Kellan sighed. “It’s complicated, Griff. Matt’s a genius on guitar…he’s…it’s his instrument, the one he’s born to play. But us saying that isn’t an insult to you. You’re amazing on bass, gifted even. It’s just…we each have our part, you know? And we have to do them the best we can.” He put a hand on my shoulder. “For the sake of the band, I’m asking you to let this go and just…forget about lead. Please?”
I could only stare at him. I felt numb inside. Was this what giving up your dream felt like? For as long as I could remember, I’d wanted all eyes on me—I’d wanted to be the center of attention. Matt had never wanted that. But he was given the instrument that shone while I was given the one that everyone forgot about. My part was designed to blend, designed to go unnoticed. It was everything I wasn’t, and I was sick of being stuck with it. I wanted more, but they wouldn’t give me more.
Without answering him, I turned and walked away, toward the house. What could I say to that anyway? Matt had just permanently rejected my chances at ever being lead guitar. Forgetting was the only thing left that I could do. Forget, or stew, and right now, I wanted to stew.
When I got back to the living room, Jenny and Rachel were there working. “Need something, Griffin?” Jenny asked, her pale eyes practically sparkling with happiness.
Ignoring both her good mood and her question, I called out for Anna. “She’s upstairs with Kiera,” Rachel quietly replied.
Harrumphing some sort of thank-you, I began plodding my way to the stairs. Fucking stairs. I stomped up them, cursing my bandmates with each step. I imagined that the carpet treads under my feet were their squishy faces. I felt a little better by the time I reached the top. “Yo, Anna! Where are you?”
Both Anna and Kiera instantly appeared in a bedroom doorframe. Simultaneously, they both put fingers to their lips. “Shhhhhhh,” they both scolded.
I was tired of being reprimanded today, so I didn’t lower my voice. “Wake up Gibson. We’re leaving.”
Anna instantly edged around Kiera to step into the hallway. “What’s wrong?” she asked me, while Kiera stepped out of the room behind her. The two sisters were pretty similar, but Anna definitely had a lot more curves than her slimmer and straighter sister. Generally I appreciated those curves, but at the moment, I just wanted to shove them into the car and get out of here.
“There’s no point being here right now, so we’re leaving. Actually, there’s no point in ever coming back here, so we’re leaving.” I opened the door closest to me, hoping I’d find my sleeping daughter behind it. Nope. Empty.
I moved to try another door, but Anna stepped in front of me. “Let’s go outside, get some fresh air.”
Dramatically tossing my hands in the air, I gave up. “Fine.” What did it matter, since nothing was working for me today anyway?
I headed back to those goddamn stairs while Anna told Kiera she’d be right back. Not waiting for my very pregnant wife, I sped down the steps and out the door. The fresh air on my face helped calm me down a little, but I was still riled up. I paced the front porch while I waited for Anna. Those sanctimonious assholes.
“Griff?” A soft touch on my shoulder spooked me, and I jumped. Turning, I saw Anna behind me, her green eyes worried. “What’s going on?” She indicated the front step, and I grudgingly sat down.
Once I was seated, my mood dropped. I’d started the day so positively, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that this tour was going to be the one. But not anymore. It was going to be the same old crap. Dropping my head, I slumped over. Anna sat beside me, and her fingers lightly caressed my back in a soothing pattern. It helped my residual anger, but not my rising disappointment.
“One song. I asked for one fucking song…and they wouldn’t even give that to me…” I studied my fingers in my lap while my dreams dissolved in my hands. “Matt just told me that he’s not ever going to give me a chance to play lead, and the rest of the guys agreed with him. I’m done…forever stuck on bass…forever in the shadows. I just wanted one song, one moment in the spotlight.” With a sigh, I looked up at her. “Four minutes? Is that so much?”
Anna’s eyes were heavy with sympathy. Reaching up, she threaded her fingers through my hair. “No…that’s not much at all.”
I nodded and dropped my vision to my lap again. “Yeah, I didn’t think so either. But they can’t even give that to me.” The anger resurfaced, wrapping disappointment around it like a blanket. “Between me and you, babe, sometimes…I really don’t like those guys.”
