The Ending I Want

by Samantha Towle

  His eyes move down to look at me. When I say look, it’s more of a glare. He doesn’t look happy.

  “What’s the matter with you?” I say in an overly high-pitched voice to try to make him smile.

  He doesn’t smile. But he does speak, “No grabbing Jake Wethers when he comes onstage or later when you meet him, Boston. I mean it.” His tone is really off. He sounds like he’s angry with me.

  I feel a little uncomfortable because I’m not exactly sure why he’s being so off with me. But I cover my discomfort with a laugh and say, “Not even a little grab?”

  “No, not even a fucking little grab, Taylor.”

  Wow, he first-named me. Must be serious.

  But I don’t let his pissy attitude deter me. So, I keep on with winding him up to help me get to the source of his stinky attitude.

  “You worried I’m gonna get arrested, Hunter? Because I’m thinking that might be a lot of fun. Handcuffed and thrown in a cell…mmm, yeah, that sounds really hot. I could add, Go to jail, to my list. I think I’d look good in one of those orange jumpsuits.” I give him a part-teasing, part-sexy grin with the hope that he lightens the fuck up.

  He frowns, his eyes crinkling up at the corners.

  Okay, so that didn’t work.

  I definitely thought the handcuffs and jumpsuit would at least get me a smile.

  I really don’t like Moody Liam.

  “I’m not worried about you getting arrested,” he says in that low and pissy voice he seems to have adopted.

  Okay, Mr. Grumpy Pants. Fuck you very much.

  I turn my face back to the front.

  Anger is gathering in my chest because he’s being a dick. Well, whatever has crawled up his ass can just stay there because he’s not spoiling my night or my ogling of Jake Wethers.

  Then, it hits me.

  And I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face.

  I turn in his arms, so I’m facing him. His hands slide away from my hips.

  I press my hands to his chest and stare up at his face. “Liam Hunter, are you jealous right now?”

  His brows draw together so hard that I’m surprised he isn’t straining the muscles in his forehead.

  “I’m not jealous. I just don’t share,” he grumbles that last sentence.

  “Ha!” I laugh. “You are so jealous!”

  He stares me in the eyes. “Fuck off.”

  That makes me laugh harder.

  “Aw, Hunter.” I reach up and pat his cheek with my hand. “You’ve got nothing to be jealous of.” I remember him saying something similar to me when I got all bent out of shape over Megan.

  Got to say though, it feels good to be on the other side of the jealousy. Though I never pegged Liam Hunter for the jealous type. But then again, I never had myself down for the jealous kind either—until I met him.

  I’m not sure what that says about my feelings for him. Honestly, I’m not going to think too hard about it because it could be a rabbit hole I don’t want to venture down.

  “I’m pretty sure Jake Wethers wouldn’t ever be interested in sharing me, so you needn’t worry.”

  His frown reaches epic depths, and his eyes darken infinitely.

  There’s a definite pause, and I shift a little with unease ’cause I’m fairly sure I just said something wrong. I’m just not sure what it was.

  Then, he says in a low and deadly tone, “And if he were interested?”

  I give him a look. “Come on, Hunter, this is Jake Wethers we’re talking about. Who would turn him down? I bet even you wouldn’t say no.”

  “I might like ass”—he mimics my American accent on the ass part—“but I like my ass to be a few inches from the pussy.”

  That makes me laugh.

  And the woman next to me turns her head in our direction, clearly hearing what he said.

  I pretend not to notice, and I just focus on Liam. “Hunter, you’re being ridiculous about this. For starters, I wouldn’t even be on Jake Wethers’s radar.”

  “But just to be on Jake’s radar or on anything or any part of his body would be amazing,” the woman next to me says with a sigh in her voice.

  Yep, she’s clearly been listening in on our conversation. After the ass and pussy comment from Liam, who can blame her?

  I glance at her over my shoulder. “Amen to that, sister.”

  I lift my hand to her, and she high-fives me.

  I’m laughing when I look back to Liam. My laughter quickly disappears because of the expression on his face. He’s über pissed. His eyes are like lasers, burning me to a crisp.

