Ten
I didn’t wear a hat. There was no point anymore. I didn’t have to hide. From the world, Vi… myself.
Instead, I walked hand in hand with my girl across the parking lot, away from my favorite shitty Jeep, smiling a genuine smile and not giving two shits who saw.
I didn’t have a reason to hide anymore. I owned everything about me, everything I’d done. Everything up to this point, even the shit, got me here.
Got me Vi.
People in her hallway stopped and stared. Some called out my name. I waved and kept walking, never once letting go of her hand.
The second she let us in the room, I shut the door firmly behind us and pushed her up against it.
“I fucking missed you so bad,” I growled and went for her lips. Violet offered them up instantly, lifting on tiptoes and wrapping her arms around my neck. The feel of her body pressed against mine unleashed all the desire I’d been trying not to feel.
It was okay now. Okay to feel it, to let it consume me. For a while there, I thought I’d lost her permanently. I was unsure if I could win her back. Here she was, in my arms, beneath my lips.
I was a fucking lucky man.
Using my body to press her into the door, my hands went up to get lost in her hair, but couldn’t because it was pulled up. Making a rough sound, I pulled back and yanked out the hair tie and tossed it over my shoulder. The blond waves fell down around her shoulders, and I sighed, shoving my fingers in and going back for her mouth.
This was home now. She was home.
Violet was something money couldn’t buy, fame couldn’t bring, being a celebrity wouldn’t keep. I loved that about her. Her realness was something that would always, always be admired.
Her small, cool fingers delved beneath the hem of my T-shirt—the T-shirt Becca thought I was insane for wearing to the press conference. She’d brought some designer outfit and thrust it at me. I shoved it back and told her I was wearing what I had on. A plain white shirt and jeans. I wasn’t going to be that guy anymore.
The guy who only wore designer. The guy who always looked like he was completely put together. It was a lie. I was done lying.
Shoes, though… that was something else entirely. I liked my designer sneakers. I was going to have to get Vi a pair. Or maybe two.
Thoughts of what I was wearing ceased the second her fingertips dragged over my sides and abs. I shifted, angling so she could have better access, inviting her hands to go wherever the hell they wanted.
Flattening her palms, she ran them over my chest and around to my back. The feel of her nails tightening against my skin made my already stiffening cock go rigid.
I wanted her.
My eyes bore into hers when I lifted the shirts over her head. The second they were free, she reached behind her and unclasped her bra. It fell away, too, revealing full, creamy breasts that rose and fell rapidly with the rhythm of her breathing.
With a groan, I went for them, filling my hands and kneading. Her head fell back against the door, and my lips latched onto the side of her neck. Violet’s nails dug into my back, her hips tilted toward my body.
Impatient, I pulled her away from the door, and we walked together to the bed. My shirt joined hers, my jeans following. Vi stripped down until she stood before me in nothing but a pair of tiny shorts made of lace. The small glimpses of skin I could see through the fabric about drove me insane.
I grabbed her around the waist, my hands fitting perfectly in the dips above her hips. Her lips kissed across my chest, and she licked around a nipple before latching on and sucking.
I moaned, cupping the back of her head as my dick jumped between us. As if she heard its silent plea, she delved down and wrapped her hand around it, giving it a gentle squeeze.
Pushing her back onto the bed, I took one moment to stare down at her lying there.
“I really do think you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
She smiled, pleasure lighting her eyes. “I’m a sure thing. You don’t have to flatter me,” she quipped.
I lunged forward, coming over her. She squealed a little, but I didn’t let my weight slam into her. “Look at me,” I said seriously, hovering just above her.
Blue eyes met mine, and I searched them. “I love you,” I told her. “I love you more than I love myself.”
She sighed my name and cupped my face. “You’re the most beautiful butterfly I’ve ever seen.”
I kissed her long and slow. Her legs wrapped around me, pulling me into her body. My bare cock rubbed against the softness of her lace panties, and my body shuddered.
We stayed like that a while, kissing and exploring, moving together with the lace between us. Eventually, it was just not enough. Eventually, I had to be inside her. Vi pulled off her panties, and I rolled on some protection, settling back between her legs.
In one gentle push, I slid inside her warmth, incoherent words slipping from my lips.
“Stark?” she asked.
I lifted my head from her neck, gazing down. “Did I hurt you, baby?”
She smiled and stroked my bicep. “No.”
“What is it?” I asked, fighting the urge to move.
