Caged Collection (Sixth Street Bands #1-5), page 124
I took a seat beside her, leaving a couple of feet between us. “That night at your parents’ house.”
“That’s why you left?”
Ran was a more accurate description. I frowned into my first sip of coffee. “Yeah.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Inhaling a controlled breath, I set my mug on the table. “Have you ever seen the movie, The Reader?” She shook her head. “This woman went to prison rather than admit she couldn’t read. I’ve been carrying this secret my whole life, baby. You don’t understand what it means … how it feels …”
She scooted closer. “But it’s not your fault.”
A brittle laugh scraped my throat. “Which part—not being able to read, or letting my mom’s killer go free?”
I’d said it—admitted it—and now it was real. Shame pooled in my belly, coating me from the inside out, and I hung my head. In a flash, Tori was on my lap, straddling me, her hands in my hair.
“You did not let your mother’s killer go free! Why would you think that?”
Curving my hands around her thighs, I chuckled. “Because it’s true. I spent years blaming Jake. And even then …” I shook my head. ”I stayed in that trailer until I was seventeen. What does that say about me?”
Tears I didn’t deserve spilled onto her cheeks. “It says you were scared. Are you sure it wasn’t your dad? ”
Tori spoke in a whisper, as if she might disturb the ghost in my head if she talked any louder.
“No. The car in front of us that night, it wasn’t his. It was just dumb luck that we were there. Two robberies had been reported with a vehicle that matched my description. I found that out after Dr. Patel requested the police report. But I was the only one who saw a license plate.”
My hands trailed up her thighs to her waist, memorizing the feel of her. Higher I went, to her nape, where my thumb found the little notch on her throat. Stroking the tiny ridge, I smiled. One inch, the difference between life and death. Without the scar, Tori wouldn’t be here. So I leaned in and kissed the perfect imperfection with all the reverence it deserved. And then I pulled her against me, tucking her head under my chin.
“When I found out who you were, I took it as a sign.”
“What kind of a sign?”
Stroking one hand up and down her back, I kept the other in her hair. “You’re my redemption, Victoria. You’re everything. On my darkest day, I found you. And I know it’s not the same for you. You had your great love. And I get that.” I brushed my lips over the soft strands on her crown. “I just want a chance. I want to make memories with you that are so beautiful they make you weep like you did in Paris. I want to be that for you, because you’re that for me.”
She turned to stone in my arms, and I felt my heart crack, falling to the ground in shards at her feet. I could never be that for her.
I was trying to figure out how to rephrase my plea so she wouldn’t freak out when she said in a small voice, “I hate Paris. Paris is the worst place on earth.” A tremor took her whole and she sniffled. “During the last Damaged tour in Europe, we played a gig in Paris. I was pregnant. Three months. After the show, I wasn’t feeling well, but we had another date in London, at Wembley. Ninety thousand seats—sold out. I told Rhenn to go. I didn’t think he would … but he did. And while he was onstage the next night in front of all those strangers, I lost my baby in a hospital with a view of the Eiffel Tower outside my window. That day you found me in the church, I wasn’t crying for Rhenn. I was crying for the baby boy that I never got to meet.”
She lifted her gaze then, fat tears streaming down her beautiful face. “I loved Rhenn. I did. But maybe he was only meant to stay for a minute. To teach me what he had to teach me and be on his way.” She cupped my cheek. “If my life were a song, Rhenn would be the first verse. But I think … I think you’re meant to be the chorus. The part that goes on and on. I love you, Logan. And it’s so big … this feeling, I don’t know what to do with it.”
Our confessions hung in the air, an overcast sky filled with tears, shattered dreams, and bittersweet memories. And a rainbow. I saw it in Tori’s eyes, every color under the sun.
She loved me.
Jesus. How impossible was that?
I realized I hadn’t said anything, and a furrow formed between her brows. Pressing my lips to the little spot, I whispered, “I love you, Victoria. Always you. Even before I knew it was you.”
She tipped her chin, lashes fluttering. “Do you think … I mean … is it too much?”
“What, baby?”
“Us. I’m afraid.”
I rose to my feet with Tori in my arms. “No. We’re even now.”
I wasn’t sure if it were true. Because I had more than I’d ever expected. I had Tori. So I had it all.
Wrapping her legs around my waist, she buried her face in my neck as I carried her to my bed and laid her down on the uncovered mattress.
“Where are the sheets?” Lifting her hips so I could strip off her jeans, she raised her brows and waited for an answer.
Once I was undressed, I joined her. There was no place to hide. Nothing to cover us. “Ever since you left, I haven’t been able to sleep. The sheets in every hotel smelled … well, not like you. And when I got home, it was the same.”
She settled against the only covered pillow. “What about this one?”
I sighed, easing on top of her. “That’s not my pillow, it’s yours. I stole it from the hotel in Paris.”
A laugh tripped from her lips. “You stole a pillow?”
It seemed fair, since she’d stolen everything else. “Yes, and I’d do it again.”
I pressed a kiss to her mouth, my tongue sweeping inside. So fucking sweet. Tori’s fingers threaded my hair, and she sighed. A breathy little pant gave way to a moan as I worked my way to her pert nipples. She shivered as I ran my nose over the furled peak. Then she tightened her grip.
