Her lips were set firm and her eyes were narrowed into thin, scowling slits. Her attempt at looking pissed was nothing but a fuckin’ turn on. I knew she was talking out her ass, and her dead stare confirmed it.
“You won’t do anything because you’re too afraid to come near me.” She didn’t deny it, she only backed up further as I inched my way closer.
“Get it away from me!” she urged commandingly, but her retreating was anything but.
“Okay. But only if you sleep with me tonight.”
A frown appeared and I think I heard her scoff a laugh. “No way.”
That’s what I thought you would say.
It might’ve been cruel my on part, but I was using any leverage I could get. And right then, that leverage was dead, had eight legs and I was holding it in my hand.
I commenced walking closer and jerked the spider up quickly in front of her face. “Omigod! Omigod! Okay...okay!”
“Okay what?” I provoked teasingly.
“I’ll freaking sleep with you. Just please...oh God...please go...go flush the damn spider already.”
She was trembling, and I felt guilty but happy all at the same time. Hearing her say she would sleep with me caused every muscle in my body to tighten, ache and liquefy as if it was beaten with a baseball bat and going into shock. It tightened with want, ached with need and liquefied because of the sexy image her words put in my head.
I won the battle and got what I wanted, yet I lost. It was only a small bite from what else I craved. No matter of her lame ‘okay’ to my negotiation, I still needed something to consummate my bargain.
“You have to kiss me on it. You know, seal the deal.”
“Trevelin...” I held up the spider again. She cringed. “Damn you.”
I smiled, feeling very satisfied with myself while Country sighed very dramatically, before she leaned forward in my direction. She was still standing on the bench seat so that we were face to face.
Her eyes meet mine then closed as our lips slowly met. Hers were soft, warm and fucking delicious. I’d wanted to do this for so long. Why does she make me feel so complete?
I went to deepen the kiss, needing her to melt into me, wanting her sweet lips to become a permanent attachment to mine, but she quickly pulled away, hitting me in the chest in the process.
“You’re a jerk.”
“This jerk,” I pointed to myself smugly, “just conned you into sleeping with him.”
I could have gone about it differently, thought of a better plan, but I had to take what I could get. And if it was scaring that needed moment into her? Then so be it. I was a selfish bastard. A bastard who would take her however I could get her. I was quickly becoming dependent.
As I walked away to flush my blackmail friend like she asked, I heard her murmur, “What an ass.”
I couldn’t stop myself. I had to play with it. “What’s that? You wanna see my ass?” I started undoing my pants. “I thought you would never ask, babe.”
She let out a huge sigh. “Trevelin...”
I laughed and continued my way to the bathroom to dispose of the spider. He didn’t let me down.
When I came out after showering, I found Country already in the bed in my room. She was hugging the edge and looked like she fell asleep. Her mouth was slightly open as her dark hair splayed haphazardly all over her pillow. A breathtaking sight.. I smiled at the perfect picture she created sleeping in my bed, wrapped in my sheets.
Leaning down, I gently kissed her forehead. She was too beautiful. I pressed my forehead to hers and whispered, “Night, Country. Dream about me.”
Chapter Nine
Izzy
I’d been sitting at the table rolling my neck and massaging out all its kinks as I waited for the coffee to finish brewing. After Trevelin had crawled into bed last night I woke up. I’d laid there for a while with his arm around my waist while the delicate kiss he’d put on my forehead became so intense I thought it was going to crush my skull. Then he whispered for me to dream about him. I found it cute that he asked for me to dream of him. Even if he didn’t, it was going to happen whether I wanted it to or not.
I’d let the lust flutter around openly from his warmth until I heard the steady breathing of a sleeping Trevelin. Sleeping next to him was so comfortable and uncomfortable all together. I didn’t need the rush of desire that tormented my body when he was lying so close to me, holding me to his firm body.
