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Is this really the role model parents want for their teenagers? A source close to the band says, “Emma has those boys on a leash. They have wild sex parties almost every night. Sometimes she takes them all at once.”
Her anger boiled over. How the fuck could people write this garbage and get away with these blatant lies?
“Just ignore it.” Nicky took her phone and slipped it into her back pocket.
“Can’t we do something? They’re printing lies,” Emma asked.
“Any press is good press. You want exposure, and controversy does that.” Callie waved her hand dismissively.
Emma’s stomach swirled and knotted uneasily.
“Don’t women go crazy for reverse harems? They probably think you’re living the life.” Asher wiggled his eyebrows up and down playfully.
Emma chuckled. “If I didn’t see you all as my brothers, it might not be so gross.”
“You want another?” Ravi asked, offering her a glass of vodka.
She accepted it before taking a gulp and relishing the smooth burn as the liquor slid to her belly, dulling the anxiety.
“They loved the new song,” Ravi said, changing the subject.
“They sure did,” Nicky agreed.
The lyrics had been torn from her soul and written in crimson ink from her bleeding heart. Link’s face flashed in her mind’s eye. The look of disgust in his expression after he’d realized what they’d done. She took another drink of the clear liquid. She’d need a lot more to drown out the pain. The last ember of her hope had died with the slam of his door. All this time she’d wasted pining and hoping he’d see her one day. She’d given him everything, shown every inch, and he’d found her lacking. Why wasn’t she ever good enough? Why couldn’t she stop wanting him?
The bottle clinked against her glass as Callie filled it up again. “Come on. Let’s get back to the hotel. I figured we could share a room, since the guys doubled up already.”
Emma nodded, noting the hopeful spark of lust in Callie’s eyes. She drained the cup, relishing the burn as her insides lit in a liquor wildfire. The room tipped and swayed. Callie reached out her hand to steady Emma, wrapping her arms around her waist.
“Let’s go.” Emma grabbed the vodka, taking it with her. If she drank, the pain dulled. And maybe if she got drunk enough, she’d get lucky and forget for a little while. Emma could escape into a bottle and soft sheets and forget that the man she loved didn’t want her.
Unrequited love was a motherfucker.
10
Link
2 Months Later
The vibration from the engine rumbled through Link’s body as he idled outside Remy and Mikel’s house. Emma pulled out of Remy’s hug, wheeling a suitcase down the steps and holding her guitar case in the other. Those jeans hugged her ass like they were painted on. The black T-shirt she wore lifted to show a sliver of her back as she leaned over and tied her Converse shoes.
How am I going to survive this?
Emma stood and adjusted the baseball cap on her head.
Fuck, I need to cool off.
Link got out of the car, the spring rain dusting over him like a fine mist as he walked to meet her. His hand grazed hers as he took the suitcase handle from her. He ignored the buzz of energy shooting up his arm. She looked at him, her pink mouth parting as a tiny gasp escaped her.
“Is this everything?” His voice came out gruff. It was the first words he’d spoken to her since his father’s celebration of life at The Shipwreck three months ago. A few texts about scheduling this trip were all they’d exchanged.
“Yeah.” She opened the passenger door and climbed in while he put her things next to his in the trunk before settling into the driver’s side.
After shifting into gear, he pulled onto the road. Emma tucked her knees under her and leaned against the door, her eyes aimed out the watery window.
“I figured we’d take route eighty and see how far into Pennsylvania we can get before we need to rest for the night.” His plan was to make it just about nine hours today. The sooner they could get this road trip over, the better.
Emma nodded.
