by Twyla Turner
Lyris gave him a jerky nod, “Y-Yes.”
Gage jumped up, lifted her up in his arms, and swung her around like she was nothing more than a ragdoll. The crowd went bananas. Cheers. Jumping up and down.
“Shit!” Gage set her down and dug into his pocket. “I was so nervous I forgot the ring.”
He pulled out a small black box. His hands trembled as he opened it. Inside, nestled in black satin was a large cushion cut pink diamond surrounded by a halo of tiny white diamonds in a rose gold setting.
Lyris wasn’t sure how he got it on. His hands were trembling and so were hers. But once he finally slipped it on, she threw her arms around him and held him tight.
“It’s beautiful!”
Gage pulled back and wiped the tears from her face.
“You ready to sing this last song?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright, everybody!” Gage said to the audience. “We’ve got one more song for you tonight. It’s a song that Lyris and I wrote together. It’s on her debut album, A Night in Paris. This is Sixth Sense.”
One of the stagehands brought out Lyris’ guitar. And Gage put his back over his shoulder. It was the first time that everyone would hear her play. The song was stripped down. Just the two of them. Their guitars. And their voices.
Lyris started out the melody and Gage followed.
Hands touch,
Skin aches.
Tongues taste,
Your sweetness awakes.
Everything that is within me,
A feeling I just can’t shake.
[chorus]
My senses were drawn to you,
The heart wants what the heart wants.
I felt my body’s response,
Love is the sixth sense, there can be no pretense.
My defenses are down, in you I will drown.
Scent remembers,
Memories trigger.
Sound lingers,
Like your favorite singer.
My heart is in my eyes,
These windows to my soul won’t lie.
[chorus]
My senses were drawn to you,
The heart wants what the heart wants.
I felt my body’s response,
Love is the sixth sense, there can be no pretense.
My defenses are down, in you I will drown.
[bridge]
They can make me numb,
They can make life bland
The air scorched and burnt
Leave me deaf
Forsake my sight
But this love will guide me through the darkest night.
[chorus]
My senses were drawn to you,
The heart wants what the heart wants.
I felt my body’s response,
Love is the sixth sense, there can be no pretense.
My defenses are down, in you I will drown.
Love is the sixth sense, for you I will give away my last cent.
As the last notes passed their lips, the crowd exploded with love. Lyris looked out into the crowd. Tear-streaked faces smiled back at her. Their song. Their love had moved them to tears.
Gage lifted his guitar over his head. He reached for hers and removed it from around her as well. He quickly passed them to the stagehand. Then he turned back to Lyris. His hands snaked around her waist and pulled her close.
“Do you feel it?” Gage asked.
“What?”
“That fullness. My heart feels like it could burst with it.”
Lyris blinked back tears and nodded.
“Yeah, I feel it.”
Gage slid his fingers to the back of her neck and pulled her in for a scorching kiss. The breeze blew across her skin. Her tongue tasted him. She could smell his woodsy cologne and sweat. She heard his voice fighting for her. She could see their future together. She would gladly drown in his love.
Can I really have it all?
Three years later…
Yeah, I can.
Lyris stood center stage of a sold-out Madison Square Garden. She stopped and smiled as she soaked it all in.
Her debut album had gone triple platinum. Many hailed her Rock & Soul sound to be brilliant. Her tour was sold out in every city. And people loved her just as she was.
She still had the haters, but after Gage’s impassioned speech, opening himself up to the world and admitting who he once was had changed everything. People eased off of her. They realized how perfect they were for each other. Their story was the decade’s Cinderella story.
But just in case, Gage had broken his contract with Allister Records. He sold his home in the Hollywood Hills to pay off the rest of what he owed the label. Then he’d packed them up and they moved to his home in Brazil.
The acceptance they’d felt there. The ability to walk the streets and be virtually left alone. And having loving parental figures nearby made life in Brazil exactly what they needed to live a happy life.
A few months after moving, the band, Serena, and Sebastian came for a week to visit and attend Lyris and Gage’s wedding on the beach. Lyris and Gage made a deal with Serena and they created the soundtrack for her first major motion picture. And they’d just finished making an album of duets that they would release after her tour was over.
For Gage’s third album he’d decided to go independent as well, even though there were several labels that wanted to sign him. Deciding to live in Brazil, it was just easier for him to go indie. And with the relationships he’d developed over the years and his popularity, his album shot to the top of the charts.
As for Natasha. Her lawsuit against Gage, Lyris, and Allister Records fell through. A few months later, Don, the owner of the label, was caught with his pants down. It was believed that because she was pissed that she lost the lawsuit, Natasha had sent Don’s wife a sex tape of herself sleeping with him. His wife then divorced him and took him for half of everything. Allister Records went under. And while she may have gotten her revenge, no label wanted to touch Natasha after that. She ended up going indie, her album tanked, and she put on so much weight she was hardly recognizable. She then joined the ranks of many celebrities who went on reality TV shows to stay relevant. She had a brief stint on Celebrity Fat Boot Camp. She was the first person kicked off.
