“I’ve been looking for you,” Miles said and sat next to Harlow, putting an arm around the back of her chair.

  “I’m just here finishing what’s left of a toddler’s food, hanging out with Brody. Talking about you,” she said dragging a breadstick through some hummus.

  “It was all good. Don’t worry,” Brody told Miles. “Elise and I are really proud of you. This tour has been hugely successful. But more than that, you look good. Healthy. Like you love what you’re doing.”

  Miles practically glowed as he smiled at his uncle. “Thanks. Best year of my life.” He looked over at Harlow and she blushed.

  “You ready for Europe?”

  “Yeah. First show in four days. We leave day after tomorrow. Wish I had a few more days to rest up and spend with Harlow, but Above Me has shows coming up too so they’re leaving when we are.”

  He started talking about all the cool venues they’d be playing, and a part of Harlow that had been worried, eased. She’d been concerned he’d try to downplay the tour details to save her feelings or even because he was sad about not being together. But she was going to enjoy the hell out of her tour dates, and she wanted him to as well.

  She could have gotten up to walk around and chat with everyone else, but it felt nice there next to Miles as he talked about something he loved so much to someone he loved just as much.

  Marcella came to them, sitting on Harlow’s other side. “Cherry has been drafted into what I think is a very fast and loose game of horseshoes. The rules? I don’t know what the hell is going on. But everyone seems to be having fun,” Marcella said. “As I get a little alarmed at pieces of metal being thrown all around, I removed myself from the danger zone. Those Hurley brothers are pretty rambunctious.”

  Brody laughed. “They make me, and my siblings look positively sedate by comparison.”

  Harlow looked over at Miles, so very pleased to see their loved ones mixing and liking one another. He winked and then stole a quick kiss.

  All through the afternoon and long into the night, there was so much music—both what they made themselves and also over speakers from other artists—and dancing that by the time the stars winked above them and yet another meal had come and gone, Harlow was absolutely bone tired. But in the best way.

  His parents had insisted they sleep in the house, and she was so glad when all she had to do was walk for less than four minutes and close the door behind her with a sigh. A shower, some earplugs and bed was just the ticket.

  Miles had been with Harlow and noticed she’d begun to flag. He got it. He was tired too and he was used to all these people and their constant noise and activity. She’d thanked his mum and aunt Mary for everything and had quietly made her way to the house and inside.

  He’d made his own goodbyes with promises to see everyone the following morning and went to their room, following the Harlow scented steam to the bathroom where she’d just gotten out of the shower and was putting lotion on.

  “You’re wearing my favorite outfit,” he told her.

  “I put it on with you in mind,” she told him.

  He stepped to her, taking the tube, and setting about rubbing it all over her skin. He only had one more full day with her before they went their separate ways to work for the next six weeks. Not like he hadn’t counted the days. Ha! Of course he had.

  He ran his hands over her skin, so soft and supple, all his. It still hadn’t quite sunk in that she was his to touch this way.

  Right then he wanted to commit every part of her to his memory so he could carry it with him while they were apart.

  “Gonna miss you so much,” he murmured at he put the tube aside and took her hand, pulling her close.

  “I’m going to get lotion all over your clothes,” Harlow protested, and he snorted. As if he fucking cared about that.

  “I should probably take them all off then,” he said, pulling her into the bedroom.

  “Okay!” she agreed heartily.

  Laughing, he managed to get out of his clothes but while he was on one foot to kick off his shorts, she pushed him back to the bed and scrambled atop his body.

  “Well now. Good evening, Ms. Martin,” he drawled. “You up to something? God, I hope so.” He reached up to twist the bar in her nipple, delighting in her hiss of delight. Even more delightful was the way she ground her pussy against his cock, her breath hitching when the bead in his piercing slid over her clit.

  She was hot and so wet already and the feel of her honey as it nearly scalded him was so good he had to fight to keep his eyes from rolling up into his head as she rendered him utterly witless.

  Over and over until the need to come dug into his spine. Especially when her whole body tensed and relaxed each time her clit brushed against the piercing.

  He moaned as he gripped her hips. This skin to skin contact was amazing. When they were done with touring and were back in the northwest, they’d get STI tests and once they knew it was safe, he’d be able to fuck her without a condom.

  Fucking her in any way was a delight, but he was very much looking forward to being able to ditch condoms.

  “You feel so good,” he told her around a gasp of pleasure when she reached behind her body and ran her short, blunt nails over his balls. “That works,” he wheezed.

  Her smile in response sent a shiver through him. Supreme woman expression, utterly sure of her sensual appeal and it yanked him far closer to orgasm than he’d planned to be at that moment.

  “I want you to have something to think about when we’re on different continents.”

  As if he wasn’t already going to think about her all the time?

  “I’ll add this to the myriad other moments that make me love you,” he told her and watched as she blinked back emotion.

  She dropped closer, still stroking herself over his cock, to kiss him. At first it was sweet and gentle but soon enough, as they both drew closer to climax, she added the edge of her teeth to nip his bottom lip.

