Chapter 67

CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN

TAM

2 bobas left until we both die … (the same day)

I open the front door of my house and stand back, letting Lake’s family spill inside. The glass closes behind us, and everyone else disperses. They don’t ask; they just start looking around.

“Sorry, they’re like that,” Lake explains with a cringe, and I grin back at her.

“I don’t mind at all.” And I don’t. When it’s Lake and her family, I don’t feel like I’m on display. I’m a person who’s judged by my behavior and little else. My music is just a cool side bonus to these people, and I’m here for it. They took advantage of the food and amenities on the jet while Lake laid with her head in my lap, and I stroked her hair back with my fingers.

We spent most of the flight just staring at each other.

The closer we get, the harder it becomes. I do my best to ignore it. My feelings for Lake only grow. But … she can’t force herself to reciprocate them. It’s okay. I’m a little scared, but it’s okay.

We’re going to die tomorrow night? I don’t even know how to process that information. Eleven-twenty-three tomorrow, and we’re done. That’s it. Less than twenty-four hours from now.

It’s eleven-forty-two p.m.

“Are you sure you want me to perform tomorrow?” I ask Lake again, and she gives me a look. I can barely stand it, the shape of that Tambourines shirt over her breasts. The fan club’s slogan Cute, Confident & True to Ourselves is printed there, and Lake took absolutely no time at all in pointing out how fluffy and cheesy that line really is.

“I see where you got that from now, the whole ‘I like cute girls who know how to be true to themselves’ thing. Nice one, Sir Tom.”

I smile.

“You’re special, Tam. The world needs you. Remember that girl at your meet and greet? The one who said that your music saved her life? A lot of people are lonely and looking for a friend. Your songs are like you talking to them, and when they come to your shows, they’re talking back. If you don’t show up …” Lake inhales and then shakes out her hands (probably because her knuckles are bruised pretty bad from knocking out that influencer). Didn’t know she had it in her. My little Kayak is fierce as hell. “You just can’t not show up.”

“You’re right about that.” I spread my hands. “I’m going to show up because it’s going to be the best night of our lives. The start of forever.” I run my palms up her arms, squeezing her elbows, her upper arms. I bend down to kiss her, and I take my time with it. I sew my fingers into the gentle green wave of her hair (it really is my favorite color).

I taste brown sugar on her lips this time, and I can’t hold back a chuckle.

“My girlfriend tastes like bubble tea. Do you know how much I love that?” I whisper against her mouth, petting her throat with my thumb, stroking her tongue with my own.

“I’m staying here tonight,” Daniel says from somewhere in the living room area, but I just give him a quick thumbs up, so that I can keep kissing Lake. Jacob is scoffing somewhere on my right, trying to be patient because he at least understands that everyone here believes in the curse except for him and Daniel. This brief silence is his most desperate attempt at being sensitive.

“I truly hate to interrupt such a touching display,” Jacob begins, and I sigh as Lake grins. I stand up and glance his way, but I don’t let go of the side of her neck. Don’t stop petting her pulse. She stops smiling, and her lips part in a breathy sigh. “But let’s talk timelines for tomorrow. The helicopter will arrive to pick you up around ten. The Frost family will be escorted in separate vehicles to the stadium, and everyone will be given a backstage pass.”

“Sounds great,” I murmur, but my eyes have already shifted back to Lake. We both know that we should probably take the time to make sure each person in her family has a room picked out for tonight, but there’s a strong possibility that we might go straight upstairs.

Neither of us is going to sleep, I don’t think.

“Everyone gets a backstage pass?” Jacob reiterates, but I ignore him. I don’t need to repeat myself. I move away from Lake and into the kitchen, squatting in front of the wine fridge. I pick the most expensive vintage I have, and Jacob chokes on the six-figure cost from behind me. He won’t say anything though. He knows I’m not in the mood tonight. “Everyone-everyone?”

I grit my teeth.

“Everyone,” I repeat loudly, turning to see Lake hovering behind Jake, hands on her hips. She’s giving him a look that he’s pretending not to notice. “Oh, and did you fire that guy, Leo, yet?”

“Tam Eyre, knock that off,” Lake warns me, and I grin, taking the cork out of the wine.

“Jake, everything is fine. I’ll put on a hell of a show tomorrow night. You won’t even remember my last two concerts. I’ve got this.” I grab one of the bags of food from the counter—still hot, thanks Maggie. “Want to grab the glasses for us, love?”

“Will do.” Lake collects a pair while Jacob sighs and murmurs behind us. We leave him downstairs and flee to my bedroom. I’d like if it were Lake’s bedroom, too. If only I could get her to think of it like that.