So in order to escape that torment, I snuck off to the bunks once I knew he was sound asleep. Worst decision. Sleeping in those tiny bunk holes had to be the closest thing to what sleeping in a coffin felt like. If it wouldn’t make things more awkward between Trevelin and me, I would have stayed in the bed with him and enjoyed having his body pressed against mine. I would also gladly take up his offer of sharing the room with him.
I just couldn’t bring myself to believe that was a good idea. I already fantasized about him and dreamt about having hot, steamy sex with him in my sleep. I didn’t need to be that much closer to him, snuggled by him in a bed every night. It would only serve to complicate my thinking even further. I was sure he really didn’t want me in there anyways. He was probably just trying to be nice.
If I shared a room with him that would most definitely put a damper on his groupie banging nights. The thought of him bringing back some eager groupie made my stomach twist into knots. If I heard him with someone I would probably soil this bus worse than it already was. With my vomit. I couldn’t comprehend why I felt this way. I just knew he deserved better than some trashy slut that wanted to use him just so she could say she’d slept with Trevelin Knight.
He was more than a name, more than a beautiful face, and more than a famous celebrity. He was presumptuous, sweet when he wanted to be, and I was beginning to see he was just as beautiful on the inside as he was on the outside.
I could acknowledge that my feelings for him were growing stronger by the second. And I was trying my damndest to morph them into a friendship. I wasn’t good with awkwardness, and being his friend was something I knew I could do with ease. At least I thought I could. Let’s not forget I was totally inexperienced in the sex department. And judging by my Google research, he was on the borderline of being a sex professor or a porn star expert. Either/or, really. Where the closest thing I had ever come to the real thing was giving a hand job and kneeing my ex in the balls, I was beyond inexperienced. Pathetic.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo.”
I jumped out of my skin at the deep sound of Trevelin’s voice. He smiled, noting he’d scared me. Yet again.
I should seriously kick his ass over the spider incident.
“Why do you do that?” I asked, making a face at his usual morning greeting.
“I like crowing for ya, babe. Thought that was the normal sound you’re used to hearing in the mornings for your wake up call.” He grinned brightly.
“I have an alarm clock for that. And I think you should stick to singing. Animal noises ain’t your thing,” I mused.
He leaned against the counter with a small laugh. “Considered.”
I shook my head at his candidness. I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t seem to help myself...I ogled him on the spot while he stood at the coffee pot with nothing on but blue boxers. Darn him!
It was a sight I had seen many times before and should be accustomed to by now, but I had a hard time believing that was even humanly possible. He looked too freakin’ delicious. “I take it you didn’t sleep well.” His eyes cut to me from over his shoulder with a wry smirk.
“Actually, I slept just fine,” I lied easily with a straight face.
“Really? Is that why you’re massaging your neck and look like hell?” He removed two cups from the cabinet above the coffee maker and set them on the black granite countertop in front of him. “Bet you wish you would’ve stayed put, huh?” He didn’t turn to look at me as he spoke, the words sounding sarcastic with a hint of nostalgia.
I didn’t even realize I was still r
ubbing my neck. I was too engrossed with staring at his back, taking in his male perfection. In some crazy fashion, messy bed hair looked absolutely fabulous on him. Lucky bastard.
“Okay, it was the most God awful experience ever. I felt claustrophobic and that pillow—ugh, it was harder than a rock. I knew I should’ve brought my own. Staying put would have been more comfortable,” I confessed on a rant, trying to smooth out my bunk-rumpled hair, and feeling a little self-conscious in his sublime presence.
Trevelin looked at me, seemingly pleased by my confession as he poured coffee into one cup then reached for a jar containing what I assumed was sugar and poured a heaping amount of the white granulates into the other cup.
“Want some coffee in your sugar, Country?”
A big smile stretched along my lips. He remembered how I drank my coffee, which was the only way I could stand to drink the stuff. I found the gesture to be sweet and so was that look he was giving me.
