Mission accomplished.
Harlan’s voice rings out strong and true in its deep resonance. It is hypnotic – his voice, the song, the moment. The rambunctious crowd listens in silence, everyone in awe at the raw emotion Harlan brings to the song. It’s not simply words mixed with notes contrived to create a melody; it’s the passion, need, and love he feels deep within his soul.
As the song comes to an end, Harlan looks out to the crowd and then over to her. In an audience of millions, a pin drop can be heard throughout the gathering; they stand moved, changed, altered.
“Oh my gosh,” Sydney whispers beside her, seeming to be the first to break free from his spell.
Harlan finally stands and steps out of the spotlight, breaking his hold on the crowd, and they go wild. The applause and shouting is deafening to hear, but enthralling to witness. A simple song, written for her, about her, has profoundly affected each and every person witnessing the marvel.
As Cassidy comes back into herself she wipes away the tears that fell during the interlude unknowingly. From out of the darkness Harlan stalks towards her, his eyes penetrating through her exterior, sweeping under her skin, observing the emotions that run deep within.
“Harlan,” she barely whispers on a breath.
He reaches out and tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear and then rests his hand on her cheek.
“Did you like the song?”
“God, Harlan. That was…is…the most beautiful thing I have ever heard. I feel like I just watched you pour your entire soul out onto the stage.”
“Well, you asked, so you shall receive. Every word is true and I’m happy you liked the song.”
“Liked it? Babe, I loved it. I love you. Thank you so much.”
“I’d do anything for you, you know that.”
She nods as the crowd shouts “encore” riotously, each person wanting one last glimpse of the band.
“One last song and then you’re mine?”
He smiles and leans down, “One more song.”
As the band rushes back on the stage for their signature song, Dylan and Sydney walk towards her hand-in-hand, Sydney practically skipping in place.
“We’re getting married!” she shouts enthusiastically.
Confusion washes over Cassidy as she stares at the large diamond on Sydney’s finger that she had seen a few weeks back right after Dylan proposed.
“I’m confused. You’re already engaged.”
Dylan chuckles and Sydney sighs exasperatedly, “No, silly. I mean we’re going to get married. Here. Tonight. That song made me realize that I don’t want to waste any more time. We want to be together forever, starting now.”
“Wow, ok…I mean, don’t you want to tell mom? And what about everyone still at home?”
“Come on, Cass. You know that none of that big wedding stuff is for me. We had already talked about eloping, but with the opportunity here we just figured, why not? Everyone will understand.”
And Sydney’s right. She had never been the girl to draw attention to herself, always willing to share the spotlight with someone else.
Cassidy smiles at her little sister and jokingly adds with a pout, “But I wanted to design your dress.”
Sydney glances down at the pale pink slip dress and runs her hands over the delicate material.
“This is actually the perfect dress. It’s probably close to what I would have had you design for me.”
“Well, alright. I guess we need to track down Everleigh and Brooks. Eek, I’m so excited!”
“What are we excited about?” Harlan asks as he joins them off stage having finished their set.
He hands his guitar to the designated roadie and places a kiss on the top of Cassidy’s head.
She turns her attention up to his glistening face and grins as she says, “We have a wedding to attend.”
CASSIDY KNOCKS ON THE door to the suite next to theirs. Harlan had splurged by booking a penthouse suite for the newlyweds and booking a four-bedroom suite for themselves and Brooks and Everleigh.
She knocks again, a bit more hastily, as she utters under her breathe, “Come on, don’t make us miss the plane.”
The chartered plane won’t leave them; she realizes this, but Cassidy hates being late.
Sighing in frustration at the silence on the other side of the door, she walks towards the opposite wing of the suite to knock on the door Brooks had claimed as his own. He had helped a stumbling Everleigh to her room last night, drunk off too many shots of Tequila and celebratory Champagne, and then saw himself to the room across the way.
Cassidy remembers him mumbling something about not wanting to give into temptation before he slammed the door to the room.
“Cassidy!” she hears her name hollered from the master suite just as her fist prepares the knock. “Get back here, woman!”
Begrudgingly she sulks back to the bedroom.
As she stands at the entrance she tries to hide her smile at the vision of the naked tattooed man lying across the bed sheets.
“Leave them alone. The plane isn’t going anywhere without us.”
“I know, but something’s not right.”
“Sweetheart, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Now get naked and get back in bed so I can make love to you.”
Cassidy shuts the door behind her then whips off the t-shirt and shorts she had just placed on her body. With a crook of his finger he beckons her forth and she finds herself entranced in his spell. In a quick movement, he grabs her around the waist and lays her on the bed, his large body hovering over hers.
She lifts her hand up to cradle his cheek in her palm, the ruby and diamonds glistening off the morning sun filtering through the curtains.
“You’re so beautiful, sweetheart. I can’t wait to make you my wife,” he claims as he captures her lips with his, sealing their love in a kiss.
He pulls back an inch, just enough for her to look into the sea green crystals of his eyes.
