I move to the bedroom doorway. “Eden, it’s going to be fine. Whatever you end up wearing.”
She smiles wryly as she hangs the dress up and admires it as she puts it into the closet. “I just hate that it’s so last minute. And that Hunter will be there. I need to be put together. I don’t want him thinking I’m still hung up on him.”
“I think it’s pretty obvious you’ve gotten over that loser,” Nick tells her, appearing in the bathroom doorway in his underwear. I’d forgotten he was in there. He missed the green dress, but his salacious gaze shows that he doesn’t care. “I like this look, Eden. I think you should go with it.”
She laughs. “This is just my underwear, Nick.”
“It suits you.”
“Thanks, but I’m pretty sure playing in my underwear will get me nothing but hate from all but the horny teenage male section of my fandom.”
He shrugs. “Just making a suggestion.”
He cups the front of his underwear for a second before gazing at her again longingly while she rifles through her suitcase. The guy literally thinks of nothing but fucking. He’s pitching a tent in those boxer briefs as he admires Eden’s ass from behind.
“Well, make better suggestions,” Eden tells him. “I need something to wear that looks new.”
He glances around. “What about the green dress?”
She shakes her head at him. “It’s silk. I’m going to sweat under the spotlights. I need something that can handle that.”
“You could always wear me,” he says, a slow grin spreading on his face.
“Backstage,” she tells him, her gaze pointed when she lifts her head to look at him.
“Backstage?” I ask, wondering what she’s talking about.
Her face flushes. I know it’s sexual when she has a hard time meeting my eyes. Nick, on the other hand, doesn’t have any problem telling me what’s going on.
“Eden promised she’d be naughty with me tonight,” he says, rubbing at the front of his underwear. “While Hunter’s on stage.”
Her cheeks are crimson now. “It’s a bad idea, I know...”
“I’m a little shocked,” I tell her, thought I’m more shocked at how turned on the thought of it makes me. Getting off on watching her with other guys was one thing. If they did what they were talking about, she’d be risking exposure. “But if it’s going to happen, you’ll need a look out.”
They stare at me, Eden with a stunned expression and Nick with a grin.
I hear Eli’s approach before he comes into the room. He scans each of us curiously with his dark-eyed stare before fixing his gaze on me.
“What’s happening that means we need a look out?”
Eden looks as if she wants the ground to open up and swallow her whole.
“I’m going to fuck Eden backstage after her show.” Nick licks at his lips as if he can barely wait.
“And is Eden okay with this?” Eli raises his eyebrows.
“It was my idea,” she says, after clearing her throat.
As well as I know her, we’ve barely been together five minutes and her odd shy moments during or while talking about sex are curious to me. She knows exactly what she wants in the bedroom, but sometimes she’s embarrassed to admit it.
“Then you have two of us looking out for you.” I make the promise for myself and Eli at the same time.
He nods easily. “You don’t have to worry about a thing, Eden. We’ve got you.”
Nick looks us over. “Oh, you’ve got her, after I do tonight as well. Both of you at the same time. Right, Eden?”
She gapes at him. “Nick!”
“Don’t pretend it wasn’t what you were thinking,” he says, clapping his hands off each other. “If you’ll excuse me, I have things to do.”
Eli moves to let him past, shaking his head as he leaves the room.
Eden’s gazing into Eli’s eyes when I raise my head back to her. She wants both of us. I see her bright eyes are darker and I know she’s turned on by the thought.
“Don’t listen to...” she starts before I cut in.
“I’m game if he is.” I barely felt the words leave my mouth.
Eli turns his curious gaze on me and the dreams where we were partners in Eden’s pleasure flood back through my memories. Things got a little weird with Nick. Our history made it awkward. It should make me hesitant to be with Eden and another guy, but things are different with Eli. He was the one who reached out to me, the first to accept me. It feels like a natural progression.
“We can talk while Eden’s on stage,” Eli tells me. “She needs to get ready. It’s almost six. We have to be their early to set up.”
He leaves the room. Maybe he doesn’t feel the same way I do. I have no doubt I’ll find out soon.
Chapter Fourteen
Eden
I almost break a glass while I’m getting ready for the gig, after finally settling on the outfit I wore to film the video to my new single. I set the glass back down next to the sink, trying to ignore the way my fingers shake as I move my hand away. I’m a trembling mass of nerves, barely held together by one slightly uncomfortable dress and a trusty pair of heels that are choosing now to start rubbing at my toes. I do my make-up carefully, and I only have to start over once. It’s a major achievement on a night like this. I’m probably going to regret the dress, but I want to look incredible. Tonight’s the night I make the comeback of a lifetime. Had I known sooner, or if the suddenness of this whole thing hadn’t thrown me off so badly, I might have tried to get something new from one of the designers I always use in town.
“You look amazing,” Nick compliments me for the tenth time.
He’s been all longing stares and sultry suggestions since I woke up this afternoon. One night away from me and he’s horny as hell. Too bad I haven’t been in a sexy mood. Eli managed to relax me last night, but I spent most of the day checking my play list and figuring out what to wear. Mulling over what I might say to Hunter when I finally saw him came in dead last though maybe I should have given it a bit more of my time.