  He hummed his delight because he fucking adored it when her control wisped away because of the pleasure he’d given her. Although, in this case, she gave it to both of them. Making it even hotter.

  She was the most gorgeous erotic wet dream wrapped in skin he’d ever beheld as she rose again, her body blocking out the light at her back, casting her face in shadows that rendered her more beautiful and mysterious.

  That she was as astonishingly gorgeous inside as she was on the outside was a miracle to him and something he woke up thankful for every damned day.

  “I’m so glad we found each other,” he told her, looking up into her face.

  Her smile did him in. Vulnerable and touched, proud and confident. All a swirl of Harlow’s most alluring qualities.

  He arched up and one of her eyebrows rose imperiously until she rolled her head around and stretched her shoulders like she was getting ready for a marathon. Then she tightened her pussy around him, bathing him in that hot, sticky honey, stroking over and over until her breath went uneven and her gaze glassy.

  Orgasm built in his belly as he continued to arch up right when his piercing brushed her clit. Her nails dug into his sides sending a wave of pleasure/pain through him and when she came on a gasped whisper of his name, that was all. He couldn’t hold it back another second as he joined her.

  She continued to move over him for a while afterward until she rolled off his body. “Uh, I think we both might need a shower,” she said with a laugh at the mess on his belly and her thighs.

  “When I can work my legs again, that’s a plan.”

  She jumped up and returned with a warm, wet cloth she cleaned him up with. Why that should have filled him with such tenderness he didn’t know, but it did. Like everything else, when she took care of him in little or big ways, it centered him, reinforced that he’d made the right choice falling in love with this person who sought to comfort and enrich his life.

  “It’s only six weeks,” she said later. “And it’ll go fast because we’ll both have so much work.”

  Problem was, he’d gotten used to working with and around her. He’d deal. Just as she would. But he’d miss her terribly.

  “We’ll text and call and chat via video. Then we’ll have our time at the end of our tours, and the rest of the year to spend together,” he said.

  It wasn’t like their jobs would end when the tour was over. There was always new music to be made and she’d told him earlier that day that Jeremy had already started negotiating with the label for more from Above Me. That would take more effort from them too. Then there would be awards show season and all that other stuff and Jeremy was in talks for a movie role for Miles that would start shooting the following spring.

  Their lives would continue to be busy, which was better than the alternative of it being quiet because they weren’t selling albums well enough to get picked up for a new contract. But he was certain they’d get through it and work around their schedules because their relationship was worth it.

  He might have been nervous leaving another person for six weeks at this point in a relationship or be wondering if they had what it took to survive the chaos of the entertainment industry. But he…wasn’t. Their connection was so real and so deep and she was not dependent on him as much as she was the boss of her own world and made room in the front seat for him to join her.

  The damage Gloria had done notwithstanding, Harlow was his partner because she was bold and confident and talented. In her own right. Worries about what others might think aside, two artists in the same business could make it work if they were both in the right headspace. Lucky for him, they were.

  CHAPTER

  THIRTY-THREE

  Seven weeks later

  They walked offstage, holding hands. United as they’d been the first night of their solo tour back in January. Their bond—emotional and musical—stronger than it had been back then. Nine months on and off the road would have destroyed them or made them tighter and it had been the latter.

  Harlow tried not to cry but it had been an amazing show and the last one until the next year. They’d kicked ass through festival season, played several solo gigs that had been added after their successful open for Earthquakes, and had flown to do their own European shows, albeit a much smaller version of the tour Earthquakes was finishing.

  It was the last time they’d walk down a hallway to and from the stage until their next show the following February. Back in their dressing room after everyone had cleaned up and changed, they got all their things ready to go. Gear would ship back to the United States to be stored in a warehouse. Most of Harlow’s stuff would be shipped back to Seattle and Nora and Brian would head out to Italy in just a few hours so they’d take clothes and send the rest home.

  The trip to the airport they’d mainly looked at one another, started to speak and then began to cry. Even Brian. So they’d eventually quieted down for the rest of the trip.

  They paused at the area on the other side of security at the airport, each heading in the other direction. “I’ll see you both in a few months. Have a great time in Italy.” Harlow hugged Brian and Nora. “Text me when you get there so I know you’re safe.”

  Nora sniffled, hugging Harlow tight as they both cried ugly tears. “This whole year with you recording and touring has been magic. And I can’t think of anyone I’d want to share it with more than you. You’re my soul mate, Harlow. I love you and I’m so proud of us that we pulled this off. We’ve got a song being used in a movie. We just got a new deal from the label because the numbers were so fantastic. Four singles have charted. All that cloud talk from high school came true. How rad is that?”

  That made Harlow’s tears come harder. “No flying cars yet. But otherwise yeah. Even the part where I have my very own rockstar to love like you do. Thank you for being my best friend and for always being in my corner from the first day we met. I love you.”

  “I’m so proud of the way you stood up to Gloria. And the way you let yourself love Miles. You need to be the one to text when you get to London, okay?”

  “All right. It’s less than an hour so I’ll get there first and wait for your text soon after.” She needed to go but she gave Nora one last hug. “He loves me like I need to be loved,” she whispered into her best friend’s ear.

