Just as the thought came to mind, it seemed like luck had come my way. The door swung open and when I looked toward it, my jaw literally dropped. He had on dark-blue jeans, a tight black T-shirt, and his hair was dirty blond. A few pieces of hair hung in his light-green eyes, but his smile was contagious. As he looked at me briefly, I felt my knees lock and my body ooze with warm excitement. He had a rugged look about him because of his couple-day-old stubble, but it was sexy all the same. His jawline was firm, all man, and his nose not too pointy or too crooked. Just right.
His black camera hung from his neck. A bag was slung on his shoulder and the handle of his suitcase was locked between his fingers. I didn’t know who this guy was, but obviously Ben did because, from the kitchen, he yelled excitedly and rushed in the hot guy’s direction.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Cal!” Ben exclaimed. He ushered the phenomenal “Cal” inside and he looked around before dropping his bags in the corner.
“So where’s a guy like me supposed to sleep?” he asked Ben. “I’m not too big so I don’t need much space.” He chuckled.
Ben laughed with him. “Don’t worry. The couch is available for tonight. The boys will have their tour bus back tomorrow so the rooms will be empty for the rest of the tour. I’m so glad you’ve decided to take us up on the offer, though. A journalist like you is exactly what we need to get FireNine that extra buzz.”
A journalist? When I found out what he was, I licked my lips. He was a man who dealt with words. Check one on the list of friends with benefits material.
“I wouldn’t have missed it, Ben. I love this band’s music and to get the full effect should be fun. I’ve been looking forward to it since you contacted me about it.”
“Well, great.” Ben turned around to look at me and I looked away quickly before Cal could see me staring at him. “Eliza, come here, sweetie,” Ben insisted.
I hesitated. What I had on was rather hideous—a pair of black-and-red running shorts with a red T-shirt to match. I wasn’t dressed to impress at all and being introduced to Cal so underdressed kind of bothered me. Meeting him for the first time meant I should’ve been rocking some nice jeans and a blouse that was a bit revealing. For a guy like him, I was supposed to make him do a double take, make his jaw drop, his head spin—something.
I had to remain bold, though.
I stood slowly and made my way to Ben’s side. As I got closer, Ben wrapped his arm around my shoulders, looking at Cal, who was already looking at me. “Cal, I’d like you to meet my daughter, Eliza Smith.”
Cal’s head tilted as his eyes scanned me from head to toe. As he did, I fidgeted. Cal then took my hand and kissed the skin on top. “It’s a pleasure, really.” My cheeks caught on fire as he looked at me beneath his blond eyelashes. His green eyes were so clear yet hard as he observed every aspect of my face. I wondered if he found me attractive because he was attracting the hell out of me. “They call me Cal, but my full name is Calvin Avery.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Cal,” I said boldly, although I could feel my voice wanting to waver.
“Ben!” someone shouted from the front door of the bus. It sounded like Terri. Ben pulled his arm away from my shoulders and took a step forward with a sigh.
“I’ll be right back,” he said hurriedly.
This was one moment I didn’t want Ben to leave me alone… with Calvin Avery. A sexy Calvin Avery whom I couldn’t be so confident around. He was really something to look at. Beneath his shirt I could make out the creases that defined his upper half. Through his jeans, I knew he was carrying a rather large package. He looked like he had it all.
“So, Eliza,” he finally sighed. “What brought you on tour with a bunch of men?”
Finally blinking, I looked from Cal to Montana, who was currently lying on his back, his eyelids droopy, on the verge of falling asleep. “Ben thought it would be nice for me to come along with him this year. I had nothing else to do this summer so…” I shrugged. “I just went with it.”
Cal nodded. “Has it been fun for you so far? You seem rather… bored.” He looked around, as if we were supposed to be throwing some kind of animalistic party.
“It’s been pretty chill so far. It’ll probably pick up in Orlando.”
“Considering that we’ll be staying there for five days, it just might. It’ll give me a chance to get to know each band member personally… and maybe a few others around.” He winked and my cheeks heated as he bent down to grab his suitcase. I couldn’t believe it. Calvin Avery was flirting with me?
