He stood in front of thousands of people, watching security help her over the rail and up onto the stage, his heart damn near beating out of his chest. They were causing a scene that would be all over the Internet tomorrow, and he didn’t give a fuck anymore, but she might. He expected her to put her head down and quickly walk to the side of the stage to wait for him, but she didn’t. She came to him.

The most beautiful woman he had ever seen, tears running down her face, and she was here. He held his arms open for her, and she flew into them, squeezing him with more strength than she looked capable of. Eli breathed in the sweetness of her hair, soaked in the softness of her skin, and exhaled weeks’ worth of tension. She was here at last where she belonged.

“Fucking missed you,” he murmured, feeling her fingers tighten on his back. “I didn’t think you were coming.”

“I didn’t have a pass.”

“Then someone’s gonna get fucking fired, because I left you one.”

He was happy to stand here all night, but they had a show to finish. She released him and stepped back, wiping her cheeks. He grinned at her. “Can I tell ‘em?”

Giggling, blushing, she nodded, the curtain of her dark hair shielding much of her face from the crowd. He lifted the mic to his lips. “This is my baby, y’all.” The place blew up. He leaned over and kissed her cheek, his next words only for her, spoken into her ear. “Go see Seger, he’s missed you. Rhyme at him. Trust me.”

Her face brightened at the mention of his son, and if he hadn’t known before, he knew then that he loved her. Adored her. Would spend his entire fucking life cherishing her, if she’d let him. If only she’d let him.

Eli watched as she and Seger collided in a hug, and he escorted her the rest of the way off the stage. Then he looked back out over his audience, feeling their love surround him. As always, there would be a few jealous assholes. Heidi had battled them, but Heidi was, well, Heidi. Iris had an innate grace and kindness he thought most of them would adore. And if they didn’t, fuck them.

“All right, guys,” he said into his mic, “now that all is right again in my world, let’s work on yours.”

––––––––

SARA MIGHT HAVE ENCOURAGED Iris to enjoy her night, but that didn’t stop her from sending at least a dozen text messages, every single one in all caps. Her friend kept remembering things from their previous conversations, finding new reasons to freak out every couple of minutes. Iris couldn’t stop laughing.

That’s how she knew this was right, because at this moment, here with these people, she was the happiest she had ever been.

The future could work itself out. She wasn’t sure what a life with Elijah Vance would entail, but she could find out before writing it off her list of possibilities. At the moment, watching the band take one last tour picture onstage, all of them knelt down with the audience in the background, she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

The blond woman had introduced herself as a longtime friend from the band’s early days, and Iris could accept that. After what he had done for her out there in front of all those people, she had no doubts whatsoever about Eli’s feelings. Although after exclaiming, “Long time no see, bumble bee!” at Seger, she thought the boy might be ready for her to leave again. He had laughed, though.

Even Quin had walked awkwardly up to her, muttered a half-jumbled apology, and ambled away.

Now she was alone in Elijah’s dressing room, running her hands across the clothes in his open trunks. It felt like an eternity since she’d touched him, even if it hadn’t been all that long. When his arms had gone around her out there, everything had fallen into place. All the broken pieces of her had stitched themselves back together.

The distant thunder of the audience had begun to abate. He would be here soon, and her heart couldn’t take waiting much longer.

Evil Iris, Sara had called her. She laughed again and slipped out of her shoes and jeans before walking over to turn the lights down wearing nothing but her panties and the loose top Sara had loaned her. Seger had run off with Russell’s boys for a while per his dad’s quickly relayed instructions. She knew only Eli would be coming in this room.

The door opened and she turned, not having taken up the position she’d wanted yet, but his expression showed that nothing about her was a disappointment. He closed the door, locked it, and closed in, dark and dangerous as his ravenous green eyes devoured her. He almost scared her, just a little. She liked it. Her stomach fluttered, her breath coming faster.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“For what?” he asked, just as softly.

“Doubting you. Doubting us.”

“Iris.” He stepped to her, his hands coming up to cup her face with a gentleness belied by his intensity. “You never, ever have to apologize to me for anything. Ever.”

“But that isn’t fair.”

“Sure it is.”

“I haven’t told you everything Heidi threatened. I feel like I need to warn you what might come of this.”

“I doubt we need to worry about Heidi. She’s a kitten right now.”

Kittens have claws, but maybe he was right. Heidi couldn’t afford a nasty custody battle right now on top of everything else, and Elijah would give her one if she tried to keep his kids away from him. She no longer had any leverage since the truth was finally out. “She said she would ruin me,” she said softly. “I would never work again in this city.”

“That’s bullshit. You can do anything you want, Iris. That’s a promise.”

“I have a nanny job interview soon, but I was also thinking of going back to school. Getting my masters, maybe even my doctorate. I would love to be a child psychologist.” She didn’t know why she couldn’t stop babbling, but he listened intently to every word. Hearing her.

“You would be amazing at that. I can’t imagine anyone caring more about people than you.”

“It would keep me busy while you’re touring and working. It’ll be hard. But I’ll do it for you.”

His expression softened. “I work a lot because I tend to stay where I’m happiest. Now I’m happiest with you.” Her breath hitched as he said that, as he lifted her hand to his mouth to brush his lips across the back of her knuckles. “I’m with you. Whatever you want to do.”

