A Lush Rhapsody: A Rhapsody Novel (18 page)

I
t’s my birthday
, and Savvy has come to help me celebrate in San Francisco. I’m so excited. It was a surprise she cooked up, and I can’t believe that she got Mel Jamison and Tammy Clark to help plan it. Tammy manages the band when we’re on the road, so she knows their schedule and apparently she’s with us on most tours, although she’s been going back and forth on this tour, a couple of days at a time with the band, then back to Portland to be with Pax. She’ll bring him along sometimes too, Walsh says, but he’s at a difficult age, running around constantly, getting into everything. Sometimes it makes it hard for Tammy to do what she needs to, and they don’t have a nanny, just Tammy’s mother who they all call Mama D. Mama D reminds me a little of my grandmother—lots of cheek pinching and stern instructions for how you should be living your life.

Mel is pregnant with their first baby, so Joss doesn’t want her to have the stress of travelling on the buses, but she and my sister came with Tammy for this show, chartering a private jet of all things, and now I’m standing here with my arms wrapped tight around Savvy, feeling about a thousand times better than I have in weeks.

“Are you surprised?” Savvy asks as she pulls back and looks at me grinning.

“You know I am,” I say. I smile at Tammy and Mel over Savvy’s shoulder. “Thank you so much for bringing her. It’s the only birthday present I really wanted.”

Tammy nods—like I’ve said, she’s not the friendliest, although I’m beginning to understand that beneath her hard as nails shell is a good heart, and she loves Lush more than her own life.

Mel smiles and blows me a kiss. “You’re part of the family now,” she says. “We always make sure the family gets what they need. You needed your sister, so we brought her for you.” Then she puts her arm around Tammy’s waist, leaning her head on Tam’s shoulder. “If anyone understands what it means to have your sister with you on important days it’s us.”

Tammy lays her head on Mel’s and an expression of peace flows over her face that I haven’t often seen on her. When she’s with Walsh and Pax, but not any other time. It’s good to see that Mel brings that side out too.

“So what do you want to do tonight?” Savvy asks, bouncing up and down on her red Converse. “Please tell me we can go clubbing. I haven’t been clubbing in years.”

I look at Mel and Tammy. “What do you think? Will the guys let you come out with us?”

Tammy snorts. “As if they have a say,” she huffs.

Mel elbows her. “Be nice. And yes, they’ll let us, but be ready for them to show up at some point. I don’t think we’ve managed a girls’ night that they didn’t crash since before Pax was born.”

Savvy’s eyes are big and round. “Oh my God. Out at a club with Lush? You may as well just bury me now. I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

Mel laughs and I roll my eyes.

“Please say yes, Tully. Pleeease?” She bats her eyelashes at me.

“Oh Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Of course we can go clubbing and the guys can come too. I spend all damn day with them, no reason why tonight should be any different.”

Savvy cheers, jumping around like a drunken monkey, and Mel and Tammy get busy ordering security, limos, and private entry to the most hip clubs in town. Apparently, clubbing with Lush isn’t just grabbing a cab and waiting in line with the masses.

Before I know it we’re in full-on prep mode, the clothes are flying, the makeup’s being poured on, and the dance music is being blasted. Everyone picks my suite to get ready in, of course, because they don’t want to be interrupted by the guys, but we’re about thirty minutes away from leaving when someone knocks on my door. Mel pauses in her struggle to tug a stretchy mini dress over her belly, and Tammy snarls, “Walsh Clark that better not be you. I told you we get at least three hours before…” She swings the door open and there stands Blaze, looking exceptionally hot in black jeans, a white v-neck t-shirt and a black leather vest. His tats are displayed perfectly on his biceps, and his golden hair is swept back, showing a small silver hoop that sometimes graces one earlobe. He’s also holding a huge bouquet of multi-colored roses.

“Oh!” Tammy squeaks. “Sorry, I was definitely not expecting you.”

Blaze raises one eyebrow as he looks around at the four of us. Savvy is sitting at the dressing table, jaw dropped, mascara wand forgotten in her hand. She doesn’t realize that she’s only done one eye so she looks really lopsided, but I’m not about to point that out now.

Mel quickly stops adjusting her dress, and puts her hands over her belly protectively. I’ve got one heel on and one off, so I kick it away, padding over to him in my bare feet. Tammy steps away from the door and the other three start making nervous small talk as I reach Blaze.

