The man waiting for me when I exit the plane in Chicago is the exact opposite of what I expected. With dreadlocks so long they practically reach his ass and thick-rimmed glasses that hide far too much of his caramel eyes, I’d say this is Wolf’s best disguise yet. But not even the brightly colored poncho can fool me when a huge grin lights up his face.
I’m one of the first passengers off of the plane, so there’s plenty of room when I run the remaining distance to him and jump into his arms. Our bodies collide, our mouths crash together, and our arms squeeze each other tight.
I can feel it. Our energy sparking the air. Two dangerous souls finding a match in each other. It’s clear our love is more intense than ever—so much so that after spending the week apart, a tear slips from my eye and my heart feels like it might explode in my chest.
“Babe, don’t cry,” he murmurs against my lips.
I bury my face in his neck and smile. “I’ve missed you so much.” But he already knows this. He knows how emotional I’ve been this week. Abnormally so, but understandable given the situation.
It’s been three months since the final leg of Wolf’s European tour ended. I stayed on the payroll, but no longer as his road manager. Wolf, the band, and I agreed that it was best for me to hand that title over to someone else. Someone who wouldn’t be screwing the lead singer every chance she got. Instead, I became Wolf’s co-writer. Together, we wrote eight new songs for the band’s next album. Wolf wrote the rest on his own.
Correction. Wolf didn’t just write the rest of the songs. He wrote the hell out of them and then dropped the mic. I’ve never seen someone so dedicated to extracting their soul onto paper like that. It was like all the words were there, brewing, like prisoners waiting to be unleashed.
And the momentum hasn’t stopped. Wolf has spent the last two months with his band in the studio working on the new album. Which is why, when I decided to visit Destiny at her rehab facility in Malibu, Wolf agreed to let me go alone.
Just over a week ago we received news from Davis that Crawley died in prison. He picked up an infection that he couldn’t fight off, and that was the end. I can’t help but think it was the gunshot wound to his chest that helped him reach his end faster, but I feel no guilt. No regret. Just … disappointment that a person could become so desperate to take something that wasn’t his that he would hurt whoever stepped in his path.
After I heard the recent news, I planned a trip to see Destiny. I figured after nine months, it was time to face the woman that practically sold her soul to the Devil himself. At the very least, it was time for closure.
When I arrived at the rehab facility, paparazzi were everywhere, as if waiting for Destiny to be released so that they could pounce. Immediately after the “incident,” as we call it, the media went crazy. Someone leaked the entire story to the press, beginning with the songs Destiny stole from me when I was seventeen. It’s been insane, but at this point I’m getting used to the spotlight.
By the time I got to Malibu, she’d already heard the news of Crawley’s death. She was somber about the whole thing, admitting that she trusted him for all the wrong reasons. And for the first time in my life, I saw something that resembled defeat in my mother’s eyes. The game was over. The only thing she could do now was get better and find a way to move forward.
I dry my eyes with the back of my hand and look around in confusion when it dawns on me where Wolf and I are standing. “You were supposed to wait for me outside baggage claim. How did you get past security?”
Wolf grins and nods behind him at Rex. “I couldn’t wait that long, so we bought tickets.”
“To where?” I ask incredulously.
He shrugs. “I’m not sure.” He pulls out the tickets from his back pocket, and I swipe them away.
“St. Louis?” I burst into laughter. “Really? You could have chosen to fly anywhere and you chose a city that’s two hours away?”
Wolf shrugs, his face flushing. “Hush, woman. I asked for the cheapest flight and bought two tickets so Rex could keep the ladies away. It was supposed to be a romantic gesture.”
I tug at a loc of his wig and tilt my head. “I’m pretty sure this getup worked just fine at keeping the ladies away. You didn’t need Rex.”
His eyes narrow dangerously, making me giggle. In an effort to soothe the blow to his ego, I wrap my arms around his neck and bite my lip. “Hmm. Were you hoping this romantic gesture would help you get lucky?”
There’s a twinkle in his eyes as his palm slips down to grope my ass over my jeans. “As a matter of fact…”
We laugh and kiss until the plane begins to dump out the coach passengers, and our lip lock is rudely interrupted by a couple elbows.
