Taking his time, spurring her excitement with small swipes of his tongue, he blanketed her body as he lay down. Tasting and teasing the skin along her neck, down each shoulder, to the dip in between her breasts. The mounds peaked with attention. He suckled one and then the other, licking the tinted circles, feeling Sera squirm with pleasure underneath. Every movement sent another rush of adrenaline to his groin. The lifting of her hips, welcoming his firmness against her femininity, had him aching for release. Her heavy pants begged for the same. Knowing he wouldn’t last long, he encouraged her escalation. Fingering aside the thin strip of material that hindered the passage to her opening, he slid in a finger. Letting moisture collect, he treasured the wail of pleasure that bounced off her lips. “God, you’re wet,” he whispered, pulling out.
She panted. “Tyler.”
“What, baby?”
“Please,” she begged.
Sliding his finger back in, her hips lifted in satisfaction, then fell into an arch when he pulled back out. Rubbing his thumb against her most sensitive area, he pushed up in inside her again. This time, she let out a moan, while tugging at his hair. Quickening the pace, he moved against her nub until she screamed out.
As much as he always enjoyed bringing her to climax over and over before partaking in his own pleasure, it was important to him that they come together this time. Shedding his shorts and boxers, he covered himself, before peeling off her panties and throwing them aside.
His heart pounded with the race of his pulse throbbing at the tip of his head. One good thrust and he’d be done. Nudging her slick opening, he entered slowly, parting her sex with an unhurried push. She gave a low murmur of approval as he delved in deeper. Withdrawing, then pushing back in, he glided with more force the second time. The sting from her fingernails sinking into the blades of his shoulders drove him faster. Her hips thrust up with every push and pull until they found a rhythm. The pace quickened, and Sera cried out again. Then her thighs clenched, sending them both sailing over the waves of glory.
Propped up on an elbow, Tyler rubbed the back of his hand over Sera’s pinked cheek. The color was evidence of the thorough grazing his unshaven jaw had made as he ravished her mouth. Their lovemaking had been fulfilling in every way.
Sera drifted off almost immediately. His body was telling him he needed to do the same, but he was afraid to take his eyes away, fearful she’d be gone if he did. He’d waited three years for her to come back to him. Had almost given up hope of it ever happening, and now that she was here, he’d do his damnedest to make sure she stayed.
She wasn’t the same Sera he remembered, and at first he didn’t think he’d like her new tamed-down personality, but nothing about her was repressed. She still spoke her mind. Maybe not as often or as turbulently as before, but her point was made clear. Her infectious laugh and soothing smile hadn’t left and she made love to him just as feverishly as she always had. None of those things had changed. She was still the loving, caring person he’d always known. Her vulnerability was the only thing different. He didn’t view it as a flaw or a sign of weakness either. In fact, the quality made her more appealing, and not in a way that made her inferior. If anything, it created an equal balance between them. She needed him just as much as he needed her.
He hadn’t put much thought into the idea of her joining him on his tour. All he knew was that he wanted this to work and was willing to do whatever it took to make it happen. With his schedule, he’d be lucky to make it home a couple of days a month. A day or two here and there wasn’t enough for him. For his own sanity, he needed to be with her.
But even if she had agreed, he knew now that roaming from city to city wasn’t what was best. Stability in her life would be good. She hadn’t really had a home to call her own since joining the army. She’d gone off to basic training in South Carolina before being stationed in Texas and then ordered to Afghanistan. Now that she was out, he figured she needed to put down her roots again. Get back into civilian life and a routine—something she couldn’t do on the road.
He could already hear the string of expletives Bradley would spew when he told him he was pulling out of the tour. The guys in the band would probably be mad at first too, but once he explained his situation he was sure they’d understand. It was everyone else behind the scenes that worried him most.
Chapter 18
Pulling out his phone, Tyler saw Bradley’s name flash across the screen. Moving his finger between the buttons to accept or reject, he tapped reject, then tossed it aside before getting up and going to the living room, where Sera was stretched out on the couch reading a book. Picking up her feet, he sat down, letting them fall into his lap.
“Get much done?” she asked, peering over the top.
“A little,” he answered. “I like where it’s going.”
“It sounds really good.”
“It did?”
“Yeah, the melody sounds fun.”
The words floating through his head that morning when he’d woken were now on paper. The song still had a ways to go, but he was excited to get back to writing after taking a yearlong break. “Feels good to be writing again.”
“I can’t believe you stopped. You loved it as much as you did being up on stage.”
Curling his hand around her thigh, he answered, “The desire just wasn’t there.”
“Well, I’m glad you got it back.” She sat up, delivering a kiss to his cheek.
“I’m going to ride over to my dad’s. Get that out of the way.”
She peered at him with slanted eyes. “You sure?”
He shrugged.
Giving him a shoo away with her hand, she said, “Go. I know he’s your dad and you love him. Tell him hi for me.”
• • •
Sera was at the stove making dinner when Tyler came home from visiting his dad. Going straight to his room, he didn’t speak, but every step he took rang through the walls. Despite her urge to run to him and see if he was okay, she ignored the discomfort and continued stirring the spaghetti sauce she’d put together.
