Blessed Tragedy

by HB Heinzer

  By the time dinner ended, my brothers had gotten over their tiff with one another and we were able to sit down and talk to Dad. At first, he tried to give us the same excuses that the guys had given me; that it was stress related, that he just needed time. It was Mike who convinced him to go to the doctor by telling Dad it was the only way we'd let up on him and that, if nothing else, he could prove us all wrong. Before Mike left, he let me know if I had to go back before everything was sorted out, he would keep me informed.

  He also invited me to visit him at school the next day for lunch. I debated turning him down since that would mean putting myself in a position where I had to deal with people yet again, and more than that, I would quite possibly run into Garrett. The selfish me would have refused. The new and improved me who was trying to make things right couldn't turn down a chance to bond with my brother.

  Lunch was far more pleasant than I expected it to be. Okay, so it was good once I got past the fear that kept me from freely walking through the door to the teachers' lounge. For four years of my life, that was a door you hoped you never had to open, the entire time wondering what was on the other side. It was the one place in the school where students weren't generally allowed, and even though I was no longer a student, my brain seemed to remember that fact.

  The faculty sitting around the long conference table tried to avoid making it look obvious they were looking in our direction when we sat in the club chairs in the corner of the room. When it was obvious they were curious, Mike confirmed to them that; yes, I was Maddie Neumann; yes, I was a former student; yes, I did now go by a different name; and yes, I was a kick ass singer in a band. That made me laugh and effectively broke the ice.

  One of the younger teachers, someone I didn't know, invited us to sit at the table with them. Principal Reeves came in and asked if I would be willing to speak at the end of year assembly. I didn't tell her that, unless attitudes had changed, no one paid attention during the assembly and it was a waste of time. If I was truly this new and better person, I needed to embrace what was thrown at me, even when that was telling a bunch of teens they too can make something of themselves if they put their minds to it. It wasn't until much later that I got upset by that concept since almost no one had understood my motivations only a few years earlier. Then again, maybe someone like me is what the kids need so they don't make the same mistakes in life I did.

  We almost got through lunch without any issues when Garrett walked through the door carrying a jumbled stack of sheet music. I stood to leave, unwilling to deal with the aftermath of our awkward evening, kissed Mike on the cheek and took a deep breath before placing myself into the sea of raging teen hormones outside.

  I rolled my eyes when I heard my name as I rushed down through the hallway. Of course, the only viable escape options from the teachers' lounge were to go past Garrett's office, through the crowded gym or through the equally crowded lunchroom. I wished I'd gone a different way when I felt his hand on my arm as he began pulling me into the desolate band room.

  “So, I was right,” he said flatly. “We're just going to avoid one another again?”

  “No, Garrett. But when I'm drunk isn't the time to talk and neither is sitting in the teachers' lounge. Look, I'm not still pissed at you. When I said we needed to move on, I didn't mean we need to ignore each other, just that we can't live in the past.”

  “Okay, so can we get together and talk over dinner then?” I should have said no. No matter what I told myself, I was slowly sliding into the land of “what-ifs” and that wasn't a good place for me to be.

  I should have said no, but that's not what came out of my mouth. “I'd love to. Call me at my dad's house when you get done and we'll figure it out.” Not only did I not tell him no, I stood on my tip toes and kissed his cheek before leaving.

  Wednesday morning, my dad drove me to the airport and I was once again leaving town. The good news is, this time I was leaving with a little bit of peace in my heart. I was getting to know my brothers and realizing they weren't all bad. My dad had an appointment for the following week, he said so he could tell us to butt out of his life but I could see he wasn't fooling himself either. And Garrett and I were back to being friends. It wasn't the perfect friendship and I didn't know if we'd ever get back to the easy place we'd once been in, but we were talking. That was a start.

