“Eek. I can’t believe we actually did it,” Penny says as we land in Seattle.

  “Me either. They’re going to be so surprised.” We did it. Penny and I bought plane tickets to visit Kingston and Davies and see their show tonight. Since I couldn’t get a weekday off, we chose to fly out early Saturday morning and leave on the last flight out, a red eye back home Sunday night. It’ll be a short trip, but it’s something.

  Spending every waking minute with Kingston before he left to go on tour still wasn’t enough time. Our first night together sealed the deal for me. I’m all in with him. And he’s been gone for almost two weeks. He’s making good on all of his promises: he’s texting and calling constantly, and we Facetime every day. My apartment smells like a garden. My heart hurts when I can’t touch him.

  Penny and Davies have also been in almost constant communication. Before he left, they met up a couple of times, once for lunch and he came over to watch a movie at her place. She said they only kissed, but by the way she acts whenever she talks about him, I have to wonder if she’s being honest with me. I do know that she is quite smitten, so when I half-jokingly asked her if she thought we should surprise the guys and go to one of their shows, she said yes immediately and went online to start pricing out airline tickets.

  Dragging our carry-ons behind us, we make our way to the rental car area and pick up the car we reserved. All of this would’ve been cheaper and easier if I would’ve told Kingstone we were coming. He would’ve paid for our flights, and I don’t doubt he would’ve flown us first class. And I know he would’ve sent a car for us too, but it’s going to be fun to surprise him and see the look on his face when we show up.

  We’re given a compact car, a little red box, but it’ll do the trick. It’s about two and a half hours to get from the airport to The Gorge where the guys are playing. If we don’t get lost, we should be able to meet up with the guys for dinner before the show.

  “What do you think Kingston is going to say when we show up?” Penny asks.

  “He’s going to lose it. He’s been begging me to come and see him play just about every day. I stuck with the story and told him there would be no way to make it work.”

  “It’s hard being sneaky, isn’t it?” Penny says as she pulls out into traffic, scaring me half to death.

  Gripping the handle above my head, I say, “Can you please be careful? I’d like to be alive to see Kingston today.”

  Cars around us honk and swerve away from us as we take a turn at the last second. “This navigation system is confusing,” she says.

  Closing my eyes, I pray to the traffic gods to get to our destination safely. Thankfully, once we make our way out of the city, the traffic thins out and the directions seem clearer. I should have taken the wheel, knowing that Penny drives like a race car driver, but my nerves are on edge. It’s been two weeks since I’ve seen him and in my head, my expectations are high. “Do you think Kingston will be happy to see me?”

  Penny glances over at me with a furrowed brow and shakes her head. “Are you crazy? He’s going to be freaking ecstatic that you flew across the country to see him.”

  “You think?”

  “I know. Girl, he’s sent you flowers every day. Doesn’t he tell you all the time how much he misses you? He’s got it bad,” she says.

  “Listen, I know it’s hard to believe, but my ex screwed me up in the head. I thought things were one way, but it turns out it wasn’t. That’s why I second-guess everything with Kingston.”

  She reaches over and gives my leg a squeeze. “Stop doing that. Don’t make Kingston pay for all of Al’s sins. Kingston’s done nothing but show you how much he cares. I bet he jumps up and down when he sees you.”

  “I know you’re right. He’s been amazing. I can’t wait to see him.” And touch him. My body misses his hands and his mouth. Hopefully, we have enough time to get reacquainted before the show, but if not, I can wait until after.

  On our way through the beautiful state of Washington, I enjoy the landscape as we listen to all the Lawless albums. Leaving western Washington that’s lush and mountainous, we enter the central part of the state that’s laden with irrigation systems due to the contrasting dry weather here.

  “We’re getting close. Why don’t you text Kingston and ask where they are?” Penny suggests.

  Sending him a text, I expect a quick response. Unless he’s on stage, he gets right back to me. Almost immediately, he texts back. “They’re still at the hotel. I’m glad he told me where they were staying, so we know where to go.” I plug in the hotel address to the nav. It says we’re five miles away.

