Present
Over the next couple of days I attend most of his commitments, standing off on the sidelines with Kacey while he does his thing. I like being able to see him in his element. He’s so relaxed and confident. Everyone he meets is so enamored with him and it’s no surprise. The man just has something about him that puts people at ease and lures them in. It’s fascinating to watch yet a part of me feels special knowing that I get to have a side of him no one else does. Kacey and I have become good friends as well, and I’m comforted knowing that he’ll have her to take care of him out on the road.
He took me to lunch at the Bluebird Café yesterday and showed me where he pinned his song “Roots” to the wall. It was one of the first songs he wrote when he got to Nashville. It’s about remembering where you come from but not being afraid to spread your wings and fly. It’s surreal to see where he got his start. Where he struggled to get recognized among the countless singers and songwriters that graced the infamous small stage. And unlike so many others who have traveled the same path, he still remains humble. His loyalty has always been to the music. He even goes back from time to time to play. To remind himself where he started.
Today, I’m helping Linc finish packing. He didn’t have much left to box up. The movers had done most of the heavy stuff already, but there was some personal stuff he didn’t want them touching. Like his father’s things. Most of which he kept in his office. His father’s medals from the war were displayed in a glass case, along with the folded, framed American flag from his funeral. I remember when he died, how devastated Linc was. It took him months before he would even talk to me about it.
It was music that helped him through that dark time of his life. It’s what kept him going.
Carefully, I wrap up the remaining photos in his office. There are several of him and his father when he was younger. One where they are camping. Linc’s father was a real outdoorsman, loved wildlife and nature. They were always going on camping trips. When we were younger, I even tagged along a few times. There are a few shots of his mom and dad together over the years. It’s so obvious by the look on their faces how much they love each other, and I silently wonder, as I tuck another newspaper-wrapped frame inside the large cardboard box, if people say the same thing about us.
Do they see it written all over our faces? How much we love each other, how deep that love runs?
When I turn around to grab the next picture from the shelf, my breath catches in my throat. I blink, not really sure of what I’m seeing. It’s a picture of me, taken when I was about sixteen. I’m sitting on the bed of his truck, my bare feet dangling while my hands cup the edge of the tailgate. I’m leaning forward, a half smile on my face and my hair blowing on a slight breeze. The edges look to be crinkled and worn, as if someone has spent a lot of time looking at it. Tears prick my eyes.
If I only knew then what I know now.
“Beautiful, isn’t she?” His deep baritone voice sends a shiver down my spine.
I gasp and look over my shoulder at Linc. “Jesus, you scared me.”
Linc softly kisses my cheek before slipping the picture from my grasp. He looks at it thoughtfully, a wistful smile playing on his lips as he rounds the desk to sit in the big leather chair behind it.
He holds the photo close, as if seeing it for the first time. “There are certain days that stand out the most in my mind. Like the day we met. The day I sang to you the first song I ever wrote. The day we went swimming at the lake and you lost your top. Prom.”
Exhaling a long sigh, he continues. “We didn’t do anything special this particular day. We’d been to the lake, then shared a pizza at Emilio’s, then we hung out at my house while my mom was at work. We sat on the tailgate and I played around on my guitar. It was a day like so many before, yet so different. You kept telling me how proud you were of me and how someday I would shine brighter than any of the stars in the sky. But all I could think about was how the setting sun would catch your eyes just the right way and how they would sparkle every time you smiled. How the summer wind whipped your hair across your face, the delicate strands kissing your porcelain skin. I knew I had to capture the moment or it would be lost forever. So I ran inside and grabbed my mom’s digital camera. You called me a dork, among other things, and refused to smile for me. But I did manage to get this one. Then the very next day I had it developed.” I stand in front of him, my eyes filled with unshed tears. “I’ve carried this around in my guitar case ever since. Every time I opened it you were right there, smiling at me, encouraging me. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to give up, but every time a door would slam in my face I would look at this picture and remember this day. You’re the reason I kept going. You’re the reason I never gave up.”
I climb onto his lap, draping my legs over the arm of the chair while tucking myself into his arms. “You’re not the kind of man who gives up on anything.”
“I came pretty damn close a few times, with my music and trying to make it in this crazy fuckin’ business, but I could never give up on us. There were times I wanted to, fuck I prayed for my heart to let you go and move on. But it just wouldn’t. It’s like it always knew that someday we’d end up here, that there would be an us.”
I can’t speak around the knot in my throat so I snuggle closer to him. His arms tighten around me. “Here is where I find peace. Here is where I find the best version of myself. That only happens when we’re together.”
