Make Me Stay (19 page)

“Yes. Now, I have to go. I’ll see you in a few hours at the bar,” I said, walking past him. His hand caught my upper arm before I could make my escape. He pulled me close again. “Wait up. Let me get dressed and we’ll go ‘sightseeing’ together.”

“No, it’s fine. Stay here, relax for tonight. I’ll be fine,” I said in a hurry.

“Kitty, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll sit your ass on my bed and wait for me.”

Frowning in frustration, I stared up at him. His blue eyes sparkled back.
Fuck, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t say no.

“Fine, hurry up.” Throwing my arms up in aggravation, I rolled my eyes, sat on the bed, crossed my legs, and rested my head on my hand. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched the towel that was around his waist drop to the floor. Kane walked in front of where I sat to the other side of the room in all his naked glory. He stood there for a second then turned and walked back to the other side of the room. Pausing in front of his dresser, he stretched his arms over his head, flexing the muscles in his back.
This jackass is a piece of work.

Shaking his arms at his sides. He turned back to me. “Forgot something,” he said, before sauntering back to the other side of the room where his closet was. He stood there, looking into the neatly arranged closet. His hand reached between his legs, and that’s when my head conveniently fell off its perch on my hand. He turned back to me, stroking himself. I shook my head and tried to act bored, though I was anything but. My abdomen tightened, my palms got sweaty, and I had to really concentrate on breathing evenly.

“Something wrong?” he asked while still stroking himself.

“Yeah, I said hurry up, and you’re not moving fast enough.”

He cocked his head to the side, and then nodded in agreement. “I think you’re right,” he said with a sexy grin.

My eyes went from his, down to the hand that was currently moving faster. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from making any embarrassing noises. He moved from the closet over to me, standing at the foot of the bed. I sat eye to crotch with him.

“This fast enough for you?” he asked, looking down at me.

“No,” I said challengingly.

He took yet another step closer, his hand working even faster. His head fell back, and a hiss came from his mouth as he worked himself closer to an end. Exhaling loudly, his eyes found mine. “How about now?”

It wouldn’t have taken much for me to lean forward and lick him. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I closed the short distance. My hand over his, I shoved his aside and did it myself.

An hour later, we made it downstairs.

CHAPTER 32

Kane

Sightseeing, she said. I basically spent the day driving her around. There was nothing but long, winding roads, and farmland on either side of the truck. We did stop for lunch at a small diner in the next town over, the one that the guys and I always went to before shows. They had the best burgers around.

When we finally got back to BJ’s, I was sitting out back of the bar. The guys were getting pumped up for the show while I sat silently.

Walking over to me, Trent asked, “Dude, why you so quiet?”

I was staring at the asphalt beneath my feet, my mind wandering down a road which, ever since Caroline had arrived, was getting very worn. It was always the same with her. She was hiding something, keeping something from me, and I had no clue what it could be.

“You and Kitty on the rocks already? That’s got to be some sort of record, two weeks, right?” Aiden asked.

“No, jackass, we’re fine.” Looking up from the asphalt, I saw all four guys staring down at me.

“All right, I’m just going to say this,” Reece announced. “I think Kitty’s sweet ass is bad for you. Look at you! We’re getting ready to go out and play, the place is packed, and Kara told us that there is a group of guy’s that she’s never seen before, and one of them is in a suit. Who goes to a bar in a suit? If they’re not important, that is. You should be on cloud nine with the rest of us. This could be our night, and you’re sitting in the corner sulking about your woman problems.” His words hit me like a punch to the face.

“I don’t have woman problems, and if you fucking talk about Kitty like that again, I’m going to punch that smug look off your mother-fucking face. You all feel this way?” I asked, inspecting each of my friends.

They didn’t have to say anything. It was written clear across their faces. They thought I was changing.

Fuck, I
was
changing, but I thought it was for the better. “You all are just fucking jealous. You don’t understand shit, none of you.”

“Kane, we love Kitty, honestly we do,” JJ said. “And we’re happy for you, but come on. This could be our shot. You need to push aside whatever it is that’s got you acting like this. We need you. We need Kane the ladies’ man to perform his ass off.” He clasped a hand on my shoulder as he spoke.

