Claiming Beauty (Taking Beauty Trilogy 2)

“For being so bloody cool. For forgiving me. And well, yeah, for the amazing sex, too, luv.” I winked.

“I should be thanking you,” she said, reaching down and fondling my still naked, still hard, cock. “For this.”

“All yours, luv,” I whispered, kissing her again. She squeezed lightly, and then turned and walked out the door. I watched her leave in amazement.

For once in my life, it appeared I hadn’t completely fucked up something after all.

This was a first.

I sighed and jumped in the shower, my head racing with possibilities. I had to go slow, take it one day at a time, in order to not freak either one of us out. I cared about Catherine, that much was true. I couldn’t pretend any longer that I wasn’t having feelings for her. I just didn’t really know what to do about them. I was shocked she was willing to give me a second chance, after all she’d seen so far. But listening to her words last night, seeing the way she looked at me, with understanding, without judgement…I’d never received that kind of kindness from anyone, and it had touched something deep inside of me, something that I wasn’t even sure was there anymore.

Today, we were getting back on the buses and heading to Los Angeles. Most people hated LA, but it was one of the places in America that I actually liked. I had a house way up in the hills, and I was looking forward to spending my night there. Knowing I’d get to spend it there with Catherine was even better.

The tension between me and the rest of the band seemed to have lightened today. We all said friendly hellos and while Rocket was still ignoring me, I was happy to see that the swelling in his eye had gone down considerably. I contemplated apologizing, but it was probably best I just leave him alone. We’d talk later.

We all walked on to our waiting buses, and I was once again alone with Catherine.

We retired to the back of the bus and made love the entire ride to Los Angeles. Yes, the entire six hours. We came up for air a few times, hydrating ourselves, eating and napping a little, but now that I had her back in my arms, I was having a very hard time untangling myself from her.

***

“This is amazing,” Catherine said, as I opened the front door. Everything was just as I’d left it. High up in the Hollywood Hills, perched on a cliff that overlooked the city, all glass, sleek and sophisticated - this house was the thing I loved the most in America. You’d never find anything like this in London, where I spent most of my time hiding from the dreary rain in my penthouse, when I wasn’t on tour, which was rare.

“I bought this house five years ago on a whim. Ian discouraged me, telling me it was ‘impractical’ but I did it anyway,” I explained. The best thing about it was the seclusion. A huge gate and a long winding driveway up a steep hill provided me with the utmost privacy.

And the best view in town.

“You have too see the lights,” I said, leading Catherine through the house and into the backyard. She was in awe, and I loved it. I was proud of this place. We stepped out onto the patio, and she gasped at the view. The sun was setting in the horizon, pink and purple streaks shooting through the sky, with the lights of Hollywood sparkling in the distance.

“I always insist on spending an extra day here when we’re on tour. I don’t get back enough on my own, so I have to take advantage of it as much as I can. I love it here,” I said, watching Catherine’s gorgeous face as she took it all in. The pink hue of the sunset washed over her face, and I drank her in.

I knew that I’d remember this moment forever.

I pulled her into my arms and kissed her.

“I’m glad you’re here,” I said.

“Thank you for bringing me here,” she whispered.

“I guess this is the end of the road for you,” I said. I wanted to ask her to stay with me, finish the tour with me, but I still had two more weeks of traveling before I went back to Europe and that was a hell of a lot to ask of her.

Besides, she had her own life to go back to.

“I guess it is. I’m looking forward to the show tonight, though.”

“It’s going to be a circus. Hollywood always is. So many celebrities, record executives, and industry people. The party tonight will be at the Whiskey after the show.”

“Sounds like fun,” she said.

“You’ll be there, right? You aren’t just going to take off after the show and flee the torture as fast you can?”

She laughed and wrapped her arms around me.

“I’ll be there,” she said. I kissed her again, and my cock twitched.

“Promise?” I asked.

“Promise,” she said, reaching up and kissing me lightly.

“C’mon, let me give you a tour,” I said, grabbing her hand, her fingers intertwining with mine. I led her right to the bedroom and gently pushed her back on the bed.