We settle into the pillows with a sigh, both of us leaned back against the headboard.

I pour the wine while she holds the glasses, and then we both just relax in silence for a while, eating the burgers and fries that Maggie brought over.

“If you were moving into this room tomorrow, what would you change?” I take a sip, and then raise a brow. How much did I pay for this wine? Must’ve been a charity auction. I sure hope it was. This stuff tastes like double-digits, not six-figures.

“Assuming your budget?” Lake asks, but I just smile. She knows that I’m dying to spend money on her. Lake doesn’t like it, and I get it. If I buy everything, do everything, then I can also take it all away. That’s why I want to—

Lake leans over and slips the rock into my hoodie pocket. I’m just sitting there with my wine in my hand, blinking in surprise, and then I turn my head suddenly to look at her. She has a sexy, little smile on her face, gaze trained on the torn knees of my jeans instead of my face.

“I don’t like big weddings, but we can do something small in the backyard.” Her brown eyes lift up to mine, long lashes sweeping up toward her dark brows. “What I do like is paperwork. You know …” Lake sits back into the pillows, taking a drink of her own wine.

I wonder what she’s going to say. You know that we lost our virginities to each other, in this very room, against that very wall? Or maybe I’m the only one thinking about that.

“You know …?” I prompt, because I don’t know. I really fucking want to know.

“I’ve never known what I wanted to do as a job. Work with my family at the construction business. Get a job as an AI slave in some corporate tech-y space. Run off into the woods and live like a hermit. But if you’re genuinely serious about me working as your manager, I’d love to give it a try.”

My cheeks warm, and I sip my wine again. Oops. All gone. I pour some more, heart pounding.

Lake digs around in the nightstand and takes something else out, putting it into her pocket. I don’t ask. I figure she’ll tell me eventually.

We’re going to die tomorrow. I don’t even care because I’m living this fantasy with Lake, and I’m going to keep living it. This is heaven for me. A day with her family. A night with only her. A concert with the world, all my earthly friends. Oh, and Dylan and Adam, too. Bummer. I forgot they were guest starring.

“I’ll give you a grossly inflated salary. I already do that for my mom and Jacob. Daniel, too.” My lips quirk at the edges. “Though I’d pay you the most.”

“Pay yourself the most, Tam.” Lake finishes her wine and silently asks for more, holding her glass out to me. I fill it to the brim, and she offers me an invitational smile as thanks. “Tomorrow night, when we come back here after the concert, I’ll start my list. Paint, new light fixtures, new curtains. I have a feeling you didn’t pick out a single thing in here? We’ll do it together.”

“You’d be right about that.” We clink glasses. “What about … do you have anything to say about my songs?” I scratch at my temple, trying to hide the smile on my face. “If you ever have input then—”

“Tam, I’m wearing fan girl panties that you signed with a Sharpie. I think your music is just fine.” Lake snorts into her wine, and then I’m laughing, and I can’t stop. That’s what she does to me, this girl.

“Wait, wait, wait. When you needed to seduce me—when your life literally depended on it—you told me that my music sucked? And now, you like it?”

“My life still does depend on it!” she yells at me, hitting me with a pillow. Lake spills wine all over the sheets. “Crap. Oh well. We might be dead tomorrow, so I won’t have to wash these.”

There it is, the dark humor. I take that as a good sign. Still laughing, I steal Lake’s glass from her hand and set it on the nightstand beside my own.

I kiss her mouth again, licking the edge of it just to watch her squirm.

“Don’t worry: I like to wash the sheets. I even hang them outside to dry sometimes. I don’t ever put my grandfather’s handkerchiefs in the dryer.”

“You’re so weird,” she whispers, putting her hand on the back of my head and kissing me. That’s better. We slide down into the pillows, my body pressing Lake’s into the mattress, our mouths working slowly but purposefully. This could be the last make out session we ever have, and it’s got to be good. “Let’s get in the pool—naked. Your drone eagles will keep us safe, right?”

“You’re such a snarky little shit,” I growl at her, biting her lower lip. “But that’s okay: by the end of the night, I’ll make you behave.”

“I would love to see you accomplish that, Sir Tom.” I scoop her into my arms, and she makes a surprised sound. But it’s nothing. She’s not as heavy as she thinks she is, and I’m a lot stronger than she thinks I am. It works out.

I take Lakelynn outside and set her down, moving over to the panel on the wall and flicking off all the outdoor lights. Less lights means less chance of being filmed. But even if we are filmed, so what? This is my life. I’m an adult. Nobody should be able to see me from here unless they’re creeping.