Trouble is, the past keeps trying to push memories on me every time I try to find the right words. I don’t want to think about how much we meant to each other once, and I don’t want to think about how badly he hurt me either. Unfortunately I can’t seem to figure out what to say without rehashing the whole thing in my head. Even then, I’m being torn between primal instinctive reactions of openly weeping or punching him in the face until he bleeds. Words don’t seem to want to form, and I get mad at myself for still wanting to mourn what we’d had. So I guess he might have a fist or two coming at him tonight.
“Wait,” Nick says. “Amazing isn’t a good enough word for how you look. Too bad our resident thesaurus went home or I might have asked him for a more appropriate alternative.”
I shake my head, feeling the corners of my lips turn up at his reference to Asher. “He might have used ravishing.”
“Hmm. I like the connotations of that,” he says, his hands suddenly resting on my hips. “You really do look ravishing, Eden.”
His persistence is starting to crack through the barrier I’ve been hiding behind all day. His hands on my body help, but I’m fairly certain it’s the little reminder of how comfortable he is with Asher that’s starting to gun my engine now.
“Well, I hope so,” I tell him, trying to cool off the sudden influx of heat that’s building through my core. “It took an hour to get my hair to look like this.”
“Maybe we should tell the limo driver to take his time again tonight.” He grins at my side in the mirror.
A fresh wave of lust sweeps over me at his mention of that long drive. It puts a flush in my cheeks that wasn’t there before. Again, I try to ignore it. “I don’t think there’ll be room for that with Eli and Logan in the car.”
He shrugs, his expression cooling at the mention of Logan’s name. “Logan could always just watch.”
I remember the hot tub, and choosing Logan over him. Suddenl
y, I’m not sure he understands why I did that. Maybe it wasn’t obvious that Logan was struggling with the situation, or maybe Nick still has some negative feelings toward him. I’m not sure which option is worse.
The heat fizzles out of his gaze a little more for every moment I wait to respond to his mildly irritable suggestion. I didn’t get a chance to make that up to him yet, but my plans are in place.
“Nick, the car isn’t an option tonight. You already know what I want.”
His eyes light right back up. “You’re serious about the backstage thing?”
I nod, before slicking my lipstick on. “After the show.”
His gaze burns through mine in the mirror. “While Hunter is on stage. Close enough to see us? Sounds kind of reckless.”
He has no idea. What I’m thinking right now is crazy, but I want it so badly I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop even if it turns out to be risky as hell. Even if someone sees us. Nick will love me forever for this, which makes the temptation irresistible.
Bad Goddess, Eden. You’re going to get caught.
I kind of don’t care.
Chapter Fifteen
Logan
Hunter’s already here. I see his car on the way in and Eden does too. She acts as if she doesn’t care, but I can see the pain in her eyes. What he did hurt her deeply. To make it worse, he tried to shrug off his indiscretions and make Eden think she was crazy for thinking he could have cheated. When she presented him the proof, he laughed. None of that is remotely forgivable.
I want to get in there and smash his face into a wall, but I know this tour is important to Eden. I don’t want to ruin it for her before it can even get started. Restraint is going to have to be my best friend tonight. Walking her inside, we let the venue staff carry her kit from the car to the stage. The curtains are drawn right now, and the stage is clear. I can hear instruments being tested down the hall, where the dressing rooms are located. Laughter and talking echo along the hallway.
Eden grimaces as we’re led to the dressing room that’s been marked for her use.
It’s thankfully situated in front of the others, so we don’t have to walk past them. The girl who showed us to the room walks away as I turn the handle and step inside. I flip the lights as Eden walks in behind me. We both stop dead as Hunter smiles at us from the plush sofa in front of us.
“Should have known you’d be the first one in,” he tells me, glancing me over before his gaze drifts to Eden. “We need to talk, sweetheart. Alone.”
Eden’s frown deepens as she tells him to get out. “Leave, Hunter. You have no right to be here.”
He gets up. “I need to speak to you.”
“And I need you to go away.”
“You heard her,” I reinforce Eden’s sentiment, ready to use force.
I glance Eli’s way and he nods. We discussed this already. If Hunter’s being an asshole, we’ll deal with him while Nick leads Eden out of harm’s way. Nick’s still in the doorway since we barely set foot in the room so far, but he doesn’t like this any more than the rest of us.
Hunter’s smile disappears immediately.
“I can’t,” he insists, moving closer to her. “She needs to hear me out.”
I glance at Eden. She sighs and puts her hand over his, clearly not wanting to touch, but feeling compelled to anyhow. I see the glow of her light as she locks gazes with him, grimace firmly in place.
“So tell me, and go.”
His face seems to slacken before he starts to speak. “I never wanted you.”
She raises her eyebrows at the confession. “Um, what?”
“I mean, I’d thought about fucking you. Who hasn’t? But I didn’t want a whole thing. Then suddenly we became a thing. And I hated it. But every time I tried to break it off, I couldn’t. It was like you’d cast some kind of fucked up spell on me. Then you found out I’d been screwing around. It wasn’t much of a secret, sweetheart. But you were so trusting. You couldn’t believe someone who said he loved you could be a liar.”
