Dream (Fighting Fate Book 5)

by Maree Green

  Besides being Jace’s girlfriend, Mia was also Aiden’s twin sister. She’d joined them when they went on tour, and was still there with them a year later. She liked to make sure they were all taken care of.

  “Well, he’s creating music right now, so you can tell Mia so far, so good.”

  Jace grinned. “Already have.”

  Yeah, I should’ve known. Mia was it for Jace. I knew he wouldn’t even look at another girl now. I was happy for him. They were great together. And it was the same for Aiden. He’d done a disappearing act as soon as their tour had ended earlier this year. We’d all been as worried as hell, until we found him shacked up with his current girlfriend on some ranch in Texas. As weird as it was to see my friends starting to settle down like that, I was happy for them.

  Twenty minutes later, Jace was shooting for the eight ball when his phone pinged, alerting him to a new text. He sank the ball before whipping his phone out of his pocket. “Dean wants us to come up.”

  I hung up my cue, not willing to admit I would’ve been going up anyway. The seven of us grabbed our drinks and trudged up the stairs to the living room.

  Liv looked up at me when we walked in. She was perched on a bench at the keyboard beside Dean, her cheeks flushed a little with excitement. Her eyes flashed with a burning intensity that sent a thrill straight to my groin. She was so goddamn beautiful it made me fucking crazy.

  Dean looked up and met my gaze. He looked excited too. I just hoped it was because of the music and not because of anything else.

  “Get anywhere with it?” Jace asked, sinking down onto a couch.

  Dean didn’t say anything, he just nodded, his eyes burning. Those two had always had a silent way of communicating.

  When everyone was settled, Dean shifted on the bench. “All right. It’s critique time. When I wrote this, I always envisioned it as a duet, so tell me what you think.”

  Most of us were more or less used to Dean’s way of business. He was a perfectionist. When he wrote things, he would hear it inside his head, then try to put it on paper. But sometimes it didn’t go as smoothly as he wanted it to. It wasn’t often, but there had been a couple of times when he hadn’t been able to get it out quite the way he wanted it. When that happened, he brought everyone in to listen and critique. I’d seen them work for days, even weeks trying different things to get that perfect sound.

  The song he was writing now was for the movie I was about to shoot, and because of that, he wanted it to be better than perfect. It was for a pretty important part of the movie too, right when the main characters were ready to give up on each other. It had to invoke some pretty deep emotions.

  Dean shifted again and brushed his fingers over the keys before starting on the slow, haunting piano melody. It was amazing. I instantly knew it would work.

  The lyrics in the opening verse were deep. I felt myself being pulled in—by his words and his voice. Like the script, it spoke of a girl and his connection to her, and the desperate message that they were losing each other. It evoked the perfect amount of emotion, and knowing the script as well as I did, I knew the song would give that part of the story line more impact.

  The chorus was haunting. It was hurt and betrayal, a wish that both might move on and find peace. It was very touching.

  It was hard not to get lost in the story he was telling. It was perfect. When the chorus came to an end, Dean brought in some string instruments in the background and gave Liv a little nod, telling her to join him.

  She was soft, hesitant at first, but as Dean’s voice grew in strength, trying to give it more emotion, she opened up and equaled his intensity.

  My breath stuck. Holy fuck.

  I glanced at the other guys, seeing the same shocked expression on all of their faces.

  Dean started hitting the keys with more urgency, lifting the intensity of the song to another level, and Liv followed him, giving it everything she had.

  The sound quickly softened again before launching into the last verse. It was subdued and sad, echoing his loss. They sang the last chorus like the pain was so overwhelming, they could hardly manage more than a whisper.

  Dean hit the last note on the keyboard so gently, but the sound of the despair lingered long after it faded.

  Silence filled the room. I think we were all more than a little shocked. They sounded amazing together. Like, perfect. Knowing how much of a perfectionist Dean was, I knew he was going to have trouble finding someone to match that.

  Jace blew out a breath that seemed to say it all.

