Assured (Soul Serenade #2) (15 page)

“You sure you don’t want to come with us?” Kacen asks for the third time in the last half hour.

“I’m sure. Stacy and I are going to go over the rest of today’s schedule.” He finally agrees, kisses her, and the guys are off.

“Dish!” Logan says as soon as the bus door closes.

I laugh at her giddiness for the scoop. “Not much to dish. He wants to sleep with me, and I keep telling him no.”

“That’s it?” She sounds sad.

“In a nutshell. We hung out before I made my decision to accept the job, which you know. Then yesterday and last night, we hung out pretty much most of the time.”

“Kacen said it’s not like the three of them to not want to go out. Usually, they’re out strolling for female companions.”

“Yeah, not sure what’s up with that. Tristan and Gavin both seem to be preoccupied with their phones lately.”

“I know Gavin is spending more time with the label, learning the ropes and whatnot. They’re thinking of opening their own label someday.”

I nod. “Cole mentioned that.”

“I guess they’ve been talking about it more recently. Kacen is afraid that once the baby gets here, I won’t want to travel with him. I told him we might need our own bus, but it’s possible. I wouldn’t want to do a year-long tour, but a few months at a time with a break might not be that bad of an idea.”

“I’m sure it won’t be easy, but if anyone can do it, it’s the two of you.”

Logan smiles. “So, admit it, it’s killing you to keep telling him no.”

Leave it to my bestie to get straight to the point. “I might have maybe had a fantasy or two,” I admit sheepishly.

“I knew it! It’s the hair, right?”

“It
is
nice to hold onto when he’s kissing me.”
Shit!

“What? When? Why the hell am I just now finding out about this?”

Ugh! Me and my big mouth.
I spend the next twenty minutes giving her the basics of what’s been going on with us the past several months.

“He’s different with you,” she tells me once I’ve given her an edited version. Some things I just want for me.

“He’s chasing me. He’s realized he has to change his game. He knows I’m not going to fall for his regular bullshit. The ‘It’ll be good between us’ cheesy-ass lines.”

Logan throws her head back in laughter. “True, but it’s more than that. I just have this feeling.”

“It’s the pregnancy hormones.”

For some reason, we both find this funny. My theory is that it’s because she is deliriously happy and living life with the man she loves, starting a family. Laughter is happiness.

The radio interview lasted four hours. There was a last-minute change, so we were on the early morning show and then the four of us recorded a Hot Thirty weekend countdown. This was sprung on us when we got there. Apparently, Brian Wilson, who is our label CEO, said it would be no big deal. He’s always doing stupid shit like that. If it weren’t for Jones, we would have left a long time ago; he’s a kick-ass manager, even though his boss is a dick.

We had to go straight from the station to sound check, so we grabbed a quick bite to eat in the dressing room and then spent the last three hours doing sound check. The four of us are kind of perfectionists; we want to make sure our fans get their money’s worth every show.

I haven’t seen Stacy since this morning, and I have no idea if she’s pissed off at me for what happened. It’s still hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that I actually care if she is. Another first.

“Where the hell are they?” Kacen paces back and forth in our dressing room. We take the stage in twenty minutes, and the girls are still not here. Kacen sent two of the appointed bodyguards to the bus to escort them here.

“It’s been what, ten minutes?” Tristan asks.

The door opens and the ladies in question walk in smiling and laughing. Stacy is wearing black jeans that look like she was poured into them and high-heeled boots. Her silver sweater shimmers in the light. Her hair is pulled to the side, exposing her slender neck.

I shove my hands in my pockets to keep from reaching out for her. She stands just inside the door, looking unsure.

“Look at you.” Gavin leans in and kisses her cheek. “Ready for the action?”

“This your first time being behind the scenes at a concert?” Tristan asks, giving her a one-armed hug.

I hate that their hands are on her.

“It is.” Her emerald eyes light up. “I’m excited.”

“It’s a rush.” Gavin grins.

“I want the two of you to stay together. There will be a guard with you, and you’ll be sitting stage-side,” Kacen explains.

Excitement runs through me. I love the thrill of the crowd, the lights, the screaming fans. It’s a rush, and I’m excited for both of them to get to see it firsthand. See that yes, we may be a group of goofy guys, but we take music seriously. We are damn fine musicians, if I do say so myself.

“Got it,” they reply in unison. Then they break out in laughter, and if I didn’t know better, I would think they were both a little tipsy.

“Knock, knock.” Jones slowly opens our door. “You ready to rock?” He’s asked us this before every show since the first.

“Always,” the four us respond. This causes the girls to giggle again. I admit it’s rather infectious, their excitement.

“You’re on in five.” He leaves, Cassidy trailing behind him.

“I’ll meet up with you,” Gavin says as he runs after them.

Tristan opens the door, and the rest of us pile out. Kacen and Logan are huddled close together; I know he’s doing it to keep the press from hounding her.

