by Amy Marie
“You must be Liam,” I say.
“And you aren’t welcome here. Now, I suggest you turn around and walk away before I toss your ass in the street.”
Sensing trouble, the group to my right vacates their stools in search of safer real estate. I can feel the space close in at my back. I turn as three men wearing pissed off expressions matching Liam’s stand behind me.
“This guy causing trouble?” one of them speaks. He’s my height, broad with dark hair, and wearing a T-shirt that says I drink, and I know things.
“Nah, Drew,” Liam responds, “fucker was just leaving.”
The blond, wearing a pair of black frame glasses, squints his eyes and points a finger in my direction. “Don’t I know you from somewhere?” I figure its best to stay quiet. He slaps my shoulder, sending me back into the bar. “You’re that producer.”
The last guy, wearing a striped button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a dark maroon tie, watches me warily. “The one from the picture?”
“Yeah,” Drew says, stepping closer, “the one that broke Orelia’s heart.”
The guy in the tie presses a hand to his friend’s chest as the three of them stare me down. I swallow, shrinking beneath their murderous glares. These guys look about ready to rip my balls off and feed them to me, but I could care less. I’m here for my girl.
“Where is she?” I ask.
Liam speaks up behind me. “She’s not here, and as far as she is concerned, neither are you. I’m not going to tell you again. Get the fuck out of my bar.”
I turn and meet the eyes of her protectors. “I’m here to see Orelia. You want to kick my ass, then do your worst, but I’m not leaving this goddamn city without her.”
They look at each other, a silent conversation passing between them. Then the blond claps me on the shoulder. “I like him,” he announces, offering me his hand. “Sean Taylor,” he says.
I reluctantly take his hand in a firm shake. “Ezra King.”
“Let me buy you a beer, Ezra, and you can tell Uncle Sean all about it.”
Liam shakes his head. “You’re such a dick,” he says to Sean.
“What?” he asks. He grasps my chin, squishing my cheeks together as he shakes my head back and forth. “Look at him. The man is obviously in love with her. He looks like hell.”
Liam points at the ceiling. “He’s the reason our wives are up there right now, plying that girl with wine and ice cream.”
I shift my eyes to the ceiling and make a move toward the back in search of a way up. Drew stops me with a hand on my chest. “Whoa, Loverboy. You’re not going up there.”
“The fuck I’m not.”
He pushes me down on a barstool and fixes me with a glare. “Sit down. The last thing she needs right now is you breaking up their hen party. Plus, my wife is up there, and trust me, you don’t want to feel her wrath.”
Sean nods. “Severe testicular trauma.”
“I can’t just sit here.”
“You can, and you will,” Drew says.
I exhale, my heart sinking as I slump on the bar stool.
“Now,” Drew asks, “what happened?”
Chapter 24
Orelia
“Bitchface, can you pass the wine?” Alex asks, reaching her hand out toward Gwen.
“Are you ever going to let that go?” Gwen groans, passing her the bottle.
Alex thinks for a moment, tapping a finger on her chin. “You slept with my husband. So, I’m gonna say no.”
Madison laughs and shakes her head.
“That was years ago, and you weren’t even together. Besides, I said I was sorry.” Gwen whines.
“I know, and I’ve forgiven you, but Bitchface stays. I like it. It’s become kind of a term of endearment.”
“Could be worse,” Millie pipes in. “She could call you assface.”
There’s a moment of silence, and they all burst out laughing around me. My lip twitches, which is about all the amusement I can muster.
In the years working for Gwen and Liam, I’ve come to know their circle of friends pretty well. Millie is like supermom, always binging me Tupperware filled with delicious gourmet meals because she worries I’m not eating well enough. Alex is the big sister I’ve always wanted, and her husband, Drew, is really sweet, if not a little overprotective.
Madison, while technically also my boss, doesn’t say much, but her husband, Sean, and I have become good friends since we started the open mic, which, thanks to my recent record contract, has become a huge draw for the bar. Once word got out that I’d been discovered there, people came in droves to perform or check out the talent, hoping some of my good luck would rub off on them. Only I don’t feel so lucky these days.