“Hi short stack,” he says in a low voice.

“Hi. What are you doing?”

He scratches the back of his neck with his free hand. “Well, I heard that it was your birthday.” He presents the flowers like a little boy handing his mom a gift he made at school. His face is so hopeful I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. God, he’s so sweet.

I grab his hand and pull him inside, then look at the three sets of eyes that are tracking my every move. “Be right back,” I say with a wink before I pull him into the bedroom and shut the door.

Shrieking and giggling follows us and I lean back out to shout, “And put your tongues back in your mouths!” Then I slam the door and Blaze chuckles.

“You brought these for me?” I ask, taking the bouquet from him and inhaling it deeply.

“Why didn’t you tell me it’s your birthday?” he asks, running his hands up and down my bare arms.

I set the roses aside on the dresser. “I didn’t want to make you feel obligated to get me something or take me out or whatever.” I shrug. “We’re just having fun for a month, birthdays and holidays don’t really factor in to something like that.”

He grabs my shoulders and holds me still, looking into my eyes for a moment, his brow furrowed. “Tully,” his voice is hardly above a whisper, “we both have really complicated lives, and that puts the time limits on us, but don’t think for one minute that means I don’t care enough to do things like a birthday with you.”

I nod, my throat suddenly dry and my chest achy.

“I thought I sort of made it clear when we went public with your band and mine.” He looks away for a moment before gazing at me again, his hands cupping my face. “I’ve never had to ask permission to see a woman, and I sure as hell don’t go to this much trouble to impress one.”

I stroke the stubble along his jaw. “And you do impress me.” I run a hand suggestively up his abs to his chest. “You’re extremely impressive.” He chuckles again, leaning down to nip my neck. I moan.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about today. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, I was just trying to be low maintenance, you know? And my birthday’s never been a huge deal. With five kids in the family, it was always someone’s birthday, so we’re sort of inured to them.”

He rests his forehead against mine, and his voice is so raspy it drips with sex. “But
I’m
not inured to your birthday. And I wanted to tell you how happy I want it to be for you.”

“You just made it happier than any birthday I’ve had in years.” I breathe him in and moments later his lips find mine, soft at first, then pressing more firmly as his tongue enters my mouth, bringing the taste of a cinnamon candy and Blaze. It shoots straight to my core and I gasp.

He turns us so that I’m backed to the door and he presses his whole body against me, while devouring my mouth. I’m helpless because I melt into him, forgetting my own name as his hands begin to traverse the terrain of my body.

“Fuck, short stack,” he whispers. “You look so hot in this little skirt. Where are you going dressed like this?”

“Girls’ night,” I gasp. “My sister. Mel. Tammy.” I can’t get out complete sentences because he’s now got his big palm cruising up the side of my thigh heading toward the promised land.

“I would have liked to take you out,” he groans. “Or maybe just keep you in.”

I chuckle even as I wiggle, trying to get him to put his hand higher on my leg. “You can come later. The Lush guys are—and then you can bring me home. I’d really like you to bring me home.”

He slides a finger along the outside of my panties, right over my core. I moan, but then he pulls back, chucks me under the chin and says, “It’s a date. Text me when you get settled somewhere and I’ll be right over.”

Then the dirty bastard moves me aside, opens the door and strides out, calling, “See you in awhile, ladies,” as he leaves the suite.

He’s so going to pay for that later.

I adjust my clothes and walk back out to the living room.

“Holy hotness,” Savvy sighs.

“Blaze Davis?” Mel asks, one eyebrow raised, as she glances at Tammy. Tammy smirks and nods, because of course, she already knew.

“They called a truce,” I tell them. “Joss even gave his permission. Like my dad or something.”

I pick up my shoes and focus on putting them on, hoping this can be the end of the discussion. But I’m in a roomful of women getting ready to go clubbing, so of course it’s not.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this,” Mel whines to her sister.

“Sorry, I didn’t think about it. But did you see those flowers?”

“Did you see those tats?” Savvy asks.

“Yeah, I’ve got to admit, as much as I love Joss’s tats, Blaze’s may be hotter,” Mel sighs.

“He’s so tall,” Tammy remarks.

“And so buff,” Savvy adds.