“What kind of tour was that?” she asked, laughing up at me. I stripped off my clothes, my cock hard as a rock with anticipation.

“I don’t get much time here, luv. Figured we’d better make wise use of it. I have to be at the venue for soundcheck in two hours. Raincheck on the tour?”

“You’re insatiable,” she chided, stripping off her short black dress. I groaned at the sight of her creamy breasts coming into view when she pulled off her bra. She laid back seductively, her soft black waves falling around her head. “Come here.”

For once in my life, I obeyed someone.

Chapter 33

CATHERINE

“Where the fuck have you been!” Ian yelled, as we ran up to the side of the stage. We were late, of course. And I’d thought we’d surely die along the way, as we sped along in Liam’s Jag, the low, sleek machine hugging the winding roads that led from his house to the Hollywood Bowl. “We go on in five minutes, you bastard!”

Liam smiled at Ian, grabbed his head in both hands, and planted a kiss right on Ian’s forehead. Ian laughed and pulled away.

“You fuckin’ wanker! Get on stage now!”

“I love you, bro,” Liam said, smiling at everyone that was standing around watching him. Rocket smiled, shook his head and walked on stage. Rhys came over, and patted Liam on the back.

“Glad you made it, mate,” he said, turning to follow Rocket. Liam turned to me, kissed me on the cheek, pinched my ass, and walked on stage to the roar of the crowd, throwing his hands up in the air in greeting. He strapped on the guitar and spoke into the microphone.

“This song is for Catherine,” he said. I gasped as he looked over at me and blew a kiss my way before he launched into the song.

“Please don’t let me down, sweet mama…” he sang, before the first notes sounded and the rest of the band started playing. The crowd went crazy, singing along with him, the energy electric and sizzling. “Don’t drag me down, mama…”

I watched from the side with Rhone again, my heart swelling with pride and feeling like I fit in for the first time. She welcomed me warmly and offered me a beer. We watched the crowd sway and sing, riding along the wave with them. Liam’s performance was an experience in itself, and I thought back to the first time I’d seen him perform. I never imagined the week would end up here, with me having feelings for this man. Now, here I was, completely enthralled with him.

In addition to the fact that our bodies seemed to be made for each other, I was beginning to feel like I was starting to see the real Liam now. When we were alone, he was at ease, relaxed, funny, loving. He made love to me like a man, and I loved the way he took he charge, the way he knew exactly what he wanted and how to get

there. He played my body like his very own finely tuned instrument, and I fucking loved it. I craved his touch constantly.

I knew it was crazy. I knew it was against all odds. He’s a fucking rock star, for god’s sake. I knew it was probably destined to fail, but I also knew there was no turning back. Not for me, at least. And after today, I hoped, not for him either.

We had to see this through. There was no other way. At least not any other way that didn’t involve torturous amounts of heartache.

I was so glad to see him happy today. I hoped I had a small part in that. Because it was so rare to see him smiling, I’d still not mentioned the messages I'd received from my assistant. She'd checked the rest of Callum’s list and found the same situation with each one. Where Callum had listed the donors as receiving millions of dollars each, they all said they received a thousand dollars or less. I was sure there had to be some sort of explanation, so I was just going to ask Callum about it instead of mentioning it to Ian or Liam. He probably just gave me the wrong list, I figured.

The beer was going right through me, and I turned to Rhone to whisper in her ear.

“Gotta pee, be right back!” She nodded and I walked back to the dressing rooms, nodding to Big D and Matt along the way. I was really starting to feel comfortable here, and now it was time for me to leave. No matter my feelings for Liam, I did have to get back to New York and finish my story, well - start my story. I’d avoided it thus far. But I also had to go back home, figure out exactly how I was going to continue with my life, and what it would look like with Liam in it.

But I wasn’t going to think about the logistics of all of that now. I was going to enjoy my last few days with Liam, without any drama, without any fighting, and just have fun. I was looking forward to the party tonight, and even more so, going back to Liam’s amazing house in the hills and making love till dawn.

The dressing rooms were far from the stage, and I walked down a long hallway until I reached a door that had a star with Liam’s name emblazoned across it. I smiled to myself, the image of him shredding the stage flashing in my head.