Nobody Falls for the Opening Act (Break the Rules Book 2)

Chapter 40

There’s nothing better than an unscheduled day off.

After last night’s post-show field trip, Jordan scrapped the evening practice she squeezed into the schedule and let us do whatever we wanted as soon as we arrived in Nashville. Might not sound too generous considering that the commute from Louisiana to Tennessee ate up half the day, but we were all extremely appreciative of the chance for all of us to bond even more.

For the first time on this tour, we kept our instruments in their cases and we just... talked. We remembered the early days, the countless practices in the Botsford family guest house. Those little sandwiches Fiona used to make for us; turkey and swiss being my personal favorite. Our first show after I joined up. Our first show with Katrina. The start of the Marla Era, which of course included adding her via video call for an hour that Jonah just couldn’t stop smiling through.

A perfect day.

A perfect distraction from... nothing at all.

Because nothing else happened today.

Nothing at all.

After arriving at the hotel, we all settled into our rooms and decided to meet up later for a nice dinner out on the town, something I couldn’t be looking forward to more. A chance for Criminal Records to get dolled up in Nashville? Let’s fucking go.

It’s almost enough for me not to even think about... things while I take a shower. It’s definitely enough to keep me from doomscrolling Gossipa as I dry my hair and do my makeup.

No, I have no urge whatsoever to search for news concerning Dade Connery’s new comeback album or the artists he plans to collaborate with on it.

Nope.

Don’t know.

Don’t care.

Don’t—

A knock taps my hotel room door.

“Thank god,” I whisper to myself, standing in front of the bathroom mirror. I’ve only been alone for ninety minutes and I already need the distraction to stop myself from?—

Stop!

I unplug my curling iron as I shake off those thoughts and exit the bathroom. It’s probably Jordan. She usually asks for my help on nights when we get dressed up like this. “It’s not my job to look good,” she’ll pout. “Help me!”

And I will. Because she’s just too cute not to look hot.

I open the door and immediately close it again.

“Wait, wait!” Harvey pounds against it. “Addison, wait. I need to talk to you.”

“Go away, Harvey,” I say.

“Please open the door.”

“Go away.”

“I went to spank a woman during sex and accidentally hit myself in the balls.”

I... what?

I open the door. Harvey looks at me with relief while I silently furrow my brow in confusion.

“Last fall, some of my housemates and I went out the night before the first day of classes,” he says. “We went to this bar near campus where I started chatting up this woman. An older woman. Had a nice cougar vibe. Whatever. She was hot.”

I say nothing.

“Anyway, we ended up back at her place. We got right to it, obviously, and she was...” He chuckles. “She was naughty. She liked it rough, liked the dirty talk. All that fun stuff. Eventually, I had her bent over doggy style. She asked me to spank her, and I did. A lot. Until… she shifted forward suddenly and...”

He motions swiftly with his hand, his palm grazing his crotch.

My lips twitch, but I smother my laugh. “Ouch,” I say.

“Yeah. It hurt. I actually... screamed a little and fell over into a fetal position on her bed. And then she got me some juice and cradled my head in her lap until I stopped crying.”

“Damn. That’s...” My chest lurches, my laugh pushing upward. “That’s really embarrassing.”

“Oh, it’s not over yet. As soon I as could stand up, I grabbed my clothes and bolted. I vowed to just forget it ever happened and never think about it ever again. And then... I walked into my sociology class the next day and met the new professor.”

My jaw drops. “No.”

“Yes.” Harvey nods. “We made eye contact, and I ran away.”

“Literally?”

“In a full-on sprint. Yeah.”

I bite my cheek, tasting blood.

“I dropped the class and never went back,” he says. “Now, I hide whenever I see her on campus.”

I break. I cover my mouth with my hand, but I’m helplessly unable to stop the laugh from spilling out. Once released, it builds ever more, growing louder as Harvey joins in. I hold my stomach, picturing the whole thing over and over again, his handsome eyes full of self-deprecating mirth.

When I finally pull myself together, my cheeks hurt and my abs burn. “Harvey,” I say.

“Yeah?”

“Why did you tell me this?”

