Fuck.
Violet must have seen it too, because she turns to look over her shoulder at me as I approach. “Millie!” she calls out with a wide smile of her own.
“Hi, Violet.”
As soon as I’m in reaching distance, she loops her arm through mine and tugs me to her side. “I told them they had to play for their supper,” she tells me with a giggle. It’s then that I notice the Jo-Jo’s t-shirt she’s wearing, the logo matching the print on the boxes she’s brought. “Alex is the shit. She had my respect the instant JJ told me that they voted her in. I mean—to add a girl to their mix? That’s just downright impressive. Then I heard her play—oh, my gosh, Millie. She’s perfect!”
Violet’s words don’t fully register until I scan the room and find her. Alex. Standing with the five guys that I know to be the heart of Mountains & Men, she looks tiny. Nevertheless, as she plays, she exudes a confidence that all but demands my attention. It’s more than that, though. She’s beautiful, in that cute and innocent sort of way, but with a hint of a rebellious streak. Her hair is so dark it’s almost black; it fades into a deep purple at the ends, which, after a long day, appear to have lost her attempt at curling them. Her eyes are dark, too; but even from here, I can see that they are full of light—full of life and energy and passion. And when she smiles…
My eyes follow the direction of her gaze and my heart stings when I see Sage smile back at her. Violet was right. Alex is perfect. It’s as if she’s the element their concoction was missing. They’ve got chemistry. Suddenly, I’m all too aware that while I should be happy for them—while I am happy for them—I feel disappointed.
She’s been here for all of a day and she fits. I, on the other hand, don’t. I never have, which I understood. It was just Sage that I wanted. Yet, reality causes me to question how long that will matter—how long will that mean anything? Sage is going to go wherever his music takes him, as he should. But Alex is the last bit of proof I need that Sage—hell—all of them are constantly surrounded by pretty, young things that will fit into his world far better than I ever will.
I’m so lost in my thoughts, I don’t realize that the song is over, until Sage comes charging for me. Violet pulls away from me just as he bends, gripping the back of my thighs before hoisting me up off my feet. I squeal in surprise, wrapping my arms and legs around him. He grins at me, giving the bare skin of my thighs a squeeze.
“If I had known this is what you wear to the gym, I would have insisted you change,” he murmurs. “You know how I feel about the guys seeing these legs.”
“I—”
“Kiss me,” he demands, cutting off my rebuttal. “Need your lips, doll face.”
When I look into his eyes, his blue gaze echoing his words, I can’t refuse him. I brush my mouth against his and his grip around me tightens, making me want more. I kiss him assuredly and he responds in kind. He teases me, flicking just the tip of his tongue against mine, and in this moment—nothing else matters. Just this. Just him. Just Sage.
One of the guys plucks the opening chords to Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On, and Derrick jumps in with the beat. Sage laughs before humming the words into my mouth. Then he smacks one more kiss against my lips before he sets me down. “Come on, baby doll. Got someone I want you to meet.” He takes my hand and, as he leads me into the heart of the garage, all the guys greet me with their version of hello.
“Millie,” Sage begins to say as we come to a stop in front of their newest member. “Alex. Alex, Millie.”
“Hi,” she says, offering her hand.
“Hello.” I have to let go of Sage in order to return the gesture; but immediately after, Sage has his fingers wrapped around mine.
“I think I’m going to call you Zip,” he tells her. She lifts an eyebrow at him in question. When he responds, he’s speaking to me. “She’s like a fucking zip-drive, I swear. We’ve been downloading shit into her for hours. She picks it up so quick. We’ve already planned our set for next weekend.”
“Wow. That’s great.”
Alex makes a small sound and I can tell she’s embarrassed by his praise. She catches my eye and shrugs. “I have perfect pitch. It helps. Anyway—” She looks around me at Violet. “Have we earned our pizza? I’m starving.”
“Fuck, yeah,” calls out Maddox. “Let’s eat.”