She should have gone with him. He detested the rare visits, but she thought her and Doug’s mutual dislike for one another would have only put more strain between father and son. Their relationship had been a forced one for as long as she knew. It was a relationship she thought Tyler was better off without, but that wasn’t her decision to make.
Hearing him come up behind her, she turned off the stove and turned around, ready to smile, but held it back when she saw lines slanting downwards out of the corners of his freshly shaven face.
“You okay?” she asked, running her hand along his soft cheek.
“Rough day.”
“I guess nothing’s changed?” She wrapped both arms around his neck, and instinctively Tyler encircled her waist.
“Let’s see. He was drunk when I got there. Hit me up for money and then proceeded to lecture me about why I needed to get a real man’s job. Oh, and I’m pretty sure his new wife—who, by the way, looks younger than me—is knocked up. Let’s hope not by him.”
“I’m sorry.” She dabbed another kiss along the side of his jaw.
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” He returned the kiss to her lips.
“I’m sorry he’s such an ass.”
Tyler laughed. “You keep it real, don’t you?”
“Only way to be.” She smiled back then, happy that she’d livened up his face a little. “Are you hungry?”
“I am. But what do you say after we eat, we head down to Merv’s for a night out?”
“I’d say it sounds like a plan.”
Chapter 19
They stood just inside the entrance looking for a place to sit. Merv’s was a favorite on Friday nights for those who drove the hour drive east into Lexington or west to the coal mines for work. It was late, so a crowd had already gathered to celebrate the end of the work week. People milled around in between tables, talking as they went while the band rang out from the stage.
/> Finally Tyler saw a table in the midst of being abandoned. He clasped Sera’s hand tighter, tugging her in the direction of the empty seat.
He’d nearly choked when she came out of her room wearing a snug fitting pair of low-waisted jeans. Spinning around, his eyes trained in on the firm roundness of her back end. “What do you think?” she’d asked.
“I think if that top was cut any lower, you’d be changing.”
The sleeveless yellow shirt perfectly accented the tan she’d gotten at the lake, but more than the ass-hugging pants or the cleavage-bearing top, the strappy black heels adorning her feet were what he favored most. She’d never been a heels kind of girl, but the look was definitely good on her and he couldn’t wait to get them off when they got home.
Merv made his way over when he saw them. “Hey. Glad you two came by,” he said, clearing the bottles left by the previous inhabitant into a gray tub.
“Looks like you’re busy,” Tyler said, looking around.
Merv let out a long breath. “You have no idea. Had a waitress get a job at the Save-A-Lot and quit on me yesterday. People talk about this town not having jobs and then when you need someone, nobody wants to work.”
“Good business, though,” Tyler answered back.
“That you’re right about,” Merv said. “Hey, you up to playing a short set tonight?”
• • •
Sera saw an old gleam sparkle in Tyler’s eyes when he agreed that he would, a gleam that intensified as he walked to the stage when Merv announced to the crowd that he had a surprise for them.
A roar of whistles and clapping resonated through the bar when his name was mentioned. For a town that didn’t have much, Tyler gave them something to boast about. They loved him. Yet few treated him differently. The older generation and those they’d gone to school with saw him as one of them. It was the younger kids, like the ones who’d shown up at Roy’s and the few at the Dairy Freeze who he’d signed autographs for, who looked at him with envy. Somehow, Sera didn’t think he went as unnoticed when he was out on the road. He hadn’t said much about the attention he received, just the exhaustion of moving around, but she supposed the constant interruptions could be tiring after a while too.
She watched him walk to the stage with ease. Talking momentarily to the house band, he adjusted the microphone into position and gave the crowd a loud, “Hello, Cobb City.” The bar erupted in a howl before quieting down when the beat of a drum indicated the start of a song. Then Tyler opened his mouth and belted out the first notes and in that moment she saw no worries or cares. Not even the stress from the visit with his father was there. Tyler, the rock star, was on stage. He even looked the part. Newly shaved, wearing stone-colored jeans and a white T-shirt, he exhibited his youth as he stood with a guitar slung over his shoulder. Every note, every beat, every tap of his foot, illustrated the sheer contentment pouring out of him. He loved what he did, but it was more than that. He had the ability to embed that love into one’s soul and let them feel it too. Just like he’d done to her.
• • •
Sera counted up the days in her head as she lay in bed. Considering that the day was over and not counting Monday, because Tyler would be leaving early that morning, they had two more full days together. She wanted to make the best of it, but the anxiety of him leaving was starting to wear on her.
Turning to the side, she pressed her lips to his forehead. After riling the crowd at Merv’s for more than an hour, they’d come home. He’d practically keeled over with exhaustion when they got into bed. She, on the other hand, couldn’t make her mind quit wondering long enough for her lids to slide down. It wasn’t just Tyler keeping her awake. She had a lot more floating through her head. She’d made more progress in the last three weeks than she had in over a year and she wanted to keep pushing forward. Was even contemplating buying a car and getting a job so she could keep busy when he was gone. Of course that meant she’d have to start driving, which she wasn’t ready to do yet. The whole concept was frightening. What if when he left, everything went back to the way it was before? What if she hadn’t made any progress at all and Tyler was merely a short vacation away from all her problems? She might fall right back into the pit of huddling in the house and thinking of Rollins day in and day out. The idea was sickening.
