One thing that had made it all right was the fact that Mace had done his best to keep in touch through text, email, and the occasional call. He even mailed me fun little gifts from time to time.
When he’d let me know they were all coming home for Christmas, I’d squealed so loud my dad freaked out and came busting into the room, thinking someone had snuck through my window and was attacking me.
Will was picking them up from the airport later today, and they were going to come over to our house for an elaborate pre-Christmas dinner. When I found out, I’d immediately called my friend Bethany and begged her to come to the mall with me to pick the perfect outfit. It hadn’t been an easy task. Nothing I tried on was right. It either looked like I was trying too hard, or not trying hard enough, and I was really starting to freak out.
Blowing out a deep breath, I pressed my palm against my belly in an attempt to quell the butterflies flapping around like crazy. “Chill out, Ly. This isn’t a big deal,” I muttered to my reflection. “It’s not like you’re seeing the love of your life for the first time in four freaking years.”
This visit was important for so many reasons. When Mace left, I’d been a clumsy thirteen-year-old girl. Now I was only a handful of months from turning eighteen. After being jealous of Tate for so long, I’d finally developed a woman’s body of my own, and I needed him to see that, because I was finally going to tell him the truth. I couldn’t keep living with the secret any longer. I had to know whether or not there was a chance for us. I’d spent my entire high school experience trying to remain invisible to the opposite sex, not open to the possibility of a relationship with any of the boys my age because I’d been pining after someone else. The time had come to act and take charge of my life. It was now or never.
“For God’s sake!” Bethany cried from the other side of the curtain. “Will you just find a freaking outfit so we can get out of here? It’s been five hours, Ly! I never thought I’d say this, but you’ve made me hate shopping.”
I puffed my cheeks out and crossed my eyes at her dramatics. Bethany would never get sick of shopping. It was pretty much the only thing she lived for. “Will you stop complaining already?” I called back. “I brought you here for moral support!”
“What’s your deal with finding the perfect outfit? Have you finally decided to pull that stick outta your ass and give Nick Bishop a shot?” Just the mention of the quarterback of our football team and his incessant habit of asking me out was enough to turn my stomach, but I couldn’t tell her the truth. At least not yet. Fortunately, I was saved from having to lie when she continued on. “Oh, and just so you know, I’m super pissed at you right now. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me Civil Corruption was coming to town! Do you know where they’re staying once they get here? And most importantly, can you introduce me?”
Looking at myself in the mirror, I chewed on my thumbnail as I considered what to say. No way in hell was I going to tell her I was looking for something to wear for my family dinner with the guys from the band.
The whole town knew of my family’s connection, but having also known them before they hit it big, most of the people around respected their privacy and didn’t hound us. Bethany wasn’t always so considerate. She’d moved here at the beginning of our senior year, and the second she found out I knew them she’d gone nuts. She was as bad as a dog with a freaking bone, but I kept my mouth shut about the guys. I just couldn’t bring myself to talk about my personal relationship with them. It felt too much like giving up a piece of something that was just mine.
“Uh, I’m not sure. They’re more Will’s friends than mine,” I said, replying with the standard answer I’d been giving for years as I tugged on the hem of the skirt in an attempt to make it a little longer. I liked that the dress made me look more grown-up, but I wasn’t sure I’d be comfortable with how much of my legs it showed.
“Oh come on! That’s such crap. You know something, you’re just not telling. You’ve already refused to hook me up with that hot big bro of yours. You owe me.”
My lip curled up in disgust at the thought of Bethany with Will. “Ew, Beth! Stop talking about my brother like that. He’s not interested in a high schooler.”
“We’re graduating soon, and eighteen’s legal, babe.”
That’s what I was counting on, not that I’d ever admit it to her.
Deciding a change of subject was necessary, I whipped the curtain open and stepped out. “So?” I held my arms out, spinning in a circle. “What about this one?” I came to a stop once I faced her again and chewed on my bottom lip.
“Dayum, girl! You look hot!”