Anna kissed the back of my neck and wrapped an arm around my shoulder in sympathy. “I’m sorry, Griffin.”
Closing my eyes, I let her comfort wash over me. At least there was one person on earth who gave a shit about me.
Chapter 3
No Rest for the Awesome
Anna talked me into staying for rehearsal. She said I could play with her lady parts when we got home if I sucked it up and stayed. I think she was hoping we’d all get over the argument before we called it quits for the day, and then we’d all be best buds again. Her plan might have worked too, except I purposefully stoked the chip on my shoulder and goofed off the entire practice. Matt yelled at me three times to pay attention, but I didn’t care. They’d already said I didn’t respect the art form and they were never going to give me an opportunity to change their minds, so I might as well live up to their expectations. Or lack of expectations.
By the time we parted ways, everybody was frazzled and irritated. Good. I shouldn’t be the only one. Matt scampered out of the room the second we were done, Evan following closely on his heels. When I was alone with Kellan, he let out a long sigh. “Was that you letting it go, Griffin? Because you seemed to be doing everything you could to piss Matt off. You were even more obnoxious than usual, which is really saying something.”
I shook my head at him. “I never said I was going to let this go. And besides, Matt’s the one with the stick up his ass. Maybe the band should pool together and have it surgically removed.”
Kellan let out another weary exhale. “He’s under a lot of stress right now. Maybe you could see things through his eyes for once, and cut him some slack.”
Scoffing, I tossed out, “Because of the proposal thing? If just the idea of taking the plunge is turning him into such a douche, then maybe he shouldn’t propose to Rachel. Not everyone is meant for married life.”
“What?”
A soft, squeaky voice to our left drew Kellan’s and my attention that way. Rachel was standing there, holding her laptop to her chest and looking like she might pass out. Her eyes were wide as she stared at us, shocked. Great. “Fuck,” I muttered while Kellan gave Rachel a nervous smile.
“Hey, Rach…didn’t see you there,” Kellan said, running a hand through his famous hair.
Rachel stepped forward with just one foot, like she was afraid to get any closer. “Matt is going to propose?” she asked, her eyes sparkling with hope. It was clear, even to me, that she was going to say yes when he did ask her.
Still irritated about today’s events, I told her, “He was going to, but then he realized he couldn’t handle being tied down to just one girl, so he changed his mind.” There, Matt. How does having a dream snatched away from you feel?
Kellan snapped his eyes to mine, and I glanced at him with a What? expression. Matt asked for this.
Rachel sniffed, and I looked back at her. Her eyes were filling with tears. Damn it. If she talked to Kiera or Jenny, and they talked to Anna, Anna was gonna kill me for saying that. Trying to save myself from getting my ass handed to me, I quickly amended with “But hey, if you don’t say anything to anyone, maybe he’ll change his mind again. He’s a wishy-washy asshole like that.”
Twin tears rolled off her cheeks and she looked down to hide her face. “I better…get Matt his stuff. He left it behind.” She grabbed a jacket and a set of keys on a nearby table.
Elbowing his way around me, Kellan started saying, “Rachel, wait…” but the chick was fast.
She was out the door before he could finish.
Looking back at me, he shook his head. “What did you just do?” he muttered, his voice disbelieving.
Pursing my lips, I shrugged. Got Matt back. Kind of. “What? At least now it will still be a surprise when he asks her.”
Kellan’s lips twisted in annoyance. “Yeah, if she doesn’t break up with him first.” I shrugged again. Wasn’t my problem. That was something for the lead guitarist to worry about, and that was clearly never going to be me. Kellan scrubbed his eyes. “I have a headache…”
While I was pissed off at Matt, I was all right with Kellan; at least he’d tried to make peace with me. In thanks, I gave him a helpful hint for his migraines. “You should have more sex. Works for me, I never get headaches.”
He frowned at my suggestion. “I’m going to go find Rachel and attempt to fix this. Stay here, and try not to piss off anyone else.”
