by Skye Turner
Checking my face one more time, I flip the mirror up and grab the package from the back and slide out of the Hummer. Dade helps me down and takes my hand. Our fingers entwine and we walk back to the coffee shop.
When we walk in, Clove and Liam are there. She’s “oohing and aahing” over the décor and food. Several people glance over at us and smile and Lexi winks at me. Oh yeah, they so know.
The shower goes off without a hitch. They get so many presents, I wonder if they’ll have room. It was an afternoon filled with love and friendship and I am grateful to have been included. Dade sits near me and is very attentive all afternoon. He holds my hand whenever possible and when he’s not holding my hand, he’s touching me. A hand on my back or thigh. Nothing sexual, but my nerves are humming from it all.
Once it’s over, everyone helps to return the coffee shop to its normal appearance. It was a long day, but a great one. Probably one of the best I can remember.
Clove is sitting next to Liam on one of the couches and he’s rubbing her feet. Erik is making a pot of coffee with Alec helping him. Bradi is walking around making sure everything is accounted for as Micah writes things she says down.
Lexi and Blue are near me on leather chairs in a sitting area while Dade, Cruz, Jessie, and Jude are laughing at a table.
Lexi looks at me as I look at Dade. “He’s something else.”
Turning, I mutter, “Yeah, he is.”
Blue smiles at me and looks at the men. Jessie sees her looking and winks before blowing her a kiss. She smirks and blows one back.
Erik comes back and sets cups in front of everyone. Coffee for everyone except Clove. He’s made her some tea.
I cradle the cup and let the warmth of the steam caress my face. Dade is looking at me. I shiver.
Lexi says, “Thank you for coming today, Melonie.”
I nod. “Thank y’all for having me.”
Blue chuckles. “You’re with Dade. You’re part of this crazy bunch now.”
I smile. I’m with Dade. I like that. I guess I am with Dade. I’m kind of in shock with all of it.
Erik takes Alec’s hand. “You’re good for him.” He smiles at me. “Dade, I mean.”
Looking at him, I silently question what he’s saying. He watches the guys as he talks. “It’s funny to see everyone like this. But it’s cool, too. I’ve learned so many things from these people.
Lexi and Jude are one of those ‘meant to be’ couples. They’ve been in love their whole life and even though they had some issues…” He looks at Lexi. “Some serious communication issues, they’ve taught me that communication is so important.”
Nodding at Blue, he says, “Blue and Jessie. Jeez, Louise. Those two. Good fucking lord. Oil and water. They could not even look at each other without screaming. Yet, neither was willing to admit that all that tension was hiding something more until they both just let it be. They taught me that it’s ok to think outside the box.”
He smiles at Clove and Liam. He’s leaning over her stomach, talking to it. She’s gazing at him with the purest love on her face. “Those two… wow. Those two taught me that taking chances and putting yourself out there can lead to the most amazing things.”
He points at Bradi and Micah. Micah has his arms around her and they are slow dancing to a beat only they can hear as they gaze at each other in awe. “Bradi… that girl is a mess. A hot ass mess. She made some stupid choices because she let other people get into her head. She could have lost him, but he fought for her. He broke down her walls. They taught me that love is powerful ammunition.”
He looks at Alec and pulls his hand up, kissing it. “Him. He got me to live. I was content with my life. I went through the motions and made some memories, but he taught me that with the right person, instead of existing, you can actually live.”
He looks back at me. I’m absorbing all of this information. I don’t know these people. But Dade does. They are important to him. So, I want to know them.
Erik nods at Dade. “He’s a rock. There for everyone. He will listen, advise, and have your back, but he never judges. Yet, he was so into everyone else’s lives and making sure they were ok, he was neglecting himself. You have him concentrating on Dade instead of everyone else. He needed that.”
Cruz gets up and walks down the hall. Erik shakes his head. “I can’t wait for someone to conquer him.”
I look at him in confusion. Cruz is gorgeous. He kind of looks like he could be a model, but he has a wounded air about him. I’m curious about it. “What do you mean?”
