Hard Rock Love Box Set, page 33
A loud clang on the bass introduced the band. And the crowd started cheering in unison. Screaming and wooing fans all being for the same purpose, to create the energy of intense electricity. And then, a voice. Ash’s voice.
“New Yooooooork! Thanks for coming out. I really want to show my appreciation for everyone who’s come out tonight. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart.” A sharp tuning of his guitar chimed in in the background. “This next song I’m about to play, is for a very special someone.”
The crowd cheered even louder than they did before, and the first few notes of Ash’s guitar illuminated the arena. The minor E chord prompted the audience to lower their cheering, the sound: a more delicate note.
This was a more serious song.
Ash hit every note in his guitar solo, and after that, it was all magic from there. It was like another force had taken over his body, over his fingers, and over his mind. He was playing from within now, everything that poured out of his body was other-worldly. No longer was he coherent in his music, it was all second nature.
Darling, you’re a picture I can’t get out of my head
A tune that makes my heart beat numb
It pains me to let you leave
But I’ll anything to watch you go
Darling… darling…
We’re going down
Down… I can see it through… We’re going down.
At the last strum of his guitar, after his trance-like state had left him, there was Ash. Alone on stage. Alone. For the first time. With his thoughts, with the world staring back at him. He took a deep breath in. And the deafening response of the crowd came roaring back at him. Mach 3 level cheering echoed through the air, carrying through the wind, never ending.
And here. Ash was fulfilled.
He looked back out on the crowd, hands in the air in triumph. The weight of the world stripped from his back, and he could feel the shedding of unanswered—unwanted questions being answered. Never to turn back, and always to move forward. This was Ash’s domain; he knew this now. And it took a very special someone to show it to him. This was the beginning of his spiritual maturity.
Standing there taking the crowd in, smelling the fresh autumn air, Ash began his second song.
Bella and Rebecca found a sort of happiness too. Left alone, the two of them soon discovered—as Bella helped Rebecca with her Etsy orders when she got home from work—that their feelings were mutual.
One accidental—or maybe not so accidental—kiss later, and the two of them were stumbling their way through their own relationship, coming with its own challenges.
Especially at the thought of Bella moving back to her old apartment.
Romance aside, the two of them had become such close friends in that time, that they couldn’t soon stand the thought of parting ways again.
So, Rebecca petitioned her brother to find them a larger apartment. Maybe somewhere closer to him, so that all four of them might be content.
And that was where they found themselves now, Sebastian helping the three of them to move into their new place.
Rebecca and Bella were sneaking a kiss as they grabbed boxes from the moving van, and Lillian was trying her best to keep things organized, even though that had never been her strong suit.
It was looking to be a good move, and a good life moving forward, Lillian just hoped that it would last. The day had finally passed, the boxes had all been finished being carried up to the new apartment upstairs. And Lillian was left in her room to ponder and revel in her now-appearance. She gazed into her eyes in the floor length mirror in her bedroom, moving a strand of hair to the side to frame her face.
Quietly, Sebastian entered the room, and slowly made his way behind her. He grabbed her by the waist, never wanting to let go, and Lillian could feel his breath being buried into her neck.
“You make me happy. Lily.”
She felt as if she was in a place removed from time completely, under a spell. To her it still didn’t feel real, even though she knew deep down that it was.
It didn’t take long for him to melt beneath her, and the memories began to pour in.
The first time they had kissed, it had been rough, sloppy, unpracticed, but now she knew what she was doing. She knew how to keep romance in it, how to give him exactly what he wanted, exactly what he needed, and how to make herself feel good at the same time.
Without words, they came into their own rhythm, going slow as if admitting what they were doing would shatter this reality.
Lillian knew there was no going back now, so she pulled him closer, entwining her fingers in his hair as he let out a pleased gasp against her.
His pace increased, nipping at her lips, teasing her so gently that she wanted to tell him that it was okay to be a little rougher.
But she enjoyed this. She enjoyed this side of him, it felt like having him back again.
All of him.
She smiled against him at the thought, pulling him gently to the counter so that she could lean her weight against it, let him kiss her in that way he knew how to. It felt as if they were fifteen and learning everything all over again. The way that their bodies fit together, how it felt to be this close, what it did to them when they touched one another.
