The stage rose up to meet him as he blacked out.******Jessica stood outside Sinners’ dressing room, leaning against the wall. She’d finally calmed down enough to stop crying, but she wasn’t leaving until she saw Sed. She wanted to tell him what an ass**le he was and that she never wanted to see him again. Yeah. That’s exactly why she wanted to see him. So she could tell him off.The music blaring from the stadium stopped. Strange. They’d just started the next song. A moment later, a roadie sprinted down the corridor, talking frantically into a cell phone. Jessica’s heart rate kicked up a notch when the wail of an ambulance stopped just outside the back doors. Paramedics flew by with a gurney.A fan? A roadie? Had something happened to Trey? He’d seemed fine the last time she saw him. Concerned, she headed after the paramedics. When she reached the edge of the stage, she froze. Trey had blood all over his hands, but it wasn’t his.“Sed!”She launched herself across the stage. Brian c
“I am going to file an official grievance against the dean and Dr. Ellington. I don’t want anyone to think they chased me away and I gave up.”Sed squeezed her hand. But she was giving up. Didn’t she realize that? And he couldn’t stand to see her this way. Defeated. He knew what he should do. Support her in her decision. Stand back and let her do what she thought she needed to do. Even though he was incapacitated in a hospital bed, it wasn’t in him to just take these things lying down. And normally it wasn’t in her, either. What was she so afraid of?“I do think I’ll go to class tomorrow though. I really need to tell that bitch off. Publicly.”There’s my girl. He welcomed that spark of fight in her.“Even if I report them, I doubt anything will happen to either one,” she murmured. She glanced up at him. “Dean Taylor was right. I don’t have any credibility.”Sed scowled. When had the dick told her that?“Do you think it’s worth it? Should I even bother filing a grievance?”Sed blinked
Sed pretended to shudder with fear.“And I’m telling Jessica.”Sed took what was left of his cone and stuck it upside down on Eric’s shoulder.“Dude, knock it off. I’m trying to f**kin’ drive!”Heh, I win.Halfway to Los Angeles, Sed leaned his head against the back of the seat and closed his eyes. The rumble of the engine, with its consistent knock, must have lured him to sleep, because the next thing he knew, they were sputtering to a stop inside a parking garage near the recording studio. The engine coughed, then died.“Nice nap, douche bag?” Eric asked, drawing his lean body over the driver’s side door and leaving a sticky puddle behind in the driver’s seat.Sed nodded drowsily. He supposed he was still a pint or two low on blood, and that half an ice cream cone hadn’t been exactly filling.Rubbing his eyes, Sed followed Eric into the building and the appropriate recording booth. Brian and Trey were in the studio wailing on their guitars. Without a doubt, the new album was going t
“No, I’m a third year. Ellington failed me on my final paper last year, so I’m supposed to retake the class.”“Are you really engaged to Sedric Lionheart?”Jessica flushed. “Engaged? Not exactly. Maybe someday soon.” If she could find the courage to ask him. “We’re dating. Um. Exclusively.”“No kidding? Wow, what a babe. He’s the reason God gave women eyes.”The door at the front of the room opened and Dr. Ellington stepped up to the podium. She looked haggard and tired, not at all like her usual, polished-ice self. She glanced around the room suspiciously. “Do we have an experiment on gender segregation going on here, or what?” Her gaze landed on Jessica. “Oh, I see. Class is dismissed. Work on your midterm paper. First draft due Monday.”The entire class gasped in horror.Dr. Ellington turned on her heel and strode from the room.Jessica sat there dumbfounded for a few seconds and then rose from her chair and headed after the woman. Trotting several yards behind her down the corrido
Sed kissed her temple and then sat beside her. “Is this my surprise? You look beautiful.”She flushed with pleasure. “Part of it. And thank you. How’s your throat feeling?”“Not bad. I heal quickly. I can talk okay now.”“No, you can’t.” She reached under the table and retrieved the gift bag she’d stashed at her feet. “Your surprise is in here. Have you been good for Eric today?”He hesitated, looking at the ceiling in deep concentration, and then nodded.Somehow she doubted he was being sincere, but she handed the gift bag to him.“What is—”She covered his mouth with her hand. “No talking, Sed.”He reached into the gift bag and pulled out a small dry-erase board and marker. He didn’t even try to hide his disappointment. “I thought you’d get me something sexy.”“If you use that to communicate instead of talking, I have another surprise for you.”“Yeah?”“You’ll probably like this one better.”He uncapped the marker and wrote OK on the board.She reached up and cupped his face in her
“No one?”Unable to meet his eyes, she shook her head. It was kind of embarrassing to admit how much he’d affected her. How he’d ruled certain parts of her life, even in his absence.“Not once in two years?”Her nostrils flared. “No! I said I haven’t. What? You don’t believe me?”He took the bowl from her and set it on the table before wrapping both arms around her and hugging her against his chest.“I should have never let you go, Jess. I should have gone after you. I should have fixed it. Whatever I had to do, I should have—”She pulled back to look into his eyes. His watery gaze drifted to the ceiling as he tried to get a handle on his emotions.“I have plenty of regrets of my own, Sed, but I’ve decided to let them go. You should too. We can’t change the past, but we can move forward.”“So much wasted time.”She shook her head. “No regrets.” She grabbed his chin to gain his attention and gave him a stern look. “And you’re talking way too much. If you say one more word, I’m cancelli
“Are you almost finished in there?” Jessica called from the bedroom. “I need to do my hair and we’re already running late.”He’d try the passive approach. A tad less passive than trying to stick it on her finger while she slept, but he couldn’t talk, so this method would make sense. He wasn’t being a coward. She’d find this simple action romantic. Right? Of course she would.He set the ring on the edge of the sink where she was sure to find it and, heart thudding with a mixture of excitement and anxiety, left the master bathroom clean-shaven and ready to face a day of being silent in the studio. After Jess found the ring and they made love for a couple of hours to celebrate, that is.Sed stepped up behind Jessica and planted a kiss on the side of her neck. Just thinking about that ring on her finger had him more randy than a teen who’d just touched his first real boob. Her shorts hindering skin on skin contact, Sed’s hands slid over the ridges of her hipbones and down between her thig
Fifteen minutes later they pulled into the unfamiliar driveway of a vast estate. At the gate, she gave both their names. The gate swung open and she drove up the lane.What are we doing here?She was too busy finding her way to the airstrip behind the modern-styled mansion to read his message.“Jess?” he grabbed her arm.“Relax, sweetheart. Flying will get us there faster.”“Flying?”“Shh. Dare said we could borrow his jet. And his pilot. Good thing. I don’t know how to fly. Do you?”“His jet?”“Well, it actually belongs to Exodus End, but they park it on Dare’s airstrip. Since they’re touring by bus this month, it’s not getting much airtime. He said we could use it.”“Since when does Dare have an airstrip?”“I dunno. Jace suggested it.”“Jace?” Had Jessica ever even spoken to Jace?“Yes, Jace. Apparently, Jace and Dare are pretty close friends. And your band mates have some kind of bet going. I’m not sure where Dare fits into their scheme.”Sed’s brow furrowed. Bet? “What bet?”She g