After a few years of dead end relationships with people and bands, I finally found three other guys who fit me perfectly, our sound matching so well that it was almost scary. Now, with our first single off of the new album climbing the charts, the band had set out on our third tour. We were kicking it off during the festival season, and thankfully, we had been able to get added to almost every lineup across the country. When John left us, I thought everything I’d worked for was going to be destroyed, but Kit came in and saved the day.
“I’m going back out to see what’s going on,” Kit said with a smile, dropping her trash into the bin under the sink. My eyes landed on her ass in those tight black jeans. The black and blue leather vest she wore matched her eyes and dark makeup and was the only thing covering her large breasts. The tattoo of an owl stood out across her chest, and it was visible along with her cleavage. I was honestly worried that if she sneezed, the damn thing would rip right down the middle. The thought of other men seeing her breasts sent me into a snarling frenzy.
“Don’t go far,” I grumbled, narrowing my eyes. She raised a brow, teasing and taunting me to give her more orders she probably wouldn’t follow. That alone made me want to take her over my knee. Kit pressed her lips together and hurried down the stairs instead of arguing.
“You need to hit that,” Jude laughed the second the door of the bus closed tightly behind her. He pulled a baseball cap over his dark brown eyes and leaned back in his seat. The fucker had a certain knack for knowing exactly what I was thinking.
“Not cool, my man,” I growled, making another cup of coffee. “She’s off limits.”
“Says who?” Kade asked, raising a brow. “You? Or some unwritten rockstar law that isn’t made to be broken?”
“It’s so obvious,” Jude teased, pulling his cap lower over his eyes as if he were going to take a nap. The smirk that formed at the corner of his mouth wasn’t easily covered, however. “Ever since we left Phoenix, you can’t keep your eyes off of her.”
“Fuck off,” I snarled, knowing damn well they were right. “I am not looking to hit that.”
“Bullshit,” my drummer replied.
“Can we talk about something else?” I asked, blowing out a breath of frustration.
“Like how Kit is out there alone with all of these band boys walking around?” Jude teased. “How they’re probably undressing her with their eyes as she walks past them looking like a walking wet dream?”
“Seriously, guys?” I snarled.
“Someone’s going to hit on her, and you’re going to lose your cool,” Kade warned. “Don’t end up in jail. I don’t have the money to bail your ass out.”
“I’m going for a walk,” I snapped at them and walked toward the front of the bus, ignoring their snickers. I snatched my badge and a list showing the schedule out of the envelope and left Kade and Jude on the bus. I needed some fresh air.
Kit had been consuming my every thought, and I needed to stop my wayward thoughts when it came to her. She wasn’t mine no matter how badly I wanted to claim her.
As I walked around, I noticed a few of the other bands gathered in the VIP tent, signing autographs and meeting with fans. We weren’t scheduled to be there for a little while longer. I saw the hordes of fans waiting in line to meet whatever band was in the tent. A girl in the line called out my name, but I just ducked my head and kept walking. If I stopped now, they’d want me to come over. I was on a mission.
I needed to find Kit. If I found her talking to another guy, I was worried that Jude would be right and I would beat the shit out of someone. I knew ninety percent of the bands who were playing at the festival, and I also knew that one hundred percent of those guys would want in Kit’s pants. Jude and Kade were right. She wasn’t mine, but the thought of those motherfuckers laying a hand on her sent my blood to boiling.
What the fuck was wrong with me?
As I rounded the line of buses, I came to a halt. Kit was leaning against a brick wall that blocked off the buses from the bathrooms. She was on the phone with someone, and she looked like she was about to burst into tears. My eyes narrowed as she let out a string of curses and ended her call. She covered her eyes with her fists and slid down the wall. My feet moved quickly, and the next thing I knew, I was standing in front of her.
“Who were you talking to?” I demanded, holding out my hand as I schooled my features. I knew I must have looked like I was angry, but seeing her upset sent me to a place I didn’t want to think about just yet. “What’s wrong?”
“Shit, Aiden,” she gasped, placing a hand over her heart. Her other hand landed in mine. “You scared me.”
“And you haven’t answered me,” I growled, pulling on her hand so that she was upright. My body automatically leaned in, making her back hit the brick wall. My other hand landed just above and to the right of her ear. I could smell her again, and it was driving my cock insane.
“It was no one,” she mumbled, looking toward the ground.
“The fuck it wasn’t,” I replied, sensing the lie as I hooked my finger under her chin and pulled until she looked up. I leaned forward and brushed my lips against the shell of her ear. She shivered in response. “I don’t like being lied to, Kit.”
“I’m not lying to you,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “It really wasn’t anyone important.”
“Why are you upset?” I asked, pulling away from her ear. I stroked her jawline as I waited for my answer. I wanted to know who had put those tears in her eyes. At that moment, if I had a name, I would’ve found the son of a bitch and killed him.
“Aiden,” she sighed, slumping her shoulders in defeat as I stepped back a bit farther to give her a little space. “It’s really nothing.”
“Bullshit, Kit,” I snarled, sending her eyes back to mine. I scared her, but at that moment, I really didn’t care. “Tell me, or I will think the worst.”