“It’s not too much?” I asked nervously.
“You kidding?” she scoffed, standing and coming toward me. She pulled the fabric at my waist, drawing the skirt back up to its natural place about an inch above mid-thigh. “There’s no such thing as too much. Especially when it comes to Nick Bishop. He’s gonna swallow his tongue when he sees you in this.
A huge part of me wanted to tell her everything so I wouldn’t be alone in the chaotic storm swirling inside me, but I didn’t. Instead, I bit the inside of my cheek to keep quiet. Bethany was someone I considered a friend, but I hadn’t known her long enough to open up and tell her everything. The only one I had ever been close to like that was Tate, and she was closer with the guys than she was with me.
“You are so getting that dress, and don’t you dare argue with me. So help me God, if I have to sit here while you try one more thing on, I’m gonna lose my freaking mind.”
I giggled and finally agreed, taking pity on my friend. “Fine. Let me change and get this rung up, and then we can grab a bubble tea. Sound good?” Then I needed to hightail it home so I had enough time to get ready. I wanted—no, I needed to look my absolute best for tonight.
She held out her hand to shake mine. “It’s on. And you’re totally buying.”
Pulling into the driveway, I noticed Will’s car parked in front of my parents’ house. Yanking my keys from the ignition, I hopped out and started up the front walk with my shopping bags in tow.
“Will?” I called as I pushed the front door open. “Aren’t you supposed to be heading to the airport? If you’re here to raid the fridge again, Mom’s gonna be pissed! She said once you moved out, it wasn’t her job to feed you anymo—”
“Surprise, Goldie.”
I jerked to a stop, dropping my bags and purse on the ground. “Holy crap,” I breathed, staring up at Mace in shock. “You’re here. Why are you here?”
“Wow,” he said with a smooth, warm chuckle. “Good to see you too.”
I gave my head a shake to try and organize my jumbled thoughts. “No, that’s not—what I meant is what are you doing here now? I thought you guys weren’t getting in until later.” My stomach started doing Olympic-style gymnastic flips. I wasn’t sure what to do. I wanted to throw myself at him, wrap my arms around his neck and never ever let go. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to burst into tears for some insane reason.
But I couldn’t do any of that.
Mace propped a shoulder on the wall, blocking my path. “Will didn’t tell you? That was a trick to throw off reporters. Fewer to deal with when we get in several hours before our scheduled arrival.”
It blew my plans to get all dolled up before he saw me for the first time in years right out of the water, but I couldn’t find it in me to care. He was here, close enough for me to touch. The only thing I felt was pure elation. “I can’t… I just can’t believe you’re here,” I whispered, my voice ragged with a whirlwind of emotions.
His mouth quirked up in a grin that made my skin tingle and my knees quake. “So you just gonna stand there, or you plan on giving me a hug? It’s been four fuckin’ years, Goldie.”
I didn’t have to be asked twice, launching myself at him so fast that he was forced to rock back on one foot. “Whoa there, tiger.” He laughed at the same time his arms closed around me. I wanted to melt into him and live there forever.
The hug was unlike any hug he’d ever given me before. Nothing about how he was touching me right then felt brotherly or friendly. It was like my skin was the only thing holding me together.
I was moments away from opening my mouth and blurting out the truth. However, before I had a chance, footsteps echoed from the kitchen into the hall. Mace’s arms fell and he stepped back like my touch had burned him.
“There she is!” Declan crowed, scooping me up and spinning me in a circle as Killian, Garrett, Tate, and my brother crowded into the hall behind him. “Damn, Lyla Bug, you’ve grown up! What happened to the little girl we said goodbye to?”
“Four years passed,” I answered once he put me on my feet, giggling at his antics even though Mace jumping away from me was like a white-hot fire poker piercing my lungs. “I’m almost eighteen now,” I added, feeling it necessary to point out my age for everyone around me to hear. “Not exactly the same little girl you guys left behind.”
