We can’t get enough of each other. For over a month, we lock ourselves in our rooms whenever we’re not working and flirt blatantly when we are. It’s not all about the sex, either, which is the most surprising part. We’re writing together. Sometimes we’re naked and teasing each other while we scribble in our notebooks, but we’re productive about it. He’s taken a few of the songs to the guys, and they get riled up each time. I can almost feel their itch to get back into the practice studio to hear how it all sounds.

And that’s why I have a surprise for them.

We arrive at the Los Angeles venue earlier than usual this morning. The East Coast leg of the tour is over, and we’re wrapping up the final few shows in California. As we near the venue, I catch a glimpse of familiar posters hanging from the surrounding fence. Salvation Road. Tony’s band.

It doesn’t bother me like it would have a month ago. In fact, it makes me giddy to know that loser didn’t get the best of me. Wolf has all of me, good and bad, and it’s so damn perfect. Ignoring the posters with Tony’s face on them, I focus on the surprise I have in store for the guys.

I disregard the grumbles from the band and dodge Wolf’s paws, which are clawing at me to come back to bed. “Who says you get to change the schedule on us? This is supposed to be morning sex time,” he growls. “Look at this.” He strokes his massive erection furiously.

I just laugh. “Not now, babe. Get up and meet us outside. I’ll take care of you later.”

He mutters something, but I’m already out the door and meeting Crawley at the bottom of the bus steps. He’s the only one who knows what I’ve been up to. Somewhere along the way, he realized there was nothing he could do about the relationship brewing between Wolf and me, and although I know he’s still pissed about it, he’s backed off some. I’m still not even sure what to call this thing between us, but our attraction for each other is completely out in the open. It’s hard to hide intense bus sex. Everyone’s just happy we have a private room instead of a bunk.

Wolf is the last one off the bus. He’s got a sour look on his face, but he approaches me anyway, moves around me, and wraps his arms around me from behind. “This better be worth the ice water I just had to toss on my dick.”

My eyes go wide as I look back at him, and I just can’t help it. I burst into laughter and spin around. Reaching up on my tiptoes, I kiss his nose and smile. “I promise it will be. Come.”

He groans as I tug him toward the backstage entrance. “Don’t remind me.”

The guys follow us past security and out onto the open stage. The road crew is already setting everything up for us. I spread my arms wide and smile at the guys. “You have two hours of practice time. I’ve set it up at every venue from now until the end of the tour. No charge. It’s up to you if you want to use it.” Then I get a blast of insecurity. What if the last thing they want is to work before a huge show? Shit.

Hedge lets out a holler. “Fucking yes!”

Stryder picks me up and spins me around. “You’re a mind reader, Lyric. We need this.” He pats Wolf’s shoulder in passing, and the rest of the band follow him to the stage. All but Wolf.

Wolf is staring at me, a new look in his eyes.

“You happy?” I ask him, hopeful.

There’s a tug at his lips, and I know his response before he picks me up and wraps my legs around his waist.

“You’re incredible, you know that?”

I tilt my head, unable to keep the smile from my face. “Well, if the rock star says so, it must be true.”

He grins. “Damn straight. Give me those lips.” He plants his mouth on mine and kisses me so hard it makes my head spin. I kiss him back, running my fingers through his unruly hair. I love the way I feel in Wolf’s arms. Every single time we’re together, he makes me feel this way. He shows me he’s nothing like the rumors. Nothing like how he admits he used to be. He shows me I’m his and proves he’s worthy to be mine.

I never want him to let me go. Not in this moment. Not ever.

It’s a good few minutes into our make-out session before we hear Derrick calling to Wolf from the stage. He groans as he pulls away. “I’m going to fuck you crazy hard tonight. Get ready.” He places me down on wobbly legs and runs to the stage with his famous wolf cry.

