Her pussy tightens on my finger; her orgasm mere seconds away.

  “Knox…” She gasps for air. “Don’t stop. Please.”

  I don’t.

  She asked so nicely.

  I suck and fuck, letting her ride the waves. Her thighs press against my head. Her entire body shudders with pleasure until her aching, mewling form settles in front of me.

  I kiss her thighs, her belly, her breasts. I travel up her body again, slowly making my way back to her lips.

  She kisses me, smiling happily, her thighs gently opening for me again. “You’re still so good at that,” she says.

  I chuckle. “Thank you.”

  I kiss her deeply, madly. With closed eyes, I touch her. I cling to her, my begging cock pressed hard against her body.

  “I need you,” she whispers, the sound so sweet.

  Grinning, I kiss her neck. “Turn over,” I say.

  Harmony obeys slowly, her body still limp from pleasure. With her on her stomach, I balance over her and push her hair to one side. I kiss the back of her neck and shift down, tickling her spine with my tongue along the way.

  Harmony giggles into a pillow, ticklish. But she lies still, her legs slightly parted for me.

  I reach her rear, giving her cheek a quick nip. She lurches from it, still giggling as I give her a squeeze, too. “Knox,” she says, laughing.

  I don’t answer. My tongue is far too busy, anyway.

  I spread her cheeks and taste her. She moans with new pleasure, her entire body tensing and shuddering beneath me. Her arm stretches back, her hand coming to my head again as I let my tongue go wild.

  “K-Knox,” she gasps. “Fuck!”

  Her nails dig into my scalp and I let out a moan of my own. Unable to hold back any longer, I push up and align myself with her.

  One thrust from behind and I’m home again. I bury my face in her shoulder and fuck her prone, clinging to her body like she’s the only thing keeping me alive. I take her slowly, holding her and kissing every inch of skin my lips can reach.

  Harmony purrs in response, her cunt so tight. She turns her head and I kiss her, tasting her sweet moans. “Don’t stop,” she begs, angling herself to take me even deeper.

  I thrust deep, and stay there. The silence extends with only the sound of my heart pounding in my ears. I kiss her and touch her, sliding a hand down her body. I feel her squeeze me from within, her pussy begging for more, for release.

  “Don’t stop,” she begs again, whispering against my lips. “I need you.”

  I brace myself. Flexing every muscle, I give her what she wants. I fuck her until I feel her tightness clench. Until she shoves the corner of the pillow into her mouth to silence her moans. Until she kisses me and begs me with quivering breaths to come inside of her.

  Then I hold her body against mine, both of us spent. I curl an arm around her, keeping her with me as I roll onto my side. With legs entwined, I kiss her again. I caress her curves and cup her breasts as she touches any part of me within reach.

  We rest. We silently kiss in the dark until Harmony’s head sinks into the pillow. And just when I think she’s drifted off, she turns in my direction, demanding another firm kiss as she parts her thighs.

  And our song repeats.

  42

  KNOX

  Itap softly against Harmony’s hip with my left hand, playing silent notes along an invisible fret.

  I play again and again, trying to memorize the music in my head. I could write it down, sure — but that would mean getting up. That would mean getting out of this warm bed and leaving this naked angel all alone.

  And I’m just not ready to do that yet.

  Sunlight bleeds through the sheer curtains, the light shimmering off the pool in the courtyard. I watch it through the windows as I play, the sounds of Harmony’s consistent breaths a perfect metronome.

  “Stop that.”

  I smile, only briefly pausing my fingers before going right back. “Sorry,” I tease. “Don’t have a pen.”

  Harmony rolls over to face me, exposing a little delicious side boob action as she pulls the sheet up with her. “What are you working on now?” she asks.

  My heart tickles with the question. She used to ask me that all the time, always fascinated with how my music was made. Harmony became a part of that process so quickly. From that first night together, from that first taste of her, every note I wrote was because of her; was for her. All the happiness and pleasure and drama she brought to my life triggered something beautiful in me, and I turned it into music.

