Muse - Fighting Fate #1 (22 page)

When the lump in
my throat finally loosened enough for me to at least whisper, I softly spoke the words I knew to be truer than anything else I’d ever said. “I love you too.”

Jace
carefully rolled us so we were lying on our sides, facing each other. He brushed the hair from my face with his fingers, then leant in to kiss me. I watched him shake his head with wonder as he watched me back. “How on earth did I ever manage to deserve you?”

I frowned
. “I think it’s the other way around, Jace.”

He gave me
a tiny smile. “Yeah, I’m a pretty good catch.”

I laug
hed, not expecting him to say that. I was surprised at how light I suddenly felt.

Jace sighed, his lips still curved up contentedly
. “I love that sound.” He pulled me into him so my head was resting on his arm and my lips were pressed against his chest. “I can’t believe we get to spend the whole night together without worrying someone will catch us.”

I smiled against his warm skin. “Mmm…”

He whispered a chuckle and squeezed me tighter. “Are you worn out princess?”

“Just a little,” I giggled.

Jace sighed and kissed my hair. “What do you want to do tomorrow?”

I wriggled
, moving myself so I could see his face better. “Uh…I kind of have plans in the morning,” I said, a grin spreading to my lips.

“Okay
,” he said. His eyes narrowed at my expression, curiosity evident. “What are you doing?”

I smiled
at him devilishly. “Mom’s taking me to the doctors to get the pill.”

Jace’s eyes widen
ed with shock. “You told your mom we’re having sex?”

I laughed
at his expression. “No, but I told her I want to have sex with you.”

The horror on his face wa
s comical. I couldn’t help but giggle. “It’s not funny, Mia. She’s going to cut my balls off.”

“No, she’s not. She loves you. And I told you, I tell her everything. I feel bad that I haven’t told her I’m already having sex.”

He ran his hand over his face. “Fuck, I glad you haven’t. Oh my God, if Aiden knew I’ve been sleeping with you all this time...”

I cuddled
into him. “Don’t worry about it. She’ll be fine. And just so you know, I’ll be losing my virginity soon.”

Panic flashed
in his eyes. “You’re going to tell her?!”

I grinned.
“Soon. When it’s been long enough for her to think it’s acceptable.”

Jace close
d his eyes and groaned. “She’s so going to hate me. Aiden’s going to kill me.”

I frowned at that thought
. “Ewww...I won’t be telling
him
. That’s just creepy.” I scrunched my nose up to reiterate. “And anyway, isn’t that supposed to be your thing? He’s your best friend.”

Jace exhaled
loudly. “Normally I probably would, but you’re his sister. Just like I’m sure you don’t want to hear about his sex life, I’m pretty confident he won’t want to hear about yours...especially with me.”

I pressed
my lips together, knowing very well I had no desire to even think about what Aiden did behind his bedroom door.

Jace
suddenly scowled, following it with a groan. “I can’t believe you tell your mom everything. Can’t you just tell Kaeli instead?”

I sh
rugged. “Oh Kaeli already knows. I told her about Aspen the day after it happened.”

Jace sighed
. “Aspen,” he said with a tinge of sadness. “That was hard. You completely threw my plans into a spin.” He shook his head as the memories flashed through his mind.

I laughed
. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for the mirror to fall off the wall and smash all around me so you’d have to carry me out.”

He smirked at me
. “I was just being a gentleman.”

“Yeah, right.”

“You have no idea how much of a struggle I went through that night. I wanted to protect you, look after you like your brother would, but seeing you standing there in that damned towel, with those big, beautiful eyes looking up at me with so much trust, I would’ve had to be a fucking saint to hold back. After that first kiss, I actually thought I could stop it – just pass it off as a little mistake, but then your fucking towel fell off and I had no chance.” He laughed, remembering.

“Then the next day Kacey was all over me, and you were acting like nothing had happened. I had no idea what I was supposed to do with th
at. I was so confused.” He gazed at me tenderly, his expression one of pure honesty. “But something happened to me that night. It was like something woke up inside me, and I was seeing you for the first time.” He twirled a piece of my hair between his fingers, his gaze settling on the long strands as he sorted through his memories. “I knew you were vulnerable. I knew I shouldn’t let it go too far, but it was like I needed you.”