I haven’t seen the guys have this much fun since our first nights out together. With the monotonous schedule they deal with on a daily basis, the excitement wanes, at least when they’re on the stage. Listening to them collaborate on the instrumentals gives me my own high. Seeing Wolf smile in general lights up my world, but watching him laugh and be playful with the guys is like getting a heavy dose of endorphins shot straight into my veins.

 

 

The show is the best the guys have done in a while, I think due to how relaxed they were all day. As much passion as they have for the music, there are times when it begins to feel like a job, and that’s when the stress creeps in. There’s so much energy radiating from them as they leave the stage; I know the rest of our evening consists of a club and copious amounts of alcohol.

Wolf is attached to my neck the entire way to the bar, whispering all the things he wants to do to me when we get back to the hotel. I’m quivering from his words by the time we get out of the car. His hand never leaves mine as we’re pulled from a back entrance into the VIP lounge.

We order bottles for the table and rounds of shots to be delivered, then slam the first round back. As I set down my shot glass, Wolf pulls me onto his lap on the black leather couch. The room is awash in black lights, illuminating brightly colored chalkboard art and futuristic décor. Cigar smoke wafts through the air, and everything feels like it’s vibrating as the DJ scratches and spins a techno beat.

Melanie bounces over a while later and pulls me to my feet. “Let’s dance.” She peers over my shoulder to a glaring Wolf. “Calm down, Wolfman. I’m borrowing your girl. I promise not to touch her naughty places.”

He winks at her and puckers his lips at me. “Have fun.”

Melanie leads me downstairs to the dance floor. Our bodies move to the beat, elation coming over me as the alcohol kicks in. I’m definitely buzzing. When an arm wraps around me from behind, I smile, surprised that Wolf decided to brave the crowd. Surely Crawley will not be okay with this. Neither will Rex.

When I catch Melanie’s horrified expression, fear clenches tightly in my chest. I spin around to find a familiar face grinning down at me. It’s not Wolf. The nearly black eyes staring back at me belong to the man who broke me. At least, I thought he did. It’s completely clear to me now that he didn't, because he was never the one.

Tony Rain, lead singer of Salvation Road, whose new single has somehow managed to rank pretty damn near Wolf on the charts, is right in front of me.

“Hey, sweet pea.” He’s still smiling as if I didn’t catch him fucking my best friend.

The blood begins to boil in my veins. “Get off me.” I shove him away. “What are you doing here?” I'm fuming, but I decide I don’t want to hear his answer and make a move to leave the dance floor.

“Sweet pea, stop.” He rushes after me, yanking my arm and spinning me around.

Shit, that hurt. I rub my arm, glaring at him.

“Our show was last night, and we stayed to watch Wolf. I knew you were working his tour. I wanted to see you. Didn’t you get my messages?”

Before I know what I’m doing, I throw my palm across his cheek. I wish I could hear the crack my hand makes against his skin, but the music is too loud. At least I can see the pain he suffers in response. “Get your hands off me.” I turn and walk away.

“Lyric!” he roars, coming after me again. This time he grabs my neck through my hair, and I feel a small clump of hair tear away from my scalp. It stings and then burns. What the hell? He uses his hands as a vise to turn me so we’re face-to-face. I don’t move willingly. He’s just stronger than me. And when Tony gets drunk, he loses his damn mind. But he’s never hurt me before. Not physically, anyway.

“It’s over. Between Joanna and me,” he says with a familiar slur. “It’s over.” His breath, warm and scented with bourbon, sticks to my cheek. Chills run through me at the memory of constantly needing to take care for of Tony on nights he would drown himself in alcohol … and maybe some other stuff. I never knew for sure. I remember how frequent the incidents became, and how every time I’d have to remind Tony of what happened the night before.

He finally releases my neck.

“That’s too fucking bad, Tony, because you two are meant for each other. Don’t talk to me, don’t touch me, don’t message me, don’t come near me. Get the fuck away.” I shove him with both hands, but he only teeters a little.