  “We’re going to be there soon.” The pitch of her voice is high and squeaky.

  Taking deep breaths, I prepare myself to be in Kingston’s arms shortly. A wave of adrenaline kicks in and my belly feels as if butterflies are batting their wings all around in there. A text alert dings on my phone. It’s him again asking what I’m up to.

  It’s hard for me not to tell him, but we’ve come this far. I won’t ruin the surprise now.

  I’m dreaming about you. What room are you? I’m going to pretend I’m coming to visit you.

  It’s a minute before he responds, but it feels like much longer.

  I’m in room 105. Let’s Facetime. We can pretend we’re together 😉

  “He wants to Facetime. Oh, no,” I tell Penny.

  “Stall him. He won’t have to wait long.”

  Give me a few minutes. I’ll let you know when I’m ready.

  Pulling into the parking area, we drive high into the cliffs above the Columbia River, situated on a vineyard, I’m struck by its beauty and its sweeping panoramic view of the gorge cliffs. The buildings are modern with stone accents. It screams expensive.

  “Bet it costs a fortune to stay here,” Penny says as we walk toward the registration area.

  “Glad we aren’t paying.”

  Penny stops dead in her tracks and turns to face me, eyes wide as she clutches me by the arms. “If Davies doesn’t want to see me, can I stay in the room with you and Kingston?”

  “It’s going to be okay.” I take her hands in mine and say, “He’s going to want to see you. Remember the pep talk you gave me? I’m giving you the same. He’s going to be psyched to see you.”

  And in my mind, I’m thinking that if for some reason he doesn’t, I’ll have to let her stay with us, even though I don’t plan on doing much sleeping while I’m here. “Now let’s walk in there with our heads held high like we know exactly where we are going and what we’re doing.”

  We enter the main building and it’s hard not to stand with your mouth gaping open at the views. Floor-to-ceiling windows highlight the awe-inspiring blue ribbon of water and cliffs that go as far as the eye can see. I’ve never seen anything this stunning.

  “Let’s go to Kingston’s room.” I tug on Penny’s shirt to move her away from the windows. As much as I’d like to stare at nature’s beauty, I want to see my man more.

  “Yeah. Let’s go.”

  Following the signs, we enter the hallway where room 105 is located. My heart starts doing jumping jacks in my chest and I’m finding harder to take a full breath. I grab Penny by the wrist. “I might need help standing up. I think I’m going to pass out.”

  Penny digs through her purse and hands me a peppermint. “Eat this. The blood sugar will do you good.”

  “Thanks.” I shove the mint in my mouth as we get to Kingston’s room.

  Knocking quietly, I hold onto the wall for support.

  “Do you hear anything?” Penny asks.

  Standing here, all I can hear is the sound of my pulse in my ears. It doesn’t seem like there is any movement in his room. “No, I wonder if he left.”

  “Send him a text.”

  “Okay.”

  What are you up to?

  It’s like torture waiting for him to respond. He’s usually quick to get back to me. It feels like forever, even though it’s only been a couple of minutes. “Damn. What do we do?” I ask.

  “Can you call him?”

  I dial his number and put the phone to my ear, toe tapping the entire time. “Why isn’t he answering? This is strange. Should we go back to the car?” Suddenly, I’m feeling very foolish for traveling across the country and not telling Kingston about my plans.

  “Sure. Let’s head back to the car. We’ll decide what to do out there,” Penny says, her eyes looking as sad and as disappointed as mine feel.

  Hanging my head, we make our way back down the hall.

  “Camilla, is that you?” It’s Kingston’s voice. I turn to find him standing outside his door, shirt off and hair askew.

  Turning around, I run toward him. He pulls me up into his arms.

  “You’re here,” he says into my hair.

  “Surprise,” I say weakly. “Probably should’ve told you, but we wanted it to be a surprise.”

  When Kingston finally puts my feet back onto the floor, he presses his lips to mine, it’s passionate and full of promise.

  Penny clears her throat. “Excuse me. Sorry, but before you two get carried away, can you point me in the direction of Davies’ room?”

