by Emily Snow
“Are you all right?” He placed me on my feet with a chuckle and I nodded, my lips pressing.
“I’m fine. Do you think we should go catch a little bit of that party?”
He looked me over, making sure I was being serious. “You’re serious? You want to?”
“I don’t mind.”
“Penelope might be there, though… and you know how she can get whenever I’m around…”
I cringed as her name came out of his mouth, but I shook it off. I couldn’t do much about her being around. Gage wasn’t my property. I didn’t own him. As far as I was concerned, we weren’t anything other than friends… with benefits. I wasn’t seeking much else and I sure as hell knew he wasn’t. I finally nodded my head with a shrug and he sighed, bringing a hand up to run it through his hair. He pulled out his cell phone, his eyes a bit harder than before as he said, “I’ll call Stan.”
I wasn’t sure what was wrong. Maybe he was worried he’d run into Penelope. Maybe he just really didn’t want to go to that party. I was uncertain, so instead of making him feel guilty, I hooked my arm around his lean waist and smiled up at him, leading the way back to my art supplies. “It’ll be fun, like you said,” I assured him. “Nothing negative. I promise. And if she’s there, we’ll just leave.”
He revealed a gentle, crooked smile, kissed my forehead, and I grinned as the sudden heat from his lips bombarded me with pleasure and contentment.
And for the rest of that night, luck was on our side because Penelope was nowhere to be found.
The next state was Kentucky. Being in Kentucky was different, not too sunny or too cloudy. The breezes were gentle, soothing. After the boys practiced beside the tour bus, it was time to head for the show. I couldn’t help but stare as Gage sang without a microphone as he practiced. Surprisingly, even from sitting on the steps of my bus, I could hear him. His voice was loud and mesmerizing. I really couldn’t figure out why I fell for his voice each and every time.
It could have been because he sang with so much emotion that it gave him more depth. He had so much soul, so much heart. He looked vulnerable when singing, like he was cut open and all his emotions were put on display for the whole world to see.
With my hand on my chin, my elbow on my lap, I found it hard to look away. I couldn’t help but study him. The way he tapped the outside of his thigh with his hand. The way he snapped his fingers with the rhythm whenever his eyes were open and he was smiling behind the words. Something was letting me know that behind his lyrics, there was meaning, and I wanted so badly to find out. Who hurt him? Who broke his heart? I never thought any girl could break Gage Grendel’s heart. He was too carefree and if anything, he was the one breaking hearts and messing with girl’s emotions. Most of their songs were upbeat, but the lyrics were so sad.
As he sang, I saw the man with the peppery hair, suit, and clean face again—the one whose appearance always weirded me out. It was odd how he stared so intently at Deed as he played on the drums. I noticed how Deed would take nervous glances to his right at the man, and whenever Deed hit a certain beat, the man would nod, his fingers tucked into his pockets, and Deed’s chest would sink and rise with relief. The guy seriously freaked me out, and it was weird how I didn’t know who the hell he was, what he did, or what part of the crew he belonged to.
“Liza!” Ben called, snapping me out of my daze. I looked to my left quickly, seeing Ben standing with his hand at his hip, his eyes narrowed. “Did you not hear me calling you?”
“No… sorry. Are we ready to go?”
“Yes. We have to be there in twenty.”
I nodded, clutching my bottle of water and grabbing my satchel. After strapping my bag around me, I made the turn for the truck but got caught in a pair of firm, masculine arms before I could make the complete spin. “Hey, Ellie,” Gage murmured, his head tilting down to look at me.
My pulse paused, realizing how close he was. I still had to get used to this—to Gage touching me whenever he wanted, not that I minded it. “Hey,” I breathed. “All ready for your show?”
“A little bit.” He released me, running his fingers through his hair. “I don’t think I’m completely ready yet, though.”
My head tilted. “What do you mean? What’s wrong?”
“Well… there’s just this thing I wanted before stepping on stage.”
“And what might that be?”