With a mocking salute, I barked, “Aye, aye, Captain.” He rolled his eyes before he left. I waited a minute and a half, then I left to go find my wife and daughter so we could go home. Kellan had never said exactly how long I needed to stay there, and ninety seconds seemed more than adequate. Besides, he was perfectly capable of smoothing things out with Rachel. He was on the job. He’d work his Kellan Kyle magic on her, and she’d forget everything I’d just said, and all would be right in the world. Except she’d still be marrying Matt…the prick who was holding me back.
The next morning I was still fuming, but I decided to take Kellan’s suggestion and let it go. Whatever. Matt was just being Matt. I could rise above. I’d been doing it my whole life. Besides, never didn’t always mean never. I’d just have to be more creative if I wanted to shine. And if I was anything, it was creative. Just ask my wife.
Rachel didn’t show up to the next few rehearsals. Matt said she was busy helping Jenny with her grand opening, but Kellan pulled me aside and told me that she was ticked about what I’d said and didn’t want to see me for a while. Whatever. Like a typical girl, she was totally overreacting.
“She knows he’s going to ask, but she doesn’t know when, so don’t say anything, okay? Maybe we can still keep part of this a surprise.” Kellan pinched the bridge of his nose like he had another headache. Guess he still wasn’t getting laid enough then.
Shrugging, I told him, “Not a problem. I don’t know when he’s gonna ask her either.” And I didn’t really care. Why should I invest in Matt’s life if he wasn’t going to invest in mine?
Dropping his hand, Kellan gave me a blank stare. “The gallery opening. Remember? We’ve discussed this so many times…” Holding his hand up, he stopped talking. “Never mind. Just try not to say anything to anyone for the next week or so, okay?”
I zipped my mouth shut with my fingers and nodded. I could be quiet when I needed to be, and not talking to the guys right now was fine with me.
The week before tour, Matt was all nervous and shit, so he cancelled rehearsals. I almost told him it didn’t matter, that Rachel already knew the proposal was coming and I was pretty sure she was going to say yes when he finally got the balls to ask her. He didn’t need to stress out about any of it. But then I remembered the look on Kellan’s face when he’d asked me to stay quiet. It was a look that clearly said, I know asking this is pointless, since you’re just going to find a way to mess it up, but here goes…It was an expression I had seen on him one too many times, on all the guys. None of them had any faith in me. Fuckers. Well I would show them. I wouldn’t spoil anything. All I would do was thoroughly enjoy every minute of my newfound free time.
And there was nothing I liked better than killing time with Gibson and Anna. Especially Anna. She was randy as all get-out lately, constantly touching me, massaging me, whispering dirty things in my ear. Keeping her satisfied was almost a full-time job. A fucking fantastic full-time job.
“Yeah baby…play with yourself, just like that…”
Anna was straddling me on the bed, teasing me by rubbing my cock against her soaking wet pussy. The look on her face was needy, like she was going to explode if I didn’t sink inside her soon. I felt the same way. She was riling us both up by only giving me a brief taste of what I wanted. I fucking loved it. “Yeah, just like that…”
She circled the tip of my cock around her clit, then dipped me inside her, just a fraction. It took all my willpower not to grab her hips and force her on top of me. I couldn’t though; she was the one in control right now, I was just along for the ride.
Grabbing her hips, I squirmed beneath her. “Yes…do it…ride me…”
She let out a passionate growl that made my cock twitch in her hands. She squeezed me harder in response. “You like that, baby?” she said, leaning down as far as her stomach would allow. It brought her beautiful breasts within my reach, and I leaned up to suck a nipple into my mouth.
She was so sensitive that just a light swirl of my tongue made her cry out. “Oh God, yes…”
She let more of me slip inside her and I moaned around her tit in my mouth; my hands clenched and unclenched her hip, urging her forward. Fucking take me…
I switched to her other breast, and another inch slipped inside her. Yes…fuck, she felt good. She swiveled her hips, sending a throbbing ache right through me. Fuck. I needed to thrust, I needed to come. I needed her, now. Releasing her breast, I dropped my head to the pillow and arched my back. “Baby, I can’t…More…fuck, I need more…”
“Me too,” she groaned, and then she tilted her hips so I sank all the way inside her. Fuck me…Yes…“Like this, baby?” she said, sitting back so I had a perfect view of her body. It was almost too much, too intense. I was gonna come and we hadn’t even moved yet. Fuck that. My body would come when I fucking said it could, and no sooner.