  Kingston pulls away from me and looks at Penny as if for the first time. “Yeah, he’s two doors down that way.” He points to his left.

  “Do you think he’s alone? Because he doesn’t know I’m coming either.” Poor Penny is restless as she paces back and forth in front of us.

  “He was alone last I saw him. Go knock on his door. He’ll be happy to see you,” Kingston tells Penny right before he grabs me by the waist and drags me in to his room. “Have fun. See you guys later.”

  “Shouldn’t we wait to see if she gets in okay?” I ask.

  “She knows where we are if she needs us.” And before I can say another word, he pins me up against the wall and crushes his mouth against mine. “I’m so happy to see you. You are sneaky, sweet girl.” His intense gaze is trained on me as he takes off my shirt.

  “I couldn’t wait another minute to touch you,” I say, my voice breathy. Running my fingers down his smooth chest and abs, I tug on Kingston’s shorts and am rewarded with a handsome naked man standing in front of me.

  He makes quick work of tugging off my clothes and when he’s done he stares at me for a moment with his smoldering deep blue eyes. “Did I say that I’m glad you’re here?”

  Before I can answer, his mouth covers mine again, tongue parting my lips. He tastes amazing. Exactly how I remember it. With one flick of his tongue, all my fears are erased. And just like that, my world narrows to the small space occupied by Kingston and me.

  My body pools with warmth and I’m not sure how much foreplay I can take. It’s been a very long two weeks. Pressing my hips against him, I moan into his mouth. “I’ve missed you.”

  Kingston reaches around and grips my ass, grinding me against his erection. “Me too, baby.”

  “I want you inside me now,” I beg, staring into his half-lidded lust-filled eyes. Seeing this expression on his face only intensifies the need building in me.

  “Wrap your arms around me,” he rasps out.

  Doing as I’m told, I throw my arms around his neck. He lifts me up under my legs and carries me to his bed and lays me down. Reaching in his luggage, he pulls out a condom, rips it open, and slides it on. “Thank God, these were still in there.”

  Standing in front of the bed, I admire his lean, muscled body. My temperature goes up several notches. “Mmmhmm. Come here,” I say, barely recognizing my throaty voice.

  He flashes me the sexy, seductive smile that I love and says, “There’s nowhere I’d rather be.” He jumps on the bed and lays flat on his back. “Come here.” He pats his stomach.

  Straddling him, I can barely stand how good he feels under me as I grasp his length and guide him inside me. “I’ve missed this so much,” I say, my voice barely a whisper. Giving myself a moment to adjust to the fullness of him, I stare into his eyes, lost in him, in us. I moan his name.

  His warm body under me, his strong hands cupping my breasts in his hands, the smell of his cologne, his voice when he tells me how I am beautiful, all of the sensory input has me so aroused, I’m not sure I’m going to make it very long before I crest over the edge.

  Riding up and down his length, I angle one leg and bend it up, changing the angle and tempo. Kingston grips my hips, and guides me up and down all the way until he can go no further, hitting a sensitive bundle of nerves. My breathing is ragged and when he sits up and sucks one of my nipples in his mouth, it’s pure ecstasy.

  The harder I pant, the quicker his thrusts become. “Oh, God,” I cry out as tingles of pleasure cascade from my core to my toes.

  In one swift motion, Kingston flips me over and onto my back. Putting both of my legs over his shoulders, he glides inside me and thrusts as deep as possible. Eyes trained on me, he brings one hand down to make circles on my clit.

  It doesn’t seem possible that my body can take any more. “I can’t, Kingston.” I hear myself say.

  “Let go, baby.” He crushes his mouth to mine and ravages my mouth as I nearly scream out in pleasure as my body releases.

  Thrusting once more, Kingston growls my name as he rides out his own release.

  Lying next to me, he pulls me in close, our sweat-slicked bodies press together. “Thank you for coming to see me. Tell me that you’re staying for the rest of the tour. It’s only another week.”

  “I have to leave Sunday evening. I wish I could stay.”

  His bottom lip sticks out in a pout. “That’s too bad. We’ll just have to make the best of the time we have together.”

