“You know I’ll never say no to Galaxy,” I sniffled. “It’s probably going to get worse soon. Either that, or I’m going to get grossed out by the mere mention of sugar.”
“What?” he asked.
Shit. Did I just say that out loud? I’d only just found out today. But Taylor was my best friend. And just hearing his familiar, comforting British accent was calming me down more than he knew. Talking about this would distract me, which was what I needed right now.
“I kinda sorta might have taken a pregnancy test before the show today. And it might have come back positive,” I mumbled.
The line went silent for about thirty seconds, and then my eardrum might have broken.
“Holy fuck, D!” he exclaimed, laughing. “Alex! Daphne’s knocked up! We’re gonna be uncles!”
I laughed. “Yep. You get to teach my kid how to drop F-bombs.”
“Penny may or may not have done that last week and Alex may or may not have given me shit about it,” he chuckled. “Not easy explaining to a two-year-old that it’s not a nice word. I’m trying to curb my swearing around her.”
I snorted. “I’m surprised it took her this long.”
“Is Mr. Hot Stuff happy?” he asked.
“Kind of? We’re both still processing, I think. Even though it feels like I’ve known him forever, we’ve only been a couple for like three months. And, I mean, he has a life and a family in Montauk, but I have one in Ashview. And we’re not sure how to tell Ari. There’s just a lot to figure out, you know?”
“Well, you know the repairs are coming along on your house,” he pointed out. “You’ve got the space for Mr. Hot Stuff and Little Miss Cute Stuff to move in, plus the space for Mini Hot Stuff.”
I giggled. “Is that really what you’re calling the baby? Mini Hot Stuff?”
“For now, at least. Depends on what you pop out in nine months,” he teased.
Before I could say anything else, the door opened, and the one person I wanted to talk to more than Taylor walked in. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“T, I’ll call you tomorrow. Ezra just got here,” I said into the phone.
“Okay. Get some rest, yeah?” Taylor said.
“I will. Love you.”
“Love you more.”
I hung up and put my phone on the table, then stood up and threw my arms around Ezra. He squeezed me tight and buried his face in my hair.
“That took for-fucking-ever,” he murmured.
I nodded into his chest. “Did you know he killed Josh tonight?”
“Jack told me. I’m so sorry, baby.”
“I gave my contact information to Sara to give to his family. I want to offer to pay for his funeral,” I sniffled. “He might not have been my favorite person, but he didn’t deserve this. Do you know anything about Garth?”
“Hector and Sam are at the hospital right now,” he told me. “He’s still in surgery, but he’s going to pull through. The bullet hit his shoulder and he lost a lot of blood, but it missed the major arteries. He’ll be out of commission for a while, though.”
“He can take all the time he needs. God, I hate to even be thinking about this when he’s hurt and Josh is dead, but I don’t know what I’m going to do about the tour now. I can’t cancel shows on this short notice, but I don’t have anyone to manage it anymore. I’m going to call the agency Hugh and Josh worked for tomorrow to see if there’s anything they can do temporarily, but I’d say I’ve got enough of a loophole now to get out of my contract with them. And I want to. After this, I don’t trust anyone there anymore.”
“If you don’t want to deal with them, Frankie used to manage his cousin’s band. I need him on the team, so it’s not a permanent solution, but if he’s willing to do it, I don’t mind loaning him to you for a little bit so you don’t have to cancel shows while you’re looking for a new manager. Especially since this nightmare is over and we can loosen up your security a little.”
“I’ll talk to him tomorrow. Maybe he can ride with us to Portland. I feel like the spoiled brat you thought I was when you first started working for me now. Even thinking about my tour at a time like this.”
He chuckled and tilted my chin up, brushing his lips against mine. “You are the farthest thing from a spoiled brat imaginable. You’re offering to pay for Josh’s funeral, even though you didn’t like him. And the first thing you asked me was if I knew anything about Garth. This tour is your job. It’s natural to worry about what’s going to happen to it now that you don’t have a manager anymore. But for tonight, let’s get out of here, get back to the hotel, and get you a different room for the night.”
