Slow Burn (Feverish #4)

by Jade C. Jamison

  A couple of weeks after her coffee meeting with Brian, Sophie had been trying to let it all go. Brian had found a way into her heart, but they obviously weren’t meant to be. That was okay, though, because she knew there had to be someone out there for her. And she was trying to practice letting go, just like Brian had encouraged her to do—but it was hard.

  And when Mark, Last Five Seconds’ manager, had given her a call, she answered. “Long time, no see.” God. Even that sounded weird coming from her lips—but she was trying.

  “I’m hoping to change that, doll.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He proceeded to tell her that the band wanted to offer her two tickets to the show they’d be performing…in Paris. To be sure, Sophie clarified that he meant in France. Fortunately, she already had a passport, hoping to get some sweet international modeling gigs in the future. Mark said the band wanted to thank her for her work in their video that had just surpassed a million views on YouTube—and when he added all expenses paid, meaning the flight and accommodations, she said yes without even considering anything else.

  And she talked Rory into coming along with her.

  Now they were amongst a throng of people watching the concert. Mark had mentioned getting together after the show with the band, but she’d already decided against it. Seeing Brian again would be like opening a wound—but it had been hard enough watching him perform. The man was sexy as hell, his tattoos displayed like living art, his energy spreading across the stage like wildfire.

  This was it, though. Even though she’d started to like some of their music, she had to promise herself to never listen again, never watch another video. Maybe twenty years from now, hoping by then she would have found the love of her life, she could look back on this time with fondness, but today it was too fresh, too painful wondering what might have been.

  The band had been playing for close to an hour, and they’d maintained their energy. She was impressed, because they were doing the equivalent of what she often did in cardio—but they were doing it with people watching. Not only was Sam—or Devil, as the fans called him—all over the stage, but both Jet and Brian were all over the place, too. And even the drummer was fun to watch.

  Sophie hadn’t attended many concerts, so she hadn’t known what to expect. When she’d been at the LFS concert in Jersey last spring, she’d been on her phone, mostly reading and ignoring the band. This time, she was rapt.

  Sam disappeared while Jet wowed the hell out of the crowd with a long solo. Dane was keeping rhythm with the drums and even Sophie found herself holding her breath. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when the crowd started screaming again, apparently recognizing the riff he was playing—and then Sam jumped back onstage, this time with a guitar, and the band played another song. Then, after another, Dane had a long, impressive drum solo. The entire platform holding him and his set of drums slid to the front of the stage so the audience could get a better view of what he was doing.

  The rest of the band disappeared again—but Silver, Dane’s stage name, kept the attention of the audience, and they oohed and aahed at various techniques, making them temporarily forget there were other men in the band. After five or ten minutes, the other guys came running back on the stage again.

  Sophie was impressed with all the thought and planning that had been put into this show—and she was pretty sure this was far more elaborate than what they’d done back in Jersey. At this point, all four men were all beginning to look sweaty, an oath to the work they were putting in, but then they played a ballad to slow things down a bit. Sophie would swear it was a love song, but she couldn’t understand all the words. Afterward, they followed it up with an even heavier song—and then it was apparently Brian’s turn to do a solo. The crowd was so loud that she could barely hear the low tones of his bass—and then he approached a microphone.

  “Hey, guys,” he said, sustaining the note he’d just played—and, once again, the crowd responded with screams and yells. Sophie even heard a woman in the distance yelling, I love you, Brian!

  Sophie was sure he didn’t hear it, and she tried not to think exactly what that woman had said. This hurt. Rory, thankfully, hadn’t been paying much attention to her except for the times he would compare the guys onstage to Allen. At least one of them had found the love of their life. Rory had spent the entire trip telling Sophie he was probably going to be moving in with the man soon.