Lifting my head from his chest, I find his eyes. “I love us, Linc,” I manage on a whisper, my heart overflowing with emotion. “I love you more than you will ever know.”
One hand cradles my face while his lips brush mine, tender and sweet, but it’s not long before our kisses become more heated.
Urgent.
Each stroke of our tongues is a battle of need, fighting for possession. Neither one of us can get close enough, deep enough. If it were possible to love him more, I wouldn’t think it likely until this moment.
His love heals, binds, and fills me with immeasurable peace.
His love makes me whole.
His fingers dip beneath the elastic of my shorts, gliding through my slit while his mouth dominates mine. “I love you, too,” he mutters against my lips, his fingers working back and forth. “Always.” Removing his hand, he urges me to stand up. I reach for the hem of my shirt and lift it over my head, baring my breasts to him. He leans forward and catches my hips, pulling me closer to claim one of my hard nipples in his hot mouth. I stand between his open thighs, his warm breath fanning my skin while his fingers tuck into the sides of my shorts, sliding them down my legs along with my panties. “So beautiful.” He drops hot kisses along my stomach, inching lower and lower until he’s right there. My head falls back and a gasp tears from my mouth when his tongue darts out with a teasing lick. “Spread your legs for me, baby.”
I widen my stance, my body eager to have his mouth on me. Linc kicks my discarded clothes aside. I can see the outline of his erection straining the loose denim and I lick my lips, desperate to have him inside of me. His hands grip my thighs, kissing and nipping at the sensitive skin in a quest to completely incinerate my blood. My fingers thread through his disheveled hair, gripping the strands to steady myself and guide him closer. His mouth covers me, tongue pressing hot and hard against the sensitive spot as he proceeds to thrust not one, but two fingers inside of me.
I sway on my feet, gasping for air.
With his mouth moving against me and his fingers working in and out of me, he takes me to the edge, teetering on the cliff of pleasure, sharp and steep. I’m almost ready to fall over. Hell, I’m ready to leap off the damn thing, but before I can, he pulls away.
I moan in frustration as he stands up and spins me around, sitting me down in the chair he just vacated. Once the warm leather embraces my skin, I sigh, grateful he had the forethought to get me off my feet before he sends me hurtling into what is sure to be a mind-blowing orgasm. He kneels down in front of me, reaching underneath to lower the chair.
I smile. “Here?”
Desire swirls deep in his eyes when he situates my right leg over the arm of the chair then leans in to press a bone-melting kiss on my trembling lips. “Yes, here.”
Heat flares beneath my skin at my exposed position but my embarrassment evaporates when Linc flicks the button of his jeans and draws down the zipper.
The flaps of denim offer a peek of the hardness that lies beneath. My blood heats with anticipation. “I’m gonna fuck you until you’re a screamin’, sticky, hot mess.”
I suck in a thin breath of air, squirming closer to the edge of the chair.
His smile is victorious and filled with pleasure. “I thought you’d like that,” he says, shoving his jeans down his toned thighs before rolling the chair closer.
He teases my wet slit, stroking back and forth with his length, each glide driving me closer and closer to release. Fisting the base of his cock, he thrusts forward on a pained groan, filling me fast and hard. A thick moan vibrates in my throat with the unexpected force. “Let me hear you, baby.” He withdraws slowly before slamming into me once more, harder this time. Gripping my knees, I spread my legs wider, desperate to take every single inch of him. “Yes, that’s it. Open wide for me. Fuck, you look so goddamn beautiful when I’m inside of you.”
Rolling the chair back and forth, he drives into me as I struggle for air and sanity. I’ve never felt anything so intense. His hooded eyes hold mine hostage the entire time. There are no words being passed between us but words aren’t necessary. He’s telling me everything I need to know with his body. And even though he’s taking me with raw, primal strokes, it feels like he’s marking my soul, branding me with his body and with his fierce, unyielding love.
The sounds pouring from my mouth are as foreign as the white-hot flecks that dance along the edges of my vision but I welcome them both, losing myself in him completely. We explode together in a kaleidoscope of heat, leaving us both a screaming, sticky, hot mess.
Leaning forward, he places a warm kiss between my breasts, then rests his cheek upon my heaving chest. “Wow.” I manage between my recovering breaths.
“I know,” he whispers.
The shrill ring of his phone penetrates our intimate moment.
“Don’t you dare move,” I tell him, not wanting to break contact whatsoever. He chuckles before the offending sound stops only to start once again. He lifts his head with a huff and pulls out of me before digging into the front pocket of his jeans.
