Taut Strings: A Rock Star Romance (River Valley Rebels)

by Gabrielle Sands

  Ezra slowed down when he saw the change in my expression. “What’s wrong?” he panted, his biceps flexing as he squeezed my waist with his hands.

  Cole halted his movements at the question.

  “I’m— I’m feeling too much,” I admitted, a tear spilling down my cheek.

  Ezra’s expression softened as his fingers brushed at my face. “Don’t fight it, Adeline. Let it all go. We’ll be there with you on the other side.”

  There was something so true in the tone of his voice and the shine of his eyes, that I nodded and did exactly that.

  I ground on them and allowed myself to let go. We slammed into each other until all of my barriers broke and I collapsed on top of Ezra, moaning and shivering as the best orgasm of my life rippled through me.

  Moments later, Cole let out a loud groan and bit my shoulder as he came inside my ass. Ezra followed soon after, pumping into me as he rode his own high, his head thrown back and mouth parted.

  I trailed the drummer’s lower lip with my thumb, mesmerized by how his flawless features changed in ecstasy. Even with this, my fantasy didn’t live up to the real thing.

  Their cum dripped down my thighs when we finally untangled from each other minutes later and I crossed the room to the en suite bathroom to get cleaned up. My legs were wobbly, my muscles as sore as if I had just done a hard workout.

  I was startled by my reflection in the mirror. Was it the lighting or did my eyes shine brighter? There was something different about my skin, my face… I was flushed with a rosy glow, but it wasn’t just that. I felt different. More alive, more real.

  Cole appeared behind me and looked at the reflection, his eyes aglow with curiosity.

  “Didn’t I tell you there would be a repeat?” He kissed my shoulder. “Tell me that’s not a woman who has found something she likes.”

  Something I liked? That was a grossly inadequate way of describing what I felt at the moment. I was like a junkie who’d just gotten the first fix of the drug that would ruin her life. Whatever I’d hoped to get out of my system had only buried itself deeper, and now I was faced with the unenviable task of ripping it out without a single painkiller. I thought back to Silas and Abel. What would they think if they knew what we had just done?

  What would it have been like if they had been there with us?

  My hands shook at the thought. Ruined. I was ruined. Even now, after having been fucked by two of their friends, I was still thinking of the other two men.

  I leaned back into Cole, defeated, and let a sigh escape my bruised lips. His arms wrapped around me as he continued to trail light kisses across my skin, oblivious to the turmoil I was battling inside.

  “What about you?” I asked, my voice no more than a whisper. “Did you find anything?”

  He lifted his chin to meet my gaze in the mirror. “Everything I’ve ever searched for.”

  16

  ADELINE

  I was nestled between the two of them in Ezra’s bed, my head in the crook of the drummer’s arm, and my legs tangled with Cole’s. Both of them were softly stroking my skin, their tender affection acting as a soothing balm to my fractured soul.

  “I’m starving,” Ezra mumbled into my hair. “Should we order something before you have to go to work, Adeline?”

  “I have the evening off since Frankie switched her Friday shift with me.”

  “Does that mean we can keep you for the evening?” Cole’s voice was eager and I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Let’s eat together, but then I need to head home. I’m meeting with my band tomorrow and I need to think through some stuff.”

  “What’s going on?” Ezra asked.

  I shook my head. “Nothing important.”

  “I don’t usually prepare for unimportant things the night before,” Cole said skeptically. “Does it have anything to do with the impending breakup you mentioned when I was trying to convince you to work with us?”

  I craned my neck to look at him. “Has anyone ever told you that you have a freakishly good memory?

  He poked the tip of my nose, a gesture so familiar that it made my heart hurt.

  “Why don’t we get dressed and have you tell us all about it?”

  I opened my mouth to protest, but Ezra covered it with his palm. “C’mon, we’ve been in a band for a long time and have seen every kind of drama come and go. Let us help you.”