“Can you feel it, too?” she whispered, stroking across my shoulder, curling her hand around my back.
I pushed a little deeper inside her, enjoying the way her eyes flared. “Feel what?”
“The way we’re sort of connected, like an invisible string tethers us together.”
I smiled.
“Ever since the first time…”
I pulled out and thrust into her again. Her words fell away.
“It’s not a string, sweetheart,” I murmured, brushing a kiss to the side of her mouth.
I began moving again. It was impossible not to. The way she felt around me, how her body sheathed mine perfectly, was just too good not to explore.
“What is it, then?” she murmured, her head falling to the side.
I thrust into her again and again, unable to reply. She was perfect beneath me, hair spread out across the pillow, cheeks pink, and eyes hazy. Moving my hips, I dragged backward, sliding out so just my tip was poised at her entrance.
She glanced up at me, trying to clutch me back to her. I evaded her attempts, and she made an impatient sound.
I chuckled.
“It’s our hearts.” I was finally able to answer. “We share the same one now. Where you go, I go…”
“Where I go, so do you.” She finished.
I plunged back into her body, burying deep. Both of us cried out, and she clutched my back, rocking against my cock.
Her breathing came in short gasps. I felt the rise of the tension in her body and also in my own. We strained against each other until bliss took over and our bodies followed, victims to pure pleasure, the best casualty a person could suffer.
When my body and mind were my own again, I rolled to the side and reached my arm out to tuck her close. We hadn’t even pulled the covers back. We lay on the made bed. Under my foot, I felt the softness of a throw so I lifted it with my foot, grasped it, and then spread it out over us.
Violet sighed.
“You forgive me,” I said, stroking her hair.
Beneath the blanket, she drew lazy circles over my stomach. “Yes, I do.”
So simple, yet simplicity is very rarely simple to attain.
“Why?” I murmured.
“Because I glimpsed the man you are beneath the lie you told. I saw your beautiful wings even before you showed them to the world.”
“Even before I saw them myself,” I added.
“You found them on your own, though. You’re the one who set them free.”
“Because of you,” I told her.
“No. Because of you. You’re so much stronger than you realize.”
She was right. I was. The quiet strength I found in me was a surprise but a welcome one. “I think I had to be weak before I could be strong,” I said quietly.
Then I rolled onto my side, propped up on one elbow, and let my eyes explore her face. My chest felt tight, something I knew might never change. That’s what happened when you shared a single heart with someone.
“You showed me what real strength looks like. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met, Vi.”
“I’m not so strong.” She ducked her head.
I lifted it back up and stared into her eyes. “Yes. You are. You fight a silent battle every day, and somehow you don’t let it destroy you. You find a way to accept yourself for who you are… and who you aren’t.”
“You think we can make this work?” she asked, gesturing between us. “I’m so not from your world.”
“Neither am I,” I confided. “Not anymore.”
I saw the doubt in her eyes, also the hope. I smiled. “We’ll make it work. It won’t always be easy, but we’re connected and I’m committed to you. To us.”
Her teeth sank into her lower lip. “I don’t think I can call you Ten.”
“You can call me whatever you want,” I murmured, leaning down to kiss her. Then I pulled back. I saw the smile in her eyes, the words forming on her tongue. “Except dickface,” I intoned.
She laughed. When her smile died away, she asked, “Stark?”
“I think I like it better than Ten.”
Ten wasn’t me. He was someone the media knew. Someone who sold records.
“The number for a name.” She mused.
I tickled her. “It’s actually Tennsion. After my grandfather.”
“It’s beautiful.” Her eyes softened. “Tell me something else.”
“I went to rehab not too long ago. I’m, uh…”
“An alcoholic?”
I shrugged one shoulder. I didn’t like that term. I didn’t want to be that. “They say I am. I don’t feel like one, though. I can still drink a beer and not go off the rails.”
Her hand caressed my cheek. “We’ll work on it, ‘kay?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Okay.” Then I thought to make something clear. “I’m not going to be a problem for you. You’re not going to have to babysit me. Or worry I’m going to do something crazy.”
“Like pee on people or model naked with a bag over your head?” Vi deadpanned.
“You whip it out one time…” I muttered.
“Um, technically, it was twice.”
I laughed.
She scowled and reached down to caress my sack. “I’m the only one allowed to see this from now on, got it?”
I grinned. “Possessive.”
“That wasn’t an agreement.”
“You’re the only one.” I readily agreed.
