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

“Nothing. I—” I look back to the stage, my mind instantly replaying the last seven minutes.

This one’s for you, doll face
.

My breath catches in my throat and my heart beats wildly in my chest. I resist the urge to bring my fingers to my neck to actually
feel
my racing pulse. I don’t think it’s slowed down since Sage’s eyes locked with mine from up there behind that microphone. He said that I inspired him to write that song.
Me
. It's a truth I am still trying to wrap my head around.

I remember our first night together as if it were yesterday. It practically
was
yesterday. I only met the man three weeks ago. In any case, it’s not a night I’ll soon forget; I was sure of that fact long before now. Just thinking about the way he’s able to own my body makes the back of my neck warm and stirs the longing that resides in the pit of my stomach. I remember how he sang to me as he filled me with his glorious cock. I remember thinking that I didn’t care how many times he had sung those lyrics to however many women he had taken to bed before me. In that moment, he owned more than my orgasm—more than my body.

In that moment, he owned
me.

Resist as I might, that first night is the reason I’m here. My body craves him and my mind can’t stop thinking about him and my heart…well, that’s a different matter. My heart is not meant to be given away. Not anymore. Not since the last time I managed to pick up all the pieces I could find and paste it back together. Sage can’t have it. I’m not even sure that’s what he’s after, which is perfectly alright with me. Then again, after that song, I suppose I have no idea what he wants from me—other than exclusive access to my lady bits.

“Millie,” Violet chuckles, interrupting my thoughts as she reaches for my hand. “Come on! The guys are waiting.”

“Shouldn’t we stay out here?” I argue, not sure if I am ready to see Sage.

“What? No way!”

I can’t blame her for being excited. Mountains & Men just put on a phenomenal show. I’m sure she’s
more
than anxious to meet up with her boyfriend, JJ. I, on the other hand, could use a minute.

“Why don’t you go ahead? I think I’ll just step outside for a second. I could use some air,” I tell her, fanning my face.

I'm not exactly overheating, but fresh air sounds like a welcomed refreshment. I’m not sure I’ve breathed very much in the last ten minutes. The air I did manage to suck in was heavy with the smell of too many bodies crammed into one place with a not-so-subtle hint of marijuana. I imagine this is quite normal, though I can’t say for sure. Concerts, parties and the like have never really been my thing—nevertheless, I can't deny that tonight has been fun.

“You’re
crazy
if you think I’m letting you out of my sight.” Violet grabs my hand, gripping my fingers fiercely as she lifts an eyebrow at me. “It’s only been two weeks since the incident with that dickwad, Keith.” I open my mouth to argue but she shakes her head and continues speaking before I can. “I get it. Different time, different place, but Sage asked me to keep an eye on you. He told me as soon as they were done that we should meet up with the guys backstage.”

Again, I open my mouth to protest and her eyes soften with understanding—
solidarity
. “I know you’re a big girl and can take care of yourself. Trust me, I believe you, but you are
not
making me go back there without you. Sage will lose his shit.”

“Violet—”

“He swears if he had found you as soon as the show was over, nothing bad would have happened to you. His overprotectiveness will wear off eventually, but for now, let’s not push it.” My heart speeds up even more, unsure what to think of the fact that he feels so protective over me. No one has ever seemed to care so much about my whereabouts. Well, aside from my mother—but that is for entirely different and purely selfish reasons.

“Besides,” she continues, a grin lighting up her pretty face. “I bet he’ll kiss you. I
promise
you,
that’s
something you don’t want to miss. You haven’t been
kissed
until you’ve gotten yourself a post-performance smooch. They’re my favorite, and you’re keeping me from mine. So come on! Let’s go.”

This time, when she tugs me toward the heavy curtain that blocks off the backstage area, I don’t resist. There’s no one standing there to prevent us from heading back, and she doesn’t hesitate to push aside the barrier that stands in our way. As soon as the curtain falls behind us, she is swept up into a pair of arms. She squeals and giggles, letting go of me as JJ spins her around in a circle before crushing his lips against hers. She wilts against him as he works her mouth, and I avert my gaze, not wishing to intrude upon their moment.

Just when I start to look around in hopes of spotting Sage, I feel a pair of arms slide around me from behind. I peer down at the strong limbs that have me caged in, one arm covered in tats, the other bare, both beautiful and sturdy. He pulls me back against his chest, hot and damp with sweat; my body acts of its own accord, relaxing against him as I breathe him in. He smells good enough to eat, and the thought of licking him distracts me.

“Hey, baby doll,” her murmurs into my ear.

“Hey,” I reply, my voice more airy than I anticipated.

He kisses the space just behind my jaw before he speaks again. “Did you like your song?”

And there it is…

Your
song.

Mine
.

The words he sang to me in bed—as well as the ones he sang to me when he showed up to my apartment, completely unannounced, before he ravaged me over the side of my couch—yeah, they weren’t just pieces of songs he’d sung before. He’d written them for me. They are mine—a terrifying truth he’s just admitted to me. I'd be lying if I said that it didn't also give me a thrill that made my insides flutter. When he squeezes me tighter against him, as if beckoning my reply, I decide that the truth won't hurt me. At least not yet.

“Yes. It’s really great. You guys sounded awesome up there.”

