Chapter 46 Sloane #2
I grin at his unexpected question and at the way I seem to make him nervous. “Yeah, I’d like that.” I lift my head to look at him. “I’d love that.”
He smiles, and it’s a look that I could easily stare at for the rest of my life. I hope that I get to.
“Yeah?” he asks, a boyish grin taking over his face.
“Yeah,” I say, reaching up to place a single kiss on his lips.
“How did I get so lucky?”
“I ask myself the same question every day,” I say.
There’s a long, comforting silence before he speaks again. “The first thing that I want you to do when you move in is to walk around in nothing but that lace green set. You know, the one you said you wear all day, every day.” He smirks, brushing a thumb over my bottom lip.
I playfully slap a hand over his chest. “Ha, Ha,” I joke. “What if I walk around like this instead?” I ask, voice entwined in a soft seduction.
“Mmmm,” he murmurs, trailing his gaze down my bare skin while leaving goosebumps in the wake. “Such a tempting offer, darling. Watch it, or I’ll throw every piece of clothing you own into a pile and light a match.”
“Only if we can dance around the fire together under the moonlight.” He laughs loudly, the sounds unguarded are carefree. It reminds me of how rare a sound it truly is, and how nice it is to hear it now.
“You are so perfect, you know that?” he asks.
“I’m gonna need you to remember you said that once we’ve been living together for a few weeks,” I tease, nuzzling my cheek into the side of his neck. His woodsy aroma consumes my senses.
“What are we doing tonight?” I ask, giggling at how quickly we’ve become “we” people.
“Well, I’m so glad you asked, actually.” He pauses. “It was supposed to be a surprise, but I’m shit at keeping them from you these days.” He pauses again, and I lift my head to look at him while leaning against my hand. “Reverb is playing a show tonight at … Moonvale.”
I sit up onto my knees, throwing my hands over my mouth. “Moonvale? Oh my, Riven! That is amazing. Moonvale is the largest venue around here.” I can hardly conceal my excitement.
He laughs. “I know, I know. It’s unbelievable, really.”
“How? When?” I blurt out.
“When I was at Sonus earlier, dealing with Dorian,” he says, jaw flexing at the memory of it, “Cal and I ran into Ashley, our manager. She told us that the venue called and requested us. Cal and I were the first to hear of it. And because of everything that went down, Ashley wasn’t sure who to tell first. We threw together a board of our most trusted employees, and they’ve been working on the details ever since.
It’s happening. We are really going to headline at fucking Moonvale.
” He says the words like he’s having trouble believing them, like a small part of him still doesn’t think that he even deserves to.
I rest a hand on his cheek, turning his head until he meets my eyes.
“Hey, look at me. You deserve this, all of it. You are worthy of this, and so much more, Riven. Let the fans see you for who you are, without all of the noise. Those frequencies weren’t what made Reverb great.
You, Raithe, Callum, and Malakai are. This show is yours, theirs, no longer tied to Sabel or the Eden Frequency.
You can do this, and I’ll be right there to cheer you on. Your biggest fan.”
He places a hand over mine, interlacing our fingers. “I don’t deserve you,” he says, eyes nearly rimming with tears that threaten to fall at any second. In an instant, he reins them back in. Despite himself, a single tear still falls down his cheek. I lift my opposite hand, wiping it away.
“Thank you, Sloane. Thank you for seeing me and for loving me all the same.” I’m taken aback by his vulnerability, seemingly at a loss for words of my own.
I nod once, leaning over and lying back down against his chest. He runs his hand over my hair, and I doze off listening to the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath my ear.
? ? ?
I’m standing in front of Riven’s bathroom mirror, my hair straightened to perfection.
I chose a fitted black slip dress that clings to my curves.
The dress cuts just above the knee, with a high slit and a delicate lace neckline.
I throw on a pair of silver-studded wrist cuffs that make my skin crawl with desire.
I decided on a smoky gray eye shadow to match the eyes of the man who’s now walking up behind me.
Riven places his arms around me, kissing me on the cheek before bringing his gaze to mine in the mirror. “Mmm. You look absolutely stunning, darling.”
I lean my head back against him, my deep red lips smiling from ear to ear. “Thanks,” I say back.
I’ve recently grown to be more accepting of his compliments, letting go of the version of myself that existed before him.
