CHAPTER 25
MATT
Adorable seemed a simple word to describe her right at this moment, but it couldn’t be helped. She was so fucking adorable.
The giddy look in her eyes never disappeared ever since I woke her up this morning with my tongue lapping her pussy. My dick was still hard just thinking about her lips sucking my cock dry, easily, the best fucking blow of my entire existence.
Sierra took the liberty to proudly explain to me that she’d never given a blow job before but was kinda addicted to watching porn videos of them. I took the liberty to inform her that she never needed to watch them again.
“Oh wow,” Sierra exclaimed with awe in her eyes as we passed the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “Matty, why is your name not on there?”
I was taking the birthday girl on a little tour around LA. We had cake for breakfast, chocolate because that was her favorite, and I asked if she wanted to go shopping or tour or both, but she opted for just the tour.
Touristy things were so not my cup of tea, and it was the last thing I would do on a show day, but for that smile on her face, I would do anything.
I was a sappy fucking fool when it came to her.
Since we couldn’t tour like normal people, I arranged a car to drive us around some popular spots and took her to see some private locations that the security cleared for us.
“It’s a lot of work, firecracker. And it’s not as glamorous as you think.”
“I mean, yeah.” She scrunched up her nose. “It would be kinda weird to have my name be stamped by thousands of people every day.”
“Are you enjoying yourself?” I asked, taking in her side profile lit up by the sun. She was glowing, wearing a simple white sundress with daisies all over it, the skirt flowy and airy.
“Yeah.” She looked over her shoulder with a wide smile. “This is the best birthday ever,” she said, dangling the bracelet I gave her, which had a gaming controller and a drum charm interwoven together.
That was the answer I got whenever I asked her. And I only took it as a challenge to make every one after this her best one yet.
“I’m glad,” I whispered as I brought her hand to my lips and kissed her. I held her hand right there in my lap while she went back to gawking outside the window.
It was late afternoon already, and we’d been busy the entire day, and I had to get to the arena in exactly two hours for sound check.
“Did your parents call?”
“Yes, I spoke to them. They were all a bit teary that I wasn’t there with them. This is the first birthday we’re spending apart,” she explained. “Although my mother reminded me how I should make up for all the time I wasted this weekend by studying extra hours next week.”
Her voice took that raspy tone like it always did when she spoke of her mother.
“Don’t worry your pretty little head about that today. It’s your birthday.”
“Okay,” she mumbled.
“Do you mind if we go see my sister? I would like to talk to her before the show. But it’s okay if you want to continue the tour.”
“No, not at all. I don’t mind. I’d like to see Katy too. Although…” Sierra bit her lip, wide-eyed. “Do you think she’ll approve of you and me? I mean, would she be okay with me dating you? I don’t have much to offer, and I’m really young and immat…”
“Shush.” I placed a finger over her lips. “You’re perfect, and K already adores you.”
She nodded, her eyes sweeping over me. “But you’re worried.”
“I am… just not about us. It’s…” I sighed. “It’s Katy, she’s been acting weird lately.”
She frowned. “Weird?”
“Yeah, she’s usually very bright and social, but lately, she’s been down. I don’t know what’s wrong. She won’t tell me anything. But I think something is going on between her and Lan, and I’m worried.”
“Maybe she’ll tell you when she’s ready,” she said softly, turning her full attention to me.
“I know that, but I still can’t help it.”
“Is it a twin thing?”
“Maybe. She’s never been like this before, and it makes me uncomfortable. I just want her to be okay.”
“I get that.” She squeezed my hand. “But trust me, your brother is the last person you would want to confide in if you have relationship problems. Just give her time, and she’ll come around.”
I nodded, kissing her forehead.
It took us about ten minutes to reach Katy and Lan’s mansion, and thankfully, I knew the code to the gate because Katy wasn’t answering my texts or my calls, which only made me more worried.
I huffed out a breath as my fist pounded the door for the fourth fucking time. Sierra and I had been standing at their front door for ten fucking minutes, and I was ready to break the door open.
“Maybe she’s not home,” Sierra offered with a small smile.
“She should be,” I muttered, and before my knuckles could meet the door, it dashed open with a thud.
“Who the fuc…” The annoyance on Lan’s face dropped when he took in the sight of us. “Matty.” He frowned. “Wasn’t expecting you.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Is that what you have to say?”
He exhaled before opening the door farther. “Come on in,” he said, eyeing Sierra with question.
“This is Sierra.”
He raised a brow but gave her a polite nod, which she returned with a small smile.
“Just so you know, your sister is not here,” Lan muttered as he padded to the living room. Katy and Lan lived in a sprawling modern mansion with stark white, clean aesthetic decor that had too many glass windows to count. Their living room had a view overlooking the hills and their outdoor infinity pool. It was a place I could never call home; it was more of a model house.
“Where is she?” I asked, following him.
“Not here.” He crashed down on the couch with a heavy sigh.
