by Jess Dee
Seth, the kid who two minutes before the concert had started had told Luke how much he liked Kaz. How they’d already become good friends. Seth, who’d slapped him on the back and told him he’d done good finding Kaz.
Luke had wanted things to work out like this. He’d wanted Seth to fall for Kaz. Truth be told, he was damn proud of his choice of replacement. Kaz was perfect for Seth, and Seth was crazy about her. Everything was going according to his plan.
So why the fuck did it hurt so bad? Why did he want to clutch his chest as though someone had cracked his ribs and ripped out his heart? No one had died. No one was seriously injured. Better yet, no one was lying on the floor, a victim of Luke’s violent nature. So why did he still feel as though he was about to lose his best friend?
Perplexed by his reaction to his own game plan, Luke took it out on Nathan after the concert. He told him in no uncertain terms to go the fuck back to Sydney to find Sophie, and then threatened that if he didn’t find her, he shouldn’t bother returning to Melbourne.
Although Luke knew in his heart he’d given Nathan the right advice, he was disgusted with his own behavior. He’d never spoken to any of the Pace brothers like that before.
Knowing the band’s reputation was at stake, Luke forced himself to get his shit together. He had interviews to manage, rides back to the hotel to coordinate and another after-party to contend with. He stiffened his spine, squared his shoulders and did his job, deliberately packing more work on Seth’s and Zachary’s shoulders. Nathan was in no state to talk to the press.
While Zachary wooed fans and Seth fielded questions from Fox and ABC—with Kaz at his side as his supposed PR manager—Luke got on the phone and together with the Australian concert tour promoter, organized flights and accommodations for Nathan. No easy feat in a foreign country at midnight. But he did it because that was his job. And because he cared about Nathan.
And because if he didn’t, he’d storm into one of Seth’s interviews, grab the kid by his balls, haul him out the room and fuck him in the darkest corner he could find. Stake his claim. Let Seth know he belonged to Luke. Always.
Only he didn’t belong to Luke. He could never belong to Luke, and Luke’s devastation and inability to reel in his emotions just proved it. Luke ticked away, a time bomb waiting to explode.
When he did explode, he did not want Seth anywhere near the fallout.
Seth spent the night alone with Kaz. Luke pleaded exhaustion and went to bed, alone. It was a bullshit excuse, and Seth knew it.
Fingers of frustration tugged at his chest. He wasn’t any closer to realizing his dream of forever with Lucas. If anything, the dream was further out of reach than it had been before the tour began.
He knew that with Kaz around there was no way he and Luke could get closer. He also knew there was no way Luke was letting Kaz leave anytime soon. Which left Seth in a quandary. He wanted time alone with Luke, but he enjoyed Kaz’s company too.
Yeah, sex with Luke and Kaz was mind blowing, but it wasn’t sex he sought with Kaz. It was friendship, the strong sense of camaraderie he’d felt ever since she’d stepped into his suite in Sydney.
Even now the bond between them strengthened. They sat in Seth’s suite talking. Talking—not fucking. Neither of them was in the mood for sex, not without Luke. Seth ordered an array of platters from room service and watched with a smile as Kaz tucked in.
While they ate, they spoke about anything and everything. Seth expressed his frustration about Luke. Told her how long he’d been in love with him and how much he wanted Luke to commit, but no matter what he did, Luke seemed to hold tight to some invisible barrier he’d constructed between them.
Seth even admitted that he believed Luke had included Kaz in their bed play as a way of reinforcing that barrier. In response Kaz told Seth she understood more than he realized because she’d read it in their auras.
Seth was justifiably perplexed, so Kaz hurried to explain.
“I don’t see the world the same as everyone else does. I never have. I see it in a wash of color. When I look around, every living thing is surrounded by color. The more complex the organism, the more complex the shades that surround it. People have a…well, a rainbow surrounding them, each hue reflective of a different aspect of that person’s life. That’s how I knew you and Luke were in love. When you look at each other, or even when you’re close, it’s difficult to miss the pinks that glow from both of you.”
