by J. Nathan
“Hey, Brie,” Trey called.
I pulled in a sharp breath, then turned to find him by the food table.
“You want something to eat?”
My eyes widened. Was he talking about food or him? My eyes jumped nervously around, but no one paid him or me any attention, except Aubrey who smirked. “I’m fine,” I assured him.
He smirked. “Yes, you are.”
Again, my eyes flashed around. They locked on Cam’s. His narrowed, as if he couldn’t figure out why Trey was acting so odd.
I spotted BJ by the door and hurried over to him. “What time are we heading out?” Our next stop was France which I couldn’t wait to visit, especially if it meant spending time there with Trey.
“Soon.”
“I’m gonna head onto the bus. Get cleaned up before you get on,” I said.
He nodded.
I glanced back, hoping to catch Trey’s eyes to say goodbye, but he was in the middle on an animated discussion with Marcus. I’d text him later.
I left the building and stepped onto the bus, ready for the overnight trip to France. I brushed my teeth and changed into black shorts and a pink tank top. I tried to keep covered up while BJ and I shared a space. He’d given me the back bedroom for this leg of the trip, but we’d been good about switching every other country. Because no matter how cozy they tried to make them, those aisle bunk beds were uncomfortable.
I grabbed my phone and slipped under the comforter, wanting to keep my mind off a certain drummer who was consuming my every thought. Two more missed calls from my father appeared on my screen. He hadn’t left voicemails. Good thing. I hadn’t listened to any of the others anyway. This distance from him had been good. Him being able to barge into my office and make demands of me whenever he saw fit wasn’t healthy. Being able to ignore his calls had been therapeutic. I dismissed the calls and opened the book I’d been reading.
A chapter into it, I heard the bus door slide open and footsteps move toward my room. BJ knew when the door was closed to respect my privacy. But he knocked on my door.
I sat up. “What’s up?”
He said nothing.
“BJ?”
The door handle turned and the door pushed open. Trey stood there in low hanging basketball shorts and a sleeveless navy T-shirt. His eyes assessed me sitting in bed. “You’re all ready for me, I see.”
“What are you doing here?”
He stepped inside my small space and closed the door behind him. “I wanted to see you. And I have something for you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of M&M’s.
My eyes rounded as he handed them to me. “How’d you know?”
He sat down on the edge of the bed. “I pay attention.”
“Thank you.” I tore into the bag and poured a handful into my hand, picking out some of the red and yellow ones and popping them into my mouth.
Trey held out his hand and I poured some into his palm.
“My mom always ate them,” I explained. “She said nothing could be wrong if you had chocolate.”
“That explains your love of chocolate at any hour.”
I laughed. “Where’s BJ?”
“With the guys.”
The bus lurched.
“Wait. He’s riding to France with the guys?”
Trey nodded. “You okay with that?”
“Of course. But what did you tell them?”
He shrugged. “Just said we had unfinished business. No one questioned that.”
“Do we have unfinished business?”
He lifted his hand and traced the pad of his thumb along my bottom lip. “Yup.”
Ripples rolled through my belly. “So, you’re staying with me all night?”
“All night long,” he assured me. “What shall we do?”
I chuckled, having a few ideas of my own.
He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine, sending tingles spreading down to my toes. He pulled back and stared at me. “You looked jealous at the meet and greet.”
“For the last time, I don’t get jealous.”
“Bullshit.”
“Nope.”
“So, you’re saying, if I let those girls put their hands all over me, kiss me even, you wouldn’t be upset.”
“Do you want me to be jealous?” I asked.
“I want you to be naked.”
I laughed. That was Trey. Never serious for very long. That was one of his most endearing qualities. “You first.”
He howled his delight as he stood from the bed and began to tug off his shirt.
“Wait.”
He stopped, his eyes narrowed.
I climbed out from under the comforter and stepped in front of him. “Let me do it.”
“By all means.” He dropped his hands to his sides.
Over his T-shirt, I pressed my hands to his chest. His eyes dropped to my hands as they drifted slowly down his chest, reveling in the feel of him beneath the fabric. His muscles underneath were as solid as they looked on stage as he pounded away at the drums. I stopped at the hem of his shirt, dipping my fingertips underneath and tugging it up. He lifted his arms so the shirt slipped effortlessly over his head and off his arms. His eyes followed my hand as I tossed it aside.
My hands returned to his shoulders, slowly drifting down his biceps and tracing the intricate tattoos on his left arm with my fingertips. From the music notes to the drumsticks over the piano keys and around the wings of the eagles, my fingertips explored them all.
I shamelessly breathed in his just-showered scent as my fingers drifted back to his bare chest, coasted down his torso, and dipped into every ridge of his washboard abs.
“Enjoying yourself?” he asked.
I nodded as my fingers stopped on the waist of his shorts.
“What’s your next move?”
My fingertips slipped under the elastic waistband.
He sucked in a sharp breath.
God, I loved that sound. I grabbed hold of the waist and tugged the shorts down his legs. He stepped out of them, leaving them on the floor.