Yeah, Lyris felt like she finally had it all. And instead of worrying if it would all come screeching to a halt, she enjoyed every single moment.
“Thank you, NYC! Thank you, Madison Square Garden! You’ve made this girl’s dream come true.” She shouted into the mic.
The crowd reached a deafening level. Lyris just smiled and took her bow. She turned and walked off the stage, directly into the arms of her husband. It was their deal that when she was on tour he’d come along and vice versa when he was on tour.
“You were breathtaking up there. I swear I cried like three times,” Gage grinned.
Lyris laughed and pulled him in for a kiss.
They headed down the corridor. But instead of going into her dressing room to take off her sparkly silver dress, she grasped Gage’s hand and pulled him down the hall. They reached the doors and she shoved them open.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
Lyris dragged him past all the big rigs for the tour stage. They walked around the tour bus, but Lyris stopped before they got to the other side.
“Cover your eyes first,” she instructed him.
“Oooookay,” he said but did as he was told.
She wrapped her hand around his bicep and led him forward. Once they were in the right spot, Lyris stopped.
“Alright, open ‘em!”
Gage removed his hands from his eyes and slowly opened just one. When he saw what was waiting for him his other eye popped open. Then he balled his hands into fists and rubbed his eyes for good measure.
“Are you serious?!” He shouted.
“It was a part of our stipulation, right?”
“Yeah, but I thought you were joking. I
was.”
“I could always return it,” Lyris shrugged.
“Absolutely not!” Gage said as he walked forward.
He ran his fingertips lovingly over his brand-new silver Bugatti Chiron.
“Babe. Babe!” He jumped up and down.
“You’re looking at that car like you look at me. Am I gonna have to compete with a car now?” Lyris grinned at him.
“Maybe sometimes.” Gage held up his thumb and forefinger.
“We could always recreate that scene in Sixteen Candles. I could be the Samantha to your Jake Ryan. And you can come pick me up at a church in your hot sports car.” Lyris clapped with excitement. “Or even better. You can pick me up in your hot sports car and I can pretend to be the Vivian to your Edward Lewis.”
“I should’ve never told you about my boyhood fantasies.”
“Aw, babe. You recreated prom for me. I’m just trying to recreate your dreams.”
Gage pulled her in close. His eyes glowing pale green.
“Lyris, you don’t need to recreate them. I’m living them right now.”
Their lips met and Lyris felt those same flutters.
I have it all and then some.
Thank you for reading Rock the Curves. If you enjoyed Lyris and Gage’s story, please leave a review where you purchased the book. Thanks!
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Acknowledgments
I want to thank my boss group of betas and proofreaders. You are always there for me and tell me the truth, so that I can make each book even better. You are all my ride or dies. Nadia, Grace, Cosalyn, Simone, and Kim; thank you so much ladies for being there for me.
Always a big shout of appreciation to my beloved parents. For without you, I wouldn’t have been able to follow my dreams. In other words, thank you for putting up with me. One day it’ll all pay off. I swear.
To my die-hard readers. Thank you for coming along on this journey with me. For being there for every single book I put out. For the one-clickers who buy my books without even looking at the blurb, no questions asked. When I began this writing journey, I could only imagine having readers love my words as much as you all do. My heart is full.
And to those who just found me. Thank you for giving me a shot. I hope you stay a while.
About the Author
Twyla Turner currently resides in Arizona. She was born and raised in Joliet, Illinois, a Midwest girl at heart, though constantly moving from place to place, and always thinking of where she wants to go next. Having been an avid romance novel reader since junior high and minoring in Creative Writing. She felt that it was finally time to start combining her love of travel and writing, as well as her life experiences and putting them down on “paper.” Which experiences, she’ll never tell…well maybe, if you ask nicely.
Other Books by Twyla Turner
The Struck Series:
Star-Struck
Awe-Struck
Damaged Souls:
Scarred
Open Wounds
Healed
THR3E
Valentine’s Novellas
Love in the Wild
The Rescue
Curvy Ever After:
Forbidden Curvy Girl Fairy Tales
Chasing Day Series:
Chasing Day
Catching Day
The Curvy Girls Club:
The Red Scot
The Bravest Hero
Winter’s Beast
His Muse
Bound Through Time - The Viking Brothers Series:
Past
Fictional Memoir (Non-Romance):
Tinderella: Round, Brown & Abroad
Connect with Author
Website:
www.twylaturner11.wix.com/novelswithcurves
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Table of Contents
prologue
chapter 1
chapter 2
chapter 3
chapter 4
chapter 5
chapter 6
chapter 7
chapter 8
chapter 9
chapter 10
chapter 11
chapter 12
chapter 13
chapter 14
chapter 15
chapter 16
chapter 17
chapter 18
chapter 19
chapter 20
chapter 21
chapter 22
chapter 23
chapter 24
chapter 25
chapter 26
chapter 27
chapter 28
chapter 29
chapter 30
chapter 31
chapter 32
chapter 33
chapter 34
chapter 35
epilogue