“Pinks?” Seth said, appalled. “Couldn’t you see reds or blues? Or maybe silvers and golds?”
“Pink,” she confirmed. “It tells me that you love each other. Passionately.”
Seth snorted, unconvinced. “I carry my heart on my sleeve when it comes to Luke. Anyone could pick up on that. Tell me more. Tell me what else you see when you look at me.”
She studied him for a long time. “You sure you wanna hear this?”
Seth nodded.
Kaz danced her hand over his head, as though touching something he couldn’t see. “You’re a dreamer, Seth Pace. You spend your time with your head lost in the clouds, thinking up wonderful, marvelous things that are usually impossible to achieve. Most people would stop there. Would dream the dreams and move on. But with you, it’s different.” Now her hand moved to his chest, and she laid it over his heart. “With you, when you dream big enough and when you want it bad enough, you find a way to make it happen.” She hesitated. “More?”
He nodded. “Definitely more.” How on earth could she know all that?
She ran her hand close to his cheek, but she didn’t touch him. “You have a crimson halo just here, all mixed up with a beautiful silvery grey glow, which tells me you’re creative.” She smiled. “And yes, the lyrics of your songs tell me the same thing. But they don’t give hints that you’re in touch with your feminine side. Uh-uh—” she shushed him when he would have objected, “—that’s not a bad thing. Not at all. It just means you understand your emotions better than most men do.” She waved her hand around his neck. “This royal blue tells me you’ve found your chosen path. You’re content with the way your life is going. And this carmine red hue over here?”
“There’s red around my stomach?”
She nodded. “Are you seeking a change of some sort? A life-altering kind of a change?”
He hesitated. “Damn, you’re astute.”
“No, I’m just reading your aura. Actually, this red is the reason I’m here. I’ve been seeing it all over. Seeing it in you and Luke and even in myself. It’s as if we’re all seeking out some kind of change.”
“What change are you seeking?” Seth asked.
She shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. I’m…a little lost at the moment. Jobless and directionless. I don’t know what I want to do with my life. Which is ridiculous. At twenty-eight I should know these things. But there you have it. I don’t. Maybe one of these days I’ll stumble across the right path.” She smiled. “How about you? You actively looking to change something about your life?”
Seth nodded. “It’s like I said, I’m trying to change Luke’s approach to me. Trying to get him to commit. I’m determined, sweet pea. I want him to be a part of my life forever, you know? Not just in a professional capacity. I want him with me. Always.”
And so the conversation went, long into the night. And when exhaustion took its toll, Kaz curled up beside Seth in bed, and they both fell asleep.
Luke found them like that the next morning when he came to get Seth for a meeting. He didn’t try to get into bed with them, just hurried Seth along. He no longer seemed quite as upset as he had been last night, but Kaz could see he was still conflicted and distant—and in no mood to discuss it.
While Speed and Luke took care of band business—without Nathan, as he’d flown back to Sydney—Kaz took the time to wander through St Kilda, browse the stores and enjoy a laid-back lunch. She’d known all along she’d be spending time by herself. Luke had warned her about the prescheduled publicity shoots and band practices.
It had been ages since she’d had time out, just for herself. Work had monopolized most of her days, and Martin had monopolized most of her nights. In the time since she’d quit both work and her ex, she’d spent long hours searching for another job—to no avail.
The problem was, Kaz had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. She was used to retail, having worked in an up-market dress shop for two and a half years. But clothes held no interest for her. She’d only stayed that long because the pay had been excellent.
Kaz reckoned she was good in retail, she just wasn’t sure what she wanted to sell. Her musings were brought to an end when she stumbled upon a small New-Age store tucked away in a back street. Something about The Little Shop of Treasures made her want to walk inside, and when she did, she felt as if she’d come home. She felt as if she belonged here, as if her kilometers of walking had led her to this place.
