Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
CALLUM/CASH
Then
Birthday Bruises & Guitar Scars
Some promises rot before they’re broken…and some devils know when you’re lying.
Bren moseys around in the hotel room I have. “You know, we’re making enough money now. I expected you to upgrade to a suite since Livianna’s coming to visit.”
“I was gonna, but we won’t need anything else other than the basics. I figured I’d use the extra dough to take her out to a nice restaurant or get her a massage for her birthday.”
“Still, you could’ve done both.” He plops onto the bed.
I tense but try to remain calm. “Hey, Guns, I help out my ma and uncle, so my situation isn’t the same as yours.”
That, and he isn’t giving half of everything he’s making to Leon, the fuckwad, Baker. I sit in one of the chairs that’s set up near a table in the corner of my room, trying to contain my rage.
Stop thinking about him, Cash. He’s not gonna ruin my weekend with her.
I glance around the tiny place. Livianna deserves more than this. She’s flying here to be with me and we’re celebrating her birthday.
I lower my head and shrink inside. “Do you think I should go see if I can get a bigger room?”
“No, bro. I was only giving you shit.”
“Yeah, right.” I bounce my knee up and down. “Now that I think about it, I’m gonna go to the front desk and see what they can do for me.”
“Really, Cash. I was just fucking with you.”
“I get that, but she’s used to living better than this.”
“True, but she won’t care. She’s too excited to see you.” He gestures to the minibar. “At least you have refreshments.”
I reach into my pocket and check my phone. “She should be here any minute.”
“I know, so why don’t you seem as happy about that as I’d think you would be?”
My chest empties and a wave of guilt drowns me. “We’ve been fighting a lot.”
“No shit. I’m around and hear it all. We have a little bit of time. Wanna talk about it?”
“Guns, I’m losing her.” I place my cell on the table. “I feel it in my bones, and I don’t know how to stop it.”
He stares at me for a moment, then huffs out a frustrated sigh. “Maybe if you were there for her more, you wouldn’t be where you are. Have you thought about that?”
“How can I be there for her when we’re on the road? We get a day off here or there but not enough time to go home to see her. And she can’t get off work.” I run my fingers through my hair. “It’s the situation. I can’t help it.”
“Uh-huh.”
I growl at his sarcastic tone. “Then go on and tell me how I’m letting her down. Isn’t that what you’re trying to say?”
“I wasn’t gonna say shit. But if you’re truly asking me how to get things back on track, I have a few ideas.”
“Lay it down for me. I could use all the help I can get.”
“First, try not to use so many drugs while she’s here. Then make some grand gesture.” He pushes off the bed and strides to the minibar. “I’m gonna steal a soda.”
“Fine by me. And I’m not high as much as you seem to think I am.” I run my sweaty palms down my jeans. “What kind of gesture do you mean? I already said I wanna get her set up with a massage.”
“Which is a great start.” He grabs a drink and closes the fridge. “You’re the old soul who writes all this music about her. You can figure something out.”
“I already performed a song for her. Doing it again is nothing special.”
There’s a knock on the door. My pulse spikes and my heart beats in triple time.
“That’s her.” I rush to open it and she comes into view when I do.
“Hi, love!” She jumps into my arms and dots kisses all over my face.
I don’t even have enough time to take a look at her. She’s all over me, but I don’t care. I’m already hard and grabbing her ass.
“That’s my sign.” Bren taps her on the shoulder as he passes us. “It’s good to see you, too. I’m sure we’ll catch up before the show tonight.”
“Oh. Hi, Bren. I didn’t know you were here.” She glances at him as she wraps her legs around my waist. “Will you shove my luggage in here? Because I’m not letting him go until he has to leave.”
“On it.” He slides her huge suitcase into the room and lets the door close behind him.
“Lily…” Rockets go off in my chest.
My mouth is on hers and I inhale her powdery floral scent. Oh, how I’ve missed that. Fuck. I’ve missed everything about her.
She breaks our kiss. “I hope it’s okay if you just take me now and we can catch up after?”
“If that’s what you—”
She nips at my lip before I finish. She did this the last time she came to visit me, so I don’t know why I expected anything else. And I’m not complaining. I need to be with her.
My tongue finds hers and our pent-up passion explodes into a fever pitch. She grabs at my shirt as I carry her to the bed. I throw her on her back. She lands on the mattress and bounces up a little before she settles into it.
I tear my shirt off and my heated gaze lands on her. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”
“Callum…” It comes out as if she’s shocked. “You’ve never told me that before.”