He shakes off his laugh. “To get you to open the door,” he answers. “But… in case that wasn’t enough, I brought you something.”

Harvey steps back, revealing an object resting against the wall behind him.

My smile drops.

It’s a guitar. Not just any guitar, though.

“Is that what I think it is?” I ask.

Harvey nods. “Probably.”

“That’s...” I take a single step forward into the doorway. “That’s Rapture.”

“Yeah.”

“That’s Dade Connery’s guitar.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Why do you have Dade Connery’s guitar?”

“Because I stole it.”

“You stole it?!”

“Yeah.”

“How?!”

“I just walked out the front door with it, actually.” He screws up his face. “Guy’s got horrible security.”

I stutter a little before stepping back, my eyes on the hall for witnesses. “Get in here. Now!”

Harvey steps forward alone.

“With the guitar!”

“Oh, right. Yeah.” He picks it up off the floor, then rushes inside with it. I close the door, giving the lock a swift turn before joining him in the center of the room. Harvey sets Rapture down on the coffee table and I stare at it, my hands digging into my hips, my heart racing in my chest.

Damn, that’s a beautiful guitar.

“Okay,” I say after a minute. “Okay. Harvey.”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you steal Dade Connery’s guitar?”

“I don’t know,” he says. “Seemed like the thing to do.”

“Why?”

“Because...” Harvey sighs. “He called it his legacy.”

“His legacy?”

“He started talking bullshit about how nothing else mattered to him,” he says, turning his nose up at it. “That this… ugly, expensive thing was all he cared about in the world. Not his family or his friends.” Harvey looks at me, his handsome eyes so much heavier now. “Not even you.”

My heart skips. “Harvey.”

“You’re his legacy, Addison. Not this.”

“No, Harvey,” I say. “I’m not.”

“Well, then you should be.” He turns to face me. “The whole time he was talking, there was a piece of me nodding along with it. I thought, yeah. That’s what this is all about. This is the life of my dreams. What I’ve always wanted. But eventually, I looked around. I looked at him and that big house full of stuff, and I just felt… pity.” He swallows hard. “He’s all alone out there, Addison. He has no one to share his life with, to share his music with. He drove them all away. Just like I drove you away.”

I sigh with the urge to comfort. “Harvey, don’t?—”

“Let me get this out first,” he says. “I don’t want to wake up fifty years from now with no one by my side and a head full of old memories in a brain that’s… basically swiss cheese now. I thought I did, but I don’t. I saw with my own eyes today where that life ends up, and I don’t want it anymore. I don’t know what my legacy is going to be, but I know damn sure that I want you to be a part of it. And Criminal Records. And Harmony. But most of all, you.”

I breathe in, unsure how to respond.

“If you disagree, then I understand,” Harvey says. “I’ll go. I just couldn’t stomach the idea of waking up one day an aging rockstar with nine kids from seven different groupies filled with regret.” He nods at Rapture. “Anyway, that’s why I took the guitar. I thought maybe you’d want it. Or maybe you’d like to smash it.”

I smile. “Smash it?”

“You know, just… break it into a million pieces.”

“Why would I do that?”

“What’s more rock and roll than destroying Daddy’s priceless toy?”

I tilt my head, seeing his point.

Harvey turns back to me. “Addison, I’m so sorry,” he says.

“So am I,” I say.

“No, you did nothing wrong. I was the idiot. I acted like a jerk. And I’m really sorry I called you babe again. I know you don’t like that.”

I shrug a shoulder.

“There’s probably nothing I can do to make it up to you, but I want to try. I want...” He rolls his shoulders back, standing tall. “No matter where we go from here, I want you to know that I choose you. I’ll always choose you. No matter what, I am your friend. Your bandmate. Whatever you want us to be, I’ll be there because I’d rather have you in my life than without.”

I stand still, allowing the words to echo, each one taking hold somewhere deep within me.

In my silence, Harvey steps back, accepting my apparent, quiet rejection.

“Harvey,” I say, stopping him.

He looks up. “Yeah?”

“Was anything you just said memorized from some romance novel or something?” I ask.

He smiles. “No. It was all from me.”

I nod. “Good. But, uh... I can’t be friends with you, Harvey.”

