Revenge #5

by Knight, JJ

  Even dusty old pipes are beautiful, now that I’m back in Dylan’s arms.

  Epilogue

  I’m excited about Christmas this year.

  It’s my first one away from home, but I’ll be spending it with family. Riley will be here, plus Amanda, who’s like a sister to us now.

  Most importantly, Nan is flying to California to be with us.

  With Dylan’s schedule, plus my work, we thought it would be better for her to come here than for us to all fly there. Plus we have a guest suite for her, whereas she lives in a one-bedroom apartment.

  She said that her new “gentleman friend” would let us stay in his apartment, but we convinced her to fly out. She’s bringing him along, though he insisted on paying for his own ticket.

  They will arrive in two weeks, and I already have their room set up. They’ll stay at Dylan’s house, which is where I am most nights.

  I don’t officially live with him, because I still pay rent at the other house. It’s a lot of rent to keep some clothes in the closet, but it’s probably good for me. I need somewhere to go, just in case.

  I shouldn’t think about “just in case,” because the last three months with Dylan have been perfect.

  I’ve made friends with some other girls whose partners are musicians, and that helps me understand life with an artist.

  Right now he’s walking through his house, playing guitar.

  He turns sideways to come through the doorway, into the bathroom, where I am.

  He stares at my reflection in the mirror.

  “You don’t need any makeup, beautiful,” he says over the strumming. The tail end of beautiful sounds like singing.

  I give him a little eyeroll and pick up my mascara. I lean forward and sweep the brush over my upper eyelashes.

  “Don’t paint your perfect lashes,” he sings.

  I chuckle and move on to the lipstick.

  He keeps singing. “You put on all that lipstick, I’ll just have to eat it off.”

  I make a shocked face in the mirror.

  “I’m the one who makes your cheeks so rosy, beautiful.”

  He nods to himself, like he’s pleased. He keeps playing, changing the key and repeating the lines. He changes them as he goes, adding or removing syllables.

  “I’m a lucky girl,” I tell him. “Not everyone gets their own personal serenade while they put on makeup.”

  He stops playing and sets down the guitar. He walks up behind me and holds my eyes in the mirror with his. He leans down and kisses the side of my neck.

  “You really don’t need makeup,” he growls.

  “I want to look nice for the girls. They always dress up when they come over here. Your house is so elegant.”

  He keeps kissing my neck. His touch makes my knees weak, as usual. He kisses my earlobe and starts unzipping my dress.

  I push him away and pull up the zipper.

  “They’ll be here any minute!”

  He nods toward the bed in the adjoining room.

  “We’d better make it a quickie.”

  Just then, the doorbell rings.

  He groans. “We could pretend we’re not home.”

  “Dylan, you’re the one who invited them. I don’t even know what we’re celebrating.”

  He grins, his brown eyes twinkling. “That’s right. It’s a surprise.”

  I poke him in the chest. “Just tell me. Tell me now.”

  He pretends to seal his lips with a zipper.

  “Would you mind getting the door? I’ve only finished one eye.”

  He nods and walks off to let Riley and Amanda in. It’s just the four of us tonight, because Amanda’s boyfriend Caleb had other plans.

  I turn back to the mirror and finish putting purple eyeshadow on the other eye. As I brush the excess powder off my cheeks, I find myself humming Dylan’s song.

  I have to laugh, because even his joke songs are catchy. He’s still writing some love songs, but he can also channel heartbreak when he needs to. He can do anything, it seems, if he puts his mind to it.

  I finish putting up my hair, and make my way out to the great room. Dylan had a full bar put in, and we all love to hang out there with drinks before dinner.

  I hear their voices, but the great room is empty.

  The doors to the back yard are open.

  “Not the pool already,” I mutter under my breath. I put all this time into my hair and makeup. I’m not jumping into the pool in my underwear right now.

  I walk out into the yard, which is dark, except for the lanterns dotting the landscaping.

  “Hello?” I call out.

  Riley answers, “Over here! Next door!”

  WTF. Someone has taken out part of the fence between Dylan’s yard and the property next door.

  Following their voices, I duck through the opening in the fence.

  When they see me, Riley starts jumping up and down, squealing. Amanda wipes her cheeks, like she’s crying.