“I actually called Mel. He’s got the bus set up for us at the lot. I don’t want to go back to the hotel. I just want to be alone with you.”
He kissed me again. “Even better.”
As exhausted as I was, I couldn’t sleep. And Daphne seemed to be of the same mind. She just changed out of her stage clothes into some pajamas and curled around me like a vine in bed.
The thought of how close I’d come to losing her tonight terrified me. Even though I knew she was safe now and even though I knew Hugh was dead, the heart-stopping fear remained.
But I didn’t know how to verbalize that to her. How to tell her that watching her walk away from me in that stadium was the most terrifying thing I’d ever experienced in my life. And how to tell her that I never wanted to spend even a day separated from her again.
“I’ve been thinking,” she mumbled sleepily.
“About what?” I asked, kissing her head.
“What happens after this tour is over,” she said as she started to trace invisible patterns on my chest with her finger. “And I had a thought. But I don’t know if it’s something you’d want to do.”
“What’s that?” I wondered.
“The repairs on my house will be done by the time the tour’s over. And I’ve got more than enough room for the three of us. Well, actually, for the four of us.” She paused for a second, and one of her hands drifted to her stomach. “It’s four bedrooms and three bathrooms. So I have room for Ari to have a bedroom and we can turn one of the other bedrooms into a nursery for the baby. It’s in a safe neighborhood, and I know I’m a weirdo, but I even looked into the schools in the area when I moved there because I always knew I wanted a family one day, and they’re great too. But I know you guys have a life and family and friends in Montauk. I don’t know if moving to Ashview is something you even want to consider.”
I smiled and lifted her off of my chest so I could kiss her. “Is that you asking me to move in with you?”
She chuckled. “Possibly. I hate taking Ari away from her school and her friends, though.”
I sighed. That was the one thing holding me back. The number of times I had to actually go into the office at Eagle were few and far between. Usually, I worked remotely, since I was out on jobs. So being a few hours away from Montauk wasn’t the end of the world for me. But, because I was away from home so much, school was the one constant in Arielle’s life.
On the other hand, Ashview was Daphne’s home. After everything she’d been through on this tour, she needed her chosen family of friends now more than ever. I couldn’t ask her to leave them. And, with the baby on the way, we didn’t have the option of doing the long-distance thing until we figured our shit out and decided who would make the move.
“I hate that too, especially because school is pretty much the one constant in Ari’s life with me being gone for work so much. But I also hate asking you to leave your home right now, after everything you’ve been through. You need your family,” I told her.
She took a breath. “I’ve thought about that too, actually. About Ari’s life being so hectic with you being gone, I mean. And you are absolutely allowed to say no to this idea. It’s just a thought.
“I’m planning on taking at least a year off after this tour. I was thinking about it even before you and Ari came into my life just because I haven’t had much down time
over the past few years, but especially with the baby now, I know I need to focus on being a mom for a little while. But after that, we can hire a tutor and take them on tour with us. I can commission someone to modify this bus to put a couple of bunks in, one for Ari and one for the baby when it’s older, and we can put a desk in so they have a place to do their schoolwork. Then you don’t have to be away from the kids for so long.
“As far as your job is concerned, I want your team as my security team. Permanently. I trust you and your guys, and I feel safe with you. I was going to talk to Eagle about having some sort of long-term contract with all of you anyway. And I’m sure you realize you don’t have to work when I’m not on the road, but if you don’t want to be a stay-at-home dad…well, you’re not doing this alone anymore. I’ve worked long hours in the studio while I was recording albums before, but that was because I could. I’ll modify the recording schedule so we have more days in the studio and we don’t have to work late. I don’t exactly have a nine-to-five job. I’ve got the flexibility.”
Holy shit. How long had she been thinking about this? Because it seemed like she had everything all figured out.
