Gifted (Rockstar Christmas Romance) (Lost in Oblivion, 4.2) Read online

  Whimpering, she bit the arm of the sofa, trying to make them stop. It was too much. She couldn’t take any more. Her body was one big pulsating nerve, and he’d used her all up.

  Deliciously.

  “Bed, Li.” His voice reached her through the haze and she strained toward it, already craving his closeness again though he’d never left.

  She prayed he never would.

  She didn’t argue when he scooped her up in his arms. The restraints around her wrists were gone, but the light pressure remained at her neck. She smiled against his throat. He didn’t take off her pearls.

  Hers now. Just like he was.

  Cool sheets wrapped around her scalding-hot body, making her moan in relief. So nice. He chuckled against her hair and then his lips were on hers. He kissed her so fleetingly that by the time she’d summoned the energy to reach for him, he was already drawing away. But he didn’t go far. He shifted her so that she was on her side and he was behind her, his strong arm linked around her waist. Something was wedged under her hip, but she didn’t know what it was. It didn’t matter. The comfort of having him wrapped around her diminished any discomfort.

  When she came to, she heard soft, child-like voices in the background. She fought to open her ridiculously heavy eyelids, then just gave in to the exhaustion weighing down her limbs. For once, she didn’t have to struggle. She could just be.

  Then she realized what she was hearing. Where she was, and what had happened.

  A Christmas miracle, more than she’d ever dared to wish for.

  She inched her lids open and blinked at the twinkle of tiny lights directly across from the bed. It was a Charlie Brown tree, barely worthy of notice. But he’d wrapped the scrawny branches in lights and draped them in beautiful ornaments and somehow turned it into a lovely tree.

  “Charlie Brown,” she whispered, craning her neck to see the small TV on the squat dresser opposite the bed. The kids were doing the Christmas play, and Linus was dressed like a shepherd. Innocent Linus, who never stopped believing, no matter what. From pumpkin patches to school productions, he was always their north star.

  Just like Nick was for the band, even if he’d never give himself that much credit. He’d see them through this latest crisis. Arguing all the while most likely, but he’d never lose hope, not once.

  Because if he did, that would break them. He was Oblivion’s backbone.

  Now she had to find one of her own.

  She glanced over her shoulder, her lips curving. He’d fallen asleep, remote in hand. That he’d chosen this childhood classic to follow him into sleep was just one more reason she adored him. There was no point in denying it any longer, least of all to herself.

  Someday, if the moment was right, she might even tell him.

  Throwing off the sheet and moving away from him was like leaving behind the sun. His warmth had radiated into her bones, and she wouldn’t welcome the cold again. But somehow she gained her feet and picked up the clothes he’d considerately left for her on the bedside chair sometime during the wee hours of the night. She dressed and walked to the window, her breath tripping in her chest as she blinked at the plumes of white outside. It couldn’t be. There were miracles, and then there were impossibilities. If it didn’t rain in southern California, it definitely didn’t snow.

  She pressed a hand to the cool glass and blinked away the sleep. And smiled faintly at the fog snaking along the ground.

  Fog, not snow.

  Keep dreaming, Li.

  She dropped her forehead to the glass and swallowed the disappointment. There would be other Christmases with snow. Other times when her lover slept in bed while she watched the flakes come down from a steel-laden sky.

  She hoped that lover would be Nick. And that the next time they shared a Christmas, she wouldn’t have to sneak out like a thief to keep from giving in to the urge to just burrow in and stay.

  Faith would have to carry her through this next little while. Him too. She’d just play Santa before she left and leave him something to wake up to.

  She crept downstairs, beyond relieved that none of the rest of the band appeared to have awakened yet. She gathered up the big box she had for Nick, filled with the presents she and her mother had for him, and carted it back up the stairs to his room.

  Moments passed while she lingered at the foot of his bed, stroking the long length of pearls at her throat and watching his chest rise and fall. He snored softly, and even that made her smile. Only today. If she had to listen to it every night for the rest of her life, it probably wouldn’t be so cute.

  Maybe she’d get the chance to find out. Who was to say? Miracles happened all the time. She just had to have faith.

  No matter how difficult the road ahead was—and it would be, of that she had no doubt—

  she wouldn’t lose hope.

  She unearthed a piece of paper from his desk and pulled out the lipstick she’d tucked into her pocket. She slicked it over her lips before pressing her mouth to the paper, then wrote out a single word before placing the note on top of the gift she left at the foot of his bed.