“Then where is she?” I questioned, my tone stiff as I gestured for Sierra to take a seat and she did quietly.
Lan rolled his head back on the couch. “I just got here and when I called her, she said she was out of town.”
“Where were you?”
“I was out riding.”
Lan’s favorite thing to do other than brooding over the piano or following around my sister was his motorcycle obsession. He sometimes disappeared for weeks, crossing states riding on his favorite bike.
Lines creased my forehead as I really took him in. He did look exhausted—his T-shirt was creased, his dark brown hair longer than usual, and a thin layer of stubble covered his jaw. Hell, he looked worse than my sister.
“Lan, tell me what the fuck is going on with you both?”
He froze before his sharp eyes snapped to me. “That’s between me and Katy.”
Oh, so something was going on between them.
“Hmm, mind if I use the restroom?” Sierra asked, her eyes bouncing between us both. She could probably feel the tense energy radiating from the room and wanted to give us some space.
“Sure, it’s second door down the hallway, past the kitchen,” I said softly, and she nodded, leaping to her feet as she hurried away.
“You’re with her,” Lan stated, his eyes followed mine, zeroing in on Sierra’s back disappearing down the hallway.
“Yes.”
“Doesn’t seem to be your usual type.”
“I don’t have a type.”
“Really? All the women you’ve dated either had a stick up their ass or were all prissy bitches.”
“Enough about me. Can we focus back on my sister, please?”
He sighed, his eyes darting back to mine. “I don’t know what to tell you.”
“When did you call her? She won’t pick up any of my calls.”
“Just a while ago,” he mumbled, pulling out his phone and thumbing through it. A moment passed before the shrill sound of the ring slithered through the air.
Right at the seventh ring, Katy’s voice flowed through. “Lan?” she asked in a mellow, hesitant tone.
And it stung to know my sister didn’t pick up my calls but still picked up his.
“Matty’s here, and he wants to talk to you,” Lan muttered as he leaned over and handed me the phone.
“Oh.” Her dejected voice came through.
My rigid hand closed around the phone in a tight grip. “Katy.”
“Hey, Matty.” I didn’t know if I was imagining, but her voice softened a tad bit.
“Where are you?”
“I’m out of town, my friend, Gale, you know her, right, the girl who started that tea business not too long ago,” she rambled. “Well, she was going to Vegas and invited me. I thought what other chance I could get, but don’t worry, I arranged everything for you guys tonight.”
My heart only grew heavier with each word. She was lying. My sister, my fucking twin was blatantly lying to me and it hurt.
“Hmm, have fun,” I replied.
“Thanks. But I gotta go now. We’re hitting the casino and the clubs later. It’s going to be so much fun,” she said in an overly excited voice that sounded so unnatural and fake. “Bye.”
“Bye,” I muttered, and the call cut off with a beep. The heaviness of it clung in the air like a blood-soaked weapon.
My jaw clenched as I stared at the floor. “She’s lying to me.”
“Yeah, I think that’s obvious. But don’t worry, I checked her GPS, she’s still in LA. At the Mandarin Orient, to be exact.”
That only made the sting worsen. What was so fucking pressing that she had to lie like that, unless…
My eyes snapped to him, and I fixed him with a glare. “Did you fucking do something? Did you do something to hurt her?”
Tension coiled the air like a tight noose.
“I would never,” he steeled, his eyes glinting with fury.
I scrubbed a hand over my face. Fuck, what was I asking? I knew he would never do anything to hurt her. He would kill himself before that.
So there was only one other possibility, and it was a question I’d been hesitant to ask. But with the way my sister just lied to me, I wasn’t sure I knew her that well after all. “Is it her then?” I asked through the thick of my throat. “Did…did Katy do something?”
He didn’t say a word as he regarded me with a blank expression.
It was neither a yes nor a no, and from the look on his face, I knew he wasn’t going to say anything. Lan was like that. He could quickly turn off his emotions without a second thought.
And I knew I would get nowhere trying to pick apart the issues between them. With whatever ounce of trust I had left for my sister, I hoped she would do the right thing and tell me whenever she was ready, and I would support her no matter what.
But until then, I decided it wasn’t my battle to fight.
“Just…I know she appears strong, but she is very fragile. One thing I know, she loves you too much to fuck this up. Just…just be gentle with her.”
“I know.” The hardness in his gaze softened like it did whenever he was with her.
At the end of the day, those two loved each other, and I trusted them to make it through whatever storm they were tangled in. It was their relationship after all.
“Let me go get my girl. I’ll see you tonight,” I mumbled as I rose.
He smirked. “You’re girl, huh?”
“Yes, my girl,” I said softly.
“You’re fucking smiling,” he said in disbelief. “Never thought I’d see the day you would smile for a girl.”
I shook my head, walking away.
“Wait, does Mikey know this? He’s going to have a field day with this little information.”
I ignored him and headed to the kitchen, from where I heard the sound of cabinets closing and opening.
