Page 53 of Fallen Stars

The more he sings, the harder my heart pounds in my chest.

“From the start, all I wanted was you. From the start, little did I know you wanted me too.”

The backs of my eyes sting as my throat clogs with emotion.

“In the shadows, we hide. Tall trees, scraped knees, stars falling in the night.”

A cramp flares to life beneath my diaphragm as guilt gnaws at my soul.

“But I’d live forever in the dark to keep you at my side. My best-kept secret. My reason. My life.”

My fingers drum on my thighs as I wait for the song to end. Every cell in my body aches for him. To go to him. To touch him. To kiss him.

“From the start, all I wanted was you. From the start, you wanted me too.”

Like the rest of the crowd, I’m stunned silent and can’t take my eyes off Oliver.

“Forever mine… until every star falls from the sky.” The song starts to fade as Oliver whispers the last lyrics into the mic. “Until every star falls. Every star falls. Every star falls.” He inhales deeply. “Until I fall.”

Hailey and Oliver stop playing and a heavy silence hangs in the air. No one breathes or speaks or moves for a solid seven seconds. Everyone stares at the duo on stage, awestruck and emotional.

And then, it’s as though the volume gets turned back on. The crowd cheers louder than before. Hoots and hollers andfuck yeahs boom throughout the tavern.

Wide smiles on their faces, the band takes a bow a beat before Hailey throws devil’s horns to the crowd.

“Thanks for being fucking awesome, Smoky Creek. We fucking love you,” Hailey bellows into the mic.

As the raucous cheer from the patrons settles and the overhead music kicks on, the band gives one last wave and turns to exit the stage.

My knee bounces as I wait for Oliver to look up. For his eyes to lock with mine. Seconds feel like hours as my pulse whooshes loudly beneath my ears. As I all but silently beg for him to meet my eager gaze.

And the second he steps off the stage and sees me, feet away, all the air gets sucked from the room. He freezes and narrows his eyes as if I’m a figment of his imagination.

My heart hammers painfully as my rig cage constricts my lungs.

He inches closer but keeps his distance. His eyes continue to roam my face, still uncertain I’m actually here. That I drove to his out-of-town show to see him.

Those vacant feet between us make me twitchy. Anxious. Unsettled. Small as it is, I hate that there’s a shred of distance between us right now, especially after that song. All I want to do is step into his space, frame his face with my hands, and crush his lips with mine.

Rather than resist what I want, for the first time in my life, I follow through. I give into what I want, what I feel, what we both feel.

In two long strides, I’m toe to toe with Oliver. His eyes widen as his chest visibly rises and falls. Lips slightly parted, his breath dances over my skin.

“Hey—”

I cut him off as my hands cup his cheeks and my lips claim his. Oliver flinches, but I don’t relent. When I lick the seam of his lips with my tongue, every muscle in his body softens.

And then his hands are on my hips, fisting my body with bruising force. He hauls me into him, his dick hardening in his shorts as he deepens the kiss. As moans spill from his mouth and mingle with mine.

The noise, the people, the bar… all of it disappears as I give into desire. As I allow myself to be truly selfish for the first time.

Oliver breaks the kiss. “What?—”

I lean into him and take his mouth again. Desperate and greedy and insatiable.

He returns the kiss, his hands skating up my sides until they frame my face. He breaks the kiss again, soft laughter dancing between us.

“I’ll kiss you all night if that’s what you want.” He drops a chaste kiss on my lips. “But I need a momentary break.” Thecorners of his mouth twitch as he fights a smile and fails. “Maybe a little hydration.”

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