  Chapter Thirteen

  When I decided I was going to surprise Colton by telling him I'd be home hours after my flight actually landed, I expected to walk into a quiet house. I'd purposely scheduled my flight for early in the morning knowing the guys preferred to maintain a night owl schedule, no matter where we were.

  Not in a million years did I expect to walk into the monstrosity of a house Colton's dad owned to find all three of the guys plus Jared, one of our guitar techs, sitting around the baby grand at nine in the morning. I wasn't even aware any of them knew what nine in the morning looked like. Even more intriguing was that Jared was sitting on the bench, his fingers flying across the keys faster and more effortlessly than just about anyone I'd ever watched play. Obviously, the kid had been hiding something from us. Something good.

  The magic Jared was creating in the living room was powerful enough to make me forget to be upset I wouldn't be able to slide into the king size bed upstairs to show Colton how much I'd missed him.

  I closed the door as quietly as possible; not wanting to interrupt whatever was going on. Leaning against the banister, I listened as, layer by layer, the song grew from a classical piano solo into a classically inspired rock jam.

  “Pretty good, isn't it?” I'd been so entranced by the music that I hadn't noticed Colton walk in the door behind me. His warm breath against my neck sent shivers down my spine.

  Not answering his question, I spun around throwing my arms around his shoulders. Colton drew me close against his body, his index finger grazing my cheek before settling under my chin, drawing my face to meet his. When our lips met, my lips parted, my tongue begging him to allow me into his mouth.

  The way my body reacted, it was hard to believe it had only been a week since we'd seen one another. As his tongue delved deeper, I moaned softly. This man was an expert with his mouth and I wanted to feel it on other parts of my body. Immediately. For the rest of the day and night.

  “Upstairs,” I whispered, my need to feel Colton on top and inside of me trumping my mind nagging me to at least go and say hello to the rest of the band. They could wait.

  “No time, my little cloud,” he laughed, breaking the kiss. When he reached for my hand to pull me through the hall, I playfully jumped on his back, wrapping my legs around his waist. I felt bad when he winced but didn't think anything of it.

  “Come on, they weren't even expecting me for twelve more hours,” I whispered in his ear. No one would know I was home if we played our cards right. At worst, they'd think Colton had bailed on them, opting to go back to sleep.

  “Nope, you're just going to have to be patient.” He turned his head to place a kiss on my cheek. “I know that's hard for you but it'll be a good test.”

  I was unceremoniously dropped onto the couch, crashing into Jon's back. Until that moment, they'd been so lost in their work we could have been screwing on the floor in front of them and they wouldn't have known. Even if they had known, I'm not sure I would have cared with as wound up as I was.

  “You made it back,” Jon observed, wrapping one arm around me in a brotherly hug. “Welcome back, be ready to work.”

  “Gee, nothing like easing back into it,” I joked. I knew I was in for it, having missed a week of our break. Colton had told me they had some great new material I needed to look at to make sure it was going to work for me. This was going to be the first album they'd asked for my input and I didn't want to screw that up.

  “Hey Jared, that sounded pretty badass. When'd you learn to do that?” As I asked the question, I looked around wondering how many more people I wasn't expecting to see were hidden in the many rooms of the h
ouse.

  “When I was about seven, thanks.” He didn't look up from the sheet music he was using to scribble some notes.

  “Surprised the shit out of us too, but we're thinking we might pull him out on stage to give you a break mid-set.” It was definitely something no one would expect to see but I wondered if the audience would be as enamored as we were.

  I pulled my legs under myself curling into Colton's body. It was a far cry from what I wanted from him, but if I had to settle for feeling the warmth of his body against mine for the time being, it would have to be enough. He was right; there was much work to be done and I needed to keep my priorities straight.

  “Are you guys still up from last night or trying to living with the rest of the world during the day?” I whispered, not wanting to interrupt Jon and Jared.