“Ben?” a deep voice called from the hallway. I knew who the voice belonged to. Gage, of course.
He stepped around the corner and at first sight of Cal, his eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”
“Ho-ly shit.” Cal dropped his bags and rushed for Gage. Gage looked at him, slightly inconspicuous, before shaking the hand Cal held out toward him. “I’m Calvin Avery, but you can call me Cal. I work for It’s Real magazine, and I’ve been asked to write an article on you and the band in August after the tour is over. I have to say, it’s going to be amazing to be up close and personal with you guys and to get the full effect. I know the readers will love to read about my adventure and road trip with you all, the ladies especially.”
Gage forced a laugh, looking from Cal to me. “That’s great. I can’t wait to get to know you… I guess,” he said, looking at Cal again. Cal nodded and Gage glanced at me once more before going for the stairs of the bus and stepping outside.
“This should be fun,” Cal said, sighing as he took in the feel of the bus. He looked at Montana, who was snoring. He’d fallen asleep that fast. “So, Eliza, would you like to show me around the bus?”
I snorted a laugh. “I can, but there’s not much to see.” I stepped to his side and looked at the kitchen. “That’s obviously the kitchen,” I said, pointing at it.
He nodded, smirking. I slightly oozed on the inside, holding back on a grin.
I turned for the hallway but stepped past the first bedroom. That was the room Roy was in and I refused to go in because he always made situations awkward. He could have been cutting kittens’ heads off in there… Okay, that wasn’t true, but that’s how much he creeped me out. We passed the bunks and I mentioned to Cal the top bunk was Gage’s and the bottom one was Deed’s. My room was diagonally across from it and I swung the door open. I was slightly embarrassed as I took it in from a bystander’s point of view.
The bed wasn’t made. I had pencils and drawing paper all over the place. Paint was sitting in the corner, and my clothes weren’t too organized in my suitcase. I grabbed the door handle and tried to shut the door after telling him it was my room, but he held up his hand and pressed his palm against it to stop me.
“Hold on now.” He chuckled. “Are you embarrassed about me seeing your room?”
I shook my head as he took a step in. “No. It’s just not too clean right now.”
“Hey”—he shrugged—“clean isn’t even in my vocabulary. I hate cleaning. It’s just something I’ve despised for ages. And besides…” He sighed, reaching for one of the pencils on my bed. “I kind of like dirty girls.”
He’d definitely lit another fire within my cheeks. He noticed the way I tried to control my girly emotions and laughed smoothly. “Shall we continue the tour?” I asked.
“We shall,” he said, dropping the pencil on the bed and following me out. I led him down the hallway and showed him the bathroom. Afterward, I mentioned that the last two bedrooms belonged to Montana and Ben.
“For a bus, it’s kind of big,” he said as we stepped into the living room again.
“Yeah. It’s big, but I kind of love it.”
“A girl who loves big things,” he said, smirking. “You know, Eliza, you’re making me more and more interested in you by the second.”
I giggled, blushing. “How?”
“It wouldn’t be fair to tell you unless we get to know one another, now would it?”
“Get to know o
ne another how, exactly?” I asked, my head tilting. I was still smiling, which shocked me a little.
“We have almost two months ahead of us. I’m sure we can figure it out way before the tour is over.”
I laughed. I couldn’t doubt he was flirting with me. It was obvious, and as someone who didn’t really care for guys who flirted with me, I was finding it fun with Cal. He was adorable, especially when he smiled and his cheeks sank in, revealing his dimples. I couldn’t deny it.
The front door of the bus swung open and in came Gage again. He looked at us and then noticed how close I stood in front of Cal. Gage’s hazel eyes were like steel and, if I wasn’t mistaken, held a hint of aggravation. I figured he was still upset about his argument with Penelope, but I took a step back anyway.