He was right--these guys were here for me long before Kitty. I had to put the doubt I had aside.
Fuck, I’m probably just being paranoid
. It still boggled my mind how I went from a cocky ladies’ man to an unsure, paranoid boyfriend in a matter of a few months.

Standing, I hung an arm around JJ’s neck. “You’re right man. I’m sorry. Let’s go do this shit!”

“Ah! Thank God, he’s back!” Reece said with his hands in the air in triumph.

“It’s all about us tonight, the five of us. We started this, and we’re going to make it. If those guys out there are who we think they are, let’s knock their fucking socks off! And maybe a few panties as well!”

We stood shoulder to shoulder, huddling together, like we had done since the first time we all went out on that stage together.

“Aw, look, Kara, they’re having a moment,” Kitty said from the doorway.

Our heads popped up to see the two of them huddled close and making ridiculous baby faces.

“I know. They look so cute, don’t they?” Kara added.

“They do. I just want to go over there and pinch their cheeks.” Kitty held her hands up, pinching the air.

“No way, we are not ‘cute,’” Trent said, dropping his arms and pointing a finger at Kara.

“What do you two buzz kills want anyway?” Reece asked.

“Buzz kill?” they questioned in unison.

“Yes, buzz kill. You don’t put out,” Reece said, gesturing to Kara. “And you went and shacked up with the only man in the world who
doesn’t
need to get laid. What about me, Kitty? What--about--me? Buzz kill!” he pleaded.

“First off, maybe I do put out, but I’d sure as hell never let your skinny ass in, don’t want to break you,” Kara said, placing her hands on her hips.

“Whatever, Kara,” Reece said, flicking her off.

“Anyway, it’s time for you guys to go and knock some socks and panties off,” Kara said, before walking back inside.

Kitty stood there watching us huddle back up. I was facing her in the huddle. I could see her through JJ and Trent’s shoulders. Even though we were a good twenty feet apart, it was obvious she was doing it again, committing the image to memory.

With one last pep talk, we broke apart and made our way to our stage, our fans, and hopefully our big break. Kitty stopped each of the guys, giving them a hug and kiss on the cheek, even Reece. If my curiosity and anxiousness wasn’t already on high alert, it fucking was now. I went to walk past her. I needed to focus on everything but her if I was going to get through the performance as if nothing was bothering me. I needed to be present and not off in my own head. So when she grabbed my arm as I walked by, I was tempted to shove on, but I couldn’t.

“Kane.” The way her voice formed around my name always gave me chills. Her petite frame collided with mine, arms wrapped around my midsection, and her face rested on my chest, just above my vigorously beating heart.

“What’s this all about?” I asked, running a hand over her blonde mane of hair.

“I can’t hug you and wish you good luck?” she asked, looking up at me, her dark blue eye’s piercing mine.

“No, you can do that, but why do you keep--”
I can’t get into this right now
. I needed to stay focused on the task at hand. I couldn’t blow this for the guys. “Never mind,” I said, shaking my head, before I kissed her soft lips.

“I really hope that those guys out there are who we all think they are. You are so talented and the guys and you are going to be unstoppable once you get your big break.”

Smiling down at her, I kissed her forehead tenderly. “Thanks, baby, that means a lot.”

“Kane, I want you to know that, no matter what happens after you get up on that stage, that--I--just know--that--I”

She really was cute as fuck, stuttering in my arms, I almost let her keep going, almost. “I love you too, Kitty,” I said, cutting her incoherent babble short. I think I took her off guard, by the shocked look on her face.

Chuckling up at me, she hit my chest with her balled up fist. “Dammit, Kane, I was getting to that, if you wouldn’t have interrupted me,” she said, hitting me again.

I tried my hardest not to laugh and put a serious face on. “Sorry, go on. I won’t say anything.”

“What I was going to say was that, no matter what happens, I want you to remember that you’re an asshole, a cocky, sexy, strong, endearing, asshole. Never change that about yourself. I love you.” Her hand grabbed my shirt collar and tugged me down to her level. “Remember I loved you,” she said softly against my lips. She held me to her, her warm tongue slipping between my lips.