  “What the fuck was that?” Matt said. He had a look of total confusion on his face.

  I knew what he meant. Dean and I were the only ones who had heard Liv sing before. None of the guys were expecting her to be that good.

  Liv glanced around the room, nervous and unsure. Her gaze landed on Dean, her eyes questioning.

  Dean watched her for a little while, his gaze turning a little darker. “Are you sure you don’t want to be a singer?” he asked softly. His voice held a slight amusement to it, but I could hear the underlying seriousness.

  She laughed a full belly laugh that immediately expelled her tension. “Definitely.”

  Aiden shook his head. “That was perfect, man. I didn’t hear anything that needed changing.” He turned to face me. “What do you think, Josh? You’d have more of an idea than anyone else.”

  The instant it came out, he realized he might have just messed up. I could see it in the way his eyes widened a fraction. I played along, though, making out I was unfazed. “I agree. It was perfect.”

  Everyone started talking then, discussing the lyrics versus the story line, and Aiden suggested they sing it again so they could record it. Liv’s eyes widened, but Jace reassured her it was purely for them to go back to when they were ready to find someone to sing it with Dean. She agreed, and they sang it again, somehow managing to sound even better.

  By the time they’d finished, my limit had been reached. Without saying a word, I walked over to her and took her hand, pulling her up and leading her up to my room.

  Chapter 23

  Olivia

  The door had barely closed before Josh had me pressed up against it and was kissing me like it was the last time he’d ever get to feel his lips on mine. Of course, I responded eagerly. I’d happily take whatever it was he had to give me.

  Getting to meet the guys from Fighting Fate and sing with Dean like that had been amazing, but they were going to see him time and time again after the summer ended. I wasn’t even sure how long I had.

  “Why do you have to be so goddamn sexy?” Josh groaned against my mouth.

  His words did something to my insides, making me need to press myself up against him even more. I deepened the kiss, my hands gripping his hair in a desperate attempt to keep him there.

  Josh’s hands found their way under the hem of my shirt, his fingers burning a trail across my stomach. I gasped. Who would’ve thought having someone touch my bare skin would feel so incredibly good? His mouth moved over my jaw, kissing along the ridge of it and down the column of my neck. I clung to him even tighter. A surge of heat went through my core, pulsing between my legs. It ached for attention. A soft whimpery moan escaped me, causing Josh’s hands to tighten even more.

  But then a loud baby’s cry pierced the air, jerking me out of the haze I seemed to have slipped into. Holy crap. I was breathing like I’d just run a mile.

  I pulled back to try to put a little space between us. Josh seemed to be breathing just as hard as I was, and when I looked in his eyes, they were dark and sexy as all hell. Somehow, we’d moved into the middle of the room.

  “That would be Mae,” he said gruffly.

  I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My voice was still lost. Instead, I nodded. I hadn’t seen much of Daniel or Amy since they’d introduced themselves on Aunt Jenny’s doorstep last week. Probably only three times, and only the first few times I’d been here.

  I still found it fascinating that Dani
el and Amy were married with a kid. They weren’t that much older than I was, and I hadn’t even had sex yet. “I haven’t seen either of them much this week. Don’t they ever come out?”

  Josh smiled a little, the tension from our kiss finally subsiding. “Daniel’s been away working for a few months, so he hasn’t seen them much. I guess they’re making up for lost time.”

  I blushed when I realized what he meant. “Oh.”

  He chuckled softly, running his hand over my hip.

  I was starting to feel exceedingly incompetent when it came to the physical side of our relationship—if that was what you wanted to call it. I knew he had to have been with quite a number of girls. He was too hot not to have. “Does it bother you? That I don’t have any experience?” I said, cocking my head to the side.

  Josh’s eyes widened. “Of course not. I’m . . . uh . . . I think things would be different between us if you had.”

  I frowned. “What do you mean?”

