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by Kylie Scott
For now, I had him. And he felt like the whole damn world.
Once the kiss was done, he drew back, lips damp and eyes smiling. “I came back.”
“You came back,” I agreed, smiling despite all of the questions and the lingering doubt and pain in my heart.
“I’m crazy about you, Lydia. We wished it were different, me being in L.A. and you being here,” he said, eyes full of emotion. “So I’m making it different.”
I could only stare. It meant too much. I wanted him too badly.
“I’ll stay.” He cocked his head, stealing another quick kiss. “I canceled the house sale. Financially, I’ve got some issues. But Andre said I could start working with him tomorrow. Between that and the Dive Bar, I’ll get it sorted out. Haven’t worked out everything yet.”
“But your dream!”
“Funny thing about that dream,” he said. “It now includes being with you.”
My heart lurched again. It couldn’t be healthy. Any minute now, I’d probably hit the floor dead. “It does?”
“Yes.”
“And your band, working with Henning Peters? What about all that?” I demanded. “You said it was a big deal. The best opportunity you’d ever had.”
“Lydia, I’ve been chasing music all my life. But you’re the best opportunity I’ve ever had,” he said, tone deadly serious. “I’m sorry it took me leaving to figure that out.”
“You broke my heart.”
“Babe.” Regret filled his eyes. “I’m an idiot.”
“Yeah.” I sniffed.
“Can you ever forgive me?”
I pretended to ponder it for a moment. The man had done me damage.
“I’m so fucking sorry I caused you pain. I’ll do my best to make sure it never happens again,” he said. “Can you please forgive me?”
“’spose so.” It’s extremely difficult to appear proud and dignified while your nose is leaking. But I did my best.
“Thank you.” He stroked my cheek.
“What will you do about your music? You can’t just stop.”
“No. I’ll always want to play. It’s a big part of me. I want to record my songs, perform them live. But I don’t necessarily need a band for that. I’ve been rethinking things,” he said. “Fact is, you come first for me. I’ve decided to go solo so I can be based here, organize my music so it fits in with us. But if I have to leave for work, go on tour, I’ll come back. Okay?”
“Okay.” Despite all of my deep breathing and blinking, tears started falling down my face. “All right.”
“You’ll move your stuff back into my house?”
“I don’t know,” I said, nerves buzzing. “You don’t think we should date? Maybe take things slow and do this properly?”
He scrunched up his nose. “Problem with that is, my dream also involves having lots of sex with you. I mean, a serious amount.”
“I see.”
“It’s not just about the sex, though. The dream is quite detailed.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah.” He reached out, wiping the tears from my face with a frown. “Stop that. I don’t like it. Didn’t come back to make you cry.”
“They’re happy tears. Leave them alone. The dream, Vaughan,” I prodded, slapping lightly at his hand.
He smiled. “It involves us going to sleep together and waking up together.”
“Okay.”
“And doing coupley shit, you know.”
“Coupley shit?” My brows went high. “What is this coupley shit?”
One of his shoulders hitched. “Hanging out, watching TV, being together. Mostly naked, but occasionally not.”
“Sounds like a good dream.”
“No,” he corrected. “It’s great one.”
I smiled back at him. I couldn’t not. “Yes, it is. You’re sure, though?”
“I’m sure.”
“No. I need you to have thought this through. I don’t want you to wind up resenting me. It would hurt if you changed your mind, decided the musical prospects on the coast were more important.” I grabbed his hand and held on tight. Quietly terrified of what we were doing. “It would hurt me really badly.”
Lines surrounded his eyes, his gaze intensifying. “Babe. This chance with you … you’re it for me. You’re my number one and you’re staying there. I need you to believe that. This isn’t a passing idea. I didn’t hit L.A. and suddenly feel a bit bummed ’cause you weren’t there. I’m not saying I knew you were it for me the minute I saw you in the bath. To be honest, I was kind of pissed off about the whole thing. But not much later, things changed. A half an hour, maybe. Definitely by the time you punched that asshole.”
I laughed through the tears. “Ha. You sure it wasn’t the breasts?”
“The breasts were definitely a part of it. But I wanted … no, I needed to know everything about you. I needed you to stay,” he said, voice so sincere it hurt. “I just didn’t want to change. Not my plans, not my life.”
“What happened?”