He smiles. “It’s not my story to tell, but that man will one day realize that where you come from doesn’t define you. Who you are defines you. Someone, someday, is going to help him defeat himself. I hope it happens soon. He deserves it.”
He smiles at me. “Sorry, I get sentimental when I’m tired.”
I smile back. “It’s ok. Thanks for the intel.”
Lexi and Blue both stand and stretch as Bradi makes her way back over. She plops into a chair and kicks her shoes off. “I’m fucking beat. Today was good though.”
I nod. It was.
Everyone starts to meander out and before I realize it, it’s only Dade and I and Jude and Lexi left.
They ask us if we’d like to go get a drink.
I think I would like that very much.
Chapter Twenty-One
Dade
I’m really looking forward to spending the day with everyone today. This is Melonie’s thing, so I’m a little antsy to see how she reacts to seeing these country stars. I wonder if she’ll go all “fan girl’ on them like people do to us!?
We spent the morning around my house. She stays here a good bit now. The past few weeks, we’re together almost every night. Either here at my place, or over at her apartment. We wrapped up the album this week and now everyone is looking forward to the concert tonight. I am not a huge country fan, so I didn’t go last night, but Clove and Liam went with Jude and Lexi and they said I missed out on an amazing show. I wasn’t feeling George Straight since I’ve always heard he just stands at the microphone and sings, though I do like his music. I would be bored to tears with that. Melonie and I went out to dinner before coming back here, instead.
Clove sent me a text with video and King George was all over the stage and interacting with the crowd though. I guess he’s going out with a bang since he’s finally retiring. Melonie was bummed she missed it, but she’s amped up for tonight. Joe Nichols, Big and Rich, Lee Brice, Eric Church, and of course her obsession, Luke Bryan. Luke is why we have the amazing tickets. Though for purely selfish reasons, I opted out of the backstage passes he offered.
If Melonie is going to lose her shit over a musician, I’d prefer that it be me!
Everyone is meeting here in an hour and the driver Jude hired is picking us up and dropping us back off here later. That way everyone who wants to can drink.
We have the suite for the concert, but the girls insisted on doing the “Fan Fest” so off we go. Hopefully, since this is a country concert and we’re rock, things won’t get too crazy as we mingle and take in the scene. I did hire six bodyguards to come with us, just in case though. My sister has precious cargo on board.
Melonie is in my bathroom shaving her legs since it’s hotter than Hades outside on this Memorial Day Weekend. She’s insisting on wearing shorts, though the ones she has laid out on my bed are very short, very frayed, and way too sexy for her to wear in public.
Really Dade? Too short and too sexy?
Women go topless at your concerts and most wear clothes way more revealing than that.
Oh, shut up.
Groupies aren’t my girlfriend.
MY GIRLFRIEND?
That sounds entirely too weird. Not the word, but the fact that at almost thirty-five I’m calling someone that.
Shouldn’t grown ass men have a better word?!
She’s humming Florida-Georgia Line’s new song in the bathroom. I can hear her through the door.
&nb
sp; It opens and she walks out in her bra and panties. The bra is white and lacey and the panties are very high cut and as she turns and bends down to grab her shorts, her ass cheeks wink at me. Dear God, she’s wearing a lacey white thong.
Turning, she smirks as she catches me ogling her ass. She shakes it a little as she shimmies into her shorts. As she straightens, I can see miles of leg. Too much leg. Her ass is covered, but just barely and her tan legs are glistening as they just go on and on and on. She slips a pair of brown cowboy boots onto her feet.
My eyes pop out of my head as I stare in wonderment at the gorgeous woman in my bedroom wearing cowboy boots, frayed short shorts, and a white lace bra. Holy shit. That’s so sexy.
Rushing her, I swoop her into my arms and toss her onto the bed. She shrieks. “Dade! Oh my God! Dade, you scared the shit out of me.”
I bury my face in her cleavage and suckle her through the bra. She squirms. “Oh no you don’t. I just got ready and you are not going to muss me all up! Get off of me you big lout.” My hands rub her through her shorts before slipping past the short hem. She moans and grabs my face. We kiss until she screams out in ecstasy.