There’s a collective sigh, and I stand, glaring at the three of them. They’re all married, I shouldn’t mind that they’re ogling my man—or at least my man for the next few weeks—but really, a little decorum, please.

Savvy chuckles. “Oh no, girls. We’ve pissed her off now. Look at the pouty face.” She purses her lips and makes kissy noises.

“She doesn’t want anyone looking at her man,” Tammy says, grinning.

“I’m sorry,” Mel adds sincerely. “I really didn’t mean anything by it.”

“I did. He’s got abs for days.” Savvy shrugs.

“That’s what happens when you date hot as hell rock gods…just sayin.” Tammy smirks.

I stomp across the room and grab my makeup bag off the kitchen counter before huffing off in the direction of the bedroom. “You’re all bitches,” I huff.

“Don’t forget to put lover boy’s flowers in some water,” Savvy calls out before the three of them burst into laughter.

Did I say I was excited Savvy’s here? I lied.

T
he music
at the club is pounding, and when I walk in I have a flashback—bathroom stalls and back hallways, laying out lines on countertops and girls’ bodies, getting high then fucking random groupies in broom closets and photo booths. There’s a reason I haven’t been to a club since I got out of rehab.

But tonight’s not about me, and I’m not going to let my addiction keep me from celebrating with Tully. I have to admit, I was torn between being pissed and being hurt when I found out that she hadn’t told me about her birthday. But then Dez reminded me that this is a very temporary arrangement so she’s not obligated to include me in her celebrations,
but
if I wanted to do something for her birthday I should quit pouting and go do it.

So I found my balls and took her the flowers. And she looked like my wet fucking dream, standing there in the world’s tiniest, tightest mini skirt, with this transparent black, flowy top on. All layers and ruffles, and spaghetti straps. It was all I could do to keep from devouring her right there in the hotel suite with the Lush wives standing ten feet away.

Now I’m focused on finding her in this gyrating, grinding, pulsing mass. Coming here isn’t easy for me, and I need to see her beautiful smile to get grounded. I brought security with me tonight, because even though it makes me feel like a pussy—a guy my size shouldn’t need other dudes to protect him—I want to be able to focus on Tully and not have women all over me. Not being vain, just realistic. When you’re in a rock band and you go out clubbing, there will be women all over you like bees to honey.

“You looking for Tully?” a voice over my shoulder says. I turn to find Walsh Clark leaning against a wall, sipping on what looks to be orange juice.

I step closer so I don’t have to yell quite so loudly. “Yeah, you seen her?”

He tips his glass toward the dance floor, and I swivel to look, amazed when I do that I didn’t notice them right off the bat. Walsh and I are standing three steps higher than the dance floor, so we can see over people’s heads easily. There in the center of the dance floor are Tully, Tammy, Mel, and Tully’s sister, and all four of them are dancing up a storm, while surrounded by a wall of burly security guys. I’m not kidding, no one can get anywhere near those girls. The security team has created a circle, facing out to look at the crowd, and the girls are dancing the night away inside the bubble.

“Wow,” I say looking back to Walsh. “Paranoid, much?”

He chuckles and takes a sip of his drink. “Not me, man. Joss. Mel is pregnant, and he said that if anyone bumped into
her
bump he’d have to kill them, so that’s all in the name of keeping our lead singer out of jail.”

I nod. Yeah, I can get that, a pregnant belly in the middle of all that is bound to get some elbow and hip checks. Most women would just forgo the dancing at that stage—I guess when your husband’s a superstar rock singer with a full security team on staff you don’t have to.

“Where is Joss?” I ask.

Walsh tips his head upstairs. “He can’t stand being mobbed by fans, so he’s hiding out in VIP. I don’t have those problems.” He laughs and I look at my own security guy who I’ve seen turn away at least four girls since I stopped to chat with Walsh.

“So, will your guys let me grab Tully?” I ask.

“Sure. They’ll recognize you.”

“Okay. I think I’ll go say hi. I guess I’ll see you in VIP later.”

He nods, takes another sip of his OJ and relaxes back against the wall, seeming content to watch his woman from a distance.

I make my way to the dance floor, and when I reach the security team the closest guy shakes my hand and steps aside so I can enter the super secret circle. The girls all grin when they see me, but they keep dancing. I finally get a good look at Tully’s sister who grins at me like a maniac. They have the same blue eyes and curly hair, but Tully’s is darker.