The shop was different from any she’d been in before. A delightful collection of all things alternative. A magnificent collection of crystals took center stage, calling to her from their glass display.
Like colors, crystals had always spoken to her. She’d always believed in their mystical healing properties, and in fact, had numerous crystals in every room of her house.
The far wall was lined with shelves, and each shelf carried the kind of books Kaz loved to read. How To See & Read The Human Aura; The Tibetan Book of the Dead; Many Lives, Many Masters; The Seat of the Soul. The shelves were filled to bursting, and Kaz ached to open one book after another and lose herself in their contents.
The left side of the shop boasted aromatherapy oils and essences, natural remedies, herbal soaps and cosmetics. The right wall was covered in chakra charts, dreamcatchers, suncatchers, beaded jewelry and an array of other equally fascinating items.
Kaz spent ages browsing through the shop, and before leaving she bought three books and four crystals she couldn’t not have. While paying for them, she found flyers advertising reflexologists and Reiki masters, naturopaths and homeopaths, fortunetellers and palm readers. She picked one up.
The woman behind the counter noticed. “If you’re interested, Ted reads star charts here every Thursday. I can book an appointment for you.”
“He does the readings here?”
She nodded. “We have two rooms upstairs we use for alternative therapies. We’re kind of known for it. Customers don’t just come in to buy our goods. They come to see the therapists too. They come for the whole mind-and-body experience.”
Kaz’s pulse raced with excitement. “Would you by any chance have someone who reads auras?”
The woman shook her head. “Afraid not. The closest I have is an iridologist.”
Kaz thanked her for her time and left the shop, her mind whirling. Instinct told her she would never grow bored working in a place like The Little Shop of Treasures.
That evening, Zachary joined her, Luke and Seth for dinner. It took Kaz a good hour to see past Zachary’s smoldering sexuality, but once she did, she found she enjoyed spending time with him. Like Luke and Seth, he was charming, funny and held great affection for Luke. He treated him the same as he treated Seth—like a brother.
And after dinner, she, Seth and Luke barely made it back to Seth’s suite before they were tugging off their clothes and attacking one another in a feverish, sexual frenzy.
The following day, Kaz found herself back at The Little Shop of Treasures. She spent the morning there, browsing, reading and talking to the owner. She left feeling happier and more focused than she had in a long time.
She attributed it to the energy of the crystals. She always felt invigorated around them. By the time she got back to the hotel, Seth and Luke weren’t the only ones waiting to greet her. Sophie was there too. Tucked neatly under Nathan’s arm.
Sophie and Kaz watched the second Melbourne concert together, backstage. They made use of every brief pause in the music to catch each other up on their lives since that first fateful Speed concert.
Kaz would have thought her time spent in Melbourne was the most idyllic of her life, if not for one not-so-minor hitch.
Luke.
Every time she looked his way, his charcoal-grey halo and viridian hues seemed to grow brighter. Luke was hurting more with every passing minute, and Kaz had no idea how to help him.
“He needs you,” Kaz said with such vehemence her champagne almost spilled over the sides of her flute.
“He needs to be alone right now,” Seth disagreed.
They stood in the middle of a large crowd of people, whispering to each other as they watched Luke do the necessary rounds of yet another concert after-party.
“He’s in a strange mood,” Kaz observed.
That he was. There was a tension about him Seth had never seen before. Luke tried to hide it. He also tried to keep his distance, but Seth wouldn’t allow him that luxury. He stuck as close to Luke as public decency would allow, and even closer when they were in private.
“I don’t know why.” Frustration yanked at Seth once again. “Do you? Can you read his aura?”
Kaz studied Luke for a long time. Her expression changed from perplexed to worried to sad. “I can, Seth, but there are things there I’m not sure he wants to share with anybody. And I’m not sure it’s my place to speak about them.”
The frustration bit at him. “Then how am I going to know what’s upsetting him?”