IT’S NOT LONG before we’re all sitting around a couple empty boxes of pizza, drinking and shooting the shit after the intense hours of work that we put in today. We take the time to get to know Alex a little bit more. We learn that she’s the same age as Maddox and in her last year of college, as well. She’s studying psychology, simply because it interests her; she has no idea what she wants to do with her degree when she’s finished. She’s a Colorado native, like most of us, and her parents live in Longmont. She’s got an older brother who lives out in California, and they are three years apart. Exactly three years; they share the same birthday and everything.
When Alex is sick of being in the spotlight, she turns her questions toward us. We end up telling her about how we all met, about the curse of the bass slot, and a whole bunch of other random stories that make us who we are. At some point, Knox heads inside to grab his acoustic guitar. Maestro, who has been in and out all day, decides to grace us with his presence when Knox returns. He paws at my legs and I pick him up, setting him in my lap. He quickly saunters into Millie’s lap before making himself comfortable. She lifts her hands in surprise, looking down at Maestro before glancing over at me. I just smirk at her—pup knows what’s up. She relaxes, lowering her hands until they cover his fur.
It’s then that Knox starts messing around on his guitar. He starts plucking the melody to The Beatles Blackbird and a lazy smile stretches across my face. Hearing this song always reminds me of high school—the Bradley boys and me sitting around, just chillin’, playing music. When I start to sing, the conversation in the room stops. I look to Millie, who’s been pretty quiet since she arrived, and offer her a wink. I’m glad she’s here. I’ll have to show her just how much later.
I hear a voice humming along with me, and my eyes search the room. It only takes me a second to find Alex, sitting between Derrick and Knox on the couch opposite me. They hear her, too. Derrick nudges her, then signals that she should sing with me. A slight blush heats her cheeks, but she complies. My eyes grow wide in astonishment at the sound that comes out of her. I drop out, leaving only her timid but pure vocal tone.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa—stop!” I stand to my feet, squinting as I point a finger at her. “You can fucking sing, too?”
“Uh,” she chuckles. “I guess.”
“You guess?” asks Derrick incredulously, stealing the words right out of my mouth.
She shrugs. “I mean, I rock the bass. That’s my thing. But I’ve been singing just about my whole life. My dad is a pastor and my mom heads the music department at his church. My involvement was practically a birthright.”
“Can you sing and play at the same time?” When she nods, I march over to her and grab her hand, pulling her up off of the sofa and taking her to JJ’s keys. “Fucking hell, Zip. You’re a goldmine. You are totally backing me up on a few songs. None of these guys can sing for shit.”
Violet laughs as the guys grumble in response. In all fairness, Derrick isn’t too bad—but he refuses to sing and play. I guess I don’t blame him. He’s a kick-ass drummer and I wouldn’t want to mess with his sound; but I’ve been jonesin’ for some back up vocals for a while now.
I pick the first one of our songs that comes to mind before I start playing the notes to my vocal lead, then I add in the harmonic notes. I play the chorus once, singing along as I look to Alex, who is studying my fingers on the keys. The second time through, she hums along with me; the third time through, she’s singing. I couldn’t keep the wild grin off my face even if I tried.
I owe Brandon. Big time.
Then I hear Maestro’s paws hit the ground. When I look over at Millie, she’s shaking her head at
Violet, who is saying something I can’t hear. Then she stands and looks over at me. I don’t know what to make of the expression in her eyes, but when she waves at me and starts to leave, my stomach drops.
What the fuck?
I look to Violet but she only shrugs, giving me a sympathetic glance before she, too, watches my girl leave. I call her name, but she doesn’t stop her retreat. I abandon the keys and go chasing after her. She’s halfway down the drive when I catch her around the waist.
“Doll face, what the fuck? Where are you going?”
“Home,” she states, not even bothering to look at me.
“Why? It’s still early. And didn’t I promise you a workout?” I add teasingly.
Her eyes finally meet mine, but she’s not amused. “I can’t do this. I don’t belong here. I’m going home.”
My heart rate speeds up at her words. I can’t tell if she’s talking about tonight—just being here with the band—or us. “You can’t do what?”