His eyes twinge with hurt, but he keeps his shoulders taut. “Okay,” he says. “I get it. I’ll... I’ll just go.”

Harvey turns to leave.

“No, wait, Harvey,” I say, reaching for his arm. “I didn’t mean it like that. I—” I exhale. “Oh, screw it.”

I kiss him. I cup his face and I kiss him softly, hoping with every piece of me he kisses me back. He softens, his lips enveloping mine as I curl my arms around his neck and his hands come to rest on my lower back.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I really don’t know how to express these things.”

“No, no,” Harvey says, smiling. “I got your meaning.”

“I’m sorry, too,” I say. “I shouldn’t have?—”

Harvey kisses me, silencing me, letting our tongues do whatever negotiating still needs to be done. It doesn’t take long before the icy bitterness in my heart breaks apart, leaving a smoldering heat in its place; a fiery passion that spreads throughout my chest.

I push his jacket down his shoulders. As it falls to the floor, I drag my fingers down his chest toward his belt.

“Wait, wait,” he says, taking my wrists. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” I say, our lips touching as I slide his zipper down. “I want this. I want you. Here, now. And in my life.”

“You do?” he asks, his eyes filled with hope.

I nod. I smile, feeling the tears building in my eyes. “Also, there’s a good chance you’re about to spend the next twenty-five to life in prison, so…”

Harvey pales as he looks at the guitar. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

I wrap my arms around his neck again, holding him close. “I’m sure we’ll think of something,” I say before taking him with an even deeper kiss.

Harvey relaxes quickly, his hands traveling the length of my back before settling on my rear.

“Wait,” I say, squirming out of his embrace. “Hold on.”

He chuckles. “Getting mixed messages now.”

I laugh as I grab my phone off the charger by the bed. “I’m meeting the band for dinner in twenty minutes,” I say as I swipe to Jordan’s number. “Should probably tell them I won’t make it.”

Harvey hums pleasantly at the idea of having me all to himself for the night.

I place the phone to my ear, biting my lip at the delightful thought. As it rings, I hear Jordan’s ringtone through my other ear, soft and muffled... but close by.

“Hey, Addison,” she spits amid the sounds of whispers and shuffling bodies. “How’s it going? You, uh... you on your way down?”

I raise a brow at Harvey, who does the same at the door.

With rolling eyes, I cross the suite to the door and throw it open. As I do, Knox and Jonah stumble into the doorway, their bodyweights no longer supported by the door. Bronson shifts back a step, apparently having much better balance than the other two, while Jordan and Katrina hover around her phone.

“Hi, guys!” I say.

“Hey, Addison!”

“What’s up?”

“You’re looking hot tonight.”

“Oh, hey, it’s Harvey!”

“Harvey’s here? What?”

“What’s up, Moondog?”

Their voices blur together as I glance at Harvey over my shoulder. “So, I guess you heard all that, huh?” I ask them.

“What? No!” they say in various ways, denying it until I arch my brow again.

“Actually,” Knox says, “we kinda missed some of it.”

“Yeah,” Jonah says. “If you could repeat the bit about legacy again, that’d be great.”

I start closing the door. “Go away.”

“Wait, wait, wait—”Jonah blocks it with his hand. “So, are you two good now?” he asks. “Harvey’s back?”

I peek at Harvey over my shoulder, and he smiles in confirmation. “Yes,” I say. “Harvey is back. Now, go away.”

They push forward again, Knox sticking his head through the doorway. “Hold on, hold up,” he says. “What if we’re not ready to forgive him yet? Eh? You left us, too, Moondog!” he shouts over my shoulder.

The others grunt in agreement.

I shrug. “That’s just something you guys will have to work out amongst yourselves. Later,” I add. “He’s busy right now.”

Bronson slaps his thick hands on Jonah and Knox’s shoulders, effortlessly pulling them back out of the doorway.

“Okay, okay,” Knox says, standing back. “But I gotta ask first.” He makes eye contact with me, his eyes so serious. The eyes of a leader. “You good?”

“Yes,” I answer with a smile. “Everything is good.”

They all ease back, relieved. But still suspicious.