I’ll do whatever the hell I want to do—especially tonight.

Even with the light pollution from the city, there are visible stars, dots of silver winking overhead.

Lake backs up toward the pool, slipping out of her shoes, socks, and shorts. She even reaches under her shirt, unhooks her bra, and does this magic maneuver that ends with the bra off, but the shirt still on.

I cross my arms, lifting a brow at her mischievous little smirk.

You’d never know that the both of us were doomed to die tomorrow.

A thought occurs to me: what if the curse isn’t real at all? Doesn’t matter. That’s better, actually. Then we’ll be okay. Then we go on just like this for decades more. I want an entire lifetime painted in the colors of Lakelynn Frost.

“You’re probably wondering what I’m up to,” she says, gaze shifting toward the lights of the city. She contemplates the urban sprawl for a moment before turning back to me. “It’ll all make sense in a minute.”

“Will it now?” I ask, dropping my arms to my sides and starting toward her. She backs up, and I worry that she’s going to fall into the pool by accident. Lake grins at me, turning and hopping in as I jog over to the edge, ready to leap in and save her if needed. She pops right up, tossing her hair back. It’s not easy to see out here, but I get the idea that a tight, wet T-shirt is waiting for me inside the warm waters of the swimming pool. “Oh, fuck, Lake. You manage to surprise me every time.”

I tear my clothes off like there’s a ticking bomb strapped to them, and I leap into the water. Lake can’t hold back a little shriek when I splash in beside her, but that’s okay. We’re adults. This is my house. It could be … she gave me the rock back, so it will be our house sometime soon.

If anyone has a problem with this, well. They can deal.

I emerge from the water, sweeping my hair back from my face. Lake has already moved toward the shallows, so I follow her, aware that as the distance between us closes, the tension twists and tightens. I can feel my heart in my throat when my feet finally hit the cement bottom.

Lake has purposely backed herself up into a corner, and I go to her, putting my hands on either side of her. My fingers are tense on the tiled edge to her right, water streaming over the fingers of my left. This is an infinity pool, so water runs over one side and into a decorative pond down below.

“You look … nice,” Lake hedges, and I lift both brows in response. “With starlight and chlorine in your hair.”

Oh. Damn.

“I’m stealing that for one of my songs.” My lip quirks at the edge as I lean in to kiss her. I’m thwarted when Lake ducks under one of my arms and makes a quick getaway, swimming back in the direction of the deep end.

Hmm.

I didn’t get to enjoy that T-shirt, and I want it.

I want it so fucking bad.

“Where do you think you’re going?” I ask her.

Lake ignores me, swimming lazy circles on her back, waiting. I give a slow chase, moving from one part of the pool to the other. She keeps me on my toes, forcing me to try a little harder, swim a little faster. I even catch her grabbing something from the pocket of her discarded shorts and bringing it into the water with us.

Twenty or so minutes into this game, and I decide that I want to win it.

I surge into a strong breaststroke, trapping Lake against the ‘missing’ edge on the infinity side of the pool. She’s facing me, and I’ve got one arm on either side of her, hands curled over the glass wall that marks the edge of the hillside and the manmade waterfall that tumbles down below.

“This could very well be our last night on Earth, and you’re running from me?” I tease, but there’s the hint of a growl in my words. I appreciate it when Lake’s arms ripple with goose bumps.

“No, we’ll definitely have more nights on Earth. The only question is whether or not we’ll be turned into dirt, and then live out our next lives as redbud trees or loblolly pines or wherever else our soil is used to nourish.” She shrugs, using that dark humor as a shield against the curse and all the deep, terrifying questions we both have about the smudged red heart design on her wrist.

I look up, wishing we had a telescope so that we could see the heart nebula. There was one at her parents’ house, but I didn’t think to use it while I was there. And now …

“Hey.” My voice is low, a tender whisper that makes Lake shiver. She throws her arms over her chest, hiding the seduction that is a wet, white Tambourines T-shirt with no bra. I very carefully reach down and untangle her from herself, wishing I’d left the pool lights on so that I could see better. Still, even if I can’t see the shape of her pink nipples beneath the fabric, I can see the points of them, the hardness that’s also a silent request. I brush my thumb over one, and she gasps. “Talk to me.”

“Tam, I have a secret,” Lake says, her voice so low that it’s almost lost in the tumble of water behind her. She looks up at me, the cityscape twinkling even brighter than the faint dusting of stars overhead. “Can I tell you?”

“You can tell me anything, anytime, anywhere. I promise that I’ll always listen, that if I feel angry or upset or hurt, that I’ll always do the courtesy of hearing you out. That if I need a minute, I’ll take it before I respond. That way, you’ll only ever hear my words and not just my reactions or my emotions.”