“This. You,” she replies, pressing her hands against my chest as she attempts to push herself out of my arms.
“Don’t you fucking dare,” I mutter, gripping her hips with both hands and pulling her flush against me. “What are you talking about?”
“This is not my world. It’s yours. I don’t know why I’m here, especially considering you’ve got a shiny new toy to play with.”
“What—Alex?” I scoff. I furrow my brow at her in confusion. “Are you…jealous?”
“What?!” She pushes my chest again in a failed attempt to get away from me. “No, I’m not jealous.” The words that come out of her mouth say something different than the rosy tint in her cheeks, and I can’t help but laugh. She gasps at my reaction, and then glares at me. “Fuck you, Sage.”
“You are, aren’t you? You’re jealous!”
“Let me go. I’m going home,” she seethes.
“Think again, Millicent.” Before she can argue any further, I smack a kiss against her lips and then grab one of her hands. I pull her back up the drive and through the garage, not bothering to acknowledge my mates as I lead her into the house.
The laundry room is inside to the right. I close us in and then my mouth is on hers, my tongue invading her mouth as I back her up against the dryer. She whimpers and tries to push me away, but her attempts are halfhearted—she’s too busy kissing me back. I slide my hands underneath her tank top, cupping her tits. I can feel her nipples through her bra and it arouses my cock. I press my hardening length against her and she moans, her fingers now gripping my t-shirt in her fists.
“The band is my life,” I tell her, removing her tank top, then her bra. “Music is who I am.” I wrap my lips around one of her nipples, sucking as I shove down her shorts and panties. They fall to her ankles and she’s quick to step out of them, along with her tennis shoes. “Alex is a godsend. She’s just what we needed. More even.” I reach behind my head and rip off my shirt, needing to feel her bared flesh against mine. I bring my lips to her neck, kissing her as I reach for my wallet. I pull away from her long enough to find a condom and she wastes no time helping me out of my jeans.
My baby doll was jealous—I don’t care what she says—and that truth does something to me. It turns me on, yeah, but it’s so much more than that. She’s mine. She doesn’t know it yet—‘cause she’s so damn stubborn she can hardly see straight—but she belongs to me. She has no reason to be jealous. I don’t want anyone else.
Once I roll the condom over my rock hard dick, I lift Millie up onto the dryer, and plunge into her core. The sound she makes at my invasion only makes me harder.
“You feel that? You feel me?” I mutter, pumping in and out of her.
She nods, gripping her fingers in my hair as she stares into my eyes—her breaths ragged and sexy as fuck. God—who knew breathing could be sexy?
“You can't be jealous of my first love, baby. Me and music go together. But I’m yours when you want me. You hear me, Millicent?” I squeeze her ass, pounding into her harder. “I’m yours.”
She moans and then closes her mouth around mine. She feels so incredible—her pussy tight and wet, her skin soft, her body warm. I swear, I’ll never get enough of her. A groan spills from her mouth as she pulls her lips from mine, allowing her head to fall back as she surrenders herself to me.
“God, Sage—why can’t I just quit you?” she breathes. “I don’t—I don’t fit.”
“Stop. Just feel me, gorgeous. Feel my cock, Millie. This is you and me. Who owns your orgasm? Hmm? Who fills this pussy like I do?”
She whimpers, squeezing her legs around me, and I know she’s getting close.
“Answer me, Millie.”
“Fuck. Only you! Sage—I’m—oh, god—” She cries out, holding back nothing as her whole body tightens around mine.
“Hell yes,” I grunt. “Strangle my dick. Shit, you feel so goddamn good.”
With a sigh, she sags against me, descending from her orgasmic high. I lift her off of the dryer and turn us around, pressing her back up against the wall as I ram into her as deep as I can go. I’m not even close to being done with her. She leans toward me and, knowing what she wants, I meet her in the middle, kissing her hungrily. Her tongue dances with mine and I know she’s not close to being done with me either. When she pulls my lip between her teeth, I free a growl, pumping into her faster.
“Yes, yes—more, Sage, more!”
