Ember: Next Gen (Snakes Henchmen MC Book 12)

by Alivia Grayson

  * * *

  Four hours of sleep did nothing for my mood today. Why give me a hotel room if I’m not getting much use out of it?

  Matt woke us all up early, knowing we’d not slept enough. Bastard! We didn’t even attend the afterparty last night. By the time we’d finished the meet and greet, and got back to the hotel, it was after 2: AM. A shower and change, and waiting for the adrenaline to wear off meant it was after 3: AM before I fell asleep.

  Caren informed us that we’d be working on the album for the next two days, ahead of our next gig. We need to finish recording the twelve songs needed for the album while talking through the ideas for our first video release. Matt has also booked us on a couple of TV shows to promote our album.

  I love what I’m doing, but even I have to admit that it’s exhausting. Thank God we have a few days off when this tour is over.

  While I’m watching Ember lay down her vocals for Roman Angel, my mind drifts to her and Nate. I have to bring it up with Ember and find out the truth once and for all.

  “Fallen Cambridge is the obvious choice,”

  I look at Colin and shake my head. Okay, Fallen Cambridge is one of our most popular songs. The live version has been downloaded tens of thousands of times. However, that song is about my ex and what she did to me. I do not want anyone knowing that fact.

  “I agree,” Saint nods. “That’s what people do, release the most popular song first, right?”

  Caren nods her head.

  “I do not want people knowing why I wrote that song!” I snap.

  “Not a problem,” Caren writes something down on the clipboard in her hands. “I think it makes more sense if people believe Ember is the wronged lover. You both sing the song, so why not center the video around the two of you?” She nods at me. “No one will know who actually wrote the song if you don’t want them to, just give credit to Ember or both of you.”

  “I’m okay with that.” Bob writes something down, but I don’t have a clue what.

  “Well, I’m not okay with that. Why can’t the video feature Colin and Hannah?”

  “Because you and Ember are the singers. No one wants to see the guitarist and his wife; they want the lead singer and his love interest. In this case, you and Ember.”

  I groan and scrub my hands over my face. Everyone is talking all around me, and I feel like my head is about to explode!

  “Hey,” Comes a small voice in my ear. I turn my head, and Ember tips hers. The others are all engrossed in their conversation about video ideas. So, I get out of my seat and follow Ember. “Are you okay?”

  “Sure,” I fold my arms around my chest and stare at Ember. She’s so beautiful, and all I want to do is kiss her plush lips. But I want to kiss Ember as my girl, not just my friend.

  “I haven’t seen you much these past few days.” I stare at Ember, and she swallows hard. “You seem to have a lot on your mind. Is it because of what you told me the other day?”

  “What I told you?” I am utterly confused.

  Ember bites her lower lip and laughs nervously. “What is bothering you, Marco? You can talk to me; you know that.”

  I run my hand through my hair. I want to be honest with Ember, but I don’t want to keep bringing up Nate. Whatever happened between the two of them is something Ember probably never wants to talk about again.

  “Ember, we’re ready for you now.”

  Ember rolls her eyes. “I’m sorry. I have to get back. Can we talk later?” I nod my head and watch Ember walk away from me with a smile on her face.

  “Is there any chance of you letting the others know?”

  I shrug and shake my head at Hannah. I don’t have a clue what she’s talking about at the best of times, but I’m baffled right now. What is it with everyone today?

  “About you and Ember,” Hannah hisses toward me.

  “What about me and Ember?”

  Hannah rolls her eyes in annoyance. I have to stifle a chuckle because she’s such a child. “About you being together,” Now I’m really confused. “After I heard you guys talking the other night, I thought you’d have come clean. Isn’t Ember pretty much confessing she’s in love with you what you wanted?”

  Hannah keeps talking, but I’ve shut off. I’m having trouble processing what she just said. Why the hell did I drink so much that night? I don’t remember Ember confessing any such thing. Was I asleep? That would be just my damn luck.

