Purgatory: Heaven Sent Extended Remix: Book Two Read online

  PURGATORY

  Heaven Sent Extended Remix: Book Two

  by Jet Mykles

  Copyright © 2019 Jet Mykles

  All rights reserved.

  Originally edited by Raven McKnight

  Cover art by PL Nunn

  Author’s website: www.jetmykles.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  To all the fans of Heaven Sent. I was only able to do this because you love the boys. I’m eternally grateful. Most especially to Kris Jacen. You kept me honest through the whole series and beyond and I thank you for that.

  Note from Author

  Like a mother shouldn’t have a favorite child, an author shouldn’t have a favorite character. But I’m a bad mother because I do. It’s Luc. He’s one of two characters in my entire brood who are my absolute favorites. He’s just it for me so it’s always been fun for me to write Reese, who gets to experience all that is Luc. That said, I was afraid to write from Luc’s head. While I love him dearly, I wasn’t sure I could portray his thought process. I knew the basics of why he did what he did, but I didn’t know the exact words that occurred for him to explain himself to himself.

  But I managed to find words for Johnnie and I’m pleased that Luc was nice to me and filled my head with his inner dialogue. Maybe this will help those who thought Luc a supreme asshole for what he did and understand the whys of it.

  As with the remix of Heaven, I’ve smoothed out some things. Do you believe that even though I knew the timeline and knew we were at the end of May, I had Reese working every day at what should have been the end of the school year? Blindness on my part. Also, I thought it was a seven year gap between the prologue and present day but it was really only four years (thank you Aeon Timeline! If you’re a writer, look it up. Totally worth it.) Other changes were small, and I managed to add roughly 25,000 words to the story.

  Again, I hope you think the changes are worth it.

  If you’re new to Heaven Sent, I hope you enjoy the boys. If you’re already a friend who’s revisiting my own little fantasy rock world, I hope you like the remix. Thank you so much for taking the journey with me.

  — Jet Mykles

  Prologue

  Four years ago…

  Reese stared at the peeling greenish yellow paint on the door, afraid to knock, fingers clutching the brown cardboard box propped against his belly. Inside something jingled but he didn’t know what it was because it wasn’t his stuff. Maybe he shouldn’t be here. How would Luc take his presence? Would he be mad? It had only been a week since his breakup with Reegan. Should Reese have given it more time before coming to visit his sister’s ex? Except, no, he was Luc’s friend too, wasn’t he? Of course he was! No, gah! Luc barely knew he was alive.

  Before he could either gather up enough courage to knock, or turn tail and escape down the rickety stairs, the door opened.

  Reese’s breath caught at the amazing sight of Lucas Sloane in baggy forest green sweatpants and nothing else. The late afternoon sunlight set off the loose auburn curls that tumbled over Luc’s shoulders, almost making it seem as though it was afire. Sable eyes peered at Reese from under half-mast lids and sooty lashes. Acres of creamy skin over hard, lean muscle with only a light dusting here and there of deep red-brown hair. Broad shoulders tapered down to a flat belly that ended in that oh-so-sexy V created by sharp hipbones. A feast for the eyes, Reese’s at least.

  He leaned on the doorframe, arm up high, stretching those sleek muscles just like a waking cat. “You gonna stand out there all day?”

  “Y-you knew I was here?” Damn it, his voice squeaked like a pre-teen’s.

  “I heard you come up the stairs.” He pointed at the box in Reese’s hands. “That for me?”

  Reese nodded, holding it up and out. “From Reegan.”

  “My stuff?”

  Again, Reese nodded.

  Luc grimaced, pushing back from the door. “Fine. Whatever.”

  He reached out, and his hand brushed Reese’s as he snatched up the box. He turned halfway and tossed it onto the ratty, overstuffed chair that stood just inside the doorway. The folded top came loose and a stuffed dog with a bell on its collar bounced out onto the floor. “Is that all?”

