Beyond The Music (The Rock Gods Book 7) (40 page)

A firm slap on the back had Lincoln stepping away from Aaron. Spumoni waited there with open arms for his friend. “You did it,” Spumoni said into Lincoln’s neck. “I’m glad you came clean. This isn’t a big deal and wanting to keep it a secret only served to give it more importance than it deserved.”

“You’re right about that, Spumoni,” Lincoln said. “I should have listened to you from the beginning and told the guys about it.”

“Water under the bridge, my friend.” Spumoni smiled. “What’s important now is that we do know and we can all help you.”

Dagger and the guys embraced Lincoln, too, and soon it was back to business as usual. Some went in search of food, while others disappeared to their dressing rooms to warm-up. Lincoln’s gaze floated back to Aaron and they shared a smile.

“So, I guess that’s that,” Lincoln said.

“No looking back,” Aaron added. “You plowed through that with dignity and grace. Now we move forward and don’t give it another thought.”

“Easy for you to say,” Lincoln countered.

They began to walk down the hall loosely holding hands until they slipped into Lincoln’s dressing room. Lincoln locked the door behind them and leaned against it for a minute. “I hope I never have to go through a press conference like that again,” he commented.

Aaron joined him at the door and gently brushed the hair off his forehead and away from the bandage. “How’s your head?” Aaron asked.

“Fine,” Lincoln said.

“Headache?”

“Minimal,” Lincoln answered.

“We can probably take off the outer bandage and just keep the smaller strip that’s underneath this one, if you want,” Aaron suggested.

“That’d be okay,” Lincoln replied. “Less obvious.”

Aaron walked into the small bathroom and washed and dried his hands. Lincoln followed him and stood in the doorway while Aaron worked at the adhesive at the edges of the white gauze. Being this close to Aaron made Lincoln somehow feel lighter. God, he loved Aaron; loved the way he made him feel, and the man he was when Aaron was with him.

“Are you sure you’re good to perform tonight?” Aaron asked.

“I have to,” Lincoln replied.

“That’s not the yes or no answer I wanted to hear, Linc,” Aaron said. “If you perform tonight you do so for yourself and not out of some kind of obligation you feel for your band or the fans.”

“I get it, Aaron. I do,” Lincoln said, “but tonight is about me proving to myself that I
can
do this job. What happens after this I don’t know, and I won’t make any guarantees, but I really don’t want to think that far ahead.”

“We’re not thinking any farther out than tonight,” Aaron replied. “One day and one night at a time. That’s it.”

“Agreed,” Lincoln said. He tugged Aaron against his chest and kissed him. He chuckled when he felt Aaron’s cock respond to him and his hands dropped to Aaron’s gorgeous ass and squeezed. “Are you sore?”

Aaron tipped his head back to meet Lincoln’s gaze. “A little bit,” he answered. “I can definitely tell you were in there.”

Lincoln nipped at Aaron’s lips. “I really loved being inside you,” Lincoln whispered. “Did it feel good for you?”

“I think you already know the answer to that question,” Aaron said. “But, since you’re so shameless to want to know, I’ll tell you again and stroke your ego a little more. It was the best sex I’ve ever had, by far. Hands down. Does that stroke you enough?”

Lincoln gently squeezed Aaron’s jawline in his hand. “For me, too,” Lincoln said softly and kissed Aaron’s bristly chin. “But for me it was more. First time its ever felt like I was making love and it wasn’t just about the sex.”

“Yeah, for me too, Lincoln,” Aaron agreed. “I think that’s why it was so intense. There was a lot of emotion that went along with the act itself.”

Lincoln ground himself into Aaron’s groin. “I can’t wait to do it again.”

“Well, I think for right now you should be warming-up,” Aaron said.

“I thought that’s what I was doing.” Lincoln’s grin was pure mischief.

“Warming-up on your bass, not warming up your dick.”

“Buzz kill,” Lincoln said with a fake frown and moved off the door. He grabbed his bass and began running through chords to loosen up his fingers.