I gently stroked
his cheek, watching him struggle with his feelings. “I needed you too. I didn’t realize how much until it happened.” I looked down at our hands as Jace entwined our fingers together. “You know, I used to watch the other girls at school, the way they’d flirt and date, and I’d hear the stories of how they were waiting for that perfect time to sleep with their boyfriends, waiting for that moment when they were comfortable enough for their boyfriends to see them in their most vulnerable state. And I knew right then and there, that was something I’d never be able to do.

“
But in that split second when my towel fell off in Aspen, I realized I was actually at that point. I was standing there in front of you in my most vulnerable state, and I was surprised to find I really did trust you.”

Jace lean
t forward and kissed my forehead. “I’m fucking glad you did.”

I slowly moved
in his arms, snuggling back in and gently running my hand over the muscles on his back. I heard him inhale, long and deep, and he pushed himself against me, his arms tightening as he went. I sighed.

“In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m not letting you go.” He tilted his head down so he could see my face. “You’re my muse.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Am I now?”

He smirked. “Yes, you are. I’ve written three songs since Aspen, and you inspired all of them.”

“You mean there’s more than the one about nameless girls that fuck?”

Jace laughed. “The unspoken story of that song is about one incredibly gorgeous girl who I didn’t want to name, that takes my breath away in
every sense of the word.”

My heart actually skipped a beat as he spoke. He was so beautiful. I didn’t know what I was going to do when
he had to go on tour. I sighed. I couldn’t think about that now.

Chapter 36

Jace

It was almost eleven o’clock when I got the text from Mia saying she was home from the doctors. Deciding not to waste any time, I jumped in the car and drove straight over.

The guys and I
had a band meeting later that afternoon to discuss the thing with Leighton’s, so I wanted to make sure I got to spend as much time with Mia as I could before then.

I knocked and waited for someone to answer the door. When it swung open and I found
Lillian standing there, I gave her a coy smile. “Hi, Mrs. C.”

She smiled with a confused crease between her brows. “Hi
, Jace...uh...well, this is weird. Who are you here to see?”

I laughed, because I was just thinking the same thing. “Uh...Mia.”

She gave me a warm smile, accepting. Well, that was a good sign considering she’d just taken Mia to the doctors to get contraception. “Well, in that case, she’s in the lounge.”

I almost exhaled with relief. “Thanks.”

Heading towards the lounge, I saw Mia adjusting the TV. She turned when she heard my footsteps and smiled, immediately dropping everything to come to me.

We met at the edge of the room, Mia standing on the step, making her almost the same height as me.

“Hi,” she said softly, wrapping her arms around my neck.

I breathed her in, my hands finding her hips as she pressed her body against mine and kissed me. I smiled against her lips. “Hi.” Damn she was adorable.

And sexy. I ran my hands from her waist up her sides, my broad hands covering most of her rib cage. Mia sighed and kissed me again, this time slow and deep.

“Jesus
, Mom!” Aiden said from somewhere behind me. “Don’t just stand there. Tell them to cut it out.”

Both Mia and I turned towards Aiden’s voice, watching him stride towards the kitchen with a scowl on his face.

“I was being polite, Aiden,” Lillian said from the kitchen doorway. “They were only kissing.” She smiled at us. “Did you want some lunch, Jace? I was just making some.”

I didn’t move my hands from Mia’s sides. There didn’t seem any point considering she’d already seen us. And she didn’t seem upset by our affections, so that was a positive. “If it’s not too much trouble,” I said.

“Jace, I’ve been feeding you since you were fourteen. I think I’m quite okay with it now,” she said, already disappearing into the kitchen with Aiden.

I gave Mia a sheepish grin when we were left alone. “This is weird.”

She laughed. “I know, but I don’t care. Come and watch a movie with me.” She dragged me over to the lounge and pulled me down with her. “Aiden!” she called out. “Do you want to watch a movie with us?”