I tore my eyes away from his, a little stunned, and poked at the sparkles in the black granite tabletop that matched the surface of every counter on the bus. “Yes, please.”
After he finished fixing our coffees, he strolled over, placing mine in front of me before sliding into the seat opposite me.
“You’re going to get to meet Randy today,” he said. “He’s our manager, and I’ve already told him all about the country bliss I got to experience.” He winked, then proceeded to blind me with a megawatt smile. “He’s willing to listen to you and Addie, but what if we wow him by you and her performing tomorrow night right after our opening act instead?” I set my coffee down and slowly take in what he said. I was speechless. My mouth wouldn’t move to say anything back. Did I hear him right? “There’s something else. I was thinking last night—I’ve never done a duet with anyone before, and it might be something different our fans would like to hear...” he trailed off.
I was sure he was still talking, but I couldn’t hear him. All I could hear was the ringing of the words performing after our opening act and duet.
“Are you saying you want me to sing with you? Like at Bucks?”
“Exactly,” he said as he watched me searchingly. I let that roll around in my head for a minute, as I took slow, thoughtful sips of my coffee. Coffee that he made just for me. Perfectly.
“What would we sing?” I finally asked, since his intense stare was eating away at me like a flesh eating disease, as well as the silence that had fallen heavily.
“The same cover from Buck’s. Just to show the fans how good we are together. Maybe later on we could collaborate on something.”
My heart and lungs were on the verge of shutting down. It was getting harder to breath. I couldn’t believe what he was offering us. I would be struck dead if I said I wasn’t nervous about this opportunity. His throng of fans consisted of thousands, where my and Addie’s were more like a couple hundred. Tops. And that was at the largest venue we’d played.
“Thanks for the offer, but it’s really not necessary. I don’t want to owe you anything.”
Trevelin creased his brow, pinning me with his stunning blue-green stare. The expression he carried was serious, and he looked perfect perfecting it. “You wouldn’t owe me shit, Country.” He shook his head, as if riding a bad memory. “Look at it like this...a returned favor for saving me and the guys from the side of the road and letting us stay with you until the bus was fixed. I’m the one who owes you.” A lopsided grin tilted on his lips as he arched one of his dangerous eyebrows. Why does he look so good doing that?
“Seriously, are you messing with me?”
“Not shittin’ ya, babe,” he chuckled giving a wider smile.
“Oh my...wow! This is awesome. This is insane. Let me say something to Addie, but I’m sure she won’t protest.”
“Do you have a song?” he asked over the rim of his coffee mug.
“Yeah.” I nodded my head, still wrapping my mind around performing at an actual concert.
A freaking concert!
A large one at that.
“It’s one I wrote a few years ago called Relentless.”
“Can’t wait to hear it.” He winked at me as he got up.
My eyes followed, studying his lean body. I watched the way the muscles flexed as he walked to the sink to discard his empty cup. The way his boxer-briefs fit his nicely rounded butt snuggly, leaving little to the imagination. Boy was mine running wild.
My mind was also racing to all the possibilities and doors he was opening for us and politely guiding us through. But the thing that stuck out the most was how soft-hearted and generous he was. He could be an irritating jerk at times—like last night with the spider, but for the most part he had a huge, hidden, broken heart.
I’d witnessed the pain in the shimmering, sea-green of his eyes when his parents were mentioned, and the other night when he’d said he didn’t deserve certain dreams before breaking my heart with the story of him living in foster care. I was still uncertain to what he meant by the non-deserving comment, but in the short time that I have gotten to know this bad-boy rock star known as Trevelin Knight, I’d discovered there was way more to him than what met the eye.
And it fascinated me.
He was definitely, as Addie put it, ‘one fine ass’. I was starting to really like the other Trevelin who was slowly being revealed—the one who had been hidden behind his gorgeous rock star shell.
My eyes were still fixated on him, raking their way over his sculpted backside as he went to walk down the narrow hall. He quickly turned, his eyes meeting mine that was focused lower than they needed to be and a huge smile enveloped his face. “I caught ya, Country.” His brows arched accusingly. “You were totally checking out my ass.”
