Page 133 of Chasing Lyric
My blood runs cold. The thought of losing Lyric again slams into me with the force of a hurricane. We’ve barely had a minute to breathe, to start putting the pieces back together, and now this?
“But if I’m going to be with a music producer, then I’m going to be surrounded by it, right?” she says, shrugging like it’s no big deal.
My pulse kicks up at her words. She’s not just accepting my life, she’s choosing it.
“So, I may as well have all the offerings that life has to bring without having to do any of the work.”
I close the space between us, my voice low. “You’re moving in here?”
Her gaze drifts across the sunken living room before she dips her head in that soft, damn-near-shy way that always wrecks me. “Yes. Me and our brood of pets.”
Ours.Hell, I like the way that sounds more than I expected.
I tug her close, wrapping her up in a hold that says she’sminenow, no questions asked. Pressing a kiss to her temple, I murmur, “You’ve just made me the happiest bastard on the planet.”
She gives me that teasing look, the one that makes my cock twitch like it’s already prepping for round two.
“Polly’s gonna be thrilled he gets his apple from inside now instead of through the window. Honestly, Chase, that’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. You keep pretending you’re not some Hallmark-movie type, but you’re proving yourself wrong at every turn.”
I smirk, cocky but honest. “Didn’t want Polly going without. And truth is, I missed that foul-mouthed little asshole.”
She leans in, her bare skin pressing to mine, one breast sliding slow and deliberate across my chest like she knows exactly what it’s doing to me. My cock stirs, twitching beneath her, already needing more.
“The fact you fought so hard forus…” she whispers. “It means everything.”
“I love you, Lyri. I’d burn the world down if it meant putting you back in my arms.”
She kisses me soft and slow, and fuck if I don’t want to pull her right back into my lap and finish what we started. But just as quickly, she pulls away, wide-eyed. “Shit, I punched Dax in the eye. I need to apologize to him.”
I let out a low laugh, shaking my head. “You’re seriously thinking about Dax while you’re naked with me?”
She rolls her eyes. “Not like that. I feel bad.”
“Don’t. He’ll be thrilled when I tell him we’re good. He was in on my elaborate plan to win you back. Hell, he’ll probably throw a damn parade.”
She softens, then grows serious again. “I want to thank him, and I want to meet your parents. Properly. I know they matter to you. I want to know the people in your life, and no more secrets, no more walls. Even if they try to pitch me on signing with Ego Star.”
I grunt, already bristling at the thought. “They can try, but you don’t have to worry about that. You’re not signing with them. Not now. Not ever. I’ve got you, and I’m not letting anyone, including my own father fuck that up.”
“Oh, believe me, I know. I’m quite happy being the florist girlfriend of an EVP. That will do me just fine.”
I entwine our fingers, examining her left hand, and a thought crosses my mind.
She laughs at the blank expression on my face. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing, just looking at the size of your minuscule fingers.” I thread our fingers together again, then kiss the back of her hand. “Your hands are so tiny compared to mine.”
“You love what my tiny hands can do to you, Mr. Covington.”
I roll her onto her back, forcing a humor-filled squeal from her lips. “Hell, yeah, I do.”
The Next Evening
Lyric’s practically glowing as we drive to her parents’ place for dinner. It’s been three long years since she’s seen them together, and tonight, she finally gets to sit across from the two people who shaped her world. I feel the nerves humming beneath her excitement, the kind that only comes from reuniting with the type of love that never really leaves you.
She can’t even remember the last time her whole family was in one room. Between her brother and sister, who were off touring, and everyone’s lives pulling them in different directions, the timing never works out. But today, she’s like a kid on Christmas morning, bouncing in her seat, practically buzzing with anticipation just to hug her mom again.
“Calm down, Starlight, you’re going to wet yourself,” I tell her as I pull up to the tall gates with a gold treble clef in the center. There’s no mistaking the fact that rock royalty lives here.