What she wanted was not to talk about it anymore, even if they needed to. His nearness, his musky male scent, were wreaking havoc on her hormones. She stepped closer, sliding her free hand around his neck, the smoothness of his skin a delight to her fingertips.

His mouth covered hers, weakening her knees as she leaned into him, his hands heating up against her cheeks, holding her still for his seeking lips, letting her reacquaint herself to him. She didn’t need that. She didn’t need his tenderness right now. She needed him as desperate as she was. “I need a shower,” he murmured against her.

She didn’t need that either. “I like you dirty and sweaty.”

“Yeah?”

“Mm-hmm.”

His hands caught her ass and lifted her against him. Instinct wrapped her legs around his waist. She had to chuckle thinking about the conversation that had taken place outside as he planted her against the nearest wall, but all mirth left her as he struggled one-handed with his pants. She could only think yes, yes, yes, and fought to push her panties out of the way so he could get to her.

His mouth crushed hers. His body invaded hers. They groaned into each other’s mouths in mutual ecstasy, and nothing had ever felt as good as the stretch of him filling her, pinning her hips to the wall behind her. Unstoppable, inescapable. “Elijah,” she whispered, “oh God.”

She’d wanted him desperate, and she got it. His breathing rough and ragged, her legs thrown over his arms as he held her captive against the wall, his eyes never leaving hers as their foreheads pressed together, as he surged into her again and again. But she was ready enough for him, wet enough for him, and she wanted all of him. She never wanted him to stop.

“I’ll make love to you tonight,” he promised, something like apology in his voice, “for the rest of our lives, I will. Now I just need to make you mine.”

That was all she needed too. Every thrust pushed him deeper into her, her body fighting for more of him, greedy for the pleasure he gave. She began to meet him, rock against him, her head meeting the wall behind her.

“You’re fucking exquisite,” he growled, fastening his mouth to her neck. She felt his teeth score her flesh. She wanted more. And she wanted to tell him how perfect he was, but she didn’t know how. She only knew what she wanted.

“Will you come in me?” she panted.

“That’s like asking if I’ll take my next breath, Iris.”

“I’m still not on birth control.”

“I don’t care.”

No we’ll have to be careful. Her heart soared. Surely she would wake up any moment in her bed at home, crying from this beautiful dream she’d somehow wandered into. But seconds ticked past, and she didn’t. And he was rough and real against her; she could touch him and hear him and smell him and taste him when they kissed. When her body couldn’t take the slick friction they created any longer and exploded in a wracking climax, she didn’t wake up then, either. She held on, cried out and shuddered, feeling him join her in her passion. Felt him pulse inside her as he growled dirty things in her ear: how hot she was, how tight she was, how hard she made him come.

She hadn’t realized she was crying until her eyes opened, and she found herself staring at the ceiling, thinking for one awful moment the dream had ended. But then Elijah lifted his head, looked her in the eyes, and said, “I love you.”

She held him as tightly as her weakened, shivering arms would allow. “I love you too,” she whispered. “I do.”

“I missed you more every day.”

How had this happened? How had this loud, argumentative, aggressive man she’d once dreaded being around turned into one who melted in her arms? Who could melt her with nothing but a look?

He hadn’t turned into a different man, though. He’d been here all along. And she didn’t doubt he’d still get loud and argumentative at times. Instead of instilling dread, the thought made her grin. She would gladly meet the challenge.

“What is it?” he asked, smiling back at her.

“Just thinking about how things change. I’ve thought about that a lot lately.”

“How you actually like me now?”

She laughed with pure joy. “Yeah, something like that. And you actually like me too.”

“I always liked you, Iris. That’s what pissed me off.”

“Ah, well, don’t let it make you that grumpy again.”

“You don’t have to worry.” He eased her down until her feet touched the floor, helping her fix her clothes before straightening and fastening his own. Between her legs, she could still feel him. What he’d given her. He watched her closely in that way she loved, the one that made her feel so treasured, then reached up and stroked her cheek. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“With what might have happened here?”

Licking her lips, she gazed up at the face she would never grow tired of looking at. “Elijah, other than you, there’s really only one thing I want.”

He raised his eyebrows in question, and she thought of that night in his parents’ pool and the seeds of a dream he had planted deep in her heart even then. “I want Marley,” she said.

His hands went to her face, his breath shuddering out before he stopped her heart with a kiss she felt throughout her entire body. More joyous tears sprang to her eyes as, in the midst of it, she found a center of herself she hadn’t known existed. It was calm there, and safe. It was where he lived, deep in her soul.

“I would fucking love that more than anything,” he said against her lips. “I would. And I’ll do my best, but what if we have another rowdy boy?”

“That’ll be wonderful, too.”

“Preferably sooner rather than later, before I’m too old to chase after them.”

She giggled. “Stop. You’ll be able to chase for years to come.”

“As long as I can chase you, too.”

“Why? You’ve already caught me.”

“I want to spend my life chasing you, Iris. Keep me running. Never let me catch you.”

How beautiful he was, his eyes spring-bright and serene. She couldn’t imagine a more thrilling way to spend the rest of her life than being chased by this man. “Deal,” she said softly.

“So.” He gave her the teasing, crooked grin she loved so much, stroking her hair back. “Sounds like you think you can have it all.”

Iris smiled, believing it at last as she gazed up at him. Believing it for maybe the first time in her entire life. “I can.”