Authors: Leigh Jackson
Epilogue
Tuck
One Year Later
Shit, she is hot.
That’s my thought as I watch Kori take the stage with her band, Royal Echo. I’m immediately taken back to the first time I saw her on stage at Sawyer’s. I think I might have begun falling in love with her that night. It was definitely lust, but the romantic side of me would like to say that my soul knew that she was meant to be loved by me.
To say that Kori was made for this life is an understatement. In the year that she’s been part of Royal Echo, she’s grown into a star. Our journey to get to this point was long and winding with hills and valleys, but I think we have finally arrived in paradise.
After graduation, I was at loose ends; my future was up in the air, and I was uncertain what direction I wanted to go. Kori kept pushing me to focus on my artwork, but I didn’t want to make a career out of that. My dad was trying to entice me back to Carterville to work for his company. That held about as much appeal to me as prison. Finally, Chad, the drummer for Royal Echo, approached me about becoming their manager. The band was aware that I had a degree in business and was convinced that I would be a good fit. I accepted the position and haven’t looked back since. It’s fun to help Kori and the guys get their music out there. It helps that they are fucking awesome and people clamor to buy tickets. My new job has even allowed me to incorporate the art that I love. I design all of the band’s tshirts and flyers, and I hope to one day design their album cover. I’ve been working hard to get them signed with a major label, and I haven’t told them that a representative will be here tonight to ask them to sign.
Of course, the best perk of my job is Kori. My eyes are focused on the stage in this crowded Atlanta bar as I watch her sing. I can’t wait to get her back to the hotel and peel those skin tight jeans off of her. Every man in the bar is jealous of me, and I can’t say that I blame them.
“Our girl’s good,” Chase nudges my arm and looks at Kori.
“Hell yeah, she is.” I look around our table at Chase, Avery, and Chelsea. I’m glad they were all able to make it to see the show tonight. My eardrums are still ringing from the squeals that the three girls emitted when they saw each other.
The crowd screams as the band finishes their last song. Kori’s eyes seek mine and she winks at me as they exit amidst marriage proposals and thrown bras. Girls love the three guys who make up the band, and it’s not unusual for them to collect a motley assortment of women’s lingerie. The marriage proposals being screamed are often for Kori. She always rolls her eyes at the attention she garners. There is no fear of fame going to her head.
I make my way to the back with our three friends trailing closely behind me. I haven’t caught sight of the label rep yet, and I’m hoping that they were impressed by the performance. It was a stellar performance, and they would be idiots not to want to sign Royal Echo.
The four of us burst into the band’s quarters backstage. Kori and the guys are already there, along with Brody and Clint’s girlfriends. Kori rushes toward me and I sweep her into my arms. She is always exceptionally hyped up after a show, and tonight is no different. She smashes her lips to mine as I grab her ass and pull her closer to me.
“You guys were great,” I manage to mumble around her hot lips. Just then, we’re interrupted by a knock on the door. I pull away from her and open the heavy, metal door and am unsurprised to find a man holding a stuffed manila envelope.
“Mr. Hayes, I’m Paul Golden with Ace Records.” He holds out a hand for me to grasp. His appearance is not quite what I had expected. I had assumed he would be all business; instead, he’s wearing worn jeans and a faded flannel shirt with rolled sleeves.
I turn to introduce him to the band and chuckle as I find them all gaping at him. I clear my throat, and it works to break their trance. They all rush forward to shake his hand and introduce themselves. Kori looks over at me, and I wink in reassurance to her. She narrows her eyes at me, letting me know that I’m going to catch hell later for not warning them about the record label.
Paul proceeds to pull paperwork out of the manila folder and set it on the table. He quickly goes into his spiel about his label wanting to sign them. I’m so damn proud of how they react to his news. They show excitement and interest, but they don’t gush like a bunch of overzealous wannabees. He leaves the contract and all the other paperwork with instructions for us to look over it and get back to him within the week. He barely even shuts the door before the entire room explodes in ecstatic screaming. The band turns to look at me, and I raise my hand in defense.
“I didn’t tell y’all that he was coming tonight because I didn’t want to put all the pressure on you.”
“We don’t care about that! It’s fucking awesome that Paul Golden with Ace Records, a major label, wants to sign us. This is unbelievable. Come on, we have to celebrate.” Chad is shouting in his excitement.
I make my way to Kori as the rest of the band makes plans with Chase and the girls. She looks stunned and happy. I’m proud that I had a slight hand in putting that look there, even though she deserves most of the credit because of her talent. I hook my finger into the waistband of her jeans and pull her toward me. I can feel her breasts push into my chest through the thin material of her shirt. She wedges a hand between the two of us and cups the bulge that is always present in my jeans when she is around. Her fingers stroke up and down as I groan in frustration and desire.
“I can’t wait to get you back to our hotel room,” she whispers so that only I can hear. “I owe you the best sex of your life tonight.” She pulls back and licks her lips in the way that she knows drives me crazy. I nuzzle into her neck and inhale her scent. She smells like coconuts and sweat from her show. I run my tongue up her neck and nibble on her ear; I can feel her shiver in my arms.
“I love you, Tuck. Thank you for helping me live my dream.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Kor. There is no place that I would rather be than right here in this moment with you.” I pull her lips back to mine and run my tongue along the crease of her mouth. I smile as she opens her mouth to me, and my tongue mates with hers. She presses her hips against mine and grinds into me. I am so damn hard that I am in agony, and having her heat pressed against me does not help alleviate it. It won’t be properly taken care of until we get back to our room, and I have all night to show her how much I worship her.
We pull apart before we make a scene in front of all our friends. While I want nothing more than to bend her down over the table and drive into her, I know I can’t do that right now. I press a gentle, loving kiss to her lips as I attempt to calm my heart rate.
“Marry me, Tuck.”
I blink at Kori in disbelief. Did she really just ask me to marry her? My mind begins racing a mile a minute imagining a future with Kori. It is something that I have dreamed of countless times.
“Dammit, Kor.”
I watch as her face falls. She thinks I don’t want to marry her.
“I’m sorry, Tuck. Forget I asked. Let’s just go back to the way things were.” Her words rush out of her in embarrassment.
I laugh at her confusion. “No, babe. I can’t forget you asked. You just ruined my plans, that’s all.”
“What plans?”
“I had planned on asking you to marry me. I even have a ring.”
She blinks up at me skeptically. “Are you serious?”
I mark an X over my heart and look at her solemnly. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”
She laughs at my words. “I asked you a question. Are you going to answer me?” She looks up at me under her dark lashes. I grab a handful of her dark curls and crush her mouth back toward mine.
“Fuck yeah, I’ll marry you.” I dig into my wallet and pull out a ring that I’ve been carrying around for a month. It’s perfect for Kori – a large princess cut sapphire ringed with diamonds. It has a vintage vibe to it that I know she will love. I slip it on her finger and give her hand a kiss. I know that this wasn’t the most traditional proposal in the history of proposals, but when have we ever been a traditional couple? You know what? I wouldn’t change a damn thing.
“Now let’s get back to our hotel room so I can fuck my fiancé.”
She tilts her head back and laughs her sexy laugh. “You’re so romantic.”
“Damn straight, babe. Now let’s go.”