  Dylan has on the most wolfish grin I’ve seen yet.

  “I bought this house,” he says.

  “You bought the house next door to yours?”

  Amanda runs up and throws her arms around me. “We’re going to live next door!” she wails.

  Dylan holds up keys in one hand.

  “Don’t get too excited,” he says. “It’s just a little bungalow. It’s probably no bigger than the one you girls live in now. But the neighbor is great, and you can use his pool any time.”

  Riley takes the keys from him and runs to open the door.

  Still grinning, Dylan walks up to me and grabs me in a hug.

  “That’s the surprise,” he says. “I picked it up as an investment, and I don’t want it to sit empty. The girls can stay here rent-free for as long as they want.”

  I’m so shocked, I don’t know what to say.

  He takes my hand and leads me into the house.

  Riley and Amanda are squealing and running through the house, checking all the rooms and closets. I hear a toilet flush, and both of them squeal.

  “They’re crazy,” I tell him. “And so are you. I don’t understand. You want me to live next door to you?”

  We stop in a room, underneath a chandelier. The girls have turned on the lights in here. This must be the dining room.

  I look up at Dylan. The chandelier sparkles above his head like a halo.

  “The girls will live next door,” he says. “And I want you to live with me.”

  “I basically already live with you.”

  “Yes, but it’s not official.”

  I turn away and shrug. “I don’t know.”

  He gets down on one knee.

  “Stop goofing around.” I roll my eyes.

  “Marry me,” he says. “Wear your blue shoes, under your dress. It’s good luck.”

  I put my hands on my hips. “Stop it. You’re going to make Amanda pee herself if she comes in here and sees you like this.”

  “Worth it.” He stays down on his knee.

  I can hear the girls arguing over who gets to use the giant tub first.

  “Congratulations on your investment,” I say to Dylan.

  I look around at the walls of the dining room. It’s got funky wallpaper that’s partly foiled, to look like mirrors. In the tiny squares, I can see a reflection of Dylan, kneeling before me. He pulls something out of his pocket.

  My heart jumps up into my throat.

  OMG. This is happening.

  I turn my head and look down at him.

  He’s holding up a ring that sparkles just as bright as the chandelier above us.

  “You’re not joking around,” I whisper.

  “I already got your grandmother’s blessing,” he says.

  “What? How? You haven’t met her.”

  “A couple weeks ago. Remember I asked you for her number so I could make the travel arrangements? We had a really good chat. I love her already.”

  My knees feel shaky. I can’t believe this is happening. I di
dn’t think my life could get any more perfect. Now I’m looking at the most incredible ring I’ve ever seen.

  Dylan cocks his head to the side, still looking up at me. His brown eyes are completely open to me. I can see all his feelings. I can see our future.

  He takes my hand in his.

  “Jessica Rivera, I love you more than music. I love music, too, but without you, there is no music. Will you marry me?”

  I can’t answer him. I can’t speak.

  He tips his head further to the side. “Do I need to get the guitar?” he asks.

  “No.”

  He pulls his head back. “No?”

  “No, as in no guitar needed. Yes to getting married.”

  He holds his hand over his chest and lets out an exaggerated sigh of relief.

  Suddenly, I realize we’re not alone. Riley and Amanda are standing in the doorway behind me, with their mouths wide open.

  Dylan slides the engagement ring onto my finger.

  He gets to his feet and kisses me. I’m so numb, I can’t even feel my lips.

  He pulls away and says gently, “Go ahead.”

  “Go ahead?”

  “Show your friends your new ring before their heads explode.”

  I turn around, and I am engulfed in a screaming hug.

  * * *

  I stand in the bathroom, washing off my makeup.

  Riley and Amanda have gone home. They’ll move into the house next door as soon as we can book movers. It’s weird to imagine that in a few weeks, whenever they go home, it will be right next door.

  I look down at the ring on my finger. It’s definitely real, which means I’m not imagining this.

  Over dinner, he told us he bought the ring when he was in New York for his first interviews. He wanted to propose to me then, but it was so soon. Also, there were so many news stories about his wife popping up. He wanted to let that story settle down.

  The story of his ex-wife did settle down, and then it blew up again in August. The bigger his summer anthem hit got, the more people were interested in his dark past.