  So she’d lost a love interest and was getting ready to lose her best friend. Now, watching Brian under the spotlight, she was on the verge of tears. He began strumming, creating a tune, before looking up at the audience again. “I’m not feeling it tonight, guys.” A collective aw filled the space, but Brian kept talking. “I know some of you can’t understand what I’m saying. I don’t know French, man. Sorry about that. But some of you understand—and there might be someone in particular out there I’m hoping to address.

  “Sophie, baby, if you’re out there…I want to give you and me a real go.” Upon hearing her name, Sophie held her breath and stood on her tiptoes. Brian kept talking, looking over the ocean of people as if trying to find her face. “Until you, I didn’t know I had a big piece missing—and now that you’re gone, I feel it. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve loved other women, but not like you…and I’ve never felt complete. You…you make me whole. And now that I see that you’re the missing piece, I’ll always feel like half a man without you.” Even if the audience hadn’t started giving Brian a big awwww, Sophie would have felt like melted butter. It was harder to see him now because her eyes were filled with tears, and she realized Rory’s hands were clasping hers. “You’re right. I don’t always take things seriously—but I’m dead serious about this. If you feel the same way, give me a chance to make you the happiest woman in the world.”

  “What are you waiting for, girl?”

  Sophie was tempted to run up to the stage and wrap her arms and legs around that man, but what if this was his long game? She’d embarrassed him publicly in her fashion world. Now they were in his world, surrounded by his fans—meaning if he’d wanted to shame her, this would be the perfect place. But would he go to the trouble of—

  “Soph, I’ll go with you, but you gotta do this!”

  He was right. She did. If this was another game, then she’d just chalk it up to more publicity—but if this was real, she needed to embrace it all now.

  But she couldn’t get her feet to move.

  Rory, his hands still around hers, said, “I can go with you.”

  Sophie nodded, and soon they were making their way down to the main floor. Mark had offered her tickets where they’d be closer to the stage with the caveat that they’d probably get pulled into the mosh. Because she’d declined, he instead got her tickets in the seated area—and they were close, but not that close.

  They had a little stepping past audience members and down a few steps to get near the metal barrier where several guards stood.

  Meanwhile, Brian was still speaking into the mic. “Anyway, you guys are dyin’ to hear me play, so let’s get to it. Thanks for indulging me.” As Brian started strumming his bass, the crowd went wild again, more than happy to listen to what he had cooked up.

  Sophie approached one of the burly guards and said, “Excuse me, sir!” She had to shout over the loud sounds flooding through the amps, but she caught his attention.

  Every once in a while, having a pretty face paid off.

  “I’m Sophie, the woman he was talking to.”

  The guard looked puzzled but said in a heavy French accent, “Wait here.”

  When she glanced at Rory, he said, “Maybe you’re not so famous.”

  She gave him half a grin and shook her head. “I’m ready to just jump over this stupid thing. What are they gonna do? Shoot me?”

  “Nowadays, anything’s possible. But, if you want, I can boost you over this stupid thing.”

  Looking both ways, Sophie decided that, if she was going to do that, it was now
or never. The guard who’d been standing here had disappeared somewhere backstage and the other guards were farther away. The two closest to her were preoccupied with rowdy fans. “Let’s do it.” Never before had Sophie been glad to have worn more “practical” shoes. Wanting to blend in with the metal crowd, she’d purchased black combat boots that were surprisingly heavy but made her feel invulnerable. Rory linked his hands together, forming a step for her foot, and she placed one boot in it before hoisting her other leg over the metal barrier. Then Rory lifted her up and, even though she nearly crashed into the side of the stage, she managed to steady herself, landing on first one foot and then another.

  Unfortunately, one of the guards noticed her then. “You can’t be back here!” This guy had an American accent.

  She wanted to yell Stop me! Instead, she grabbed onto the stage and pulled herself up. Never before had she been so glad she lifted weights on a regular basis. She’d always thought all it did was keep her arms looking slender, but maybe she was stronger than she gave herself credit for. “Brian!” she shouted, knowing he probably couldn’t hear her. As she got one knee up on the stage, the guard reached her, grabbed her leg, and started pulling her down. Meanwhile, the crowd was losing their minds—and Sophie didn’t know if it was due to her antics or because of Brian’s musical prowess.