  He had a point, and to be honest, I could see the benefit of getting an impartial opinion on the state of Through Azure Skies.

  Pushing off his chest, I looked at him and Cole. “Okay, but if the advice sucks, I’m asking for a refund.”

  Cole laughed and pulled me into his chest. “I hope we can pay you back in sexual favors.”

  “So let me get this straight.” Cole was perched on a kitchen stool, his chopsticks hovering over a box of Chinese food. “Mason is heading off to college next weekend and will be a three-hour drive away from here. Liam has a kid on the way and has been hinting he no longer wants to play. And what’s up with Elly again?”

  “Nothing in particular,” I said. “She’s been looking for a new job for a while now, but I think she’s down to keep playing as long as her new gig doesn’t require her to move elsewhere.”

  “And what about you? Where do you stand?”

  I let out a long breath. “I’m not sure. On one hand, this band was always just about having fun. It’s never been anyone’s priority. We made it work around our lives, not the other way around. So if I were to insist we keep going, that would kinda be implying a change in the dynamic. A change I’m not sure everyone is on board with.”

  “Okay, and on the other hand?” Ezra prompted.

  “On the other hand, we had our biggest show ever at the Barnyard when I first met you guys, and I thought we kinda killed it.”

  Cole nodded as he chewed. “Sure did.”

  “It was a great show,” Ezra agreed. “It was clear you guys have been doing this together for a long time. You were in sync, anticipating each other’s moves, looking totally natural. It takes years to get there.”

  “Right,” I said, putting my takeout box on the kitchen island. “Which is why it would be such a goddamn shame to break up just as we’re finding our stride.”

  “You don’t think Liam will feel the same way?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I think he’s enjoyed our time together, but as the pieces of his life fall into place, the band might be one that no longer fits. I know that for Mason and me, music isn’t something optional. We need it in our lives like we need blood in our veins. That’s why Mason is willing to drive for three hours each way to make practice. But I don’t want to limit his opportunities in college, either. He’s bound to meet people who could play with him there. So it really all just comes down to me and the fact that I’ll hurt the most if we break up. Isn’t it selfish of me to be worried for myself at the expense of what’s best for the rest of the guys?”

  Ezra and Cole looked thoughtful as they listened to me. When I finished, Ezra reached over to place his palm on top of my hand.

  “No, I don’t think it’s selfish. Do you know how many times we’ve had to rely on others in the band to pull us through tough times? We’ve been on the verge of breaking up close to a dozen times.”

  My eyes widened. “Really?”

  Cole gave Ezra a strange look as he confirmed what the drummer had shared. “Oh yeah. Some were more serious attempts than others, but bands disagree and fight, Adeline. It’s part of the normal lifecycle. What’s kept us together all these years is the fact that one or two people have always stepped up and been courageous enough to remind us why we do what we do and what we can yet accomplish.”

  Ezra looked off to the side, as if uncomfortable. “Cole’s right. You can’t control how the rest of them will react, of course, but I think you owe it to them and to yourself to say what you really think.”

  My tattoo itched on my biceps, as if in support of their words.

&nbs
p; “And I gotta say, I think the whole this-is-just-for-fun thing is bullshit.” Cole focused back on me, his expression serious. “I didn’t see four people fucking around up onstage when we watched you. I saw a real band who were only held back by the fact they didn’t want to play original material. You wrote that one song you played, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Do you know what’s wrong with that song?”

  I furrowed my brows. “What?”

  “Absolutely fucking nothing. Keep writing and playing stuff like that, and soon enough people will be begging for that over the covers.”

  This was too much for me. “We’re not trying to become the next big thing, Cole. Trust me, we are not cut from the same cloth as you guys. But I hear you about speaking my mind to the others. You’re right. At the very least, I can make my opinion on it clear, and maybe that will sway them.”

  “Good. But I’m right about the other thing. too.”

  I stared at my food, moving pieces of orange chicken around with my chopsticks.