  I look over at Ember. She’s laughing at something the producer said, and I wonder if I could actually be lucky enough to have captured her heart.

  Did I say something the other night to prompt such a confession?

  “Are you even listening to me?” Hannah grabs my arm, bringing me back to earth. I nod even though I wasn’t listening to a damn word she said. “So, when are you going to tell them?”

  “There’s nothing to tell them yet, Hannah. Ember and I, along with everyone else, have been too busy to talk. We don’t even know what we’re going to do yet, so there’s no point saying anything. Don’t you either,”

  “Fine,” She huffs. “But sort it before the others figure it out for themselves. The whole world already thinks you’re a couple, just make it official already so the boys can get used to it before Dun’s Dungeon becomes too massive.” She walks away from me just in time for me to be called to the booth.

  The whole time I’m singing my heart out, all I can think about is what Hannah said.

  What if she’s lying to me?

  Why would she do that?

  Because Hannah can be a real bitch when she wants to be.

  I need to speak with Ember. We’re supposed to be attending a party tonight, but this is more important. I have to know what happened with Nate, and I need to know how Ember feels about me. If what Hannah says is true, if Ember does love me, then I think it’s time I told her how I feel.

  The others won’t be happy, but I don’t give a damn any longer. I’m in love with that girl, and I won’t hide it if I don’t have to. We can work this out, Ember and I, I know we can.

  Just be careful with your heart, Marco. Don’t let another beautiful woman break it because this time, you might not survive it.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ember

  “When are you gonna admit that you want me?”

  I blink while looking at Marco and shake my head. That question came out of nowhere, and it shocked me because I don’t know if he’s kidding or not.

  When I asked him if we could talk later, I didn’t mean, while we’re still in the recording studio. We’ve just finished for the day, and Caren told us to go back to the hotel and get ready for tonight’s party. I was kind of hoping that I could give it a miss, or maybe show my face and then leave. I really want Marco and I to talk things through tonight. I don’t think I can wait any longer to get things off my chest.

  The way he’s looking at me right now with that smile on his face makes my heart beat faster. Since realizing that I’ve fallen in love with Marco, it’s been hard not to blurt it out to anyone who would listen. When Marco didn’t mention anything, I thought he’d forgotten, and I was too nervous to say anything to him.

  As I look at him now, I wonder if he remembers, and now he’s ready to talk. The past few days haven’t been easy, we’ve hardly said two words to each other. But I blame that on all the work we’ve been doing and not Marco avoiding me. We have the album to finish and an extra tour date to get through. We also have TV appearances, a radio chat show, and another photoshoot for our album cover. The work never ends, but I’m enjoying everything we do. This is my dream, and I have nothing to complain about. The only thing that could make this journey perfect is if Marco and I were together.

  After Hannah and I spoke the other night, she gave me food for thought. It doesn’t matter how Colin and the others feel about Marco and me, dating. They have their reasons to believe it would be nothing more than one night between us. However, I know deep in my heart that Marco and I are more than sex, and I think M
arco feels it too. All we need do is show the others that we’re serious about each other and they’ll come around.

  No one can help whom they fall in love with, and though we wouldn’t give in to our sexual urges if that’s all it was, we can’t fight the love between us.

  I know now why Lydia and Toby fell in love. It was so that I could find Marco and fall in love with the man I’m fast realizing was meant for me.

  Christ, I feel like a schoolgirl with a massive crush on the high school heartthrob. But I’ve never felt this way before. I loved Toby, but it was never like this. I never woke up every morning with butterflies in my stomach at the thought of seeing Toby. I never laid in bed at night, wondering if he was lying in his bed thinking about me.

  Until recently, I didn’t ache every moment of the day, wishing Marco was next to me. Though I’ve come to love finding Marco on the couch at night, writing his lyrics. I’ve often joined him, and we’ve written some fantastic stuff of late. Marco and I are a good team and hope that never ends.