“Outta my way, outta my way!” Tate shoved Declan to the side and pulled me into a hug so tight she squeezed all the air from my lungs. “Oh my God! You’re so pretty! I’ve missed you like crazy!”
The guys laughed while Garrett pulled the wild redhead back. “Easy there, Tater tot. You’re gonna break the poor kid.”
Kid. God, I hated that he still thought of me like that, but worse, I hated that Mace probably thought the same thing.
I chanced a peek at Mace over Tate’s shoulder and lost my breath at the look in his eyes as he watched me closely. I wasn’t sure if it was just my mind playing tricks on me or not, but what I saw lingering in those aquamarine pools made me feel like he wasn’t seeing a kid when he looked at me.
And I liked that feeling a whole hell of a lot.
Chapter Three
Lyla
Tate and the guys left shortly after to go visit their own families for a few hours before coming back in time for dinner. Usually I helped my mother in the kitchen for big family meals, but she’d convinced my dad to shell out the money to have dinner catered so she could, in her words, “spend time with my kids without having to slave away in the kitchen all night.” My dad, being the sucker for Mom that he was, easily caved.
As soon as the door closed behind them, I’d grabbed my bags and bolted upstairs. I had three hours to primp, and I needed every single one of those minutes if I had any hopes of making Mace see me as more than just a girl.
I’d scoured countless magazines for hair and makeup tips. I used a shimmery bronze shadow that helped bring out the light flecks in my brown eyes, and my long pale blonde hair was curled and hanging in beachy waves over my shoulders and down my back.
Pulling the green dress I’d bought earlier from the bag, I slipped it on and pulled the skirt down past my hips before slipping on a pair of cream-colored platform heels with a rounded toe.
Placing my hand on my flip-flopping belly, I moved toward the mirror hanging on my closet door to check out my handiwork. I looked good. Better than I’d thought I would. And for some reason, that realization made the crazy mosh pit happening in my stomach even stronger.
“What the ever-loving fuck are you wearing?” Will’s voice came from my doorway, causing me to let out a little shriek as I jumped around.
“Jeez, Will. You scared the crap outta me.”
“You about to go to bed or somethin’? ’Cause I know you aren’t actually thinking of wearing that skimpy nightgown downstairs around a bunch of people.”
“It’s not a nightgown,” I snapped, slamming my hands on my hips as I shot him a furious look. “It’s a dress, and there isn’t anything wrong with it. It’s pretty.”
“It’s the tiniest scrap of fabric I’ve ever seen!” he boomed, drawing the attention of both my parents.
“What’s goin’ on here?” Dad asked as he came to join the fray. As soon as he spotted me, his eyes bugged out. “What the fresh hell?”
“Oh, honey, you look beautiful,” Mom cooed as she pushed past them both and scuttled into my room. She wore a beautiful, shimmery winter white cocktail dress that came to her knees, with a feminine boat neck and cap sleeves. Her hair was in an elegant twist, and she finished the ensemble with a pair of tan kitten heels and my grandmother’s pearls around her neck.
“You look pretty too, Mom.”
“Excuse me!” My father’s voice vibrated through the room. “Am I the only one here who notices my baby girl’s dressed up like a damn streetwalker?”
I let out an offended gasp as Mom snapped, “Jonathan!”
“Nope,” Will gritted. “I’m right there with you, Pop.”
“William Jonathan Tolliver!” Mom cried. She narrowed her eyes fiercely as she glared at the two of them standing in my doorway. “Both of you should be ashamed! Lyla looks lovely.”
“That damn dress is so short it barely covers her ass, Cynthia! No way she’s leaving this room wearing that. I’ll nail the damn door and the window shut!”
“It is not, and you’ll do no such thing!” Mom shouted in return, crossing her arms over her chest and taking that ‘don’t you dare test me’ stance that Will and I had seen her use on Dad so many times over the years.
He threw his arms up in defeat just like he always did. “For crying out loud, Cindy!”