  And when she left me, she took a piece of that beauty with her.

  “I don’t know,” I reply. “This is brand new.”

  “Sing it for me.”

  I hum softly, each note flowing through my throat with ease.

  Harmony smiles, warm and cozy against her pillow. “It’s pretty,” she says. “Another ballad like Pure Blue?”

  “I’m not sure yet,” I say. “Maybe more of a Power Play.”

  “Cool,” she says, understanding exactly what I mean. “Need any help with it? I’m something of a songwriter myself. Sometimes.”

  I slide a hand beneath the sheet, searching for her hip again. “Oh, I can think of a few ways you can assist me.”

  She chuckles as I lean in and she offers her lips. I take them happily, giving soft good morning kisses. One kiss and I hear another note. Another kiss and I hear the strings of my guitar. My fingers twitch, aching to play it.

  Harmony cups my face, drawing me closer, pulling me to lie on top of her. I settle between her thighs; her heat warm against my cock.

  Harmony laughs.

  “What?” I ask, smiling.

  She rolls her hips, rubbing herself along my growing erection. “Good morning,” she teases.

  We laugh and kiss, each second feeding into the next one. I have no idea what time it is, or where I need to be today, or when.

  At the moment, I don’t really care.

  At this moment, I have my muse.

  “Knox,” Harmony whispers, her voice so sweet to hear in the morning. “Did you ever think we’d end up back here again?”

  I kiss the tip of her nose. “Oh, definitely.”

  “Serious answer, please.”

  “That was serious,” I say, kissing her cheeks, her jaw. “The moment I saw you again in San Francisco, I knew we’d end up back here.”

  “Before that,” she says, her eyes searching mine for truth. “After what happened before?”

  After we broke up.

  I hesitate, the memories painful to get through. Eventually, I found peace. A time where I could function again — as long as I wasn’t constantly thinking about her.

  “I almost called you.”

  Harmony blinks. “When?”

  “About two years ago,” I say. “Just after Jonah met Marla.”

  “Really?”

  I nod. “They went together so well. He wrote so well on her. It got me thinking about you, about us.” I run my fingers along her arm. “I missed you. I saw what they had, and I missed you so much. I wondered why they could make it work, but we couldn’t. What did we do wrong?”

  She snorts. “Where should I begin?”

  “Serious answer, please.” I hold her close to me. “Why couldn’t we make this work before?”

  “Well…” Harmony pushes her fingers through my hair as she thinks about it. “I was young and stupid. Still am, honestly.”

  “Young,” I correct, “and taken advantage of.”

  “Naughty boy.”

  “Not by me.”

  “I know,” she says, lovingly grazing my cheek. “We had something in common with that, I think.” I nod. “But still… you kept me at a distance.”

  “I didn’t mean to.”

  “I wanted to be part of your world. I thought… how wonderful would it be to share this life with him? Maybe share the spotlight, too, someday…” She pauses. “Maybe that’s what Jonah and Marla get that we didn’t. They work so well together because they work together.”

  I sigh, the truth of the words too deep to ignore. “Harmony…”

  “For the first time in my life, I was free to be whoever I wanted to be. But… it felt like I’d left one cage only to enter another. You wanted me all to yourself.”

  “That was a bad thing?”

  She shakes her head. “Not entirely. But a bird in a cage still has to sing, Knox. You wouldn’t let me sing.”

  I feel the pain in those last few words; the hesitation in her voice to say them at all after so long.

  I cup her face, a stab of regret taking hold. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I was scared to lose you. I’d only just found you… My muse. If I loved you so much in so little time, then everyone else would, too.”

  “That was a bad thing?”

  “Yes.” I bite down, the words hard to speak out loud. “They’d love you, Harmony. They already do. Eventually, you wouldn’t need me anymore. You won’t. You’ll find somebody else, somebody more talented. For every Knox Benton out there, there’s a Logan Shock waiting to take his place.”