“Go and ask him. I told you, he needs you. Take time out to be alone with him. Help him sort through whatever’s got him this distressed.”
Seth snorted. “You know that Luke never needs anyone, don’t you? He’s an island, that man.”
Kaz gave him a stern look. “And you know that’s a crock of shit. That man is so crazy about you, he can’t breathe properly when you’re not in the room with him.”
Seth took a step back and looked at Kaz. “Where’d you get to be so observant?”
“It’s a trait I was born with. Now, go. Goodbye. Go support the man you love.” She gave him a little shove.
“Pushy little thing, aren’t you?”
“Go,” she hissed and turned away from him, leaving him with no choice. He made his way across the floor, offering smiles and conversation to anyone who stopped him—and a lot of people stopped him. If he didn’t give them the attention they demanded, his band manager would blow a gasket. It didn’t mean his attention wandered from Luke. Not for one second. He was aware of exactly where the other man was, and what he was doing, the entire time.
“Lucas,” he said when he’d made his way to his side.
“Seth.” Luke gave a short nod.
“Wanna tell me what’s got your balls in a knot?”
“My balls are just fine, thank you.”
“They are, indeed. I can’t argue with that.” Seth shot him a killer look. “Perhaps I can knot them for you? With my tongue?”
Luke didn’t respond, which told Seth he was in a bad way. Luke always responded to Seth’s killer looks, sometimes with annoyance, sometimes with a killer look of his own, and sometimes with a growled, “Behave.”
Seth placed his hand on Luke’s shirt and smoothed it down over his chest. “What’s wrong, Lucas?”
Luke jumped back as if he’d been burned. True, he and Luke didn’t often touch in public, but when they did, Luke never had such a strong reaction.
“Nothing’s wrong. Now that Nathan’s back on form, everything’s fine again.”
“If everything was fine, you wouldn’t be so uptight.”
“I’m wound up from the concert. It’s no biggie. I just need time, is all.”
Bull. Concerts never caused Luke this much stress. “I’m worried about you.”
“You’ve got nothing to worry about. Just give me time to unwind and I’ll be fine.”
Seth inched closer to Luke. If the dumbass thought he could deter or placate Seth, he was insane. But Luke was obviously not in the mood for talking, so Seth reached out in the only way he could. “You know I could help you unwind.”
Luke snorted, but there was no amusement in the sound. “I bet you could.”
“Would you like me to?”
A long moment passed before Luke responded. A tense moment, filled with uncertainty for Seth. Luke’s eyes were narrowed, the brown irises almost invisible. A wealth of emotion played over his face, but for the life of him, Seth could not identify any of it.
Ropes of tension knotted in his stomach.
Finally, Luke nodded. “Yeah, kid. I believe I would.”
The ropes relaxed. Not all the way but enough that Seth could breathe again. “Let’s go.” Suddenly he couldn’t wait to get Luke alone. Couldn’t wait to be naked with him, just the two of them. Maybe then Luke would open up and tell him what was bothering him.
“Wait.” Luke stopped him before he could march off.
“What?” He didn’t want to be stopped now. He wanted to be in his room with Luke.
“Where’s Kaz?”
Seth gestured to where she’d been standing. “Over there. Why?”
“Get her.”
“Get her?”
“If I’m gonna unwind, I want her there to help me. To help us both.”
Seth breathed through a wave of irritation. Not at Kaz, at Luke. Seth knew he needed time alone with Luke. Kaz knew the men needed time alone together. Why the fuck couldn’t Luke see that?
Or could he, and that was why he insisted on Kaz coming along?
“I’ll find her,” he said. Maybe if Kaz was there, she could talk some sense into Luke. Because fuck knew, Luke wasn’t interested in listening to Seth talk. Not about the two of them. Kaz had a way with words and a deeper understanding of people thanks to her ability to read auras. Maybe if she could combine the two, she could get Luke to spend some time alone with Seth. “Give me five minutes, and we’ll meet you back in my room.”