Chapter 40 – Lumen
Chapter Forty
Lumen
Wren’s head tilts as she takes the bottle of Coke from my hand. “What’s wrong?” She pops up, putting her feet on the floor. “Are we going to need an alibi after you tell me what happened?”
I snort.
“I’m good. I ran into my ex in the hallway.” I wipe my nose and take a seat on the couch. “It wasn’t a fun conversation.”
“I know a guy who’ll take him out for you, but it’s not cheap.” She grins, winking. “I’m mostly joking.”
I laugh.
Her long blondish-brown hair and big eyes give off girl-next-door vibes, but based on what I’ve heard, she had it rough growing up.
That changes a person.
They become more resilient.
I wish I was about fifty percent stronger right now.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asks.
I shake my head. “It was a goodbye conversation.”
“That’s hard, but at least you’re not stuck at home pining over his sorry ass.”
I fall back against the couch. “Yeah.”
It’s an end, but it’s also a beginning, and I really need something to look forward to at the moment.
I give myself a few minutes to wallow in the hurt before grabbing my notebook and getting to work.
The good thing about being a songwriter is that I can pour all my misery into a song.
From there, that composition gets to carry that pain for me. Okay, I have no idea if it’ll actually work like that, but I’m hopeful.
The cool night air feels incredible as Wren and I watch Liminal perform. They’re in the neon masks that Kincaid mentioned a while ago.
The guys might not like them, but the imagery is unreal.
We got lucky tonight.
Kasey and Scott watch from the railing about five feet away from our seats. They’re on this side of the fence with us, which makes it feel much safer than the night I had Leon assigned to me. Also, there’s really nowhere close to the stage for a pit to form.
Exclusive VIP seats take up the area just in front of the stage, and they’re cordoned off by railing and the majority of the security team.
Wren and I have seats in said area.
Behind this section are three large columns of seats that extend to the edge of the awning.
Beyond that is a grassy area where people can sit on blankets or in lawn chairs.
That’s where I’m guessing a mosh pit would form if the fans really wanted to, but with all the seats and concrete, this area wouldn’t be ideal.
I also trust that Kasey and Scott would lead us out at the first sign of trouble.
It has to be getting close to the end of Liminal’s set. They’ve been up there for ages. If playing on stage for two hours is exhausting, the aerial performers have to be even more spent. I’m pretty sure they’ve swapped out several times over the last hour and a half, but it’s hard to tell.
The stage is dark, only lit by a few strategic lights, the guys’ masks, and the glowing LED lights on the aerial performers’ costumes.
The effect is magical.
Riser and Tennyson start the next song. It’s a slow beat with just the occasional landing of Riser’s sticks, while Ten keeps time with his bass.
Kincaid’s mask looks crazy as he leans toward the audience, singing into his microphone.
It takes me a few seconds to realize it’s “What I Wanted,” which is another one of the songs on their lineup that proves how much pain Andrew must have been in. Well, that or he was very good at tapping into the darkness.
One of the floor spotlights points directly at Malcolm as he joins Kincaid. They keep the lighting on his hands and guitar. It’s an incredible aesthetic because the only other part of Mal that we can make out, even up this close, is his neon mask.
On either side of the stage are huge screens that project the guys, so the people all the way out on the lawn can see the details. Sometimes they pan out to show the aerial performers, but at times like these, they stay with a close-up shot of one of the guys.
Malcolm strums his guitar like it takes absolutely no talent to play at the level he does, and the view cuts to Kincaid. The women in the audience scream as the camera operator zooms in on his hand caressing the microphone stand.
Jeez.
I’m going to pick on him about that later. The skull face on the top of his hand is sexy as fuck, and it looks like he’s teasing the mic stand like it’s the female form.
A naughty little thrill runs through my system.
I know exactly what those hands feel like teasing my body.
Mmm.
Damn…
Now I’m ready for the show to be over.
Surprisingly enough, we make it back to the greenroom before the guys. It’s not a problem, but it does leave me wondering what popped up to delay them.
It’s not more than twenty minutes later when the door opens. They’ve already pulled off their masks and the oversized jackets they were wearing on stage.
Okay, that makes sense.
They probably had to stop by the wardrobe department first.
It’s a line of sexy rock stars as they all file toward the bathrooms, yanking off their T-shirts. Well, not Riser, but he does wink on the way by.
Damn.
I’ve seen Tennyson without his shirt before, but the man is all long, lean muscles. Based on the way Wren licks her lips, watching as he strides by, I’m going to say she might be more interested in him than she’s led on.
He spots her staring and balls up his sweaty shirt, chucking it at her head. She hisses, which is kinda hysterical, but I notice she drops the shirt on the chair next to her rather than discarding it.
I’m fairly sure she’s an omega.