“Go to dinner,” I say, admiring their night on the town outfits. “Have some fun without me.”

“You’ll catch up later?” Katrina asks. “For drinks?”

“Uh, maybe,” I say noncommittally.

Jordan waves them on. “All right, let’s go,” she says. “Give them some privacy.”

They move on with a groan. I offer Jordan a bow of gratitude.

Bronson doesn’t budge, though. He stands tall by the door with his thick arms crossed over his chest, and he stays there.

“Thank you, Brony,” I say.

He looks over my shoulder with narrow eyes, lingering for another intimidating moment before he softens and steps back.

I mouth another silent thank you, giving my oldest friend a soft smile.

Bronson smiles back and mouths happy for you before spinning on his heels and following the others down the hall.

I close the door. I return to the bed with a smile, that familiar fiery urge returning as well as I look at Harvey.

“Guess I have to grovel for their approval now, too,” he says, sitting on the edge of the mattress.

I straddle him, humming softly. “I think you’re already well on your way at that,” I say as I curl my arms around him.

“You think so?”

I kiss him softly. “You’re one of us, Harvey,” I say. “Always have been.”

I shiver with delight as he puts his hands on me again. He holds me close as he kisses me, lulling me into a tender state before spinning us around. I gasp in surprise, my heart leaping while I settle softly against the pillows with Harvey balancing over me on his arms.

“Now,” he whispers seductively, his smile wicked, “I know you’ve already accepted my apology, but... you wouldn’t mind if I still got down on my knees and begged for a little while, would you?”

I bite my cheek, pretending to consider it. “Oh, I guess.”

He laughs and kisses me once. Then he lurches back, simultaneously hooking my knees and dragging me to the edge of the bed with him as he lowers himself to the floor. He looks at me with hungry, devious eyes as he unzips my pants and pulls them down, taking my panties down with them. Then he forces my legs apart, eager to show me just how sorry he is.

I purr beneath the teasing tickle of his tongue, counting the long moments until he finally parts my outer lips. My body curls, pleasure instantly dancing along my spine as I feel the length of his tongue inside of me, the hard push of his nose against my clit.

Moaning softly, his name on the tip of my tongue, I fight to catch my breath, my eyes flooding with happy tears. Time loses all meaning as I submit to him, gripping his thick hair and rolling my hips as climax pulses within reach. Harvey circles my clit, his tongue soft and loose, his fingers tracing my delicate slit. I quiver for it, mewling and begging for him to play me like he plays his guitar, to make me sing that sweet music all over again.

Hearing my begging moans, Harvey slides two fingers inside. I jolt with pleasure, my toes curling as he fucks me and sucks me in all the right ways. I’m not sure when my climax begins or ends, but when I finally catch my breath again, it feels like an hour has passed. Maybe two.

“Harvey,” I whisper, practically whimpering. I open my eyes to a darker room, the sun having set, leaving only the Nashville city lights through the windows. “Don’t stop.”

He chuckles, his cheek pressed against my inner thigh. “Shh,” he whispers. “I’m not going anywhere.”

His tongue finds my clit again and I cry out, unable to stop the flood of moisture from spilling out of me, covering his nose and cheeks. But he doesn’t stop. He keeps pleasuring me, keeps fucking me with his tongue while teasing my asshole with his fingertips. Triple sensations bring another orgasm, and I have to shove the corner of a pillow between my teeth to stop myself from screaming.

“Harvey,”I moan again, my teeth chattering. “Don’t?—”

This time, he pushes off the floor. He peels off his shirt and wipes his face dry with it before tossing it away. I reach for him, needing him, and he climbs onto the bed. I cup his handsome face, admiring him for a moment before pulling him down for a long and lingering kiss. A kiss I feel in the depths of my soul, in every crevice of my body.

“I need you,” I whisper.

We move together in the dark, shifting back to rest against the pillows together. I reach for his belt, feeling his hard erection against his zipper. I push his pants down, freeing him, feeling the hot shaft against my skin, and Harvey groans softly against my lips, his passion present on the tip of his tongue.

“We need that condom now,” I say. “Do you?—”

“Yeah.”

