I can’t perform knowing I could let them down again. I can’t sing about love saving a soul when the very song inspired hatred. I just can’t. All it took was a light falling and a superfan waiting for me to mess me up again.”
She put the spoon into her mouth and took the peanut-buttered pill then said, “Sure you can. Just like I ate instead of swallowed. We need to find a way to look at those faces in the crowd and use it as inspiration, not see it as failure.”
I gulped. “I wish I knew how.”
“That’s why you have me,” she said softly.
I looked up into her blue eyes and sighed. “Promise?”
She nodded her head. “Promise.”
Chapter Eight
Piper
He was right.
After about twenty minutes, the pill performed its magic, and I started to feel a little bit better.
Braden continued attempting his glitter music notes, and then he made us sandwiches for dinner. I didn’t even ask, didn’t need to; he just did things because he was good. I didn’t realize how starved I’d been for a partner until Braden. It was absolutely terrifying, knowing my heart already hurt when I thought about leaving him or him going on tour.
The pill made me doze off for a few hours, and before I knew it, the lights were off, and Braden was sitting next to me on the couch. My feet were in his lap, and he was slowly examining the injured one like a doctor would.
“Am I gonna make it?” I said groggily.
“You’re awake.” He glanced over at me. “Sorry, I just wanted to make sure that you weren’t having a reaction. The sting actually looks a lot better, and your foot hasn’t swollen any more.”
“Good.” I yawned. “What time is it?”
“Time for Netflix without the chill.” He winked.
I liked my feet in his lap way too much. “I’m sure you’ll survive. Besides, I’ve never really understood that phrase anyways. I mean, if I’m watching something good on Netflix, I’d be pissed if some guy just shoved his tongue down my throat and decided to get me naked.”
Braden gave me a sharp look. “I’d be pissed too. One doesn’t shove their tongue anywhere. That’s like bulldozing a kiss, and a kiss changes based on the environment.”
“I’m the one on drugs, right?”
He smirked. “Seriously. I mean, think about it. If you’re having a moment, you don’t just go for it, you lean in.” He grabbed my hand and held it close to his face as his mouth lowered, his eyes locked on mine. “And you very lightly brush your lips across.” He did exactly that, making my entire body erupt with goose bumps.
“O-oh.” I gulped.
“Though…” He dropped my hand. “Sometimes there’s nothing better than just angry, aggressive kissing. But in this instance, I’d probably just knock all the glitter to the floor, which would be a bitch to clean up later. But I’d be so in the moment, I wouldn’t care. I’d grip you by the ass and push you down onto the coffee table so I had the perfect angle.”
“For my mouth?” I asked, a bit breathless.
His eyebrows rose, and then he lowered his gaze to my thighs. “For my feast.”
I clenched my legs together and nearly let out a moan when he slowly removed my feet from his lap, then got on his hands and knees so we were at eye level before he whispered, “But since you’re injured…”
I licked my lips. Was he going to kiss me?
“Since I’m injured,” I repeated breathlessly.
He cupped my face with both hands. “I’d be tender. So tender, you’d barely feel my lips brush across yours.”
I gulped. He was inches from my face. His eyes darted toward my mouth. My entire body ached for him to close the distance; he was too far away.
I must have leaned in first because he met me halfway. His lips were soft, molding to mine like we were made to fit. I could taste wine on his tongue as it slid across mine, igniting a fire in my soul that I’d never felt from a kiss before. It was like I would never be the same again.
He pulled away. His hooded gaze was so sexy that I wanted to grab him by the shirt and jerk him against me. “I take it back.”
“Take what back?” I whispered.
“The whole thing about not being on drugs. I think I just found mine.” And then he kissed me again and again until I lost count. Until he was suddenly next to