  “We’re off to a good start. Don’t you think?” I roll over to check out the room. It’s huge and stunning. Floor-to-ceiling windows cover the back wall and have the same stunning views of the gorge and vineyard. There’s a jacuzzi tub in the middle of the room and a stone fireplace against one wall. It also has a kitchenette. “This place is so beautiful.”

  “It’s amazing here. And wait until we’re at the venue. The sound is second to none. The bowl of the gorge creates intense natural acoustics. You’re going to love it,” he says.

  Dragging my nails up and down Kingston’s strong arms, I say, “What time do you have to be at the venue?”

  He glances at his watch. “Damn. Let’s order room service now, have sex again, take a shower, and then it’ll be time for sound checks.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” I say.

  12

  Cam

  Kingston wasn’t lying. The acoustics at the Gorge Amphitheatre are amazing. Listening to the band do their sound check from side stage, they’ve never sounded better.

  “Holy shit. This is awesome,” Penny says. She’s had a cheek-splitting smile on her face from the second we ran back into each other backstage.

  “So tell me, how did it go when you showed up at Davies’ room?”

  Her cheeks flame red and her smile only grows. “Let’s just say, he was pleasantly surprised. And we didn’t do much talking.”

  Laughing, I say, “Yeah, neither did we.”

  “It feels really good to have this kind of chemistry with someone.”

  It’s hard to take my eyes off Kingston as he winks at me and heads backstage again. He told Penny and I to stay put here, side stage while the band finishes up preparations for the show. “Agreed.”

  Just then a thin woman with dark short hair walks over to Penny and I. “Hey, I’m Syd, Holt’s wife. Kingston told me to come say hi to you guys. So, hi.” She gives us a shy little wave of her hand.

  “Hey,” Penny says and holds out her hand. “I’m Penny.”

  Syd leans in and gives her a hug. “I’m a hugger,” she says.

  Wrapping my arms around Syd, I say, “I’m Cam. Kingston is my boyfriend.” I’m almost taken aback as I say it. I’ve never claimed my girlfriend status until now.

  “Yeah, he told me.” She pulls back and looks at me with her deep chocolate brown eyes. “He seems really smitten.”

  My cheeks heat up and I’m not sure why. It’s not like I’m embarrassed to be with him. It’s all so new. “How well do you know Kingston?”

  She scrunches up her tiny nose, looking as if she’s searching her memory bank. “A few years. Ever since I married Holt. The guys in the band have been great to me.”

  “That’s good to hear,” I say. “You have to tell me what it’s like to be with a guy in a band. Is it hard having women around all the time pining after your man?”

  Syd gives me a little smirk. “Well, at first it was tough. But it’s pretty well-publicized that he’s married. And of course, you’re always going to have groupies around, but that isn’t what he wants. And I come to as many shows as I can, but when I’m not around, I trust him.”

  There’s a confidence to her stance when she tells me this. I believe her. She has put her complete faith and trust in Holt. Could I ever do that again after the way Al treated me? I’m not sure. I want to believe Kingston when he tells me that he doesn’t want anything to do with groupies, but I don’t know if I’d be strong enough to be with him long-term and to handle being in the limelight. “That’s awesome,” I tell Syd.

  “Have you ever seen a show here at the Gorge?” Penny asks Syd.

  “Yes. What about you guys?”

  We both shake our heads.

  “You’re in for a treat. The place has a different kind of energy than any other venue. It’s the sound and the vibe with the crowd,” Syd says.

  People start filling in their seats and the chatter gets louder. There’s a large amphitheater style seating area and behind it is an open lawn section that’s getting filled in with lawn chairs and blankets. Tons of people are here to see Lawless play. Little butterflies swarm around in my gut. I can hardly wait to see my man play for all these people. The longer I’m with Kingston, the more I realize that he is a true rock star, adored by thousands of people. And he wants me. Mind blown.

  “You guys want a drink or anything before they start their set? We can head backstage if you’d like something.” Syd points behind her.

  “How much longer before they come on?” I ask, shifting from one foot to the other.

 

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