, then she kicked off their next song and the band joined them. It was impossible to not sing and cheer along with them, and at the same time, it was bittersweet. Even if they weren’t breaking up, a break would mean no more music for a while. I laughed a little, ’cause I was making this about me and they sounded committed, so I did the only thing I really could—I danced and sang with them.
And by the time they finished their fourth encore, I was hoarse and flushed and sweaty. It was amazing. I sagged into a seat and accepted Coop’s water bottle when he held it out. I’d already killed mine and had to resist the urge to kill his greedily.
“Okay,” Archie said. “Let’s head to the side stage door.” He had his phone out and had been reading off of it. Oh fuck, the backstage passes. I’d almost forgotten. We formed a line, weaving in and around the seats as we made our way to a door on the far left of the staging area behind another row of seats. A security guard was right there, and Archie showed him something on the phone, then he scanned each of our badges before letting us through.
We had to follow another long series of velvet roped off areas and then up two flights of stairs before we found a much shorter queue of people and an open bar area where they were selling refreshments. Ian and Jake cut away from us and grabbed water bottles. Thankfully, I hadn’t needed to pee yet. Though that would definitely happen before we made the drive home.
I was fanning myself with both hands, and Coop turned to me and started fanning me too. I laughed and bumped him with my hip. I should have put my hair up, I was sticky and sweaty and flushed. The air conditioning out here was amazing on my overheated skin. When Jake rolled an ice-cold bottle along my shoulder and up to my neck under my hair, I damn near groaned.
He chuckled. I could see the girls ahead of us, they were talking to people who were farther up in the line, taking pictures and signing things. Rachel downed all of the bottle Ian handed her, and when she finished it, he took it and tossed it in the recycle bin before handing her another. Apparently, we were the ones in desperate need of hydration, because Jake kept the icy cold one on my neck while I drank.
The guys had all our stuff, thankfully—I’d half forgotten it. The line moved, slowly, and we inched our way closer. It was cool to watch them interact. They seemed so larger than life on stage, and they were mostly their voices and how they made me feel on their albums, but from here, they were people.
The girls ribbed each other. Yvette must’ve made a lot of sarcastic remarks because Kaitlin rolled her eyes more than once, and twice, she elbowed her. Aubrey was so sweet, she leaned in and got really close for hugs with fans and photos. Yvette held back from that, and Kaitlin seemed to land in the middle.
She didn’t mind the posing for the pictures, but she didn’t seem to be a hugger.
That was fine, I couldn’t say I’d been a big hugger before. I mean, I hugged the guys and I’d hug Rachel, and that pretty much filled my quota. I cooled more the longer we stood here. When it was finally our turn, I had to actively restrain myself from squealing or bursting into tears.
“Hey,” Aubrey greeted us all with warm smiles. “Thanks for coming to the show.”
“It was kickass,” I said, managing to find some words, and then laughed. “I mean, it was really good.”
“Kickass works,” she said with a wink. “Did you have a favorite moment?” She flicked her gaze behind me. “Or moments, since apparently you brought your own team with you.”
I burst out laughing, but Rachel cut in and said, “We loved the whole show. Frankie’s a huge fan, she has listened to every album a hundred times easily. You should have heard her singing along with you. She’s amazing. And today’s her birthday.”
Note to self—kill Rachel.
Behind me, Ian coughed, and it had the element of being a chuckle as Aubrey focused on me. “Oh hey, it’s this girl’s birthday! Wait, what was your name?”
“Frankie,” Rachel supplied and shot me a grin, then Kaitlin and Yvette were both looking at me. Okay, I could die now.
“Frankie. Okay, this is—” Aubrey began.
“Kaitlin and Yvette.” Oh thank God I didn’t stutter. “Rachel’s not wrong—I’ve been listening since you dropped your first YouTube video.”
Katilin made a face. “Garage Band?”
“No, Tire Shop.”
Yvette laughed. “The illegal one we made and uploaded without telling our parents. You do go back.”
I shrugged a little. It was weird to think of things to say to them and I half-figured the guys would join in, but they were all hanging back and grinning at me. Sweet and so not helpful. When I made a face at Coop, he took my picture.
“Oh, hey.” Aubrey wrapped an arm around me and pulled me over between her and Kaitlin. “Picture with the birthday girl.” We got a couple of them, and then I dragged Rachel over and they put her between Kaitlin and Yvette. The guys were all snapping shots, and when I asked them to sign one of my concert shirts, they did. Then we had to move on ’cause they had other people waiting.
“Hey,” Kaitlin said as I started to go. “Did your friend say you were a singer too?”
“Just getting started, nothing like you guys.”
“She’s phenomenal,” Ian contributed. “Don’t let her fool you. She’s the best signing partner a guy could have.”
Heat suffused my face. I couldn’t kill Ian, but I might dump water over his head later.
Probably get me spanked.
Worth it.
“Cool,” Kaitlin said. “Hang on, I want to give you an email address. It’s not one we share a lot, and it goes to all three of us. Send us something you’ve sung. It’ll be fun.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” Kaitlin told me with a wink. “We all got started somewhere, and why not? I’m not promising anything.”
“She’s just nosy,” Yvette said. “Especially since these boys aren’t flirting with her.”
“Shut up.” Kaitlin snorted and elbowed her, and I burst out laughing. “That is not why I’m being nosy. Well, I am curious but no. So just send it, I’d love to hear it, and happy birthday.”
I was delirious, but I managed to remember something before I got two steps away. “Hey,” I said, and they glanced at me. Ian paused next to me. “Good luck with your break. I’ll miss your new albums, but I hope it’s everything you need.”
