More Than Music (32 page)

I don’t know how we made it back to my hotel room without burning the entire building down. We were kissing and pulling at each other’s clothes as soon as we got off the elevator, stumbling to my door and fumbling for the key to open it.

When the door shut, I tugged off his shirt and slid my hands along his chest, down his arms, kissing the VILLAIN tattoo and the dark and light triangles on his forearms. One day I’d ask him what all of his other tattoos meant, but later. We had time.

He let me explore him, like he sensed I needed to touch every inch of his body and mark him as my own. I removed his pants to worship his calves, his thighs, his hips, teasing my tongue along the dark hair trailing down his stomach, lower and lower. I tasted his entire body, kissing and licking and learning what drove him crazy, branding him with my mouth.

When he couldn’t take it anymore, he spun me around and unzipped my dress, removing the last of my clothes. He trailed kisses across my shoulders and down my back, all the way to the curve of my butt and then up again. He wrapped his arms around me from behind so we stood naked together, skin to skin, him hard and ready against me. In the mirror, I watched as his mouth caressed my neck and his hands cupped my breasts, and for the first time, I agreed with the fans: Jared and I
were
perfect for each other.

He pulled me onto the bed and kissed me until I was begging him for more. We broke apart for him to put on a condom, and then he was on top of me again, between my legs. He held my face and stared into my eyes.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you, too,” I gasped and clung to him as he stretched me, filled me, completed me.

For a minute, he rested his forehead against mine and held me, one body now instead of two. We moved together, slowly at first, savoring the feel of each other, but then picked up speed. I lifted my hips to meet his thrusts, digging my nails into his back. He ran his talented fingers down to that spot that drove me wild, playing my body like he played his guitar, and I swore I heard music.

I rolled us over so I was on top, and he grinned up at me. I grabbed his wrists to pull them above his head and ran my tongue along the lines of music tattooed around his arms. God, I loved his arms, whether they were holding a guitar or wrapped around me, and seeing them above his head like this, seeing him give himself over to me completely, made me even more excited.

I rolled my hips, sliding him in and out of me, the crescendo building as skin glided against skin. Our fingers entwined as we moved faster, the friction of our bodies lifting us higher, like an orchestra harmonizing and swelling just before the climax. He buried his face in my neck, his fingers tightening around mine.

“Maddie,” he moaned, and I knew he was close, too, and that sent me over the edge. I gasped his name against his skin, rocking against him, tightening around him, dragging us both into bliss.

I released him, and he wrapped me in his arms and held me close. We lay together, breathing heavily and slicked with sweat, but complete. Whole.

“Not okay?” he asked with his real smile I’d come to know so well.

“Not okay,” I agreed, tracing a finger along his lips. “I’m
much
better than okay.”

Even though the show was over, this was only the beginning for us. I didn't know what would happen with the band, but I knew we’d get through it. Because what we had together was more than music. It was love.

Thank you for reading MORE THAN MUSIC! I hope you enjoyed it. Please consider leaving a review on
Goodreads
or on the site you purchased it from. I appreciate all honest reviews. You can also lend this book to your friends. And check out the MORE THAN MUSIC playlist
on Spotify
or
watch on Youtube
!

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Coming soon!

MORE THAN EXES
: a prequel novella about Kyle and Alexis and the UCLA vs USC Battle of the Bands that started it all.

MORE THAN COMICS
: Hector's novella, set at Comic-Con!

T
hanks to my husband, Gary, who encouraged me to follow my dreams and gave me the freedom to make them happen. I truly couldn’t have done this without him.

Thanks to my mom, Gaylene, who bought me as many books as I wanted as a kid and always said I should write something romantic and fun. Thanks to my dad, Peter, for giving me his electric guitar long ago and for encouraging me to keep writing. And thanks to all of the Adams and Briggs families for supporting me and cheering for me.

A thousand thanks to the following authors who encouraged me to write this book and then helped make it much stronger: Rachel Searles, who taught me to a better writer and never let me give up (MELO!); Jessica Love, who graciously let me steal her concert stories (“Poor folk band! Where will they all sleep?”); Kathryn Rose, who knows all the guyliner references were for her; Stephanie Garber, whose never-ending enthusiasm always brightened my darkest days; Karen Akins, whose tireless cheering got me through the tough spots; and Dana Elmendorf, who came up with many of the band names in this book.

Many thanks to the following authors for their support, advice, and cheerleading: Cortney Pearson, Krista Van Dolzer, Susan Adrian, Amaris Glass, Jamie Grey, and Aileen Erin.

Thanks to my agent, Kate Schafer Testerman, who always believed in my books and said she was with me no matter which direction I went with my career.

Thanks to my cover designer, Najla Qamber, and my photographer, Lindee Robinson, for completely bringing Maddie and Jared to life.

Thanks to my copy editor, Rebecca Weston, for helping to make this book more professional.

To all the bands, musicians, and composers mentioned in this book (and many more I didn’t mention), thank you for inspiring me and helping me through the difficult times, with special thanks to Thirty Seconds To Mars.

To the bloggers who reviewed and helped promote this book, I owe you all a virtual glass of wine.

And finally, to everyone reading this book, thank you!

Elizabeth Briggs is a full-time geek who writes books for teens and adults. She plays the guitar, mentors at-risk teens, and volunteers with a dog rescue group. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and a pack of small, fluffy dogs.

Connect with Elizabeth online:

www.elizabethbriggs.net

Facebook.com/ElizabethBriggsAuthor

Twitter: @lizwrites

New Release Newsletter

To Gary, for ten years, and many more to come.

Copyright © 2014 by Elizabeth Briggs

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Where such permission is sufficient, the publisher grants the right to strip any DRM which may be applied to this work.

Cover Designed by Najla Qamber Designs
Model Photo by Lindee Robinson Photography

ISBN (ebook) 978-0-9915696-0-1
ISBN (paperback) 1499607997
ISBN-13 (paperback) 978-1499607994

www.elizabethbriggs.net