Wounded But Not Scarred (New Adult Rockers 2)

by Vega, W. H.

  “Looks like everyone has the same idea,” she says.

  “Yeah, let’s not think about that.”

  I wrap my arm around Paige’s waist and we walk out of the ballroom. We follow the throngs of people making their way out, and Paige grabs a swag bag.

  “I want one as a memento,” she explains. I nod and guide her away from the exit, and into the lobby, where we see a few other party guests retreating to the elevators.

  We walk to the far elevator, and I press the button. After a moment, the doors slide open and we step inside. I press our floor and then push Paige up against the cool metal.

  She lets out a small groan.

  I kiss her neck softly, my hands playing with the short hem of her dress. My mouth trails down to her collarbone and I gently kiss her, hearing her sharp intake of breath.

  The doors open again and we step into the low-lit hallway. Paige looks around for a minute, trying to gather her bearings.

  “There aren’t many doors up here,” she says, confused.

  I walk to our room, slip the card in the slot and then push it open after it lights up green.

  “That’s because I got us a suite,” I explain.

  I hear Paige gasp as she walks into the room.

  There is a fire burning, and the lights are dimmed low. The bed is scattered with rose petals and there is a candle burning on each of the end tables. The curtains are pulled open to reveal the beautiful skyline.

  “Blake, this is gorgeous,” she breathes, walking to the bed and trailing her fingers along the soft red petals.

  “I wanted to do something nice,” I shrug, “and I know we have a crazy rehearsal schedule coming up.”

  She nods. We’re spending the next two weeks staging our tour and then we’re off and running.

  “I seriously love you,” she says, turning to me and kissing me.

  “There’s one more thing,” I say, pointing to two small packages resting on an armchair.

  She gives me a quizzical look and then grins like a little girl as she goes over to the boxes. She picks up the first package, which is wrapped in brown paper and opens it.

  “Blake!” she squeals, “You are so sweet! I can’t believe you even paid attention to my things!”

  I smile proudly, as she examines the travel size set of her skincare so she can wash her makeup off. She laughs as she pulls out a toothbrush and toothpaste.

  “I figured you would need a few things tonight.”

  She smiles, shaking her head as she puts the items down and moves on to a bigger box.

  “Sak’s,” she murmurs, as she sees the Sak’s Fifth Avenue logo. She pulls off the lid and gingerly pulls apart the tissue paper.

  “Ooh.” She lifts out a matching bra and panty set that I chose for her. It’s pale pink and black, and incredibly sexy. She moves more tissue paper and gingerly lifts out an orange blouse, black pants and a pair of gray flats.

  “Blake! This is an entire outfit!”

  “I know. I picked it out for you. I figured that you couldn’t go home tomorrow in your party dress. And I thought we could have brunch in the hotel before we leave.”

  “That is so thoughtful of you!” She jumps up to hug me. “I notice there are no pajamas,” she says coyly.

  “You don’t need pajamas,” I say, pulling her hard against me.

  I start to kiss her, and my hand trails down her exposed back until I hit her zipper. I tug her zipper down and feel her dress open.

  She lets out a small moan of pleasure as I push her dress over her shoulders and it falls to the floor in a puddle at her feet.

  I step back to watch her step out of it, and I can’t help but twitch in my pants. She’s wearing a low-back corset and black thong, and that combination coupled with her edgy, spiked heels is incredibly sexy.

  “Turn around,” I order.

  She obeys.

  I pull her to me, then scoot her to the bed and bend her over. She gasps as I run my hands along her ass, and gently spread her thighs. I caress Paige’s smooth skin, taking my time as I run my hands over her beautiful body, not quite believing that Paige loves me just as much as I love her.

  I run my hands along her back and unhook her corset. I push her down on the bed, and I start to pull off my own clothes as Paige kicks off her heels.

  “Mmmm,” she moans, as I tug down my boxers and climb on the bed.

  “Do you like it?” I breathe, sliding her thong down and burying my face between her thighs.