Concerned for what his departure might bring, she was even considering his request to join him on tour. The offer seemed ideal, except she’d be dependent on him in so many ways. The financial aspects didn’t bother her so much. She had money saved that would get her through. It was her emotional instability that had her concerned. Being unable to drive was the biggest issue. She couldn’t expect him to be at her disposal twenty-four/seven. He was a busy man and busy men didn’t need needy girlfriends tagging along. That alone made her point for the second problem. She didn’t want to need Tyler. She wanted to be his equal, because that was the only way to keep their relationship fair without the struggle of taking and giving.
Sitting up on the edge of the bed, she reached for her first sleeping pill in days.
• • •
Tyler woke with a shift in the mattress. Seeing Sera on the edge of the bed, he asked, “You all right?”
“Yeah. I can’t sleep.”
“Something wrong?”
“No. Just one of those nights.”
“Come here.” He reached out, pulling her back into his arms. “Want to talk about it?”
“I’m restless, is all.”
Running his hand through her hair, he said, “Then why don’t you talk me back to sleep?”
“Am I that boring?” She scoffed, lifting her head from his chest and throwing him a teasing smile.
“Baby, anything but. Your voice is soothing, though.”
“I think I want to buy a car.”
The quick shift in conversation had him spinning. Buying a car seemed pointless if she wasn’t going to drive it. Unless she was trying to tell him she was ready to give it a go again.
“Did you hear me?” she asked.
“I did. It seems kind of silly, though, to buy a car when you’re not driving.”
“I’m going to ask Merv for a job. I’ll need a car to get back and forth to work. So, I guess I’ll have to start working on the driving issue.”
“I’m not comfortable with you working at Merv’s.”
“I’ve got to do something, Tyler. I can’t sit around here every day.”
“Then come with me.”
The talk with Bradley hadn’t gone well that morning. Actually it had gone worse than he’d imagined. Bradley was very honest in his thoughts. He believed canceling the tour was a career-ending move and that Tyler would be throwing away his talent, not to mention damaging his reputation. He was still waiting to hear back from all the other people who had a hand in putting his tour together—most importantly, his label, but it didn’t sound good. Maybe if he could talk Sera into coming, they could somehow make it work for now, and then in February they could start concentrating on putting down roots.
“Don’t start on that again,” she said.
“I’m not starting anything, I’m simply telling you how I feel.”
“And I feel I’m not ready.”
“Fine,” he relented, in no mood to argue. “We’ll go look at cars, then.”
Chapter 20
Tyler stood with his heart pounding in his ear. Knuckles white, the paper in his hand shook as he reread the last sentence. I don’t understand how you can love someone who nearly killed you.
He’d come home from a trip to the grocery store not finding Sera anywhere in the house. He did find her bedroom door open and mail strewn across the bed. The return addresses were all the same: Lucas Rollins of Welch, West Virginia. Picking up a picture tucked underneath one of the envelopes, he stared at a camouflage-clad man smiling widely at the camera. There was nothing but sand in the background. Turning it over, he saw the name Rollins written in Sera’s handwriting on the back. His hand shook. The p
icture wobbled up and down. Then, giving it a fling, it fell to the bed.
Turning his attention back to the letter in his hand, he saw his name and read on. Do you think Tyler loves you? He chose his career over you. He left you when you needed him. I was there. I was there for you, not him. His jaw tightened. The son-of-a-bitch was making presumptions he knew nothing about. Teeth gritted, he glanced back down at the pile of letters, seeing another picture. Pulling it out, he saw Sera’s arm locked around Rollins. Both were dressed in their desert uniforms, both smiling just as profoundly. His gut rolled.
“Hey, I didn’t hear you come back.”
Tyler’s head snapped up at the sound of Sera’s voice. His eyes met hers, just as she realized what he held.
“What are you doing?” she snapped, snatching the letter and picture from his hand.
He had no explanation. It was wrong to intrude on her privacy, but he hadn’t been able to help himself when he saw the opened letter sitting there. “He was in love with you?”
Sera stuffed the single sheet of paper back into the empty envelope. Her eyes shifted from the letters laid out to the cardboard box sitting next to her bed.
“He didn’t love me,” she said. Bending over, she began stacking the letters into a pile.
“He said he loved you, Sera.” His eyes filled with hatred for a man he didn’t know.
“Apparently you didn’t get to the one where he called me an ungrateful bitch.”
She gathered the mail, shuffling it in her hand.
“He said I almost killed you.”
“He said a lot of things.” She blew the accusation off.
“Dammit! This isn’t funny.”
“No, it’s not,” she barked back. “I walk out on the back porch to take a call from Uncle Roy and I come back to you snooping through my things.”
“I wasn’t snooping.”
“Then what do you call it?”
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