  Reese’s gaze dropped down to his Converse shoes, and he buried his fists in the pockets of his jeans. “I … It’s just … I-I’m sorry about you and Reegan, but—” He looked up, needing to see Luc’s reaction. Cowardice had him peeking through the hang of his purple-dyed bangs. “—we’re still friends, aren’t we?” Please say yes. Oh God, please say yes.

  Those nearly black eyes studied him thoughtfully. “Reegan doesn’t mind?”

  Reese shook his head. He wasn’t lying either. She’d done the breaking up and she was done. He believed her, which was a lot of the reason behind his visit. She might not want Luc in her life anymore, but Reese couldn’t live without him.

  Luc sighed, combing a long-fingered hand through his hair. “Of course not. I’m the one with no feelings.” He stepped back into the apartment, leaving the door open. “Yeah, sure, Reese. We’re still friends. You wanna come in?”

  Reese couldn’t help his grin. “A-are you sure?”

  Luc waved him in, sauntering farther inside, those sweats dangerously close to slipping from his hips. “Your sister broke up with me. It's got nothing to do with you.”

  “Right!” Reese was of two minds over his Reegan’s breakup with Luc. On one hand, she was his sister, his twin and his best friend. He was protective of her and supported her decisions. If she said that her relationship with Luc was one-sided and shallow, so be it. On the other hand, Reese was profoundly glad that they were no longer an item. Brief as it was, their relationship had been painful for Reese. He didn’t want the bass player seeing anyone but…

  Best to stop that line of thought before he got himself all riled up.

  Luc left the door open and headed into the little kitchenette, a tiny box of a space just big enough for a refrigerator, sink, stacked oven and microwave and an eensy amount of counter space. “You want a beer?”

  “Sure.” Reese followed him in, glancing around as he closed the door.

  He’d been there before, a few times, but always with Reegan or a bunch of others. The living room was the typical bachelor pad of two musicians. Luc and Brent lived in an apartment above Purgatory, the small nightclub where Heaven Sent was the house band. They worked other jobs at the club as well and being close at hand for their boss to call on lowered their rent. The sparse, secondhand furniture of the main room was all crowded into half of the area, with the rest cleared for mountains of musical equipment. Darien’s drum kit was set up. One of Luc’s two bass guitars sat in a stand to the side. Brent’s guitars were nowhere to be seen but Reese knew those precious babies were safe in the guitarist’s closet, hidden from view. Amplifiers were scattered around and a computer desk was cluttered with two monitors, another keyboard and a few things Reese had no clue what to call but knew they had something to do with music software.

  “Brent home?” Reese asked, stopping himself before he drifted any closer to Luc. His body felt a natural tug to the man and he often had to consciously curb it before he did something stupid like tuck himself under one of those toned
, strong arms to plaster himself against Luc’s side. Yeah, it was like that.

  “No.” Luc, of course, had no clue. He was used to the attention. Perhaps not everyone was quite as obsessive as Reese, but nearly everyone felt his pull. “He’s staying at his mom’s tonight. They got family in town.”

  Luc emerged from the tiny kitchenette with a cold bottle of beer. “Here.”

  Reese accepted the opened bottle and sipped as he watched Luc drop onto the hard, uncomfortable couch, a reject from the club downstairs. Brent’s mom had provided the dark brown sofa cover and re-covered cushions that gave some protection from what might have been left of the sofa’s past. With one bare foot, Luc shoved a small mound of clothing to the floor. “Have a seat.” He tucked himself into one corner, half lying half sitting.

  Reese took him up on the offer, trying to quell the tingle in his belly as he eased down in the opposite corner of the couch. Be cool. Luc’s size meant that his bent knee was almost brushing Reese’s thigh. It had to be Reese’s active imagination that he could feel the heat off him.

  When Reegan had broken up with Luc, it had finally dawned on Reese. He’d finally identified his feelings. He was in love with Luc. He wanted to date Luc. He wanted to kiss and fuck and anything Luc would allow. Reese had experimented a bit with other guys, going to a few clubs out of town where no one knew him. He hadn’t had any bad experiences, per se, but touching and kissing other guys had just driven home to him that what he really wanted was to lick every nook and crevice of Luc’s long, lean body. He wanted those talented fingers on him, those gorgeous lips on his skin and he wanted every inch of what Luc had to give inside his oh-so-willing body.