  “Knox,” Harmony whispers. “No.”

  “You won’t want poor, broken me anymore,” I say, the words caught in my throat. “And your voice. The voice that brought my music to life. I had to claim it. If I didn’t, they would. And you’d sing for them instead.”

  “You’re not broken, Knox.” She smiles as a tear escapes the corner of her eye. “And when I sing, I sing for you. I always have.”

  I kiss her. I hold her and claim her and everything in-between. “I love you, Harmony,” I say, taking a trembling breath.

  “I love you, too, Knox.”

  Please.

  Please, let this happen again.

  Harmony adjusts her legs around me, moving her feet along my legs beneath the sheets. Willing and open, she kisses me back, urging me to take her. I move my lower body, grinding us together until our kisses deepen and the passion between us grows to scalding fire.

  My phone rings… somewhere in the room.

  “Ignore it,” I said, needing her all over again.

  “What if it’s Jordan?” she asks.

  “Jordan will live.”

  She chuckles. “If you don’t answer, she’ll come looking.”

  “Then she’ll see something very, very naughty.”

  The ringing continues. Harmony cups my face as she lowers her knees. “Knox…”

  “No, no, no,” I beg. “We can’t stop now.”

  “Yes, we can.”

  “The tip is already in.”

  “Pull it out and answer your phone,” she says as she kisses my nose. “Then we’ll pick up where we left off. Also, I really have to pee, so…”

  I sigh, horny and frustrated, but willing to negotiate. “Fine.”

  One more kiss and I push off, allowing for her to slide off the bed and rush to the bathroom while I search for my phone. I find it on the floor, still ringing, the screen lit up with Jonah’s photo.

  I answer it. “Good morning, Jo.”

  “Good morning!” he says.

  “What’s up?”

  “I’m on my way to your room,” he says excitedly. “I’ve got something to show you.”

  “Oh, yeah? What?”

  “I’ve been up all night working on a new song.”

  “Really?”

  “It’s gonna be a wedding gift for Marla. I think it’s really good, Knox. I’m coming to your room to play it for you now.”

  “Uh…” I wince. “My room?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  I glance around Harmony’s suite.

  “My room?” I ask again.

  “Yeah. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing!” I balance the phone on my shoulder as I try to throw on my pants. “Nothing’s wrong. Nothing wrong with… my room. I’ve been here, you know, all night long, so why wouldn’t you come here?”

  “You okay, Knox?” he asks, suspicious.

  “Everything is fine.”

  “Hey, Knox, is⁠—”

  I slam a finger against my lips, silencing Harmony as she leaves the bathroom. “I’ll see you in a few minutes, Jonah. Can’t wait to hear the song.” I hang up, dropping the phone on the bed while I zip my pants. “I gotta go.”

  “You do?” Harmony asks.

  I grab my shirt, throwing it on over my shoulders. “Jonah’s heading toward my room.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’m not there.”

  “Obviously.”

  I shuffle toward her, my hands full of my shoes and socks. “We’ll continue this later,” I say.

  “Well—”

  I peck her cheek and twist away, rushing to get out the door as fast as possible. There may still be time to get down the hall to my room before⁠—

  I open the door and halt mid-stride.

  Jonah stands outside with his arms crossed over his chest, one shoulder resting casually against the doorway between us.

  “Hey, Knox,” he says, his knowing eyes casting judgment upon me.

  “Uh…” I crack a smile. “Hey, Jonah.”

  He looks over my shoulder. “Good morning, Harmony.”

  “Good morning, Jonah!” she shouts from inside.

  I cringe. Well, he was going to find out about us, eventually.

  Jonah pushes off the doorway. “Band meeting,” he says. “Now.”

  “Now? Hold on,” I say, taking the chance to drop my shoes and slip on my socks. “Let’s not overreact here.”

  “Band meeting,” he repeats. “Now.”

