“I’m thinking I trust Darren now.” I playfully shove Rex. “You can leave.”
The three of us laugh, lightening the air in the room.
Rex pulls my face to his and places a soft kiss on my lips with a drag of his lip ring. His arctic blue eyes bore into mine and he’s not smiling. “I can, but I’m never leaving you, baby. You’ve been a part of me for as long as I can remember, and I’m never letting you go.”
Just like that, work, money, history . . . none of it matters.
Something shifts within my soul and another sliver of the old me is brought back to life.
~*~
Rex
“You’re fucking lying.” Talon points at me, a smile on his face and a beer in his hand. “No way you’ve been seeing Mac since last summer. It’s damn near Christmas. I would’ve known.”
I play with the tuning on my guitar from the couch in our backstage dressing room. “Why the hell would I lie about that? She’s fucking living with me.”
Gia and I haven’t been seen together by anyone outside of the UFL guys, and we weren’t together for very long before she took off. I’m not surprised Talon thinks I’m bullshitting.
“So she left for six months to visit family, and now she’s back and living with you?” Talon shakes his head.
“Yeah, why is that so hard to believe?”
“Um, I don’t know, maybe because this is the first time I’ve heard you even talk about her.”
“I don’t give a fuck if you believe me—”
The door to the dressing room swings open and Lane and Ty come in.
“Fucking mad house out there.” Lane digs in his pocket and pulls out a smoke.
“Ever since we played House of Blues we’ve been packin’ ’em in.” Talon rubs his shaved head and drops down on the opposite side of the couch.
Ty picks up a small ice bucket that was full of beers. “I need a drink.”
Lane takes a long drag off his smoke. “You check out the new waitress?”
I go back to tuning my guitar and fight a grin.
Talon shakes his head. “No. She hot?”
“Ha! Hot’s an understatement. She’s fucking phenomenal.” Ty brings his hands to his chest. “Big tits, tiny waist, and a tight little ass.”
A growl rolls from my throat. “Easy, Ty.”
All three of them glare at me.
Ty doesn’t seem to get my warning or care, because he shakes me off and keeps talking. “Dude, the best part is she’s a redhead. You know what they say about redheads, right?”
I don’t know what they say about redheads, but I know I’m not gonna like it.
He points to his head—“Fire hair”—then to his crotch—“Fire there.” He flexes his hips forward. “Fire fucking everywhere.”
All three of the guys laugh hard while I prepare how best to rip out Ty’s Adam’s apple with my bare hands. “You stupid fu—”
There’s a knock on the door and it swings open. My blood immediately goes from hot to warm when my eyes land on Gia.
She got her job back but has agreed to work part-time until she’s gotten her strength back. After our counseling session with Darren at the beginning of the week, she seems to be getting better and better every day. She’s eating well and started running with me in the mornings to build back all the muscle she lost.
I asked her the other night if she ever misses the drugs, and she swears she doesn’t. She said the only reason she felt she needed them was to try to forget me and now that she has me all she wants to do is remember.
“Hey, guys.” Her gray eyes land on me, and just like every time they do, I’m caught up in them. Her bright red hair is smoothed out, giving her a sophisticated look as it pops against her all black uniform. Only I know how soft it is when it runs through my fingers or trails down my torso to between my legs. A tiny grin ticks her lips and a small blush colors her cheeks. “Mario said you guys have about thirty minutes. Can I get you anything to drink?”
I lick my lips, and going by the way her blush intensifies, I think she knows the only thing I want to put in my mouth is her. After our first night home, I haven’t been able to get enough of her sweet body, the soft sounds she makes when I touch her or the frustrated whimpers when I tease. And although some things about our lovemaking still make me nervous, I’ve yet to get sick or even nauseated afterwards.
“Well fuck, Ty.” Talon moves toward her and stops way too close. “You weren’t kidding. The new girl is fine.”
Yeah, well this shit ain’t happenin’. I set down my guitar and stand.
“You got a name, Red?”
Red? How original.
I take a step toward her, but she locks eyes with mine and shakes her head no. I stop and watch, ready to intervene if I need to break a fucker.
A smile curls her lips. “My name’s Gia. What’s yours?”
He reaches out and puts his motherfucking fingers through the ends of her hair. I roll my shoulders and glare at my girl. Whatever joke she’s trying to play she better get the fuck to it before I rip my drummer’s hands off.
“Talon.” He narrows his eyes. “You look familiar. Have we met before?”
She shrugs and flutters her eyelashes. Five more seconds of this shit and I’m done. I roll my hand for her to get on with it.
“I don’t think so. You’d have remembered me.” Her gaze slides to mine, a tiny smile tugs her lips. “I’m hard to forget.”
Ah hell, I want to kiss her so badly my lips burn. I take a step toward her and she looks back at Talon.
“I bet you are, sweetheart. Why don’t you give me your number? We’ll hook up after the show.”
Her smile goes from wolfish to straight up wicked. “Sure. Give me your phone.”
I grin wide but duck my chin.
He hands over his phone, and she types in a few numbers before giving it back. “There ya go.”
Unlike Caleb, Talon looks at the number. Gia bites her full lips between her teeth. I close the space between us just as Talon’s head jerks up.
“What the hell? This is Rex’s number.”
I slide my arm over her shoulder and pull her to my side. “No shit, jackass. That’s because she lives with me.”
Talon’s eyes go back and forth between us but linger longer on Gia. It’s obvious when it finally sinks in and his eyes go wide. “No shit!”
She buries her face into my pec and laughs.
“Dude, you’re Mac!” he says.
Ty and Lane come closer, squinting.
“Yes,” she says. “And no.”
“Guys, this is Gia or Mac. She’s cool with whatever, but I think it’s only fair that I let you know you’re all getting jumped after the show for having inappropriate thoughts.” I point at Ty. “Especially you, dipshit. As soon as that last song is played, you either run like hell or take your beating like a man.”
Ty’s staring at Gia. “No way. You look hot as a redhead.”
I shove him hard. “Did you not hear what I just said?”
“He’s kidding, Ty.” She curls into my side. “He’s not going to hurt you, are you, babe.”
I glare down at her. “The fuck I’m not.”
She’s insane if she thinks these fucks aren’t getting a beat-down for disrespecting her in front of me.
“You’re a lucky shit, you know that?” Lane’s shaking his head, a half smile directed at me.
Dropping a kiss to the top of her head, I breathe her in, amazed that one person could change my life the way she has. “I do.”
“You guys need me to bring you anything before you take the stage?” She’s back to waitressing mode but stays close to my side.
Looking back, it’s where she’s always been. Although I’d repressed most of my memories, there’s a part of me that held onto her. And she’d always held onto me.
I’ve never known that kind of love. Until now.