Honestly, the option of going freelance and just working for Daphne was tempting. After spending so long having to leave Arielle for months at a time, being able to stay home and just be her father when Daphne wasn’t on the road sounded too good to be true. I’d have to think about it, but I was leaning toward just managing Daphne’s security for her and being a full-time dad when she wasn’t on the road.
“Okay, what’s that look?” Daphne chuckled uncomfortably. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that look on your face before.”
“Where did you come from?” I said, sounding as awed as I felt.
“Bumblefuck, Pennsylvania,” she teased. “Ezra, I’m serious about this. You and Ari and this baby are my life now, and I’ve been thinking about how to make this work after this tour is over pretty much since the second you kissed me in that dressing room at Madison Square Garden. That was how soon I knew that you and Ari were a priority. But if you don’t want to take Ari away from the only home she’s ever known, I get that. I’ll move to Montauk with you in a heartbeat if you think that’s what’s best for her. I love her to the moon and back, but she’s your daughter. It’s not my place to make any decisions where she’s concerned.”
I pulled her into a kiss, unable to find any words to express what I was feeling. The intense, all-consuming love I had for her and for the child she was carrying. The awe that she was so willing to uproot her entire life for the sake of a little girl that she’d only known for a few months. And the overwhelming relief that she was still here after I’d come so close to losing her tonight.
“Yes,” I whispered against her lips. “Yes to everything. I can’t make you leave your home and your family after what you’ve been through. You need them.”
“I need you more,” she sniffled.
“I’m not going anywhere, baby,” I told her. “I’m right here.”
She brought her lips back to mine, darting her tongue out to trace the curve of my bottom lip. I slid my tongue out to meet hers as she moved so she was straddling me as she deepened the kiss. She whimpered, and I felt a couple of tears wet her cheeks before she tightened her hold on me, like she was afraid I’d disappear if she let go.
“I love you,” she breathed, her lips still touching mine. “So much.”
I claimed her lips again. “I love you.”
This time when she kissed me, she pressed herself against my rapidly growing erection, grinding against me. Pulling back was almost torture. As much as I wanted her—no, needed her—she’d been through a trauma tonight. Making love to her right now felt like taking advantage of her.
“Daph, you’ve been through so much tonight,” I said softly, brushing her lips again. “I don’t—”
“I almost lost you, Ezra. I need this. I need you,” she said quietly, like she was confessing her darkest secret. “Please.”
I rolled her over onto her back, kissing her until I couldn’t breathe anymore, and slowly slid her tank top up. I pulled her up for just a second so I could take it off of her and curled my arm under her shoulder before laying her back down.
“You never have to beg me, angel,” I whispered. “Ever. Especially not right now. I need you too.”
With one more kiss to her lips, I moved my mouth to her neck and shoulder, kissing a trail down to her chest.
Was it possible that her breasts were already fuller? Or was it just my imagination because I knew that she was carrying our child?
“Oh, God,” she whimpered as I tugged a nipple between my lips.
I trailed my tongue over to her other breast and sucked the neglected bud, pinching the other one. That earned me a moan that made me extremely glad that we had this entire bus to ourselves tonight, and she arched her hips. I pressed my cock against her, showing her how much I needed her, before crawling further down her body, trailing kisses as I went.
When I got to her stomach, I stopped for a second. Somehow, right in that moment, it really hit me that something we’d made together was growing there. A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed it down as I pressed a kiss to her stomach and flicked my tongue over the silver stud in her belly button.
“I love you so much,” I whispered to my unborn child. “Already.”
With one more kiss on her stomach, I relieved Daphne of her sleep shorts and panties. I lightly brushed a kiss against each of her thighs before trailing my tongue over her outer folds. Then I dove in headfirst, sucking her clit into my mouth.
“Ezra,” she groaned.
God, I loved that sound. The sound of my name on her lips, like it was the only word she knew. I sucked harder and slipped two fingers inside her, slowly starting to pump them in and out.
“Oh, fuck,” she moaned. “Don’t stop.”
I lifted my mouth from her center, picking up the pace with my fingers, and pressed a kiss to the soft skin between her thighs.
