Page 50 of Lucas

A feeling of uncertainty washes over me as his hands land on my shoulders. He acknowledges Abby first with a smile and a nod, and then his focus is on me. Just me, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel. Angry? Sad? Or content like when I was a child.

“I don’t blame you for not inviting me tonight,” he says. “I understand. But there’s no way in hell I was going to stay away and miss your debut concert.” I want to question him on how he obtained a ticket, but it’s answered as soon as Jet strolls by and slaps him on the back. Fucker! He had no right to interfere. “You worked that stage like a pro and I’m so damn proud of you, Lucas. The duet was long overdue, but I think it happened at the best possible moment. We’ve all made mistakes in our lifetime that we regret, but it’s how we rise up to make amends that count.” Oh, the bastard is good. Spins my song to his advantage.

I’m flabbergasted when he pulls me in for a hug. A part of me wants to break free and the other part remembers the day he placed that damn guitar in my hands. So the child in me hugs him back. I don’t know what the fuck comes over me when I murmur, “I forgive you, Dad. You had your reasons for doing what you did so let’s just move on.” His embrace gets tighter and I just go with the flow. When he pulls away, his eyes are glistening with tears. Aw hell. I hate when anyone cries.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to witness this moment.” Both of us spin around when Arisha wraps her arm around my waist. Her attention and affection still kinda feels weird, not gonna lie. I reach out to grab Abby’s hand to pull her into this awkward threesome. There, now we’re four, and with her by my side, I’m whole.

“I’d like to invite both of you to the afterparty as my guests. I hear it’s going to be insane. I’d love for you to come. If you can both behave.” I give dad a menacing glare and he confirms with a nod. Okay, then. Let’s see what happens now.

A deep, dark, angry side of me would love it if he dumped Mrs. Knight and got together with Arisha, but there might be too much water under the bridge for that to ever happen. Wishful thinking on my part, but, hey, I think they’re better suited for one another than the cold lifeless bitch back in the Upper East Side.

“Okay, we just need to take a few promo pics, wrap up a few things, and then we’ll meet you at thePalladiumwhen we’re finished. Drinks are on me.” When I see the confused look on their faces, I laugh. “Kidding, it’s open bar. Nothing but the best forThe Sinful Seven. Gotta run. Catch up with ya later.”

The next forty minutes are tiring and frustrating as we pose for pics before we cut and run. It’s after midnight by the time we make it to the venue. We should all be ready for bed but we got our second wind and we’re ready to party.

Jet’s the first one in the building and clearly ready to unwind. “Let’s have fun, guys and gals, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” With a waggle of his brows, he heads out and is immediately swarmed by a gaggle of girls.

I catch Abby scanning the crowd as we head for the bar. Soon after, screaming ensues. I’m ready to tuck her behind me so she doesn’t get trampled when I see Beth and Cheryl running across the floor. How they can do that in their fuck-me pumps is beyond my comprehension. “Oh my god, Lucas! You guys were freaking awesome! I so want to be a groupie so I can follow you guys wherever you go.” Oh, I bet she does since Beth has eyes for Trevor. Poor sucker runs the other way whenever she’s around and I don’t blame him. That girl is lethal.

“The night’s still young, but I’m glad you ladies had a good time. Abby, do you mind if I go talk to my dad while you catch up with my favorite fans?” That gets them a giggling but I’m sure the booze had a hand in it, too.

“Not at all. Have fun. Just make sure the ladies don’t touch or I’ll have to kill a bitch or two.” Bending down, I leave her with a bruising kiss so there’s no doubt I’m hers.

***

Abby

This isa night that we’ll never forget. The concert was amazing and the afterparty was phenomenal. The food was to die for and the liquor flowed. Quinn pulled out all the stops on this one and everyone had a great time. We’re all very lucky to have her on our side.

I’m sure it wasn’t easy for Mr. Knight and Arisha to be there together after everything that’s happened, but they set aside their differences for Lucas’s sake. Whatever happened between the two of them, they did it out of love for their son. I think Lucas realizes that more now than ever before. I know deep down, he’s really glad they came.

Luckily, my girls were smart enough to take an Uber here. Yep, you guessed it. Lucas and I drove them home since they were a bit tipsy, once again. They do love to party. Beth told Lucas for the thousandth time that she was packing her bags and going on the road with us. I’m sure she won’t remember a damn thing in the morning, and that’s a shame because it really was the best night ever. I don’t think anything will come close to topping this one.

Now we’re back at home and we’re both too wound up to sleep. What’s a girl to do?

“There are only a few more hours before dawn, you wanna grab a bottle of champagne and go up on the roof?” Ah, I do believe my rock god is a romantic. He might not send me flowers or buy me chocolates, but it’s the little things like this that make me fall in love with him more and more every day.

“I’d love to. I’ll grab a blanket while you get the bubbly. I’ll meet you up there.” I sneak in a quick kiss before walking over to the bed to grab the comforter, toss off my shoes which are killing me, and then climb the stairs to the rooftop. It’s a bit chilly, so I wrap the blanket around me and wait for my man.

As soon as he notices me all bundled up, he asks, “You want me to get you a jacket?”

“No, silly. I have you to keep me warm.” Ah, that beautiful smile does crazy things to my insides.

“Yeah, I hope you know I’ll always keep you safe and warm, Abby.” After sitting down next to me, he hands me a paper cup. He shrugs and starts laughing. “Sorry, I don’t have any fancy champagne flutes or anything, but now that I have a steady paycheck, I’ll get some for next time.”

Abandoning the warmth of the blanket, I crawl over to him and straddle his lap. Cupping his face, I stare into those sultry eyes. “I don’t need fancy glasses or expensive clothes. I don’t even need a fancy car or a posh place to live. All I need is you, the stars, and coffee.” There’s that smile again. “I love you, Lucas. Not your money, not your fame, and certainly not your bad taste in movies. Just you.”

The bubbly’s soon forgotten when he lays me down on the blanket and slowly peels off every layer of my clothing. Which isn’t much, but it’s a slow burn nonetheless. A few minutes ago I was freezing, now I’m on fire as his gaze rakes over every inch of me. I notice the different look in his eyes now compared to earlier in our relationship. Now it’s about the love and not about the lust. Although the two go hand in hand, this is lasting, not fleeting. Lucas doesn’t realize it, but he’s come a long way and I’m so damn proud of him.

When he hovers over me for a kiss, I use this time wisely and strip him of his clothing. All he needs to do is shimmy out of his jeans and we’ll be skin on skin. And he does and we are.

My legs part, inviting him in, and he accepts the invitation with open arms by thrusting inside of me. I gasp, he moans, and our bodies move to the rhythm of our heartbeats. LucasPipesKnight makes love to me under a blanket of stars on a rooftop in Manhattan.

It’s not fancy. It’s perfection.

“All the sevendeadly sins are man’s true nature. To be greedy. To be hateful. To have lust. Of course, you have to control them, but if you’re made to feel guilty for being human, then you’re going to be trapped in a never-ending sin-and-repent cycle that you can’t escape from.”

Marilyn Manson

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