AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I get it,” her voice goes soft, “I really do. I know how much you care about Journey, but she’s fine. She’s family just like you are, Lane, so you have to trust me to take care of this.” There’s a sterner edge to her voice, “You know going there will only stir up the hornet’s nest again and now they all know how to set you off.”
“The guy fucking deserved it,” I almost roar the words into the phone, knowing damn well it’s not going to change a thing.
“I’m not saying he didn’t,” her voice takes on a placating mother tone. Whether she developed the skill when she became a mom or because she deals with rock stars with egos big enough to have their own weather system, remains to be seen. Probably a little of both. “Journey is a big girl. She’s fine.” Kat sighs, “It’s not like the guy asked you anything which wasn’t true anyway.”
“Not the point,” I snap.
I pinch the bridge of my nose and try and breathe through this. I know Kat’s right. Of course she is.
I was thrown off guard when the paparazzi asshole asked me if it was true that Journey got pregnant with my niece at 16 and that the ‘baby daddy’, his words, not fucking mine because I refer to the scum as a sperm donor, was never around.
All of it was fucking true.
The truth didn’t stop me from snapping and clocking the guy. If I hadn’t had security there to pull me back, I have zero doubt I would have done far worse. Of course, I also punched him in view of other paparazzi and the moment I realized it, I knew that shit was going to hit the fan.
I was right.Being right doesn’t mean shit if you’re a coward because you ran.
I’m the coward. Me.
“Sorry,” the single word is sincere as fuck. “I know it’s not your fault and I have no right to take it out on you. I’m just on edge and I think I might have actually overdosed on oxygen.”
Kat laughs lightly and I can almost see the way she is shaking her head in admonishment. Fuck. I miss her and the rest of the family. Exile, temporary as it may be, sucks.
I step out onto the porch of the cabin, ready to surround myself with more fucking oxygen to try and help take the next lecture I’m about to get. I don’t know if Kat starts to talk or not because my brain shuts off when I catch sight of a woman with dark hair who is moving away from three people who are clearly her family.
She looks around like she’s a member of fucking Scooby Doo and is about to sneak off it order to try and solve the mystery on her own so Fred can visit with long-lost family. I find myself smiling as I watch her. She’s the least subtle thing this forest has ever seen and it’s incredibly endearing.
“Lane? Hello? Are you there?” I hear Kat’s questions from somewhere far away, knowing damn well it doesn’t make sense.
Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if seeing this woman has bent time and space in some way. It’s wild, I haven’t even gotten a good look at her and I have no idea what color her eyes are, but there is something about her which makes me want to get closer and then never let her go.
She glances my way, but it’s clear with the way she doesn’t stop looking around that she doesn’t see me. For the first time in a long time, I desperately want her to see me. I want her to see all of me—even the things which keep me up at night and definitely the things I haven’t been able to get out of me in a song.
I want to play for her to find out if she can carry a tune. I bet she can. Why do I get the feeling that our voices would meld into something fucking gorgeous and undeniable if we were to sing together?
Before she gets out of sight completely, my feet are moving. There’s no way I’m going to let this woman go. I’ve never seen anything like her in my life. And she’s mine, all mine.
Kat yells into the phone and it jolts me from my daze just enough. I murmur, “I gotta go. I just found my muse.”
There’s a beat of silence before Kat starts laughing as if that’s both the funniest and most normal thing a man could say. I almost look down at the phone, twisting my face, but I stop myself because I need to catch up to this woman.
I need to ensnare her in my net and then never let her go.
Kat doesn’t bother with any more pleasantries, which I’m grateful for. There is something unspoken between us before she hangs up. I have no time to waste anyway. Not right now. Not when I could be spending it with her.
The closer I get, the more I realize her eyes are a gorgeous hazel color. She is a little pale, and from the way she’s clutching the book in her hands, it’s because she probably spends way too much time reading at home. I have this irrational need to have her sitting next to me while curled up with a book and waiting for take-out I ordered in nothing but a t-shirt of mine.
When I’m close enough I swear I can smell the sunshine sweetness coming off her. It makes me want to bask in all she is and never let her go. I raise my voice, but manage to keep it gentle, “It looks like you’re sneaking off for some covert mission, 007.”
The woman lets out a shriek and then spins around in almost a full circle before looking at me, the book clutched to her chest as if it’s not where I want to be myself. Her breathing is coming out in little pants and my cock hardens in my jeans. She eyes me with appreciation while licking her lips and it takes everything in me not to grab her and run away with her.
Does she have any idea how much she is testing me right now? I’ve never claimed to be a strong man. I’ve never had to fight my instincts so much as I am right now. I don’t even know her name.
“You scared the shit out of me,” her voice reminds me of the way a river runs over the stones at the shore. I can almost feel the cool water lapping at my skin as a reward for exploring the majesty of the world around us. “You shouldn’t sneak up on people.”
I can’t help but chuckle at the admonishment in her tone. The way her eye slight up as she looks at me, it’s clear she’s interested, but it’s not the same recognition fans get when they see me. Is it possible she doesn’t know who I am? That she has no idea about the media scandal which has been following me around?
The thought of her not knowing and being able to be free from it, even if for only a little while, is intoxicating. I smile at her while fighting the urge to pull her to me so I can hold her close, protect her and then make beautiful music with her.
