Page 2 of Swan River

Landry joined them, her lean frame with small curves that matched Paisley’s almost vibrating with excitement. If it wasn’t for their seven-inch height difference, her and her sister could be twins. They had the same large brown eyes, high cheekbones, oval faces, and straight black hair as their Korean mother.

Watching her sister in action was usually impressive, but today it only made her knotted stomach twist more. She wished again that finding the one person who made her feel whole wasn’t causing a rift between her and Landry.

As if reading her mind, Jonas appeared at her side, offering a gentle smile along with the cup of tea he’d brought to soothe her achy vocal cords. Before he’d entered her world, all Paisley had wanted to do after a day of recording was find a quiet space where silence would be her only companion. But now, all she wanted was to lose herself in Jonas.

“You ready to get out of here for a while?” Jonas asked.

Paisley nodded, and Jonas hooked his pinky with hers, joining them together. When she looked down at them, she could see how different they were in size and shape and color, and yet it felt as if they were perfect this way?with his enormous hand dwarfing hers. Just like how the brown and green of their eyes blended perfectly. They were her song come to life.

“Where are you going?” Landry’s voice halted them near the door.

“To Jonas’s,” Paisley said, not quite meeting her sister’s eye.

“Nikki’s stepmom is here, and Ronan and his crew will be at the farmhouse at eight for the bonfire. I need your help setting up,” Landry said, the admonishment ringing through her words as she took in Paisley’s fingers twisted with Jonas’s.

Jonas bristled, shoulders going back, and Paisley knew he was mere moments from exploding again. She couldn’t handle it right now. She was too exhausted from the hours she’d been at the keyboard and still too battered and bruised from the harsh words that had gone unforgiven between her and Landry.

“I know. We’ll be there,” Paisley promised.

Landry left the men, crossed the room, and lowered her voice so the others couldn’t hear her.

“Maybe it would be better if Jonas didn’t come,” Landry said quietly. “We’d hate for him to hit one of the film crew if they accidentally said something wrong.”

“Lan!” Paisley exclaimed right as Jonas growled, “Fuck you.”

Landry just glared, as if his outburst proved her point.

“At least I actually want to make Paisley happy,” Jonas said, voice dark with emotions he was trying to hold back.

Landry stepped even closer until she was almost nose-to-nose with Jonas. “What the hell are you insinuating?”

“I don’t think I need to spell it out for you,” Jonas snapped.

“Stop!” Paisley cried. She loved that they were both trying to protect her in their own way, but it only made the chasm between them widen further. “This isn’t helping. We need to talk. All of us. But not today. Not now, when everyone’s tempers are still high.”

She pushed Jonas in the chest so he moved backward toward the door. She could hear the tapping of Landry’s rings banging out her frustration and worry behind her, but she didn’t turn around. She just headed for the exit with Jonas.

“I refuse to let you ruin your life with one wrong decision, Paisley,” her sister’s voice followed them.

Her grief turned to burning hurt and anger as Landry’s words hit every single sore spot in her soul. She’d almost forgiven Landry for the words said in the heat of the moment the day before about her decision-making. But today, they were so much worse because Landry knew what she was saying, knew how they’d make her feel, and she’d still said them.

Paisley dropped Jonas’s hand and spun around. “Wrong decision?! How could you, Lan? Just because my decision isn’t the one that makes your life easier, doesn’t mean it’s wrong. I know what makes me happy. I know who I want at my side, and if you don’t like it, then you don’t have to be a part of it.”

Landry’s eyes widened at Paisley’s passion as much as at the words. Paisley regretted them instantly, wishing she could take them back, but she wouldn’t, not with Landry still shooting venomous looks in Jonas’s direction.

“Paise,” she said, her tone only slightly regretful. “You don’t understand.”

“No. You don’t understand. Because Mom is right, you’ve never cared for anything more than you’ve cared for this band. Stay out of my personal life! You no longer have a say in it.”

Then, Paisley turned on her heel and stormed out with Jonas right behind her. As soon as the door of the studio slammed shut, the bitter remorse building inside her escaped in a quiet sob. Paisley had never struck out at Landry that way before, and it hurt. It had stung not only Landry but Paisley too. She didn’t want her sister out of her life in any way, shape, or form. But how could Landry not see all the good that Paisley saw in Jonas? The gentle heart and protective soul? How he wanted the very best for her just like Landry did?

Jonas caught up to her, pulling Paisley into his chest and wrapping a muscled arm around her. He kissed the top of her head.

“Paisley, I’m sorry,” he said, knowing he’d pushed when she’d wanted to run. But maybe that was the problem. Maybe she’d been running and hiding for so long that no one else knew how to see her as anything but the person in the shadows.

Paisley rested her forehead against his chest, arms going around his waist as he tugged her closer, the husky male scent of him filling her senses and making her feel safe and warm. She lifted her chin, stood on her tiptoes, and pulled his face toward hers, letting their lips touch as she’d been longing to do since she’d first played their love song for the band hours earlier.

The moment their mouths touched her veins flooded with heat. This was no slow build, just a complete and utter longing that raged through her. Desire so strong she forgot everything except how good it felt to have their bodies aligned with his soul calling to hers. At first, Jonas barely returned her kiss, but when she darted a tongue along his seam, he let out a guttural groan before devouring her completely. Lips and teeth and tongue battled with hers as if trying to own her in some deeply primitive way that Paisley should have hated but only loved.

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