He reaches back, fumbling to get at his wallet in his back pocket.

I chuckle, watching as he retrieves the condom and puts it on.

“What?” he asks.

I grin. “Frat boys.”

Harvey laughs, quickly settling into position between my legs again.

I keep them spread for him, my body helplessly on fire as I feel his cock resting against my pussy. One swift move and he’ll be inside, but Harvey doesn’t go for it yet. Instead, he kisses me, deep and slow.

He caresses my tongue with his and he looks me in the eye as he whispers, “I love you.”

I smile, my reply on my lips. But he enters me before I can say it, filling me with one smooth and fast stroke. Desire taking over, I cling to him, my mouth smothered against his shoulder as he takes me. I couldn’t say the words even if I tried, but the sounds on my tongue, the moans of pleasure deep in my throat, should suffice for now.

I love you, Harvey Moon.

Someday soon, I’ll find a way to say it.

“Fuck,”Harvey growls.

Fuck,I love it when he says that.

I also love the way his fingers dig into my hips as I ride him. The way he subtly meets every roll of my hips, grinding his hard abs against my throbbing clit. I even love the way he squeezes my breasts and lets his head fall back in ecstasy, groaning my name as I squeeze him from the inside.

“I’m gonna come,” he whispers.

“Not yet,” I beg. “I’m so close.”

“Addison.”

“Harvey.”

“Fuck.”

“Fuck!”

I come with a near-violent shudder, my entire body tightening at once. Lightning spreads through me, waves of pleasure taking me as Harvey comes with me. I feel his cock inside, throbbing and spilling into the condom between us — the third or fourth one of the night. I’ve honestly lost count.

I feel it all as I roll my hips again, milking us both until I can’t take it anymore and collapse forward. Harvey catches me with both arms and gently brings me down to him. I rest against his chest, feeling and hearing his heart pounding inside.

“Fuck,” I say again.

“Yeah,” he says. “Fuck.”

“That was...”

“Fuck.”

“Exactly.”

“I mean, it was great the first time,” he says. “Then, the second time. But this time was?—”

“Fuck!”

We laugh, holding onto each other, never wanting to let go. As I breathe in the moment, Harvey kisses my forehead and sighs, his strong arms holding me tightly.

The morning sun bleeds through the windows, the sun just barely over the horizon. Gonna need a hefty dose of coffee to get through my day after last night, but I can’t say it wasn’t worth it.

Harvey’s back.

He’s made his choice.

“I’m glad you’re back,” I say.

“I’m glad to be back,” he says, a smile in his voice.

I look at him, my chin resting on his pec. “For the tour, too,” I say. “We need you. The Break the Rules Tour wouldn’t be the same without you, Harvey.”

Harvey pushes the hair out of my eyes. “Is that true?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I don’t know.” He hums softly. “Just something Tesla said.”

I frown. “When did you talk to Tesla?”

He hesitates for a second, then says, “At Dade’s.”

“The Electrics were there?” I grunt, realizing it. “Right. I guess their encore performance at the festival was more than enough to get his attention.”

“Goldie’s come-fuck-me eyes didn’t hurt, either.”

“Well… that’s that, I guess. With him in their corner, they’re going to be unstoppable.”

Harvey looks at me with love and sympathy as he gives my hand a squeeze. “You have me,” he says. “We’ll figure it out together.”

Yes, we will.

“So…” Harvey clears his throat. “What’s a star bus?”

I smile. “Something the band did for me last night. How’d you hear about it?”

“Tesla mentioned it.”

”Ugh, she’s awfully chatty.”

“What was it?”

I push up onto my elbows. “I wasn’t really feeling New Orleans this time,” I say. “I was kinda depressed because… you were gone.”

“I’m sorry,” Harvey says, his fingers caressing my hair. “I know how much you were looking forward to it.”

I nod. “The band noticed my mood and, after the show, we drove outside the city, sat on the roof of the bus with pillows and blankets, and watched the stars. It was a good time.”

“Sorry I missed that. It sounds awesome.”

“It was,” I say. “They called it the star bus.”

As I think it through, a shiver runs down my spine and my smile fades.

“How did Tesla know about it?” I ask.