Fuck she tastes good
.

“Kane, let’s go! The natives are restless!” JJ yelled from down the hall.

I pulled back resting my forehead to hers. “I’m going to fuck you so hard tonight. You better be right here when I get off stage.”

I couldn’t see it, but I felt the smile on her face. She nodded her head and then released her grip on my shirt. I backed away then turned to go through the door, a little more pep in my step. I was going to kill it tonight. I had a feeling that this was it, this was our shot and I was in the fucking
zone
, thanks to my woman.

We had one more song to get through, until I could find Kitty and take her upstairs. I was right, we had killed it. Still, with one song left, the crowd was just as rowdy as it was when we played the first one. It was so crowded that I had lost track of where kitty was early on. My mind at ease after our conversation, I knew she loved me and that put me as high as the fucking moon. In-between songs, I’d go back to our conversation, specifically the moment she said she loved me. Her words rang in my ears for the millionth time ‘
Remember I loved you
’--
wait a minute. She said loved? No, no way. It was love, right?

Dread crept up from my insides, squeezing my heart. I frantically scanned the room but couldn’t find her over the screaming women and rowdy men. Finally, I caught sight of B, standing in the doorway. Kara was hugging him, and he kept wiping his eyes.
Why the hell would B be crying?
It felt like a punch to the gut, the kind that takes your breath away. I wanted to drop to my knees because finally it all made sense. B was upset, Kara looked upset, and Kitty
had
said “loved.” She fucking ran.

I jumped off the stage, my guitar still around my tense body. Taking the crowd by surprise, I pushed my way through the wading bodies in search of B. I found him in the back, his head hung low as Kara tried to comfort him. “What the fuck’s going on, B?” I asked a few steps from him.

He grabbed my shoulders, pulling me into a tight embrace. He held the back of my neck tightly, and spoke in my ear. “She’s gone, she’s gone.”

The loud room went silent. Things were in slow motion, I could suddenly see specks of dust clearly and the lights were moving at a snail’s pace.

I pulled away from B, our height the same, his build slightly bigger than mine. I peered into his reddened eyes, shaking my head in doubt.

“She can’t be gone, where the hell is she going?” I asked frantically.

“She took a job. She said it was her dream job,” B said, in almost as much disbelief as me.

“She said no, she told me she turned it down.” I broke away from B, shoving my hands in my hair. “I have to go. I have to get her back.” I went to leave, but a heavy hand on my shoulder stopped me. B moved, blocking my path. “Move. I’m going to bring her back, for the both of us,” I said with determination.

“I can’t let you. She told me to--Kane, if she doesn’t want to be here, we can’t make her stay.”

“The fuck, we can’t!” I yelled. The music in the bar had started back up and someone was singing our last song. Right then, I didn’t give a fuck about anything but getting Kitty back here where she belonged.

“Kane, she told me to tell you to move on, find someone else.”

“Fuck, no,” I said, shaking my head.

“Kane, son, you have to let her go, just like I have to. I knew she wasn’t going to stay here. I just kept pretending that she was. It’s her mother. She really messed her up and unless she’s willing to let us in, talk about what happened, nothing is going to change. She’s going to keep running for the rest of her life. It’s what she does. She says she doesn’t want to be like her mother, but I’m terrified that by doing this, leaving, pushing her emotions aside, they’re going to catch up with her. It’s exactly what her mother did.”

“I understand this, B! That’s why I’m going to the airport and bring her stubborn ass back here, whether she likes it or not! She has my fucking heart and I’ll be Goddamned if I’m going to let her leave!” I took the strap that held my guitar off over my shoulder and shoved into B’s hands for him to hold. Once it was securely in his hands, he caught me by the arm.

“Bring her back. You’re the only one who can make her stay.”

I nodded once then rushed out the door.

CHAPTER 33

Caroline

If I kept taking all these deep breaths, someone was going to start thinking I was in labor. My leg was bouncing a mile a minute as I waited to be called to board the plane. I needed to get on that plane, so I wouldn’t give in. I was so close to turning and running back to the bar, but I kept my ass firmly planted in the seat and kept on taking slow, deep breaths.