  “They're still up. I caught a few hours on the couch.” His fingers slid under the bottom of my tank top, barely brushing against my skin. I shifted uncomfortably as he gently nipped at my neck, working his way from my shoulder up to my ear. I turned in his arms, narrowing my eyes at him. He wouldn't take me upstairs and let me strip every stitch of clothing from his body, but it was okay for him to sit next to me on the couch, in full view of everyone, and torture me.

  “If you keep that up, all bets are off,” I warned him. I reached between our bodies to give him a taste of his own medicine. As my hand neared the zipper of his jeans, Colton stood from the couch as if it was on fire.

  “No time for that, come on.” He pulled me from the couch and started up the stairs. Finally, I was going to get my way. Or so I thought. By the time I reached the top of the stairs, Colton was in the closet, grabbing our helmets.

  “Get changed, we're going for a ride today.” That pissed me off. We couldn't spend time alone together but we could leave to go for a ride? Something was going on and I didn't like it.

  “Well, if we have time for a ride...” I purred, slowly taking off my shirt to reveal my braless breasts. I was going to have him, even if I had to throw him on the bed and take what I wanted. My patience, which was thin to begin with, was nearly transparent.

  I sauntered over to him, kicking off my flip flops while reaching into the waistband of my yoga pants. Standing before him, fully naked, I pressed my body against his. I'd never considered myself much of a seductress but desperate times called for desperate measures.

  The jeans he was wearing weren't the form fitting style I was used to seeing on him. These fit looser, barely hanging on his narrow hips, low enough for me to know there was nothing between the denim and his skin. While I was a fan of the way his old jeans showed off his tight ass and rock hard thighs, my breathing hitched as my eyes traveled down his chest to the subtle V at his hips, wondering if the pants would fall to the floor if he moved in just the right way.

  My hand slid between our bodies, pressing hard against his growing erection. He was just as affected as I was, yet he backed away from the feeling of my hand brushing his cock. I couldn't help but wonder if he'd changed his mind about us while I was gone. When my fingers reached for the button on his jeans, Colton turned away from me and I was certain I wasn't going to like where the day was heading.

  “Come on, I was going to take you out tonight, but since the guys are going to crash soon, we'll go now. That way, we can grab a nap before they're working on shit tonight and we won't miss anything.”

  I chastised myself as my mind raced with all the possible things that could have gone wrong while I was away to make him react this way. Before I left, we were all over one another. He'd been an attentive lover, even when that attention meant we weren't having sex because he wanted everything to be just perfect. And now, it was like he was battling his own feelings and I was either the woman he claimed to love or a deformed creature he needed to run from. And they say women don't make any sense.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked as I dug through my suitcase, trying to find something suitable for a ride along the Gulf coast.

  “Yep, fine.” His clipped words had me doubting him further. Something was most definitely not fine, but it was something he didn't want to talk about here.

  “If you say so. Give me a few minutes and we can head out.” I didn't want to be a bitch to him, but the combination of not enough sleep, traveling and his cool reception had me near the boiling point. And not in a good way this time.

  Nearly everything about our day together was perfect. The heat of the sun beating on us was eased by the wind as we sailed down the highway. Even though I was pissed and apprehensive about what was going on, the feeling of his firm stomach under my fingers made me want him even more. I'd managed to go five years without having sex, but now that I'd had it, I felt like a horny teenager, ready to pounce at the slightest touch.

  After riding for over an hour, Colton pulled up in front of a small beachside diner near Panama City. The parking lot was nearly empty since it was after breakfast but too early for the lunch rush. Even in such an out-of-the-way location, I was glad we wouldn't have to think about anyone seeing us.

  We sat next to one another in a booth at the back of the restaurant. Throughout the meal, I tried repeatedly to turn up the heat on our day, but every time my hand neared the top of Colton's thigh, he'd squeeze my fingers. I tried to not read too much into his actions or let on how much it hurt to be repeatedly turned down.

  “Where to next?” I asked as he started the motorcycle.