  “Yes!” she cries out as I open her up and lick her with long, deep strokes. She tastes unbelievable and I love the way her thighs tremble against me.

  It only takes a few minutes of licking and sucking at her, before she’s crying out my name and convulsing on the bed. Nothing turns me on more than making Paige come in a matter of minutes.

  I slide on top of her, but she puts her hands up to stop me.

  “No,” she says firmly. I fall to the side and she climbs on top of me and my eyes widen with lust. Watching Paige ride me is one of my hottest desires. She gives me a salacious smile and strokes me firmly in her hands.

  I groan, squeezing at her ass as she straddles me and slowly lowers herself on me. She’s warm and wet as she takes me inside her and I can’t help myself.

  “Fuck,” I hiss, closing my eyes and biting my lip.

  “That’s right, baby,” she murmurs, slowly moving up and down my shaft. “Watch me,” she orders softly and my eyes fly open.

  “That’s better,” she says, arching her back so I have a full show of her pink sex gliding up and down my member.

  I can’t believe how far Paige has come since we made love for the first time as adults.

  “Just relax and enjoy,” she whispers, unable to hide her own desire.

  I think of nothing else except Paige’s glorious body riding me, and I can’t help myself when I cry out and explode within her.

  She collapses on top of me, and I hold her against me. We rest and relax and then repeat.

  And repeat.

  And repeat.

  I’ve never seen Paige look more thoroughly fucked and satiated than she does at brunch the next morning.

  “What?” she asks, when she sees me staring at her.

  I smirk. “Nothing.”

  “What?”

  “You look very well-fucked, Miss. Lawson.”

  “I should hope so,” she teases, “Otherwise, I’m not sure what last night was all about.”

  I laugh. “God, I love you.”

  She laughs too and leans across the table to kiss me. “I love you too, baby.”

  Fourteen

  Paige

  “I miss you,” I can’t help but whine as I bury my head into Blake’s chest.

  “I know, baby, but just think after tonight, we’re going to be together every night.”

  I nod, still sulking about the lack of time that I’ve had with Blake. We’ve spent the past couple weeks tied up in rehearsals, and I always seemed to be rehearsing when Blake was resting and vice versa. The last few days, we put the whole show up and then finally we were able to see each other. It had been torture not seeing Blake as much as I was used to. I craved him in a way that I had never realized possible.

  Liam is in the corner talking to Jack and Daddy is talking to another crewmember by the door. We leave first thing tomorrow morning for our tour, and I’m worried about leaving my father for so long. We have a few small breaks before our Christmas hiatus, but otherwise, my daddy will be completely on his own.

  Well at least he has Daisy now too.

  He and Daisy have been attached at the hip lately, and I barely blink now when I see Daisy dressed in her workout gear, grabbing a water from the fridge. She and Daddy love working out together in his new home gym, and they’re both into cooking these wacky, health-food dinners together. It’s actually very cute.

  “Alright!” Liam calls out to everyone. “That’s it for tonight, folks! See you all tomorrow morning!”

&n
bsp; Everyone claps and cheers and the small group quickly disperses and begins collecting their things.

  “I wish you could come home with me tonight,” I pout as I gather my things. Blake gives me a look.

  “What?” I say.

  “You get sulky when you’re tired.” He says.

  I frown. “So what? I don’t like not seeing you as much.”

  “I don’t like it either, but we knew it was going to be this way.”

  I sigh and nod.

  “Ready, Paige?”

  I look up and see my dad.

  “Sure thing, Daddy. Let me just say goodbye to Blake.”

  He nods and looks over at Blake. “Good luck on the tour. I know Rust will do great.”

  “Thanks, Kenny. And thank you for the opportunity,” Blake says shaking his hand. My dad heads toward the exit and Blake pulls me in for a kiss.

  “It’s going to be easier from here,” he murmurs, stroking my hair and giving me a soft kiss on the lips.

  I'm so exhausted and stressed from the past month and half of preparation, but I know that Blake is right.

  “Is everything out of your house?”