I growl in frustration and turn to leave again. This time I hit a wall. Or rather, I collide with Wolf’s chest. His eyes are on fire, and he's staring over my head at Tony.

Shit. No. This cannot be happening.

“She asked you to leave her alone.”

Tony’s laugh sends shivers racing up my spine. “If it isn’t the big, bad Wolf. Please don’t tell me you’re fucking my woman. I will certainly kick your ass.”

I look back at Tony, appalled at his audacity.

“You lost the right to talk to Lyric when you stuck your dick in some bimbo. Get out of here before I have you thrown out, you prick.”

Tony throws back his shaved head and laughs again. Then he reaches for my elbow and leans in. “C’mon, sweet pea. Let’s talk. I miss you, babe.”

I can feel the heat raging beneath Wolf’s shirt, and I look up, terrified of what I know is coming. It all happens in slow motion. Wolf shifts me to the side. Melanie stands there with an expression that registers disbelief. Her arms wrap around me, but she’s focused on Wolf as he balls his hand into a fist.

“Oh shit,” she says loud enough so that I can hear it. The club music is blaring, but as people around us notice Wolf and Tony standing inches apart, death stares on max intensity, a small crowd begins to form. Wolf is oblivious to everything but Tony. His lips curl, and then he cocks his arm back. Tony is so drunk he doesn’t even know what’s about to happen to him. He stands there, grinning, like he’s not about to lose his teeth.

“I heard you loved pussy, but I never thought you’d lap up my seconds.” Tony’s tongue shoots out to lick his bottom lip while his eyes scroll my body. It’s an obvious move to antagonize Wolf, and it works.

Wolf’s fist shoots forward, connecting with Tony’s cheek in a mean right hook. Blood sprays everywhere. Wolf steps forward, wrapping his thick fingers around Tony’s neck and bringing his face in close. “Lyric’s mine now, asshole. You hear that? You come near her again, I’ll rip your tiny fucking dick off.”

A wave ripples through the crowd as security pushes their way through. Rex gets to us first and pulls Wolf away. I step forward and wrap my arms around Wolf, my heart pounding wildly in my chest.

We watch as Rex grabs a stumbling Tony by the arms. When he’s got him locked and ready to hand him over to security, he looks at Wolf, and nods toward the exit. “Go.” His voice is as deep as the bass that bumps from the speakers, but we hear him loud and clear.

“Babe, let’s go,” I urge, squeezing his arm.

Wolf hesitates, his expression still set on kill mode, so I slip my hand into his and tug. “Wolf.” My plea seems to break through to him this time and his eyes soften when he looks at me.

With a final look tossed in Tony’s direction, he squeezes my hand. “Let’s go.”

I sigh with relief and we’re moving toward the back entrance so fast, all I see are blurred faces as we pass.

Our driver is in the van on his phone when we exit the club. He sees us and puts it away as if he already knows we need to get the fuck out of here.

Wolf climbs in first and goes to the back of the van. He pulls me in, wrapping one arm around my shoulders and placing the other one on my upper thigh. His fingers dig in and his head falls into my hair, causing my pulse to quicken.

Neither of us speaks at first, and I know he’s still riled up from the fight. But I think I’m more concerned about what Wolf might be thinking. I’ve never seen him act like that before. So … vicious.   

My face falls when I see the swelling redness of his knuckles. “Baby, I am so sorry.”

Wolf lifts his head, looking at me incredulously. “What? Why are you sorry? I went crazy cage fighter on your ex-boyfriend back there. Aren’t you pissed at me?”

“No.” Pressure starts to build in the back of my throat and a pinch of heat forms behind my eyes. “He’s an asshole. He was an ass when we dated, but I didn’t see it at first. By the time I started getting glimpses of who he really is, I didn’t really care anymore.”

“I can’t believe you dated that prick. He fucking grabbed you by the neck, Lyric. Did he pull that shit when you were together?”

My eyes widen as they blur. “No. Never.”

Wolf’s eyes narrow. “But you loved him.”

