Chapter 36 – Lumen
Chapter Thirty-Six
Lumen
Iwake up to Riser leaning over me as he brushes my hair back from my face.
“Hey, sleepyhead.” He grins, running his thumb along my jaw. “It’s a few minutes before noon. I thought you might want some time to wake up before we get moving.”
I smile back.
That was very thoughtful, and I appreciate how tenderly he woke me.
“Thank you,” I say, my voice coming out raspy and lined with sleep.
“Are you hungry? I think I’m going to order food from the catering truck.”
My heart thunders.
It’s such a simple thing, but after the incidents with Theo forgetting about me, it feels weirdly important.
I’m not hungry.
Like at all.
I’ve skipped a lot of meals recently, and I’ve noticed how loose my clothes are getting.
“If they have a turkey club or even a ham and cheese and chips, I would love that,” I tell him.
“You got it. I hate to lay this on you first thing, but I wanted to give you a heads-up,” he says.
“Our test results came in. Yours should be in your email. Mal and Kincaid are at the gym. They’ll probably be back within an hour.
” He leans down and kisses my forehead before climbing off the mattress and making his way to the door.
“I’ll be in the living room. Let me know if you need anything. ”
Well, there went my appetite.
I roll over, scooping up my phone.
My fingers don’t seem to be working right, and I hit a bunch of buttons in my haste to get my email open. When I finally get to where I need to be, the top three are my test results, a copy of the contract from the record label, and an email from Theo.
Damn.
He must be really desperate if he’s emailing me.
Ignoring it, I click on my test results and follow the link. I have to enter some verification details, and the information finally loads.
I scan through it, looking for anything that stands out. Nothing does. Every column says negative, and my eyes get achy.
Wow.
I didn’t expect to get emotional, but I’m so relieved. Theo wouldn’t have been ready for the level of hell I would have unleashed on him if I’d caught an STI because he cheated.
Thankfully, that’s a nonissue.
This was a great start to the day.
Wren pops up at the door to the bedroom as I’m getting myself into the dress Riser picked out.
I have a cardigan laid out to go with it, but even if it’s dangerous, it’s too hot to wear leggings. I’m just going to need to stay vigilant about finding a bathroom every couple hours because my period is raging with a vengeance.
Wren stumbles against the doorframe and bends down, plucking off her heels.
I frown.
She’s in the same outfit she was in when she left with Ten and Parish.
“Are you guys just getting back?”
“Yeah,” she groans, walking around to shove her heels in the cabinet she’s been storing her stuff in. “I’m dead on my feet. Can I sleep in here? I tried to climb into my bunk, but it felt like a coffin.”
“Yeah.” I chuckle. “Go for it.”
She looks a little green around the gills, but hopefully she feels better by tonight when the bus takes off.
Otherwise, the drive to wherever we’re going will be awful.
“Thanks,” she grunts, pulling her dress off over her head.
I almost laugh.
I’ve been there.
Instead, I scoop up my sweater and phone before making my way out to the living room.
All three of the guys are scattered about, and I have to make the call about where to sit.
Kincaid quirks an eyebrow, patting his chest.
I cross to him, toss my sweater on the floor, and sit with my back to his chest.
“I checked my results.” I pull my phone out and the page is already loaded. “Good news. Everything is negative.” I peek at Kincaid over my shoulder. “Here, you can look through it yourself.”
“I’m good,” he says, planting a hand on my middle. “Would you like to check out ours? Nothing new popped up.”
I shake my head. “No, thank you.”
I believe he would tell me if anything changed, and I already saw the copies of their lab work that was taken before the tour started.
“Would you guys like to see my results?” I ask, glancing between Riser and Malcolm.
They decline, but Riser says, “I picked up a bunch of notebook pages this morning. They were crumpled up, but I know how songwriting goes. I tossed them into a grocery bag and put them under the sink.” He nods to the kitchen.
“That way, there’s no risk of them getting thrown away until you’re sure you won’t need them. ”
I pat Kincaid’s hand and climb from his lap, making my way over to Riser.
“That was very thoughtful.” I climb onto his lap, facing him. “We’re getting close to the end of October. Didn’t you tell me your birthday is this month?”
In reality, I know I remember him saying that. I even did a quick internet search the other day when I was bored. As far as our zodiac compatibility goes, Scorpio and Cancer are a solid match.
He nods as his hands come to rest on my ass.
“Riser is our very own Halloween baby,” Malcolm says, chuckling. “They grow up so fast.”
“Halloween?” I ask Riser, keeping eye contact.