His hands were around her waist now, and he was lifting her, sitting her up on the marble surface so he could bury his face into her stomach with a sigh.
“Is this really what you want?” he asked, his breath tickling her, his voice muffled.
She played with his hair as she looked down at him, looking down at the man she was realizing she had missed out on love with.
“What do you think?”
“I want this with you Sebastian. Once more.”
And they kissed.
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Bonus Content
Find it on Amazon here: Passion in Paris
Chapter 1. A New Experience
Alma surveyed the expanse of Provencal countryside; the colors were unlike anything she had experienced before: the golden-yellow of the mustard cream meadows, the pale purple lavender fields, the lush and vibrant green of the trees, the astonishing ultra-clear blue of the sky above the gently rolling hills of gold worked together to give her a sense of entering a painting. And as her black Mercedes taxi rounded the hill that led to the circular drive of the bastide, Alma turned her eyes up to a stunning Swiss blue topaz-colored swimming pool glittering in the early morning sun. Something about it was mesmerizing, and it was more than her slight jetlag that made things dance. A tall broad-shouldered man stood with his back to her, wearing a pair of tan cargo shorts that hugged his slim waist. Something about his smooth sun-burnished skin shimmering in the morning light, the glint of the sun off the pool, and his tall, erect posture gave him the effect of a mirage: otherworldly and almost surreal, like an Adonis rising from the sea in a renaissance painting.
He turned, sensing her approach; his longish auburn hair catching the breeze and the sun as it blew across his beautiful face. His eyes locked onto hers, and a gentle smile formed, curling his lip, gentle and alluring, revealing his perfect teeth. This is how Alma knew he was the American host she was looking for. That perfect orthodontia.
The man looked at the cab driver and spoke in rapid-fire French to him as though it were his first language. Maybe this is not the American owner, thought Alma. Of course, he is too handsome to be that wonderful. However, in a moment he ended the short conversation with a smile and turned to her. Alma clasped her hands as she tended to do when she was nervous; she felt the bare spot where her wedding ring had rested happily for fifteen years and felt the soft pale skin that had been hidden for all these years. She was not in denial of her marriage - she and Bill had decided that a break was necessary for regeneration, and so she reluctantly put it in safe storage in the safety deposit box at their bank. “Those French would probably gnaw your fingers off for a rock like that,” Bill had said, half joking.
Returning to the scene that was unfolding before her, Alma smiled broadly in her friendly, mid-western way as she stepped out of the cab, still clasping her hands together nervously. But she was stopped in her tracks when the man began to move toward her, and it seemed to Alma as though he was moving to embrace her in a dream. His smile was broad and so genuine that she was oddly stirred.
“I’m a married woman!” she reminded herself as she felt her body attracted to him as though through some magnetic field. “This European familiarity is something I will need to get used to,” she thought. Her inner monologue continued, “Now, get a hold of yourself there, hun. This perfect man is your landlord!” But for some reason, her body refused to obey those half-hearted demands, and she extended her hands as though she were drowning until he clasped her in his arms, pulling her close to him.
“Alma,” he whispered into her ear. “I have been so eager to meet you for so long!” The husky sound of his voice made her feel as though nothing else in the world mattered. She looked into his smiling eyes, so happily.
“You must be Darius,” she said, giggling a little.
“I am. Darius Wilde, Miss Palmer. The pleasure is all mine.” Alma didn’t correct him; she decided to see what would happen. After all, this trip was a regeneration and a harmless little familiarity was nothing to worry about. Or was it?
Darius looked deep into her eyes, his strong hand enclosed her small hands, and a feeling of intense calm descended over both of them. Then, as if out of nowhere, he gasped. “Your eyes!”
She looked deep into his eyes. “My eyes?” she answered, uncomprehending.
“Those eyes are the most beautiful shade of blue I have ever seen. They are magnificent!” As he said the word ‘magnificent’, Alma could feel her loins stirring. He had a way about him, and she felt she should be wary.
Alma abruptly turned away, feeling disoriented. “I’d really love to see the grounds,” said Alma, striding into the house, deliberately changing the subject.
Find it on Amazon here: Passion in Paris
Allie Hayden, Hard Rock Love Box Set