  “I’m Sophie!” she yelled, trying to wriggle one leg free while considering kicking with the other, but by then, another guard had her other leg.

  Great. She was going to be arrested in France and probably deported, never allowed to set foot in this country again.

  Just as they got her to the ground, though, she looked up to see Brian at the foot of the stage near one of the smaller amps. “Dudes, stop. This is my girl. Let her up here.” Sophie felt her heart swell as Brian stuck out his hand. “Help her up, goddammit!”

  They did as instructed. After shoving his bass to the side, Brian pulled her into his arms and kissed her with passion and undying love. The crowd was roaring again as Brian’s lips parted from hers so he could gaze into her eyes. “Goddamn. I love you.”

  Breathless, Sophie blinked a few times. Finally, she nodded. “I love you, too.”

  Taking her hand in his, he walked to the nearest mic stand. “This is my girl, Sophie, guys. Say hi!”

  The crowd roared again, and Sophie wondered how many people out there actually understood what Brian was saying. Enough, it seemed. “My roommate Rory is down there,” she said in Brian’s ear. “Can he come up here, too?”

  “Why the fuck not?” Brian walked over to the edge of the stage, motioning one of the guards over. Soon, Rory was also onstage—and he was giddy as hell. He’d colored his hair blue for the trip and worn an outfit that matched. The man was comfortable onstage, but the energy here was frenetic, out of control, and worse after the stunt they’d just pulled.

  Clay as Jet arrived onstage and gave Brian a comical look. The bassist merely shrugged and pulled Sophie into another embrace. But he said into the microphone, “I didn’t do my solo, dude. I got a little…distracted.”

  Clay gave him a chin nod and then grinned at the audience, heading towards the microphone in the middle of the stage. “How would you guys feel about another guitar solo? Would that make up for my lame-ass friend here?” The audience let him know in no uncertain terms that they would love to watch him perform. “I guess we’ll let him slide. It’s not every day you fall in love and profess it in front of a huge crowd.”

  Rory started giggling from his side of the stage and pulled out his phone, starting to record as Jet began running his fingers all over the strings.

  And Brian kissed his girl again. As Sophie drowned in his arms, she wondered if he’d chosen Paris, the City of Love, on purpose for his announcement. It would make a hell of a story to tell their kids someday.

  Epilogue

  Sophie gazed out of the sliding glass door at the snow-covered mountain as more flakes fell from the gray clouds overhead.

  This whole month has been like a dream. At times like this, she considered pinching herself, because it all seemed too good to be true.

  When she heard the click of the door as it opened, she turned around to see Brian. With a huge grin on his face, he walked across the hotel room to where she stood, holding a small paper cup toward her. “As you requested, madame. One sugar-free mocha latte with low-fat milk.”

  “Thanks, honey.”

  “Anything for my woman. But, once in a while, I wish I could talk you into something a little more decadent. I mean, if you’re gonna drink a latte, it should taste a little naughty.” He took a sip of the larger cup he held.

  “You are the only naughty thing I allow myself to indulge in.”

  “Yeah, well, life’s too short, babe.” After she took a sip of her drink, Brian asked, “Well, how is it?”

  “It’s good.”

  But, already, Brian could read her pretty well and, between the lines, she was saying it was good enough. “Wanna take a sip of mine?”

  “Sure.” When he handed her his cup, she brought it to her lips, slowly tilting it so that just a few drops of the sweet beverage touched her tongue. It was frothy, extremely sweet, fully fatty…and more delicious that it had a right to be. “Mmm.”

  “Tell you what. You want more?” Stroking her cheek with his finger, he said, “I’ll help you burn off any extra calories you take in. Just say the word.”