Before I can take my next breath, he has me turned so that I’m facing him. When his lips crash against mine, I gasp, gripping hold of his shirt in order to keep my balance. With my mouth parted open, nothing stops him from sliding his tongue between my lips. I sigh, loving the way his warm, wet tongue dances with mine. He sucks my bottom lip, biting me gently before he dives in for another taste. One of his hands slides around the back of my neck, supporting my head as he deepens the kiss; his other hand drops to the small of my back, and I’m pulled closer. I swallow his moan when his erection rubs up against my hip through his jeans.

“Been thinking about this mouth all night, doll face,” he mutters as he kisses his way along my jaw before nibbling on my ear. “You’re coming home with me tonight.”

I offer him a nod and nothing more because,
hello
, who could be capable of speech after a kiss like that? He smirks at me, the arrogant little shit, and then continues to devour my mouth. I know we’re not alone, but I don’t even care. He feels so undeniably good. I wrap my arms around his neck, pressing myself against him in earnest. After watching him up on that stage, I won’t refuse my body what it wants.

“Good God, man—enough dry humping,” calls out one of the guys. I don’t know which one; partly because Sage has my head in a fog, partly because I haven’t spent enough time with the band to know them by voice only.

“Can it, D,” Sage mumbles against my mouth.

“I mean it, Dweeb. We’ve got business. Get your ass over here.”

He pulls away from my mouth but keeps his arms wrapped around me as his icy blue eyes stare through his horn-rimmed glasses and down into my eyes. For a second, neither of us says a word as we work to catch our breath.

“You’re one hell of a muse, gorgeous.” He reaches down and squeezes my ass and I can’t fight my grin. I sort of appreciate how much he adores my ass. “Stay with Violet, yeah? I’ll be right back.”

He smacks a quick kiss against my lips before he lets me go. I watch as he struts his way toward Derrick, their drummer, who stands shaking his head with an amused look on his face. They exchange a few words and then Derrick leads him to a man who seems to be waiting to speak to them.

“What’d I tell you?” says Violet, playfully jabbing me with her elbow. “Some kiss, huh?”

I breathe a halfhearted laugh as I look over at her, unsure if I’ve got any words to spare.

“He really likes you. It’s looks good on him.
You
look good on him,” she says with a grin.

“Oh,” I mutter, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the direction this conversation is taking.

“It’s okay to admit it, you know?”

“Admit what?”

“That you like him,” she says with a laugh. “I promise you, no matter what he may or may not be saying, you’re not a fling.”

“He’s not—he’s not my boyfriend,” I stutter, folding my arms across my chest. I don’t know why I tell her that, or why I’m suddenly feeling defensive. Truth be told, I’m not really sure what we are. We agreed to be monogamous, but that’s just sex. Outside of that, we barely know each other.

“I hear you,” she says with a knowing smile. “I’m not sure your face agrees, though. Come on, let’s go help Wren. The sooner they’re packed up, the sooner we can get out of here.”

I follow her lead, heading up on stage to join Wren. As we climb the short set of stairs, I look over at the rest of the guys while they huddle around some stranger who seems to hold their attention. My eyes linger for a moment on Sage and my stomach tingles. I force myself to look away, appalled by the realization that Violet is right. Whatever she just saw on my face is now spreading awareness to the rest of my body. Sage McCoy has managed to steal a little piece of my heart. I
do
like him.

Fuck.

I know I should probably quit while I’m ahead; cut my losses and all that shit. What’s one more piece of my heart gone? I probably won’t miss it. Yet, the thought of giving him up now? It’s totally ridiculous, but I can’t seem to stomach the idea of being without him. I tried. Granted, it was only for a couple of days, but I put in a solid effort. All it got me was a few restless nights, a lot more cardio clocked at the gym, and the realization that I am not ready to give him up yet.

I shake my worry away, knowing that this will work itself out. Eventually, the novelty of all that is new between us will wear off and he'll get bored. They always do. Then they always leave. As long as I guard what's left of my heart, I'll survive. There is absolutely nothing wrong with indulging my body for a while, so long as I keep my heart out of it. The moment I start falling for him, I'll reevaluate my options. For now, my heart is fine. He can have what he's managed to steal but nothing more. It's not like he's giving me his heart.

He isn't. At least, I don't think he is.

WHEN DERRICK TOLD
me that there was someone he wanted me to meet, I never in my wildest dreams imagined
this
. Apparently, Travis Pratt caught D just as he was coming off stage, asking to speak to our band manager. Currently, Derrick’s it. He’s good with the business side of things, plus he’s the most organized, so we’ve always trusted him to take on that role. When Travis told him who he was, D insisted that I needed to be in on the conversation. Now, all five of us guys are circled around one Mr. Travis Pratt—road manager for Lawful Sinners.

Fuck me.

After praising our performance, he tells us that he’s been keeping an ear out for an opening act for Lawful Sinners’ next tour. They’re headlining with a couple of other bands, but the opener slot is still vacant. Lawful Sinners is a group based out of Denver. They’ve been around for a couple of years, paying their dues, making a pretty good name for themselves. This will be their second U.S. tour.

“This is the deal—take my card. You cats need some representation. No offense, kid,” he says, tipping his chin at Derrick, “but you need someone handling the business while you’re up there beating the shit out of those drums. I’ve got a gal, real sharp, works down in D-town. I’ll make sure she’s at your next gig.”