  Some journalists went looking for information, and found hard evidence Dylan’s wife was having an affair with her student. They also discovered she had something going on with a mechanic. He was the same mechanic who did maintenance work on her brakes before her accident.

  I hardly ever see stories about her anymore, mostly because I don’t go looking.

  A few people have noticed that I bear a resemblance to her. But the press isn’t that interested in me. I don’t give them much to talk about. I’m with Dylan because I want to be with him, not because I want to be photographed on red carpets.

  What I really love the most is a quiet night at home, just like this.

  Dylan is already in bed, but he’s still playing the guitar. Of course. He’s flat on his back with the guitar on his stomach, and he’s reprising his song from earlier, about my makeup.

  I switch off the bathroom light and walk over to the bed. I gently take the guitar from his hands and set it in the corner.

  “What are you wearing?” he asks.

  I dim the lights until the room is nearly dark.

  I strike a pose near the foot of the bed.

  “You’re not the only one with surprises tonight, Mr. Wolf.”

  I slip off the silky robe and let it fall to the floor.

  My arms get goosebumps as he looks over me. I’m wearing a ruby red slip dress, made of smooth satin and lace. He licks his lips, speechless for a moment.

  I turn from side to side, then climb onto the bed. I move toward him like a jungle cat.

  “That red really catches my attention,” he says.

  I crawl up until I’m hovering over him.

  “Is that what you’re looking at? My red dress?”

  He reaches up and runs his hands along my sides. He tugs the dress up and tilts his head. He nods with approval. The panties match the dress.

  “I like everything,” he says. “Especially with your new ring.”

  I check my hand, suddenly worried. “Should I take it off? Do you take rings off when you’re sleeping?”

  “Who said anything about sleeping?”

  He moves quickly, grabbing me and rolling me onto my back. Both of us are giggling and getting caught in the covers. After a moment of wrestling, we’re free of the covers.

  He’s on top of me, kissing me and murmuring sweet things.

  I wrap my arms around him, my eyes focused on a spot over his right shoulder. My ring is so sparkly, even in this dim light.

  He starts breathing heavily, feeling my breasts through the fabric of the dress.

  “Mmm. I want you naked, but I want you like this, too,” he says.

  “A little variety is fun. Leave it on.”

  He smoothes down the dress, admiring my body through the fabric.

  “Sure,” he says, grinning. “But not the panties.”

  He’s already naked. He presses his hardness against my inner hip, like he has to give me a reason.

  “The panties stay on,” I whisper.

  “You’re driving me crazy.” He groans and presses harder against me. “Let’s take them off. Just for a minute. A few minutes.”

  I shake my head. “Nope.”

  He frowns. “Why not?”

  I don’t say anything.

  He sighs and leans forward to kiss me. “Whatever my fiancee wants,” he murmurs.

  His hand goes between my legs.

  I press my head back into the pillow so I can watch his face. These are special panties that only look like regular panties from the front. There’s no middle.

  His eyebrows go up, and then he smiles. His fingers explore me further, and now I’m smiling.

  He kisses me again. I tilt my hips, moving underneath him. He shifts his body down, and then up. He nudges inside, filling me.

  I catch another glimpse of my sparkling ring before I close my eyes. He buries himself in me, and I hold on tight.

  In my head, I hear our song. It hasn’t been written yet, but I know one day he’ll write the song that describes all of this.

  Everything we’ve been through together.

  What we have is music, because music makes you feel, and I’ve never felt more than when I’m with Dylan.

  Sometimes the feelings are scary and overwhelming. It’s just like music, which can tear away your defenses and leave you raw.

  But then music can also make you feel whole. Music can cradle you with comfort. You want the good feeling to last, so when the song is finished, you hit pause on your play list, so you can keep feeling your perfect song echo, without being swept away by anything else.

  Dylan holds me tight, and we make love to each other all night.

  Our first song ends like this.

  * * *

  REVENGE by JJ KNIGHT

  You've just finished reading Volume #5. Revenge is a 5-book series about Jess and Dylan, and this is the end of the planned REVENGE series! If you'd like to keep reading more stories by JJ Knight, please check your online bookstore or www.jjknight.com

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