  She couldn’t help the smile that spread over her face. “I thought that was the whole idea of this trip. Skiing all day should help me burn a ton of calories.”

  “Yeah, but,” he said, taking both of their cups and placing them on the small table by the sliding door, “I want to make sure you’re warmed up so you don’t pull a muscle or anything.”

  “Oh, you are naughty.”

  “You know it, babe. Just the way you like me.”

  He had that right.

  * * *

  As they walked out of the elevator onto the second floor, Brian said, “Me and the guys try to come up here at least once every season, and we always stay in this hotel. It’s a pretty nice resort.”

  “Yes, it seems to be.” So far, Sophie loved every square inch of Vail, a beautiful snowy village in a small valley surrounded by steep mountains.

  “The restaurant here is really good—and one plus is we don’t get stared at a lot here.”

  “Maybe because you wear a coat around here all the time—so you’re covering all your tattoos.”

  “Maybe.” They rounded the corner, giving Sophie a great view of the mountainside again, but there were giant floor-to-ceiling windows lining the hallway, so she was also able to see the outdoor pool below. It was covered now, but Sophie imagined it was breathtaking in the summer. After breakfast, they would be sliding down those peaks in the distance, having lots of fun. Sophie had only ever gone skiing once before in her life when she’d been a teenager, so she’d already told Brian she needed to get some lessons before she tackled any slopes. Of course, he was delighted to pay for anything her heart desired.

  Money or not, she would’ve loved him anyway. His fortune was just a bonus. Besides, nowadays, she had plenty of her own, and she loved that she didn’t feel like she had to rely on him. That made the relationship all the better. She was with him purely for love, nothing more.

  Just ahead, Sophie spied three couples, and she knew who they were. Well, at least she knew the band members and Emily. She figured out the other two women by default and only by name, because this was the first time she’d be meeting them.

  As they approached, Clay said, “I get it. Now that you have a woman in your life, you’re going to be the late one.”

  “We’re not late. We’re right on time.”

  Sophie had made sure of that. Both of the other women smiled at her, and she nodded back. The younger of the two looked to be in her early twenties, younger than most of them, but she seemed completely at ease in the group. The older of the two unknown women had her dark hair in
a bun and, as Sophie got closer, extended her hand. “Hi, I’m Charlie. So nice to finally meet you. Brian needs somebody in his life to keep him on the straight and narrow.”

  “Hey. I get enough lip from Clay and Dane. I don’t need any shit from you.”

  Charlie grinned and let go of Sophie’s hand. Then Sophie turned to the younger woman whose light brown hair was up in a ponytail, emphasizing her youthful face. “Hi, I’m Grace.” Then she embraced Sophie. A year ago, the model would have bristled at this sort of unsolicited affection, but now she was grateful for it. She hugged the young woman back, happy to be surrounded by so many welcoming people.

  Sam said, “What say we all go inside now?”

  “Yeah, I’m starving,” Clay said.

  Everyone followed Sam’s lead into the restaurant, and after Sophie took in the elegant, classy feel of the place, she then marveled that the way it was designed allowed her to continue to catch a glimpse of the mountain. Even though there was a half-wall dividing the restaurant from the hotel hallway, it wasn’t enough to impede their view of the outdoors through the big windows. Once they sat down, Sophie stole another glance, enjoying watching the snow fall slowly but steadily.

  Leaning her head toward Brian, she asked softly, “Can you ski while it’s snowing?”

  “Hell, yes. And we’re going to. As long as you can see, you can ski.”

  She grinned and then took the menu the waiter offered. Already, Sophie felt loved and excited, because she was surrounded by people who felt like…family. It was a hard admission to make to herself, but it was true. While she loved her blood family back home in Kansas, they didn’t really understand her and probably never would completely—but she suspected that these people would get her like Brian. They were his family, after all, meaning they were also hers. And so, even though in the past Sophie had often felt awkward when first meeting people, she was hopeful that this would continue to feel easy and enjoyable.