“I swear I’ll never get sick of watching you play,” Aaron said in a breathy tone that sounded like a sigh.

“Does it turn you on?” Lincoln teased.

“What do you think?” Aaron laughed.

“I think I’m going to get lucky after the show,” Lincoln commented. “After watching me play an entire set you should be good and fired up.”

“We’ll see how enthusiastic you are after the show,” Aaron said.

“After we finish with the show tonight we’ll make a stop back at the hotel to pack up our shit, then we’re driving through the night to Paris,” Lincoln said.

“We’re not flying?”

Lincoln shook his head. “We voted a while ago and everyone thought it would be more comfortable to sleep on the bus versus a plane or a train. We’ll make pit stops along the way to eat and whatnot.”

“So we’ll be sleeping on the bus?” Aaron questioned.

“Yep, just you and me in a tight bunk bed with all the other guys crammed into their bunks around us,” Lincoln answered. “Dagger and Ryan typically take the bed in the back, but maybe tonight he’ll let us use the bed.”

“Sounds like fun,” Aaron grinned. “I’ve never slept on a tour bus.”

“Oh, you’re in for a real treat,” Lincoln replied.

Chapter Thirty

Lincoln stood behind the stage area with Aaron and his guitar tech. Oddly, he was less nervous tonight than he was last night. Maybe it was because in his mind the worst had already happened at the previous show when he’d fallen on stage and cut his head open in front of thousands. There was also the fact everyone now knew his medical issues, so any odd movements he did on stage tonight wouldn’t be open for speculation. They’d chalk it up to the MS and forget about it.

Lincoln was pleased Dagger hadn’t gone crazy with changes to the set to accommodate him. There’d be no laser light shows, which Lincoln was thrilled to know, and all the tripping hazards and the equipment obstacles had also been removed around Lincoln’s area.

Lincoln waited until Aaron was distracted with something then leaned closer to Rex, his guitar tech. “Have my acoustic guitar ready later on in the show,” Lincoln said to Rex. “I’ve got something special planned.”

“Sounds good,” Rex said and walked off to grab the guitar Lincoln wanted to play.

Five minutes later the guys in Black Ice were once again taking the ramp up to the stage to perform at Wembley Stadium. Lincoln adjusted his sunglasses into place and followed behind Dagger. Aaron kissed him at the top behind the curtains and wished him luck and Lincoln walked out to take his place. It was all exactly like the night before. He checked the floor for the white safety tape and aligned himself accordingly, then glanced over at Aaron to offer him the thumbs up sign. Ashton began his bass drum beat that Lincoln jumped on and the curtain dropped in front of them again and the roar of the enormous sea of people washed over them.

Lincoln closed his eyes and smiled. This was what he was born to do. He was certain of it with every fiber of his being. Dagger sang his ass off and danced his way over to Lincoln’s side to check on him. They’d exchange secretive nods to let Dagger know Lincoln was okay, and Dagger would float back to center stage. The lights were subdued, more dramatic this time around which was a relief to Lincoln.

Before Lincoln noticed, they were halfway through their set and he still felt great. His balance was good and his fingers were doing a near perfect job of keeping up with the music. About forty-five minutes into their show, Dagger took a break out in front to say hello to the audience. Dagger was a ham for reaching out to his fans and this was the safe way to do it, with a formidable line of security standing shoulder to shoulder in front of the stage.

Dagger talked about this being the launch of the tour and how excited they all were to be here at Wembley to kick it all off. During Dagger’s chat, Lincoln carefully made his way to the front of the stage and stood beside Dagger. A wide smile lit up Dagger’s face when he noticed Lincoln. He threw and arm around Lincoln’s shoulders and kissed the side of his sweaty head.

“See who’s back with us tonight and playing his ass off?” Dagger teased the crowd. “A little bump on the head won’t stop this guy.” Another roar erupted from the audience and now Lincoln was smiling, too.

Lincoln covered up the microphone head and leaned in to Dagger’s ear. “I want to do a song on my acoustic.”