I stared at him standing naked in front of me, drinking in every inch of his body.
“Now what?”
“I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
His low chuckle sent crazy vibrations through my nerve endings. “Then I think it’s my turn.” Trey grasped hold of my shoulders and turned me away from him. His chest pressed to my back as his lips settled beneath my right ear sending shivers down my spine. He peppered my neck and collarbone with open-mouth kisses as his big calloused drummer hands slipped under my tank top. His thumb circled my belly button ring before his fingertips traveled across my stomach.
His hands drifted up slowly, cupping my breasts. He pinched my nipples, sending a powerful jolt between my thighs. My breathing became labored, the sensations weakening my knees. He released my nipples and dragged his thumbs around them in mind-blowing circles, the path of his thumbs mimicking his tongue ring’s movement the previous night. The mere thought, mixed with his fingers on me, brought on waves of pleasure.
“Take off your shorts,” he said.
He didn’t release my breasts, continuing his glorious torture as I pushed down my shorts.
“Hold on a sec,” he said. Only then did he release me to grab a foil packet from his shorts on the floor. I didn’t move as I heard the tear of the packet cut through the quiet space. I could feel him roll on the condom behind me before his hands grasped the hem of my tank top and pulled it up and off me. His hands returned to my breasts, pinching my nipples for good measure. I gasped.
He turned us so he could sit on the bed, pulling me down gently so I straddled him. “Sit down on me.”
I shifted my ass until I felt his erection pressing against me. Nope. Not that hole. I shifted again until I easily sank down to the hilt on his lap, taking him all in.
We’d never been face to face like this. Never this close—this exposed. And I liked it. I rocked my hips, moving back an
d forth slowly.
He leaned forward and kissed me hard, his tongue pushing inside my mouth for a long breathtaking kiss. He pulled away, burying in his mouth in the crook of my neck and assaulting my skin with open-mouth kisses that made my eyes cross. He reached up and his fingers rolled my nipples in a steady torture.
I moved faster, back and forth, finding my rhythm.
“God. Just like that,” he said.
I tried sinking deeper as I moved my hips. I loved being in control. Loved controlling his pleasure. His hands moved up and he cupped my cheeks, yanking my mouth back to his. His tongue pushed back inside and tangled with mine as both of us jockeyed for control—the irony of our entire relationship not lost on me.
Needing to catch his breath, Trey eventually pulled back. He gazed into my eyes as we both gasped for air. “Crawl onto the bed.”
I didn’t question it. I lifted my hips and Trey pulled out of me. I crawled onto the bed on all fours facing away from him, anxious for whatever he had in mind.
He stood from the bed, seemingly standing behind me and not joining me on the bed. I held my breath, listening for his next move. He grabbed hold of my hips and pulled my ass to the edge of the bed. I felt the heat of his body move behind me, and he thrust into me from behind.
My back arched as my hands fought to keep me steady. His thrusts were powerful. My fingers clawed at the comforter, holding on for support as he thrust in and out of me. My knees began to tremble as he hit my g-spot over and over again from that angle. My eyes squeezed shut as I tried to prolong it. But I was close. Very close. Given Trey’s grunts, he was too. A stir of tingles began between my legs, and I couldn’t hold off any longer. One more thrust and a wave of tremors shot through my body, numbing every one of my nerve endings. Trey continued thrusting into me faster and harder. It didn’t take long. He released a long satisfied growl and stilled inside me. Neither of us said a word. There was no reason. Trey lowered me down to the bed and covered my back with his sweaty body, breathing heavy behind me.
This was our second night together—a record in Trey’s life. And that alone spoke volumes.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Brielle
I awoke sprawled across Trey’s chest, savoring the feel of his body beneath mine. The soft purr of his breathing, mixed with the bus tires moving over the concrete highway, was such a soothing sound. I hoped the fact that he’d slept through the night for the second time with me without having to find a piano meant he was content. And I really hoped I had something to do with it.
The purring disappeared and Trey shifted slightly. “Why are you up?” his raspy voice whispered.
“Just thinking.”
“About what?” he asked, wrapping his arms around me and holding me against him. “Tell me it involves your mouth on my body.”
“Maybe a little.”
He chuckled.
“No, I was just thinking about all the places I want to visit. I’ve never been to France.”
“I’ve never been with someone I wanted to spend time there with,” he said.
“Oh, no?”
He chuckled. “What do you want to see?”
“Everything.”
“Then everything it is,” he assured me, tightening his arms around me.
* * *
Trey and I sat outside at a charming Paris café drinking noisette, the equivalent of a macchiato. I stared out at the Eiffel Tower in the distance. The clear blue sky behind it made it a thing of dreams for artists trying to capture its magnificence.
“I didn’t mind staying there longer,” Trey said.
The Tower was close enough to see from where we sat, but far enough away to avoid the tourists who may have been Savage Beasts fans. Trey loved his fans, but had been great about making our time in Paris about him and me. I turned back to meet his gaze beneath his dark sunglasses. “It’s fine. I’m just drinking it all in.”
“And I’m drinking you all in,” he teased.
