Reverse (The Bittersweet Symphony Duet, #2)

by Kate Stewart

“I’m not claiming shit. That’s a fact. I grew up in a whirlwind of notes, tuned by melody, shaped by lyrics. My parents’ obsession with music and their love for it was the seed that I stemmed from. There hasn’t been a day of my life where I haven’t been entangled in the purity of some sort of melody, either someone else’s or my own. Music is as necessary for me as the air I breathe.”

Easton Crowne <3

“Kiss my ass,” I sass back. In a sudden move, he stands, grips my shoulders, and tilts my body before his gaze dips. “What the hell are you doing?” I ask, craning my neck over my shoulder. He playfully rakes his lower lip, his brows lifting. “Seeing if you have enough ass to kiss.”

Eastonnnnnn lmfaoooo

“The truth is, ordinary humans are capable of doing extraordinary things every single day without living extraordinary, extra lives. It’s the art, the creativity that sets them apart, not what they fucking eat for breakfast or who they’re fucking. Let them have their eggs in peace.”

Preach

“I want you to remember this moment. Right here, right now, just you and me in a fucking SUV, taking a drive to nowhere.” He looks at me pointedly. “Promise me you’ll remember this.”

Oh man, this is gonna hurt

“No, how do you like your eggs?” I jab in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Runnnnnyyyyy :'(

“You just fucking fell out of the sky, didn’t you?”

easton crowne wtf

“I’ve got you, Natalie,” he assures softly before gassing the truck. A minute later, a light melody drifts through the speakers, the lyrics wrapping around my heart in solace. Even as he keeps his eyes on the road, I feel his gentle, soothing caress from feet away.

Easton out here acting like his daddy

“Women aren’t a sport for me,” he says, bracing his forearms on the table and leans in, his whisper loaded, “so I fuck because it feels good.”

Yes sir

“I’m also thinking you’ve never been properly kissed, fucked, or loved and that you caught a glimpse of something you want for yourself.”

Tell her Mr. Crowne

It’s then I feel the totality of the warm embrace Stella described when she first arrived in Seattle. That and the knowledge I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be and with the right person—even if I don’t understand or have the crystal clarity of why. He pulls me into his side as we stroll along the edge of the water, my head resting on his chest before we get lost in our footfalls.

Oh Natalie, you're his Stella

Using our clasped hands, he jerks me flush to him, his breath hitting my ear a second before his heated declaration. “If you weren’t so determined to keep me out of your bed, I’d be fucking the breath out of you right now, Natalie.” I let out a shaky exhale as his erection brushes against me. “In my mind, I’ve already sunk inside you a thousand times.”

EASTONNNNNNUUUUHHHHH

He cups my face, running his thumb along my creased brow before lowering it to slide it across my bottom lip. “At least now I don’t have to wonder what your mouth tastes like.”

As smooth as his damn daddy

Every part of me wants to grip her in my hands, dominate her with a kiss, unwrap her, taste her, and fuck her so thoroughly that words become unnecessary. But, I know she can feel it and stated as much last night.

Do it

Though it’s true that a certain amount of the population isn’t as affected by music as others, it’s most definitely not the case for her. She’s just not aware of how necessary it is for her as she should be. “It could be as much of a tool for you as your keyboard. It has the power to draw everything out of you that you can’t fully grasp on your own. For you, it’s fuel, trust me,” I tell her.

Preach it Easton

Everything she’s drawing from me feels imprisoned. If I’m unable to act on any of it, I at least want to relay to her what she’s making me feel, and it’s through borrowed words I’m doing it, which keeps us both relatively safe. That is until she makes safe impossible when she whispers my name, shattering my patience as I will time to slow—to fucking stop, altogether.

Eastonnnnn

Unable to keep from touching her a second longer, I glance around to make sure we’re alone for the moment, then glide my knuckles appreciatively down her cheek. In the next breath, I’m exhaling a groan into her parted lips as she grips the back of my neck, clutching my hair, clutching me to bring me closer. Because we’re kissing.

Gahhhhh finallyyyyy

What he’s offering me comes a shitty second to what I would rather be doing right now. At this point, I’d settle for watching her watch the world around us or watching her watch me.

Easton you sweet boy

“That’s the thing, Beauty. With me, you rarely have to say a word.” “You keep calling me that.” “Yeah, well, it’s a large part of the reason I drove to Austin to collect the girl I met. Because that’s all I see when she reveals herself to me.” He runs a gentle thumb across my lower lip. “Raw. Fucking. Beauty.”