The moment I got in the car, Liam declared Ezra public enemy number one and assured me he would kick his ass if he ever showed his face in The Den again. As soon as we walked into the bar, Gwen ushered me upstairs to her loft, where she’d called in reinforcements, who showed up with several bottles of wine and Millie’s famous chocolate strawberry cheesecake.
I glance down at my nearly empty glass.
“Hey,” Millie coos, “you okay, honey?”
I shake my head as a tear slips from my eye. She pulls me into a hug as the other women reach out, petting and patting, offering what comfort they can.
“What am I supposed to do? I can’t face them, but the album isn’t finished, and if I don’t deliver, I’ll probably be in breach of contract or something.” I pull from Millie’s embrace. “Oh, my God. What if they sue?”
Gwen shakes her head. “So, what if they do? What are they going to get that thrift store couch and a few old Sarah Mitchell albums?”
Madison’s lips flatten. “Actually, if they win, they could put a judgment against all future earnings that could—” She stops when she meets Alex’s hard glare. “Sorry, Not helpful.”
Millie rubs my arm affectionately. “Regardless of what happens, we will be here to help you get through this.”
There’s a knock on the door, and we all look up as Liam sticks his head inside. “How’s it going up here?”
Gwen tosses a pillow in his direction. “Go away. We told you this is a testosterone free zone.”
He pushes the door open and steps inside, frowning at his wife. “I live here, Princess.”
“Whatever,” she rolls her eyes.
He rubs the back of his neck. “Anyway, I hate to break up the hen party, but Orelia, someone is here to see you.”
My brows draw together as Liam moves aside, and Ezra steps into the room. My jaw drops, and the girls gasp when they catch sight of him.
“Are you serious, Liam?” Alex asks. “What happened to kicking his ass?”
“He was going to,” Ezra answers.
She raises a brow.
“Look at him,” Liam says, gesturing to Ezra. “Dude looks so pathetic, it would be like beating up a puppy. Would you punch him?”
“Well, I’ll sure as shit give it a try,” Gwen says, pushing to her feet and marching toward him. Liam rushes forward, catching her around the waist as she swings her arms wildly in Ezra’s direction, fingers curled into claws.
Ezra ducks and moves out of the way as Liam pulls his wife through the door. Her screams are muffled behind the metal, and Ezra turns back to the rest of the group, gnawing at his bottom lip.
“Perhaps we should see what the boys are up to,” Millie suggests, getting to her feet. “We’ll just leave you two to talk.”
Alex and Madison follow suit, eyeing Ezra warily as they pass on their way to the door.
Silence fills the room as soon as the door shuts behind them. Ezra takes a hesitant step toward me. “Orelia,” he breathes my name on a sigh, “I’ve been going out of my mind.”
I glance down at my fingers as fresh tears fill my eyes. “I just couldn’t face you. Have you seen the awful things they are saying about us? About me?”
He nods. “But why did you run? You could’ve called me. You
could’ve talked to me.”
“You weren’t answering your phone!” I cried.
He steps closer, reaching for me, but I recoil, and the hurt in his eyes is staggering.
“I—I can do this.” I stammer. “I can’t live this kind of lifestyle. It’s suffocating.”
“I know, and I hate that I dragged you into it. The last thing I wanted was for you to get hurt.”
I look up at him. “I know that, Ezra, and it’s not your fault. I pursued you. You tried to warn me, you tried to keep your distance, but I—” I drop my gaze. “I didn’t listen.”
He moves forward, taking the seat beside me. “And I’m glad you didn’t. I’m so fucking grateful that you saw through all the bullshit and the fame and just saw me.”
“What do we do?” I ask him.
“We figure it out?”
I laugh. “How can we possibly make this work between us when the world will be constantly rooting for us to fail.”
“Let them. Let them doubt us and place bets on when we’ll break up and talk shit on social media. I don’t care. I don’t care about Hannah, about the label, my reputation, or my job. All I care about is you.”