“Gage, you don’t mind if I get a few questions in with you tonight, do you?” Cal asked, taking a step back as well. “I have some from the fans, but I won’t bombard you with them. I have a few for the whole band, but it seems like everyone wants to hear what you have to say most.”
Gage shrugged. “Happens when you’re lead singer of a band.”
“Cocky much?” I teased.
He laughed at me, running a hand through his hair. “Never that, Sweet Ellie. Never that. Just confident.”
Cal laughed with him and then went for his suitcase. “Great. When would you like to start?”
“We could do it now.” Gage sighed. “I have plenty of time to practice my vocals later.”
“Awesome.” Cal dug into his suitcase and unzipped a small black bag, fishing out a cell phone and a notebook. “At the table, shall we?” He gestured to the table.
Cal went for it quickly and Gage nodded with a sigh. As he stepped by, he paused to take a look over his shoulder and winked at me. I frowned. I was still annoyed with him and his act with Penelope; plus, I knew the interview was going to take a while so I headed for my bedroom.
I allowed drawing to consume me and even did some drawings and T-shirt designs for the band. They turned out way better than I thought they would. There weren’t skulls or anything grunge. It was actually on the softer side but with a hint of masculinity.
I dug around my suitcase for my colored pencils to fill in the logo I’d created. Orange, red, and black were already the band’s official colors, so I had to make do. I preferred the cool colors like blue, teal, green, and maybe a little bit of black for the boys because it fit them more, but I couldn’t change much just yet. I knew even if Gage were to set something up for me, I wouldn’t be able to make too many changes. I’d have a minor say-so, especially because of my age.
The night carried on with me making a ton of designs for T-shirts, their next CD cover, and even their instruments. It was fun to plan and I didn’t even realize how late it became or that we were on the road again until a knock came from my door.
I looked at it quickly, wishing I could just pretend to be asleep, but I was sure they saw my light on from the dark hallway. “Who is it?” I called.
“Your enemy, I guess,” Gage said from behind the door. There was humor in his tone.
I rolled my eyes before pushing up from the bed and going for the door. Swinging it open, I looked into Gage’s bright eyes and folded my arms. His hands were gripping the frames of the door and his head was tilted down. He was way taller than me, which wasn’t unusual at my five feet and three inches.
“I haven’t talked to you much today,” he said.
“And that’s my fault?”
“No.” He shrugged, stepping into my room. My eyebrows drew in as he looked toward my bed. He spotted the FireNine drawings and smiled as he picked up one. “You’re working,” he noted, smirking. “Dedication.”
“I don’t consider it working. Just thought it’d be fun to test some things out for you guys.”
“Seems like the testing is going well. This looks like something I’d definitely wear,” he said, holding up the sheet of paper. “The colors I love most. Blue… it’s my favorite color. And black.”
“Yeah,” I scoffed. “I can tell black is.” I laughed as I looked him over in his black T-shirt and black sweats.
“Are you finding my clothes a problem, Ellie?” he asked, eyebrow arching as he sat on the end of my bed.
“Not at all, Gage.”
He sighed, dropping the paper back on the bed and then scooting toward me. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Were you upset about Penelope being over earlier?”
I scowled at him, taking a step back. “Why would I be upset?”
“Maybe because you’re interested in me.” He smirked confidently.
“Not likely. I don’t really care about you or Penelope, to be honest.”
His eyebrow rose. “Really? I find that hard to believe—not about Penelope, but about you not caring about me.”
“I’m just starting to know you and right now you’re coming off as an arrogant ass. I don’t favor people like you.”
“An arrogant ass?” he repeated, chuckling with wide eyes. “You’ve called me arrogant twice in less than a week. That’s funny.”
“Is this what you came in here for? Because you think I like you and I’m jealous of your ditzy girlfriend?”
He winked. “Maybe.”
I took another step back and sighed. “Well, I’m not, Gage. As I’ve said before, you’re my friend. That’s all.”
He licked his lips, nodding slowly as he looked into my eyes. “And that’s final? You’re completely sure about that? You want nothing more? Not even after what was about to happen between us last night?”