“It’s…it’s things at home.” She frowned, looking toward the ground for a moment to gather her thoughts. When her eyes raised and locked with my own, she let out a curse and told me what was bothering her. “My mom is in jail…again.”
“Seriously?” I asked, wide-eyed. “What the fuck for?”
“Drugs,” she said, waving a hand out in front of her. A crew member walked by, causing Kit to pause. She waited until he was out of earshot to continue. “This isn’t the first time.”
“Jesus,” I said, running my hands through my hair. “Do you need to…?”
“No! Fuck, no,” she snarled, cutting me off with a slash of her hand. “She is a grown ass woman and I’m done bailing her out. We won’t be home for another three weeks. She can sit in jail and detox until I get there.”
“If you’re sure,” I pushed, resting my arm beside her head again. I made a fist where she couldn’t see, hoping it would make me forget that being that close to her was driving me mad with lust.
“I’m sure,” she said, ducking under my arm. “I need to call the landlord and make sure they don’t evict us.”
“Us?” I asked, shocked as I spun around to watch her walk away. “You live with her?”
“Yeah.” She nodded, glancing over her shoulder. She looked down at the phone in her hand and grimaced. “I’ll have to wire him some money to cover the rent until I can get home.” I could see that she was thinking, calculating in her head, when she started to walk away.
“Kit,” I called out as I jogged to her side, reaching for her arm. She stood still when my fingers made contact, hanging her head as she turned around slowly. The look of defeat in her eyes almost brought me to my knees. “Do you need money?”
“No,” she growled, fire sparking in her deep blue eyes. “I don’t need handouts, Aiden.” She jerked her arm and jogged away, disappearing behind one of the food tents set up by the buses.
“Fuck,” I mumbled, taking off after her at a steady clip. She didn’t go far before she stopped and spun around as soon as I got close. Her eyes held a fire I’d never seen before. S
he was upset, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to let her run off on her own.
“Give me some space, Aiden,” she warned, placing her tiny hand on my chest. The inferno of her touch burned me through my shirt when she pushed me away.
“Not happening here, Kit,” I replied, noticing all of the people running around the back lot. She didn’t need to be out here alone.
“I’ll meet you at the VIP tent in an hour,” she said, then sighed heavily. “I really need to take care of things at home while I have time.”
Something told me that she wasn’t telling me everything. Hell, I knew nothing about her other than she was a badass on stage and had a sharp tongue…and was fucking beautiful.
“If there is anything I can do,” I offered, softening my voice.
“Thank you.” She relaxed, her shoulders slumping. “I’ll meet you at the tent.”
She turned and walked away from me. It took everything I had to keep from taking her into my arms and solving all of her problems to keep that sadness out of her eyes. I really should’ve left her to take care of her own things. The last thing I needed was to get involved in her family drama, but damn if I didn’t want to make things better for her.
What the fuck was wrong with me?
And why the hell had I been asking myself that repeatedly over the past few weeks?
Chapter Three
Aiden
The sun beat down on the asphalt, and the heat rising from the pavement was almost unbearable. Kit had arrived at the tent with darker makeup, giving her eyes a sexy, smoky look. Now that she’d gotten some sun on her skin from being outside most of the day, the tattoo on her chest stood out against the vest she wore. She’d put in a new nose ring that sparkled when the light hit it just right.
“Let’s get inside,” Jude said, holding his hand out for us to walk into the tent before him. Kade whistled at the amount of people waiting in line to meet us. Several fans cheered when we came into view.
I walked over to my seat behind the table and pulled a chair out for her to sit down. Kade and Jude raised an eyebrow at me, but didn’t say anything else about my sudden chivalry. Fuck them anyway. Sure, she was a badass, but she was still a woman, and I had been raised to be respectful. Although my thoughts were anything other than gentlemanly toward Kit Ellis, I still had some good left in me when it came to women.
“Are you guys and gal ready?” Steven asked. Our tour manager glanced at his phone and looked toward us with a raised brow.
“Yeah, man. Send them in.” Jude pushed several markers over toward Kit and myself. I grabbed two and rolled them between my fingers to give myself something to do with my hands. It was driving me fucking crazy to have her so close. I wanted to touch her. I wanted to feel her body next to mine…naked…under me. Fuck! I could smell her again.
I was the first one the fans met as soon as they were ushered through the line. Several guys came through and took a little too much time talking to Kit. It grated on my nerves that they were looking at her with lust in their eyes. One guy, who looked like he was a part of a biker gang, even asked Kit if she was going to be out on The Strip later. She waved him off with an excuse, and the guy moved on.
Two girls, who were probably barely eighteen, giggled and asked for a picture with all of us. Kit didn’t look very happy when one of the girls placed her hand on my stomach as our tour manager took the picture. I gently pushed both of the girls away and returned to my seat. Kit didn’t say anything, and we continued signing autographs and taking pictures with the fans for another half an hour.
