Chapter 2 #2
Indescribable sensations washed over me as the chords on the guitars rang out.
The hair on my arms stood at attention, waiting for what would come next.
As Hudson hit the drums, it reverberated throughout my entire body.
Each beat felt responsible for pumping the blood through me instead of my heart.
When Damien stepped up to the middle of the stage and stood before his microphone, he already had me in a trance.
His gaze met mine briefly before popping back out to the crowd. “Who’s ready for some rock’ n’ roll?” Damien laughed into the mic as the audience roared. “I can’t hear you!”
When the first note left his lips, his voice caressed my body like an old lover.
Primal and sensual.
Velvety smooth.
And undeniably sexy.
His words enthralled me, and I surrendered, a more than willing prisoner.
Broody and intense, Damien was tantalizing.
Like a damn walking aphrodisiac. Performing on stage, he was breathtakingly beautiful.
The way his eyes lit up and his face scrunched up with joy as he vocalized all the emotions of the song.
He moved with ease, at home in the lights and in front of the crowd.
But it was the grin that spread across his lips, showing off his perfect white teeth, that revealed the true ecstasy he felt.
Around me, the world was alive, but Damien alone ensnared my attention. My body swayed, entirely under his spell as the melody coursed through me. I let it consume me, move me, a symphony of sensations that was as intoxicating as it was exhilarating.
A wave of tranquility washed over me. At this moment, I didn’t have to be perfect Cadence on display for others to watch, or walk around with the label of Elijah Powell’s girlfriend. I could just be myself. Be who I truly was.
Music was an escape for me, it always had been. A place that always welcomed me with open arms. It never let me down. I’d lose myself in the beat and belt out the lyrics as if they could make my problems disappear.
Damien’s rich, powerful voice tempted me, resonating deep within my soul and demanded my undivided attention.
“With every step, I’m drawn to your flame.
Consumed by a desire, I can’t contain.”
Damien cried into the microphone.
I moved my body purposefully, jumping and dancing, losing myself in the sea of strangers around me. The air was stuffy, heavy with the electric energy coming off the stage.
Damien put everything within him into this performance.
He was born to be on stage.
The crowd grew thicker around us, pushing Jade and me closer together, all equally bewitched by Rebel Rebellion’s music. So, it had to be a coincidence when I found Damien’s eyes on me once again. Right?
“Can’t break free from this hold on me,
I’m lost in your chaos, can’t you see?”
It was like he was singing directly to me, which was crazy. He wouldn’t be able to pick me from a lineup. But while he held my gaze, he kept me hypnotized.
My body warmed from his attention, heat settling deep in my lower belly. His words… they turned me on.
He turned me on.
When the last note faded at the end of their set, Damien finally looked back out over the crowd.
“Thank you all for coming out tonight. We appreciate each and every one of you. Be safe out there and don’t do anything we wouldn’t do, which leaves a lot open for your interpretation.
” The crowd laughed with him. “But remember: We are Rebel Rebellion!”
Then the lights came on, blinding us all, and snapping me from the trance I’d fallen into.
The guys stepped offstage, out of sight, but I didn’t want the music to end. I wanted more.
Jade turned toward me with the biggest grin on her face. “Amazing, right?”
I wouldn’t be able to explain my emotions if someone held me at gunpoint. I struggled to regain my composure and anchor myself back to reality. So I settled on a simple, “Yeah.”
“Come on, let’s go to the bar and grab a drink while we wait for them to return to their merch table.”
As we ordered another round, I used my hand to fan my warm cheeks, the temperature inside now an inferno.
Jade collapsed against the bar. “Ugh, I could watch them perform every single day.”
I honestly couldn’t argue with her. “Where is their next show?”
“Unfortunately, they travel north tonight. Somewhere in Ohio, I think.”
“Hmm.”
Jade’s disappointment about Rebel Rebellion’s show being over was understandable.
She loved the band and was sad to see them leave.
But for me, the night ending meant that I was returning to my everyday life, exactly how it had always been.
My golden carriage would be turned back into a pumpkin at midnight.
The tiny snippet of freedom I’d experienced tonight would disappear.
That realization scared me.
“Oh! The guys are back. Let’s say hi, and then we need to start thinking of heading home.” Jade sighed dramatically. “Work tomorrow and all that.”
I laughed. “Adulting is the absolute worst.”
She wrapped her arm around mine as we left the bar. “Remember the days we built forts in the basement as kids?”
“Yeah.”
“And all we had to worry about was beating the next boss on whatever RPG we were playing.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Those were simpler times.”
“And we had a curfew, no money, and were huge nerds.”
Jade laughed. “We’re still nerds. Just being a nerd nowadays is considered cool.”
I joined in her laughter. “Yeah, you got me there. We’re the OG nerds.”
A crowd had surrounded Rebel Rebellion’s merchandise table, and we hung back waiting for it to die down. The band kept up the best they could as the fans gushed and raved about their performance. Women asked for their signatures, and not all requests were for appropriate places
I couldn’t hide my grin when Damien’s cheeks reddened as he swiped his black Sharpie along the top of a woman’s breast who was old enough to be my grandmother.