“A simple kiss on the cheek… from my Sweet Ellie.”
I smirked at him, shaking my head and folding my arms. “You sure it isn’t anything else?”
“Oh, trust me,” he sighed. “I’d love more from you, Ellie, but since we’re on a time crunch, a kiss on the cheek will do for now.” Gage bent his knees a little and turned his head, pointing at his cheek. “Go ahead. Lay it on me. It’s not asking for too much, is it?”
I giggled because it wasn’t asking much at all. A kiss on the cheek would do, so I leaned forward and puckered my lips, ready to place them against his cheek, but then his head turned, right when I was close, and our lips collided. I gasped, smacking his shoulder playfully, and he laughed, reeling me in by the waist. “A kiss on the cheek? Yeah fucking right,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I think those lips on mine are what I need in order to have a great show.”
Grinning, I stood on my toes and kissed him swiftly but tenderly. “There. Good luck tonight.”
“Uh… no.” He pulled me in again, crushing my body against his. His arms were still circled around my waist and, tilting his head down, he leaned in and kissed me. The kiss was sweet, innocent, and simple at first, but then he added his tongue and I moaned into his mouth. My hand pressed against his chest to try and get him to release me and hurry before they ended up late, but it faltered and gave out on me as the intensity grew. I sank against him, and behind the kiss he smiled, pulling away slowly. “There,” he said in a mocking tone. “That may just last me until the show’s over.”
I beamed at him and he unhooked his arms from my waist. “Good luck tonight,” I said again, watching as he took gradual steps away. I couldn’t look away from him. I wanted to kiss him again, and by the look in his hungry hazel irises, I knew he wanted it just as badly. He stopped walking quickly, his lips parting, eyes darting right down to my lips.
“Just one more,” he murmured, rushing for me and reeling me in. Giggling, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. It wasn’t as long or as passion-filled as the previous one, but it made do.
With that, Gage tossed a light wave at me, rushed for the bus to grab his guitar and strap it around him, and then hurried for the truck. Before he hopped in all the way, he looked over his shoulder, noticing me still watching him. He then winked and climbed into the truck completely, shutting the door behind him. Their vehicle peeled off the instant he was inside, and I sighed, still smiling—wait… Why was I still smiling? It was just a kiss. Nothing other than that. It wasn’t like we hadn’t kissed before.
“All right, mesmerized damsel,” Ben said, making me gasp. He hooked his arm around my shoulders and led the way toward the car. “I allowed you to have your little kiss, but we have to get going.”
My cheeks burned as I looked up at him. “Oh, geez. You watched?”
“How could I not? You were standing right in front of me.” He laughed a little and I smiled. “Just be careful with him, Liza,” he added.
My head tilted a little, confused by the seriousness that just clouded his tone. “We aren’t anything other than friends with benefits, Ben.”
“I understand that, but…” Ben trailed off as we neared the truck and he opened the door for me.
“But what?” I asked as I climbed in, knowing he wasn’t going to finish his sentence.
He looked me over, his brown eyes studying me cautiously. He then sighed, bringing his sunglasses up to place them over his eyes. “Nothing, Liza Bear. Just be careful, like I said. Have fun, but keep your heart to yourself while you’re hanging with him.”
He shut the door befor
e I could ask him anything, and I slid back on the leather bench, sort of baffled. What exactly did he mean by that? Keep my heart to myself? Why would I give it to Gage, knowing he was one person who could crumble it to pieces? Handing it over would have been tremendously dumb of me.
Ben rounded the front of the car and hopped into the front seat. He told Marco we were all set and not once did he look back at me. It was as if he knew I had a million questions, but he didn’t want to answer them. It made me kind of suspicious, but I told myself to drop it and stick with the plan Gage and I had. Friends with benefits and nothing more.
That was it.
WASHING MACHINE
The fans of Kentucky were rowdier than the other cities, but the band seemed to love their hollering and enthusiasm. It allowed them to play louder and for Gage to sing louder. I sang along to a few of the songs I knew, and it surprised me that every so often, Gage would steal glances to his left at me and wink. Smooth heat would creep up from my neck to my cheeks and I would wink back.