Clearing his throat, he rose, lifting me likewise to my feet. Strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me in close. And god, it felt so good. It felt like my dream. My body relaxed against his, my arms winding around his neck.
“Vaughan?”
“I know that asshole made you doubt yourself. Made you doubt feeling like this about anyone.” He rested his forehead against mine. “But you’re in me. Have been since the first day I met you. I fought it for a while, but that’s over.”
“You’re in me too.”
“Good.” The tip of his nose rubbed against mine. “That’s good, Lydia. ’Cause that’s where I’m going to stay.”
I buried my face against his chest. Damn tears.
“I mean that literally too,” he whispered against my ear. “You get that right?”
I hiccupped, laughing. “I get that. I want that.”
A happy humming noise came from his chest. His hold on me intensified, keeping me safe, keeping us tight.
“I love you, you know,” I said, putting it all out there. Taking the leap, trusting in him and us. “I didn’t want to, but I do.”
“Thank fuck for that,” he murmured.
“What the hell?” asked Nell, appearing at our side. Along with basically everyone. Joe, Eric, Masa, even Boyd. Apparently this had turned into a staff meeting.
I subtly wiped my nose on Vaughan’s shirt because love was meant to hurt and occasionally be icky. Happily, it was also meant to shine.
“I’m moving back to town, calling off the sale of the house.”
I don’t know if I’d ever seen Nell so happy. She hid it pretty quickly, however. “And you’re manhandling my waitress, why?”
“Because we’re going to get married someday and make babies,” said Vaughan, relaxed as anything. “Not necessarily in that order. It’s up to her.”
“Holy shit.” My face returned to his shirt. God help my heart. The way it was galloping, I don’t think it would ever recover from this night.
“Damn,” said Joe’s deep voice. “You don’t do things by halves, do you?”
“When you know, you know.”
“Congratulations, man.”
“Thanks.”
“To you too, Lydia.”
I wiped off my face, smiling like a lovestruck fool. So what. All good. No, all fucking fantastic. “Thanks, Joe.”
Others echoed the sentiment. There were smiles all around. Except for on one face.
“Big decision,” said Eric, arms crossed. “You going to stick with it or you going to change your mind and leave her high and dry like you did with me being in the band? It’s just that, Lydia seems nice. And friends and family, people that are supposed to matter, don’t always seem to be important to you.”
Silence. And not the happy kind.
“You were out of the band because you didn’t take it seriously,” said Vaughan. “No other reason. I wasn’t turning my back on you as a friend. You stopped taking my calls, rememb
er?”
Eric harrumphed.
“But you’re right. I’ve been slack with keeping in touch with people, looking after the people I love. That’s going to change.”
“That so?”
“Yes,” said Vaughan, neither man backing down. Oh, the heady scent of testosterone was thick in the air. They’d probably start banging antlers any time now. I held Vaughan’s hand, standing at his side.
“Nell,” he said. “I was wondering if you’d visit Mom and Dad’s graves with me sometime soon. Haven’t been back since the funeral, but I think it’s time.”
“We could tell them about Lydia and the baby,” said his sister, tears bright in her eyes.
“Yeah, we could.”
“What a gathering,” said a new voice. Andre joined our circle, huddled in among all of the restaurant tables. Quite a few of them occupied.
“Can we get some service, please?” called out a customer. Fair enough.
“In a minute,” said Eric, holding up a hand for patience.
“I think you’re going to make a hell of a guitar teacher. Glad to have you on board.” Andre reached across to shake Vaughan’s hand.
“Thanks for giving me a chance.”
“You’re serious about this then?” asked Eric. Judgment oozed from the man’s pores. Along with some expensive aftershave, no doubt. “Staying here, being with Lydia.”
“Yeah,” said Vaughan. “I am. You still got a problem with me, don’t want me working here. Fine. I quit. I’m not interested in making trouble in the Dive Bar.”
A tongue worked behind Eric’s cheek, his gaze inscrutable. Then he climbed onto a chair and clapped his hands, calling up everyone’s attention, staff and customers alike.
Oh shit. What now?
“Got an announcement to make,” he said, looking down at us all from on high. “Two valued members of the Dive Bar family, Lydia and Vaughan, just decided to get married. I’d like to offer them my congratulations.”
Applause erupted.
So did I. “What? We didn’t do that. We didn’t get engaged.”
“We sort of did,” said Vaughan, kissing my hand.