I missed it until she slept in the bedroom on the bus, but it definitely smelled like an omega had been wallowing around in the sheets.
Malcolm bounces over to where I’m seated on the couch.
“Damn, it’s good to see you.” His huge hand cups my jaw as he dips his face to mine. It’s a quick but intense kiss, and then he’s gone. “I gotta shower. I can smell my own armpits, and they’re rank.”
I smile and check the door, waiting for Kincaid to join us. Rather than coming into the room, he leans against the doorframe, quirking a finger at me.
“Can I borrow you for a minute?”
“Yeah.” I toss my notebook aside, stand, and cross to him, wondering what’s up.
His scent hits me before I even reach him. Warm hazelnut with smoky hints and chocolate undertones.
Kincaid grabs my hand and guides me down the hallway to an area I haven’t been before. We reach a door, and he holds it open, nodding for me to go inside.
I step in and spin around, checking out the space.
It’s an empty office.
There’s a desk with a chair behind it and two on this side, some filing cabinets, and a couch.
“What’s up?” I ask, wondering why we needed a private space to talk.
The chains on Kincaid’s jeans jingle as he prowls closer. He’s not big on wearing anything like them in his normal clothes, so he must still be in his stage jeans.
“I knew where you were supposed to be during the show.” His head tilts predatorily, and I find myself taking a step back, followed quickly by another. “But no matter how hard I tried to find you in the crowd, I couldn’t. I was losing my goddamn mind. Not even knowing Kasey was with you helped.”
“Oh, I was totally fine. Wren and I had a great view. The show was incredible.”
Kincaid continues forward, and I have no idea why every cell in my body screams to run.
It’s strange, especially when Kincaid looks smoking hot.
His long blond hair falls into his eyes as he tilts his face down to mine. “Are you scared of me, sweet girl?”
My brow furrows, and I shake my head. “No.”
“Good,” he growls, picking me up by my hips.
I squeal, and my back hits the cool leather of the couch as K climbs on top of me. His knee wedges between my thighs, but he stretches out over me, brushing my hair back from my neck before burying his nose in my throat.
“Fuck me.” His lips tease my skin as he flattens his hand on the top of my head, brushing my hair back.
“I’ve never been so close to losing my shit during a show.
I kept getting flashbacks of when you were stuck in front of the barricade in Savannah.
All I could think about was, what if you were in danger, and I couldn’t see it because of that fucking mask? ”
“I’m right here with you now.” I bring a hand up, running it through his hair as I try not to smile.
Is it sad that hearing how concerned he was about me makes my chest flutter?
That’s sad, right?
“I hate to tell you this, but I probably would have been fine that night too,” I say, enjoying having his warm body caging mine in. “I’m tougher than I look.”
He grunts, dragging his nose down the column of my neck. “My instincts are full-blown feral when it comes to you.”
“Well, I won’t complain about being looked after.”
“Good, don’t,” he says. “The paps caught pictures of you and Malcolm at the music store this morning. They hit right before we went on stage. Benji warned us. Pictures of Mal behind you while you tried on the guitar he bought. Others with the two of you walking down the street with him kissing your hand. The two of you in a jewelry store. The press is about to get unbearable, and I hate that the world will think you’re just with Mal. ”
“Wow, I had no idea,” I admit.
Shit.
I also have something to tell him.
“Today was kinda crazy. You rushed from practice into that big interview, and when you made it into the greenroom, you had to start getting ready almost immediately…”
“Yeah.”
“I ran into Theo in the hallway when I went to the vending machines.” I swallow thickly. “I’m not sure if you guys heard, but the label is pulling Tangled Desires from the tour during the break. They’ll be going to the studio in Colorado to record their first album.”
“What are you saying?” Kincaid pushes up on his forearms, studying my face. “Are you planning to leave with him?”
“God no,” I say, frowning. “I just wanted to be honest about the fact that we talked. I cried, which is stupid. I don’t want to be with him, but it was hard. It left me kinda raw. Anyway, the conversation needed to be had. I didn’t want to be sneaky about talking to him.”
“I appreciate the honesty.” Kincaid’s bright teal eyes soften, and he brushes his hand over the top of my head. “Not that knowing you talked to him is making me any less feral.” He smiles. “But I am so ready to finish out these next few shows and enjoy our break.”
“I’m ready for my vagina to no longer be out of service, so we can really enjoy that cabin you and Mal mentioned.” I grin, but Kincaid slams his lips to mine.
The kiss is all-consuming, and his muscles press me into the couch even more firmly. It’s easy to see how hard he’s trying to hold himself back.
They’re always crazy amped up when they come offstage, and under normal circumstances, I’d be down to help him burn off some of that energy.
My birth control implant really screwed me over with the timing of this period.