Aiden’s voice floated out from the kitchen. “Only if you’re not going to sit there and make out the whole time!”

We both chuckled at that. “I can’t guarantee anything, but I’ll try!”

I heard Lillian’s soft laugh and couldn’t help but laugh too. Mia grinned and snuggled into my side, remote in hand.

“So, how did you go this morning?” I asked her, curious.

A blush crept onto her cheeks, making me want to kiss her. “I had trouble deciding between the pill and the needle thing.”

I watched her without saying a thing, mainly because I had no fucking idea when it came to female contraception. Condoms were my limit.

“I decided
the needle was easier. You only have to have one every three months. I wasn’t sure I could remember to take the pill every day. ”

I nodded. My mind suddenly went to what it would feel like making love to her without a condom. Fuck. I could barely keep my shit together with a condom on. I wasn’t sure if I could make it last going bare.

My dick started stirring to life. Wrong fucking thing to think about when her mom and brother were about to join us.

Mia smirked at me. “You’re thinking about sex, aren’t you?”

“Correction. I’m thinking about sex with you, without a condom.”

Mia’s irises darkened and she licked her lips. I groaned and closed my eyes. “Damn it
, Mia. Don’t look at me like that when your mom and Aiden are about thirty seconds from walking in.”

I opened my eyes to see her smile widening.
“Sorry. I’ll change the subject then.” She frowned in thought, then looked at me seriously. “So, what do you think the guy from Leighton’s has put on the table?”

I pressed my lips together. I’d actually
been trying not to think about that too. “I’m not sure. I’m pretty confident he was impressed by what he saw last night, so hopefully Rich was able to negotiate a good contract for us.”

Mia nodded.
“There’s so much to think about, isn’t there?”

“Yeah. It’s hard, especially when you don’t know what’s normal. We just want to play music.”

I watched the emotions roll through her. “I’m going to miss you when you go on tour. You and Aiden.”

I sighed. “I’ve tried not to think about it because I know it’ll only make me fucking crazy. Seriously. Six months is going to kill me.”

She looked at me with her big blue eyes shining. “Being on the road?”

I stared at her, realizing she was asking me if being on the road was the thing that was going to kill me. I laughed humorlessly. “Hardly. Until Aspen, that’s all I was itching to do. Go see as many places as I could, and play to as many people as I could. Now the thought of going anywhere without you makes me want to kill someone.”

She looked down at her hand fiddling with the hem of my shirt before meeting my gaze again. “We’ll make it work. I’ll fly out to see you whenever I can.”

I gently ran my fingers through the hair that framed her face, studying her features intently. I really couldn’t think about it right now. Instead of answering her, I leant forward and kissed her forehead.

“Seriously,” Aiden said as he came back into the lounge room. “No fucking kissing. I mean it. I’m not sitting here if you’re going to be all over each other.”

Mia grinned. “Calm down. We’ll behave.”

Lillian walked in carrying a plate of little pastries. She did these for us all the time when we were rehearsing at Aiden’s. They were fucking awesome.

We all settled in and put the movie on, devouring the lunch in no time. Surprisingly, Lillian stayed to watch the movie with us, but I had a slight suspicion it had more to do with watching her daughter be happy than the movie itself.

Mia snuggled into me during the whole movie. I knew both Aiden and Lillian were sneaking glances at us every now and again, but I found I didn’t really mind. Considering Mia was the first serious girlfriend I’d ever had, I thought I was handling it all quite well. I guess it helped that they already felt like family, but I’d been expecting the transition to be a little more awkward.

When it all came down to it, I think it was just Mia. She made everything easier.

When the movie was done, Lillian excused herself and disappeared. Mia stretched and looked between me and Aiden, her face a picture of contemplation.

“Let’s go to the beach.”

Aiden raised an eyebrow at her. “Uh…why?”

She bounced a little in her seat. “I had fun last time, and the weather’s pretty nice today, so…” She looked at me.

I shrugged. It didn’t matter to me. I’d fucking follow her around like a god damned puppy wherever she went.