“Thank you,” Aubrey said with a wide grin. “We’re looking forward to it. Some of us more than others.” Kaitlin flipped her off, but there was so much genuine warmth there, I couldn’t help but grin. I liked the fact they seemed like real friends.
That was really cool.
By the time we were outside, I did a twirl and laughed when Coop caught me and began dancing me backward. “Did you have fun?”
“Did I have fun?” I stared up at him. “Yes, I had fun.”
He chuckled. I bounced up on my tiptoes and kissed him and then worked my way through each of them until I got to Archie last when we were by the car, and I kissed him fiercely. “Best. Birthday. Ever.”
Everyone was laughing, and I glanced over at Rachel. When I turned to her, she raised her eyebrows and then I pinched her.
“Ow,” she snapped with a laugh and swatted me. “What the fuck?”
“That’s for throwing me under the bus in there.”
“Girl, you need to seize opportunity when it’s in front of you, and they were actually curious. So send them a song. Maybe nothing happens. Maybe something does. But you would never know if I hadn’t said something.”
She wasn’t wrong, and at the same time, I was elated.
“You up for driving home?” Ian asked me, and I eyed my car. I’d just gotten this. Did I want anyone else to drive it?
“Actually,” I said and looked at Archie, “do you mind? I am kind of giddy drunk on the music and the meeting and the everything…”
“Done,” he said, and Jake tugged me into the backseat while he gave Rachel a gentle nudge toward the front. Archie snorted, but Coop followed and so did Ian. Jake and I were all the way in the back, and Ian and Coop were just in front of us.
Even with the seatbelt on, I nestled right up against Jake, and he hugged me and pressed his lips to my hair.
It really was the best birthday.
Even if the clock on the dash said it was after midnight and my birthday itself was over. The guys promised me all weekend.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Gimme a Spanking
The drive back to the apartment kind of drifted by on laughter, sleepy snuggles, and euphoria. I hadn’t been kidding about feeling a little drunk on it all. Drunk even more on the fact that not only had I had a great time, I’d shared it with my favorite people. I found myself staring at Rachel’s profile, or what I could see of it. I wished with everything I had that I could make her happy. The guys might even accept her if I swung that way, or at least they would work on it.
Maybe.
Man, I was drunk. I giggled to myself. At Jake’s arched eyebrow, I’d just given him a kiss and snuggled closer. Despite all of that, I was still half-asleep by the time we got back to the apartment. I offered a bed or the sofa to Rachel if she didn’t want to drive home, but she just laughed at me.
“Hey,” I said as I hugged her tight. “I don’t know what’s going on with you, but I’m here and I really wish you’d let me help.”
“You help more than you know.” She pressed a kiss to my cheek and then blew a raspberry that made me laugh before she pulled back. “Have a great weekend. I’ll talk to you Monday. Just make sure you hydrate.”
“She’ll be fine, Angel,” Ian told me as I watched her go. “When she’s ready, she’ll tell you.” Yeah, except I had a feeling in this, Rachel was like me. She wouldn’t say anything until she was pushed. I let him tug me inside. It was almost two in the morning, and I was swaying on my feet. We washed up, checked on the cats, and I fell into bed, wearing a pair of panties and a clean T-shirt that Jake had dragged on me. As much as I thought about climbing one or all of them like a tree, I was out before my head hit the pillow.
Some vague part of my brain acknowledged the soft laughter and kisses as I sank into sleep still smiling. I roused when arms wrapped around me and then drifted back off with my nose pressed into Coop’s neck. The next time I opened my eyes, I was too hot. I was pressed right up against Coop, and the sleepy part of my brain said Archie was on my other side. I tried to doze back off, but it was almost too warm.
It took some doing, but I extracted myself, even though Tiddles gave an unhappy meow as he leapt off the bed. Yawning hard enough to make my jaw crack, I headed to the bathroom. After I peed, I washed my hands and splashed cold water on my face. It was alm
ost too warm in the apartment. Half-stumbling, I headed for the A/C and turned it on. The hum of the motor kicking in promised it would cool down. I wanted to cuddle the guys but not get cooked by them.
In the kitchen, I filled a glass with water and leaned against the counter as I sipped it. My eyes were half-shut, but the day before played out like a movie in my head. Everything from waking up, to all the playful sex before school, to the blowjob I gave Jake in the library. I loved watching them fall apart. I loved being the reason they did. Then going to the concert. Not even the arrival of half of bad meatloaf could diminish the day.
“What’s a beautiful girl like you doing out of bed?” Jake asked in a sleepy half-rumble that made my toes curl.
“Hot,” I admitted and glanced over at him. He was all rumpled hair and stubbled face where he stood in the doorway. The single light over the stove offered a dull yellow cast, enough to see by and not trip over the cats, but it was also easy on the eyes.
“You’re always hot,” he teased, and I chuckled at the easy compliment and play on words.
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” I reminded him.
“And I behold a really beautiful fucking girl.” The firmness in his words sent a curl of heat to lick through me and warmed me from the inside out. He narrowed the distance between us and took the glass from my fingertips and refilled it before setting it on the counter and boxing me in. “Do you know how gorgeous you are?”
I traced one of my fingers up the ridges of his abs to his chest. “If I’m half as good looking as you, I’d be okay with that.”
He snorted as I explored lazily. The dark hair dusting his lower abs before arrowing beneath his boxers was always so soft. Dipping his head, he brushed his lips along my throat, and I sighed as I moved my head to let him have better access. The air conditioning had come on, and a breeze of cool air washed over my arms and flushed skin, eliciting goosebumps. I shivered both from the air and the way he nibbled his way along my throat.