I almost hesitated. I wanted to shout at him about how I’d had a crush on him since my freshman year of high school. I wanted to tell him that I fantasized about those plush lips against mine, his firm body pressed up on me for hours. I’d even fantasized about having sex with him. All kinds of sex. I was sure I would’ve gone through with all of it if he weren’t so damn egotistical, but he was and I couldn’t get down with that.
I couldn’t get down with a guy who would sleep with a girl just for the hell of it and then forget about her. I couldn’t be a part of his “yeah, I fucked her” list. I was more than certain that was the list Gage would add me to, so I finally folded my arms and said, “I’m positive.”
He stared at me a little longer than expected and stood and stepped back with a nod. Gripping the doorknob, he narrowed his eyes and a forced smile across his lips. “Goodnight, Ellie.”
Before I could say it back, the door was already shutting. I pitched a dry laugh because that entire conversation was pointless as hell. What was the purpose of it? Why did he care if I liked him or not anyway? And why the hell would I be jealous of fucking Penelope?
There were probably a million girls in the world that claimed to be madly in love with Gage Grendel, but he was worried about my opinion of him? Thinking about it as I sat down to color in a few logos caused me to laugh again.
I’d mentioned it to Ben once before, but Gage really was a character in my eyes. A truly confusing one.
I’m not sure when I fell asleep the night before, but I do know I woke up in Orlando. It was a late morning and we’d been on the road twenty hours. I had to have slept for twelve hours or more and of course I woke up in the middle of the night, gasping for breath while clinging to my chest. As I sat up, I had one of those sleep hangovers that could kill a whole day if you allowed it.
The only plus to waking up in Orlando was there was a ton of sun. I loved the sun. Anytime I could be in it, I would be. I would paint in the sun just to feel it on my skin. I could never figure out why I was so pale when all I wanted was to be around it.
A knock came from my door and right after, it opened quickly and in came Ben. He had on a collared light-pink shirt, dark-brown khaki’s, and penny loafers. His hair was parted in the middle, as usual, but what confused me was the frown on his face. “Why are you still in bed?”
I groaned, pushing on my hands to
climb out of the bed. “I had a long night last night.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Doing?”
“Painting, drawing—the usual.” And thinking about Gage.
Ben’s lips pressed as he folded his arms. “Well, everyone’s outside waiting on you.”
“On me?” I frowned, eyes wide. “Why?”
“We’ve decided to go out for some breakfast.” He flashed a smile and then checked his watch. “Ten minutes, button bottom.”
Before I could speak, he was stepping out of my room and shutting the door behind him. I sighed, turning for my suitcase to pull out some jean shorts and a lavender tunic. I then grabbed my toiletries and rushed for the bathroom to take a quick shower. I usually hated those, but I hated it more when people were waiting on me. It kind of bothered me.
I rushed to put on my clothes, sliding the thongs of my flip-flops between my toes, grabbing my camera, and then hurrying out. I kicked open the screen door and stepped out, absorbing the sun. It felt nice against my skin, although I was a bit flustered from rushing around. I turned my head to look toward the white truck Ben and I usually rode in, but before I could even take a step ahead, Gage stepped to my side.
“Did you even bother to dry your hair?” he asked.
I frowned, reaching up to touch it, and my face fell rapidly. I jerked my hand down because my hair was soaked. My cheeks burned and I rushed away from Gage to get to the bus again. I could hear him laughing at me and felt even more embarrassed. I had a damn mop on top of my head and didn’t even realize it. No wonder it felt so nice outside.
I hurried for the bathroom, wrung out my hair, dried it with a towel, and then pulled it up into a bun. I gave the mirror one last check, approving my casual demeanor, and then stepped out. As soon as I did, I ran into a broad chest.
My eyes traveled from his tan T-shirt up to his pink lips curved into a smile and then into his light-green eyes. His blond eyelashes batted at me and my breath stifled slightly as he caught me by the hip before I could fall into him any farther. “Morning, Eliza,” Cal said, still smiling.
Who He Is Page 9