Tully gives me a smile as bright as the sunshine as I move to her and put my hands on her hips. I lean down toward her ear. “How’s the birthday girl?” I ask, pulling her closer.

She keeps dancing, arms up over her head, body gyrating to the beat. Her skin is glowing, and I’m willing to bet she’s had more than a drink or two, but she’s glorious, all of her seductive energy just bursting out of her.

She looks up at me and says, “The birthday girl is great and she’ll be even better when you dance with her.”

Yeah. I’m not a dancer so much. “How about if I just watch you dance, baby.” I bend my knees to look her in the eyes. Such beautiful blue eyes, they make my gut clench with want.

She wraps her pale, slender arms around my neck. “Nope. You have to dance.” She presses her lips to mine and I can taste the liquor she’s been drinking. A zing runs from my lips straight to my dick, which hardens like clockwork whenever I’m near Tully.

I wrap one arm around her waist and give in—because when it comes to this woman, I always give in— and start to grind as I move one leg between hers and stroke the smooth skin where the hem of her top leaves her midriff bare.

I spear my free hand into her luxurious curls and pull her head back so that I can lick my way up her throat. The beat of the music is bass heavy, and I feel it pulsing through me like blood throbbing in my veins.

She’s got her pussy grinding against my thigh now and I feel her breath on my face, hot and panting. I crave a wall to press her against, or a table to lay her on. She’s so soft and warm, and the urge to be inside of her is growing stronger by the minute—pun entirely intended.

“You feel so good, baby,” I groan as she lifts onto her tiptoes and pulls my earlobe through her teeth.

“So do you.” She gives me that sunshine smile again. “You’ve made me all tame and sweet.” Now I know she’s drunk. Sober Tully would never admit to being tamed.

I laugh. “Baby, don’t you worry, you’re still a fucking handful. If Joss hadn’t put all of these security guys around you I know I would have had to bash some heads when I got here tonight. You’re trouble all wrapped up in a tight little package.”

“I don’t want to be a handful you know.”

I watch her, emotions playing across her face while I wait for whatever piece of her insides she wants to entrust to me. I make a silent promise to keep them safe.

“All I’ve ever wanted was to fit in, you know? At some point I realized that with my family I never would.” She pauses, then visibly brightens. “But with Lush I do. For the first time, Blaze. I fit somewhere. It hasn’t been overnight, but I feel like I’ve found a home with those guys. It feels good.” She sighs and lays her head on my shoulder. “Really good.”

I stroke her back and murmur things in her ear. “I’m happy for you, short stack. Really happy.”

We dance a while longer, then she says she’s tired and wants to go sit down. I keep an arm around her waist as we go upstairs to the VIP section, wondering how much longer she’s gong to last. She’s tiny, and my guess is it didn’t take much alcohol to put her three sheets to the wind.

Once we get upstairs, I find Joss and Colin sitting at a semi-circle booth with a low table in the center. We exchange pleasantries and Walsh joins us soon too. People come and go, Tully has another drink, but sips it, and I get her to eat something too, hoping to keep her from ending up sick. I’m finally formally introduced to her sister, who says Tully holds her liquor pretty well, but I don’t want to take any chances. Takes all the fun out of a birthday if you spend the last few hours of it puking.

We all dance a couple more times, and Mel even convinces Joss to come out for a few minutes. I get what he’s talking about though. Even Garrett doesn’t attract as much attention as Joss. He’s like some sort of magnet for female eyes. The minute he strides onto the dance floor, towing Mel behind him, the sea of people sort of parts, and women’s eyes light up. It’s the craziest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.

It’s after midnight when Tully and I find ourselves back at the table. She’s got her legs draped across my lap, and her head on my shoulder. I’m thinking she doesn’t have much more in her, but I’m good to sit here and sip my soda while I watch the goings on around us. Behind the booth is a screen that separates this section from the hallway back to the bathrooms. The whole club has an East Indian theme, and the screen is made of some sort of very light pierced wood, about six feet high. Purely for effect, not to really provide any sort of privacy.

“Were you able to talk to Dave about that reporter who called?” I hear Joss say on the other side of the flimsy partition.