  “We don’t have to get the band involved yet,” I argue. “All right? Can’t this just be our little secret? That sounds fun. Right?”

  Jonah sighs as a door down the hall from us opens.

  “You call a band meeting, Jonah?” Addison asks, sticking her head out.

  “Yup,” he says.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing,” I say, giving Jonah one last begging glance before poking my head out to talk to Addison. “There’s no meeting. Go back to your room, Addy.”

  Her eyes widen. “Isn’t that Harmony’s room?”

  “No!”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “It’s not— urgh.”

  I groan as she shuffles down the hall to stand with Jonah.

  Her jaw instantly drops. “Oh, my⁠—”

  “Go back to your room, Addy,” I say.

  Addison grins. “Hi, Harmony!”

  “Hey, Addison!” Harmony replies.

  Another door opens across the hall.

  “What’s going on?” Katrina asks as she steps out. “Why are you guys yelling?”

  “Nobody is yelling!” I say.

  “Band meeting,” Addison says, smirking with amusement. “Come check this out.”

  “No, Kat,” I say. “Little sister, please, if you love me at all, just go back to⁠—”

  She ignores me, her eyes growing wider with each step she takes in our direction. She stops on Jonah’s other side and sighs.

  “Hi, Harmony,” she says.

  “Hey, Katrina,” Harmony says from somewhere behind me.

  One more door opens. I collapse my head as Bronson silently makes his way over to us, too. After a few breaths, I look up into their eyes, their faces running the full spectrum of human emotion.

  “Okay…” I say, surrounded. “This isn’t what it looks like.”

  In their judgmental silence, one last door opens.

  “Knox, what the hell did you do last night?”

  We look down the hall at Jordan standing in her doorway with her phone pressed against her ear.

  “You’ll have to be more specific,” I say through the group.

  “You had dinner with The Electrics?!”

  Their mouths hang open wide.

  I chuckle. “So,” I say, clearing my throat. “Band meeting?”

  43

  KNOX

  “Afew minutes after we arrived at the restaurant,” I explain to the others, all of us lounging in various spots around Jordan’s suite, “Logan and his Shock Girls showed up.”

  “So, you didn’t plan to meet up with him?” Jordan asks with one hand permanently clenching her phone.

  “Of course not,” I say. “Harmony and I were having dinner alone, and they just showed up.”

  “Quite the coincidence,” Katrina says with a roll of her eyes.

  “My thoughts exactly,” I say. “He followed us. Or Chrissy’s sister, or somebody did. It’s the only way.”

  “But why?” Addison asks.

  “To piss me off, that’s why.”

  “But to what end?”

  I shrug.

  “Are you sure…” Katrina stops mid-sentence, her brow pinched.

  “What?” I ask.

  She shakes her head. “Never mind.”

  “No, go ahead, Kat,” Jonah says. “What are you thinking?”

  Katrina sighs. “Are you sure Harmony didn’t tip him off?”

  They all look at me.

  “What?” I ask with a scoff. “Why would she do that?”

  “To cause drama?” my sister says. “For clicks and views? That’s why she’s here, right?”

  “No,” I say instantly.

  She tilts her head.

  “No, guys…” I stand up. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s no way Harmony is talking to Logan behind our backs.”

  “How do you know?” Addison asks.

  “Because… she’s going through some stuff,” I say. “I’m sure the last thing she cares about right now is Paul Monroe and his stupid fucking clicks.”

  “What’s she going through?” Katrina asks.

  “Just… stuff,” I say. “It’s personal shit.”

  “But she told you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “On your date?” Addison hints. “Because you’re dating? For realsies?”

  “It wasn’t a date,” I lie. “Not a real date, anyway. It was a fake date. Because we’re fake dating, remember?”

  Katrina raises a brow. “But then you spent the night with her?”

  “Not, like… for realsies,” I say.

  “No?”

  “No, that was just… you know, you never know when we’ll be seen together, right?”