Imperfect Harmony (House of Archer #1)

by Raine Thomas

  But first they had to make their way through the press walk, as Lily thought of it. When she agreed to ride the bus, she hadn’t considered how the band always had press waiting to capture their departure from the tour bus when they arrived in a new city. It was something Christopher and the band’s PR manager lined up to help build the city’s anticipation of their coming performances. A standard practice in the music industry, Lily knew, but not one she had ever been a part of.

  At least they would be inside the hotel once they finished the walk, she had mused as she loaded her things into her laptop bag. She figured she’d hide on the bus until the band had departed—maybe even until all of the cameras had gone—before making her way off.

  Dane had other plans. He had grabbed her hand, slung her laptop bag over his shoulder, and dragged her to the front of the bus as the band exited. She would have put her foot down and pitched a fit, but it occurred to her that this was now her life. She either had to try and get used to it or she had to step away from the man she loved.

  And that sure wasn’t going to happen.

  So she had mentally pulled on her big girl panties and went with Dane to the bus’s door. He exited first, turning once he was on the ground and offering his hand to assist her down the steep steps. She planned to pull her hand from his so he could go with the rest of the band and pose for photos, but he tightened his grip on her.

  “Smile, Lily Momilly,” he chuckled close to her ear. “The cameras won’t bite.”

  She smiled, knowing it probably looked awkward since she felt awkward. No one was more surprised than she was when the crowd hurried over to aim their cameras at her. She would have assumed they were intent on Dane if it wasn’t for the questions zinging her way.

  Most of them ran along the lines of the questions she’d had e-mailed to her. How long had she been friends with Archer? How had they met? Would she be traveling with the band from now on?

  She just followed Dane’s lead and smiled and waved as they walked beside the metal barricades holding the press back. The volume of the questions rose the closer she got to the hotel, making her realize how oddly desperate the press was to hear from her. Why they possibly cared so much, she couldn’t guess. But she felt as though she should give them something.

  So when one of the reporters asked, “Lily, is there anything you can share with us about the band that they won’t tell us themselves?” she let go of Dane’s hand and made a show of veering towards the reporter.

  “Oh, yeah,” she said with exaggerated enthusiasm. “For example, did you know that Archer—”

  Her question was cut off as Dane chased after her and planted his hand over her mouth, making the press laugh as he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her away from the cameras with an, “Oh, no, you don’t.”

  She had given the reporters an apologetic shrug once Dane put her back on her feet, calling out, “Maybe next time,” as she followed everyone into the hotel. Just as the doors started to close behind her, Lily spotted Nikki standing and talking to a small group of the reporters. Nikki gestured at the bus, making Lily guess the other woman was talking about the issue with the power steering. It would hardly make headlines, Lily mused, but she supposed Nikki deserved her time in the limelight, too.

  Lily couldn’t help but notice that Keith didn’t remain behind with her, a point that affirmed her earlier suspicions. She supposed she needed to have a conversation with Christopher about what to say in social media should the breakup actually happen.

  Her thoughts returned to Dane and their bath as his lips moved up to her earlobe. “Falling asleep on me?”

  “Mmm...no,” she said, her creaky voice belying her words. “Just reviewing the day and thinking ahead to tomorrow.”

  “Then I’m clearly not doing my job.”

  “You’re doing just fine. I’m just so...content right now.”

  “Content, are you?” he murmured. “That sounds like a challenge. Let’s see how much more content we can both get.”

  She started to tell him that wasn’t necessary. Then his hands were on her and all arguments fled.

  He maneuvered his deft fingers carefully beneath her hair, running his thumbs along the base of her skull and then the muscles of her neck. He progressed to her shoulders, paying careful attention to the span between her shoulder blades before moving on to the small of her back. When he got that far, she found herself arching beneath his hands, the peaks of her breasts skimming above the water as she did so. And when his hands slid from her back to her front and she resettled against him, she felt how worked up he was getting just by touching her. Her heart thrilled over that knowledge.

  How could he make her respond so easily when they had already spent the better part of twenty-four hours pleasuring each other? How was every touch, every caress so much more intense than anything she’d ever felt before?

  Dane had unearthed a sensual hunger inside her that she never expected. It both awed and overwhelmed her.

  She shifted, rotating so that she faced him. She took advantage of their near-weightlessness, grasping his shoulders and pulling him forward a few inches before wrapping her legs around his waist and bringing her hands up to frame his face.

  “I love you,” she whispered.

  His gaze softened and he lowered his forehead to touch hers. “I love you, too.”

  Their lips came together in a tender kiss that sealed their vows. Gradually, it deepened. Dane’s hands moved over her body, provoking an uncontrollable moan when he finally reached her breasts. Her lower body soon pulsed with a familiar ache she knew only he would be able to ease. Every one of his caresses made her crave more.

  And more.

  His lips moved to her ear, taking her sensitive lobe between his teeth and sending delightful shivers along her body. He moved from there along her jaw line, then the length of her neck. He licked the moisture that had gathered at the base of her throat while she tilted her head back with a soft gasp. His thumbs continued to tease her nipples as the water lapped at them. When her movements got more restless, he leaned her back and bent over her to replace his thumbs with his mouth.

