Losing You (Stars On Fire Book 4) (10 page)

“Where’s the good stuff?” Gwen asked, grabbing a soda and a red plastic cup.

“Jack? Jim?” Tom asked.

“Jim, please,” Gwen answered and Tom went to the cabinet above the sink, grabbing the requested bottle for her.

Tom and Lizzie stared at Gwen as she prepared her drink, a little heavy on the Jim, and as she took a healthy swallow. What was she so upset about? And where was Ollie?

Gwen and her atypical behavior had Tom a little out of sorts. He wanted to fix it. Lizzie could tell.

“Hey Gwen, guess what?” he said, not even pausing for her to answer. “Lizzie is seeing Marc.”

Gwen’s cup stopped mid-drink. Not at all how Lizzie thought Tom would try to make Gwen feel better.

The red cup found a home on the island. “Whore! Oh my God! I can’t believe this. I need details. All of them!”

“And there’s the doorbell saving me from this conversation,” Tom said, laying a kiss on Gwen’s cheek then Lizzie’s.

“So . . .” Gwen continued after Tom left. “When did this happen . . . you and Marc?”

“The last party Tom had.”

“Dang! Tell me more!”

And Lizzie did that while more and more people arrived. She told Gwen pretty much everything.

“Holy hell—welcome back home to you, girl!” Gwen said with a wink.

“No freaking kidding. He was an unexpected benefit. And I’m totally not giving him up.”

“Where is your loverboy, by the way?”

“An assignment. He should be here soon,” she said, glancing at the wall clock. She smiled when her eyes landed on Ollie. He saw her and raised his eyebrows in acknowledgment. The smile left his face when he saw Gwen. Lizzie wanted the scoop on what had gone down between her friends.

“Hey, Lizzie,” Ollie said, leaning down to hug her.

Lizzie didn’t reply since he turned his body toward Gwen. It was then she noticed the girl pretty much attached to Ollie’s side.

“Where were you, Gwennie? I said Hailey and I would pick you up at quarter to one . . .”

Gwen exhaled loudly and shook her head. “Sometimes, Oliver, I swear you’re as dense as a box of rocks,” she said and stormed off.

Ollie stared after her but didn’t follow. He went straight to the fridge for a beer. Lizzie caught Tom’s attention and jerked her head to Ollie, then she went to Gwen. Lizzie found her girlfriend out on the back deck, looking like she’d been crying.

“Gwen,” Lizzie said, sitting next to her. “What’s going on between you and Ollie?”

“I swear he’s an idiot. Or I am. Maybe it’s me. I need to just move the hell on because it’s never going to happen.”

Whoa . . . what? Gwen likes Ollie? Lizzie never thought that would happen.

“He made his point over and over and I just haven’t listened,” Gwen carried on. “But I’m listening now. Only friends. That’s all we’ll ever be.”

Tom

Standing behind the kitchen island, Tom looked out at all the people already there. Scanning the faces of the packed crowd, his gaze went to the front door when it opened, landing on Marc. The man didn’t know it yet, but they’d be talking in under two minutes. Tom grabbed two beers from the fridge and went to greet his friend.

“Yo, Marc. Beer?” Tom asked after he made his way to the entry.

His friend looked a little leery but nodded his head. Tom handed Marc the beer and proceeded to wrap his arm around his shoulders and guided him into his office. As soon as Marc took a drink, Tom laid into him. “Asshole. Why didn’t you say anything to me about you and Lizzie? One, she’s one of my best friends, and two, so are you. Months you’ve been together, man.”

Marc had the nerve to smile. “Tom . . . Lizzie’s more than I ever thought I deserved and she wants
me
. She’s too good to be fuckin’ true and subconsciously, I think I didn’t want to jinx what I had going with her.”

Tom internally shook his head, hearing Marc’s words, hearing him say he didn’t think he deserved Lizzie. That shit could only be traced to his pathetic father figures—the one who killed himself in front of his teenage son and the other who never really wanted anything to do with him.

“I’ve been drowning,” Marc continued, “and Lizzie is my lifeboat. She’s my breath of air. I
need
her air.”

Hating that he was going to ask this next question, but having to know, Tom took the plunge. “Have you been using since you’ve been with her?”

“Dude . . . I’ve been good. Been controlling the urges.”

“Really?” Tom asked, a little shocked . . . and skeptical about that.

“Really,” Marc answered with a big ol’ dopey smile covering his face. His friend was in L. O. V. E. “She gives me something so much more than drugs ever did. She loves
me
,” Marc said, his fingers poking at his own chest. “I still can’t fathom that.”

“I’m happy for you, bro. You know I am. I’ve said it many times before. You’re worth it.”

Marc looked away, his eyes falling to the floor. “Yeah . . .” His friend’s self-esteem had taken such a beating throughout his life that even right now with Tom saying what he had, Marc still seemed to have difficulty accepting his worth.

“Pooh bear . . . is that you?”

The hair on the back of Tom’s neck raised at Lizzie’s use of that goddamn name, but he saw how it brought Marc back from the sadness that’d been lurking.

Marc guffawed. “Dude . . . oh, I mean, Pooh bear, my girl’s here. Chat time is over.”

And just for that . . .

Tom intercepted Lizzie and gave her a long and lingering hug, capped off with a kiss to her cheek and a whispered message. “I will make you pay for that one of these days.”

“Pfft,” she said, her fingers skimming his cheek fondly. A beautiful smile brightened her face as her eyes landed on Marc.

Two happy best friends.