“Yeah,” he says, shrugging. “But my birthday is no big deal. We don’t need to do anything special.”
That is absolutely not going to fly.
Birthdays are always important.
Riser is the most in tune with what everyone else needs. I’m going to have to find him a meaningful gift.
“Oh no,” Kincaid says. “We’re in Virginia for your birthday. Mal and I were going to surprise you. We rented a fancy-as-fuck cabin at this resort.”
“Holy fuck,” Malcolm says, chuckling. “I forgot about that. It’s going to be even better having you with us, baby doll.”
I grin over my shoulder at him.
That sounds like a lot of fun.
“By the way,” Kincaid says. “I looked over the contract. Nothing stood out to me. Have you decided if you’re going to sign it?”
I twist even farther until I can see him. “If everything looks good, I’m going to sign today.”
He nods, and I refocus on Riser.
“Okay, now we need to play twenty questions, so I can figure out what to buy you for your birthday gift.”
Ry chuckles, low and throaty. “Having you there will be the perfect gift. I don’t need anything else.”
I cup his jaw, running my thumbs over his cheeks just above where his stubble ends.
He really is so sweet.
Pushing up on my knees, I shove my mouth to his. He growls, his hand clamping down on my ass as he brings the other to cup my face.
It takes until I’m already kissing him to realize the others are watching, but they’ve made it seem like they’re a package deal. I’m not going to feel weird about showing affection to any one of them in front of the other two.
It might be different for me, but they’re alphas. They’re used to sharing, or at the very least, they grow up knowing they’ll be part of a pack one day.
I’m going to enjoy fooling around with three guys for as long as it lasts, and I’m not going to feel guilty about it.
I have another brief conversation with Mr. Hawthorne and electronically sign the contract while the guys practice.
Once they’re done, Parish and Tennyson bolt back to the bus. I’m not sure if they’re antsy to get eyes on Wren or if they’re desperate for a nap.
Riser and Kincaid run over to the food truck to grab lunch, and Malcolm asks me to stick around to run through “When The Time Comes.”
It’s insane how fast he picks up the changes I made to the chord progressions, and I end up staring at him in awe as he takes over the intro.
It’s a battle to remember to play.
Goddamn.
Malcolm is amazing.
He could be fronting his own band. He has a completely different tone than Kincaid, but they’re both talented singers.
I’m so lost watching him that I jolt, messing up the beat, as Riser joins us.
Malcolm carries on, and Kincaid slides up behind me. My face heats as I realize I’m playing his guitar.
“I normally don’t let anyone touch my baby,” K says close to my ear. “But watching you play it is sexy as fuck. Show me what I’m supposed to be doing, so I can take over.”
His warmth frames my back, and I feel so put on the spot that I forget what I’m doing.
Malcolm stops playing and grins at me. “Take it from the top?”
I nod. “Y-Yeah.”
Okay, Lumen. Get your shit together. Don’t embarrass yourself in front of world-famous musicians.
Oh, God.
What am I even doing?
I’ve never wished I could play bass, but right now, I’d kill to be able to. Watching Kincaid and Malcolm take over the lyrics is an incredible experience.
Between the two of them, they have rhythm and lead guitar under control.
Being this close, I get a full view of the skulls on Kincaid’s hands as he plays.
Okay, I take my earlier statement back.
They’re sick.
It’s just that most of the world doesn’t get to see them like this.
Riser is unreal. He didn’t even hear the whole song, and he managed to come in and lay down a beat that fits perfectly. On his second playthrough, he amps up his skills to a whole different level.
If Tennyson was here, it would be a full ensemble.
It’s rare for a band to have three guitarists, but I understand why they added Parish.
Andrew used to play the keyboard on the songs that needed it, and Tennyson doesn’t play piano.
They either had to choose between cutting the songs that required a keyboardist or making a place for Parish.
They made the right call. Having three guitarists allows for a layered sound that most bands can’t achieve, even if it can be chaotic at times.
The fans are going to love “When The Time Comes.”
Malcolm should be insanely proud of his creation.
It makes me want to work on the song I was trying to lay down last night.
I think I’m going to set it up where Malcolm comes in first. All playful and flirty, but in lyric form.
Kincaid will be the gruff voice of reason.
I clearly haven’t worked out all the mechanics yet, but I want to mimic the energy they have when they step out on stage and introduce themselves, bantering back and forth…
Just in song form.
There’s every possibility that it won’t work, but I’m going to try.
“I want more of that,” Kincaid says, pulling off his Telecaster and putting it on the stand.