  He flicks an angry glare in the direction of my high-five sister, and she promptly faces back front.

  I kind of want to turn around and face the front now, so I don’t have to deal with Moody Bastard Hunter.

  I swear, I’m going to kick him in the nuts if he doesn’t chill out. He’s kind of dousing my rock concert high.

  He leans his face close to mine, leaving a whisper of space between us. “Boston, you would definitely be on Jake Wethers’s radar,” he says, his breath gusting over my lips.

  Even though he’s annoying me, he’s being all alpha, and it’s kind of a turn-on. Okay, it’s a massive turn-on.

  “You’d be on all men’s radars,” he continues. “The only ones whose radars you wouldn’t be on are the ones who like cock with their ass. I’m almost positive that Jake Wethers likes pussy. And he’s a rock star. Rock stars like to fuck hot groupies.”

  I reach up and slide my fingers into his thick hair, winding it around my fingers, holding his face in place. “I’m not a groupie, you idiot. And do you know nothing? Jake Wethers is happily married to his childhood sweetheart, and they have, like, a hundred kids together.”

  I might know a thing or two…or, like, pretty much everything about The Mighty Storm. I’m a fan of theirs, if you hadn’t guessed.

  I lift my mouth to his and softly kiss him. “You’re acting out for no reason,” I say against his mouth.

  Liam’s response is not with words.

  His hands come up into my hair, gripping it tightly, and he answers me with his lips and his very skilled tongue. He kisses me hard, demanding, leaving me boneless and breathless.

  Suddenly, he releases me. The look in his eyes instantly makes me want to get out of here and find a dark corner where I can do all kinds of dirty things to him.

  His eyes are filled with desire and fixed on me. My skin feels feverish, and my nipples are hard. And I’m almost certain that my panties are soaking wet, too.

  His hand slips from my hair and goes down my back. He possessively grabs my ass, pulling me closer to him.

  Suddenly, the lights in the stadium go out and plunge us in total darkness, taking Liam from my sight.

  Screams and cheers erupt around us. It’s sheer excitement. I can practically taste it in the air, feel it brushing over my skin.

  I know this means the band is coming on.

  My own level of excitement is at an all-time high right now.

  But it’s not because of the reason I thought it would be. It’s not because The Mighty Storm is about to appear any minute now.

  It’s because of this man pressed up against me, holding me like I belong to him. Being here in the pitch-dark with Liam, surrounded by all these people, where we could do anything we wanted and no one would be able to see—it’s a major turn-on. It’s intoxicating.

  He’s intoxicating.

  All I can feel…smell…taste is him.

  I want him.

  I slide my hand down between us and cup him through his jeans. He’s hard as a rock.

  I feel his chest jump on a breath. Then, he grabs my hand on his cock and pushes himself against it.

  He brings his mouth down to my ear. His lips brush over my skin as he speaks, making my toes curl, “When I get you home later tonight, I’m going to fuck you for days. Fuck you so hard and thorough that you’ll feel me weeks later. That’ll be your punishment for making me feel jealous
. Because I don’t like to feel jealous, Taylor.”

  A shiver runs down my spine and quickly spreads throughout my body.

  Jesus…he calls fucking me for days punishment?

  I call it a reward. Or a gift. Like probably the best gift ever.

  Maybe I should make him jealous more often if it elicits this kind of a response.

  Strobe lights in the stadium suddenly come on.

  Liam’s eyes are on mine, staring intently with meaning.

  It’s like nothing else around us matters.

  It’s just him and me.

  I’m transfixed on his gaze.

  My eyes flicker down to his mouth, and I’m suddenly feeling parched.

  My heart starts to race, and I have this intense feeling that I’m very much out of my depth with Liam.

  His eyes move past me and then immediately return. He leans in close again and says, “I meant what I said, Boston. Fucking for days,” he enunciates the last three words.

  And, I swear, I almost come.

  “Now, turn the fuck around and watch the show. Sooner it’s over with, sooner I can get you home and make good on my promise.”

