He jerked his head back and twisted his face. “Who’s Paul?”
I had no answer. “Isn’t he some kind of bouncer?”
“Maybe. But come on with me.” He took my hand and practically dragged me down the corridor, past the crowds, and into a narrow room that held a sofa, some clothes, and a mirror with lights. His dressing room, I presumed.
As soon as the door clicked shut, he spun me and pushed me back against the wall. “God, I’ve missed you.”
Without another word, he kissed me. His hands were on my face, then down my arms, then pushing up my shirt. I responded immediately. My hands reached for his neck, fingers locking into his hair.
I heard Stacy’s voice, warning me I had to tell him about the perfume now or never. I broke away with difficulty. “Adam.”
His breathing was deep, heavy. “Oh, God. Eden.” He reached down to the hem of my skirt, lifting it up and reaching for the edge of my panties. They slid down an inch. His fingers found their way into me, and I groaned. He had to feel how badly I wanted him, but he’d never come on this strong before. We hadn’t even had a chance to say hello.
I put my hands on his shoulders and pushed him back. “Adam!”
His eyes were nearly black. His shirt stuck to his skin where I held him. I twisted my fingers into the cloth and pulled myself closer, breathing in his sweat and musk and sex.
He moaned and seized my wrist. He held it above my head against the wall and kissed the side of my neck. I was insane for him, but there was something fan stalkerish about the whole encounter.
I elbowed him aside and took a seat on the sofa. “Can we—?”
My question ended with a groan when Adam knelt at my feet and kissed my inner thigh, the scruff on his cheeks rough against my skin. He nudged my knees apart, and his hands roamed back up under my skirt. The crotch of my underwear slid to one side, and his thumb connected. His kisses were nearing the same destination.
I wanted nothing more than to feel his tongue against me, but I gathered my strength and scooted back.
“Adam.”
He lifted his eyes, and his gaze bore into me. “What is it, Eden?”
He’d transformed into the rock god who’d looked down from on high as twenty thousand fans worshiped at his feet.
“I wanted to talk to you,” I rasped. My skin burned where his lips had just been, and I writhed, betraying my own declaration.
“Can we talk later?” His fingers wandered back under my skirt, and my resolve weakened.
“Yes.”
He wrapped his hands around my thighs and slid me forward until I was flat on my back, with my everything hanging off the edge of the sofa. And his tongue ran right up the pleasure zone. His fingers entered, and my strength broke.
“Oh, my God.” I closed my eyes, gurgling with the intensity of it. And I totally succumbed to him. I bucked once as I came.
Before my body shook a second time, his hands grasped my hips, and he pressed hard against me. His unzipped leather pants scratched against my thigh.
“Adam. Do you have a condom?”
On his knees, he rocked forward, and I moaned. He hadn’t bothered to remove my panties and was on the verge of entry.
“Adam! Condom?”
“Fuck. I don’t—” He looked like he was coming out of a drugged stupor. He cast about the room, apparently searching for likely stashes of prior rock stars. “Just a second.”
He started to get up, but I locked my hand on his wrist, and laid a finger against his lips. “Hand me my purse.”
I dug in the pocket and produced a black square envelope.
“Smart girl.”
“I learn from experience.”
He took my hands and gently tugged me forward until I slid off the sofa and onto his lap. Any thoughts of fighting him had long abandoned me. I gave in to him completely. My legs wrapped around him, and I stared into his eyes as he entered. I lifted my hips slowly and watched his face agonize. My fingers traced the skin along his neck, and he grabbed my hair at the back of my head and pulled me forward to suck and bite my lips in what passed for a kiss.
The need was mutual. An earthquake wouldn’t have been able to tear me away from him at this moment.
An earthquake was exactly what it felt like when my body jolted and jerked a second time. My nails dragged into his skin, and he came with a cry. I slowed my rhythm and lay my head on his shoulder, hugging him against me.
Once I’d caught my breath, I asked, “Adam, what happened to taking a step back and waiting?”