So impatient.
“You want me, baby?”
Her legs fell open, and I smiled, scoring my teeth across her nipple while my fingertips skimmed the length of her. All the skin I could reach. And when I made it to the heaven between her thighs, she gasped.
Parting her slick folds, I worked two fingers inside her pussy while my palm applied even pressure to her clit.
Lifting my gaze, I found her staring at me, lips parted and cheeks pink.
“I love you,” she breathed, and then her eyes rolled back, and she was gone. She came undone a second later, surprising me with the intensity of her orgasm.
Before she’d even finished, my face was buried between her thighs. A guttural moan escaped from deep in her throat. And yes, yes, fuck yes, give it to me.
I wanted it all. All of her sounds, her taste, this sweet pussy. Mine. Finally, mine.
“Logan … please.”
When I managed to work my way back up, she peered at me with hooded eyes.
“What, baby?” I asked, brushing the hair out of her face.
Curving a hand around my neck, she pulled me in for a kiss, hips tilting at just the right angle for me to slide home. So I did. And somehow, I’d forgotten this part. The absolute contentment I found inside her body. I wanted to live here. Right here, in this moment. Forever. But we’d have plenty of moments. A lifetime. So I started to move. And an even more wondrous moment unfurled. Her eyes widened, and that honied gaze locked me down. And it was like staring into the sun. Blinding, but not.
“This is where forever lives,” I whispered against her lips.
And she nodded.
And I nodded.
And we fell.
67
Daryl, along with four other hired guns stood next to the elevated table in the extra-large tent at Zilker Park where my press event was being held. The other bands had already completed their sets, leaving only my performance. The main event.
With less than a half hour before my show was scheduled to begin, my stomach churned. A quick glance in my direction and Taryn assessed my nerves. My inner turmoil. And thats why she was running the show and not Elise. Taryn knew me, all my tells.
She gave me a soft smile, then tipped forward to speak into her microphone. “We’ve got to get a move on, y’all. Last question.”
Shifting my focus to a friendly face in the front row, I gave Ash Devonshire from the Austin Statesman the nod. He winked at me, a smile hitching one corner of his lips as he pushed to his feet.
And for the hundredth time today, tears stung the back of my eyes. But nobody could see them behind my oversized sunglasses.
Yeah, I was in full rock star mode. Clad in painted-on jeans, a barely there blouse, and sky-high boots, I looked nothing like myself. Which was only fitting. Because today, I was Belle Grayson. And I had a job to do. Something I should’ve done long ago. Not just for me, or Miles, but for the fans. Seventy-five thousand strong right outside the tent. Plus a million seven streaming live on Pay-Per-View. And the untold number who’d watch from the comfort of their homes when HBO aired the taped special next month.
All-in-all, this concert was slated to be the highest grossing event of the year, or the last ten years if the projections were on point.
“It’s good to see you, Belle,” said Ash.
I gave him a genuine smile, my first of the day. “Hey, Ash. Good to see you too.”
Shifting his feet, he glanced down at the prearranged question. “Will this show signal your permanent return to the stage?”
His smile wilted just a bit in preparation for my answer, which he already knew. Ash had been covering Damaged since the beginning. So it was only right he’d be here at the end.
Clearing my throat, I took Miles's hand under the table. “Today marks my official retirement.” Ignoring the shouts from the reporters who jumped to their feet to ask a follow up question, I tipped forward and smiled. “Sorry y’all. It’s been an awesome ride. But it ends here.”
Where it began.
Taryn fussed with the ties on my blouse.
“Make sure to reinforce those,” I said, peering out of the curtain at the sea of people. “There’s barely any fabric there as it is. One slip and the whole planet is going to see my goodies.”
Deep in conversation with his boys some five feet away, I saw Logan snap to attention. Pale blue eyes, iridescent in the ambient light, shifted my way. Looking me over from tip to toe with a feral gaze, his tongue slid over his bottom lip. Still, he made no move to approach. Partly because of the camera crew shadowing my every move. But mostly because today, I wasn’t his. Not completely. Today I belonged to all the girls in the crowd with purple and blue streaks in their hair. And to all the members of the bands who’d performed in tribute to who I once was. Today … I belonged to Rhenn, Paige, and Miles.
But tonight, and every moment after, I’d be his.
I smiled, and he smiled back.
“You’ve got six feeds going live to the satellite locations,” Taryn said in a shaky voice. “The screens to the right and left of the stage will pan in from time to time to give you crowd reaction.”
I swept a lock of chestnut hair out of her face. “And where will you be?”
Chase was going to take in the show with Logan and the guys. But I wasn’t sure about Taryn.
She pointed to a large group on the opposite side of the stage. Dylan was there, along with Beckett, and all the other members of the Big Three.
“It’s only right,” she said. “Full circle and all that.”
A shadow appeared at the back of the stage. Miles. Though I barely noticed his limp, he was self-conscious about it, so he’d arranged to take his place behind the kit before the announcement was made.