“I care about you too,” I tell him, brushing my fingers over his cheek, “but ignoring them won’t be easy. People will scrutinize our every move. Where we go, where we eat, how we look. They will call everything into question and eventually drive a wedge between us.”
He opens his mouth the object, and I hold up a hand to stop him. “I know this was Hannah, somehow she is behind the pictures and the gossip. I don’t know what she wants, but she won’t stop until she gets it or takes us both down. You’ve worked too hard and come so far. I refuse to allow you to compromise your dream for me. You would do the same for me.”
He leans into my hand, turning his head and pressing a kiss to the center of my palm. “Yes, music is my first love. It’s the one constant in my life. It gives me passion and purpose, but if given the choice between you and the music. I’d choose you every single time.”
A sob tears from my throat, and he pulls me against him and holding on tight. I can feel the wetness of his own tears soaking my hair. We stay like that for a long, long time.
Eventually, I lean back, and he takes my face in his hands. The rough callouses of his fingers scratch against my skin, and I inhale an unsteady breath. He leans in, pressing a kiss to my forehead, then my eyes, my nose, and finally my lips.
He kisses me gently, cautiously, and I break, parting my lips and kissing him back, my fingers tangling in his hair. He pulls me closer, and my body melts into him.
Ezra pulls me into his lap, my legs straddling him, fighting to get closer as the kiss becomes desperate. I don’t want to stop, don’t want to move. It would be so easy to stay in this moment, to live in this space where he is mine, and I am his, and no one and nothing can come between us.
I ground my hips against him as his fingers slide beneath the hem of my T-shirt. His touch searing my skin, spurring me on. I cross my arms, breaking the kiss only long enough to whip my shirt over my head.
Ezra’s lips move to my neck, nipping and sucking at the sensitive flesh. My fingers curl into fists in his hair as I pull him closer to me. He leans and tilts his chin to take my lips in the softest, sweetest kiss.
“I love you, Orelia,” he whispers, moving his hand to cup my cheek, his eyes bright and pleading. “I’m so fucking in love with you.”
“I love you, too, Ezra,” I tell him as a tear rolls down my cheek.
A smile slides across his face as he leans in, kissing me deeply. We stay like that for a long time, kissing, touching tasting, but despite our mutual declarations, it tastes like good-bye. If this is it the last time I get to hold him, to touch him, then I need to feel his skin against mine.
I slide his shirt up his taut stomach, but he stops me, wrapping his fingers around mine before breaking the kiss. “No, baby.”
I frown, watching him with desperate eyes. He shakes his head. “Not until you can tell me that you’re with me. That you love me enough to stay by my side, to love me regardless of what people will say.” He uses a finger to brush a lock of hair behind my ear. “The way that I love you.”
“Ezra, I can’t.” I glance down, sitting back on his thighs in just my bra and jeans. “I—I’m not strong enough.”
“You are. I wish you could see yourself through my eyes, beautiful. You are fierce and clever, and so goddamn incredible. You’ve been my strength when I’m at my weakest, lifted me up when I broke down. Let me do that for you. That’s how we make it through this. We lean on each other, lift each other up.”
“It’s not that easy,” I sob.
“It is. If we choose each other, love each other every day, then nothing else will matter. Nothing will get in our way.”
I stay silent and look down at the space between us where his body connects with mine.
“Look at me, Orelia.”
Slowly, I raise my eyes to meet his. “Do you love me?”
“Yes,” I say in a clipped sob. “I love you so much it hurts.”
“Then be with me. Shut out the rest of the world and be here with me.” I shudder as fresh tears fall from my eyes. “If you can do that, then I will spend the rest of my life loving you the way you deserve to be loved, with my whole heart, my body, my soul. Please, baby. I’m begging you, let me love you.”
I collapse against his chest, sobbing into his neck as he holds me tight, pressing soft kisses to my temple and whispering how much he loves me, how much he needs me in my ear. My heart feels like it’s about to burst inside my chest, and it becomes exceedingly clear that if he loves me enough to fight for us, then I owe it to him to do the same.