Reaching out, I pull Stacy to my side. “Stay close. Those fuckers are vultures.” I motion with my head to the swarm of press we have to pass in order to get backstage. We all hate it, but it’s a necessary evil in this business.

Stacy doesn’t hesitate as she wraps her arm around my waist and buries her head in my chest. This makes me grin—me, the guy who’s always avoided this type of situation, grins at the idea that I can protect her from them. Any other girl and I would let her fend for herself. Not Stacy.

We make it through the crowd and lead the girls to their seats, side-stage. She’s still in my arms, even though there’s no longer a need, not here on stage. Leaning down, I place my lips next to her ear. “How about a kiss for luck?”

She surprises me when she says, “You really think you need it?”

I chuckle as I nuzzle her neck. “The luck? No, we got this. To taste your lips? Most definitely.”

“Cole.” She breathes my name and it’s sexy as fuck.

I’m playing with fire, knowing Kace and Logan are standing beside us, but I can’t seem to find any fucks to give right now. I turn her so we’re facing each other, my arms wrapped around her. She looks over at our friends, and I take a step back behind the thick black curtain, out of their line of sight. I don’t wait for her to give me permission, just place my lips against hers. I take my time tasting her, enjoying the feel of her in my arms.

This is another new experience for me. I never bring girls behind the scenes to watch the show—none of us do. It’s always after-show hookups, kind of like an unwritten rule or something.

I slow the kiss, hating that it has to end. She looks up at me with those emerald eyes of hers, full of lust and . . . happiness. Standing on tiptoes, she whispers in my ear, “Good luck, Cole.”

And just like that, she’s on the other side of the curtain, leaving me dazed and captivated—completely fucking captivated—by her charm.

Taking a deep breath, I get my shit together and walk around the curtain. Kacen and the guys are already on stage. I walk past Stacy and smack her on the ass, then keep walking as though nothing happened. No one saw the kiss, but all the fucking roadies saw that; all eyes are glued on the two beautiful women, and they need to know she’s off-limits.

Fuck! I need to get my head in the game. It’s a packed crowd tonight, and we always deliver 110 percent.

We killed it! That’s all I can say. The crowd was energetic and the entire show fucking rocked. Stacy seemed to be having a great time as well, and I admit it was nice to be able to turn my head and see her. The two of them never moved once from the spots side-stage. Every time I looked over—which, I admit, was more often than I should have—they were dancing and singing along.

Kacen bids the crowd a final good night and the lights go down. Even in the darkness, I head straight toward her, needing to taste those lips again. I couldn’t give a fuck who sees me do it.

As I make my way over, I hear both of them cheering. My pulse quickens. It’s a fucking rush like no other to know she enjoyed the show—not just because she wants my cock, but because she really enjoyed it.

“EEEKKK!” is all I hear as her body slams into mine. I catch her as she jumps into my arms. “That was amazing! You guys killed it.”

Her face is lit up, her hair wild from dancing, her emerald eyes shimmering with excitement. I tighten my hold on her ass, and her legs squeeze tight around my waist. Satisfied that she’s not going to fall, I kiss her. No, I fucking
devour
her.

My tongue slips past her lips and she immediately opens for me. I kiss her like my life depends on it. She moans and it fuels me as I squeeze her ass tighter and rub her against my hard cock. This girl, that’s what she does to me. Just saying her name has my cock standing at attention.

Much to my disappointment, she pulls away, her lips swollen from mine. Slowly, she releases the grip her legs have on my waist and slides down my body, taking a step back. I’m reaching for her when Tristan picks her up and spins her around. He places a chaste kiss on her lips and sets her back on her feet.

“What did you think?” he asks.

I reach out and grab her hand, pulling her to my side; thankfully, she doesn’t protest. Not fond of punching one of my best friends, a guy I claim as my brother, but that kiss. . . . Yeah, I could punch his ass right now.

“You guys rocked,” she happily praises him.

“They did, didn’t they?” Logan says as she and Kacen join us.

“It’s a fucking rush,” Gavin chimes in.

I fight the urge to tell them all to fuck off so I can disappear with her. She pulls out of my hold, which pisses me off because she’s now hugging Gavin, then Kacen. I get it; she’s congratulating them, but dammit, she just had her tight little body wrapped around mine.

I miss her heat.

How fucked up is that? I’m losing my fucking mind over this girl.

“Now what?” she asks.

“Now, we shower,” Gavin says, throwing his arm over her shoulder. I watch as he rubs his wet hair against her cheek.

I take a step toward them when Tristan’s arm lands on my stomach, holding me back.

“Tonight, we’re done. Some nights, we have meet-and-greets after the show, even radio or television interviews. Tonight, however, we’re done,” Kacen explains.

Stacy makes eye contact with me. Once she has my attention, she makes a show of lifting Gavin’s arm from her shoulder and stepping next to Logan. I relax, as does Tristan.

“Are you all hungry? I can call and have food delivered to the bus. They do that type of thing, right?” she asks.