by Cari Quinn
But everyone noticed Molly.
And they all followed her. Their concert went from a crazy acoustic one to an impromptu outdoor show with everyone sitting on the grass as they took requests. Picks ranged from a stripped-down version of “Pour Some Sugar on Me” to a dirty, anthemic version of “Side to Side” from Ariana Grande, the pop princess. A handful of other sing-along songs extended the ninety-minute show to three hours.
By the time it was over, they were all hoarse, but full of laughter. He wished Denver had stuck around to see it, but for now he was happy to have this memory to add to the rest. One of many on this crazy tour.
When he stood and followed the rest of the band out of the circle of fans, he spotted her at the edges, her eyes full of light and a wry, secret smile that hardened him instantly.
Damn, it really was a good day. Now if only they could keep the streak going.
If only this could be a beginning of something special—not just for the band, but for them.
Chapter Thirteen
The road was a brutal bitch.
A couple shows in Chicago were in the bag. Now they were on a trip to nowhere. Or it just seemed that way. At least this monotonous stretch would land them in Vegas.
Eventually.
Ryan stretched his legs into the aisle of the bus and tipped back his head, his eyes narrowing on the episode of daytime TV his female bandmates had put on. Somehow they thought that people shouting about “trifling hoes” and throwing chairs qualified as quality entertainment. He didn’t agree, and neither did West, who was sprawled beside him playing some game on his phone while Lauren divided her attention between West’s score and the TV.
“I never understood why people get so up in arms,” Lo said thoughtfully. “There’s a lot of fish in the sea, right? If yours is more interested in your neighbor’s food, easy enough to cut them loose.”
West shot her a sidelong glance. “Sometimes people fall in love and it isn’t that easy.” He nodded toward Elle, who was sitting on her yoga mat on the floor, her knee looped up to her chest and her chin resting on top of it. She was pretending to watch TV, but Ryan had caught her glancing off into space more than once.
“Oh, I don’t think it’s just love. If you truly loved someone, you would want them to be happy even if it wasn’t with you. Some of this speaks more to ego than anything else.”
“Says the former psych major,” Jules piped in from the opposite couch, passing her bottle of virulent purple nail polish to Molly.
Molly eyed the color, gave a shrug, slapped some kind of separator between her toes, and went to work. “Lauren’s right,” she agreed. “A lot of so-called love is just ego speaking. People hate to think that their partner wants someone else more.”
“So says the person with the most ego on this bus.” Mal spun his beer bottle on the kitchen table and glanced out the window at the passing scenery.
Which was mostly a whole lotta nothing.
They’d left Chicago in the rearview some time ago, so right now that meant they were surrounded by brush and more brush. Endless stretches of highway were capped off by bright blue skies and relentless sun that seemed to find its way into every crevice of the bus no matter how many blinds they pulled shut.
It felt as if they’d been driving forever, and they were still on the first leg of the trip to Vegas for the Alternative, Rock, & Crossover Awards. After losing Best New Artist at the CTAs, no one seemed nearly as excited. Of course, being nominated was enough of an honor, especially for newly minted artists like them, but it was hard not to feel the burn when others were chosen. Maybe they’d get more used to it after they had more years in the business.
He just wanted off the damn bus. Wanted some fun and private time alone with Den, who’d been quiet and moody since they’d left Chicago.
That was how it seemed to work with them. Two steps forward, one step back. Two nights of glorious, mind-blowing sex, one day of uneasy silence broken by his futile attempts to get her to open up.
There was only one time she was truly open to him, and it wasn’t while she was driving their bus.
So he needed to do something bigger. Naked time was all well and good, but they were about so much more than that. Too bad she hadn’t realized that, at least when it came to them being a couple. And he was having more and more trouble being around her in front of the band without acknowledging how their relationship had changed. He understood she had her reasons, some of them job-related, but fuck, these were their friends. They weren’t going to go tattle to Lila and Donovan about Den mixing business and pleasure.
That was basically a crock of shit. Like she couldn’t drive their bus and be his girlfriend too. He wasn’t up there going down on her while she drove.