After the boys finished their performances, they decided to grab a bite to eat. I wasn’t sure what they were going to be doing that night, but since I was going to be with Gage most of the time, I was kind of thrilled. I knew I shouldn’t have been because he could still do whatever he wanted. I frowned when that thought came to mind.
I frowned even more as I slid into my booth across from Ben and Cal, who were talking about the boys’ performances and the upcoming songs they had planned. The diner was connected to an arcade. The waiters and waitresses wore roller skates and bright colors. It was pretty spiffy.
After the boys downed their food, they rushed for the arcade in a heartbeat and hollered like idiots. If they all didn’t have facial hair and nice bodies, I would’ve considered them a load of sixteen and seventeen-year-olds instead of twenty-three and twenty-four-year-olds.
A few girls were giggling in the corner, desperate for some attention. My gaze paused on Gage, who took a quick look over his shoulder and winked at one of them. They giggled even harder and my eyebrows drew in. I turned quickly. I couldn’t become that girl… but then again, we did have to establish some rules if I wanted this to go correctly and be as fun as possible.
Ben and Cal finished their food and stood from the table to walk outside and meet with the crew, and I sighed, digging into my satchel for my book. I hadn’t read a book in a while with all the partying, going out, and being stuck on… him. I figured a good romantic novel would do until it was time to go.
The only negative thing about books was I would get so sucked into them that I didn’t pay much attention to anything outside of me. I didn’t feel anyone moving up on me from behind. Usually I could feel the presence of another without even seeing them, but not this time. I didn’t fully snap out of it until a pair of warm, damp lips pressed on the back of my neck, and I burned from head to toe. The hair on my back spiked and prickled at my skin. My legs clenched, heat bombarded my lower belly, and I gasped, holding back on a moan.
He kissed me again and this time there was a mixture of ice that made my toes curl. I gripped the edges of my book, his lips moving across my skin rather seductively up to the lobe of my ear, my jawline, and then down to the crook of my neck. I moaned and he chuckled deeply, sending another shot of heat between my legs.
“Hey, Ellie,” Gage murmured, kissing my cheek. He stepped back to get into the booth with me and I sighed as he hooked an arm around my shoulders.
“Hey, Gage.”
“Why are you sitting here alone?”
“I don’t play video games… sorry.” I shrugged.
“You read?” He pointed at my book.
“Yes,” I blurted. I felt kind of stupid afterward because of my abruptness. “There’s nothing wrong with reading. Maybe you should try it one day.”
“Nah.” He leaned back against the booth. “Reading was never my thing. I’ll write without a problem, though.”
“I guess that’s just as good.”
I looked into his eyes and he smirked at me. He inched in closer, but I backed away a little, pressing the palm of my hand against his firm chest. “What’s wrong?” he asked, looking down at the hand on his chest and then into my eyes again.
“I think if we want this to be equally fun between us, with no drama, we have to make some things clear.”
Gage looked me over briefly before clearing his throat. I dropped my arm as he sat up straight, stood, and moved to sit across from me. Leaning against his seat with his arms folded, he said, “Okay, let’s hear it.”
“Number one, just because we aren’t involving more than benefits doesn’t mean we should mess around with other people while we’re hanging out. If we’re really doing this for the next few weeks, our attention should be on each other… even if it’s just for fun.”
Gage raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like you’re trying to make this sort of a… relationship.”
“No.” I shook my head quickly. “No, I don’t want that. I just… It won’t really be fun knowing you’re sleeping with other girls when we’re supposed to be having fun together. It’ll make me wanna stop, ya know?”
“So you’re pretty much saying I can only fuck you? Nobody else?”
I scowled as he smirked. “Gage, I’m being serious.”
“Okay, okay.” He chuckled, holding up his hands innocently. “All right, so no fucking around with other girls while we’re doing this thing. Okay. I gotcha.”