  He sighed and shifted uncomfortably. “I see a lot with my work, Liv. And most of it isn’t good. People will do a lot of things they probably shouldn’t for a lot of reasons. I like that you don’t think that way.”

  I felt my frown deepen. I didn’t understand. I mean, I knew there were people out there who slept their way to wherever they were trying to get to, and I knew there were girls who slept with celebrities just so they could say they had, but I didn’t understand why he was applying that to me. “I don’t understand.”

  Josh groaned and lifted his face toward the ceiling. “It’s just . . . you’re so sweet, Liv. You’re pure and honest and good. And I promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn’t take advantage of that in anyone.” He lowered his gaze until it was burning into me. “I haven’t had a problem keeping that promise. Until now. You make me want to break it every time I see you. I need you to keep me from you. Every time I get my hands on you, it’s harder to let you go.”

  I stared at him, wide-eyed. Holy crap. That speech only made me want to grab him and force him to have his way with me. I cleared my throat. “I think that might’ve actually had the opposite effect of what you were going for.”

  My breathing started to pick up, and I licked my lips as I looked up at his, suddenly needing to have them on me.

  Josh’s hands tightened on my hips. “Fuck, Liv. Don’t look at me like that. I have practically zero control when I’m around you as it is.”

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I just really like it when you kiss me.”

  Josh pulled me into him faster than I could blink. His kiss was hot and forceful. And I loved it. It felt like he couldn’t help himself. I moaned just as a loud knock sounded on the door.

  Josh broke away, and strode to the door. Pulling it open, he walked straight past Corey, muttering a quick, “Yep” to him before disappearing down the hall.

  Corey gave me an apologetic smile. “Uh . . . sorry?”

  “That’s okay. I guess . . .” I stammered. My head was all screwed up. And where did Josh go so fast? “I should probably go anyway.”

  “No, don’t go,” he said, compassion and understand shining from him clearly. I was so confused. Why did he look as though he got it, when I didn’t? “He wouldn’t want you to go just yet. Just come downstairs and hang out. He’ll be down soon.”

  I considered what he said for a while. I didn’t really want to go. I wanted to know if Josh was okay. I swallowed. “Um . . . is he okay? Did I do something wrong?”

  Corey’s gaze turned the kindest I’d ever seen it. “No, Liv. He probably just needs a little time to cool down.”

  At first I thought he meant that Josh was angry, but then I caught the slight embarrassed look in his gaze and I realized exactly what he’d meant. “Oh.”

  Awkwardly, I walked back downstairs with Corey and joined the guys in the games room. I’d only been in there a couple of times, and it was only to pass through. It was a pretty cool room.

  The guys were spread out in total comfort. Lance and Cain were playing some sort of gaming console on a massive flat-screen TV, Jace was lounging back on a sofa in the corner, talking on his phone, and Dean and Aiden were engaged in a game of pool.

  “Do you want a drink?” Corey asked, moving toward the fully equipped bar.

  “A soda would be nice.”

  My voice drew Dean’s and Aiden’s attention. Their gaze moved past me to the door before they turned to Corey. “Where’s Josh?” Aiden asked.

  Corey cleared his throat. “If I had to guess, I’d say shower.”

  Aiden burst out laughing and Dean smiled, glancing my way before diverting his eyes to the floor.

  “Up for a game of pool, Liv?” Corey asked, handing me a can of cola.

  “Oh . . . uh, sure. I haven’t really played before, though,” I said quietly.

  “That’s fine. We’ll teach you.”

  I watched Aiden set the balls up in the triangle before placing the white ball at the other end. He lined up the cue, drawing it back slowly, before smacking it hard. It raced down and slammed into the other balls, spreading them out pretty good. Well, I was impressed anyway.

  Corey glanced at me. “Do you want to go first, or do you want me to?”

  “Oh, you can. I’ll watch,” I said with a laugh.

  “Okay, well, Aiden didn’t sink any when he broke, so we can go for any ball we want, but once we sink one, we have to stick with that type.”