Though that was an interesting idea…
A commercial came on for an upcoming Keith Urban show near Omaha and Elle emerged from her trance. “Den, we should go,” she called out. “Aren’t we going to be in that vicinity? The show’s at the Woodson Fairgrounds. A fair too.” She grinned. “I love fairs. I’m addicted to cotton candy.”
Denver took her sweet time answering. “Eh, I dunno. We hadn’t really planned to stop in that area. Which day is it?”
“Tomorrow night. Shit, I wonder if there’s tickets left.”
“Bro seriously wails on the guitar,” West said. “I’d be up for that.”
“For real?” Ryan glanced from his best friend to his other best friend, the one who also happened to be his lover. “I knew you listened to some of that stuff, Colorado, but Keith?”
“He’s fucking gorgeous.” Elle dropped her cheek to her knee with a dreamy smile. “Watching him jam on the guitar makes me—”
“Cream your panties?” Mal asked in a bored tone, stretching out in his chair.
Elle frowned. “I was going to say he makes me want to up my game. Pervert.”
“He’s bored and cranky,” Michael offered from his spot opposite Mal at the table without looking up from his guitar mag. “He needs some stimulation.”
“Like going to some hick show?”
“No one asked you.” Elle shifted to look at Ryan, West, and Lo in turn. “The five of us could go. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
“I’d go,” Michael said. “I have no country grievances. The guy has talent.”
“I’d be in too.” Jules leaned forward and cupped her hands around her mouth. “Hey Sparks, wanna come to a hoedown with us?”
“Urban’s music is hardly suitable for a hoedown.” Molly rolled her eyes. “He has some more traditional songs, but many are firmly country pop. I actually auditioned once with ‘Stupid Girl’.”
“Not gonna suggest it was autobiographical because that’s low-hanging fruit.”
Everyone ignored Mal.
“Keith’s pretty amazing,” Ryan admitted grudgingly. He didn’t listen to a ton of country, but there was no denying the guy had chops. And a show—any show—was better than being stuck on that rattling tin can for an evening. “Can we swing it, Colorado?”
She didn’t answer right away. “You know I keep a strict timetable on the road, Waters.”
“It’s okay if we can’t do it. The show is probably sold out anyway,” Elle said. There was no mistaking the way she slumped against the arm of the couch.
For a moment, she’d actually seemed happy. That hadn’t happened since her user ex had been kicked to the curb.
“Yes, we can do it,” Denver called from up front. “If there’s tickets, we’ll stop for the show.”
“Yay.” Jules grinned. “And hey, Keith’s opener for this leg of the tour is Flynn Shepard. Huh, I thought I heard he was heading to rehab.”
“You’re getting your rockstars mixed up. Luc Moreau was in rehab for sex addiction.” Molly didn’t look up from painting her big toe. “Multiple times, I think.”
“‘Get Lucky’ Moreau?” West chuckled. “That guy’s exploits have given me so many moments of entertainment.”
“Me too. Espe
cially his new video promoting the band’s appearance on Jimmy Kimmel. He’s practically naked. Luc, not Kimmel. The dude has the biggest cock in music, I’ve heard.”
“Haven’t seen mine,” Mal said lazily.
“Yes, I have. We all have. Not bad.” Lo made a clucking sound and raised her brows at the women on the opposite couch. “Luc’s is supposed to be even bigger than Manaconda’s. You know, Hunter Jordan.”
Jules smirked. “You mean Tris’s best friend? Um, yeah, pretty sure I know him.”
“Showoff. But you’re not the only one here. There’s Elle and Mol, and besides, right now we’re talking about Luc’s Manaconda, not Hunter’s.”
“So many dicks, so little time.”
“I already have the best dick,” Lo patted West’s leg, “but it never hurts to look. We look at stuff for him too. Last night, we were checking out some big-breasted porn ladies.”
“Dear God, my ears,” Denver moaned from the front of the bus. “Time for my music.”
