Caged Collection: Sixth Street Bands (Books 1-5) by Jayne Frost (217)

Miles

Paige shifted in my arms, and I was instantly awake. Tightening my grip on her waist, I held my breath.

One beat. Two. Five.

I didn't need to look at the glowing numbers on the clock to know it was close to dawn. And that meant only one thing: soon Paige would open her pretty green eyes, brush a kiss to my lips, and then disappear.

It was a pattern. Our pattern. For years we'd been doing it. Friends with benefits. Though, at this point I couldn't really remember what the benefit was.

The sex, dumb fuck.

That's how it began. An all fun, no strings kind of deal. But what had started as a mutually satisfying arrangement now felt more like some form of medieval torture. For me at least.

Paige loved me. Hell, we loved each other. I never doubted it. But she made it clear—not once, not twice, but at least a dozen times—she wasn't interested in a relationship.

Relationships never work out. And it would kill me to lose you. I can't lose you, Miles._

That's what she'd said. And it sounded good at the time. Until it didn’t. Until the ache that settled on me when she left my bed far outweighed the pleasure of anything we did in the dark.

"Stay," I said when she brushed a kiss to the hard planes of my chest. For a minute, I thought today might be the day. That moment when the dark and the light finally met. She worked her way up, soft lips caressing my neck. My jaw. And finally landing an inch from my ear.

"I can't."

Her words sliced through me the way they did every time she said them. Pressing my lips together, I swallowed the protest, allowing the pain to sink in deep, all the way to my bones. And in that moment, it didn't matter that she was Paige Dawson and I was Miles Cooper. That we, together, were half of the hottest band in the country. Because this, whatever we had, was more important than Damaged. Yeah, I'd made promises. Before we even began I'd vowed to never let anything jeopardize our friendship, and more importantly, the music.

But all that flew out the window when I thought of facing another dawn without her. Today might not be the day when light and dark reconciled, but Paige would give me some answers.

Flipping the switch next to the bed, light flooded the room and Paige jerked her gaze to mine.

"Tell me why."

She searched my face, then sighed and tipped forward, snatching her jeans from the floor. "I already did."

Catching her wrist, I tugged her back down on the bed. "Not good enough. Things have changed. We've changed." My thumb skated over her pulse point, and I felt her racing heart. "I've known you since you were fourteen. I love you, Paige."

The truth had a beat of its own. A life. A cadence. I did love her. I was in love with her. And though I was relatively certain that she wasn't looking for something else—something better—the door was open. Either we closed it for good or moved on. The indecision was killing me.

A deep crease formed between her brows. "I love you too."

The sadness threading her tone was enough to break me. And for a minute we just sat there and let it press in on us. When she twisted her hand free and stood on wobbly legs, I followed. "I'm not your daddy, Paige. You're not going to wake up one day and find me gone."

She swayed as if I'd slapped her, but quickly recovered and sank into the overstuffed chair where I'd been waiting for her when she’d slipped into the room last night. Her fingers glided over the cushion as if she remembered all the things we'd done in that very spot. "I'm not worried that you're like my father, Miles." She lifted her chin, meeting my gaze with sad eyes. "But maybe I am."

The air punched from my lungs, and I took a step back. Then another. And all the while she watched me with an inscrutable expression. Paige was nothing if not honest. And I wondered how many times it had crossed her mind, this distant future where she left me behind for another man.

But hey, we could still be friends, right?

Easing onto the side of the bed, I stared down at the floor. "So I guess this is it, huh, sunshine?"

She didn't say anything, just continued to get dressed, and when she was finished, she stepped in front of me. Lithe fingers tangled in my hair and I willed myself not to lean into her touch. "Have I ever told you the story about the sun?" she asked quietly, and unable to find my voice, I shook my head. For a moment she said nothing, and then I heard her inhale a slow, controlled breath. ”They say the sun loves the moon so much, she dies every night just so he can shine.” Lifting my gaze, I found her smiling, a tear rolling off the end of her nose. "You're my moon."

My stomach cratered, and I reached for her, but she spun around and headed for the door. Pausing in the foyer with her hand on the brass knob she squared her shoulders. “I’ll see you at sound check, okay?”

I swallowed over the lump in my throat. “Sure thing.”

Paige opened the door, spilling shafts of sunlight onto the plush carpet. I guess I’d gotten my wish, because we’d finally met the dawn together. But in the end, she was right. I was the moon and she was the sun. And we were never meant to share the same sky.

The door to the bus opened with a loud hiss. After ducking out of the post-show festivities, all I wanted to do was nurse my bottle of Jack in peace. But I guess that was too much to ask.

“Miles … Are you in here?”

Paige’s voice floated to my bunk. Her words were slow, maybe a bit slurred, and I pressed my lips together, hoping she’d go away. Even if we ended up tangled in the sheets, my euphoria would be short lived. Because tonight was our final show. And come tomorrow we’d be home.

