JaxThere was something mouth-wateringly wholesome about her. When she stripped off the hard outer shell, of course. It didn’t hurt that she had stripped everything else off as well. Her delectable curves were barely encased in the tiny pale blue bikini she had donned, and with water dripping between the valley of her breasts, it was a wonder that I hadn’t gone into the ocean and dragged her off Erik’s surfboard an hour earlier. But somehow, I’d managed to control myself. Partly because if I had, the others would have never let me hear the end of it. And partly because she looked like she was having fun. Her laughter filled the air even above the crash of the waves and the high-pitched screeches of the gulls. I liked seeing her have fun. Because it seemed so alien to her, and I didn’t want to spoil that for her. “Are you still sticking to this nonsense that this ends when you get home?” Tate asked as he reclined topless next to me. There were no tattoos on his skin, but it caught ev
ElodieI hated singing. Not because I couldn’t, because I had been told I was pretty good. It was the pressure of performing I disliked. So, when Tate had pushed me to sing the only song I knew all the words to, I had been reluctant to do it. It started off a little croaky, which wasn’t surprising, seeing as I hadn’t done more than sing in the shower for years, but I soon got into it. Even if I hated it, it was easy to lose myself in the music. Especially when Tate started playing alongside me. That made me more at ease. Having such a talented musician strum the guitar on his lap whilst I closed my eyes and tried not to butcher the song was nothing like being dragged out in front of the club by my father to sing for his drunk cronies.It was nerve-wracking, sure, but I didn’t feel judged. Which was strange considering who I was singing to. Closing my eyes, I let the music take over me. A new guitar joined Tate’s, the playing less choppy. This was smooth, effortless, and totally beaut
JaxI watched her go, but it wasn’t until her t-shirt came sailing over her shoulder in my direction that I realised what she had in mind. “Wh—oh fuck.” I bounded to my feet, but I wasn’t the only one to do so. I wasn’t even the first. “Fuck yeah... skinny dipping time.” Louis streaked past me, kicking off his shorts as he went, and I had the privilege of seeing our drummer's white ass as he streamed past me. Something I hoped never to see. I could have lived happily without that particular visual again. “Go on, Eli!” Dion whooped from behind me, and my eyes found her again. Somehow when I had been getting as eyeful of Louis too white ass, she had dropped her shorts. She stood there silhouetted by the moonlight, the water lapping at her ankles. In nothing but her bra and panties. And she looked amazing. Like some kind of sea goddess mirage. She seemed to be waiting for something or maybe having second thoughts. I couldn’t be sure. But even as I watched, she hooked her finger into he
ElodieMiami was beautiful. Beautiful beaches, beautiful architecture, even more beautiful women. And they were everywhere, drawing the eyes of every man in our group. Next to them I felt fat and frumpy, when in reality I wasn’t any of those things. It was just me feeling a little insecure. And that had nothing to do with the multitude of bikini wearing curvaceous beauties and everything to do with Miami itself. Miami was the final stop of the tour before we headed home. A few more days at most. And then all of this would be over. My time with Jax would be over. It had gone by so quickly, in the blink of an eye. When we got back to UK soil, we would go our separate ways, and I would probably never see him again. The others: Dion, Tate and Louis, had said we would all hang out. In fact, they had made it clear that I was one of them now, and that meant I couldn’t ghost them. Dion was especially eager to keep in touch. But that was because we had become friends. He had told me things th
Jax“Eli said she would meet us there and...”Ignoring Tate’s insistence, I stepped out of the elevator onto our floor. I didn’t much care what Elodie had said. I needed to see her. And it had nothing to do with the distant way she had been returning my kisses all day. No, not at all. Well, maybe if I was honest with myself, it had a big part. Something had distracted Elodie all day, ever since she had greeted the bikers like old friends. And that Legacy? He had greeted her right back. And it wasn’t friendship that had made him hug her a little too long. I knew men like him because I was a man like him. A womanising jerk. His familiarity with her made me uncomfortable. And the fact she was distant and distracted just cemented in my mind that something had happened between them in the past. The real question was, was it still happening?I froze. My eyes glued to the two figures at the end of the hallway. Each door was closed apart from hers. Elodie’s door was half open, and she was em
ElodieThey lost my luggage. After an almost nine hour flight sitting next to my moody ass brother whilst I tried to hide the fact that I was still crying over some lousy rockstar who I had no business crying over, they had lost my bags.And it was raining.The raining part wasn’t that surprising. And it seemed very, very apt. At least with the rain pouring down, my tears would be hidden. And I wouldn’t have to put up with Legacy huffing and giving me side eyes like I was some stupid schoolgirl.“Well, what the hell am I meant to do now?” I groaned. But I wanted to scream, to throw a full-on tantrum in the middle of the terminal. Instead, I hugged myself and shivered. It was cold after the heat of Miami. And I was exhausted, which just made it worse. I felt like I could and probably should sleep for a week. Throwing his own backpack on the floor, Legacy started rummaging through it, and it didn’t take a genius to know what he was looking for. It had been surprising that he had gone f
JaxSix days after I had caught Elodie with another man, we were on a plane back home and, honestly, it couldn’t have come any quicker. I needed my own space to process everything that had happened. I needed time away from the sympathetic eyes and endless questions from the band about what had gone on. Dion was especially pissed at me. More so than the others, and I understood that. He and Elodie had grown close over the last few weeks. He needed her.I needed her as well. In a totally different way. Her leaving, her choosing Legacy over me crippled me in a way that I never wanted to feel again. All the songs said that love hurt. It didn’t hurt. That didn’t quite cover it. Love had plunged a knife into my abdomen and gutted me.Of course, the rest of them were angry with me too. Not that any of them said anything, but it was there in their eyes. They presumed I had been the one to fuck things up.“Ok, enough.” Dion’s fingers tore the headphones from my head, dropping them onto my lap.