  At the end of the day, I knew that if I didn’t try to give Through Azure Skies another chance, I’d regret it. The thought of not playing with anyone after the album with Bleeding Moonlight was over made my chest feel hollow.

  I plopped my box on the counter and stood up, feeling a new sense of determination. “Thanks guys. Tomorrow, I’m going to try to convince them to keep going. Wish me luck.”

  Ezra’s eyes crinkled as he smiled. “You got this. Call us afterward, okay?”

  “Will do,” I said, walking up to Cole to hug him goodbye.

  “Oh, hell no, we’re not going back to that.” He pushed me back by my shoulders. “At least not when we’re in private.” He smirked before crushing my lips against his, his hands traveling down to my hips.

  I pulled away breathless and turned to see Ezra watching us with hooded eyes. He reached his palm out to me. “Let me walk you out.”

  Grasping his calloused hand, I walked out of the house, where the quotidian sight of my car seemed completely at odds with the day I’d just had.

  I exhaled heavily and turned to Ezra. “Look, today was amazing, but I’m still not sure if I want to do it again.”

  His forehead wrinkled as he waited for me to go on.

  “I… Let’s just say the whole thing didn’t feel nearly as casual as I thought it would.”

  His expression softened as he squeezed my hand. “It didn’t feel casual for me, either. Or for Cole.”

  “I would never want to do anything to jeopardize the album. If we keep doing this and things get complicated… If the other guys find out—”

  Ezra dropped my hand and cupped my face with his palms. “Is that what you’re worried about? Adeline, the album wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for you. And Silas and Abel— Look, we won’t say a word, but if they find out, I promise you Cole and I will handle it. For once, stop worrying about everyone else. Be selfish and do what you want.”

  I wanted them, that much was clear to me. If my life were a book, today would be a major plot point. What had started as living out a sexual fantasy had turned into something so much deeper that I couldn’t see the bottom from where I stood. Our relationship had shifted, irrevocably so, and this new intimacy was intoxicating. It had been so long since I’d had anything like that in my life.

  “Everything will be just fine,” Ezra insisted.

  Pulling out of his reach, I averted my eyes. I was less certain about Abel’s reaction, but I was confident that Silas would not be “just fine” if he ever found out. I wanted to get Ezra’s advice, but something held me back from telling him about what had happened between the guitarist and I. I felt like an idiot. The intensity of my feelings toward Silas had scared me away from him, but what about my feelings for Ezra and Cole? After today, I wasn’t sure they were all that different.

  I needed to go home and process everything.

  “Let me think about it this weekend, okay?”

  Despite still wearing a concerned expression, Ezra nodded, probably sensing it was in everyone’s interest to give me some space. Reaching up on my toes, I gave him a peck on the lips before getting into the car.

  It was dusk by the time I got home. Molly was watching TV and munching on a big bag of pre-popped popcorn that had some kind of a sugary coating.

  I plopped down on the couch beside her and reached into the bag.

  She whined in protest. “I thought you didn’t like this one.”

  After a few chews, I made a face. “That’s disgusting.”

  She snorted in laughter. “That’s what you get for stealing my snacks.”

  I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, and before I could stop her, she leaned in to sniff my shirt.

  “You smell like man,” she concluded, her eyes squinting in suspicion. “I’m picking up on hints of ‘badass’, ‘smoking hot’, and ‘plays in a famous band.’ Did I get that right?”

  My skin turned crimson. Molly’s face broke with a triumphant grin.

  “Well done, sis!”

  “Nothing happened.”

  She laughed. “You are the absolute worst liar. We both know it happened, so don’t waste your breath on the denials. The question is, will you share the details?”

  I groaned. “No. There are no details to share. Especially not with my seventeen-year-old sister.”

