She was so happy, so carefree that night. A powerhouse of wit who kept me on my toes and was begging for my cock by the end of the night. Such a stark difference to the woman I saw today.
A weight sinks in my chest and realization dawns on me, clearer than ever: I miss her fire.
I miss her bratty mouth and the way she challenged me. Hell, I miss the way she got under my skin and made me question my sanity. I miss it all.
Selfishly, I want it back, even if it’s just for a little while.
But what can I do?
I open my browser and begin to search things absentmindedly, my thoughts consumed by Joseline.
Chapter 27
Joseline
The swaddled bundle in my arms squirms as I look around the unfamiliar dressing room, and I rock back and forth on the leather couch to soothe it. I can just make out a little curl of dark hair among the blankets.
“Your mommy will be back soon,” I say softly, gently bouncing the baby like I’ve done countless times before.
I have no idea where Niki went—probably to the bathroom—but Rhage is about to take the stage. Not that it’s anything new, but we always watch their performances together. It’s become a concert ritual for us.
The blanket squirms a little more, refusing to settle.
“You’re probably hungry,” I whisper, continuing to rock. I pat the blanket in time with mymovements.
When that doesn’t work, I start humming a lullaby I used to sing as a child, and that seems to do the trick.
Finally.
“Joseline?”
I whip my head around at my name, but I’m completely alone. Unless it was the baby who spoke, I must be hearing things.
“Joseline.”
Something brushes over my arm, swipes across my cheek. As soon as I realize it's not part of my dream, my eyes snap open. I gasp when I find Tobias’ masked face a foot from mine, his golden eyes glaring at me with their usual intensity.
Quickly gaining my senses, I frantically look around the bus for anything amiss, but all the lights are still off.
“Come with me,” Tobias says softly, getting to his feet. He offers me his hand to help me up.
I think about telling him to fuck off and going back to sleep. I don't really care about whatever he has to say. But in my sleepy state, I stand and slip on my shoes before following behind him. He doesn't say a word until we're outside and the door is closed; then, he promptly lets go of my hand.
It’s still dark outside, stars twinkling in the clear sky overhead. The sky straight ahead has started to lighten a tiny bit, almost indiscernibly, but morning clearly isn’t far off.
What fucking time is it?I rub the sleep from my eyes.
“This better be important,” I grumble.
He stands there, golden eyes watching me throughthe holes in his mask, arms crossed over his chest. “You should go back to your hotel.”
I blink at him as the words slowly process. “You're fucking joking right?” Heat flushes my skin. “You woke me up from a perfectly peaceful dream to tell me to get lost? Was that audacity on sale? Because I’d like to stock up.”
If he was closer, I'd slap him, but I decide he's not worth the effort.
“I didn't mean it like that.” His voice is dry as ever. “You’ve been here for almost two weeks, and you’ve barely eaten or slept.”
Has it been that long already?