I peeled them from his perfectly round tush and died there in my seat.
♪♫♪♫♪♫
After nearly killing myself in the ridiculously small shower, I dressed, played on my phone and even called my parents and Nana Lulu. She wanted to know if I was knocked up yet and which of the sexy as sin men was the father. She could be very persistent. After ending the call with her, I looked out the window at the empty parking lot we were now stationed in.
To say I was bored wouldn’t come close. I was dying of boredom. Counting all the sparkly flakes in the tabletop wasn’t fun anymore. I couldn’t take the swell of silence any longer. Trevelin had gone back to his room after our conversation over coffee and Addie and the rest of the guys were still asleep. I was starving and feeling like I was about to go crazy from the silence, so I got up from my spot at the table where a permanent imprint of my butt probably now resided and made my way to the bunk Addie had claimed as hers. I shoved back the curtain to see her still sound asleep. With her mouth wide open and her shirt riding high up over her stomach, I stifled my laugh.
“Addie, Addie, wake up.” I shook her. She stirred and turned away from me. I hated trying to wake her up. I would be better off trying to wake a dead person. “Addison, I did not agree to get on this stupid bus with four nasty men only to have you sleep the entire time,” I whispered heavily in her ear as not to wake the guys still sleeping around us.
“Go away, Jace. I need more sleep if you want me to—”
Ew, I don’t want to know. “So help me, Addison Rene, if you don’t wake up right now I’m dousing you in ice water,” I threatened, shaking her hard, and not wanting to hear her ramble in her sleep about Jace again. Why would she do that anyways?
She turned my way, squinting her eyes. “Izzy? Please tell me the apocalypse is happening. If not, go away!”
“You’re going to wish it were if you don’t get the hell up.”
She frowned, letting out a loud breath and threw back her blanket. “Fine! I’m up. Happy?” she snapped, standing in front of me.
“If you lose the attitude I will be.” I crossed my arms and gave her a big smile.
She stomped past me, seemingly pissed, to the restroom. She was such a grouchy bitch when she woke up.
; Addie finally exited the bathroom and joined me in the front of the bus, or should I say Knight Slayer. She fixed a cup of coffee before sitting with me at the table. Her hair was pulled back in a wet ponytail from getting out of the shower and she looked at me with a scowl so intense it could’ve been scary if I didn’t know her so well.
“What is so important that you had to wake me for?”
“Well, seeing as how I’m the only one awake and its past lunch, I’m starving here and we’re in a city I’ve never been in. Kill me for wanting some company.”
“Okay, whatcha want to do?” She peered at me over her cup, making a horrible slurping noise as she drank.
“What do you mean what do I want to do? I want to eat, but we’re in a strange city and on a bus with no food or transportation.”
“And? I’m sure they have drivers, Izzy. Probably security, too.”
“They are both a must have actually,” Trevelin’s entrancing voice lured both of us to look up. Our eyes followed him until he scooted into the seat beside me. “So to save space we just rolled them into one.” Thankfully he was dressed this time. Although seeing him in just his underwear made me –shut up, Izzy!
He was wearing worn dark jeans, a plain white shirt with a dipping neckline that showed off the top portion of his chest and a black leather jacket. His dirty blond hair was its usual swooped back mess with parts of it swaying over his forehead, lightly skimming around his brightly colored eyes. He looked beyond amazing. Devastating.
“Told you,” Addie announced loud and clear, giving me a small light-hearted smirk.
“I’ll take you anywhere you need to go, Country. Did you say anything to Addie about the show tomorrow?” Trevelin leaned back, draping his arm behind the back of our seat.
I tried to pay his nearness no attention, but him so close made it extremely difficult. All my nerves buzzed to the electric current that seemed to flow between us. It was so intense that if someone were to touch me I would surely shock them.
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