ElodieLiving back at the Savage Sons’ clubhouse, even temporarily, came with its own round of headaches. Namely, the fact that I was no longer a gangly, flat chested teen. And every biker, even the ones who were old enough to be my father and should’ve known better, seemed to want to give it a go. They were all shot down. Most only tried it on once, but those who were persistent had my brother in their ear. Legacy might just be a prospect, but our family had been in the club one way or another since the beginning. I had learnt my lesson. No more going for the bad boy. Rockstar or biker, it didn’t really matter. They were all the same. All after one thing. All assholes.Well, maybe not every man who rode with the Sons was an asshole, but Jax most definitely put me off rockstars for life. Looking back, I couldn’t believe how stupid I had been. Falling into his bed, imagining actual affection in his eyes. Chance had been right. I did fall too easily. And it had made me dumb. It made m
Louis“Did you just call me a silly ass?”“Is that what you got from that?” Celia muttered. Her hands were still on my chest as she shook her head. Her cheeks flamed as she took a step back. My arms went around her instantly, pulling her back to me. “Yep.” I tightened my grip. “Not sure I heard the other part properly. Because I was pretty sure you said-”“I love you.”Something happened in my chest. It was something I had never felt before. Warmth spread through me and for a moment it was as if my heart seemed to stop beating. For a split second, I thought I might have just had some sort of heart attack, and then it gave one loud thudding beat.“You love me?” I wanted to check that I had heard her right. Celia didn’t say anything at first. But the pink that tinted her cheeks deepened to a blazing red. She turned her face away from me. I didn’t want her to do that. I never wanted her to look away from me. “That’s what I said.” Her face was growing redder and redder. It made me smi
CeliaAfter wiping my sweaty palms down my thighs, I raised my hand to knock. The door opened before my knuckles could make contact.“Hey, I saw you on the camera.” Erik's smile was as charming as I had ever seen it. He looked tanned and happy. “Come on in.” He opened the door wide. Stepping through, I glanced around. I’d been to his city pad so many times, fetching and carrying things for him, that it should have felt as familiar to me as my own home.Except it didn’t, not this time. This time it felt different. “Drink?” He carried on grinning at me. “I have white cooling. That's your favourite, isn't it?” He led the way through the spacious open-plan living room. And sure enough, a bottle of wine was cooling on the table by the window. He went over to it with hesitation, pouring me a glass before I could say a word.“Thanks.” My eyes swept across the view of the city below us and then fell on the table set for two. “But shouldn't you have waited until…?” I motioned to the table.