I stood by the threshold and watched as Sierra peer at the fridge with a wrinkle in her nose. And as if she sensed my presence, her round hazel eyes flew to me.
“Hey Matty.”
I didn’t respond and walked straight to her and took her in my arms. I felt some of the tension dissipate from my body when her softness molded against my body, and she clutched me tightly.
“You okay?”
“Now I am.” I buried my face in her neck, taking in her sweet scent.
At this moment, all I cared for was her.
I think my hard resolve was melting. She wasn’t just an obsession, and I didn’t just like her.
I think it was more than that, and I was already in too deep to go back now.
SIERRA
“You’re killing me,” Matty muttered, his eyes dragging over the length of my body like a sensual caress. “Daisy dukes should be fucking illegal.”
“You like?” I asked, stepping out of the hallway as I closed the door behind me.
“More than like,” he grumbled and zeroed in on my breast, where his face was plastered on my tight T-shirt.
He stood casually, leaning against the wall with his legs crossed as he eyed me.
It was my first ever concert in my life, and it was for my favorite person, so I had to dress like a fan and a girlfriend at the same time.
“Only you get to know I have your T-shirt on,” I said as I pulled the amber yellow bomber jacket he gifted over me. It was one of his presents. He gave me so much today that I almost lost count. This jacket was so special because it was one of his newer and nicer ones, and his woody smell still lingered on it. Instead of just handing it to me, he had my name embroidered on the inside. And now I had a part of him and me in one single jacket.
I couldn’t believe I was at a place where I no longer had to battle with bots for his items. I could just ask, and he would give it to me.
“Come here.” His hand clasped around mine and pulled me to him. My back to his chest. And before I could ask what he was doing, something cold touched my neck.
I blinked at the single yellow diamond sparkling on my chest. “What’s this?”
“Another present,” he said, kissing the side of my head.
I turned around, frowning. “Look, I do appreciate you trying to make my day special, but I don’t really need this many gifts, Matty. And this seems very expensive. I can’t possibly take it.”
“Get used to it.” A faint smile danced on his lips. “I’m only going to be buying you more. Who else can I spoil other than my girl?”
And there goes my heart, cracking and melting for him.
If showering me with presents made him this happy, who was I to complain?
“Fine,” I replied with a smile. “Thank you.”
“I’d like to collect my thanks with a good luck kiss,” he whispered before he kissed me. Our lips danced to the familiar rhythm that matched the thundering of my heart.
I loved every second of it.
I thought I was used to backstages, but this right here was on a whole other level. It felt like I was in a completely new world. In every corner, someone was running around with stress written on their faces. It was all so erratic and busy.
I’d gotten so comfortable being with Matty that I’d forgotten his level of popularity. Somehow, I became the most human version of myself in his presence. And he was the only person on earth I wasn’t scared to show the real me.
“You’ll be okay there?”
“Yes. I will, don’t worry.”
But Matty still didn’t look convinced. The show was starting in minutes, and he had to go out to the stage. His eyes darted to Raphy, who was busy soaking up the attention from a younger roadie with pretty cotton candy hair. “Raphael.” Matty’s booming voice snapped his eyes from the girl. “Come here.” He beckoned.
Surprisingly, without whining, he was at our side in a second.
“Stay with your sister and make sure you never leave her alone. The crowds can sometimes get rowdy.”
“You got it, big man.” Raphy grinned, folding his arm around me. “I’ll take care of my pest of a sister till I can hand her over to you.”
I rolled my eyes, and at the same time, Matty barked, “Don’t call her that.”
“Jeez, calm down.” Raphy lifted his hands in surrender. My brother liked to joke around, but he was too adorable this morning when he wished me happy birthday and got me a limited edition gaming keyboard that I’d been wanting for a while, stating he bought it with his first paycheck. It made me feel like a proud-ass sister.
Matty gave me one last lingering look before he started toward the stage with a security guard following him. Raphy and I quickly scurried to the front pit from where we would watch the show.
It felt so weird how I could feel the excitement buzzing in the air and seep into my skin.
Soon, the stage lights hit, and the crowd roared so loud when J.J.’s velvety voice crooned through the microphone, kicking off Lan’s low notes and Mikey’s bass.
But did I really hear any of that? Of course I didn’t.
My sole focus was on the man behind the drums, and somehow his eyes were on me.
Locked on mine. Lost to the rest of the world.
His muscles moved with seasoned practice, the drumsticks hitting the kit in perfect rhythm. His eyes said it was my presence that he was consumed by, but his hands worked like his entire attention was on creating the perfect beats.
That night, I screamed off-key lyrics, danced my ass off, and jumped like a little kid. Not giving one fuck about it.
Did I say that today was the best fucking birthday ever? I think I repeated it a hundred times already, but I didn’t care. I think you’re allowed to think about something that excites you over and over and over again and never get bored.
And he excited me.
Today was only special because of him .
Matty Evans already had my heart in his big fucking hands. Somehow, in the back of my mind, I knew he would take good care of it.