  I don’t know if this is just the honeymoon period, or if I’m blinded by love. What I do know now, without a doubt in my mind, is that I love this beautifully broken man. I love him, and I pray with everything I am that he loves me too.

  “What are you thinking about?” Marco smiles at me while tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. I try not to gasp at the contact or lean into his touch.

  “I was thinking that I’m not sure I want to go to this party tonight.”

  “Funny, I was thinking the same thing.”

  Take a deep breath, Ember, and go for it. What do you have to lose?

  Everything if Marco doesn’t want a relationship with me. I shouldn’t even want a relationship after everything thing that happened, but I can’t help feeling this way.

  Maybe I should ask my mom for advice before taking a leap. She’d put me straight, and I’d know once and for all if I was doing the right thing. However, if I don’t take this leap now, maybe it will be too late in the future. Marco could meet and fall in love with someone else, and I would be happy for him, but I’d die inside.

  I know that if I tell Marco how I feel and he doesn’t feel the same way, he wouldn’t make things difficult for me with the band, and he’d still be my friend. Sure, things would be awkward for a while, but we’d move on from it in time.

  I don’t have a damn thing to lose, and everything to gain.

  I smile at Marco and take his hand in mine. He looks down and entwines his fingers with mine. I know that I’m not the only one who’s feeling this spark. I know because I see something so special in Marco’s eyes. “We need to talk, Marco.”

  “I know we do.” He agrees with a nod of his head. “We have a lot to talk about, don’t we?”

  I nod my head because he’s right. It’s time I told Marco what happened with Toby and Lydia, and I want to know what happened with his ex. Fallen Cambridge speaks volumes to how that woman hurt Marco. The first time I heard Marco sing that song, my heart ached for him because I realized he was just like me. That’s how I know I can trust him not to cheat on me the way Toby did.

  We also need to speak about Nate and what happened between him and me. I won’t allow Marco to think for a second that I slept with that pig. I may have told him the other night, but I get the feeling he was too drunk to hear me.

  “Are you ready to hear what I have to say?”

  I swallow hard and nod my head. “Are you ready to hear what I have to say?” I counter back.

  Marco laughs and nods his head. “Let’s show our faces at the party so none of this lot can give us a hard time tomorrow. We don’t have to stay for more than ten minutes.”

  “I’d rather not go at all. There’s always someone who wants to talk to me and tell me their life story.” Both Marco and I laugh, and subconsciously, I pull Marco’s hand to my lips and kiss his knuckles. His eyes widen, and lust fills them.

  I watch Marco look around the room before pulling me into a corner where no one can see us. Marco looks at me for a moment before pressing his lips to mine. I instantly moan into his mouth. God, I’ve wanted him to kiss me like this for days!

  His tongue goads mine, and my eyes roll behind my eyelids. It’s a massive cliché to say that I’ve never been kissed like this, but it’s the truth. I can see sparks behind my eyes, and my body aches for his touch.

  Marco pulls out of the kiss and rests his forehead against mine. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help myself.”

  I touch my hand to his cheek and smile. “Don’t ever be sorry for kissing me. But maybe we shouldn’t do it here where anyone could see us.”

  There’s a fire in Marco’s eyes that I’ve never seen before. It burns me to the core, and I can’t help kissing him one more time.

  “Meet me at the hotel roof at nine.”

  “I’d meet you anywhere, any time.”

  I know that Marco feels the way I do, and he knows the same thing about me. It’s obvious to both of us, but we’ll talk more tonight, here is not the place.

  * * *

  I managed to sneak away from the party with ease. The hotel ballroom was packed with people, and no one will miss me. Even if they do, I don’t care. I gave Colin the excuse that I had a headache coming. He smiled and told me to rest, and he’d see me tomorrow.

  I don’t know what Marco told everyone, but I noticed him leave before 8:30: PM. I was itching to follow him, but he said 9: PM, so I waited until 8:55: PM before leaving.