She made a sound like she was happy and lay back. “Nate told me you bought the Jeep.”
“I like that thing. More than any of my other crazy expensive cars. When I offered Derek some cash for it, he laughed. I think he was shocked I actually wanted it.”
“But he sold it to you anyway.”
“Of course he did. That’s my Jeep. Our Jeep.”
“I like it, too,” she confessed.
I grunted. “Good. Since you’re going to be driving it.”
“Me!” she said, her eyes widening.
I nodded. “I know the duct tape is charming and all, but it’s a fire hazard. I can’t let you be driving it around like that, so I’m putting a whole new engine in it.”
“Stark…”
I gave her a look. “You need a car when I’m not here to drive you around, Vi. You’re not taking a fucking Uber.”
“You aren’t buying me a car,” she insisted.
“No, I’m not. I bought that Jeep for me. But you can take care of it when I’m in LA.” I really did buy it for me. It basically represented everything I’d learned the past few weeks.
Looks are deceiving. Money isn’t everything. Even covered in duct tape, that Jeep still ran. It had heart and determination. The duct tape was totally going, though. It really was a hazard.
“You’re going to be in LA a lot,” Violet said, her voice growing a little insecure.
I gathered her close, folding both my arms around her, resting my chin on her head. “Technically, it is where I live. I have a place there, with a pool. You can swim when we’re there. Swimming is good for your joints.”
Right at this moment, I was having a hot tub put in, too, right beside the pool. I was doing it for her. I knew it would be good therapy.
“I can’t come live in LA. I have school,” she said, trying to lift her head off me.
I pushed it back down. “I know, baby. I meant during breaks and maybe over the summer. I know you have school and family on the East Coast.”
“But what about you?” She pouted.
“I worked it out with my label. I’m going to be staying here while the album is being written. They gave me approval to write three of my own songs. Nate’s helping co-write them. They’re sending the writers here to work with me for the rest.”
“Really?” she said. This time I let her lift her head to meet my eyes.
I nodded. “Derek said we could use the music department during off hours to come up with the music.”
“You’re staying.”
“For now. I will have to go back to LA to record. And then promo. And I’ll have concerts, travel…” I slid my eyes to her, suddenly worried how she would take all this. We definitely weren’t going to have a traditional relationship.
“The pitfalls of dating a popstar.” She sighed.
My heart skipped a beat. “So we’re dating?”
“Well, we do share a heart. I think we’re kinda stuck with each other.”
“You aren’t stuck with me,” I told her, firm. “If it’s too much…”
She pressed her fingers against my lips. “I’m not thrilled with the idea of sharing you. But it’s your job, and I know how much you love it. And I love you.”
I kissed her fingers, speaking against them. “You’re only sharing Ten. Stark is all yours.”
She smiled. “I can live with that.”
“I want you at my side whenever you can get away, and I’ll be here as much as I can.” I cautioned her.
She nodded. “I’d like that.”
“And you’re getting bodyguards,” I said, no give in my voice. “I already have some lined up for interviews. I didn’t hire them yet because I wanted you to have a say.”
“How generous,” she muttered.
I gave her a light squeeze. “I’m serious, Vi. The press are monsters. People are going to be different to you now. They’re going to try and use you. They’ll want things. People who hate me… they’re going to hate you.”
“You come with a lot of baggage,” she retorted.
“Yes,” I said seriously. “I do.”
Violet pushed up into a sitting position. The blanket fell down, revealing her bare chest. “I have some of my own.”
“Your health is not baggage.” My voice was firm.
“I was talking about my brother.”
I laughed. “I’ll give him backstage passes.”
“That should do it,” she said, a twinkle in her eyes.
“I love you, Vi. I’ll do everything I can to make you happy.”
“I already am. I don’t care about your baggage, the press, or even the stupid bodyguards you’re going to make me get. I love you. Everything else is just details.”
I leaned in to kiss her. I was so goddamn happy I could burst.
Just as I was about to seal her words with my lips, she leaned back and held up a hand. “One thing, though.”
“Name it.”
“I don’t want anything to do with Becca.”
“You’re off-limits to her. I made that perfectly clear. She’ll do as she’s told, or I’ll get a new manager.”
“You can kiss me now,” she declared and stuck her face out, puckering up her lips.
I kissed her nose instead.
Her eyes opened, and the heart we shared reflected in their gaze.
“I love you, my butterfly,” she whispered and pulled my head down to hers.
Life as I knew it definitely was over… but the one I got was so much better.