  She allowed two steps backward before she waved one last time and turned, heading toward her gate.

  It had been seven weeks since she’d seen Miles, watching his back as he and the others had moved through airport security, and she’d been on the other side of that line. That extra week had meant more shows for both bands, but those seven days had felt like an extra month. Seven weeks of texts, short Facetime calls and little packages he sent to her via her aunt.

  No Miles snuggles in the middle of the night when she woke up cold and her bed was empty. Funny how fast she’d gotten used to sleeping with him and sharing space. She had to order her own room service, though Nora did let her steal part of her food like Miles always did. But it wasn’t the same.

  Still, once Earthquakes had headed to their own festivals and the Europe leg of their tour, Above Me’s star continued to rise. Their album sales had continued at a rate that pleased Jeremy and had clearly impressed the label, so they had the amazing experience of signing a new contract. The press they’d gotten was positive for the most part. Harlow had given in and had hired on a PR firm to deal with any negative backlash from Gloria. But Shelly, her rep, was fucking awesome and Harlow was convinced the peace of mind alone was worth the money. The fucked her way to success brigade got quiet and the riding her dad’s coattails had been spun to a rock royalty thing.

  A drink would have been nice, but the flight was so short and she still needed to get to the house she and Miles would be staying in for the next several days. Earthquakes was playing the O2 that night to close out the tour. She’d really wanted to be there but when the Amsterdam shows got scheduled it had given her no time to do both.

  Travel had become such a regular part of her life that she’d quickly deplaned, grabbed her bag, and headed out to grab a cab on auto pilot. On the drive, Harlow texted Nora, Marcella, and her dad to let them all know she’d arrived in London safely and would connect with them all later.

  And then she was on a doorstep facing a black lacquer door with a fancy gold knocker. Her heart pounding, she knocked but only got one rap before she heard her name being called.

  He got out of a sleek black car at the curb just a few feet away and everything in her stilled and then exploded to life. Clicked back into place because there he was. Her person.

  “You’re here,” he said as he pulled her close. She wrapped herself around him, squeezing tight as she breathed him in.

  “You’re here too. God, that’s good. It’s so good to see you and smell you and feel you. I missed you so much,” she told him as she pressed her face into his neck. “You better still love me,” she threatened.

  That made him laugh and squeeze her tight before setting her back. “I do love you. Until the sun burns out.” He pulled a key out and then punched in a code once the keypad slid down. “Let’s get inside. You need food. I bet you came straight from the show without anything to eat or drink.”

  The townhouse was posh as fuck. Elegantly classy. It didn’t scream wealth, but it sure whispered it in every finish and element.

  “You know some swanky people, Miles,” she said. “I knew this was a fancy neighborhood, but this house is dreamy. It’s like a spread out of Architectural Digest.”

  He took her bag and her hand and dragged her along. “Let’s put your bag in the bedroom and then have food and a cocktail to celebrate the end of both our tours.”

  She grinned, up for whatever he proposed. “Okay.”

  The master bedroom and attached bathroom were done up in navy, gray and bright white. The bed was massive and she gave him a sideways glance and a smirk.

  “When I was here earlier to leave my things, I had to jerk off afterward just thinking about you and me in this bed,” he said after pressing a kiss to her temple and getting her worked up.

  With a moan Harlow reached up to encircle his neck with her arms and rubbed herself all over him. “I’m marking you like a cat. Just so everyone knows. You probably need to reenact that jerk off situation. Just so I can be sure it’s okay with me.”

  He chuckled. “Ah.” And shrugged. “Only if you do it too so I can watch. Not because I need to be sure I’m okay with it, I’m more than okay with it. I just want to see you make yourself come.”

  She hugged him tighter.

  “I missed holding you,” he said, kissing her forehead. “And since I’m going to show you some other things I missed and that will demand calories for energy on your part, food first. I have nowhere to be for the next three days. And then back in Seattle, you and I are going to spend some quality time just hanging out.”

  He spun her and marched her out and downstairs where she volunteered to get them both a drink while he set about making them both sandwiches. Naturally the fridge was stocked full of delicious food and drinks, so she made them a fruity themed cocktail from the guava juice that tasted freshly made.

  Then they sat at the table in the small garden out back and clinked glasses. “Forever,” he said, and she echoed, agreeing.

  “Now,” he said as they began to eat—and she was hungry and had already drunk two big glasses of water. “How did the show go tonight?”

  They talked about their closing gigs, and he updated her on where Maddie, Silas and Omar were headed. They talked about plans for the next few days. Her suitcase was pretty empty because London had great secondhand shops she wanted to visit and knew she’d need the room for all her new treasures. There were some restaurants Miles wanted to try and she was always game for eating stuff.

  It had been a great show. The O2 had been packed full. They’d been a fantastic crowd, one of the best of the whole tour, though he was pretty sure nothing could compete with that last night of the tour at the Gorge. The band was tight, easily drifting along with one another, stepping aside here and there for the others to shine.