Taryn sucked in a breath. “That’s my cue. I’m heading to the other side.”
As she took a step, I grabbed her arm, pulling her into my embrace. “I love you, T-Rex. Thank you for everything.”
And I meant all of it. From kindergarten to now. And whatever would come in the future.
She hung on for a long moment before breaking our connection. “I love you back.”
And then she was gone. And I was alone. Seventy-five thousand people, and I was by myself, staring out at three X’s on the stage.
A single spotlight pierced the darkness, and then Dylan was there, in front of the microphone. It took a good few minutes of cajoling for the audience to settle enough for him to speak.
“I’m Dylan,” he shouted when he got the chance. “And I’d like y’all to help me welcome the original Sixth Street band, Damaged!”
The stage shook as the audience roared, and instinctively, I took a step back.
But then Rhenn’s voice drifted through the massive speakers, and the world went quiet. So still. Everyone hanging onto the edge of their seats.
“You know, we’re just a little old band from Austin. We never expected all of this.” A beam of light shot from the rafters, and his hologram appeared. So handsome, with his long dark hair and his favorite guitar hanging low on his hip.
And then Paige’s voice, gentle as a breeze. “We love coming out to play for y’all. Isn’t that right, Belle?” Another flicker from the heavens and she was there too. Bright smile and long, red hair flowing in the non-existent breeze.
The sound and lighting crew had spliced together pieces from old interviews and shows to make this an interactive experience. And it was, because the sight of them mere feet away brought a torrent of tears I could hardly contain. But I did. And one last time, I stepped into the light of the Sixth Street Legacy.
To say goodbye.
An hour and a half into the performance, Tori stepped up to the organ. It was the first time she’d ventured very far from her mark. Since I knew what was coming, I inched closer to the stage. Just far enough for her to see me if she looked.
I’m here, baby.
And for the first time since she’d emerged into the spotlight, her gaze swung my way.
I nodded, lending whatever silent encouragement I could.
Tori nodded back and then took a deep breath, resting her fingers on the keys. I’d played in front of some monster crowds in my life. Watched from the wings as some of the biggest bands in the world performed in front of audiences of nearly a hundred thousand. But I’d never heard anything like the collective roar that rose up when Tori played the opening bars for “Free Bird,” the old Lynyrd Skynyrd standard that was eerily appropriate for this show.
A second later, the stage went dark, but for the two holograms. And then the rest of the instruments fell away, and the song morphed in an acoustic version with only Rhenn and Paige on guitar.
Overcome by the weight of the moment, the audience grew so quiet, you’d never know there were seventy-five thousand people in attendance. Except for the sea of lights that went on and on for as far as the eye could see.
What they failed to notice was my girl, gliding toward the curtain with her head down. She walked straight into my arms, and nobody knew. It was as if she’d left Belle on the stage, and only Victoria remained. And that was fine with me.
Tucking her to my side, I headed for the private lot where my Mustang waited, our bags in the trunk. She didn’t even flinch when the crowd erupted behind us.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked, as if the thought had just occurred to her.
I kissed her temple. “I don’t know. Where do you want to go?”
I knew, and my GPS was already programed. But still, I waited for the words.
She peered up at me. “How does Nashville sound?”
And I smiled. “Like heaven.”
BONUS CONTENT
FIRST EPILOGUE
This is a *special* epilogue written
especially for this box set.
Enjoy!
TWO YEARS LATER
LOGAN
I love you…
I stared at the single line and the miles of white paper underneath.
Write your own vows. It’ll be easy.
Why did I think that?
I’d never written anything in my damn life. And this is what I planned to start with? My wedding vows? Only the most important words I’d ever utter.
The door opened with a creak and my tension ebbed. Victoria. Thank God. I’d barely seen her in the last three days what with everything going on.
It was never a question that we’d marry here, at the Fontanel Inn. But the logistics of getting our friends and family to Nashville without tipping off the press had been challenging. You couldn’t exactly mobilize the four hottest bands in the country and put them on a plane without someone noticing. Which is why our guests had arrived in shifts from decoy locations. Los Angeles. Dallas. New York.
Still, I couldn’t help but think this was going to turn into a circus, with helicopters and reporters hiding in the bushes.
Hunching over my notepad, I tried to look busy as I waited for Tori’s soft hand to descend on my shoulder. Or her warm lips to caress my neck. We weren’t staying in the same suite, and I hadn’t been inside her in four days. A lifetime. And God, I needed her now. Maybe sinking balls deep in her sweet body would loosen the boulder trapping the words in my head.
I was so wrapped up in that thought I didn’t register the footsteps, or that they were too heavy to belong to my girl.
“You missed breakfast,” Sean said, plopping into the chair across from me. “Isn’t that like a wedding faux pas?”
I glared at him. “What is it with you and all the French? It’s getting on my nerves.”
A smidgeon of jealousy laced my tone. While I’d been busy trying to learn how to read and write in English, my best friend had taken up a second language.
Maybe it wouldn’t have bothered me so much, but France had been on my mind lately in a round about way. Tori blamed the whole damn country for what she’d lost there. And it only got worse after Taryn had given birth to Noel six months ago.