As her heart fills with more love than she ever knew possible, she slides her hand into his dark hair and brushes her lips against his as she replies, “I can’t wait to be your everything
*If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review*
More Books by Renee Harless
The Stone Series
Stone Shattered
Stone Unhinged
Stone Mended
Welcome to Carson
Coming Alive
Coming Together
Coming Consumed
Coming Altered
Coming Unraveled
Coming Altered was, hands-down, one of my favorite books to write. Cassidy and Harlan spoke to me incessantly and I hope that you enjoyed their story as much as I did.
I have a number of people to thank that helped me along the way:
Renee: I love you to the moon and back. You’re one of my favorite people and thank you for reading this about a hundred times. You’re my best friend and your support means everything.
My Betas: Colleen, Amanda, Vicki, Crystal, and Sally: I couldn’t have done this without you all. You’re love, support, and nagging for more words is what helped make this story as awesome as it is. Thank you for bearing with me all the days I couldn’t get the words right.
Emily, Teri, Misty, Christina, Risque Readers, and Street Team: You all make my life one-hundred times easier with all your love and support. Everything I write is for you, my lovely readers.
Jesse: You’re my heart, my soul, my everything. Because of you all of this is possible. Thank you for letting me live my dream…even if we fight over who gets the office quiet time.
My kids: All of this is for you – follow your dreams and you’ll never fail.
Keep reading for book five in the Welcome to Carson series, Coming Unraveled, featuring Everleigh and Brooks.
Welcome to Carson, Book Five
By Renee Harless
(Content is subject to change)
©Copyright 2017 by Renee Harless
> SEARING BRIGHT LIGHT stings her eyes and Everleigh turns over in the bed while stifling a groan. The sun peeking out through the open curtains is reflecting off the crisp white sheets on the bed – a bed that isn’t hers. Her body stills in recognition of the space and she thinks back to why she’s not resting in her own room until the dry, cottony feeling of her mouth registers.
Tequila.
It had never been her friend and now she remembers why as she takes in the very naked male form sleeping beside her. Even in her groggy stage Everleigh can’t help but to appreciate the sculpted body next to her resting on top of the sheets, his chest and morning erection beckoning her forward as a vision from the previous night passes through her mind.
Everleigh crawled on her hands and knees across the bed where Brooks stares at her, patiently waiting. He had asked her what took her so long, but she ignored him, simply wanting to taste him, feel him, feel alive – something she had been lacking for years.
She had straddled his thighs, bringing her mouth towards the tip of his cock until she gasped realizing that he had a very prominent piercing looped across the tip. She never gave Brooks the chance to explain, she sucked on his cock as if she needed it to survive, and at that moment, she did.
Something about the infuriating man brought out the worst in her on most days, but then, moments like this, she couldn’t get enough of him.
He didn’t give her a chance to play with his cock and piercing long, he flipped her on her back and thrust himself so far in her she saw stars. The sex was wild, passionate, explosive, and perfect.
“If you keep staring at me like that I’m going to have to do something about it,” his gravelly voice reveals from behind a bent arm covering his face.
She closes her eyes tightly, in both embarrassment and confusion at her desire towards him.
“What do you remember from last night?” Brooks asks as he turns towards her on the bed, his head resting on the hand of his bent arm, his cock pointing directly for her seeking his refuge in her body.
“Can you turn him off?” she snipes at him with a hand gesturing towards his erection.
Brooks looks down at his waist, chuckles, and then returns his attention to her.
“He has a mind of his own, and I think he likes you.”
“Fine,” she huffs her response as she yanks the sheet up around her chest.
Reaching across the bed, Brooks tucks a piece of hair behind Everleigh’s ear and she struggles to contain her sigh of pleasure at the gesture.
“What do you remember, beautiful?”
She licks her lips and gazes in his hesitant eyes, no ounce of regret shining in them, which surprises her.
In their odd relationship, Brooks gives equally as much as he takes from her – an equal balance of hate and less hate. Everleigh could explore her feelings of distaste for Brooks further, but she is afraid of what the outcome may be.
“Uh… I remember sneaking in here when I heard my sister going at it next door, a piercing, and sex.”
Brooks doesn’t smirk as she had expected, instead something unfamiliar flashes in his eyes before he turns away and reaches onto his night stand.
Confusion plagues Everleigh as she tries to recall other events that may have taken place the night before, but she is drawing blanks – until Brooks hands her something.
“Is this what I think it is?”
“Yep,” he says as he moves to hover above her, her legs automatically widening to invite him closer to her body, much to her bewilderment.
As his cock slides effortlessly into her, she drops the offending item and grips the sheets as pleasure surges through her body. Brooks bends forward and licks a trail from her chest, up her neck, to her mouth, where he seals his lips over hers, unaffected by her morning breath.
“What are you doing?” she whispers against his mouth as his pace increases and her climax builds deep in her channel.
“I’m making love to my wife.”
Wife
That’s all her body needs to detonate around him as her walls quake around his cock still lodged inside her, seeking its own pleasure.
“What did I do?” she whispers as Brooks spills his seed deep inside her before relaxing his body over hers.
“Beautiful, you finally stopped fighting me.”
Coming Altered: Welcome to Carson, Book Four Page 20