Aiden sighed. “I’ll go if Carly agrees to come with me. I need a distraction when you two are together. It’s still fucking weird for me to watch. I don’t know how it’s possible to want to thank someone and fucking hurt them at the same time, but you make me feel that way.”

Mia’s mouth dropped open. “Aiden!”

“What? I’m just being honest. I’m happy he makes you happy, but I don’t like anyone touching you – especially someone I’ve always known to be a manwhore.”

I took it on the chin. He was right. On all accounts.

Aiden pulled out his phone and quickly sent a text off to Carly. Ten seconds later it was all arranged. Apparently we were going to the beach.

***

It was just after seven when Rich walked in the door.
Mr. Thomas and the rest of us had already had a private meeting, making sure we were all on the same page and wanted the same thing. If Leighton’s offer was reasonable, we were going to sign.

Rich greeted us all with a hand shake and took a seat. He looked quite pleased with himself, so I hoped that meant good news.

He inhaled deeply and looked around at us. “Leighton’s have made an offer, and I have to say I think it’s a pretty damned good one for a new band starting out. They’ve agreed to keep the tour contract in place in lieu of an advance, meaning they will still pay the agreed amount for the tour as well as travel expenses for the duration of the tour. This is a way better opportunity than most musicians get because it means you aren’t starting out in debt with the label from day one, but you’re still getting an income.”

I nodded, liking the sound of that. A lot.

“The recording contract they’re offering is a two album deal over two years, with a five year lock out. They’re happy with the material you had last night, and if you can manage to lay them all down this week, they’ve agreed to a fifty-fifty split on net profits on the sale of any CD’s during the tour.”

“What’s a lock out?” Matt asked. I looked to Rich, wanting to know myself, but it was Mr. Thomas who answered.

“It’s the duration that the label has control over the songs you record with them for. It means you won’t be able to re-record those songs with anyone else until after the lock out period has ended.”

Rich nodded.
“Then, after the tour’s done, your contract terms will revert to more conventional terms. You’ll be charged for more things like marketing, advertising and promoting, and the royalty rate will go down to twenty percent to be more in line with their other artists. They may also want you to tour again as headliners if they think it’s worthwhile.”

Dean and Matt grinned. They loved the idea of touring. So did I until Mia dropped her towel in front of me.

Rich sat forward a bit more, his face serious. “All in all, I don’t think you’re going to get any better than that from a big label. You might get better from an indie label, but your name won’t get pushed anywhere near as much. My advice is to get a lawyer, make sure you understand exactly what it is and how much it is, and if you want to do it, sign. But it needs to be done by Monday morning. After that, they’ll take it off the table because they won’t have enough time to press and package before the tour.”

I looked around the room, only half understanding what
the fuck Rich had said. I could see the same look on the other guy’s faces, except for maybe Dean. He had more of an understanding of that shit from talking with his dad about it. I glanced over to see Mr. Thomas rubbing his chin in thought.

“I like that they’re offering to keep the tour contract in place
,” he said. “I agree that it’d be much better for the boys to have that than an advance. The fifty-fifty split is generous too.” He sat back and sighed. “I’m not sure about the rest. I’ll have to have a look at the details. I’ll call their lawyer and see if I can catch him tomorrow.”

We had a lawyer? Huh, how about that.

Rich rubbed his hands on his jeans and nodded. “Good. Let me know what you decide. I’m not going to tell you which way to go. Ultimately it’s your decision, but I have to tell you. It’s a pretty good deal compared to what’s out there.”

Mr. Thomas nodded and stood with Rich, shaking his hand. “Yeah, and if it does end up not being so great, I like that they’re only tied in for two years. The five year lock out is pretty reasonable too…”

“Exactly.” Turning to glance at us, he gave us each a curt nod. “I’ll talk to you guys soon.”

I watched Mr. Thomas walk Rich out, my head swimming with too much information. Was that a good deal? Were we going to sign or not? I looked at Dean and saw him grinning. I took that as a yes. We were going to have a fucking label. Fuck yeah.