“Yes,” Tammy’s voice answers quietly. I turn my head to the side slightly so my ear is virtually against the screen behind me. “He’s checking it out but it sounds like someone has offered to pay a former roadie for the exclusive story.”

“How the fuck would a roadie even know?” Joss hisses.

“I have no idea, but if Walsh and Mel hear about this they’re going to flip.”

“You think I don’t know that?” he asks. “Christ, Mel’s fucking pregnant, Tam, I cannot have her upset right now. And I don’t even want to think about what the reminder would do to Walsh. He and I have never been better—not even before.”

My heart races and I swallow, glancing down at Tully who I think has finally crashed. She doesn’t seem to be hearing any of this, her face is buried in my chest, and her breathing is soft and rhythmic.

“Dave promised he’ll take care of it, I guess we just have to wait and see what he finds out.”

“Okay, but we need to come to an agreement about when we’d tell them if he can’t fix it.”

I hear someone else say, “Excuse me,” and then Joss clears his throat. “I need to find Mel,” he says, louder this time. “We’ll talk more later.”

“Great. I’m ready to go anyway.”

The two of them walk out from behind the screen a few feet past our table and keep going to the staircase that leads to the dance floor. They never look back to see me sitting there. They have no idea I heard them. And while I may not know exactly what I just heard, I can hazard a guess, and it’s not looking stellar for Lush’s squeaky clean image.

Tully stirs and mumbles something in her stupor. My heart beats double time. A niggling doubt weaves its way through my soul, whispering about betrayals and friendship and even something like love, but I steel myself against the invasive guilt. I’m not going to hurt Lush or Tully in any permanent way, just enough to ensure they don’t get the Super Bowl gig this year. They’ve weathered far worse than a few rumors about their family-friendliness. They’ll come out fine.

That’s what I tell myself as I stand and lift Tully in my arms as she keeps sleeping. I pass her sister on my way downstairs to the limo.

“Will the rest of the guys help you get home safe?” I ask her as she laughs at her sister folded in my arms.

She leans over and kisses Tully’s cheek. Tully mutters and slaps at Savannah half-heartedly.

“Yes, Colin’s chaperoning me, and we’re leaving soon.”

“I was going to take Tully back to my suite if that’s okay,” I say.

Savannah cocks her head and purses her lips as she inspects me. “She says you’ve been good to her.”

“I’ve tried to be.”

“You can take her to your suite. But tell her to call me first thing in the morning. My flight back home leaves at noon.”

“Will do.”

“You’re a nice guy, Blaze Davis,” Savvy says before giving me a kiss on the cheek as well.

No, I’m not, I think as I leave the club and slide into the back of the car with Tully on my lap. Nice guys finish last, and I always win.

* * *

“
O
h God
,” Tully moans as I brush my lips along the line of her shoulder. “My head,” she gasps.

I stop and chuckle, smoothing a hand over her hair. “Poor baby, is it bad?”

“I feel like I rammed my head into a brick wall.”

I stand from where I’ve been sitting on the edge of the bed. “Luckily I’m an expert in the morning after,” I tell her before I go into the next room and grab the rolling cart full of breakfast goodness.

I pull her up to sit and fluff the pillows behind her head.

“I must look like hell,” she mumbles.

“You look sexy as fuck, and if you weren’t hung over I’d have my head in between your legs, but for now I’ll have to be satisfied watching you eat.”

After some OJ, a few slices of bacon and a giant buttermilk biscuit I dose my girl up with ibuprofen and crawl back in bed with her.

“Now, are you feeling better?”

“A little,” she admits.

I run a hand underneath the covers until I find her smooth thigh. She squeaks.

“You still have one more ingredient before your hangover remedy is complete.”

I skate my fingers along the elastic line of her panties.

“What’s that?” she asks starting to sound breathless.

“A nice…” I kiss her neck and slide my finger under the waistband of those silky panties. “Long…” I lick the top of her tit and move my finger to her seam, sliding it through her hot slickness. “Orgasm.”

“Oh yeah,” she gasps. “I definitely need that part.” We spend the next two hours making sure that Tully’s post-birthday recovery ends in bliss—over and over and over. When we finally have to get out of bed to take her sister to the airport and get back to work, my chest is full of her. Every gasp, every sigh, every tiny expression of delight that I gave her. She’s working her way so deep into my soul that I’m not sure I’ll be able to let her go when the time comes.