Worthy of the Harmony (Mountains & Men Book 2) (34 page)

“Time to give them one hell of a show, eh, Dweeb?”

“You got it, D.”

The house lights go out and the crowd goes wild, now fully aware that the show’s about to start. Knowing that’s our cue, Derrick, Maddox, and Knox start to take their places. JJ grabs my shoulder and I peer through the darkness, knowing I’ll find his fist waiting for mine. I pound his knuckles against his.

“Kill it,” he yells over the noise as he goes to join the others.

I almost jump when I feel a small hand slide into mine. I’m surprised to look over and see Alex. She looks back at me, giving my fingers a squeeze as she says, “Tell me something good. I need to hear something good.”

I shake my head, understanding that her stage fright has kicked in, but surprised—after the last month—that she still has reason to doubt what she’s capable of. “Hey,” I lean down so that I can ensure that she hears every word I’m about to say. “Did you see the look on Adrian’s face an hour ago? We told you you could play circles around that guy. Now get your ass out there and show him how it’s done, Zip.”

She squeezes my fingers once more and then lets me go. “Thank you,” she says before she disappears into the darkness.

Derrick clicks the beat and then Knox starts plucking out his solo. The stage lights come up and the crowd gets even louder. I know I only have a few more seconds before I have to be out there, but there’s one more person I want to share this moment with.

I turn and see Millie staring straight at me, and my heart skips a beat.

Fucking hell. She’s turned me into a damn pussy.

I won’t complain, though. She’s totally worth it.

I slip out of my leather jacket and hang it around her shoulders. “Hold onto this for me,” I murmur into her ear. She nods and I flash a quick smirk before smacking a kiss against her lips. “Gotta go, doll face.”

HE WALKS AWAY
from me, and the second he steps into the spotlight and onto that stage, I feel completely and utterly empty. I try shaking off the sensation; I try shoving it into the back of my mind; but the funny thing about
emptiness
is—you can’t just
get rid
of it. It’s not an emotion that can be ignored or a pain that can be placated. It’s a feeling that leaves you hollow, and the only way to reverse the condition is to replace or refill what was taken.

Only, Sage is irreplaceable.

“We’re Mountains & Men—and we’re about to get
Wild!
”

His introduction is brief, but when he belts out the first note of
Wild
, the band perfectly in sync, the roar of the audience sends a very clear and enthusiastic message: they might not have known who Mountains & Men were a few minutes ago, but they sure as shit know who they are now—and they want more.

Violet throws her arms in the air, yelling her encouragement, her voice lost in the cacophony of sounds that fill the entire building. When she starts singing along, every word memorized, a pang of despair hits me square in the chest—resounding off of the walls of my hollow insides.

I’m losing him.

Right here. Right now.

I’m losing him.

He doesn’t belong to me. He belongs to
them.

He belongs to the crowd, to the countless number of people who will sing with him.

Without my permission, my
emptiness
starts filling up with unwelcome memories.

I think of Clay…

Six weeks is a long time to keep his dick in his pants…

I think of the green room…

Beer. Booze. Boobs.

The amount of scantily clad women hanging out with the bands backstage is probably nothing to any of them. But that was
before
the show;
before
the after-party;
before
the copious amounts of alcohol that I know will be consumed before the rising of the sun.

I think of that embrace…

Maddox held onto Sage like a lifeline, and isn’t that what they are to each other? All of them—they are more than family, bound together by something more meaningful than blood—by the very thing that gives
life
to their blood—their dream!

I think of Alex…

I saw it. Even in the darkness, I saw the way she reached for his hand. She’s one of them now…one of the
men
he’d go to war for. In her moment of need, he’ll be there for her, too.
It may be true that he would never betray me, but leaving me and betraying me are not the same thing.

Now—as I look out onto the stage, I see the man who holds my heart and know that I will never get it back. And as he struts before the fans like the peacock that he is, his rich, smooth, tenor voice making my insides quiver, I know that where he goes, I will not go. Tonight is his beginning. His future is even brighter than he is—I can sense it. Yet, in spite of how I feel about the man, I know that we will not last; that the grandeur of all that awaits him will rip him away from me.

I can’t keep him
.

I fooled myself into believing that I could.

Nine days
.

He’ll be gone in nine days. Right here, right now, I’m wise enough to know that whatever promises he makes will be made in vain, even if he thinks he means them now.

The truth—the fucking god’s honest truth—is that they
always
leave.

Always
.

I feel the heat of a body behind me and a chill runs down my spine.

“Should have known, with a catch like you, he’s the heartthrob—the fan-favorite type,” Clay speaks into my ear. “Like I said—you need me, you look me up, baby.”

I clench my teeth together, willing myself to stay calm.

Nine days
.

I slip my arms into Sage’s jacket. The weight of it wrapped around me and his scent holding me brings me comfort.