  I seriously don’t think I can move my legs. They feel like Jell-O, but I force myself to turn and face the front.

  Honestly, I’m just confused and jittery and all over the place, but I’m massively turned on. I’ve never needed to orgasm as much as I do now.

  I don’t know what to do with myself.

  Liam’s hands go back to my hips. His fingers hook through my belt loops, and he yanks me back against his body.

  His hold is possessive. And I like it.

  His hips are nestled nicely against the top of my ass. He’s still as hard as stone, and having his erection pressed up against me is doing nothing to help the itch I need to scratch.

  For a moment, I just wish the lights would go out again, so I could put Liam’s hand to good use.

  The strobe lights stop, and the huge screens onstage illuminate The Mighty Storm logo.

  Elation unfurls in my stomach, and I’m instantly right back to being excited to hear the band play.

  I feel like a fucking yo-yo, going up and down, not exactly sure where I’m at emotionally or physically.

  The crowd around us erupts in screams, and then I see that The Mighty Storm is starting to walk onstage.

  Jake is coming!

  God, I wish I were.

  Denny is first out onstage. He climbs up behind his drum kit, which is set up at the back of the stage on a little stage of its own, putting him higher than the rest of the band.

  Next, Tom appears, his bass guitar already strapped to his chest. The screams get louder. He looks even bigger and seriously hotter in real life than he looks on TV or in photos.

  Smith, the guitarist who replaced the late, great Jonny Creed, comes out onstage.

  When Jonny Creed died, I cried for a week straight, like the rest of the world did. I only wish I’d had a chance to see them live when Jonny was still alive.

  But Smith looks cool as hell, and he’s easy on the eyes.

  It seems like forever, but then Jake Wethers walks out onstage, and the stadium goes mental.

  My heart stops beating for a few seconds.

  I watch, transfixed, as Jake walks straight up to the microphone.

  Holy crap, he’s like fifteen feet away from me.

  Please don’t let me faint. Please don’t let me faint.

  His eyes sweep over the crowd. He doesn’t say anything. But then he doesn’t have to because he’s Jake fucking Wethers.

  The guy could stand there all night and not say a word, and people would still walk out of this place, saying how awesome he is. He just has presence and charisma and charm and that likeability factor about him. Also, he breathes sexuality, which definitely helps.

  Exactly like Liam does.

  Guess I have a thing for the alpha men.

  I press my back into Liam, feeling he’s still hard against my butt. A secret smile sneaks onto my lips.

  I reach back and wrap my arms around him. I glance up. His eyes are smiling down at me.

  Yay, Happy Liam is back.

  I smile at him. He sweetly kisses my forehead.

  My heart squeezes with affection and happiness.

  I move my face and eyes back to the stage at the exact moment Jake curls his hand around the microphone and leans in close to it.

  Then, he starts singing the intro to their latest hit song in a cappella.

  A few beats later, the rest of the band joins in.

  And here, in Liam’s safe hold, I float off to TMS heaven.

  My hand is firmly in Liam’s as he leads me backstage to meet The Mighty Storm.

  Still on a high from the phenomenal concert, I’m close to peeing at the thought of actually meeting the band.

  I really hope I don’t act like a total freak.

  The concert was amazing and everything I’d hoped a rock concert would be. I get to tick that off my list now. And I can add meet The Mighty Storm and tick that off, too.

  And all because of Liam. He truly is the best.

  Liam shows our backstage passes to a burly security guy who is guarding the entrance. He lets us through, and then we’re backstage.

  It’s total mayhem back here. I’m guessing the people bustling about are the roadies working to pack up all the stuff.

  “The band should be in the green room, so we’ll head there,” Liam tells me.

  Leaving the backstage area, we walk down a long hallway until we find the green room.

  I can hear music and the chatter of voices behind the door.

  “Ready?” Liam stares down at me.

  “No. Yes.”

  “Which is it?” He chuckles.

  “Just don’t let me act like an idiot. I have a tendency to ramble and go a little crazy when I’m nervous.”