“Never mind that. Here, let me show you Luc’s video.” Lo scrambled to her feet, sinking back down when West grabbed her thigh. “You already saw it, West. Remember, I showed you before you threw the iPad aside and flipped me over on—”
West covered her mouth. “Let them draw their own mental pictures. It’s no fun when you spoil the climax.”
“Literally.” Ryan coughed into his hand.
Jules cocked her head and leaned over to take Lauren’s phone, already cued up to the right video. “He’s hot. Naked or clothed, I’d do him. I mean theoretically, since I don’t do anyone anymore except—”
Randy came out of the bunk area, tugging on a shirt, and Jules popped to her feet. “Honey bunch!”
“I heard you, you know.” But he grinned as he pulled his shirt down over his abs then leaned in to kiss Jules. “Think Tris may be hearing about that later.”
“Oh, he doesn’t have to know.” She slid her arm around Randy’s neck and pressed close. “We don’t want to rile him up.”
“You like when he’s riled up.”
“Oh yeah.” Jules tossed a smug, flirty smile over her shoulder at the rest of the occupants of the bus, many of whom were listening to their byplay. “I so do.”
“I have something that may rile you up myself.” Randy’s grin was a little smug.
Mal flipped through a magazine he’d produced from who knows where. “Never good to make false promises to a woman, man. They always remember.”
“Nah, this is a sure thing.” Randy gripped his girlfriend’s shoulders and tilted his head. “How would you feel if I said I hooked us all up with tickets for the sold-out Urban show in Omaha tonight?”
Jules’s squeal made Ryan grimace. “Oh, is it sold out? We hadn’t even had a chance to check yet. You’re the best! All of us? Are you sure?” She gave him a loud, smacking kiss and turned to Elle, who’d jumped to her feet.
“I know a guy—” Randy began, but Jules had already moved on to shriek with Elle. “He used to work with us here, actually, but he ditched us to be Urban’s lighting engineer and you so aren’t listening to me.” Randy smiled and shook his head, crossing his arms.
“Thank you, honey. Love you!” Jules said over her shoulder before returning her attention to Elle.
In the aisle of the bus, they proceeded to jump and giggle and booty dance until Lauren couldn’t stand another second and had to join in.
Ryan glanced at West. “Do you understand women?”
“No, but I sure appreciate what they bring to the table.” West licked his lips and cocked his head, presumably to watch Lo’s butt bounce.
“That’s really sweet of him,” Molly said, and if Ryan wasn’t mistaken, she almost sounded wistful.
Had to be wind noise or something distorting his hearing. Molly never showed emotion of any sort, and definitely not anything regarding a desire for a man in her life. Or a woman. Or anything at all but her career, end of story.
Ryan got that single-minded focus. At least he used to. Not so much anymore.
On that note, he needed to go talk to Den to make sure she was cool with all of this. Though she’d said stopping for the show was fine, she liked to stick to her itinerary.
Taking advantage of the excitement, he slipped off the couch and went up to Denver’s area, bracing a foot in the stairwell as he gripped the back of her chair. Ahead of the bus were ribbons of straight, flat road.
“Nice day,” he said.
She didn’t give him a glance. “Yep.”
“You’re really all right with stopping for the show?”
“Sure. We got lucky with tickets. The world is in love and in bloom.” Her thin smile made him grip her chair that much tighter.
He wanted to touch her, but that was a bad idea for way too many reasons.
“You should be jazzed if you’re a Keith fan. At least Elle thought you were.”
Denver shrugged. “He’s good.”
“Don’t be so effusive.”
“We have a schedule, Ry.” She hunched her shoulders. “There’s a lot of miles to cover between here and there.”
“Yeah, but we don’t have to be to Vegas until—”
“Don’t you think I know my job?”
He frowned. “Of course. Just saying we have wiggle room.”
“You have wiggle room, because you’re the talent. I’m just a lackey. But I do a good job because it matters to me. It’s not like I want to go to Vegas anyway,” she muttered.
“Hey. Look at me.”
When she didn’t move, he shifted his grasp to her shoulder. “Colorado.”