  “Thought we'd head back.” There was a pained look on his face as he shifted on the seat. Trying to put all of the pieces together, I started to wonder if he'd gotten into a fight while I was gone and taken a shot between the legs. It was the only thing I could come up with, and that was only after noticing how tentatively he was sitting. At least that would mean I wasn't the problem. I wished he'd let me know what was going on.

  “Hey, are you okay?” I asked, wrapping my arms around his waist as I stood next to the bike. Feeling like a bitch was a fairly normal state of being for me, but this time I had no reason to feel that way. Yes, I was sulking because I wasn't getting what I wanted but it was his fault for not telling me why things were this way.

  “I'll be fine. Come on, let's get back.” If not for the fact that I love being on the bike so much, I'd have made a snotty comment about the fact that we'd gone an hour to pick up mediocre burgers and drink flat soda. Instead, I gave him the benefit of the doubt there was a reason for turning back. It was a new concept for me; part of the new and improved me.

  Colton jumped off the motorcycle like it was on fire as soon as we were in the garage and went straight to the bedroom. With as strained as things were all morning, I didn't follow him. Instead, I took stock of the kitchen, grabbed the keys to the Challenger and ran to the grocery store. Given the leaning tower of cardboard boxes just outside the door in the garage, I figured the guys could stand to eat a home-cooked meal.

  The house was eerily quiet when I returned with enough food to feed a small army. Or my band mates and whoever else might be lurking around. After quietly putting away the groceries and doing some prep work for dinner, I made my way upstairs to catch a quick nap with Colton. And hopefully figure out what was going on with him.

  I almost felt bad as I pulled off my jeans and racer back tank top so I could crawl under the covers with him. He looked so peaceful; I didn't want to disturb him. Lucky for me, it's a well-known fact I can be selfish at times so I didn't feel bad enough that I didn't crawl in bed with him.

  Yes, it had only been a week since we'd slept next to one another, but after spending the entire tour with our limbs intertwined, I truly felt as though I'd fully returned to Colton as I pressed my body against his back, settling my arm over his waist.

  The fatigue I'd felt while carrying in my purchases vanished as soon as I was lying next to Colton. Building in its place was desire. My fingers skimmed across his stomach while I placed open mouthed kisses across his shoulder blades. While he wasn't what I would consider ripped, he definitely had amazin
g muscle definition. That's what I loved most about his body; the fact that I could enjoy his features without feeling like he'd been carved out of stone.

  As my left hand started to travel lower, my fingers brushing through the soft hair leading to my intended target, Colton started to stir. Stirring was a welcome reaction compared to the jolting away from me as soon as I tried to do anything south of his waistband.

  He rolled onto his back, allowing me easier access to his stiffening cock and I took full advantage. Not wanting to rush things, I started at the base, rolling his balls through my hand, lightly squeezing them before wrapping my hand around the base of his erection. He softly moaned but gave no indication of waking up. It wasn't until I neared the head that I realized why Colton had been shying away from me.

  “What the fuck is that,” I shouted, a bit louder than I'd intended.

  Colton bolted upright in the bed, his eyes darting around the room trying to figure out what was going on. “What's wrong?” He asked, unable to hide the panic in his voice.

  I threw back the sheets to show him what was wrong, as if he didn't know, the bedroom door flew open exposing Colton to Jon and Travis.

  “Dude, what the fuck did you do?” Jon asked, his face turning red as he tried to taking a second look at what he'd just seen.

  “What? Someone want to tell me what the fuck is going on?” At some point, Colton was going to wake up and realize that his newly pierced cock was the cause for the current commotion. I couldn't wait to see how that was going to play out. But first, I wanted to figure out what in the hell had possessed my boyfriend to get a Prince Albert and not tell me about it.

  “You okay in here?” Jon asked me, doing everything possible to avoid eye contact with either of us. Obviously, the fact that I was unable to take my eyes off Colton's midsection was more than explanation enough for my outburst.