His brows furrow with concern as he looks down at the screen. “Hey, Rene.”
Dropping my feet to the floor, I reach for my clothes but stop in my tracks when I hear a frantic muffled voice on the other end of the line. Linc’s face drains of color, causing panic to flare in my chest. “Hold on, she’s right here.”
“What, what is it?” I ask, taking the phone, but I don’t give him a chance to answer before I press it to my ear.
“Mom?”
“Sylvie!” She’s crying hysterically. I can hardly understand what she’s saying but when I hear Caroline’s name and the word missing, my heart sinks like a heavy stone in a sea of panic.
“Mom, slow down. What do you mean she wasn’t at school when you picked her up?”
“She wasn’t there. I waited half an hour and when she didn’t show I went inside to see what was keeping her. Her teacher said she was dismissed with the rest of the class as usual, but she never came out.”
“Did you check the library?”
“Yes, we’ve checked everywhere and called everyone we know.” she sobs. “The police have issued an Amber Alert. We didn’t know what else to do.”
“Oh God.” My heart pounds frantically against my chest. I try to remain calm but everything inside of me wants to fall apart. Instead, I tell her to keep me posted and that I’ll be home as soon as I can before I end the call.
“Caroline’s missing,” I croak, my voice not cooperating with my brain. I can feel his questioning eyes on me as I finish slipping my panties and shorts in place. Reaching for my shirt, I move to step around him but he grabs my arm.
“I have to go, Linc.” My lip quivers and I can feel the emotions building like a tidal wave inside of me, but somehow, I hold them at bay.
Linc cradles my face, offering me what little comfort he can. “I’m coming with you.”
Linc makes a few phone calls, and thankfully, we’re able to board his label’s private jet within the hour. Aside from making the arrangements, and the occasional reassuring squeeze of my hand, he hasn’t spoken a word. Which is good because I’m afraid of what I’ll say if he does speak to me. I’m riddled with guilt and fear and the combination is wreaking havoc on my frantic heart.
I call my mother as soon as we land but there is still no word. Caroline has been missing for exactly six hours now and in those three hundred and sixty minutes I have prayed a thousand prayers.
Please let her be okay.
Please let her be okay.
Please let her be okay.
When we finally pull onto my parents’ street there are two squad cars parked in the driveway. I rush from the car before Linc even has it in park. Dread curls its cruel fingers around my heart and lungs, suffocating me with each step I take toward the house. My feet are heavy as I cross the threshold into what I am sure is my certain hell, and follow the voices coming from the kitchen.
Deputies Carl Burns and Ricky Bolton are there, along with both of my parents. Sheriff Griffin holds a recent school photo of my Caroline. My knees buckle beneath me but Linc is there to catch me before I hit the floor.
“Anything?” Linc asks. Thankfully, because I don’t have the courage to.
My mother steps forward, her hand resting on my arm. “Not yet.”
“We’ll find her, Sylvie,” Sheriff Griffin says softly.
I try to find comfort in his words, but until I know she’s home and safe with me, there is nothing he can say that will ease my worried mind. “Do you know anyone who would want to take Caroline?”
Since my mother’s phone call, I’ve rolled the very same question over in my mind at least a dozen times, and there’s not a single soul I can think of that would do this.
“No,” I whisper.
“Can you think of anyone who has a vendetta against you? Have you had a falling out with anyone at work? Or perhaps Dean had enemies you were unaware of.”
The moment he mentions Dean I sag in Linc’s embrace. “Dani.”
My mother gasps and Linc tenses. Why the hell didn’t I think about her before? Would she actually take Caroline? I know she wouldn’t hurt her, but would she take her just to hurt me?
“Dean’s sister?” the sheriff questions.
“Yes.” I swallow hard, trying to find the words to speak instead of falling apart. I can’t believe this is happening. “We…we got into an argument recently when she came to visit Caroline. She was upset…about Linc and I being together, and that I won’t let her be alone with Caroline, but I don’t think she would hurt her.”
He nods to Deputy Bolton and he steps out of the room with his radio close to his mouth.
“We’ll check her last known address then go from there. I think you should go home and wait there. I’ll keep you posted, but just in case she comes home, someone needs to be there.”
“No.” I shake my head frantically. “I can’t leave. I need to be here. I need to know what’s happening.”
Linc pulls me against his chest. “There’s nothing you can do here, baby. The sheriff’s right. Let’s go home in case she shows up there.”
I nod, burying my face in his chest, praying nothing happens to my little girl.