When the tears run dry, I lean back, blinking up at him. “I love you,” I whisper against his lips.
“I love you too,” he tells me, kissing my swollen, tear-stained lips.
With a deep breath, I meet his eyes. “We’re going to have to put up one hell of a fight.”
He smiles and wraps his arms around my back. “Then bring it on because I’m never letting you go.”
I smile and kiss him hard as the creak of the metal door opening sounds in the distance.
“Oh, come on,” Liam groans. “Not on my couch.”
Ezra turns my body to shield me from prying eyes and reaches for my shirt on the floor. I quickly tug it over my head and look over at Liam, who’s covering his eyes with his hand.
“I guess you two made up then?”
“Yeah,” Ezra breathes, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. Mouthing the words, I love you just for me.
“Good, now get the hell out of here.”
We push to our feet, laughing as I wipe the last of the tears from my eyes.
When we reach the door, Liam stops Ezra with a hand to his chest. “Remember what I said,” he tells him.
Ezra nods. “I’m not letting her go without a fight.”
“Good, because if you break her heart, there are four guys who aren’t afraid to hunt your ass to the ends of the earth.” Liam jabs a finger in Ezra’s chest.
“Understood.”
Chapter 25
Ezra
A strange sense of calm washes over me as I enter the offices of Dionysus Records a few days later.
Orelia and I opted to stay a few extra days so she could show me around her city. Boston was great. It wasn’t hard to understand why she loved it there. She’d grown up, just her and her Dad, and she was fine with that, but she’d found the family she’d never known she needed in that little dive bar off Madison Square.
I found myself envying the simplicity of their relationships. They were so open and free to love each other how they chose to. No restrictions or guidelines. Then over beers one night, I heard their stories. How Drew had loved Alex from afar, settling for friendship because that was what she needed. Sean and Madison had nearly lost each other for the sake of appearances and had to learn to choose their own happiness
over what they thought was good for them.
Liam’s story floored me. He’d risked everything, given up a life of privilege to make his own rules. He’d bought The Den from Drew’s father, a man named Papa Jack, and set out to forge his own life until a little blond spitfire came in and nearly upended it all.
Each one of them had their own struggles, their own pain, their own obstacles to overcome to be together. Seeing them now, so happy and in love, gave me hope for my future with Orelia. I hope that one day we will look back, knowing that everything we’ve been through and the obstacles that may lie ahead only make us stronger in the end.
I stop at the reception desk outside Malcom’s office. A petite blonde offers me a warm smile, and I give her a quick nod. “Morning, Michelle,” I say in greeting. “He’s expecting me.”
Her smile widens as she nods. “Go on ahead.”
“Thank you,” I say, rapping my knuckles twice on the top of her desk.
I make my way down the quiet hallway, passing empty conference rooms and a full kitchen/break area. Two double doors stand at the end of the hall, one cracked open slightly. I knock, opening the door just a crack and freeze when I see Malcom perched on the edge of his desk. My eyes narrow on the bubble gum pink curls of the woman sitting with her back to me. Hannah.
Malcom looks up and meets my eyes with a stern look as he pushes to his feet and buttons his suit coat. “Ezra,” he says, “right on time. Ms. Miles here was just telling me about your plans for her next album.”
I grit my teeth as Hannah smirks up at me from her seat. “We’re so excited to be working together again. Right, babe?”
My hands curl into fists at my sides. “What are you doing here?” I growl through clenched teeth.”
“Surprise,” she says with a little giggle. “They gave me a clean bill of health and sent me on my way. It was silly for me to be there in the first place. I’m not like those poor people in that awful place. Just a simple misunderstanding.”
“You tried to kill yourself.”
Her jaw drops in mock horror as she presses a hand to her chest. “I would never. It was an accident. Silly me, I’d mixed up my sleeping pills with my multivitamins.” She smacks her forehead and makes a goofy face. “Anyway, I’m all better now and ready to get back to work.”