  “Yep. I’m heading to my parents’ tonight. The house is finally empty.”

  That had been another reason I had barely seen Blake during our grueling rehearsal schedule. He sold his house a few weeks ago, and he had promised to be out before we went on tour. So amid all the rehearsals, he was also packing up his house and moving things into storage, it was a nightmare. He did luck out with the bidding war over his house, and he ended up getting a little more than his asking price. His parents had graciously offered for him to stay with them on our tour breaks, and until we figured out what we were doing.

  Blake and I knew we planned on being together, it was just when we would officially take things to the next level that was uncertain. Since we weren’t planning on living together until we were married, we weren’t sure what to do about Blake’s living arrangements. For now, it didn’t matter because we would be on tour, but Blake was debating on getting an apartment once our tour ended in January.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he says, kissing me one last time.

  “Love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  I head over to meet Daddy and he smiles at me as we walk out into the darkened parking lot. It’s finally starting to feel like autumn in Nashville, and I pull my sweater around me.

  “Chilly?” my dad asks.

  “Yes, but it’s okay. I like the cooler weather.”

  Daddy laughs. “I guess you’re enjoying it for now.”

  I laugh and roll my eyes. We're kicking off our tour in southern Florida, so we'll be back in the heat tomorrow. From there we're moving up the east coast and I'm hoping there'll be a welcome change in weather.

  We chat about the tour on the way home and when we’re almost in the driveway I change the subject.

  “Daddy, are you sure you’re going to be okay on your own?”

  “Honey, for the hundredth time I’m going to be fine. Don’t you think I’m doing well?”

  I nod.

  “So, don’t be worried. I would be worse off if I was coming with you.”

  I know that he’s right.

  “Besides, I have Daisy now and she knows all about my demons. She’ll keep me in check. Don’t worry.”

  Daddy did have a point. Besides the fact that I am grateful to see him happy with someone, I'm also relieved that Daisy will be around to keep her eye on him.

  “So, things seem to be going really well,” I say casually, looking sideways at him.

  He grins. “They’re going great. I guess you and Jami knew what you were doing after all.”

  We really didn’t know what we were doing, but I’m so glad that it worked out. “So, is it serious already?” I can’t help asking.

  Daddy laughs. “Honey, when you’re my age, everything is serious if it lasts more than a couple weeks.”

  I smile. I worry about leaving Daddy alone when Blake and I do finally move in together. But the thought of him having Daisy to keep him company fills me with hope.

  “Actually,” my dad says clearing his throat. “I was going to have Daisy spend the next week at the house.”

  “Oh?”

  I think Daisy was already spending a few nights at our house, anyway, but this is still news to me.

  “Well, yeah. I was thinking we could do it as a little trial run.”

  “A trial run?”

  “Yeah. We’ve been talking over living together.”

  I smile. “Really?”

  “I mean, I know it’s soon. It hasn’t even been two months, but like I said, when you get to be my age, you do things a little faster. You never know how much time you have left.”

  “Daddy!” I gasp, “You’re talking like you’re dying! My goodness! You’re only fifty-nine!”

  “Well that’s one year shy of sixty, and I sure don’t like the sound of that.”

  “I’m happy for you regardless. I think it’s great that you and Daisy are getting serious.”

  I make a mental note to call or text Jami to see what Daisy has been saying to her.

  My dad gives a little shrug. “We’ll see how it goes. If things go well, Daisy might consider looking for a renter for her condo.”

  We pull into the driveway and make our way into the house.

  “It sure will be quiet without you around here, kiddo,” my dad says, flipping on the kitchen lights.

  “Sounds like you’ll be just fine,” I tease. I’m about to say goodnight when he speaks again.

  “Have you and Blake talked any more about the future?”

  Now it’s my turn to be uncomfortable.

  “Umm, yes, especially since his house sold. Right now though, we’re focusing on the tour.”

  “You aren’t afraid to leave me, are you?” he asks.

  “Well, yes, a little.”