Lake is just staring up at me like she didn’t expect that. Maybe I didn’t either, but if you have less than a day to live, and you can’t be honest, when are you going to be? My career is a blessing, truly. It’s literally a miracle, isn’t it? But it comes with a lot of liars, and a mountain of bullshit, and too many trust issues.

I won’t have that with Lake. One precious thing that’s mine, this honesty between us.

“Those sound like marriage vows, Tam. Maybe you should write them down?” Lake leans back against the waist-high wall behind her as I lean in. “Or write a song with—”

“No.” I put my hand on the side of her face, caress her water-kissed lower lip with my thumb. Each droplet is like a blessing, something to wipe away and then taste. I bring my thumb straight to my mouth and I lick chlorine and a little bit of brown sugar boba from my skin. “Those words were only for you. Now, tell me your secret.”

I cup her right breast in my hand, kneading the fabric of the shirt, rubbing gently over her nipple.

“I … shit, stop that.” I stop, and she makes a sound of frustration. “Never mind. Don’t stop. All I wanted to tell you was this: I’m not afraid anymore, Tam. I’m not scared. I’m just here with you tonight. That’s it. Me and you. I don’t care about the curse or what it will or won’t do.”

I exhale, and then I kiss her.

I hold her face, and I kiss her with all of the feeling this night deserves. A beginning and an end all wrapped up in one.

“God, I love you,” I tell her against her mouth, struggling to find some balance between talking and kissing. Mostly, there are jumbled words, and there’s tongue, and her soft sighs that accent the night sounds that come with living on ten acres in the middle of the city. The rustling of leaves, the splash of water, the distant drone of traffic. “I love you in this pool, in this shirt, in my house, in my life.”

I lift Lake up to sit on the edge of the thick, glass wall. It’s maybe four inches across, wide enough for her to perch, but also shallow enough that she clings to me. Her hands are on my shoulders, and I’m not the only one out here with chlorine and stardust in my hair.

“I want to stay up all night, and eat a lot of ice cream, and watch the sun rise up over the hills,” she tells me, and I nod because that’s all I can do. I’ve lost my voice. I gather her wet hair into a fist, and I kiss her with rough, hungry sounds, my left arm wrapping her waist.

I love the feel of her hard nipples against my chest, the wet cotton T-shirt a barrier between us that demands to be broken. I’m not about to stop kissing to take the shirt off, so I release her hair just long enough to shove it up and over the generous swell of her chest. Big, soft, full. I might say something lewd like damn, but you’ve got nice tits. I might say something gentle like do you have any idea how beautiful you are? Outside. Inside. Lake is pretty everywhere.

I say nothing with my words and everything with my mouth and my hands.

Lake makes silent conversation in turn, pale thighs spread wide around me, her cotton panties rubbing against my lower belly. I’m going to fuck her right here in the spill of water with gritty Los Angeles as a distant backdrop, and the obscene wealth of Beverly Hills wrapped around us. I’m going to fuck her just like she asked me to, and then we’ll eat ice cream, and then we’ll make love in our bed.

My hand dips between us, a single knuckle rubbing that plump pussy through the wet cotton of panties that I signed with a Sharpie, that Lake ordered in a merch kit because she’s fallen in love with every part of me. Thomas. Tam. Me. The artist. The grump. The singer. All of it.

I believe that.

I believe that she’s in love with me, and I know I’m in love with her.

If the curse hasn’t broken, then the magic is the problem. It’s stuck or caught up or delayed.

We make our own magic out there in the swimming pool with only the warm breeze for company.

I hook my finger around the edge of Lake’s panties, and I stroke her bare body underneath. She moves her hips against my hand, her clit swollen, a slickness on her folds that isn’t from the water. If we’re going to do this out here, I need her nice and slippery first.

“Hey,” she whispers, and then she presses a little glass bottle into my hand. It must be the thing she took from her shorts earlier, that she got out of the nightstand drawer. I look down at it, but it’s too dark to read. “Oil-based lubricant with a little CBD.”

Oh, shit. I’m dumbstruck, moonstruck, lovestruck. All sorts of struck.

I keep the bottle tucked tight into my palm and put my arm around her again.

Lake touches all over me, savoring the breadth of my shoulders, the curve of my biceps, the definition in my chest and stomach. Working out is part of my job. It always will be. I’m just glad that she enjoys it. And me? I like her softness, the feminine shape of her, the full, heaviness of her breasts. As those thoughts hit my brain, my body reacts, and my arm tightens possessively around her waist.