  The new position had her lower body pressed directly against his, allowing her to feel every hard inch of him. She deliberately rubbed herself against him, knowing he would be able to feel how hot he was making her. The sounds she made only punctuated the physical play.

  “Lily.”

  She heard the longing in his voice. It sent even more heat flashing through her. Holding his gaze, she reached between them and took him into her hand. His breath stilled as she rose a bit out of the water, guided herself onto him, and then slowly lowered herself until they were fully joined.

  She wasn’t sure which of them made louder sounds of pleasure over that and she didn’t care. All she cared about was that Dane’s eyes were glazed with passion.

  Passion for her.

  He pulled her close to kiss her even as his hands resumed their roaming. She was only too happy to set the pace of their joining, beginning slowly with subtle movements of her lower body that drove them both wild. When she was no longer content with that, she picked up the pace, positioning herself in a way that sent searing bolts of ecstasy shooting through her.

  Before long, Dane’s hands were latched around her waist and he was matching her rhythm to urge her closer to release.

  “Dane!” she cried, almost as though requesting his permission.

  “God, yes,” he responded. “Please, Lily.”

  And with his desperate plea echoing in her ears, she let herself fly.

  * * *

  They got more sleep that night than they had the night before, but not by much. It made pushing through the next day rough-going, especially for Lily. She drank gallons of chai tea to stay awake so she could cover the band’s activities all day, including their first concert in Glendale that night. By the time they reached the hotel after the post-concert fan meet-n-greet, she and Dane were both exhausted.

&nbs
p; That didn’t stop him from making love to her, but it did have them both dropping into a deep, dreamless sleep immediately afterwards.

  The next morning she was awakened by an annoyingly chipper Dane, who had gotten up early to hit the gym and was already dressed for the day by the time he started prodding her.

  She could learn to hate him for being such a morning person, she not-so-quietly griped as she eventually got up and moving. Her declaration was met with Dane’s unrelenting grin. Only the fact that she couldn’t ever remember him looking so happy kept her from throwing something at him.

  Her luggage had been brought to his room along with his things, so she hunted for an outfit that would blend in with the band as she followed them to their scheduled radio and television appearances that day. She was out of clean dresses, so she pulled on jeans and a blue-gray, off-the-shoulder top with a white tank underneath it. Aria’s voice chanted accessories in her head, so she found a black belt, a necklace that looked like black metallic feathers falling whimsically from a dark gray strand with earrings to match, and black heeled half-boots that she was sure would have her weeping for mercy by the time they had to get ready for that night’s concert.

  After pulling some of her hair back at the temples and securing it behind her head with a black feathered barrette, she put in her contacts. She then sighed heavily and opened her cosmetics bag. Aria and Sydney had already left the hotel so Aria could participate in a photo shoot arranged by her manager. Otherwise, Lily would have begged her model friend to help with her makeup. This just wasn’t something she enjoyed doing.

  Would she ever get used to being this focused on her appearance every day? she asked herself as she started applying some foundation. She supposed she’d better, as the photos she had seen of herself over the past couple of days weren’t exactly flattering. Several of the images she had found on social media made her wince. She looked pale and haggard, especially next to Dane’s physical resplendence.

  The stories she read ranged from curiosity about her relationship with Dane to critiques on her wardrobe choices. Being a writer herself, she knew the most titillating stories would be those that raised some controversy and conversation. Hopefully just keeping the press wondering if she and Dane were romantically involved for a little while would keep them at bay. It was only a matter of time before her family got pulled into the mix.

  But, Lord, she thought, one hurdle at a time. For now she had to get her ass moving or Christopher would have plenty to say.

  Dane’s appreciative double-take when he saw her emerge from the bathroom was enough to make her think her efforts had been worth it. At least she could go through the day without stressing which cameras were on her.

  They headed first to a couple of local radio stations for interviews, mini performances, and some behind-the-scenes tasks like the band signing CDs for giveaways and providing recorded sound bites that promoted each station. Lily got a kick out of that, trying to be discreet as she captured what she could for social media.

  Once that was done, they traveled to a local studio where The Void was going to be featured on a popular afternoon talk show called Slant hosted by a woman named Blake West. They were treated to a late lunch in their green room before the show, so Lily was sitting next to Dane munching on a plate of fresh veggies, pita bread, and hummus when she was approached by Elijah. The producer had been traveling with the band for the past two days and had cornered Lily the previous day for another impromptu interview session. Seeing him focused on her now made her stop chewing the carrot in her mouth.

  “Lily, I’ve made arrangements for you to participate in today’s show,” Elijah told her.

  He might as well have grabbed the ice water from her hand and poured it over her head. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and looked at her. Dane reached over to touch her shoulder, maybe preparing to slap her on the back if she choked. She wasn’t sure how, but she managed to finish chewing the bite in her mouth and swallow it.