I smiled before sipping my drink. “Can I ask you something?”
“Does it involve—”
“No,” I said, stopping him from whatever inappropriate thing he planned to say next.
He sat back in his chair with a smirk, stretching his long legs out and crossing them at the ankles.
“It’s actually work related.”
He threw back his head and groaned. “Way to kill a mood.”
“Humor me for a minute.”
“Go.”
“Have you ever considered starting a charity for drug addicted babies?”
He didn’t respond, and I wished I could see his eyes beneath his sunglasses to know what he was thinking.
“You could use your celebrity status to call attention to a problem that some might not even know exists.”
He turned his head, staring out at a group of students seemingly on a field trip. He still said nothing, remaining eerily silent.
My stomach dropped, and I suddenly regretted bringing it up. But now that I had, I was unsure how to stop. “The band donates to so many wonderful causes. I just wanted to be sure you were donating to something that means something to you.” It was as if my mouth had a mind of its own. “You’re so much more than just a drummer in a band. You’re kind and caring and could be a voice for those who don’t have one.”
He’d yet to look back to me, and his continued silence had me cursing my big mouth.
“It was just a thought,” I said. “If you hate the idea, you can just forget I ever brought it up.”
“I don’t hate the idea, Brie.” He finally looked back to me. “I’d just feel more comfortable making an anonymous donation. I don’t wanna be some posterchild for drug addicted babies. The media would have a field day with it. Could you imagine them working in questions about it during interviews with the band? Sounds like a fucking nightmare.”
Dammit. I hadn’t thought of that. “I understand.”
“Do you?”
“Of course. The press can be ruthless. They’d definitely back you into an uncomfortable corner. Not to mention the women who could come out of the woodwork claiming to be your birth mother.”
He sat up and dragged his hands through his hair. “Christ. I hadn’t even thought of that.”
A long silence passed between us.
How had I not considered what a nightmare it could’ve been for Trey if the news about his past got out there? I prided myself on always thinking ahead—always anticipating impending shit shows. How had I not considered that?
“I have been thinking about giving back for a while now,” he said. “I just didn’t know how to go about it without bringing unwanted attention to myself. Will you look into it and bring me some options?”
“I can do that,” I said, feeling more at ease that he’d actually considered it before. “Where were you born?”
“Las Vegas.”
“No. I know that much. Which hospital?”
“Las Vegas General. Why?”
“I’d like to start by giving the NICU director there a call tomorrow. It’s where you got your start and met your mom.” Trey deserved to give other children the opportunities he had.
Trey stood up and rounded the table, pulling me to my feet. “Look at your wheels turning.” He leaned in and instead of kissing my lips, he pressed kisses all over my face, causing me to giggle like a teenager. “I love…”
I stilled, my belly flipping over itself.
“…that you want to help me,” Trey finished.
I released a breath. Had I really thought he was going to say he loved me? I couldn’t be this far gone already. It was way too soon. “I’m always here to help.”
“Yeah, but now you want to help because you like me,” he teased.
“I never said I liked you.”
He laughed. “You didn’t have to. It’s written all over your face.”
“Is that so?”
He nodded. “Especially when my mouth’s between your legs.”
&nb
sp; I dropped my head back and groaned. “You had to take it there, huh?”
“Oh, I definitely had to take it there,” he laughed.
Treyton
The French crowd chanted our name as we waited backstage pre-show. The floor beneath our feet vibrated with the rumble of their cheers. If their enthusiasm was any indication, tonight’s show was gonna be killer.
A hand came up and clasped the back of my shoulder. I looked over to find Z. “What’s up, dude?”
“I could ask you the same question,” he said.
“What’s that mean?”
He shrugged the way only Z could, carrying more meaning in the shrug than his words would.
“Just ask what you want to ask,” I said.
His brows shot up in question. “Brielle?”
“Life works in mysterious ways.”
He scoffed. “You’re not telling me something I don’t know.”
He’d fallen for Aubrey, an unlikely match, against all odds. And, not everyone was happy about it—including me. Man, I was such a hypocrite. “I’m sorry I didn’t have your back with Aubrey.”
“Do you have it now?” he asked.
“Obviously.”
“Then, water under the bridge,” Z said.
“I’m your best friend. I should’ve trusted that you knew what you were doing.”
“Dude, I had no idea what I was doing,” he assured me.
“Yeah, but I had no right to tell you who you should be with. I get that now. Because if any of you told me not to date Brie, I’d tell you to go fuck yourselves.”
Z laughed. “So, you are dating Brielle?”
I shrugged. “I like her.”
“That’s a start. You don’t like anyone.”
I shoved his shoulder. “Asshole.”
We both laughed, and I knew I had his blessing to be with Brie without judgment.
Brielle
I awoke in the middle of the night, reaching over and touching the cool hotel sheets beside me. Wherever Trey was, he’d been there for a while.
I slipped out of bed and pulled on shorts and Trey’s T-shirt. I grabbed a keycard and slipped out of the room. I made my way down to the lobby, pretty certain that’s where he’d gone.