by Denise Marie
He growled again.
She covered her mouth to prevent a full out belly laugh.
“Damn.”
She swiveled back to the bunks and inched her way backward to the bathroom. Drew?
“Oh, I would know what to do all right.”
With a gasp, she opened her mouth under her hand. Brett?
“I am sure there is something on your list that can be taken care of, if we get you topless, Izzy.” The little lights that glowed along the skirting of the aisle made it possible to see Zander peek out from behind his curtain and wink at her.
She scooted in and closed the door fast, not able to hold in the laugh any longer. Cole laughed too. A nice laugh.
Chapter Five
Dear Diary,
I could feel the heat of his breath…
Utter silence, no hum of music to pass the time and no clit-throbbing masculine voices rumbled when Isabelle braced herself to sit up and opened her eyes. She sighed, thankful for the sleep aid she took while in the bathroom last night. Not a wise idea in light of the amount of alcohol she’d consumed, but this adventure was about taking risks, right? She huffed and flopped back down on her pillow with her hands over her face.
Isabelle Chambers dies at the young age of twenty-nine after a seductive poker game with muscled and tattooed rockers. She succumbed to the use of pills for sleep to avoid fantasies about them that would keep her awake all night in her drunken stupor. Ha. Sounds a lot better than, Isabelle Chambers dies at the age of twenty-nine from a brain tumor. Autopsy reveals lack of fun, unused and untouched female anatomy.
She threw her arms over her head and blew at wisp of hair that’d fallen in her face. Sarcasm often encouraged trouble when she needed it the least. Cole’s threat about her T-shirt replayed in her mind. Some fantasies would be more than welcome.
“Anyone here?”
The continued silence assured her now would be a safe time to get showered and ready for, well, she didn’t know what today’s plans were. The constant flutter in her stomach made the whole bucket list adventure sound more attractive to drop, rather than follow through with. Sober and focused, she ignored the woman she used to be, she collected her things and headed to the bathroom.
The iPod and speakers she packed made it easy to maintain her routine amateur shower rendition of Carrie Underwood’s, Before He Cheats.
“Eeek!”
The sudden blast of cold water proved he hadn’t been kidding around when he said hot water was short lived on the bus.
She threw the shower door open and jumped out, right into a hard, bare, sweaty chest that smelled so good. Unable to resist, she closed her eyes and inhaled the musky male scent that made a little moisture not from the shower, pool between her thighs.
“Ahem”
Her sexual fog cleared, and the heat of his strong hands alerted her that he supported her upper body by the rib cage. Close enough to touch her outer, naked breasts. She reconsidered the need for a cold shower.
“Are you all right, Izzy? I heard you scream, you scared the shit out of me.”
She raised her chin to see the most decadent, cocky, smile. “Cole?” She smoothed her hand up his bare chest, to the dimple beside his lip. The intent to tease, get revenge, never worked for her. It worked on her.
He responded with a step closer. “Yes?”
Darn it.
“I’m fine, cold water shocked me and well, I’m naked. Think maybe you could get out?”
Her body heat rose; sure to leave a flush on her wet skin. His gaze dropped from hers, and scanned the length of her body. The flimsy shorts he wore did little to conceal his attraction or his length. She tightened her stance.
Reserved might be a good word to describe her, but shy, not so much. She squirmed away from him, flailed her arm behind her until she found the towel, and wrapped it around herself. She took an assertive step forward, and he retreated with a flare in his eyes that didn’t convince her he was nervous in the least.
She couldn’t resist one more touch and his cocky posture dared her. She poked at him. “I’m a grown woman who can take care of herself, Cole, don’t worry about me.”
He smiled and raised his eyebrow. “If you hadn’t noticed, my lower half is well aware that you are a grown woman. So much so, I have a proposition for you.”
He stepped forward, forced her to retreat until her back was pinned against the wall. She held still when he leaned into her neck and inhaled the scent of her soap. “Let us help you with your list, all of it. And when I say that, I mean the unedited one.” He swayed his head back and forth, and brushed his lips against her skin, ever so light.
Her knees trembled, and she lifted her hands to his shoulders for support. “Cole. You have no idea what the sound of that offer does to me.” She shut her eyes, tight. “I want to say yes, but you have to understand, the items on that paper are my only priority. I’m not here to lead you into the false hope my presence is for anything more than the list. There is no future for me.”
She shimmied out from the wall, difficult given the small space. A full breath did little to get her libido under control before she opened the door.
“I appreciate the offer more than you know, but I don’t want to distract you from the life you lived before I arrived. Sorry I took all the hot water.”
No hoots were chanted as she scurried to her bunk in only a towel. He returned by himself. Her heart fluttered at the possibility that he’d intended to be alone with her.
When she closed her curtain, the bathroom door opened. “The rest of the guys should be in soon. We like to work out in the morning when we aren’t too hung over. We have a show tonight if you want to tag along and watch, like a day in the life of? It’ll give you some time to think about my offer and by the way, nice voice. I’m gonna have to put some better music on that thing for you.”
She gripped the towel around her breasts and stared down at her phone. She didn’t have to think about it, but she did have to know what the girls would say.