“Ohgodohgodohgod,” she panted as she bucked her hips in time with my hand. “Fuck, Ezra! I’m gonna come.”
I flicked my tongue over her nerve center before putting my mouth back where she needed it. And in less than thirty seconds, she was crying out my name as she pulsed around my mouth and fingers. I kept going until she stilled underneath me, then quickly relieved myself of my boxers before crawling back up between her legs, leaving a trail of kisses in my wake.
I opened the top drawer of her nightstand, where we kept a box of condoms, but she reached and laced her fingers through mine before I could grab one.
“I don’t want you to wear one,” she said in a small voice. “I swear I’m clean. And I’m already pregnant, so...”
I smiled and kissed her. “You sure?”
She nodded. “I don’t want anything between us. And I trust you. With my life.”
I brought my lips back to hers as I slowly pressed myself inside her. This was the first time I’d ever gone bare, and I was glad I’d saved it for her. Feeling her warmth envelop me like this with no barrier…I had no words for how it felt.
“Oh, my God,” she gasped as her eyes slid closed.
I put a hand on her face and pressed a feather-light kiss to her lips, waiting for her to open her eyes before I slowly started to move. A soft moan left her lips as she wrapped her legs around my waist and matched my pace. As much as my body was begging me for more, I maintained the slow and steady pace, needing to draw this out as much as possible. This felt too good to let it be over so quickly.
“I love you, Daph,” I whispered against her lips before claiming them in a kiss that I hoped conveyed everything I didn’t know how to say.
“I love you,” she echoed, her voice thick with emotion. “You’re everything I ever wanted.”
Bending one of her legs up, I increased my pace ever so slightly. She tightened her grip on my shoulder, arching her hips.
“God, Ezra. You feel…” she t
railed off.
“You feel like heaven, baby,” I told her, kissing her again. “So fucking incredible.”
“Give me more. Please.”
Who was I to deny my woman what she wanted? I started to rub circles on her clit with my thumb as I moved with swift, deep strokes. Pressure built up inside me way too fast, and just as I worried that I was getting to the point of no return, she cried out and contracted around me, taking me over the edge with her in the most intense orgasm I’d ever experienced.
As soon as I regained the use of my muscles, I rolled off of her, pulling her into my arms. She rested her head on my chest, planting a kiss right above my heart. Within minutes, her eyes were closed and she was asleep.
Reaching over to my nightstand, I grabbed my phone and checked the time. Four-thirty in the morning. Which would make it seven-thirty in New York. Rachel and Arielle would already be awake.
Not wanting to wake Daphne, I turned my ringer off and sent my sister a text. I’d made a promise to my woman that needed to be fulfilled.
“Hey, Daph,” Frankie said as he walked onto the bus. “I hear I’m on temporary loan from the security squad.”
Daphne chuckled as she took a sip of coffee. “If you’re willing. Ezra said you used to manage your cousin’s band. And, as awful as it is, the show must go on. I can’t cancel at the last minute. Especially not because I have a friend coming to perform with me in Portland and Sienna.”
Right. I’d forgotten that Mikey Ecosta was coming to the next two shows. He’d recorded a song with her for a movie soundtrack that ended up being a huge hit in its own right. Daphne performed it solo as part of her normal set list, but since we were in Mikey’s neck of the woods, he’d agreed to come and perform it with her, and they were also going to perform one of his songs together. I was actually really looking forward to getting to meet him because I loved his music.
“I’m happy to help until you find someone else,” Frankie told her. “Got a copy of your rider?”
Daphne handed him a thick stack of papers, which she’d printed out at the Hilton’s business center after checking out of her room this morning. That had been interesting, because obviously everyone knew what went down in her suite. Daphne had offered to pay for the damages because she felt responsible, but they wouldn’t hear of it. In fact, they refunded the money for the entire crew’s stay and coordinated with the Hilton in Portland to make sure she wouldn’t be charged for our stay there either.
Falling Angel Page 32