“C’mon,” Wolf says as he weaves his fingers through mine. “We’ve got somewhere we need to be. And I want to hear about your visit on the way.”
He leads me through the airport to the exit where a limo is waiting for us. That’s different. We never rent a limo unless the band is going out somewhere nice.
The driver holds our door open while we slip into the backseat and wait for Rex to collect my baggage. Wolf wastes no time removing his disguise and pulling me onto his lap so that I’m straddling him. He reaches for my hand, kissing each finger as he speaks.
“Was it hard to say goodbye?”
I spent every day of the past week with my mother at her rehab facility in Malibu. There were good moments and bad moments, and in the end, I came to the conclusion that Destiny will always be Destiny. With or without the drugs, she’s still a cold and cynical woman, although somewhat subdued now.
She was kinder to me this week than she’s ever been. Apologetic, even. But I don’t think her resentment will ever go away. It’s buried too deep. But I don’t even think it’s me she resents. I think she resents herself.
Hopefully her pain is something she can get to the root of and heal, but that’s not for me to worry about. But I will wish her the best and hope that she finds happiness the way I have.
“After the week we spent together, goodbye was almost cathartic,” I tell Wolf, leaning in until my body relaxes against his. “It felt good to walk away without animosity, knowing that I gave her my all this week. She seemed to accept it this time, not that she had much of a choice.”
I lift my head and Wolf brings his nose to mine to gaze lovingly back at me. “She’s lucky to have you, babe. But next time, I’m going with you. Even if I’m forced to drink Coronas on the beach while I wait for you outside the facility.”
I laugh. “You’re so sweet to take one for the team, but that won’t be necessary. Destiny’s getting out in two weeks, and then she’s selling her house and moving to Malibu.”
“She must really like it there.”
“The change will be good, too. It’s not like she has a music career to go back to, so she’s gonna have to find some new hobbies.”
It wasn’t my intention for Destiny Lane’s thievery to go public, but her betrayal made huge news—almost bigger news than the kidnapping. But even with everything out in the open, I refused to file charges and refused the rights back to the songs on My Forever. That part of my life is over and done with, and I don’t need the royalty checks as a constant reminder of the suffering.
I’m happy with where I’m at, living with Wolf in a hotel in the Chicago Loop while we figure out our next step together. I’ve toyed with the idea of us finding a more permanent residence, something I keep hinting to Wolf about, but I won’t pressure him. We both got into this relationship with an understanding that we’re comfortable on the move.
But things have changed. I want us to have a place to call our own. One day I’ll bring it up to him. When the timing feels right.
A loud thud catches my attention as Rex closes the trunk shut and walks around to the front passenger seat.
“So, where are you taking me, rock star?”
Wolf wiggles his eyebrows. “You’ll see in forty minutes to an hour, depending on traffic.”
I grin and lean in, brushing my lips against his while I grind against the hard bulge through his jeans. His eyes blaze with heat. “That’s a long time,” I say. “Maybe you should put the screen up.”
Wolf shifts me off of him, and I wait until the tinted glass shields us from the front of the limo. Wolf is already unbuckling his belt while I toss off my slippers and peel off my leggings and underwear.
When I climb back onto his lap, Wolf’s jeans are down just enough to pull out his thick cock.
“Damn, baby. Missed me?”
His fingers are unfastening my button-down blouse as he nods slowly. It’s not until he has his face buried in my chest that he lets out a moan and then speaks. “Fuck yes, Lyric.”
I lean back slightly, taking away his pillow and smiling slyly when he glares. “Patience. This is for you.”
Wolf’s eyes follow the movement of my hand as it traces a line from my stomach to my clit. With my middle finger, I begin to circle it slowly.
“I love the way you touch your pussy,” he groans. “Look at how slick you are, babe.”
“Only for you.” I lift my hips and come back down just like I would on his length, up and down, as my finger slides between my folds until Wolf can’t wait anymore. He growls then reaches for his cock, stroking it in time with my movements.
With a coy smile, I replace his hold with mine and plant myself around him, sinking deep and burying my face in his neck. “I’ve missed you,” I breathe.
He chuckles and bucks his hips slightly. “You missed my cock, baby. And he missed your tight cunt, so fucking much. And I think I know what missed me.”