“Another thing… Penelope. What do you plan on doing with her?”
He looked me over, his eyes expanding. “I don’t know. I’ll most likely drop her… for you.”
“Are you sure?”
His lips curled into another smirk. “Positive, Ellie. I’ve had more fun with you in one night than I’ve had with her in the past three years.”
I smiled at his compliment. “All right. That’s all. Besides those two things, we’re good. Nothing too serious.”
“I have one,” he said, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table.
My eyebrows lifted. What could he have to ask me? I hardly ever did anything.
“Cal…” He trailed off and I grinned.
“What about him, Gage?”
“I notice how he flirts with you. He jokes around a lot with you and since you’re on the same bus as him, it makes me think he might try something and eventually you’ll give in.”
“Cal’s a nice guy. I’m sure he wouldn’t try anything like that.”
“He can be nice, but he’s still a guy. A guy will do anything for some ass… especially an ass like yours.”
I burned scarlet. “Oh, whatever.” I waved him off.
“I’m serious.” He grabbed the pepper and sprinkled some on the table. “I’d rather you not… flirt back with him if you can.”
“How is it fair that you can flirt, but I can’t?” I asked as he ran his finger through the pepper and spelled out his name.
“I sing for a band, Ellie. It’s almost natural for me now.”
I frowned, my eyes swinging down to my book again. I pretended to read the words and not become upset over his cocky, arrogant statement, but I couldn’t think straight, especially by how quiet it became. Outside of hearing Montana, Roy, and Deed yelling from the arcade, it was dead silent between us.
Finally he sighed and placed his hand on top of mine. I looked up as he pulled my hand to his lips and kissed the flesh on top. “But if it really bothers you and you want me to calm down on it, I’ll do it… for you… for now.”
“Okay.” I could deal with that. After I was gone from the tour, he could start his flirting again. At least he was going to try. It’s all I was asking.
“We’re going to a bonfire at the lake a little later.” He sighed, releasing my hand. “They’ll be roasting marshmallows, making s’mores, drinking a few beers, dancing… It’ll be chill.” He took a look down at my book and I lifted my elbow onto the table, placing the palm of my hand beneath my chin.
“And?” I urged.
His eyes hardened and I smirked. “Eliza, I’m not used to asking girls to come out with me. I’m telling you to.”
“You’re telling me I should come… with you?”
He nodded.
“What if I have plans?”
His lips pressed together, his eyes full of doubt. “Doing what exactly?”
“Reading. Maybe some painting.”
“There’re plenty of other nights to read and paint.”
“Maybe if you ask nicely, I’ll consider it.” I teased him, but he wasn’t smiling. I hated getting on his nerves, but I was getting a kick out of it. I wasn’t about to be walked over like a doormat.
Here was another thing about Gage I’d noticed: how he always told me to join him. He never asked me and it kind of bothered me because he was so used to telling girls what to do that he probably became spoiled in his own kind of way.
“Eliza, you have to come with me—”
I held up my hand, stopping him. “I don’t have to. If you want me to, why don’t you just ask me?”
“‘Cause then it’ll feel like a date… We aren’t dating, remember? Just flinging.”
I laughed softly, focusing on my book again. He was definitely confusing me with the easy girls he usually dealt with.
“Eliza… please?”
I looked up slowly, staring into his eyes. He grabbed my hand again and squeezed it. “Is this what you want? For me to beg with puppy-dog eyes?” He grinned.
“Not beg.” I giggled. “Just ask politely instead of telling me I’m gonna do something with you.”
“All right,” he sighed. “Can you please come to the bonfire with me tonight?”
“Yes, Gage.” I beamed. “I can come with you to the bonfire tonight.”
He laughed, pulling his hand away to rake his fingers through his tousled hair. A few pieces dropped onto his forehead, and I had the urge to reach forward and push them back. Unfortunately, before I could will myself to do it, he brushed them away. “You’re seriously gonna make this tough for me, aren’t you?”