I shake my head without hesitation. “No.” I cringe, knowing this is the time to lay it all out there. “I mean, we were together for two years.” Wolf’s expression dims, and I physically ache from his disappointment. I remove my seatbelt and crawl into his lap, straddle him, and use my palms to turn his face toward mine. We lock eyes and I pull in a big breath. “I couldn’t have loved him. It’s impossible…”

Fuck. Should I even say it?

“How is it impossible?” he asks, emotion building in his voice.

One deep breath later, I respond, “I didn’t feel this way about him.” I swallow. “The way I feel about you.”

It happens in an instant. Wolf’s chest expands, his eyes go soft, and his mouth captures mine. I mold to his body as his arms encase me tighter. And then he steals my breath, my heart, and my soul, all in one telling kiss. If there was any inkling of a question left whether pursuing something more with Wolf was right or wrong, this moment answers it.

When we finally part I have to fight against my nervous breathing to speak. “Wolf?” I ask, desperate to hear him say he feels the same.

“Not until we’re in our room,” he whispers in between kisses. “When I say it, I want to be inside you.”

 

 

Wolf is determined to make good on all his promises today.

He enters me, bare for the first time, thanks to my newly acquired birth control. His breath is heavy and staggered as he leans down to brush his lips against mine. A sweet kiss with a hint of playfulness that only promises dirty things to come.

One hand cups my head while the other lifts my leg, placing it over his shoulder. And then he presses against the back of my thigh as his girth sinks deeper.

My head is spinning through an endless, hazy cloud. I can feel all of him. Moving through me. Skin to skin. I’ve never gone bare before, and I can tell by the way that he’s seated that he hasn’t either. His lids squeeze shut and he breathes through his nose.

When he finally opens his eyes, they burn into mine with an intensity that should scare me, but I’m done being scared. I’m ready to love.

“I love you,” he says while my fingers rake through his hair. My throat tightens and my eyes water. He smiles. “So fucking much it makes my heart hurt and my head spin. But if this ache in my chest comes from loving you, then I’ll take it.”

And then he begins to move.

Those words and the fullness of him rocking into me makes my entire body tingle. Everything is sensitive.

“I want this,” he says each word in between each thrust. “I want us.” Then he leans in and kisses my ear before dragging his nose down the side of my neck and speaking softly. “Jesus, say something.” He chuckles air.

I cup his chin, brushing against his cheek with my thumb, my other hand digging into his neck. “I want us too,” I promise. “I love you too.” I smile. “So fucking much.”

He groans, his movements more powerful with each thrust. Each one makes my heart race a little faster and my toes curl a little more. I’m taking all of him, feeling his naked flesh plunge and slide against mine. It’s the most incredible feeling in the world. And now I know this is what he meant when he promised to fuck me crazy-hard. Wolf doesn’t lie.

The hint of another orgasm simmers through me, a slight buzz at first, but then the intensity grows. He feels it. He gives me that knowing smile before flipping me onto my chest. In one quick motion, he lifts my hips and enters me again, not wasting a second. The buzz takes me to the edge, and I’m only moments away from spiraling out of control.

“Wolf,” I warn, pleading with him over my shoulder.

His eyes shoot to mine like a rabid dog in the wild, finding his long-awaited prey. His face lights up and he leans over my back, sliding one hand around until it’s on my clit.

“Come, baby. All over my cock.” He kisses my back. “You can do it.”

I tremble at his words. The sensation shoots from my core like a starburst, reaching every tip of my body.

“Good girl,” he coos in my ear, then nips at my shoulder. “You ready for me?”

I nod, distracted as I ride out my release.

He maneuvers me so that I’m facing him again without ever pulling out. Then he leans forward, taking my mouth in his.

On his last thrust before he empties his everything into me, he looks me in the eyes. “I fucking love you, baby.”

My hand goes to his heart, wanting to feel every beat as he fills me.

“I fucking love you too.”