“With all of us?” Dagger whispered back.

Lincoln shook his head. “No, solo,” Lincoln replied. “Give me ten minutes and you guys can go take a break or something. Okay?”

Dagger studied Lincoln’s eyes for a moment then said, “Are you sure?”

“Positive,” Lincoln assured him. “I really need to do this.”

“Okay, then the stage is yours.” Dagger faced the crowd again and lifted the microphone to his mouth. “It seems our Lincoln has a surprise for us tonight, so while he’s busy entertaining you, we’re gonna take a quick break.”

Lincoln turned toward his tech and signaled for him to bring out his acoustic guitar. Rex hurried out with Lincoln’s favorite Gibson acoustic guitar in one hand and a wooden stool in the other. He arranged the stool and adjusted a microphone for Lincoln, then removed the 1960 Fender Precision Bass from Lincoln’s neck and handed over the Gibson. Lincoln thanked Rex and took a minute to settle himself on the stool with one foot resting on the rungs while the other foot balanced him on the stage.

“Everyone having a good time tonight?” Lincoln asked into the microphone. Lincoln laughed at the whistles and screams that followed that question, then ran the pick over the strings of his prized instrument. He had made a lot of magic with the guitar draped over his lap and tonight he hoped to make a little more.

“I want to share a song with you that I wrote yesterday,” Lincoln explained. “Sometimes the inspiration can hit quick like that and when it does, those are the songs that usually turn out to be hits. I’m hoping that will be the case with this one because this comes straight from my heart.” Lincoln wrapped his fingers around the fret board and took a deep breath. “The title of this song is ‘My Love Is Real.’”

Breathe you in.

I don’t fear your love.

It’s a sweet surrender.

A peaceful state of bliss that I won’t fight.

You took me there; no one but you.

Made me feel your strength; your insight,

and I felt loved.

Take me in,

into your body and soul.

Let me give you my love.

Show you it’s real.

We’ll fall together, in this tight embrace.

It’ll be a softer landing when we’re

lying face to face.

Living out a fantasy.

That’s all become so true.

You made who I am today.

So much stronger because of you.

Wrap me in your love and hold me ‘til dawn.

I’ll lie with you forever.

I’ll be your only one.

Lincoln sang the song with everything he had inside of him. His voice cracked with emotion a couple of times over certain words, but overall he nailed it. He even ventured a few brief glances to the side of the stage and held Aaron’s gaze until the sentiment threatened to wash over him and he had to look away. After he strummed the last chord, he waited for the crowd to quiet down before he leaned into the microphone again.

“This afternoon I came clean about a health issue I’ve been struggling with, but I didn’t give thanks to the man who’s helped me through this and gave me back my life,” Lincoln explained. “I wrote that song for him and if it’s okay with you, I’d like to bring him out here and introduce him properly.”

A thunderous rumble rose from the audience and Lincoln’s eyes went to Aaron. He smiled when he saw the frantic look on Aaron’s face and his hand gestures of refusal. “Come on out here with me, Aaron Baylor,” Lincoln requested. “I want the world to know you’re mine.”

The crowd began a chant that grew louder with each passing second. Lincoln motioned to Aaron again and finally Aaron began a slow walk out to center stage. When he reached Lincoln, Lincoln pushed his guitar behind his back, wrapped his arms around Aaron’s waist and planted a hard kiss right on his lips.

“What are you doing?” Aaron laughed in between kisses.

“Claiming you in front of thousands,” Lincoln said and bit at Aaron’s bottom lip.

“I can’t believe you’re doing this,” Aaron said. “The song was more than enough.”

Lincoln squeezed Aaron’s ass and faced the audience. “This man stole my heart and gave me back my life,” Lincoln said seriously. “I owe him everything.”

Dagger, Dante, and Ashton returned to the stage and took their places. Lincoln offered Aaron one last kiss before watching him walk back behind the curtains. Rex was back to switch out guitars again and also took the stool.