“You gonna come again for me, doll face? Huh? Come with me,” I tell her, slipping my hand between us.
I graze her clit with my thumb and she digs her fingers into my shoulders. She props her forehead against mine, every thrust eliciting a small murmur from her sweet mouth. My balls tighten at the sound and I apply more pressure with my thumb, desperate to get her where I want her. Her breath hitches and she seals her eyes shut tight. Just as I get ready to lose my load, she clamps down around me, pulling forth my release.
I’m senseless with pleasure, the words coming out of my mouth both foul and incomprehensible. A moment later, after we’re sated for the time being, I pull out of her and lower her to her feet. I make quick work of disposing of the condom and then bring my focus back to her. Her long ponytail is now coming lose, the skin that covers her chest and neck are flushed, and she looks a beautiful, disheveled mess.
I did that to her.
“Sage, I need to—”
“If you’re about to spout some bullshit about going home, save your breath.” I snatch my discarded shirt from off of the floor and pull it over her head. “Put this on,” I instruct, helping her find the arm holes. “Go to my room. I’ll be up in a sec.”
She opens her mouth to speak but then closes it when I lift an eyebrow at her. Then she huffs a sigh and grabs her panties, sliding them on before she leaves the room. A triumphant smirk tugs at my lips and I put my jeans back on before I pick up the rest of her clothes and head to the garage. Everyone turns to look at me—the guys laugh, Violet raises her eyebrows, and Alex blushes. That’s when I remember that as the newbie, she’s never seen me without a shirt on before.
I shrug it off. She’ll have to get used to it. Like Knox warned her upon her arrival—we’re a bunch of dudes.
“Tell me you fixed it,” Violet demands, speaking before I can. “Whatever it is.”
“I’m working on it.”
“Not from out here, you aren’t. Don’t screw things up with her. I’m serious, Sage. I really like her.”
I nod, running my fingers through my hair. “Me too, Vi.”
“We’re good, Dweeb. No need to be polite,” says Derrick with a lopsided grin.
“Right,” I mumble with a chuckle. I look to Alex, tipping my chin at her. “See you tomorrow?”
“I’ll be here.”
“Alright, I’ll catch you losers later. And don’t give Maestro any beer, got it? That shit’s not cool.”
They all laugh, but I’m dead serious. I think about calling him off of the couch, where he’s settled next to JJ, but Viol
et shoos me away. Knowing I can trust her, I head back inside where my girl is waiting.
HIS BODY IS warm and heavy, wrapped around me while he sleeps. I’m not sure what time it is; though, I assume it’s well after midnight. I’m also unaware of how long I’ve been lying awake while he slumbers peacefully. His relaxed face, void of his glasses, makes him look younger—softer. As I peer through the shadows, broken by only the small amount of light that shines through his open curtains, I imagine that this is the true face of my dreamer; that in his sleep, he goes to that place where wishes are granted and the impossible is always the opposite; that in his dreams, the harsh reality of the world is softened and he is rejuvenated so that when he wakes, he has the strength to fight another day.
My dreamer.
I think back over this night. The hours he spent ravaging my body. That moment we stood bickering in the driveway. The jealousy that spurred my decision to leave. I hate that he saw right through me, understanding my feelings even better than I could. I denied it to his face, but we both knew I was lying. I was jealous. Jealous of Alex—the way she seemed to fit in perfectly without even trying, as if it were as effortless as breathing. She belongs. But it was one moment in particular that pushed me over the edge.
Her. Standing next to Sage. His fingers gliding across the keys of JJ’s keyboard.
For reasons I can’t explain, it took me back to the moment we had shared on our date—when he played for me. Me. That moment had been mine. Ours. I didn’t know how fiercely I was holding onto it until I saw him playing for someone else. Granted, it wasn’t the same. He was merely plucking out the notes he wanted her to sing. He wasn’t showing off with Beethoven, but my brain hadn’t been able to untangle his intentions from the jealousy that wrapped around my heart. It was then that I realized…
I’m not falling anymore. I have fallen.
Worthy of the Harmony (Mountains & Men Book 2) Page 10