I won’t get to keep him, I know, but for just this moment—I want him and he wants me and that’s all that matters.

Right?

Just then, he looks over at me and winks.

I don’t want to love him
, I remind myself.
It would kill me to love him
.

IT’S BEEN FOUR
days since our show at The Fillmore and the residue of my stage high still lingers. Being up there in front of all those people—the crowd so expansive that I couldn’t even see where it ended—it was one of those life changing moments that I’ll never forget. And the best part is, I’m about to do that over and over and over again. In five days, we load up and head out for our first leg of the tour. A week from today, I’ll be playing for a Texas crowd.

Fucking Texas!

It’s time that big ass state knew our name.

“You’re doing it again,” says Sarah with a laugh.

I look over at her, from where I sit on the stool behind the front counter at Little Bird, and watch as she restocks the pastry case. I know I’m not the only one around here who’s glad to have little miss blondie back. Brandon’s been in an exceptionally good mood since she’s been home, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why. Millie says that Sarah hasn’t slept at the apartment since her return.

Though, she can’t really say for sure. I’ve been keeping her quite busy.

“Hello! Earth to Sage.”

“Sorry, what?” I ask, shaking my head as I focus on what Sarah is saying.

“You’re going to be like this all week, aren’t you? Here but
not
really here before you’re gone for good.”

“What are you talking about? I’ll be back.”

She stops what she’s doing and looks right at me, resting her hand on her popped out hip. “Do you really believe that? I mean, don’t get me wrong, your job will still be here when you get back, but do you honestly think you’ll need it?”

I chuckle nervously, shrugging my shoulders as I shake my head. “Sarah—I have no clue. But I sure as hell hope not. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Hey, kid, what are you still doing here?” asks Brandon as he comes from the back. He passes me and heads straight for Sarah, kissing her forehead before he starts timing espresso shots.

I look at the clock on the register and hop off the stool. “Shit. What
am
I still doing here?” I pull off my apron, tossing it under the counter before grabbing my jacket as I walk around to the other side. “Two cinnamon swirl coffee cakes, please.”

“Two, huh?” Sarah says with a grin as she bags up my order. “Might one of these be for your
girlfriend?
” she asks, grossly exaggerating the word.

“This is the last Tuesday we’ll have for a while,” I mutter with a shrug. “Just want her to know I’m not gone yet.”

“You know what? You’re not too bad at this boyfriend thing.”

She rings me up and I hand over the bills I owe her before snatching up my sack of goodies.

“Sarah,” I begin to say, backing my way out of the lobby. “I’m the best she’s ever had.” She laughs and I wink before turning to make my exit.

It takes me twenty minutes to get to campus, and when I arrive at Millie’s office, I find it locked. I’m not surprised or bothered. I know she’ll be making her way around the corner any minute now. While I wait, I hop on Facebook and scroll through my feed. The guys and I acquired a few more friends on the social media network after having met Twisted Tuesday and Lawful Sinners. Everyone’s been talking about the tour, posting clips from our last show, and creating the necessary hype for our first few stops.

I hear the echo of a pair of heels as someone makes her way down the hallway. I pocket my phone, hoping it’s my girl. Sure enough, she comes into view and the sight of her makes my dick jerk. She’s got on a dress. It’s navy blue and covered in a subtle pattern that you’d miss if you weren’t paying attention. The top is cut like a blazer, closed halfway down her chest—only she’s not wearing a shirt underneath. The long sleeves are folded up her forearm, the gold belt around her waist reminds me of what lies underneath, and the skirt hangs just above her knees—her bare knees.

“You’re wearing a dress,” I murmur, a devious smile curling my lips.

She approaches me with a straight face, pressing her freehand against my chest as she pushes herself up on her tiptoes. She puckers her lips and I lean down, giving her what she wants. When I pull away, she whispers, “I am. What are you going to do about it?”

“Well, doll face, I would take you against the wall if you’d let me, but since you have
rules—
”

“Fuck my rules, Sage,” she breathes.

The feel of her breath against my lips, coupled with the promise of her words, sends a rush of blood to my dick. I kiss her again, this time reaching for her ass and pulling her against me. “Open the goddamn door, Millicent, and stop teasing me before I take you in this hallway.”

“You have a condom?”

I arch an eyebrow at her ridiculous question. When I get back, I fully intend on convincing her that we don’t need the rubbers. For now, I’m too turned on to argue. “Have you seen my girlfriend?” I ask, giving her ass a squeeze. “I don’t leave home without one.”

A small smile plays at her lips and she pulls away from me, reaching for her keys before unlocking the door. I follow her inside and she shuts us in before twisting the lock, not even bothering with the lights. The second she drops her bag, I drop mine into the nearest chair and my hands are around her hips, guiding her back against the wall and out of sight of the narrow window beside the door.