  I nodded. I liked how he said ‘we,’ because I was pretty sure it was really going to be just him sinking any. “Okay. Got it.”

  He strode around the table, eyeing the balls from various places. Obviously seeing one he liked, he aimed and shot—if that was the correct terminology for pool—and sank one of the solid ones.

  “Ooh, yay!” I cheered. “Go, us!”

  All the guys laughed, obviously amused. Corey aimed at another ball and sank that one too.

  “So, if you get one in, you can have another shot?” I asked.

  Corey looked up, surprised. “Oh, yeah. Sorry.”

  “That’s okay. Just checking.”

  I stood back and watched. I was really starting to relax. If I thought about it, there wasn’t that much difference between hanging out with these guys, and hanging out with the friends I’d made back in Gulu. That thought made me smile. I liked that.

  Corey walked around the table a couple of times, his eyes narrowed in thought, before aiming at a green ball and sinking it.

  “Hey, this is cool. You just keep on sinking them and I won’t have to have a go. Can you still call yourself a winner if you didn’t technically do anything?”

  “Yes, you can,” Josh said, coming up behind me and placing his hands on my hips. His lips skimmed over my neck, his warm breath sending tingles down my entire body. “Because you’re the good luck charm.”

  “Really?” I breathed.

  “Mmmhmm . . .”

  Corey took another shot, but missed. “Obviously not that lucky,” I said.

  Josh chuckled softly, kissing my neck once more before releasing me and moving over to the bar to get himself a beer. Instead of coming back to me, though, he sat down on one of the bar stools next to Aiden and started talking to him in hushed tones.

  Dean sank two balls before missing one, and then it was apparently my turn. Corey walked me to the table and pointed at the red one. “Try this one. If you aim to get the cue ball to hit right here, it should go in the middle pocket.”

  I nodded. Sounded easy enough. I tried to hold the cue the same way I’d seen the guys holding it, but it felt awkward.

  “Try sliding your right hand in a bit, so it’s not so far back,” Josh suggested from his perch at the bar. I slid it in a bit and it felt way better.

  The white ball wasn’t very far away from the red one, so it was easy-ish to line up. I tried moving the cue back and forth like Corey had done, watching to see if I was aiming for that spot Corey had told me to. “How hard do I hit it?” I said, without taking my eye
s off it.

  “Not very hard. Just a gentle tap,” Corey answered behind me.

  I held my breath as I tried the gentle tap. The white ball connected with the red one and shot toward the middle pocket, dropping perfectly inside.

  I jumped up, eyes wide. “I did it!” I turned to Dean. “Ha-ha! In your face!”

  Everyone burst out laughing. I knew they were laughing at my expense, but I didn’t care. I got a ball in, and I was going to do my happy dance.

  Corey was still chuckling when he came up beside me. “Okay, are you going to have another shot?”

  “I get another shot? Oh, yeah! I get another shot! Yay!”

  Josh shook his head at me and laughed again.

  Corey pointed out which one he thought I should go for next—an orange one, and told me where I should aim for. I tried to calm myself back down and focus. Taking aim, I hit the white ball, but it missed the orange one completely. In fact, it missed every single ball on the table. I didn’t know how, but I wasn’t happy.

  “Bad luck,” Corey said. “Aiden gets two shots now.”

  “What! Why?”

  Corey shook his head, but he was smiling. “That’s just the rules. The opposing team get two shots if you don’t hit anything. Same if you hit one of theirs first, hit the black, or pocket the cue ball.”

  I pouted. “Well, that sucks.”

  “Yes, it does.”

  Aiden went through and sank all of the striped balls. Show off. “What now?”

  “Now he has to sink the black ball. If he gets it in, they win.”

  I frowned. I didn’t want them to win. “Do you think if I flashed my cleavage at him, he’d miss?”

  Josh spat his beer out, spraying it all over the bar top, Dean laughed, clapping his hands together in encouragement, and Corey smiled like he thought that was a great idea. Aiden, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes, looking from the white ball, then up to me and back again.