Closer to You (Book One ✓)

S I X T E E N

As the guys take the stage, Jace hollers into the mic to excite the crowd and as he does, flames shoot from the front of the stage, almost twenty feet in the air. The crowd goes crazy, their cheers deafening even from the side stage. I watch and feel my own pulse quicken, excitement coursing through me.

Zach starts crashing on his drum set as Tyler strums a few cords on his bass. Finally, Beau begins to play his guitar and Jace's voice rises above it all. The first song is heavy and aggressive, with a chorus that begs the crowd to shout along. I nod my head to the music and even sing along, at least to the words I can understand.

MisFits transitions into their next song seamlessly, a radio hit that sends the girls crazy on the ground. They push to the front of the fence, slamming each other's bodies into the metal posts, reaching their hands up to the boys as far as they can. I grimace as Jace catches a hot pink bra and waves it in the air like some kind of trophy.

The song changes again and my eyes find Beau, so intensely focused on his music. As his fingers work the guitar strings, he bangs his head in time to the music, his long hair whipping back and forth and sticking to his face. Sweat covers his skin, the ink gleaming underneath the blinding stage lights. Something stirs deep inside me as I watch him, and I find myself glancing at the female fans practically devouring him with their eyes.

"What do you think?" Val shouts next to me and I jump, uncertain when she joined me in the first place.

"They're great," I admit while dancing to another song.

Val nods, "They put on a good show, as long as everyone behaves." My eyes follow hers and land on Beau, and as I continue watching him, I can't bring myself to imagine him messing one of their shows up. Not with how intense he looks now, never missing a single note. Somehow, he still looks so... in his element up there. Would he really be so stupid as to mess this up?

Val and I continue to cheer on the guys, and I find myself relaxing with her, laughing and throwing my head back to belt out MisFits lyrics. Part way through their set, Beau pauses for a split second, peels his dark t-shirt from his body and flings it into the crowd. The women shriek and fight for the shirt while Beau picks right back up in the song, his larger back and chest tattoos on full display.

Val giggles beside me, "Earth to Emma?" I reluctantly tear my eyes from Beau's chiseled torso and to my friend. "I said, they've got a few more songs left and then we get into the backstage pass holder party..."

In my mind, I hear the faint rumblings of Val explaining the rest of the evening to me, but I can't focus on what the words mean. Instead, my attention is fully on Beau - the muscles in his arms flexing while he plays, his ripped jeans that hang low on his hips, the quick rising and falling of his chest as he puts all his energy into the show. "Ladies and gentleman, Beau Lewis!" Jace shouts into the mic and the spotlight finds Beau. The guys tone down their instruments as Beau rips through his guitar solo, a fast paced and intense piece that leaves him breathless as Jace introduces Zach on the drums and then Tyler on bass.

By the time the set wraps up, I'm nearly high on adrenaline. The show was insane, full of fire tricks and impressive showmanship. The guys walk off the stage and I'm somehow pushed to the back of the crowd of people all needing to speak to them. Spotting Beau's damp, spiky head above the crowd pushes me forward as I shove through the bodies and find my way to him.

Once our eyes lock, I feel the adrenaline coursing through me as my heartbeat becomes the only thing I can hear over all of the voices. I rush the remainder of the distance to him and fling my arms around his neck. His mouth meets mine hungrily, his tongue pushing through my lips as mine does the same. His fingers grip my waist tightly as I lock my fingers in his hair, needing to be closer to him in every way.