Beauty from Surrender (16 page)

When we both finish coming, I don't move because these are the moments I savor—just having Jack Henry inside me without any clear line of where either of us ends or begins. These times when we're quiet and simply holding one another afterward are when I feel the closest to him.

He puts his arms around me and pulls me close so he can place the side of his face between my breasts. "Your heart is racing."

"As it should be after that. I think you need to travel with me to keep me in tip-top shape since I can't work out on my pole."

"Your pole at Avalon misses you. And so have I."

"I miss Avalon. It sort of felt like home to me."

He lifts his face from my chest and looks up at me. "It hasn't gone anywhere. Avalon can be your home again. With me."

What is he saying? "You want me to go back with you?"

"I know it hasn't even been a full day since I walked back into your life, but having you in Australia with me is what I want more than anything."

I'm being pulled in two directions. This man is in my heart and that part of me wants to drop everything and board an Australia-bound plane with him right this second. But then there's another part—the one screaming at me to remember the eight years of hard work I've invested in my music career. I'm finally achieving success and it's come at a terribly high price. I'm not prepared to throw my career away.

But neither am I prepared to let Jack Henry walk out of my life. And I'm afraid telling him I can't go to Australia will end with me losing him all over again. I'm not sure I could survive that a second time.

I think he sees the war raging inside me and places two fingers against my lips. "Don't say anything yet. I don't expect you to make a decision right now. You need time to consider what moving nine thousand miles away would mean for your life—not only now, but years down the road."

Last night he told me that he never wants to be apart from me again. Today he's saying we belong together. Always. It feels like he's suggesting we'll be married, but he isn't actually saying the words.

"I've managed to make arrangements to be away from the vineyards for the next four weeks. I really want us to spend that time together deciding where to go from here."

A whole month together. I can't imagine a better way to spend my time. "Of course. I want to be with you every minute of the next four weeks."

"Good. I was hoping you'd say that."

He puts his forehead against my chest. "We have a lot of discussions ahead of us over the next several weeks, but I won't be the one to initiate them. I'll wait for you to decide you're ready to talk."

I kiss the top of his dark hair. "Thank you for being patient with me."

"I've known for three months I was coming for you. You've known for a day. I realize my arrival was unanticipated and you've been making all these plans that didn't include me showing up out of the blue."

"Jack Henry." I put my hands on each side of his head and force it up so I can see his face. "Your arrival is unexpected but more than welcomed. You, caveman, are the best surprise I've had in…my entire life."

***

The driver must have sped because the limo pulls up at the hotel long before our estimated arrival, and Laurelyn's still stark naked. She scrambles for her clothes and underwear as she curses, "Shit. We're already here and I'm not wearing a stitch." She looks over at her reflection in the mirrored wall. "I look like I've been rode hard and put up wet."

I can't resist. "There's definitely been some hard riding and I must say that you were pretty wet each time."

"Not funny. The guys are going to take one look at me and know exactly what I've been up to."

I'm perfectly fine with them knowing. "I sure hope so. At least that Charlie bloke will back off."

"Charlie knows how much I love you and he's glad to see me happy—even if that means there can never be anything between us. He's that kind of guy, so please, don't give him a hard time. He's not like Ben at all."

"Don't worry. I'm not going to embarrass you by going all Neanderthal." Maybe. It might not involve me beating on my chest or dragging Laurelyn around by her hair, but I will stake my claim on my girl so there's no misunderstanding.

"Thank you."

She takes another look at herself in the mirror and attempts to smooth her hair. "Oh, hell. It's a good thing we're here earlier than expected because I'm going to have to start from scratch."

"Baby, you look beautiful."

"This makes you happy, doesn't it? You like having me look a mess with all of my makeup rubbed off by your scruff and my hair looking like I've been rolling around in the back seat."

I playfully push her down onto the seat and lie on top of her. We're eye to eye when I tell her, "You're damn right. I want them to know I fucked you all the way here and that my spunk is still inside you so they won't even think about trying to sniff around you." I reach under her skirt to rub my hand between her legs. I feel the wet spot where my load has leaked out onto her undies. "Do you remember what I told you about this part of your body?"

"Yes."

"Say it." I want to hear the proof that she hasn't forgotten.