“Come here.” I drag Lake off the edge of the wall, turn her, and I bend her over it. Her toes don’t touch the ground, but the water makes up for that. She’s got the wall for support, my arm around her waist, and the other yanking her panties down her ass.

I get them to about mid-thigh, and then I leave them there. Lake won’t be able to spread her thighs, but that doesn’t matter. I straddle her closed legs with my own, and I twist the lid off the glass lube bottle with my teeth. I don’t even care how much we use or if it gets in the water. Nothing matters. I clumsily tip the bottle into the same palm that’s holding onto it, and let it spill all over me.

I throw the bottle aside.

Could be a scandal, if the pool guy finds our lube bottle floating in here.

Don’t care.

I rub my fingers together, smearing the sweet-smelling oil, and then I dip them into the water and, more importantly, into Lakelynn. There’s a nice, slick side followed by her needy gasp. I close my eyes and savor the clench and pull of her inner muscles, spreading the lube with each thrust. It might not last long, but it’ll be enough.

This is a fuck. Then ice cream. Lovemaking.

Those are my only plans for the night.

I open my eyes, so that I can watch the shift and wiggle of her body, withdrawing my fingers from her greedy core. When I guide myself into her waiting heat, she’s wet and ready and moaning, hands clutching at the glass wall for support. Water rushes over her fingers as she tightens her grip in response to my first thrust. My hips pin hers against that same wall, legs trapped by her own panties, an accompanying splash.

I put one hand on her shoulder, the other holding her waist, and I fuck her against that thick, glass wall. Part of me wishes I were standing on the ground down below, next to the pond, and looking up. What would I see from down there? Her face, eyes closed and lips parted, neck a pale, curved thing in the dark. Could I see through the glass to the underwear that’s keeping her thighs closed? Her feet that can’t quite touch the ground?

The view from here is perfect, too. The shape of her back. The damp spill of her hair. The T-shirt rucked over her tits. They’re plump and hanging over the edge, bouncing with each thrust. Oh, I bet that’d be a nice view from down below, too. The best.

“Such a good girl for me, Lake. Always. Didn’t I tell you that I’d make you behave?” My words are rough, horny whispers, nothing that I’d ever want anyone else to hear. This is between us. I’m glad that Joules paid his cousins to beat that Chloe girl up. She tried to steal this energy and give it to the world. It’s only for me and Lake. Just me and Lake.

She can’t even respond to me. All she can do is gasp and cling to that wall, claw at the wet glass and the waterfall that can’t be grabbed. Hard, fast, deep. I can put my entire body inside of hers, feel her ridges and her slickness, the strength of her female body, the blessing that comes with her sharing it with me.

“Tam.” It’s just my name, slipping almost accidentally from her lips. But it may as well be the first word in the spell we’re weaving together.

“Kayak,” I say back to her, and she almost laughs, but then her body locks tight, and I grit my teeth and I go hard. Harder. I take her until she begs me to stop, and I go perfectly still, letting her catch her breath, relax, unwind.

“Hard, fast, deep.” Lake’s words bring me to the edge, and rapid, wild movements of my hips take me the rest of the way. When she turns her head to look over her shoulder, and I catch her profile against the lights of the city, that’s when I come. I lose myself in her body, and her presence, and her smell. The climax comes with a tightness in my balls, in the unconscious pumping of my shaft. Spilling, releasing.

I sag over her, putting one hand on the wall next to hers. Breathing. Unwinding. There’s a brilliance in clarity there that I catch and hold onto. I press my lips against her cheek, and then I carefully draw out of her, helping her to the edge of the pool and lifting her up and out to sit on the edge. Her panties are still tangled on her legs, her shirt covering just one of her breasts.

We sit there together for a while, and I work my jaw, gnawing on my lip as I think about all the tricks I’m going to use to get her to come for me upstairs. We’ll get to know each other, and it’ll get easier and easier and easier, I think.

“Where did you get that lube?” I ask, and she makes a small sound, reaching up to tug her T-shirt down. The sight of that heavy, wet fabric molding over her soft body has me wondering if we shouldn’t go for round two right here on the patio.

“I texted Maggie and asked if … Well, I had the box delivered here and all I did was ask if she could put it on the nightstand. I didn’t think she’d open it and get the bottle out of the package.”

I look over, and even though it’s dark, I think Lake is blushing. Freckles and a blush. I’m held hostage to those things. I’m a prisoner to the shape of that mouth. I’m captive to the way her hair sticks to her forehead.

“I also texted Maggie,” I add, a grin taking over my lips. “Want to see what I ordered?”