Tom liked that. Time, though, to work on himself, he thought as he watched Lizzie go to Marc and kiss him. “Look at you two,” Tom said, lifting his beer in the air. “Here’s to you happy fuckers.”

Lizzie turned in Marc’s arms and they all laughed. “Oh, Pooh bear, you’ll find someone someday.”

He knew she was just kidding but that still stung a little. “If I had a pool, you’d so be heading for a cold dunk right now.”

“All talk,” Lizzie said while stealing his beer from him.

The eyes rolled hard in his head as he watched her finish off his drink. “Want a beer, Liz?” he asked, the sarcasm heavy on his tongue.

“Yeah, thanks.”

Tom nodded at Marc then turned to leave the two lovebirds alone.

“Tom?” Lizzie called out.

Without speaking, he turned around and she strode over to him and wrapped him her embrace. “I love you.” And with that she let him know just where he still ranked in her life . . . as her best friend.

“Love you too, Lizzie.”

She could have this career and this new boyfriend who just happened to be his other best friend, but there would always be this special connection between them.

He and Lizzie . . . friends to the end.

Marc

September 2006

The last time he’d been
this
excited was maybe when he was nine and about to go to Great America for the first time. That was the only thing Marc could think of that could even compare with going on tour with four of his best friends. He’d even dug his old video camera out and had been documenting
everything
. The first time the tour bus rolled into view or when they climbed aboard the monster home on wheels. He made sure to record each member’s reaction.

All the years these four had worked their asses off to get to this point. They were all over the music charts . . . the media. It didn’t hurt when you had four hot as fuck people either. It wasn’t just Mia in the spotlight as the singer. She shared it with her bandmates, though she did get a little more because of who she was dating. The visuals the four of them made together helped sell them. This little tour was testament to that. They weren’t in arenas or stadiums yet, but Marc knew that was just around the corner.

Last Star’s first single, “Feels So Good,” was the song of the summer and their current song, “Fading Star,” was following in the first’s footsteps.

“Holy fuck! Look at this tour bus!” Mia exclaimed, opening up the curtains on all six bunks. “I call bottom bunk.”

“Good call, brat,” Marty said, tossing his bag on the top bed. Todd and Clark took bunks on the opposite side and then, Marc took the one right above Mia. Then the five of them headed back into the main area, each with a beer from the fridge, and got lost in their thoughts.

About five minutes later, a tall and sexy as fuck blonde stepped on the bus, surveying the scene before her. Marc had no idea who she was, but by her appearance knew that she meant business.

“See?” Todd said, elbowing him in the stomach.

“See what?” Marc returned.

“Allie!” Mia said excitedly and then the pieces started fitting together. Their manager.

The blonde smiled and it lit up the dark space. She seriously was stunning.

With her long index finger, she started counting off. “One, two, three, four . . . five?” she spoke, landing on him.

Clark grimaced like he forgot something. “Yeah . . . sorry about that. Allie, this is Marc, my brother—”

“And our most awesome friend,” Mia piped in, a huge grin on her face. Marc shot her one back.

“Marc, this is Allie, our manager,” Clark continued. Marc stood up and they exchanged greetings, then she turned back to the band, towering over them as they sat crowded in the dining booth.

“Any beds left?” she asked.

“Yep,” Mia answered and squeezed out to go show Allie.

After Allie took care of her luggage, the bus took off. Next stop, Hershey, Pennsylvania. Marc hoped he’d have some time to get his girl some chocolate.

Not much happened in the first hours of the ride besides the guys inventorying the contents of the pantry and the fridge. Mia had received a call from Ethan and the guys teased her about it. She took it like a champ . . . her face flushing in a happy blush. Marc liked that look on her, a far cry from how she was with Luke.

When they settled back down, Allie prepared them and discussed how things would go down at the show, the routines that needed to happen. The four soaked it up, their eyes all trained on their manager’s face. After that meeting, everyone headed to the bunks to get some rest.

But when his head hit the pillow, his thoughts turned to Lizzie. Marc hadn’t liked the idea of being away from her for so long, but it afforded him the opportunity to come out on tour with his brother and friends. Still, he missed her and reached into his bag for his phone. He shot off a quick text and she replied right back. They exchanged a few texts talking about their day and her work, then she surprised him with a picture of her standing in front of the hotel bathroom’s mirror—completely naked. His cock liked that picture a whole lot. Glancing down and seeing the tent it made, instinct had him releasing it.

Can you show me your response to my pic?

Oh, hell yeah he could and he did. While he waited for her response, Marc stroked himself, picturing her small hand beneath his, her mouth teasing the base.

I miss you . . . and that huge cock of yours.

He released his grip and replied.

I miss you too . . . and my cock misses that pussy of yours. I can’t wait to fuck it again
.

Imagining it right now.

Was she . . . ?

Me too, Elizabeth.

After he sent his response, he went back to stroking his cock because he just knew her fingers were busy too, thinking about him fucking her. It didn’t take him long to get his cock spurting its release, especially with the visual of Lizzie touching herself. After snapping a picture of the aftermath, he hopped out of his bunk and hurried to the small bathroom to clean up, noticing the lit up television.

When he exited the bathroom, he spied, with the help of the illuminating TV light, Mia chilling on the sofa, the blanket pulled up to her chin.

“I thought you’d gone to bed,” he remarked.

“It’s really dark in there,” she answered, lifting her eyes from the screen to him and he couldn’t miss her bright, watery eyes. She had never said it outright to him but Marc knew Mia battled her own demons . . . just like he did. He recognized that in her. Maybe that’s why they got along so well. Kindred spirits.