“You can’t expect to keep her in ruffles and bows forever, Jon. Lyla’s not a little girl anymore. She’s almost an adult.”
Dad clutched at his chest dramatically. “Are you tryin’ to kill me?”
Mom’s eyes rolled skyward just as the doorbell rang through the house. “That’ll be the caterers. I’d appreciate it if you’d go let them in while I help Ly finish up here.”
Dad and Will let out similar affronted grunts before stomping away.
When she turned back to me, she was wearing a proud, motherly smile. “I’m thinking a few pieces of gold jewelry will tie your whole outfit together beautifully. What do you say?”
I returned her grin, giddiness filling me to the brim. “I have just the thing.”
Mace
Being back in the Tolliver house was surreal, to say the least. It had been our home away from home during our childhood, and Cynthia and Jonathan had been our surrogate parents for years, but coming back to this place was like stepping through the looking glass. So much had changed over the past four years that it was like my life had been broken into two parts: Before Fame and After Fame.
The Tollivers were firmly in the BF category, and while being here now felt nice, it was still a little strange. And disconcerting. And really goddamn disturbing, because I hadn’t been able to keep my eyes off Lyla since she walked down the stairs in that sexy-as-hell green dress.
Holy shit, she was something else. I hadn’t realized just how grown up she was until then… and damn, had she grown up really fucking well.
I had no goddamn business being drawn to her the way I was. Not only was she jailbait, but the girl was also my best friend’s little sister. That made her off-limits from now until eternity. However, my traitorous dick didn’t seem to be getting the message, because I’d been sporting a half-chub for the past three and a half hours.
“It’s so nice having everyone back under one roof,” Cynthia mused, glancing around the table. “I’ve missed you guys like crazy. Seeing you on TV and in pictures just isn’t the same.”
“We’ve missed you too,” Tate replied, reaching over and taking her hand.
It was no surprise that Tate was thrilled to finally be back in San Francisco. She never said anything, but it was obvious that she’d been having a hard time with their new lifestyle lately, and it wasn’t helping matters that Declan had dived headfirst into the deep end of superstardom. He’d embraced the life with open arms while his girl was struggling to find her place.
“So fill us in on everything,” Cynthia insisted. “What’s new? How is life treating you in LA?�
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“LA’s been great,” Killian answered. “It’s different, that’s for sure, but it’s been treating us pretty damn well.”
“The women especially,” Garrett joked, reaching out to give Kill a fist bump. “City’s Heaven on Earth for rich, single dudes.”
“Ugh. Don’t be gross,” Tate chastised with a curled lip.
“Don’t hate, Tater tot,” he replied, giving her a wink. “Mace, Kill, and I are just doing our part to keep the rabid chicks away from your man.”
“Oh please.” She rolled her eyes on a laugh. “The three of you are in a competition to see who can pull in the most tail. Don’t pretend it’s for altruistic reasons.”
Lyla’s fork clattered to her plate, drawing everyone’s attention her way. When I looked over, I noticed her face had gone pale. “S-sorry,” she muttered, keeping her honey-colored gaze on the table. “It slipped.”
“How long are you guys in town? Got anything exciting planned?” Jonathan asked, steering the conversation.
“Well, we’re only here for a few days, so we have to try and cram in as much as possible,” Declan answered.
“Only a few days?” Lyla’s voice was crestfallen, and when I glanced back, she looked just as sad as she sounded. “That’s all?”
I found myself speaking without giving a single thought to anything other than wanting to wash the pain from her expression. “I’m sorry, Goldie. We wanted to stay longer, but—”
“Our manager, Chris Evers, hooked us up with a killer gig playing in Time Square on New Year’s Eve,” Declan butted in, his tone brimming with excitement. “There are a couple things we have to take care of back home before flying to New York, so we have to head out the day after Christmas. We might not be here, but at least you’ll be able to watch us play live.”
Lyla pasted a fake smile on her face that twisted my gut into knots.
Ravage (Civil Corruption Book 4) Page 2