He held my shoulders and leaned me back to face him. “Eden, I can’t get you out of my mind. Did you hear the song I wrote for you?”
I nodded. “Nobody’s ever done that for me. It was beautiful.”
“I looked for you in the audience but didn’t see you out there. I thought you were going to be in the first few rows.”
“Yeah. I moved. The crowds were getting a little rough out there.”
“When I didn’t see you, I had a moment of panic that maybe you hadn’t come after all. Maybe you wouldn’t be here tonight. Maybe it was relief, but when I saw you at the meet and greet, all I could think of was how much I needed you. I was signing autographs, thinking the whole time about taking you back here and ravishing you.”
“Adam.”
There was a knock at the door and someone called, “Adam! We need to load up the bus. We’re leaving in thirty minutes.”
He moved under me, and I rolled off him. I was going to need thirty or forty showers to wash all the nasty off me.
“Can we talk for a minute, please?”
He pulled his pants back up and rummaged around the room, throwing his things together. “We’re on a tight schedule. Driving to Antwerp tonight.” He turned back. “You’re going with us, right?”
“I want to talk to you. Can you give me a few minutes?”
“Let’s get on the bus. We can talk there.”
I sighed. “My stuff is back at the hotel. I didn’t bring anything with me.”
Adam opened the door and stuck his head out. “Shane! Hey, man. Can you find that driver?”
He got my hotel key and exchanged a few words with another guy named Seamus, who had instructions to pack everything away and to check the bathroom, the drawers, and under the bed. I wanted to go back to the hotel with him, but Adam said he’d rather take the time to show me our berth on the bus.
Things were moving faster than my mind could keep up with, but for now, I gave up. I didn’t want to start an argument with Adam while we were pressed for time. And honestly, what I wanted at that moment was to go with the flow and experience his rock-star lifestyle—if only for a little while.
Chapter 16
The crowds in the corridor hadn’t diminished, and when Adam and I stepped out of his dressing room, a dozen heads turned. All eyes went from him to me and then back to him. If his song hadn’t clued everyone in to our relationship yet, seeing us with our sex hair leaving his dressing room together was a pretty strong indication we were together. Provided he didn’t have a habit of leaving his dressing room trailing a hot bimbo. And if his hair didn’t already always look like he’d slept with a bear in heat.
As we passed from the corridor of theoretically vetted people toward the exit doors, the quality of noise changed from the industrial behind-the-scenes buzz to a crazed-fan-girl anticipation. We were about to leave the bubble of normalcy and enter that world where Adam became someone else again.
“Take a deep breath,” he said.
“That’s what you always say.”
We walked outside into the cool Paris night air. The buses sat several yards away, engines running. To one side, dozens of fans flanked a barricade, waiting patiently in the hopes they might get a moment of Adam’s time. They didn’t have meet-and-greet passes or any sure way to know he’d even take the time to walk over to meet them. But they’d come and stood outside in the cold. And it occurred to me I was the reason they’d waited so long.
I blushed.
“ADAM!” they called, sometimes in small bursts of unison, mostly in total cacophony.
I leaned over. “Which is our bus? Can I just disappear now?”
He put his hand on my back and pointed. “First one on the left. Go on. We’ve got a little time. I’m going to try to meet as many of these people as I can. Micah should already be on board.”
With one last glance at the girls crushing against the barricade, I stepped away from Adam. He dove right into the fray, and I admired his ability to juggle this part of his life. I couldn’t imagine what would cause anyone to stand outside in the cold waiting for a chance to meet a performer. But they were the entire reason he was able to make a career doing what he loved, and he treated them accordingly.
Two enormous bodyguards stood positioned on either side of the bus doors and scrutinized me as I set my foot onto the steps. One blocked my way, but then Micah shouted from inside the bus.
“Eden!” He came down and grabbed my wrist. The bodyguard retracted his hand and faced the mob again. I was relieved that they were there to make sure Adam would be safe. The level of adrenaline outside the bus eclipsed anything I’d ever experienced at Micah’s shows.