She gave him the briefest of glances, but it was enough time for him to glimpse the wobble in her chin.
What the hell was going on? Why didn’t she want to go to Vegas?
He crouched beside her chair, balancing one arm on the bar that helped to block off her little area. Her honey scent hijacked his brain, scrambling his thoughts until he pulled himself back on track. “If you don’t want to do the show, we’ll go somewhere else tonight, just you and me. Get a room somewhere and forget everyone else exists. We’ll forget Vegas too, since you think it’s the devil.” He brushed his thumb over her cheekbone.
He knew it was a risk they would be spotted—or worse, that she would shun the affection—but he couldn’t not touch her when he knew she was upset. His entire system rebelled at the idea.
She angled her face toward his hand, shocking him. He threaded his fingers into her hair, massaging the base of her skull. “Let me get you a refill on your tea.”
“I should resist your attempts to coddle me.”
“Why? We all need coddling sometimes. And I like to do it.”
She turned her head and nailed him with one of her painfully direct looks. “Why?”
He went with the first answer that came to him. Pure honesty. “Making you happy makes me happy.”
“And it’s not,” she lowered her voice, “to butter me up for favors?”
“Babe, I’m still riding high from your last ones. We good.” He fist-bumped her thigh with his free hand and her snort teased out his own grin. “If you want me to tell them the concert won’t work, I bet Randy can get rid of the tickets.”
“No, he did a sweet thing. It’ll be nice to get off the bus. I’m just being too anal.” She pointed at him. “If you make an anal sex joke right now, you’re going to get it.”
He held up his hand. “I would never. I’m serious at all times.”
“Right.” She gripped the wheel and squinted at the road ahead. “It’ll be fun. We can relax for a night.”
“A whole night? As in, get off this bus and…” He dropped his voice and leaned in close. “Get a hotel room kind of night?”
She nudged him back with her elbow. “We’ll see if you play your cards right—” She broke off and he sighed, tipping back his head.
“Never gonna get past that, are you? Is that why you’ve been so weird since we left Chicago? Thinking I’ll melt down
once I’m in Vegas city limits or something.”
“Don’t put thoughts in my head. You say you’ve got it under control.”
“That doesn’t mean you believe me.”
“Haven’t found you in any alleyways recently.” She shot him a look under her lashes. “That better remain true, unless you want me to put you in one myself.”
He dropped his hand from her head and straightened. “You could try trusting me.”
“Oh, I am. If I wasn’t, we’d never have gotten this far.”
“Yeah, well—”
“Ry, can I talk to you for a second?”
Ryan glanced over his shoulder and frowned at West, who was way closer than he should have been, considering what he’d just been discussing with Denver.
Namely, getting his ass kicked after gambling and fucking like rockstars. Two things West wasn’t supposed to know.
“Sure.” Ryan scratched the back of his neck. “We were just figuring out the concert logistics tonight.”
“Yeah, we’re already scoping out hotels near the fairgrounds. Figure we’ll get a big bank of rooms—bigger than usual, since Lo invited Professor Ethan to meet us there. He’s got some nerd conference nearby and I guess he’s into country.”
“A nerd conference,” Denver said drily. “Ooh, can I go?”
“Nah, you’re too well endowed.”
Denver’s smile disappeared. “You’d be surprised.”
Ryan glanced at her, wondering what she meant, but Lo charged up front and snagged his attention.
“Watch it, Weston. I have boobs and I was a nerd.” Lo slung her arm around West’s waist and Ryan had to fight the urge to push past them to get some air. Too many bodies in too small a space.
He could only imagine how Denver felt.
“Still are, and it only makes you hotter.” West kissed the side of Lo’s head and she beamed. “Mind giving me and Ry a minute?”
“Sure thing. Bathroom’s open if you want some privacy.” She waggled her brows at him and sashayed away. Of course, West had to lean forward and swat her butt, making her giggle.
“Sickening,” Ryan said.
West just crooked his fingers at him, and Ryan gave Den one last glance. “We’re cool?”