Whatever we had and whatever we were, it didn’t exist in Austin. It never had. And if I were honest, that’s the reason I never minded the grueling tour schedule.

Footfalls echoed off the metal walls and then I felt her there, on the other side of the curtain. “Miles?”

Flopping onto my back, I stared up at the ceiling. “Yeah?”

“Do you want some company?”

Anger flashed red hot, boiling my blood, and I ripped the curtain back. Meeting Paige’s wide eyes with a stone-cold stare, I waited a beat before sliding my gaze to the front of the bus. “Why? Did you bring someone who’s looking for a good time?”

It took a second for her to catch on. Then the column of her throat bobbed, and she took a step back. “You’re mad.”

She was so beautiful, hair all mussed, dark makeup smudging her eyes. My gaze fell to her mouth, stained with crimson lipstick that matched her hair. And suddenly, she was sixteen again, standing outside her mama’s house with tears rolling down her cheeks because the douchebag who’d swiped her cherry didn’t even bother to show up to take her to our junior prom.

I was there, though. Ready to stand in. To stand up. To fill the space. Because that’s what friends did. And the next day, I broke my hand when I beat the shit out of the guy who’d stood her up.

Come near Paige again, and I’ll end you.

Totally worth it.

My irritation fled along with the memory, and I swung my legs over the side of the bunk. Molding my hands to her hips, I pulled her between my knees and looked up into her pale green eyes. “What am I going to do with you?”

She dragged her fingers through my hair, blunt nails scraping my scalp. “Love me.”

I did love her. I’d always loved her. Didn’t she know that?

Cupping her ass, I pressed a kiss to the exposed skin below her belly button. She tasted so good. Like fine whiskey. Smooth and warm, with just the right amount of burn.

Despite being a little drunk myself, I managed to slide her zipper down with my teeth. But before I could yank the denim over her thighs, she froze. “Do you hear that?”

“No.” Getting nowhere with her jeans, I hooked my thumbs in her belt loops for leverage. “God, do you paint these on, or what?” My smile melted when her fingers closed around mine, halting my progress. “What is it?”

She blinked down at me, frowning. “Someone’s coming.”

Light peals of laughter and a deep voice drifted on the breeze. Tori and Rhenn. Our best friends. Bandmates. The two people we shouldn’t have to hide from.

“So?” I challenged, tightening my grip.

She gave me a nudge and, when my arms fell to my sides, she stumbled backward. Pinning on a smile, she shifted her focus to the door. Tori topped the stairs first with Rhenn close on her heels. He pulled her against him, her back to his chest, and whispered something in her ear.

Tori pried his hands off her waist when she noticed us. “There y’all are. We were looking for you.”

Scowling at the happy couple, I grumbled, “Well, I guess you found us.”

Rhenn cocked his head, his eyes darting from Paige to me. “What’s going on?”

I crossed my arms over my chest, past the point of playing nice. Or pretending.

“Nothing,” Paige rushed to say. “We were just—”

Before she could finish, Rusty, our driver, lumbered up the stairs. Scratching his thinning mop of orange hair, he looked around nervously. “Are y’all ready?”

Rhenn tore his gaze from mine. “Absolutely.” He clapped Rusty on the back. “Let’s get out of here.”

The awkward moment forgotten, Tori grabbed a stack of bowls from the dish drainer. “I’ll make the sundaes,” she chirped, foraging around in the small cupboard where she kept her secret stash of toppings.

Paige waited until everyone was occupied to shift her focus back to me. “I’m sorry. I thought we’d have more time.”

But we didn’t. All we had were stolen moments. And that wasn’t enough anymore. Retreating into my bunk, I picked up my pint of Jack and unscrewed the lid.

“I can come see you after we get on the road,” Paige offered, worrying her bottom lip. “After everyone’s asleep.”

A consolation prize. Awesome.

Reclining against the pillows, I glanced her over as I took a long pull from the bottle. “I think you’d better stay in your own bunk tonight, sunshine.”

I waited for Paige to protest. To fight for me—for us. But she didn’t. Instead, she tipped forward and brushed a lock of hair out of my eyes. “Okay. I’ll see you in the morning.”

It came out like a question, and I snorted, because, where was I going to go?

Her face fell, and she started to pull away, but I caught her wrist and pressed a kiss to her palm. “Sleep tight.”

I rolled over, letting her hand slip from mine. For a long time, Paige didn’t move…just stood there, her reflection framed in the moonlight pouring in from the small window in my bunk.

You’re my moon.

The knot in my stomach unwound.

Paige may not have been able to give it all to me right now. But someday she would.

Her lips curved into a smile, as if she knew what I was thinking. That we’d be all right. Because this was bigger than us. Written in the stars. And there was no hurry. We had all the time in the world.