  Of course, the problem was that, as far as Reese had seen, Luc only dated women. Reese really wished that the bass player was just a little bit more like the lead singer of their band, Heaven Sent. It was common knowledge among those who knew him that Johnnie was open to sleeping with men or women. He liked both, just so long as they were pretty. While Reese didn’t want Luc to be the slut Johnnie was, he did wish that he knew if the bass player was at all into men. So far, Reese didn’t think so. He’d never seen Luc with a guy. But then, neither had Luc expressed disgust when Johnnie talked about being with men and he’d always been nice to the openly gay guys Reese had seen him talk to. So maybe he was open to it and had just never met a guy he wanted to fool around with. There was only one way to find out — ask.

  But that took courage that had, so far, eluded Reese.

  He was here, though, and that was something to be savored. “Hey, I didn’t get a chance to say congratulations.”

  Luc stared at the baseball game on the television. “You heard.” A small smile curved those luscious lips. “Pretty cool, huh?”

  “Pretty cool?” Reese turned to face him on the couch. “Fuck that! You guys are on your way. A major record deal!”

  Luc shrugged, always so blasé. “We haven’t signed anything yet.”

  “But you’re going to, right?”

  “Garth’s lawyers are going over the contracts.” He shook his head. “This is scary as hell, man.”

  “But you guys deserve it. Heaven Sent rocks!” Reese reached over to squeeze Luc’s thigh and got momentarily distracted by the hard warmth of muscle. But his excitement for the band was genuine. “This is it, man!”

  Luc nodded. His smile faded.

  “What’s the matter?”

  Luc shrugged. “I don’t know. Just feels kind of… empty.”

  “Why?”

  Another shrug.

  “It’s not Reegan, is it? ’Cause she’s happy for you. It’s just that…”

  Luc waved his hand, then set it back down on his bare chest. “Yeah, I know. It’s not Reegan. Not really. She’s right. We weren’t right for each other. But… it woulda been nice to have a girlfriend to celebrate with.”

  Reese’s heart sank, but he struggled to hide it. He couldn’t help but put his hand on Luc’s knee, craving the contact. “Hey. Soon you’ll have thousands of girls falling at your feet.” He said it even though the thought made him slightly nauseous.

  Luc chuckled. “Yeah.”

  “You will. You know it. You guys already draw tons of girls to Purgatory. Hell, you draw guys, too.”

  That drew a laugh. “That’s because of Johnnie.”

  “Nah. Well, yeah, but you’re all gorgeous… I mean, you’re all amazing.” Reese looked away, sipping his beer. His nerves were getting the better of him.

  “Thanks, man.” Luc twisted around to put his feet on the cheap, fake-wood coffee table. It made more room for Reese, not that he wanted it. “Hey, wasn’t your hair red last week?”

  Reese laughed, back on familiar territory with Luc and so very pleased that the bass player had noticed anything at all about him. “Yeah.” He tugged at one purple curl in the middle of his forehead. “I wanted to go back to the blue, but it ended up kind of purple. New dye.”

  Luc chuckled, like he knew what Reese was talking about. Reese didn’t think he’d ever dyed his hair, not that he needed to. Anyone with half a lick of fashion sense would kill for that gorgeous red.

  For the next few hours they sat there and watched baseball, drinking beer and joking. At one point, Luc went down to Purgatory to retrieve another twelve pack. Reese loved it, seeing the gesture as a sign that Luc really did enjoy his company. At least as friends. And why not? He could talk with Luc. They laughed at most of the same jokes and watched the same things on television.

  And Luc would be leaving soon! Onward and upward to fame and glory.