Sitting back, I admire my work. She still has the boots on and is breathing heavily with her legs splayed, still in her shorts, as her thighs quiver. Her chest is rapidly rising and falling as her breasts try to escape the confines of her bra. Her eyes are glassy and dazed, her cheeks are deeply flushed, and her lips are plump and swollen from my mouth. All in all, a gorgeous picture.
I wink and lick my lips.
She mutters, “You’re the devil, Dade Rodrigue.” Leaning up, she squeezes my rock hard dick through my cargo shorts and winks. “Sorry, baby. No time for you.” She looks at the clock on my nightstand. “Everyone will be here in fifteen minutes and I have to fix this mess you just made.” She glares at me and looks down at herself. “And change my shorts!”
I chuckle. I knew I could get her to change those shorts.
Whistling, I head into the bathroom to pull my hair up and try to get myself presentable.
Ten minutes later, I walk out and she’s in the middle of the room checking herself out in the floor length mirror.
Dammit!
She grins at me in the mirror when she hears my indrawn breath.
She’s now wearing the tiniest white cutoff shorts ever. They are probably shorter than the one’s she just had on. They cup her ass and caress her legs. Her top is a bright pink that you can see through and there’s a white thing underneath it. She did not change the boots.
She looks mouthwatering.
Turning she asks, “You like?”
I nod and growl. “Yeah. This rocker is going country.” Stalking her, I try to cross the room.
She laughs and throws her hands out. “No. Stop. Don’t you dare!”
Stopping, I frown. I don’t want her going with me looking like that. Well, she can look like that for me, but not for other people. She needs to wear cargo pants and a turtleneck. Who cares if it’s ninety five degrees outside?!
She winks and walks out of the room. I can hear her boots clicking on the stairs.
Throwing my head back, I stare at the ceiling and mutter, “Great, Dade! Epic fucking fail on your end.” Then I look down at my crotch, “Awesome! Every man who sees her in those shorts is going to be sporting one of these. Fucking great!”
Adjusting myself and grabbing a baseball cap, I head downstairs as the doorbell rings.
We’ve been out here in the heat for two hours. The girls are all glistening, but looking gorgeous and we’re all glaring at the crowd as every man out here is checking out our women. A few people have recognized us, but so far it’s been a good day… Other than people eye fucking Melonie left and right.
Glaring at a group of college aged guys as I see them staring at her ass, I growl. They notice and my face must be menacing, because they scuttle away.
Jude calls to me, “Dade, come with me and Jessie to get drinks.” Casting a knowing glance at Cruz, who’s looked over at me, I nod to Melonie. He nods back. He’ll keep an eye out for her for me. Good old Cruz.
Liam hollers, “Get Clove a water.”
Nodding, we head to the bar for over-priced drinks. As we’re heading back, I see a familiar face making her way over to our group. Cruz hasn’t noticed her yet.
She’s looking mighty fine in some cutoffs and a cropped American Flag shirt and boots. She looks the type. She sees me and smiles. I smile back.
This is going to be interesting. I hit Jessie and Jude. “Hottie, alert. Check it out. She’s interested in Cruz.”
Jude looks and whistles. “How do you know that?”
Chuckling, I say, “Because she told him as much while the two of us were having pizza.”
Jessie chuckles. “She told him? Who is she?”
“A paramedic. She’s one of the ones who got Clove the night she was hospitalized.”
Jude chuckles as we watch her stride purposefully towards them. Cruz sees her as she gets close. His face is interesting. His eyes light up and he starts to smile before he masks it.
We reach them about the same time.
Melonie turns and grins. “Hey, girl!”
She grins back. “Hey, girl. How are you?” Her gaze is once again on Cruz. “Nice company you’re keeping, Mel. Hey, Cruz.”
He takes a step back, but not before we see him looking her over. “Hey.”
She asks. “Forget my name?”
He shakes his head and smiles slightly. “No. Hey, Tifanie.”
She smiles widely and cocks her hands on her hips. “You just made my day, sexy.”
He chokes and his cheeks flush.
She giggles. “Take a walk with me?”