Stop it right now crowne

Simply put, she’s just fucking more.

<3

“I can’t fall for you, Easton,” she whispers hoarsely. “I’ll lose everything I’ve worked for…my whole life is in Austin, my future.” “You’re already mine,” I declare, knowing that’s the truth for us both.

Yes sir

So, what is this? This is my way of getting rid of what doubts I can control because this thing, this thing between us, to me, is worth the fucking effort.” Another step. “Intelligent men don’t let life-changing women pass them by without trying to grasp onto them with both hands. I don’t need endless months to figure out you’re that woman for me. I’m not most men, Natalie. I know exactly what I don’t want, and it’s everything outside of that door. What I do want is standing in front of me, and the idea of letting her walk away from me a second time is fucking eating me alive.”

Eastonnnnnnnuuuuhhhhhh

“You want to talk about I can’t? How about I can’t fuck you again and watch you walk away from me, again. Once was plenty.” He stops the hand I’m using to stroke him and flattens my palm against his stomach before sliding it up to rest over where his pounding heart lays. “I want more for myself, and I want to give you so much fucking more. So, think of what you’re asking me because I know exactly what I’m asking of you,” his voice cracks with emotion. “This is me fighting dirty for us both, so please just admit it so I can give you the best parts of me, because I want every fucking part of you.”

Gahhh Eastonnnn

“That you want to be kissed, fucked, and loved properly, and you want me to be the one to do it.”

What goes around comes back around

“I want you to remember this moment, right now, right here, just you and me in a fucking SUV, taking a drive to nowhere. Promise me you’ll remember this.” “It’s just us,” I whisper, entranced, gazing back at him as he captivates me wholly. Steadily pulling me closer and closer to him, despite the distance between us. I don’t feel an inch now, and I’ve never in my life felt anything like it—this intimacy, this feeling of belonging to someone so completely.

Best feeling in the world

but for me, he was first a man who reached in with a gentle soul and discovered some of my veiled truths before forcing me to acknowledge parts of who I am—and what I want. A man who made me feel important at a time when I questioned my direction and everything else I thought I knew. A man who has since freed me to be that woman, all the while addicting me to new needs. Needs he himself sparked and created before gifting me with the type of love I dreamed of. The love I hoped to experience for myself.

My Christopher <3

This love story is ours and ours alone.

“You know what my father calls my mother?” “Grenade.” “Yeah. That’s his pet name for her. Because that’s the way he saw her when they met. A ball of destruction.” “Are you saying—” “Oh, hell yes, you are. That’s what you are for me. Charging into my life wearing a dozen mismatched sweaters, pissed off about the fact that you hadn’t been properly loved, kissed, or fucked.” “I said no such thing.” “You didn’t have to,” he murmurs.

I told you!!

“I always wondered why I never gave too much of myself away to anyone in a personal capacity and felt more comfortable in isolation. Sometimes it would worry me. Like maybe I was lacking some basic human need…until I met you.” His confession lingers between us as my eyes begin to water. “I’ve also never shared a comfortable silence with anyone but my parents—until you. I’ve never felt as seen, known, or understood as I have with you.” He swallows before his lips twist ironically. “Who would have thought I would find so much comfort in who I am with—a Texas fireball full of opposition who disguised herself as a journalist.”

Damn it Easton

“Thinking back now,” he continues, “I think I knew you existed and was waiting.” He kisses me soundly and pulls away. “My wife,” his tone full of wonder. “You found me.”

Stop it right now

“Take another threatening step toward my son, Butler, and I’ll fucking end you.” The entirety of the room fills with a dangerous air as the three of us collectively turn toward the front door of the villa, and all eyes land on Reid Crowne.

MOTHER FUCKERRRR

“Congratulations, Daddy. The paper is all yours.”

Girl go get your husband

“Are you…you come…for…to see me?”

Bitch yous furked uppp

“He’s my supernova, the only star in my sky, and oh…how he shines. Every time I look at him, my insides light fire, and I am every bit a moth to his flame. But I don’t care if I burn because…because I would rather burn with him in any capacity, than exist safely anywhere else without him.”

My heart cannot

I beam up at him. “He said he would really like to meet the man I fell in love with in Seattle.”

Nate freaking butler