  That little tidbit of information hung over Reese’s head. If he didn’t act soon, if he didn’t tell Luc how he felt, he would lose his chance forever. He had no doubt that the record deal would take Heaven Sent where they belonged — to the top of the music business food chain. They’d certainly move away because, duh, there’s no way they’d stay in Woodley. If he spoke up, he could possibly be with the man he loved. If he never said anything, Luc would go away and Reese might never know if they could have had something together.

  Night had fallen and talk had died down in favor of watching an awful movie on Netflix. Reese glanced out the window at the dingy yellow streetlight that lit the night. All was quiet below since Purgatory was dark on Mondays. He'd have to leave before too long. Nervous, Reese got up to fetch another beer, only to find that there were no more. Had they drunk the entire second pack? That must be why he felt a bit muzzy. Frowning, he went back to the main room to tell Luc, then he completely forgot the lack of beer in favor of the beautiful sight before him.

  The bass player was sprawled on the couch, wedged into the corner between the back and the arm. Loose red hair spread over the arm of the drab brown slip cover, with more spilling over his bare shoulder and the arm he had bent behind his head. The dim lamp on Reese's side of the couch made his pale skin kind of gold. His eyes were closed, dark lashes concealing the sparkling black of his eyes. His lush lips hung open a bit, the tip of his tongue just visible. Long fingers splayed over his smoothly muscled belly. One knee was bent and resting against the back of the couch while the other dangled over the front. And… Reese stared. That couldn’t be a half-hard cock inside those sweats, could it?

  He sank onto one knee on the couch facing Luc. His eyes fastened on the bulge framed by Luc's thighs. Even though the baggy sweatpants hid it, that had to be at least a partial erection. He’d seen Luc almost naked once when he’d been backstage and the band was changing after a set. Luc had been pulling on his underwear. Reese had seen his firm ass, but was at the wrong angle to see the size of his dick.

  Reese so wanted to see it.

  He didn’t know how long he stared. He’d had enough to drink that his thoughts were not quite working properly. He knew that his own cock was starting to push against the inside of his jeans. He put a hand over it in a weak attempt to soothe it.

  Not sure why, he suddenly looked up.

  Luc’s eyes were open and staring at him f
rom underneath half-shut lids. He hadn’t moved anywhere else.

  Reese stared, dumbfounded. He was well and truly caught. There was no doubt what he had been staring at. Certainly not while palming his own cock.

  “Luc…”

  The redhead just continued to stare, expressionless, unmoving.

  Reese couldn’t stand it. Summoning courage, he grabbed the back of the couch and hauled himself toward Luc. He stopped when his knees just brushed Luc’s butt under his spread legs.

  Luc’s only reaction was to open his eyes fully.

  Reese leaned forward, then hesitated, hovering over the body he wanted so badly to touch. It was like holding himself over a steady fire. He licked his lips, staring into glittering black eyes. “Luc, I…” He swallowed, waiting for Luc to say something. Do something. Either push him away or grab him and pull him down. Why did he just stare?

  Daring, Reese splayed a hand on Luc’s chest. Was the man’s heart racing, or was Reese feeling his own pulse through his palm? He leaned in closer. “I…” Unable to think of words, afraid to mention “love,” he took a chance and placed his lips in on Luc’s.

  Warm. Soft. Reese didn’t even mind that there was no response because he was too shocked that he was actually kissing Luc. Eager, he parted his lips enough to suck in that bottom lip he’d been dying to taste for so long. Delicious!

  “Luc,” he moaned softly, crowding closer to the body he craved. He brought one hand up to cup Luc’s jaw, delighted by the stubble that scratched his palms. He tilted his head and pressed into the kiss.

  Luc’s lips opened. His tongue prodded tentatively forward.

  A soft whimper escaped the back of Reese’s throat. Gladly, he opened for his obsession and sucked in Luc’s tongue.

  The kiss was marvelous. Glorious. Reese lost himself in it for a long time, just tasting and exploring. But his knee finally protested the strange position it was in. He slid it off the couch, which had the delightful effect of dropping his crotch down to press with Luc’s. Erection to erection.