“Yes, I have.” I crawl on top of her. “And if I haven’t, I’m sorry. But I can promise you I’ve thought about it a million times.”
“Maybe you have said it, but not in a really…” She shakes her head. “Let’s not talk.”
My cock strains against my jeans, so I nod and take possession of her mouth again. I push her shirt up and work my kisses down her neck and to her bare breasts.
Thankfully, she decided not to wear a bra. She probably did, but knowing her, she stopped in the bathroom on the way up to my room and took it off.
I suck on one of her nipples as I knead the other one in a greedy fit. Fucking hell, she has the best tits ever. I wanna fuck them until I’m senseless.
That thought gives me an idea. “Take your clothes off while I get out of my jeans. Then hold your tits together.”
Her eyes turn into a wildfire. Whatever I just did, she liked it a lot. She strips almost as fast as I do.
She pushes her breasts together. “Now what?”
“Stay like that.” I straddle her ribcage and force my dick between her boobs.
“Damn, Lily. This feels almost as good as your pussy.” I pump in between her mounds.
I’m so turned on and haven’t had sex in so long, my pre-cum makes for great lube.
“This is different, but I like it.” She lowers her chin to her chest and licks the crown of my cock.
I moan. “Keep doing that.”
Her eyelids drop halfway as the vixen I know and love takes another swipe, followed up with a quick suck.
“Oh, fuck. That’s it,” I grunt out. “But now I want more. Open your mouth.”
She does and I deep-throat her. I expect her to gag, but she doesn’t. She never ceases to amaze me. How she got so good at this is beyond my wildest dreams.
I stare into her eyes as I thrust in and out of her mouth. Her tongue swirls and licks up and down my shaft. That only makes me want to go harder.
I do, forcing myself farther than I’ve gone before. My balls are almost past her lips. Her eyes start to water.
I pull out. “Too much?”
“Just a little.” She gently pushes me away and coughs. “Get on your back and we’ll sixty-nine.”
“Great idea.”
We get positioned. I devour her with my tongue and fingers as she sucks my dick and tickles my balls. She’s never done this before and it’s driving me insane.
My groin grows heavy with a pleasurable sensation webbing out down my legs and up my core. I buck my hips as she rides my face.
She tastes so sweet and smells like sex. I love everything about it. It’s right now that I decide this is the way I wanna come. This feels too amazing to stop and have to put on a condom.
She starts to quake over my mouth. I think she’s about to come. I dive two of my digits into her and lap over her clit. Her muscles tense and she moans. The vibrations over my shaft and her wetness coating my face do me in. I come down her throat within a few pumps.
She climbs off me and snuggles into my side. “Well, so much for having sex with you.”
I release a devilish laugh. “Don’t worry, love. Give me a minute to recover and I’ll take care of you the right way.”
“You better,” she teases.
She rests her head on my chest as we catch our breaths. I run my palm over her arm.
She shifts and peeks at something. “Callum, what’s that on your bicep?”
“Oh, I got another tattoo.” I push her up and show it to her.
It’s a fallen angel who’s now just a skeleton carrying a woman away from the gates of hell. Livianna traces it with her pointy nail. When she does, I notice a transparent bandage over her wrist.
The air leaves my lungs. She’s cutting again. She hasn’t done that in… Fuck, I don’t know when she started doing it again. It’s another reminder we’re anything but close.
Her confused eyes come to mine. “Why did you get that?”
“I don’t know. Because I liked it.” I clear my throat and swallow my lie.
They seem to fall off my lips more than the truth does these days. It’s not that I want to deceive her, but she can’t know what I’m going through. She wouldn’t understand.
Fuck, I don’t, so how could she? All I know is my life is a living torture chamber.
She tilts her head. “Callum, who’s that supposed to be?”
Us. It’s me making sure you never get taken to the hell I live through every day of my dreadful life. I’ll carry you so far away from it and keep you safe even if I have to die to do it.
I roll to my side. “It’s just some ink. I saw it at the shop and thought it was cool. Why? Don’t you like it?”
“No, I do, but I know you. The tattoos you get all have deep meaning.”
“Yeah, well, this one doesn’t.”
“Promise?”
“Yeah. Now get back over here and let me make love to you the way you deserve.”
Livianna stands off to the side of the stage as I belt out song after song, allowing my soul to release into the words, the melody, and out to the audience.
I’m a sweaty mess, but she doesn’t seem to mind. Her loving eyes stay on me the entire time I work the floor.
Our tour has been picking up steam. We’ve even had to change venues or add more shows to accommodate the demand. Being on stage is everything I dreamed it would be. Other than being with Livianna, it’s the only time I’m myself.