Micah glowed from his after-show excitement. “Did you get to see us?”
I followed him past the front seats to a small kitchenette in the middle section of the bus. A fold-out table blocked my way, and I squeezed around it. I sat across from Micah and gushed.
“You were amazing. You know you’re never going to be able to perform those small clubs again if you keep this up. You’re going to leave this tour as big a rock star as Adam.”
He laughed. “I seriously doubt that, but this trip has been incredible already.” His eyes grew big. “Wait. Are you coming with us to Antwerp? Don’t you need to get back home?”
I shrugged. “Apparently not. My manager said I could take up to two weeks, so I could theoretically travel with you guys as far as Munich.”
“Seriously? Excellent!” He raised his hand for a high five, and I didn’t leave him hanging. “Hey, would you be willing to sing with us?”
I gave him my “No, my brother” face. The one I’d worn when he’d asked me to steal money out of Mom’s purse. “Um. No way. You’re gonna have to get your own backup singer.”
“Why not? Come on. Did Adam already stake a claim?”
“What? Of course not. No way am I getting up onstage in an arena. This is way too big-time for me. But thanks for asking.”
Adam lunged up the steps and down the aisle to join us. His hair stuck out in every direction, and he had lipstick on every inch of skin across his cheeks and on his neck. I started to speak, but he lifted a hand. “Don’t even. It’s really not my fault.”
He grabbed a couple of napkins and rubbed it all off. I couldn’t blame the fans for wanting to lay their lips on him. I already regretted the lack of privacy we’d have on this bus for the next four hours. And I supposed even longer because it wasn’t like we’d get off the bus and find a hotel once we arrived in Antwerp. We’d likely just sleep here.
As if he’d read my mind, Adam took my hand and said, “Come with me.” He pointed out the benches along the walls. “These open out a little, but it’s far from comfortable.”
Farther back, we came to the rock-star suite. A platform had been installed to support a somewhat thicker mattress, and a flimsy cloth hung down in the opening to give the small alcove some privacy. “At night, we generally all squeeze in here because it’s better than the bunks. During the day, it makes a great place to get away and nap.”
I snickered, trying to reconcile my image of the rock-star tour bus with this reality. “You and Micah have been sleeping in here together for the past week?”
“Some. We have the three buses, plus a trailer for our gear. Micah’s bandmates are on one, and my other bandmates are on the other. We sometimes mix up the arrangement to give everyone a break from the sardine cans.”
The sound of someone climbing onto the bus interrupted my tour. Seamus shoved my suitcase in the middle of the aisle, saying, “One sec. I’ll be back.”
He returned a few moments later with bags slung over his shoulder and dropped them each on the front seats.
“Thank you, Seamus,” I said.
When he’d gone, Adam explained I could get some things out of my suitcase and put them into the few drawers near the back so the suitcase could be stored below the bus. While I picked out the few clean clothes I had left, Micah announced he’d go bunk with his bandmates for the night. So apparently he approved of my romance with Adam. That was good to know. I still hadn’t talked to him about it.
The bus doors closed, and we were alone with the driver, who paid us no attention.
“Are you hungry?” He began pulling things down from the cabinets. “One of our guys keeps these fully stocked, but it’s not a five-star restaurant. We’ve got peanut butter and fruit. Cheese and crackers? Or do you want something to drink?”
That’s when I realized this was his house—disguised as a bus. He was trying to make me feel like I was at home too, so I obliged him. “Can we have some of that cheese? And do you have a beer?”
As the bus rolled out of the parking lot and onward toward Antwerp, he went around gathering food. I would’ve loved to spy on the normal routine on this bus. Guys all jostling one another for space and food. Nobody serving someone else, as though they were a proper guest, unless they also brought girls on board. But if I’d thought a rock-star life was conducive to getting laid, I was disabused.
Sure, the dressing room had worked out for us, and tonight we had the bus to ourselves. But the other guys? They were going to be very horny by the end of this tour. Or maybe they weren’t clearing out for Adam because he was their diva. Maybe they all did that for one another. I’d love to stick around long enough to know.