  I hope I look okay. I’m wearing a skin-tight red dress that doesn’t leave much to the imagination. My hair is loose and curled, and falling over my shoulders. I have to admit that I noticed the lust in Marco’s eyes when he saw me walk into the party. His jaw may even have dropped a little. I know that I couldn’t stop staring at Marco and the way he was dressed. Don’t get me wrong, the man always looks good. But tonight, he’s wearing a black suit with a matching shirt and tie. He looks incredible, and all I wanted to do was go to him and have him kiss me in front of everyone. I wanted every woman there to know that Marco is mine. Only he isn’t mine yet, so I did nothing.

  Upon reaching the roof, I gasp. When did Marco do this? Why?

  There’s a sun lounger near the high edge, with a small round table filled with strawberries, chocolate, and champagne. There are two flutes filled with the gold-colored liquid. There are even pink rose petals scattered all over the table, and a string of twinkle lights strung along the wall behind the lounger. It looks magical.

  Did Marco do all of this for me?

  “What do you think?”

  I jump a little, but I don’t turn to face Marco. He leans into me from behind, I can feel his breath on my neck, and my knees are shaking. Oh god, how can Marco have this affect on me? I’ve never felt this before; it’s powerful on a level I’ve never known.

  “It’s beautiful.” I shiver and rub my arms with my hands.

  Hands suddenly slide over mine and around me. “You don’t need to be afraid; I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “That’s what they all say.” I didn’t mean to say that out loud, but we’re not here for secrets. I pull away from Marco and step toward the sun-lounger.

  Marco hands me a glass of champagne with a smile on his handsome face. “You look beautiful, Ember.”

  I look down at myself. “Thank you. You look handsome.” I groan inwardly. I want him so badly that my pussy aches. I can’t even deny it anymore.

  Marco smirks in my direction and takes a seat beside me on the lounger. It looks more like a chaise to me, but it’s definitely a sun lounger. But I wouldn’t expect anything less from a hotel like this one.

  I close my eyes for a second while breathing in the fresh air from up here. I’m really breathing in the scent of this man beside me. God, he smells so good. His aftershave could be deemed an aphrodisiac.

  You’re a horny bitch tonight, Ember. Are you in heat or something?

  “So, we came here to talk. Why don’t we start with what reall
y pushed you to join Dun’s Dungeon?” I hadn’t realized I was looking down until Marco slides his hand to my cheek. My eyes meet his. “What did Toby do to hurt you, Ember?”

  I take a deep breath in through my nose and out through my mouth. I thought it would hurt to talk about, but I don’t feel the stab to the heart that I once did. “Toby and my best friend from birth betrayed me.” I shrug like it’s nothing, but I imagine my face tells a different story.

  “They cheated on you?”

  “Yup. It’s a long and boring story, Marco. You don’t want to hear it.”

  “Yes, I do. You can tell me anything, Ember.”

  I know that I can tell him anything, and perhaps I should have told him about Toby before now. However, I wasn’t ready to talk about him or Lydia. I’m ready now. So, I tell Marco everything right from the beginning, how it all started, and how it ended, and I don’t leave a damn thing out.

  Marco doesn’t pass judgment, he doesn’t say anything; he simply listens to my story. He strokes my back soothingly as I explain why he had to hold me while I sobbed that night in my room. I tell him how Jessie had said that Toby and Lydia are getting married, and how they’re having a baby. I tell Marco how I wasn’t crying because I was in any way, jealous. I was crying because they moved on so quickly it’s as if I never even existed to them.

  “So, there it is, that’s my story.”

  “Wow. Baby, I’m so sorry they did that to you. You didn’t deserve it, especially from the two people who should have loved you more than anything else in this world.”

  “Thank you. Now, why don’t you tell me what happened with your ex?”

  Marco sighs while moving behind me, pulling me between his legs and wrapping his arms around me. I rest my back against his chest and smile to myself when he rests his cheek against my temple.

  “My ex cheated on me a couple of years ago. I thought she loved me as much as I loved her, but it turns out that she loved every other man she came into contact with just as much.”