  “Sweetheart. I will be fine. Now of course, I want you to go about things traditionally, but please don’t drag your feet because of me.”

  “It’s not just you, Daddy. I’m scared, too.”

  My father’s face softens.

  “Of course you are,” he says tenderly. “But you’ve known Blake almost your whole life. I can’t think of a better man for you.”

  Hearing it from my father somehow makes me feel better.

  “I know, Daddy. You’re right. I don’t think I could find a better man for me.”

  My father squeezes my shoulder. “You better get some rest. You have to be up early. I’ll be up to see you off.”

  I give my father a kiss on the cheek and head back to my room.

  My bags are packed and piled neatly in the corner and once more, I have Jami to thank for helping me. I need a bigger wardrobe this time, and there were already racks of clothes that had been shipped ahead of me. Mostly, what I had packed was my regular, everyday clothes. My touring outfits were already neatly packaged and waiting for me in Ft. Lauderdale.

  I quickly change out of my clothes and collapse into bed. I’m so exhausted, that I can barely think about the tour before I fall fast asleep.

  The insistent beeping of the alarm on my phone startles me and I wildly reach for my phone to shut it off. Even though my blinds are drawn, I can tell that it's still completely dark out. We have a nearly fourteen-hour drive ahead of us today, and the van is picking me up at seven.

  I stumble out of bed, and quickly rinse off and dress, not bothering with any makeup for our day on the road. I choose comfy clothes – a pair of black yoga pants, a fitted gray t-shirt and my favorite, worn-in purple hoodie. I pull my hair into a ponytail and start dragging my bags through the house.

  My father is awake and hears me, and hurries over to help me. Once we have all my bags by the door, we sit down and eat a bowl of cereal together.

  “It’s going to be a great tour,” he remarks, “I can’t wait to see it when y’all come back through the area.”


  We're making almost sixty stops, which is incredibly daunting. But I'm looking forward to both of my parents coming out to see us perform in Nashville.

  Just as we are rinsing our bowls in the sink, my phone rings and it’s Blake.

  “Hey,” he says, “We’re parked out on the street. I don’t think we can make it up the driveway.”

  “Oh, ok,” I say puzzled. “Daddy and I will throw my things in his car and meet you down there in two minutes.”

  I look over at my father. “They can’t get the van up the driveway.”

  My daddy grins and nods. “Let’s get your stuff in the car.”

  I eye him suspiciously. “Do you know something that I don’t know?”

  He grins and shrugs.

  We hurry outside and load my bags in the back of his truck and drive down the driveway. Parked on the street, just past my father’s gate, is not a van but a shiny RV.

  “Daddy!” I squeal.

  “Surprise!” he laughs, pulling the car over. “We can’t afford a tour bus yet, but we certainly can do better than that van y’all used on the last tour.”

  Blake throws the door open and comes down the steps to help us.

  “Did you know about this?” I demand, giving him a kiss.

  “Not until yesterday,” he grins, grabbing a couple bags from the back.

  I walk over and give my father a hug.

  “I love you, Daddy. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

  “It’s the least I can do,” he says gruffly, and I know how guilty my father still feels about my past. But I’ve done more healing since I’ve been back in Nashville than I did the thirteen years that I lived in Bristol.

  I grab the last of my bags, and give my father a final wave as I climb onto the bus. The first person I see is our old driver from last time, Elvis, sitting behind the wheel.

  “Howdy, Miss Paige!” he calls cheerfully, “We got ourselves a real nice ride this time!”

  “We sure do!” I laugh.

  I step into the rest of the RV, and don’t pay much attention to the familiar faces, because I’m too busy checking out the surroundings.

  “Hot damn,” I whisper.

  “I know,” Blake agrees, carrying my bags into the back. The front half of the RV is lined with couches on either side, with large windows above. Past the couch on the right hand side, there is a small kitchenette with a sink, mini-fridge and microwave. Along the left-hand side sits a booth and table. Past that I see two small doors, one of which Blake has disappeared behind.