Louis“Dance with me, Louis.”Blearily, I lifted my eyes to meet Elodie’s. She was holding out her hand like she expected me to take it. I’d already danced with my sister out of duty, but I didn't want to dance with anyone else. Least of all Elodie who always had the uncanny ability to tell you exactly what you were thinking and feeling, even if you were avoiding it.Shaking my head, I went back to brooding. It was a new thing for me. Usually, I left the brooding to Jax or Dion. “Come on, Louis.” Reaching down, she wrapped her small hand around mine and pulled me to my feet. I swayed for a second. “It's a wedding, after all. Your sister's wedding. We should all be having fun.” She led me forward onto the dance floor. There were already some people dancing, but the space was relatively empty. It wouldn't be for long, though. Not with the way people were drinking. “I am having fun,” I grumbled.Laughing, she placed her hand on my shoulders. I let her lead. I didn't want to dance. Not
Celia“Are you even going to look at that?”With my fingers still buried in the fur of the cat on my lap, I lifted my eyes to Mia, who was curled up on the chair opposite me. “Celia?” she prompted when I didn't answer.“No. It’s probably Erik again.” I didn't need to check my phone to know it would be him. He had been blowing up my phone all day. Of course. Today was Lola and Dion's wedding. Things would have gone wrong, some emergency or something Erik had forgotten. Things that I wouldn't have overlooked. “You seriously mean to go through with this, don’t you? Quit your job?”I nodded.“Girl, you're crazy. The band is your life. Working with them is your dream and you're just going to throw it away?” Mia shook her head. Reaching across to grab my wine glass, I grimaced as the cat dug its claws in at the sudden movement. “Looks that way.”“What are you going to do for money?”“Absolutely no idea.” Shrugging, I poured myself another glass of wine. “Do you think maybe you should ha
Louis“You and Celia?”Whirling around, I came face to face with my sister. There was no hello. Not even a howdy. Just her shocked face as she stomped towards me. Running my hand through my hair, I looked down at my own bare feet. “Hello to you as well, little sister,” I mumbled.“Hi.” She hugged me quickly before holding me out at arm's length. “Now answer the question.”“What question?” I knew exactly what question, but I didn't want to answer it. Ever since I had woken up yesterday and Erik had told me she had gone, I had given up thinking about the band's blonde assistant. What good would it do?She was gone. It wasn’t like I could go after her. Not when my sister was about to get married. I needed to be here. With family. Not chasing after a girl who shared my bed but was in love with someone else. What we had: the fun, the sex, had been real. But that's all it had been: fun, sex. And that was all over now.“You and Celia?”I shrugged. She shrieked, drawing a quizzical look f
CeliaIt didn't feel fake anymore. It felt real.Real and new and exciting. And it had absolutely nothing to do with sex. Louis didn't act like this around women he’d had sex with. He was a ‘love them and leave them’ kind of guy, but he wasn't that way around me. Not that I thought for a second that he was in love with me, and I was pretty sure I wasn't falling in love with him. We were just having fun. Maybe this was exactly what I needed. Proof that other men out there found me attractive. Proof that I didn't need Erik. Except…part of me still wanted Erik. A small dwindling part, but it was there, buried deep. Which was all kinds of wrong, seeing as I was sharing my bed with someone else. And not just any someone else, either. Louis Michaelson was a panty-wetting god and somehow he had chosen me to spend time with.It was hard to wrap my head around.But it was true. The last few days had been a glorious mix of lingering looks and wild, passionate sex. The kind of holiday romanc
LouisGiving the sleeping form of Celia one last lingering look, I slipped out of the room and headed towards the beach. It wasn’t even dawn, but I needed to clear my head. What had happened between us last night had been incredible. Better than I had ever expected, but the intimacy… I ground my teeth together. The intimacy hadn't been what I was expecting. Not the sex itself, but what came afterwards. Holding Celia, talking to her until the small hours. That had all been new.New and scary as hell.And I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I liked her.For the first time in my man-whore life, I liked a woman, probably more than I should do. I sure as hell liked her more than she liked me, and I didn't even know when it had first happened. It had kind of just snuck up on me. Maybe because Celia had always been there. Hovering in the background. A familiar smiling face. A beautiful smiling face who was in love with someone else. I had known that when I had taken her to bed, so wh
CeliaWhy was I doing this? This was a terrible idea.A truly awful one.But I knew the answer. The reason I was doing this, taking this step with someone I worked with, was taking his shirt off and kneeling between my legs.Louis was the reason I was crossing the line. Not because of the hard washboard abs covered in tattoos that met my gaze, but because of who he was. There was a connection there. One that I wanted to explore a little. God, I was confused.I liked Louis. I really did, and I couldn’t deny the sexual chemistry between us. But-“Eyes open and on me, Celia.”My eyes snapped open. I hadn’t even realised I had closed them. Staring at him, I felt my mouth fall open. He stood there naked and, even though it wasn’t the first time I had seen him without clothes on, it felt like I was truly seeing him for the first time. Letting my eyes wander down his body, my lips parted further. He was exquisite. And not just because of the art that adorned him, either. There was a beaut
Louis“Celia?” I knew I had heard her right because it wasn't like her words could be construed as anything else. Not many things sounded like ‘I want you to take me to bed’. But I wanted to make sure. “Did you seriously just ask me that?” In answer, she curled herself into my chest. “You heard what I said, Louis. I know you did. I can see it in your eyes. Do I really need to repeat myself?”I wrapped my arms around her, holding her even closer. “Yeah, you kind of do.”Tilting her head up, her eyes sparkled with the moon shining over her. It would have been a romantic moment if she hadn't been asking me to fuck her. “I want you to take me to bed.” She said each word slowly, like I was an idiot and that's exactly what I felt like.A damn idiot. Because I didn't know what was happening. What had changed in Celia's world so much that she was now into me for real?“Celia…” My lips pursed as I blew out a breath.“Or here. I've not done it on the beach before. ““Damn it, Celia.” Stepping