Occasionally, I would catch Kit watching me out of the corner of her eye. When the next fan asked for a picture, I made sure to position myself next to her so that when we all squeezed into the picture, Kit’s side was pressed against the center of my chest and my arm snaked over her shoulder, hanging loosely within inches of her breast. At one point, the drunk guy we were posing with stumbled to the right, causing Kit to reach out for balance. Her hand landed on the top of my thigh, and she gave me a tight squeeze. I wasn’t sure if she did that on purpose or not, but I wasn’t complaining. The feel of her hands on my body was something I craved.
“You okay?” I whispered, not moving from my spot as everyone returned to their seats. I squeezed her hand and released it just as quickly.
“Yeah,” she said, smiling. Her eyes darkened when they fell on my lips. “Thanks.”
“I won’t let anyone hurt you,” I promised as I turned away to take my seat.
“Okay…Thank you.” Kit nodded and took her seat, greeting the next person in line. We did that for a few more minutes before security roped off the tent. The stragglers were eventually escorted out, and we stood up from our seats as soon as everyone was gone.
“You have an hour before you are needed at the stage,” Steven announced as we exited the VIP tent.
“I’m going to grab something to drink,” Kade said, nudging Jude.
“Hey, Kit?” I narrowed my eyes as our tour manager pulled her to the side. Steven said a few words, and on Kit’s nod, they broke apart. Steven left the tent and looped off toward the line of buses with Kit following him.
I stuck my hands in my front pockets and headed out to the bus. I wasn’t going to drink before our set because I was going to save that for later when the night really started going. We were a newer band, and even though we only had one song on our album released, it was climbing up the charts. If the next few weeks went according to plan, it would hit the top ten. So, the last thing I wanted to do was to break my one rule by getting drunk and fucking up our set at one of the biggest rock festivals in the country.
Joe opened the door as soon as I approached. He was sitting in his seat, eating a sandwich and observing the crowd through the windshield. He nodded and resumed eating after closing the door. When I entered the living area, Steven was just getting off the phone; his face told me he was pissed about something.
“What’s going on?” I asked, opening the fridge and grabbing some leftover Chinese food from the night before. I tossed it in the microwave and set the thing to heat.
“Kit told you about her mom?” he inquired. Our tour manager was tall and built like a brick shithouse. His beefy arms were folded across his chest, and his shirt, sporting our band’s name, displayed his multitude of tattoos. His hair was short cropped in the back and on the sides, but his bangs were long enough to reach his chin. He kept them slicked back with gel, looking like he just stepped off the set of Grease.
“Yeah,” I cursed. “I had no idea, man.”
“I took care of her landlord so she can focus on this tour,” he admitted, punching in something on his phone. “That’s some fucked up shit.”
“I had no idea her mom was a deadbeat,” I said, taking my food to the small table.
“She wouldn’t tell me much.” Steven sighed, leaning against the counter. “I just took care of getting the information for her to pay the rent.”
“I asked her if she needed help and she bit my head off,” I said, taking a bite of food. I looked out through the window and saw a few roadies pushing cases toward the stage area.
Our crew was already in place and ready to set up as soon as the band before us was done and cleared off the stage. Our set lasted an hour, and after that, we were free until we had to be back at the bus by two in the morning.
Vehicle of Destruction and Steel Total Destruction were after us, leaving Wicked End to close out the night. I had every intention of hanging around for all of their performances, but I had a feeling the guys would want to head out to the casinos or some clubs as soon as we were done. I had no idea what Kit’s plans were, but I damn sure wasn’t going to let her go out into Las Vegas on her own.
“She’s not going to ask for help,” Steven informed me, taking a moment to look out the window. “Kit Ellis isn’t one to accept charity.”
“Kit’s a tough one,” I agreed, bobbing my head in some semblance of a nod.
“Okay,” Steven said
, grabbing a soda out of the fridge. “It’s going to be fucking hot up there today, but we have fans placed on the stage to keep you somewhat cool.”
“Make sure Kit and Jude have them,” I ordered, pointing my plastic spoon in his direction. “They get the most overheated.”
“Got it,” Steven nodded. “I’m heading out to check on Giles at the merch booth. Call me if you need me, and don’t forget to be at the side of the stage at four-fifteen.”
“Will do, boss man,” I promised, giving him a short salute.
Steven had been with me since I was with my first band six years ago. He knew the inner workings of this industry better than anyone else I’d met. Why he stayed on with me, I had no idea, and I wasn’t going to question him either.
Looking at my phone, we had just under an hour before we had to be ready. Our crew would be setting up for our performance in the next few minutes, if they hadn’t started already. I needed to keep my head clear and off of whatever was going on back in Phoenix with Kit’s mom, but I’d admit that I was worried she would be too focused on home to be ready to tear up the stage for the next few weeks.
Before I could take off to find her, the door to the bus opened and I heard the click of her heeled boots as she climbed the stairs. Those fuck-me boots she wore on stage were a damn hazard if you asked me, but she rocked them and never lost her balance. They had spikes all over the toes, and if she wanted to make some guy sing like a little girl, all she needed to do was kick him in the balls.
“Have you warmed up yet?” she asked, dropping a band shirt from Wicked End on the table.
“No,” I said, reaching into the fridge for a bottled water. “Are you good to go on today?”
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