“To celebrate,” said Eric, smiling at one and all. “Drinks are on the house!”
I, however, was not smiling, what with being on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. “I can’t get engaged two weeks after not getting married. Who would do that? No one would do that. It’s crazy!”
“Babe.” Vaughan grinned, enjoying the moment entirely too much. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just out there somewhere, waiting until you’re ready.”
“But we’re not really engaged, right?”
“I love you,” he said, kissing my lips.
“Crap.” I deflated, basically collapsing against him. It was all too much and my heart was on the line. Again. Blood rushed behind my ears while people clapped and whooped. Champagne corks were already popping. And there Vaughan stood, waiting patiently for me to get my shit together.
“If you go away, you’ll come back?” I asked.
He met my eyes without a shadow of fear or doubt. “I’ll come back.”
“Okay. All right.”
This wasn’t Chris asshole Delaney. This was Vaughan. My Vaughan. He didn’t say shit he didn’t mean. He loved me. But what’s more, I loved him.
“I’ll be waiting,” I said.
“Babe.” His smile, the blue of his eyes … everything about the man. Everything.
Unable to hold back, I launched myself at him.
Customers were treated to quite a show, Masa started singing again (something by the Stones this time), me and Vaughan were rolling around on the floor. Things were crazy in the Dive Bar.
Thing is, sometimes crazy works.
Stay tuned for
TWIST
Book #2 in the Dive Bar Series
Visit Kylie Scott at
www.kylie-scott.com
for updates!
Visit Kylie Scott at www.kylie-scott.com
ALSO BY KYLIE SCOTT
Lick
Play
Lead
Deep
PRAISE FOR KYLIE SCOTT
“Pure rocker perfection in every single way.… Play is a splendid marriage of romance and comedy, a possibly even better book than its stellar prequel, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes their love stories with a side of giggles.”
—Natasha is a Book Junkie
“Kylie Scott is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors at combining funny with sexy, and I can’t wait to read more from her. Play is a definite must-read book!”
—The Smut Book Club
“Lick is a breath of fresh air with a unique story line—think The Hangover meets Contemporary Romance.”
—The Rock Stars of Romance
“Mal is taking us all by storm … go buy this book. Seriously. You won’t regret it.”
—Fiction Vixen Book Reviews
“Engaging, quite humorous, and at times a heartbreaking picture of first love … a swoon-worthy romance.”
—Smexy Books
“Play does not disappoint! It’s sexy, naughty, and hilarious, with a side note of serious that makes it all so real. I’m an affirmed Stage Dive groupie and I’m ready to follow those men on tour wherever they go! Rock on!!”
—Up All Night Book Blog
“I’m now officially addicted to Stage Dive. I highly recommend it to readers out there who enjoy rock-star romance books and the New Adult/Contemporary Romance genre.”
—Book Lovin’ Mamas
“With each book in this series, I become more attached to the characters and more enamored with author Kylie Scott.”
—Guilty Pleasure Book Reviews
“The stuff my rock-star dreams are made of. A thrill ride. I felt every stomach-dip in the process. And I want to turn right around and ride it again. Every girl who’s ever had a rock-star crush, this would be the ultimate fantasy.”
—Maryse’s Book Blog
“This book rocked my world!! Lick is an addictive blend of heartwarming passion and lighthearted fun. It’s a story you can lose yourself in. The perfect rock-star romance!”
—Aestas Book Blog
“An engrossing, sexy, and emotional read.”
—Dear Author
“Scrumptious and delicious. Firmly in my top-ten best books this year!”
—The Book Pushers
“Fun with great characters, a rocker story line, good angst, and plenty of sexy times. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for something sexy and heartwarming.”
—Fiction Vixen
“A nice start to a rock-and-roll series. Very much looking forward to the next one.”
—Smexy Books
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
New York Times bestselling author of the Stage Dive series Kylie Scott is a longtime fan of erotic love novels, rock and roll, and B-grade horror films. She lives in Queensland, Australia.
Visit her on the Web at http://kylie-scott.com/ Or sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Also by Kylie Scott
Praise for the Author
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
DIRTY. Copyright © 2016 by Kylie Scott. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Lisa Marie Pompilio
Cover photographs: man © Zach Vitiello; martini © Shutterstock
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-08321-0 (trade paperback)
ISBN 978-1-250-08327-2 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781250083272
Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at
[email protected]
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First Edition: April 2016