  Believe.

  We hope you enjoyed this holiday story about the band Oblivion. But wait! Lila will need all the faith she can muster—and so will Nick—to get through FUSED, releasing February 2nd, 2016 and available for preorder now.

  If you’re new to the series and want to see what brought Nick and Lila and the band to this point, check out SHATTERED, available now.

  Or better yet, check out Oblivion’s roots in ROCKED, Deacon and Harper’s story, the bestselling book that started it all.

  They’re shattered…and he’s the only one who can fuse them back together.

  From the pinnacle of success to the depths of despair, the band Oblivion has been through it all. Now in the super hot conclusion to the Lost in Oblivion series, Nick Crandall, the lead guitarist and the one most likely to cause a band breakup, is the only one who can begin to put the pieces back together after the most catastrophic night of his life.

  His only choice is to fight hard for what—and who—he loves.

  And oh so dirty.

  FUSED Preorder

  Coming Feb 2016

  Lost in Oblivion Series

  USA Today Bestselling Rockstar Series

  ROCKED

  Love definitely wasn't on the setlist. On his first major tour, bassist Deacon McCoy falls hard for tour chef, Harper Pruitt. A magical tattoo scene, falling in love in a cop car, and summer storms will never be the same again. (more)

  ROCK, RATTLE & ROLL

  Deacon convinces Harper that they need a week alone together before her business as well as a new album and tour swallows them whole. (more)

  TWISTED

  He’s always saved her. Now she’s going to return the favor... Loving your best friend should be easy, except Gray Duffy waited too long to tell her. Now a pile of mistakes & demons are standing in his way. Jazz Edwards, the sweetest of all the members in Oblivion, has to show him he's worth the effort. (more)

  UNTWISTED

  Gray and Jazz are now the reigning prince and princess of rock. But as their private wedding ceremony approaches, they realize they can’t go forward without facing their roots. (more)

  DESTROYED

  Only one woman has ever refused him, and she’s the only one he wants. Super Slut has been his moniker for too many years to count, but Simon Kagan is learning that monogamy has its perks. Too bad Margo Reece is hellbent on letting her wild side free. He has to show her he’s all the wild she’ll ever need. (more)

  CONSUMED

  Simon and Margo came together in the midst of the single most terrifying thing a singer can experience. Can her love heal the spirit that’s been damaged in his fight to return to the stage? (more)

  SHATTERED

  He’s shattered, and she’s the only woman who can help him pick up the pieces. Nick Crandall’s default setting is deflect and stun. But the night his singular dream starts to slip away, he reaches
for the unattainable. Lila Shawcross has denied herself everything for too many years to count. Until the rude, and yet ridiculously sexy guitarist blasts through her defenses. And the word no is left shattered on the bedroom floor, the dining room table, the front entryway…(more)

  FUSED

  It only took one night for everything he ever wanted to be shattered…now Nick has a decision to make. To fight for what is his, no matter what it takes—or who gets hurt along the way. Or to turn away from all that he loves and start all over again. (more)

  Also by Cari & Taryn

  Lost In Oblivion

  the USA Today Bestselling Series

  SEDUCED (intro)

  ROCKED (book #1)

  ROCK, RATTLE & ROLL (book #1.5)

  TWISTED (book #2)

  UNTWISTED (book #2.5)

  DESTROYED (book #3)

  CONSUMED (book #3.5)

  COMMITTED (book #3.7)

  SHATTERED (book #4)

  * * *

  Coming soon

  FUSED (book #4.5)

  Outtakes

  COMMITTED (book #3.7)

  If you’d like more information about the series & extras, please visit www.rockerreads.com.

  About the Authors

  USA Today bestselling author Cari Quinn likes music and men, so she figured why not write about both? When she’s not writing, she's screaming at men’s college basketball games on TV, playing her music too loud or causing trouble. Sometimes simultaneously.

  USA Today bestselling author Taryn Elliott is obsessed with rock stars, men, and her unending playlists—maximizing these things seemed like a very good idea. When she’s not writing, she’s losing hours to hot men on TV, and/or a graphic design project. Multitasking is her middle name.

  They decided to combine forces and found that hey...this writing deal is even more awesome when you collaborate with your best friend.

  And so Lost in Oblivion was born.

  TarynCariBooks

  rockerreads.com

  [email protected]