Talon (Ashes & Embers 4)

"Yes. Everything. You've redefined happy for me."

I'm met with a deafening silence.

"Asia? You fall asleep over there?"

"No, silly. Sometimes you just make me so happy that I can't even think or talk."

"Great. I make you brain-dead," I joke. "Just what I always wanted to do."

Her laughter makes me want to hug her, pull her clothes off, and kiss all her ticklish places. The king-size bed I'm in is taunting me with its huge space and lack of my naked wife.

"I should go," she finally says. "I have a lot of soap and lotion orders to fill tomorrow. Are you going to sleep now?"

"Yup, I'm in bed already."

"Call me or text me tomorrow?"

"I will, babe. Remember to set the alarm. I miss ya."

Two seconds after I end the call, there's a knock on my hotel door. Shit. I hope it's not one of the horny groupies that follow me from show to show. I climb out of the bed and cross the room to peer through the peephole in the door, and I'm surprised to see Storm standing there.

I swing the door open and look at him questioningly. "What's up?"

He pushes past me and stalks around the room, even checking the bathroom, before his eyes land on me. "You alone?" he asks.

"Fuck yeah, I'm alone. I was just gonna watch a movie and fall asleep."

He nods and grins. "Good. I wanted to make sure you weren't fucking up or wasted."

I wave my hand at him and sit on the bed again. "Dude, I'm good. I'm not gonna fuck up. I just talked to her; everything is awesome. I'm not going to screw this up."

He throws himself on the bed next to me and rolls over onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. "I miss Evie. I just talked to her, too."

"I miss Asia, too. More than I thought. It's kinda fucked up."

&

nbsp; "Yeah, it is. We used to play and party and get laid. Now we play and sit on the phone and wonder if they're missing us."

"That pretty much sums it up." I lean back on my pile of pillows and reach for the remote.

"It's worth it, though. Drinking and fucking got boring after a while, ya know?"

I nod and choose a horror movie from the movie guide. "Yeah, I do know."

He kicks off his boots and makes himself comfortable on the other side of the bed while I stare at him. "What are you doing?"

Taking the remote out of my hand, he turns the volume up a little and shrugs. "I'm gonna stay here and watch this movie with you. We haven't done this in years. Remember you used to hang out in my room when we were younger, and we'd stay up all night watching Headbangers Ball?"

"Fuck. I loved doing that. As far as big brothers go, you were pretty cool."

He kicks my leg. "Were? I totally mentored your coolness. And I'm even cooler now, man."

I shake my head and laugh at him. "Whatever. If you're staying, you gotta be quiet. And stay on your side."

He leans his head against mine and snaps a quick picture of us with his phone. "I'm gonna text this to our girls and tell them we're having a sleepover. They'll fuckin' love it."

I roll my eyes and shove his shoulder off me, but he's right. Asia will love getting a picture of Storm and me, and she'll probably sleep better knowing Storm is shacked up in my room.

Sure enough, a few minutes later my phone is buzzing.

Asia: omg is Storm really staying with you? LOL

Me: Yup. He's trying to relive our childhood I think

Asia: Awww :-) you guys are so cute

Me: We're gonna watch a movie and crash. Get some sleep, baby

Asia: Nitey nite

Coffee is calling my name, so I get dressed and go to the kitchen to make a cup, feed Pixie, then dress her in one of her new outfits, and take her picture for her blog. While I'm on the laptop in the craft room, I check the band's social media page and my heart drops to my feet when I see pictures of Talon with one of the cat girls and another beautiful, dark-haired girl. Scanning through all the photos of last night's show, I see some of Mikah with the cat girl too, but Talon is the only one with the other girl, and he's got his arm around her.

I can't stop staring at the picture, analyzing every pixel, looking for hidden clues. His hand isn't touching her ass or her breasts; it's right on her waist. That's good.

He's smiling, but it's not his I want to fuck you smile that I know so well now.

Ugh. I hate being like this. This isn't me.

I slam the laptop lid down. I am not going to do this. It hasn't even been a week yet—I can't have a meltdown just a few days into our first time apart. I have to trust him.

That girl is gorgeous and exotic looking, though. Tall, dark skin, perky boobs, almond-shaped eyes, the blackest of silky hair. Hell, even I'm attracted to her.

No. I'm not going to let my brain go there. He told me he only wants me now and even rammed it into me up against a household appliance to drive his point home. I have to believe him. And I can't forget the #Love hashtag! That must mean something.

I bathe Pixie in a new shampoo that a holistic pet care company sent for us to review, and once she's rinsed and blown-dry, she actually does feel extra soft and even looks whiter, with a hint of coconut scent lingering on her fur. I place her on a tiny black leather chair that Talon bought for her at a children's store for a few photos and type up a quick, positive review to post on her blog. Since I'm back on the laptop, I check Talon's page and the band's page again, but I don't see anything new. I wish the girl in the photo with Talon had been tagged so I could stalk her. I'm not even sure who updates the band page, now that I'm thinking about it.