Eden gasps, shaking as she lets go of him.
He frowns and shakes his head as he looks at her. “What the hell was that?”
“What just happened?” I ask as she moves over to the couch.
“I need to get the fuck out of here. Don’t come near me ever again.” Hunter leaves.
“Get lost you loser,” Nick mutters, giving him a shove as he passes and closing the door with a bang behind him. Eden’s staring into space as we surround her on the couch, her eyes big and watery.
“Eden, what was that?” I keep my tone steady, but she’s starting to really worry me.
“That,” she says, her voice trembling, “was finding out six years of my life were a lie.”
Chapter Sixteen
Eden
Hunter’s confession rattled me to the core. Finding out he’d cheated was one thing. Finding out he’d never cared about me at all was something else entirely. My Goddess light seared through him and found no hint of emotion. He was a stone-cold psychopath. A charmer without any feeling for anyone other than himself. And I’d wasted six years of my life being his.
I feel sick to my stomach. A dark forces Goddess forced him to be with me. Someone who knew my potential and decided forcing a loveless relationship on me would be the best way to screw up my chances of ever coming into power. It’s so fucked up.
“Are you okay?” The concern in Eli’s gaze makes me tear up.
I shake my head, trying to swallow the lump in my throat so I can tell them what’s wrong. They don’t understand. They didn’t see what I saw. They just think my ex said some mean things to me.
“I don’t think you should go on stage tonight.” Logan sounds worried, and his jaw clenches hard when he finishes talking. He’s getting too worked up about this.
I take a slow, deep breath. “I’ll be fine. It’s just a lot to process.”
“What did you see?” Nick asks.
“Hunter was used by a dark forces Goddess.” I don’t really need to say more than that for them to know why it upset me.
“Oh, Eden.” Nick slips onto the seat beside me and holds me.
“How is that possible?” Eli mutters, not really expecting an answer. He shakes his head. “I’m so sorry, Eden.”
“I wish I’d knocked him out the first time you met him,” Logan practically growls.
I love these men so much. I reach out to Logan and my light rushes through him, taking the tension from his body to calm him down. He’s been on edge since we found out Hunter was going to be here tonight. I’d expected a confrontation that might turn ugly. I hadn’t expected a shot to the heart.
I don’t have feelings for him now, but I would never deny I loved him while we were together. Finding out that was one-sided hurts more than I could have ever imagined. What he did to tear us apart was awful enough. This is so much worse.
Add in the fact that our relationship was engineered entirely by a goddess and my anger is officially stirred. I have to find out who she is. It’s about time she became mortal.
“We’re going to find the bitch who did this,” I tell them. “But right now I need to get ready to perform. I want to blow that crowd away tonight. This is the moment I tell the world I’m back.”
Chapter Seventeen
Nick
Eden is still hurting when she takes to the stage, but she’s strong and she projects that confident rock star vibe as she strides toward the microphone. The crowd are cheering rapturously before she greets them, and they go wild as the first bars of one of her all time bestselling songs play out.
I watch from the wings. Eli joins me every few songs for a minute or two. Logan, less often. They’re both taking acting as Eden’s security seriously. I check my watch routinely while this is going on. I’ve already scoped out the perfect place to give Eden the thrill she wants after her show. Logan and Eli will make sure we’re not disturbed.
There’s surprisingly little activity back here. I doubt they’ll n
eed to do much. I could probably plan more than a quickie. I decide on a test run once Eli leaves my side. Freeing my cock from my jeans takes seconds. I’ve been rock-hard all fucking day and this isn’t the first time I’ve touched myself. It’s only the first time I might get caught by someone else.
Funny how the thrill of that thought makes my dick twitch in my hand. I watch Eden bare her soul to the crowd, her voice glorious. The dress is hot as fuck, of course. It’s short enough that whenever she moves a certain way I can see the enticing swell of her ass. She looks naked under the dress.
I think about how I’m going to fuck her. I’m standing behind a table that I’ve already cleared for use. I could bend her over it or lay her down. I like the idea of both, but bending her over would mean getting a look at her full ass while I’m slamming into her. It would mean she’d be facing the stage. Where Hunter could turn and see her euphoria as she comes for me. Yes, I want her that way.
I use a napkin that was on the table to clean up the mess when I come. I shove my dick back into my jeans and check the time. A few minutes until Eli’s due to come back. Of course, I won’t be that fast with Eden. I might have been if I hadn’t been easing the ache all day on my own.
Eli comes back as Eden moves on to one of the final songs of her set.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
He nods. “Nothing out of the ordinary.”
Good. The last thing we need is a threat to Eden’s safety.
“I’ll need at least twenty minutes once her band leave.”
“You think it’s a good idea?” Eli asks as he gazes out at her.
“She has a wild side, Eli. This is what it looks like.”
“I just mean, considering what happened with Hunter tonight.”
Shit. He’s right. Eden had been really upset. Maybe she’s changed her mind about the whole backstage idea. It might have felt like revenge to screw back here while he’s on stage before she found out he never cared about her at all. Now? I have no clue how it would feel to her.
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