  A grin slides onto his lips. “Like kissing strangers who sit next to you on airplanes?”

  “Exactly like that.”

  His eyes darken a little, but the smile remains. “Yeah, well, no kissing anybody in there but me. Got it?”

  “Got it.” I smile, giving him a thumbs-up, appeasing him.

  I don’t want Moody, Jealous Liam to make a comeback. Not that I’m going to be kissing anyone in there.

  But…if Jake Wethers did ask for a kiss, who would I be to say no?

  Just kidding.

  Sort of.

  Liam pushes open the door, leading me into the green room, and—

  Holy fuck.

  They’re here. The Mighty Storm is here. In this room. With me.

  Oh my God!

  There are other people here, but I can’t see anyone else because all I can see is Jake and Tom and Denny and Smith.

  I think I actually just peed a little.

  Jake looks over at us and smiles.

  Holy shit. Jake is smiling at me!

  Okay, so it’s not exactly me he’s smiling at. It’s Liam. But whatever. He is smiling in my vicinity, and that’s good enough for me.

  Jake starts to walk toward us.

  Shit. He’s coming over here. Holy fuck!

  Okay, calm. Be calm. And cool.

  Don’t act like a tool, Taylor. Act…normal.

  “Hey,” Jake says to Liam. “Liam Hunter, right?”

  “And you’re Jake Wethers.”

  “The one and only.” Jake chuckles, putting his hand out to shake Liam’s. “It’s good to finally meet you, man.”

  Liam takes his hand and shakes it.

  Hang on…Jake is saying it’s good to finally meet Liam? Um, not that Liam’s not awesome because he is, but—and this is a big but—this is Jake Wethers we’re talking about here.

  “Jake, this is Taylor Shaw. Big fan of yours.”

  I hear the tone in his voice on that last part, but I refrain from looking at him.

  Jake smiles at me. “Hey,” he says.

  Oh my God. He’s talking to me. What am I suppos
ed to do?

  Speak, you freaking dummy.

  Liam gives my arm a nudge, and I come to, realizing that I’m just staring at Jake with my mouth open, like a total basket case. I wouldn’t be surprised if drool was on the corner of my mouth at well.

  “Hi.” I smile at Jake. Then, I lift my hand and wave at him.

  I waved at Jake Wethers.

  Why, God? Why?

  Jake chuckles. “Big fan, huh?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “What did you think about the show?” Jakes asks me.

  “It was really great.” I start enthusiastically nodding my head. “Like, amazing. Best concert I’ve ever been to. Actually, it is the first concert I have ever been to. But I have no doubt that, if I had been to other concerts, this one would have been the best—ever. Like, really. I’m positive. It was just amazing. Really.”

  Oh God. Stop talking. Please stop talking.

  I bite my lip to stop the verbal diarrhea. And I know my face is bright red because it feels like I just stuck it in a furnace.

  Jake chuckles again. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

  “Jake,” Liam says, “I just wanted to thank you again for meeting with the kids. They were seriously excited about it.”

  Kids?

  I glance around and see that some of the people are actually little people—well, not little people, but kids. Maybe twelve or thirteen years old. They’re all sitting with the rest of the band, talking with them.

  “No problem. Like I said on the phone, anything to do with charity, I’m in. And the kids are great. I did want to talk to you about donating some money,” Jake says.

  Charity?

  “That would be great,” Liam tells him, happiness clear in his voice.

  “Charity?” I say to Liam, looking up at him.

  For the first time ever, I see a blush in his cheeks.

  He lifts a shoulder in a half-shrug and says, “A while back, I set up a charity for children from underprivileged families and children in foster care. Basically, any kid who needs help, we get them what they’re lacking—clothes, shoes, food, school supplies, anything to try to give them a better chance in life. We also fund education and sports programs, and we organize outings for the kids every once in a while. This is one of the outings. The kids got to come watch The Mighty Storm from the comfort of my company’s box, and then Jake and the guys were kind enough to agree to meet them—after I’d called up Jake and begged him.”