But he was all smiles and welcomed everyone to the table.
Once the crowd had dissipated and Jade and I were among last few left, his smile slipped when he noticed me.
Was I imagining things?
Shane approached us. “So, Cadence. How did you like your first show?”
“You guys were fantastic up there. I really mean it.”
Colton threw his arm around me. “So, we converted you into a fan then?”
“Absolutely.” I smiled up at Colton. “And Damien.” I turned my head toward him. “You were incredible.”
Damien narrowed his eyes. “Thanks.”
I was about to ask him what his problem was, but Jade grabbed his bicep, and his previous smile slid into place. “I swear you guys get better every time I watch you play.”
“Aw, thank you, Jade. That means a lot.” Damien pulled her into a quick embrace.
This couldn’t be my imagination. Damien was totally giving me the cold shoulder. He showed Jade his fun, flirty side, while all I got was his side-eye and one-word answers.
I didn’t like it when people were upset with me. As a people pleaser at heart, I wanted everyone to like me, and when they didn’t, it gnawed at me, consuming my thoughts. It compelled me to try even harder to get him to like me.
I moved out of Colton’s reach to stand beside Jade and tried to engage with him again. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to make the next show.”
“It’s okay if you can’t.” Damien didn’t even look at me.
What. The. Hell.
Well, screw you too, buddy. Even I had a limit to how much I would try. It was rare, but I guess there were people in the world who just didn’t like me. But it didn’t make sense. I’d done nothing to him.
I turned toward Hudson, Shane, Colton, and Jeremiah. “You guys are seriously great. I hope you’ll be back in South Carolina soon.”
Met with a round of ‘thank you’s, I perked up and turned back to Jade. “Are you ready?”
“Yep! See you guys next time!”
We walked out of the stuffy bar and into the warm, damp air. The breeze coming off the ocean was a welcome respite on a summer night in Charleston. I shivered as a new sense of foreboding washed over me.
“That was so much fun,” Jade said as we climbed into her car.
“It really was. Thank you for bringing me along.”
“Of course! I can’t not drag my sister to meet some of the coolest people I know.”
She giggled as she maneuvered out of the parking lot, barely missing two parked cars and a streetlight, and began our drive home.
We were quiet, lost in our own thoughts, and as we got closer to my house, I felt my grip on my newfound independence slip away. Vanishing before me like an early morning fog as the sun rose.
When she pulled into my driveway, she handed me a CD.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“I knew you wouldn’t get one yourself, so I bought you Rebel Rebellion’s CD. I had Colton get everyone to sign it, too.”
I opened the cover, and sure enough, each one of their scribbled signatures decorated the inside. They were unreadable, but I could make out the capital D. I ran my finger over his name, still bothered by the fact that he so clearly disliked me.
Maybe that was the reason for my fascination with him. I was drawn to him simply because I couldn’t stand knowing he didn’t want to be around me.
“Thank you for this.”
Jade pulled me into an awkward hug over her center console. “Anytime. And thanks for coming with me tonight.”
“I’m glad I came.” And I was. I learned something about myself tonight. Being attached to Elijah ensured I acted a certain way out in public. I just never realized that somewhere along the way, I’d made his rules my rules too.
Don’t draw attention to yourself.
Don’t be obnoxious.
Don’t be too loud.
Be calm, cool, and collected at all times.
When I walked in, the house was completely dark. Elijah usually went to bed early, so it was no surprise.
I made my way through my home effortlessly. Sticky and sweaty from the bar, I walked to our ensuite bathroom for a shower.
The steam enveloped me, and I rolled my head from side to side, trying to release the tension. My body felt wound up and jittery. Like I needed to run a marathon or scream at the top of my lungs into the night sky.
I squeezed the back of my neck, seeking any form of relief. My other hand trailed down my shoulder to my chest, where my heartbeat quickened.
I knew what I needed, what I wanted.
Moving my hand over my breast, I inhaled sharply as my fingers moved over my taut nipple. Continuing down over the planes of my stomach, I slowed just below my belly button.
I didn’t make it a habit of touching myself. Orgasms were usually better when shared with a partner. But right now, I didn’t want to share this with anyone.
I closed my eyes as I pushed my hand lower.
Biting my lip as my fingers found my clit, swollen and needy. I knew I’d find my slit wet and slick. It had been that way since Damien had ensnared me within his grasp.
Moaning as I found my rhythm, I spread my thighs wider to give myself more room. Leaning my back against the wall of the shower, I pulled my foot up on the edge of the tub and nearly finished as soon as I pushed two fingers into my core.
The stream from the water hit my sensitive skin like needles as I bucked against my hand.
Pleasure surged through my body as my breathing grew ragged and I tightened around my fingers.
The last thing I saw before I came apart, was a pair of icy blue eyes and a devilish smirk.