Mentally adjusting myself, I stroked her hips. “Fuck, you’re gorgeous…and you feel so good. Ride me, baby.”
With her hands gently pressing on my stomach, she began to rock her hips. The ache throbbed harder and harder with each shift of her body, but I ignored it and focused on her—her face, alive with pleasure, her breasts, full and firm, her nipples, peaked with need. She wasn’t just gorgeous, she was perfection.
Her hips moved faster and faster, in rhythm with the moans escaping her mouth. I started shaking as I staved off the moment my body was dying for. Come for me, so I can come for you. Just when I thought all the willpower in the world couldn’t stop my release, Anna dropped her head back and let out a long, euphoric cry. I felt her walls closing around me and I knew I could finally let go. Thank you.
“Fuck, yeah, come for me…” I thrust into her hard a couple times, building up the biggest bang I could. When it exploded from me, I gasped. Fuck…so…fucking…good. Then I cried out. “Oh God, Anna. Fuck, yes…” Then I groaned, grunted, and made every satisfied noise under the rainbow. Fuck…I loved coming.
With a content purr, Anna leaned down and kissed me. I whimpered some response; it was all I could do. Damn, even while pregnant, my wife had moves that could make grown men cry. I was one lucky-ass fuck. She carefully extracted herself, grabbed a couple towels, then curled into my side. I just lay there, recovering from another mind-blowing release. I couldn’t wait to do that again in twenty minutes.
“So, tonight’s the big night…” she murmured, her breath still unnaturally fast.
“Hmmm?” I really didn’t care about anything outside of my cock right now.
Anna sat up on an elbow and stared down at me. “The gallery opening? Matt’s proposal?”
“Oh, yeah…that,” I said, closing my eyes. Matt, the douche holding my reins, proposing to a girl who hated me was pretty much about the last thing I wanted to talk about. I tried shifting topics. “What’s the first position you want to do again once the baby is born? Horny Bull? Petal Pusher? Lotus and the Stingray?”
Didn’t work. Anna’s mind was firmly focused on my cousin’s nuptials. Why chicks dug weddings so much, I would never understand. And Rachel seemed like the ty
pe who would want fountains, ice sculptures, doves, and butterflies, but who really needed any of that crap? Personally, I think everyone should do what Anna and I did. No muss, no fuss, no coconuts. Just straight to the point, you’re married. Boom.
“I wonder how he’s going to do it,” Anna mused. “Jenny knows, but she’s not talking.”
“Don’t know, don’t care,” I yawned, flopping an arm over my eyes. I really didn’t give a shit about anything Matt did anymore. Fuck him. “Whatever he does, I’m sure it’s going to be needlessly complicated. All he’s got to do is say, Hey, wanna get hitched? How hard is that?”
Anna poked me in the ribs. “You’re so romantic, it’s almost embarrassing.”
Lifting my arm, I peeked up at her. “Do you really want to know what’s embarrassing about me?”
Looking intrigued, Anna leaned toward me. “What?”
“Nothing,” I said, squeezing her nipple. “Nothing about me is embarrassing.”
Anna squeaked in surprise, then smiled in a way that I knew meant she was ready for round two. Thank you, pregnancy hormones.
Just as I was reaching out to give her breast a proper fondle, a mood-stopping sound filled the air. “Mommmmmmmmmmmmmma! Want out!”
With a groan, I covered my face with my arm again. “Shouldn’t she be able to climb out of the crib by now? My mom said I could climb out when I was nine months old.”
Holding her stomach, Anna sat up. “Yeah, well, thankfully, Gibson isn’t quite as fearless as you, and she’s not big on heights. She’s getting bolder every day though,” she said with a sigh.
“Good,” I answered. “She’s a Hancock. She shouldn’t be afraid of anything. Matt could learn a thing or two from her. Chickenshit.” I bet that was the real reason he’d told me no. He was scared, scared I’d blow him out of the water and forever take his precious position from him. Well, that was one thing he actually should be scared about. He should conquer his fear though, goddammit.