In one swift motion, Wolf flips the cups of my bra, exposing my hard nipples and pushing my breasts up so they’re on display. He takes one in his mouth, wasting no time in swirling his tongue around my nipple as he grips my waist and starts moving me.
Using the back of the seat as leverage, I roll my hips as I lift and sink, already spinning from Wolf’s assault on my chest. He’s relentless as he bites and sucks, giving me pleasure, pain, and relief so fast I’m not sure what comes first or last. I just want more.
When one of his hands moves to my ass, I gasp as he squeezes hard and then slides a finger down, applying pressure where no man has gone before. He adds to the intensity by rocking into me just as fast as I’m moving until I begin to feel my muscles clench in anticipation.
He’s got a hand on my breast and a finger pressed against my ass, and he’s thrusting so hard below me I think I might combust. Ours eyes connect and something tugs at my chest. He’s watching me like he’s waiting for me to explode, and he can’t fucking wait.
“Come with me,” I beg, knowing I’m close.
He shakes his head. “You know what I want this time?”
I take a deep breath, not sure if I can hold out long enough to get my answer. “Anything,” I say, already feeling the quickening heat in my belly.
“Come all over my cock, baby. And then I want your mouth around me.”
Jesus. It’s not even the thought of the act that turns me on. It’s the fact that Wolf is practically begging for it. That’s all it takes for me to fall apart, pulling myself closer to him as I do, working his cock until my orgasm tears through me.
“Ready, beautiful? I’ve been thinking about your mouth all week.”
Pulling myself from his length, I kiss him, and then slide to his side and bury my mouth in his lap, taking him in fully the first time and letting him hit the back of my throat. But then I slow my movements to teasing. I’m going to let him enjoy this.
Smiling, I push the tip of my tongue against the bottom of his shaft and drag it up slowly until I reach the tip, knowing I’m making him crazy with desire. He growls, and I know he’s seconds away from taking control and feeding me his cock again, so I circle the base and start to slide down around him, keeping my mouth tight on his shaft.
His hands are in my hair, his voice turns to a low grunt, and then his hips begin to lift, pushing me deeper and deeper with each thrust. “You are so good to me, babe. So. Good.”
I move down so his length hits the back of my throat again. This time I swallow, tightening around him and causing something like a roar to leave his chest.
Every sound is such a turn-on, I’m rubbing my thighs together, already needing relief again. Spreading my legs, I reach my clit and massage it as my mouth works him harder.
Wolf tugs at his shirt, lifting it to get a better view of my handiwork. His exposed stomach muscles tighten and release, and it’s so fucking hot. Proof that I’m bringing him to the brink so fast. His eyes squeeze together and his head draws back like he’s in pain, but I know better. I take him deep again and again, faster and faster until he’s warning me of his release too late. He’s already spilling down the back of my throat in a warm, steady stream, and I take it all, licking my lips as I watch him come down from bliss when I’m done.
Wolf groans as he pulls out of my mouth and lifts me by my arms to sit beside him. He’s breathing heavily, and the serious expression on his face makes me all kinds of hot. He scans my expression as he slides a hand down my waist to my clit. “My turn.”
With a wicked grin, he slips down onto the floor and leans his head back on the seat.
“Sit on my face,” he commands.
I shimmy above him, gripping the back of the seat like I did when I rode him, and now my wet opening is hovering above Wolf’s mouth. I look down just in time to see him lick his lips before he uses his arms to tug me down, holding me to him while he fiercely laps against me.
My stomach clenches and I shift my hips, wanting desperately to ride his face like I just did his cock.
“Wolf,” I beg.
He murmurs something that I can’t comprehend, and I fall forward from the vibrations against my core. A finger plunges into me next, a guttural groan tearing through me in shock and pleasure.
Holy hell. What is this man doing to me?
It doesn’t take much longer for the build to take over my body. He licks and sucks, pulling my clit into his mouth for the final draw. This time, I can feel the intensity building even stronger than the last. I’m detonating against his mouth, and then convulsing wildly around him as I muffle my screams into the back of the seat.
I barely recover by the time he’s sitting and lifting me onto his lap again, kissing me hard on the mouth like it’s our first and last time. And holy shit. Somehow, in the midst of our kiss, he gets hard again, and he’s wedging his cock between my folds, thrusting hard and fast in steady rhythm.
