Free THE BIGGEST STAGE (A Brothers of Rock - WILLOW SON - novel) by Karolyn James Page A

” Tessa whispered.
    Just as fast as Tessa climbed on
top of him, she climbed off. Colby hated the feel and sight of it. He then
hurried to stand up. Tessa did the same, too. Colby felt his back all grainy
with the sticky sand. He grabbed his shirt and used it to wipe his hands off.
    He then grabbed Tessa ’ s waist and pulled her close
again. He then turned her around so she was facing the water too.
    “ Walk, ” he whispered, as his lips
touched her ear.
    They walked down to the edge of the
water. Right where the water barely covered their feet.
    “ Tell
me something about yourself, ” Colby said. “ Then something
you think you know about me. ”
    “ I
don ’ t want to ruin the
night, ” Tessa said.
    “ Then
don ’ t. Trust me. ”
    Colby slid his right hand down the
front of Tessa ’ s body. He
flirted with her dress again, pulling it up so he could touch her bare, sexy
leg. He couldn ’ t get enough
of touching her. Of being near her. And, hell, he actually wanted to know
something about her.
    “ My
life is … just there. I take
care of my two sisters. Our father left when we were young and my mother passed
away when I was just nineteen. That left me to take care of my sisters. They ’ re grown up now, but they can ’ t take care of themselves. I
think that ’ s half the
reason I keep traveling. My job keeps distance. And sometimes distance is a
good thing. ”
    Colby brushed his lips to Tessa ’ s cheek. “ I ’ m
sorry you lost your mother. That seems cruel. ”
    “ Maybe
it is, ” Tessa said. “ But I can ’ t dwell on it, can I? I can ’ t change things. I can ’ t go back in time or forward in time. I can just be
here. ”
    Colby ’ s
left hand, holding Tessa ’ s
waist, gripped tighter.
    Where has this one been my
entire life?
    “ Tell
me something about me, ” Colby said.
    “ Well,
I know you punched that guy in the mouth, ” Tessa said. She looked back at Colby. “ But
I don ’ t … why? Wasn ’ t he supposed to help you? ”
    “ Yeah, ” Colby said. “ He ’ s
interested in signing the band. But you know what, pretty eyes? I don ’ t do what anyone says to do.
Ever. I ’ m not going to be
pushed around as a man or a musician. Plus, he made a real shitty comment to
me. Hurt my feelings. ”
    “ You
can have your feelings hurt? ” Tessa asked.
    “ My
feelings were hurt when I saw that hotel room empty, ” Colby said. “ You
were gone. I thought I lost you forever. ”
    Tessa reached back and slid her
fingers through Colby ’ s wet
hair.
    “ You
don ’ t do anything anyone
says to do? Ever? ”
    “ Ever. ”
    “ I ’ m breaking that rule right now
then, ” Tessa flirted.
    “ How
so? ”
    She moved up and gently kissed
Colby ’ s lips. Those pretty
amber eyes shined so beautifully against the soft moonlight. But there was a
fire behind them. A wild fire. The kind that kept Colby right there, waiting
for the next move.
    “ Colby … I want you to touch me. Right
here. Right now. And don ’ t
stop …”
     
    **
     
    The words poured from a deep and
sexy place inside Tessa ’ s
body. She never did this kind of thing. This was the stuff of fantasy. Easier
to think and dream about than actually have happen.
    Colby was so different though. Not
just the rockstar and famous thing either. He had a darkness and pain in his
eyes that attracted Tessa.
    “ Sorry,
pretty eyes, but that doesn't count, ” Colby said.
    “ What? ”
    “ You
don ’ t get to tell me what
to do either. ”
    Tessa felt her body shivering. She
was aching for Colby in a way she hadn ’ t
felt maybe ever.
    “ I …”
    “ Listen, ” Colby growled. “ I ’ m
going to take care of you tonight, Tessa. So whatever you just tried to tell me
to do … it was already
planned on happening. Nobody tells me what to do. ”
    Tessa felt her knees slowly buckle.
She leaned hard into Colby. She was completely his in the moment and it felt
good to be like that.
    Looking down, she watched as