"No one else touches me there."

I love hearing her say that. "And why can no one else touch you like this?"

"Because I'm yours and no one else's." I covet those words from her.

I push her knickers to the side and slip my finger inside her. "Which makes this mine."

She rolls her eyes, smiling, and that tells me that she likes the possessive nature I feel for her. "You can be downright crude sometimes."

"But you love every dirty thing I do or say."

She huffs dramatically. "Yeah, I do. So there…I admit it. Happy now?"

She has no idea. "Yes. Very."

"Good. Now, let me up because I have to go get ready for the show."

I give her a peck on the mouth. "Yes, ma'am."

This venue is different from the auditorium Laurelyn and her band played last night. It looks like an old theatre, the seating a horseshoe shape and an open floor for standing room only directly in front of the stage. The crowd on the floor is growing fast, so I choose a seat on the first riser closest to the stage so I'll be able to see the show without fighting the crowd.

It's time for the show to begin and I'm amazed by the congestion of people who've gathered to hear Southern Ophelia. These people are waiting to hear my girl sing, and it dawns on me just how fast she's risen to the top. She isn't becoming a star; she already is one.

I'm not sure where that leaves me in her life. I'm certain it must've been much easier to love me and toy with the idea of staying in Australia when she had nothing waiting on her at home, but that's not the case now. She has all of this—a band with people depending on her and a career with fans.

I watch the floor crowd as Laurelyn and her band members perform, and something becomes very clear to me: this is still only a small portion of the stardom in her future, and it scares the hell out of me. I'm terrified she'll love the glitz and glamour of this life and ultimately choose it over me. I want Laurelyn to have every bit of success she deserves because I love her, but not at the expense of our life together. That's why I must use the next month to show her why she should choose us over this life. If that makes me a selfish bastard, then it just does. I can live with that as long as she's with me and not nine thousand miles away.

It looks like Charlie has backed off Laurelyn tonight. He isn't eye-fucking her as they sing, so I guess he got the message. I can't knock the guy for trying, though. She is one hell of a catch.

When they finish playing what I think is the last song, the blokes leave the stage and Laurelyn takes a seat on a stool under the spotlight. She winks in my direction as she strums some chords on her Martin and leans toward the microphone. "I wrote this next song during an extremely dark time in my life. I had just parted ways with the man I loved and thought we'd never see each other again. It's about the things I'd say to him if he ever came back to me. Well, he finally did, and this song is for him. It's called 'Loved by You.'"

We were complete strangers

Brought together by fate's hand.

You were a powerful tide

Rushing over me in the sand.

You pulled me into you

From the safety of the shore

And what I thought I wanted

Became so much more.

Now I just want to be wanted by you.

And I just want to be needed by you.

My heart just pleads to be loved by you.

In the roughest of waters

I happily drowned in you

And in the calm of the storm

My love for you grew.

But now you're choosing

To let me go

And it grows harder every day

To not let the pain show.

'Cause I just want to be wanted by you.

And I just want to be needed by you.

My heart just pleads to be loved by you.

My heart is slowly

Counting down the days

Each one bringing us closer

To our parting ways.

And I worry about

How I'll move on

When you're the reason

Behind my every song.

'Cause I just want to be wanted by you.

And I just want to be needed by you.

My heart just pleads to be loved by you.

Laurelyn finishes and mouths, "I love you," before she kisses her fingers and holds her hand out in my direction. It's completely juvenile but it doesn't stop me from reaching out as if to catch her kiss and bring it to my lips. I look like a pussy, but what can I say? Love makes you do silly things and catching an air kiss would definitely fall under that category.

"Dude, did she just blow that kiss to you?"

I've sat by this guy the entire show without even looking at him until now. "Yeah, she did. And now I'm going to go get a real one."

I see the surprise in his eyes and it reinforces for me the huge star they see when they look at Laurelyn. "Wow. The singer for Southern Ophelia is your girlfriend? That must rock."

Girlfriend doesn't feel like the right word for what she is to me. "She's much more than my girlfriend."

"Cool. Tell her it was an awesome show."

I walk to the spot where she told me to meet her after and she's there, waiting as promised. I pull her close and kiss the side of her face. "Baby, you just keep amazing me."