I knew he missed me, but holy damn. It’s like he’s been saving all his orgasms for me this week, and I’m not complaining.
“Wolf,” I say, trying to connect with him. He’s completely lost in the feel of me, and as much as I love that, I need him right now. I need his eyes on mine. I need our intensity. “Slow down, babe. Come back to me,” I whisper.
Our gazes lock, and something clicks in him, too. He slows his rhythm, still pushing deep inside me, but this time in a way that connects us on another level. Our favorite level.
This is us.
We make love, our favorite way. Slow, soft, and intense. Wolf’s drive meeting my passion. Our mouths teasing each other’s in between whispered words of warning, because when we come again, we want to come together.
And when it happens—when we’re both at the edge and ready to fall together, we have all the confidence in the world we’ll be there to catch each other … forever.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask Wolf again.
He just smiles and lifts his chin to the front windshield.
Huh? I look up to where Wolf’s eyes are focused as we’re finally putting our clothes back on and gasp. “No way!”
We’re pulling into the parking lot of the complex where I used to live with my father when I was a teenager. The only place I’ve ever been able to call home.
“Wow. It hasn’t changed much at all.”
The luxury condo building on North Burling Street still resembles a palace. The same gold-wrapped metal gates secure the perimeter, cascading ivy wrapping the bars. Wolf laughs at my reaction and tugs me out of the car as soon as we’re parked. He leads me in the direction of the main courtyard, which is still landscaped with a fantasy-like garden filled with artfully sculpted shrubs, exotic plants, and a climbing ivy trellis.
My breath catches in my throat when I near the water fountain and see a familiar figure. Our old landlord, Henry, approaches us with a set of keys in his hand and a calm smile on his face. I look to Wolf, afraid to read too much into this. What is going on right now?
Wolf and Henry shake hands like old friends, and the next thing I know, Wolf is taking the set of keys like they’re his. Like they’re ours.
“So,” Wolf starts with a grin, “Mitch and I did some house hunting while you were away, and he introduced me to Henry.”
I let out a laugh. “You and my dad went house hunting together?”
Wolf shrugs. “I wanted to make sure he approved.”
My heart settles in my throat as Wolf confirms my hopes. “Wolf,” I breathe. “Did you buy a condo?”
His hand reaches out, keys dangling from his fingertips. “I bought us a condo, babe.”
I’m too stunned to respond, so he takes a step forward, wrapping his arm around my waist and running a finger down my cheek. “I’ve never needed to settle down before. Never wanted to. When you were gone this week, I started thinking about you coming home to a hotel room, and I hated it. That’s not a home.”
And here I thought he was spending the week married to the studio. “Our hotel room is pretty nice,” I tease.
Wolf is smiling despite his narrowed eyes of warning. “We can go back there any time you want.” He places the set of keys in the palm of my hand. “I want to give you the world, Lyric Cassidy. This is only the beginning. Will you move in with me?”
I wrap my palm firmly around the keys and grin. “Yes, Wolf Chapman. I will move in with you.”
With a laugh, Wolf leans away, arches his back, and howls his excitement. He picks me up and swivels me around before placing me back on my feet and taking my mouth in his.
When we pull away from our kiss, his face softens. “I love you so much.”
I melt in his arms, letting him lift me again so I can wrap my legs around his waist. “I love you too,” I murmur against his lips. “When do we move in?”
“It’s ours this weekend. It’s the exact same layout you had with your dad. He said you loved it. You’re not mad, are you?”
I tilt my head, confusion washing over me.
“That I did this without asking you first. I figured it was kind of a given, and your dad was pretty certain. And I wanted to surprise you.”
A smile blossoms on my face so fast. “You’re cute.” He looks like he’s about to growl, so I laugh and shake my head. “No, I’m not mad. You did this for us.”
He nods. “I did.” He looks like he wants to say more, but he doesn’t.
How did I get so lucky? Still smiling like a crazy person, I bite my lip and search his expression. “Maybe you should take me back to the hotel so I can thank you.”
He chuckles and shakes his head. “As much as I love the fuck out of that idea, I’m not done with you yet. Come on, we’ve got dinner reservations. And we need to get there before sunset.”
