Over the Hills and Far Away (NOLA's Own #1) Read Online Free Page A

was thrilled to be spending three filthy days with us. We were all camping at the concert grounds in a huge tent Alys’s parents lent us.
    Lili told her dad that we were going to an all-girls virginity pledge retreat.
    “He seriously bought that steaming pile of shit for a story?” I asked, laughing.
    “He’s desperate to believe that I’m still innocent. If he wants to spend his life with his head buried in the Sands of Bullshit, then let him,” she replied dryly.
    Music filled in all the spaces, even in between the cracks of mud and filth coating our skin. The sweet plumes mingled in with the rank body odor all around. It was worth it, every crusty bit, just to listen to the gods inhabit human form, so we could worship at the altar of the stage.
    By the third day, we all had some serious body funk going on. Tired, achy, sore, we were just chilling next to the third stage, which we called The Crap Stage, designated for local bands fresh out of their parents’ garages. These bands are usually awful, and for the most part, we don’t bother spending any time there. But it was close to our tent, and we needed some airing out before the main stage bands got started later on in the afternoon.
    “Feeling better?” I asked Alys as she and Connor showed up.
    She’d had a headache, and she had gone to lie down in the tent for about an hour. Connor had tagged along to make sure she was safe since Mike had shown no interest in doing so.
    “Much better. Thanks,” she replied, taking a seat next to me, shifting and wincing a bit.
    “It’s probably too much sunlight,” I said.
    She nodded and chugged some water.
    I wasn’t paying much attention to what was going on up on the stage as equipment was being swapped out for the next band. But then , he came out.
    My first thought was, Holy shit, he’s huge!
    My second thought was, Hot damn, he’s beautiful!
    Then, he opened his mouth, and I didn’t really think at all after that.
    I fell in love, and I fell hard. I had never heard a voice so deep and powerful. The way he screamed and roared was pure audio magic. It messed with my head and made my insides feel like rich molten goodness. It made me feel…safe. It filled me with a courageous sense of strength and power, and I knew that it was all him, his own raw energy.
    He was fearless, comfortable with himself and in his own body. He was unafraid to show the world who he was, what he thought, how he felt. He was who he was, and if you didn’t like it, you could fuck off.
    That sort of attitude was exactly how I’d wanted to feel my whole life.
    Jaime realized I was attracted to the giant singer and felt the need to remind me that he was my boyfriend. He wrapped his arms around me from behind, showing a possessive quality that he rarely unleashed. He’d never been the jealous type, but in the face of me falling hard in crush over this man on the stage, I thought he felt threatened.
    Right in that moment, I knew that I would never spend the rest of my life with Jaime. I was going to be the Dark God of the Universe’s woman—somehow, someway. It was ridiculous, but I fantasized about it all the same. So, I let Jaime play out his odd territorial game and simply leaned into his embrace.
    The rest of the band was just as impressive. They couldn’t have been much older than us. They were maybe eighteen or nineteen years old. The drummer was absolutely phenomenal, and I was blown away by the talent in him. And the blond hottie of a guitarist with no shirt on, looking golden from head to toe, had limitless potential in him.
    I felt for the bassist though but not talent-wise. No, the poor man was even more ginger than my Da and Connor. I could see his eyebrows flaming on his forehead from this far away. Alys was totally checking him out. She had a hardcore weakness for redheads.
    After the first few songs, a crowd gathered, well-impressed with the music coming from The Crap Stage. A mosh pit formed, and that was it. The band