The version that averted eye contact at the notion of a compliment, unaware of how to respond to such things that I had never seen myself when I looked into the mirror.
Except now, looking at my reflection and the man behind me, I know that I’m worthy of it.
Riven has somehow given me the permission that I needed to release that self-doubt that’s eaten me alive my entire life.
“What are you thinking?” he asks, releasing me to grab his cloak and stage mask.
“That I can’t wait to see the look on Lydia’s face tonight when I tell her we’ll be watching from our own VIP area,” I say.
He eyes me skeptically, knowing that I changed the subject, but allows it.
“I still can’t believe Callum texted back and agreed to a date.
That guy does not date,” he says, walking out of the bathroom and flicking off the lights.
He grabs my cross-body and leather crop jacket from the bedside table and hands them to me before heading out of his room and down the stairs. I follow behind him.
“I know. It’s insane. Do you think he’s into her? I mean, how crazy would it be if they hit it off?” I ask, following him out of the door and toward his Mustang.
“Hard to say when it comes to Cal. He’s not exactly an open book when it comes to stuff like this,” he says, opening the passenger door for me before walking over to the driver’s side and climbing in.
“Such a gentleman,” I say, buckling my seat belt and grabbing the AUX wire before he can. I plug my phone in and hit play before he can say a word. He flicks his eyes to the song title before narrowing them at me, but doesn’t turn it off.
He starts the engine and backs out of the garage, shifting into drive.
He turns toward me with a devilish grin.
“Would you still call me that if I fucked you over the hood of my car, darling?” I swallow, the image of his threat flashing through my mind.
“I bet that lipstick would look so good smeared across your face with you on your knees for me. Would you still call me a gentleman, then?” His hand moves to my thigh, climbing up and up before returning to the shifter.
“Can you drive stick?” he asks, immediately regretting his choice of words.
“In more ways than one,” I say, laughing.
“Good. Grab the shifter, darling. Shift for me. I need my hand for something else.”
My eyes widen in surprise as I do as I’m told. His hand leaves the shifter to slide up my thigh and under my dress. I moan, head falling back against the seat.
“Sloane.” His voice is low and rough, laced with warning that has my cheeks on fire. “Where the fuck are your underwear?” Despite the subtle anger in his voice, his hand still finds my clit and massages it in slow circles.
“I—I …” I can’t find the words, my brain unable to form a coherent thought.
He brings his fingers down, slipping two inside of me. “Did you do this just for me, darling? God, you’re soaked, Sloane,” he groans.
“Y-yes,” I say, panting as I manage to shift into fifth gear right on time. God, having to make sure we don’t die while also nearing an orgasm is somehow only heightening the pleasure.
“Mmmm. Such a dirty girl,” he says, bringing his fingers back up to my clit and circling faster. I feel the building pleasure, the forward momentum toward the cliff’s edge. I come, hard and fast, with his name on my lips and the chorus of “Give” by Sleep Token playing through the speakers.
We pull up to Moonvale and park. I reach for a napkin in the center console to clean myself up before getting out of the car. Riven grabs my wrist, holding it firmly in midair.
“No way. I want the reminder of what I did to you to be dripping down your thighs while you watch me tonight,” he says, dropping my wrist. I bite my lower lip and suck in a breath.
That should not be as sexy as it sounds, but tell that to my thighs that are now keenly aware of what he’s done to me.
I shift in the seat. He laughs, getting out of the car and walking around to open my door.
It turns out that if you find the right guy, chivalry is not dead. He reaches a hand toward me.
“Little nightmare,” he says. I look up at him and take his hand, a playful smile tugging at the corner of my mouth.
We’re walking toward the venue, hand in hand, when I become aware of the spectacular view. I’ve read about this place, heard stories, but never had the pleasure of seeing it with my own two eyes until now. Against the setting sun, it is breathtaking.
Moonvale is an outdoor venue, tucked deep into the folds of the mountainside.
As we make our way to the band rooms, I can’t help the way that it feels less like a venue and more like hallowed ground.
The actual concert arena is an area that’s naturally carved out of the jagged rock that lines the walls on either side, enclosing the center stage like an amphitheater.
Even the air around us feels thicker and cooler, as if charged by ancient ruin.
We walk past massive evergreens that loom overhead, lining the outer rim of the venue ahead.