“A sunset dinner, too? Maybe I should go out of town more often,” I say heartily, earning a slap on my ass.
“Not happening. This week was torture, and you know it.”
I do know. Our nightly phone conversations were proof of how tortured Wolf really was. I’ve never had so much phone sex in my life. Now I get why Derrick and Terese couldn’t take their hands off each other when they were together in person. And they haven’t stopped taking their hands off each other since. Terese has become a permanent member of Wolf’s entourage, more in love with Derrick than ever. The feeling is mutual. Rumor has it he’s planning to propose.
Our driver gets us to the Aragon in just a few minutes, and I smile. “Rooftop dinner again?” I ask excitedly. I loved our first dinner on the rooftop. It was the night we realized we’d met before, and it explained so much about our connection.
After parking in the VIP spot reserved for us, we walk in through the back entrance of the theater. Wolf leads me toward the stairs at the back of the building, and I smile at the dark corner under the stairs. There’s still a couch there, cloaked in shadows, but this one is newer. If I only knew on that night, when I felt like I was in so much agony, that the boy who coerced me onto the roof would become mine.
I sigh, but Wolf doesn’t give me too much time to reminisce as he pulls me up the stairs and pushes the door open at the top, letting me exit first.
It’s not unusual for us to come back to the rooftop where we first met to watch the sunset views or sneak a quickie against the wall like we did almost one year ago. But this time, the scene looks different. This time, we aren’t alone.
I look around in confusion as I take in the smiling faces of our friends and family standing close by. The band, the crew, my father and Doug, Deloris, Terese…
A camera flashes, and then all eyes turn to focus on something beside me. I swivel in the direction they’re all staring and see Wolf sinking down on one knee and staring up at me.
Holy shit. I gasp, tears filling my eyes as my father steps forward to hand Wolf a black velvet ring box. My hands fly to my mouth in surprise, causing our guests’ laughter to rain down around us. My heart is officially lodged in my throat.
In that second, when our eyes connect, I become blind to everything except for the man who captured my heart and never let it go. He reaches out a hand to grip my waist and pull me closer. And then he takes a deep breath.
“Lyric Marie Cassidy,” he starts, earning a loud cheer from our guests. “I love you with every breath that’s mine.” His eyes are so sincere, I can’t stop the tears from falling. “Since the moment we met, right in this very spot, you’ve been it for me. I may not have realized it then, but you were everything I always wanted but never thought I deserved.”
He swallows, and I’m already shaking because I have a feeling I know what’s coming next. It’s something he’s told me before, and I know it’s going to make me cry. “Falling in love with you is something my mother warned me about. It’s the one thing I’ve been afraid of. The one thing I didn’t believe would come true. I couldn’t—”
When Wolf’s voice cracks, I drop to my knees and hold his face in my palms. “It’s okay, babe.”
He smiles through his own tears and takes a deep breath. “Somehow she knew. She knew that you would come along and steal my heart like it was already yours. You blindsided me, Lyric, but the falling was effortless.” His voice drops to a whisper so only I can hear his next words. “Thank you for giving me back a piece of myself I thought I lost a long time ago. She would have loved you, babe.”
I kiss him, unable to help myself. And then I remember our audience. I look around us to see our friends and family bowing with tears, covering their faces to hide their emotions.
My beautiful man loved his mother more than life, and he carried on her dreams despite his own demons. He’ll never understand his own beauty, but I’m more than happy to remind him of it every single day.
“Lyric Cassidy,” he says finally, eyes red and brimming with emotion. “Will you be my forever?” We laugh lightly at the song reference before his expression grows serious again. “Will you marry me?”
My eyes shift to the ring box he’s managed to open between us. The princess center stone practically winks at me from the box. I shake my head in amazement because Wolf blindsided me, too. He’s giving me everything I swore I never wanted and more.
I slip my arms around his shoulders and nod emphatically. “Baby, I will marry the fuck out of you.”
He pulls me in, smashing my lips to his, and we kiss. For how long, I’m not sure. Does it matter?
I just love this man. My heart is happy. My heart is full. And there’s nothing else that can make a girl like me, one who hated the idea of a fairytale romance, feel more complete than I do right now.
And we’ll live happily ever after. Until the very end. Whenever that may be.