  “Okay, well that’s super lame, especially because my birthday is like a month away, but fine. I’ll let you enjoy the aftermath for a bit before pressing you for more information,” she said with a wink and turned back to the sitcom on TV. “By the way, you might want to comb your hair after your next tumble between the sheets. If that’s not sex hair, I don’t know what is,” she added in a casual voice, eliciting another pained groan from me.

  As I shuffled to my room, I could only thank God that her nose couldn’t distinguish the fact there were two different scents on me.

  That night, my mind drifted from replaying particularly juicy moments from the afternoon to agonizing over what I needed to do over the next two weeks. I couldn’t decide whether I should take up Cole and Ezra on their offer of sleeping together again. It was tempting, but I was afraid of the mess it could lead to. I couldn’t stand the thought of Silas looking at me with pain in his eyes, or seeing Abel with disappointment in his. My feelings for them aside, I looked up to these men. I loved making music together, and the thought of us losing our groove in the studio made me want to curl up into a tight ball and cry.

  Since Bleeding Moonlight had entered into my life, I’d been bombarded with emotions that I’ve long tried to avoid. After that disastrous audition and the collapse of my biggest dream, I had convinced myself I was a nobody. A nobody with no expectations or aspirations for the future. Living this way may not be fulfilling, but it was comfortable. Safe.

  With Mom’s and Dad’s passing, I’d had to change my outlook so that I could be a good guardian for Molly. That was why I had decided that after she left for college, I’d finally look for a decent job I enjoyed. I suppose that was a kind of aspiration, but I wasn’t putting my heart and soul on the line for it. I’d been able to avoid doing exactly that for nearly four years, then Bleeding Moonlight had stormed in and destroyed everything I’d ever known in their wake.

  The fortress I had built to protect myself was crumbling, one rock at a time. I was going to try to convince Through Azure Skies to keep going, to show them just how much our little cover band meant to me. I had begun something I didn’t fully understand with Cole and Ezra, and I had no idea how I’d proceed. Most significantly, I was recording an album with a world-famous band that was starting to sound really damn good, and if I allowed myself to take advantage of this opportunity, maybe I could keep doing what I loved even after Bleeding Moonlight left.

  No, a cold voice sounded in my head. Don’t go there. Don’t let yourself dream any bigger. Stay in your lane and remember that you are nobody.

  I sighed and rubbed at my eyes. I guess it was going
to take more than one incredible threesome for me to let my demons go.

  EZRA

  Cole was leaning against the kitchen counter with a shit-eating grin when I walked back into the house.

  I couldn’t blame him. It was like we’d gone to bed the night before Christmas expecting a toy truck and gotten a Ferrari.

  It had happened. Adeline had made her move. And it had been better than anything we could have ever dreamed of.

  “Your face can’t look like that when we get back to the studio on Monday,” I told him. “You might as well be screaming what happened.”

  Cole’s head fell back as he laughed. I hadn’t seen him this happy in months, and I smiled in spite of myself. “I’m serious.”

  He was shaking his head and still chucking as he made his way to the couch. I followed behind him.

  “I’ll do my best,” he said. “But how can we not tell Silas about what happened? I was the one who proposed we all go after the same woman. And now that she made her move with us, we’re going to cut him off?”

  “We agreed to let her take the lead,” I reminded him. “Silas knows it can’t work any other way. She has to choose him, just like she chose us. All we can do is show her we’re open to it.”

  Cole rubbed the back of his head. “Fine, but even without us saying anything, Silas will figure it out sooner than later. You know how he watches people. I’m sure we’ll slip at some point, and he’ll see it all spelled out in our body language.”

  Leaning back into the armchair, I crossed my legs at the ankles. He was right. Silas was like a detection dog when it came to sniffing out our secrets. He either figured things out himself or we grew so tired of his inquisitive gaze that we spilled everything just to get him off our backs.

  But we couldn’t do that now. Not when Adeline still wasn’t convinced that this could work.

  “We have two weeks left in River Valley,” Cole said, nudging me with his foot. “I hope she can let go of her fears and that we can enjoy this time together.”