Everyone is watching this unfold raptly. He looks at me with panic on his face. I know he’s interested in her. I saw his face. I also know what he wants and he’s not getting it.
Nope. You’re going to take a walk with Ms. Tifanie, Robert Cruz Edwards!
Reaching out, I wrap my arm around Melonie’s waist and pull her toward me. Everyone else follows suit and couples off as well. Cruz looks at every one of us for an excuse. We all grin at him. Clove smiles the biggest and holds out her hand. “I’m Clove. I think a walk would do Cruz wonderfully.”
Tifanie takes it. “I’m Tifanie. We’ve actually met before. You won’t remember it though.” Clove frowns. “I was one of the paramedics who took you to the hospital with your kidney stones.” Clove nods. “It’s great to see you looking so well. You’re a beautiful pregnant woman.”
Clove laughs. “Well, thank you. And thanks for taking care of me.”
Tifanie nods. “My pleasure. I didn’t mean to crash your party. But how about that walk, Cruz?”
Clove angles her head at him and sends him a “you get your ass moving” look. He glares at her and she smiles at him.
Knowing he’s getting no rescuing from us, he turns back to Tifanie. “Ok, let’s take a walk.”
She takes his elbow and links her arm with his as she leads him away.
Erik whistles. We all turn to see him grinning like a fool. “Oh boy, Cruz is in for it.”
Nodding, I laugh. “Yes. Yes, he is. She’s sweet.”
Bradi chuckles too. “Yeah, sweet on Cruz. She’s hot though.”
Melonie laughs. “Tifanie is awesome. Cruz should definitely take the time with her.”
I mutter, “Yeah, I hope he does.”
We listen to the bands for another forty-five minutes before Clove asks if we can go in to get her off of her feet. It’s really hot out here.
Texting Cruz, I tell him we’re heading in to the stadium.
He texts back he’ll be along in a few minutes.
Melonie follows me up to the suite and as I sit in front of the large window and look down, she pushes me down and straddles my lap. Her smooth thighs are on each side of me and her breasts are pressing into my chest. Her eyes are sparkling as she beams at me.
“What? Why are y
ou smiling like that?”
Winding her arms around my neck, she leans in and licks my ear. What is she doing? We’re in the middle of everyone. “Thank you for bringing me today. I’m having fun. I like your friends.”
Leaning back so I can look at her, I say, “You’re welcome. And they like you, too.” I lean up to kiss her softly. “So do I.”
She sighs and stares at me before leaning down and kissing me. Aggressively. Her mouth is demanding entrance and my lips are happy to oblige. We fence with our tongues as we forget all about the rest of the people in the room.
Only Bradi’s snort breaks through our fervor. “Hey sexy lady, get off of Mister Wonderful’s lap. I don’t want to see him fuck you. I’m into some kink, but not that.”
Micah covers her mouth with his hand. “Jesus, Bradi. Stick something in your mouth and shut up.”
She bites him and waggles her eyebrows. “Find me something.”
He chortles with his laughter before she attacks him while holding his face. His hands kneed her ass and she grinds against him before she pulls back. Looking at us, she winks. “Ok, never mind, Doc. Do carry on. I’ll carry on with my man over here.”
Lexi starts laughing and can’t stop and Blue and Clove soon join in. Within seconds, everyone is cracking up. Looking around, I realize everyone in our group is now paired off. It’s nice to see. Leaning down, I kiss Melonie again and take her by surprise. She moans into my mouth and sucks on my tongue before sliding off of my lap. Leaning down, she whispers in my ear, “Seriously, stop. I’m wound so tightly right now, I probably would actually fuck you in front of everyone, so I’m getting off of your lap.”
My eyes widen. “Where did that mouth come from?”
She winks. “Probably from hanging around rockers.”
Wait, we’re not those kinds of rockers. I mean yes, we’ve done our fair share of shit, but we don’t do the things some bands do and all of us are paired off, Jude is even married.
She frowns. “What’s wrong? What did I say?”
Shaking my head, I smile at her. “Nothing. Go ahead and eat. I’m sure the girls will go with you.”