  “Me?” she repeated. “Here? Now?”

  “Shortly,” Elijah confirmed. “Slant’s viewers are about to see the first trailer for House of Archer. Slant’s producers wanted to make sure you were available to answer questions with the band after they play it. Their makeup artist will be here shortly to come and get you. You’ll be called to the set after the band.”

  Oh, God.

  That was all she could think at first. This was it...the beginning of House of Archer and the success that Dane and the band hoped it would bring them.

  Although she hadn’t expected to be featured so much on the show that it warranted a television appearance, she hadn’t been naïve enough to think they wouldn’t air footage of her at all. If her friendship with Dane was being treated as a focal point in these early episodes, she supposed it made sense to have her there.

  That didn’t make her any less terrified. Why, oh why, were Aria and Sydney at that photo shoot right now? She really needed her non-Void friends to help keep her sane.

  The murmurs around the room and Dane’s expression told Lily that this was being sprung on them every bit as much as it was her. If she had to guess, Christopher wasn’t aware of this either or he would have planned to be there rather than off attending a meeting with another client of his.

  Not wanting Dane to worry, she set her plate aside and took his hand in both of hers, giving him a smile. “I hope you’re excited,” she said in a quiet voice so only he could hear. “This is what you’ve been waiting for your entire life.”

  His brow furrowed. Just as he opened his mouth to reply, the door swung open and a harried-looking woman with bright green hair poked her head into the room. “Montgomery, you’re with me,” she barked.

  Any qualms Lily had were brutally shoved aside. She had agreed to do this for Dane and she was determined to see it through.

  Giving his hand a squeeze, she got to her feet. “It’ll be fine,” she said, her gaze moving from Dane to the rest of the band. “See you on the set.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Lily’s confidence didn’t follow her into the makeup chair. She was pretty sure that last bite of carrot was still lodged in her throat. It was either that or her flailing heart.

  The makeup stylist didn’t say much to Lily while she worked, mostly just mumbling to herself about Lily’s coloring and what shades she wanted to use. She didn’t remove Lily’s existing makeup, so Lily guessed Aria had managed to teach her something. But the stylist did add another layer of makeup that felt unnatural on Lily’s face. When she started to pull out artificial lashes with the intent of applying them, Lily drew the line. The viewers could take her natural eyelashes or not, it wouldn’t bother her. She didn’t want to feel like she had spiders clinging to her eyelids during such an important moment.

  Once the stylist was done, she led Lily out to the set. Lily had been behind the scenes at enough television appearances of Dane’s to expect the cameras, crew, and stage set with enough chairs on it to seat the guests. It looked like most other talk show sets.

  What she hadn’t thought about was the live studio audience.

  Okay, she told herself as her heart continued its vigorous thrashing in her chest. This is all being witnessed and recorded. No matter what happens, you have to keep your nerves under control. Be supportive of Dane.

  Just be supportive.

  The words ran through her mind on repeat as she was guided to a chair off-stage and told to wait for further instructions. She wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans and wished desperately to see Dane again.

  People buzzed around her like gnats, most of them running from one task to another. None of them seemed to notice her sitting all alone in her folding chair.

  Just as she was beginning to hope they might have forgotten about her, a member of the crew stopped by to get her equipped with a wireless microphone not unlike the one she was getting used to wearing for House of Archer. The tech actually had to remove the House of Archer mic before hooking h
er up with the one they wanted her to wear. She watched as the tech handed the removed mic to a nearby House of Archer camera person and realized Elijah must have gotten the Slant producers to agree to allow his team to film. Maybe it had been a condition of giving Slant the privilege of airing the trailer first.

  The Slant’s tech guy departed once her mic’s sound check was complete. A few minutes later, a member of the show’s production crew stopped by to prep Lily, informing her that The Void would be making their appearance first and they would call her onto the set when it was time for the trailer unveiling.

  Lily could only nod and curse herself for wearing high-heeled boots. She wouldn’t just be walking in with a group. Oh, no. She had to prance across the floor with its many cables strewn about and then make it up the stairs to the stage without falling on her face.

  Of course she did.

  She took several deep breaths to calm her churning stomach. By the time the show finally started, she had managed to get to a point where she didn’t feel like she’d boot up her lunch when she answered the first question put to her. Watching Dane and the rest of The Void take the stage and hearing the loud applause for them helped settle her down a little, too.

  God, Dane looked amazing, she thought as she watched him walk across the stage to his seat. It wasn’t his outfit, haircut, smile, or anything in particular she could put her finger on. He just magnetized the room like, well, the star of a rock band.

  While that was a quality she had recognized even when they were teenagers, she hadn’t really seen it until that moment. Maybe it was her new intimate knowledge of him that brought it front of mind.

  She was in love with a rock star.

  Shaking her head at herself, she looked more carefully at the set. There were still a few open chairs after the band sat down. She pondered that for a moment. Wouldn’t it be awkward having the empty chairs on the set throughout the interview?

  Oh, what did she know? Maybe the chairs were always there and the crew didn’t bother removing them based on guest count.