He never stopped bustling around the cabin while I sat and ate. He picked up his food and then went back to find blankets. He tossed those into the bed alcove, grabbed his beer, and then opened a drawer to get clean clothes.
“Oh, and look!” He slid out a basket and displayed an assortment of colored square envelopes.
“Oh.” The muscles in my face dropped into a frown. I didn’t want to read too much into the fact that he kept condoms on his tour bus.
He shook his head. “I thought you’d be glad I thought ahead. Not far enough obviously. I thought we’d at least make it onto the bus.”
When the food was gone, and he’d cleaned it up, he said, “I’m beat. You can stay up if you want, but I’m going to lie down. Or you could join me.” His smile was equal parts cute, shy boy, and hot, smoldering rock star.
“You are irresistible,” I said.
I could see Adam wasn’t kidding about being exhausted, so I gathered a change of clothes for sleeping. As I glanced up, Adam tugged his shirt over his head, bearing his tattoo-covered torso, his taut abs, and the trail of hair running into his shorts. I followed him into his alcove and lay down beside him. He drew me in against his chest and caressed my skin until he slipped off to sleep. I lay there, listening to his deep breathing and worried the day would come when it would forever be out of my reach.
I woke up to the sound of Adam speaking in the front of the bus. I crept to the curtain at the entrance to the alcove and listened.
“Come on, Adrianna, it was so much better with you.”
Pause.
“Maybe. She doesn’t have as much experience, though. I’m pretty sure she’ll refuse.”
I took a deep breath and pushed open the curtain. Jealousy smoldered below the surface, but I wasn’t going to jump to conclusions without an explanation. He knew I was on the bus.
“Good morning,” I said in a cheery tone.
Adam leaned over as far as he could and stretched his hand out to me. “Hey, come out here.”
Then to the phone, he said, “Okay. Maybe we’ll see you farther south.”
When he hung up, he
reeled me onto his lap and kissed my cheek. “Adrianna wondered whether you might want to duet with me tonight in Antwerp.”
“Me?”
Adam chuckled and rubbed my hand. “I told her you’d refuse.”
“Then why are you bringing it up?”
“Adrianna ditched us in Dublin, but we caught up with her in London. Then she wanted to hitch a ride to Paris. I told her she could if she would duet on ‘Compulsion.’ She worked on it on the bus with me all day yesterday. We only practiced it once onstage for the sound check. Not bad, right?”
I nodded, unable to form a coherent response.
“But she doesn’t want to ride all over Europe with us just to perform one song.”
The idea was insane. “You want me to sing with you? Onstage?”
His lips found my neck, and he laid small kisses on me, sending chills down my spine. “Why not? You’ve sung onstage.”
His warm breath tickled my skin. But he couldn’t convince me so easily. “Not in front of a crowd that large.”
“So we start you off slow. You could sing in the shadows. Did you see how we hid Adrianna last night at first? If you’re game, it could totally work out. Adrianna could head south, and I could keep performing that song with your help.”
We only had a few hours to practice “Compulsion,” and he put me on a crash course. I had no intention of going onstage to perform it, but I went along with his plan because who wouldn’t want to learn a song written about her with the guy who wrote it?
While we were camped out in the Antwerp Sportpaleis parking lot, people constantly came and went. I had no time alone with Adam while I learned the lyrics. And then Adam wanted to work out the harmonies and go over it so many times that even if I got cold feet, practice would kick in. Compared to the insanity of the after concert the night before, I found the day hanging out with the guys relaxing and fun. They all got along with each other well. One of the drivers went out and brought back a ton of food, so when we weren’t practicing, we were eating.
Fans already camped out near the barricades by the buses, and whenever the guys moved about, the shrill shriek of thrilled girls followed us across the parking lot. Micah had started imitating Adam and took a page from his notebook by going over to the barricades and greeting all the fans. He came back glowing from all the adulation. I no longer recognized my brother; he was growing into the rock star he was always meant to be.
Some Kind of Magic Page 19