Morning ladies. So Cole just offered to help me out with my entire list. What do you think?
Send.
She set the phone down in order to master a delicate shuffle into her clothes, without injury from the walls that closed her in. The phone vibrated its way close to the edge of the bed.
Hell yes. Abigail
Lucky Bitch. Did you wax? Taryn
OMG Izzy. Be careful, watch your heart, and…make sure you stretch. LOL Katherine
****
Cole punched the counter and the vanity mirror rattled on the wall. The door provided no obstacle for him to run out of the bathroom and chase after her, plead her to let him do this. Neither the cold shower, nor his hand, relieved the constant state of arousal he displayed around her.
His desperation, magnified in the mirror, exposed more than surface level emotions. Life couldn’t have brought him this wonderful distraction at a better time. Strange moods hit him all the time, and the guys bore the brunt of it.
The tour was fun, always, but something still seemed out of reach. They encountered groupies all the time but nothing like her though. She could care less, and he loved it. Drew’s caution ran, no, raced through his mind. Don’t get attached.
What the hell did she mean by there is no future for her? Is the list the real deal; is she sick? She looks healthy. So healthy he used all of his energy to resist the urge to spread her out on his bed and taste her until she moaned his name, and trembled with release.
Voices from outside the bathroom startled him. He closed his eyes, focused on his breath, and well, anything that would minimize his condition. She didn’t need to hear the ribs he’d get if he left the bathroom with a hard-on.
“Did you see her tits bounce while she ran? Man, I’d like to get my face in those.”
“Not if I get to them first. She said she’d be at the show tonight. Arm wrestle?”
With a towel wrapped around his waist, Cole stepped out of the bathroom
and bumped knuckles with Brett and Zander. He shook his head with a smile when Drew joined the fun, and dry humped the air in an exaggerated motion.
When Isabelle’s feet hit the floor, all four bare-chested men spun around. She stood, wide-eyed and jaw-dropped, in her camouflage Capri’s and tank top. Red blotches spread over her skin when she surveyed herself and then them, before she changed directions and raced toward the back lounge.
“Don’t stop staring on our account, Izzy. Then again, sway that ass a little more for us and make it worth it.”
Cole punched Drew in the arm, didn’t like that they ogled her but kind of did at the same time. She didn’t close the door, so he could see her perched on the couch, rubbing the skin right off her arms. He stood at his bunk, his hand on the towel and winked when her gaze left the window and landed on him. He could read her mind when she tipped her head to the side and raised her eyebrows, more in challenge than curiosity.
He dropped the towel and chuckled when her eyes widened, and she gawked with her hand over her mouth. Yes, he kept himself in shape and well, he never experienced any complaints about his size. He slid into his boxer briefs and stroked himself through the material while many images and positions, filtered through his mind.
“It won’t break you, if that’s what you’re concerned about, beautiful.” The sound of his voice forced her gaze up and he smiled. So, it wasn’t just men who objectified.
“Sorry.”
A deep blush rose on her face, similar to the one he’d seen cover the entire length of her naked body earlier in the bathroom.
Drew hit him on the back of the head and continued to the lounge. “Cocky son of a bitch, isn’t he?”
“Hmph.” She grabbed the material thrown at her face, and held it up. A Scandals’ T-shirt.
“Do not let me catch you wearing that hillbilly shirt to bed again or else.” He slid his phone off the table and twirled it in his hand on his way to the couch.
Cole stood at the door, clothed, and smiled as his best friend grinned at the woman who captured everyone’s attention.
She held the shirt up in front of her again with a spark in her eye. “I’ll have to think about it. I suffer from commitment issues, and I have committed many years to that Jake Owen T-shirt.”
He leaned into her bunk before she could stop him, dragged the offensive T-shirt from under her pillow, and threw it at Brett. “Hide that, and no matter what she says or does, do not give it back until the day she leaves.” He blocked the aisle, and made it impossible for her to get through while Brett stuffed the shirt into his own bunk.
He admired her with her hands on her hips and chin held high, but she didn’t budge. “Cole Davies, you said my bunk was my private place? You just violated that.”
He grasped her hips with a slight squeeze and took a step forward so little room existed between them, kissed her forehead, and whispered. “Stay and I promise I will violate you in all kinds of ways. Your list, remember?”
She shivered.
He could feel their stares. They chuckled behind him when she acknowledged his intention with a subtle nod, out of breath.
He mentioned his desire to help her with her entire list earlier. Being men, they didn’t have any argument with his itch to get laid. Their only concern? How many items they were going to be a part of. She didn’t fawn over them or acknowledge they were famous; it was nice.
Derek climbed on the bus with a whistle. “Boys are running late. Get your asses in there. Stage is set up for sound check. Hello, dear. Hope the boys didn’t snore too loud and keep you up last night.”
Cole stumbled when she gave him a little shove, and headed to the front of the bus for the well-used passenger seat. He tapped his fist on the bunk and stared as Derek joined her.
“It may have taken a little sleep aid to knock me out, but other than that,” she shrugged, “I have no complaints.”
“Good to hear. The boys have to do sound check, an interview with a local radio show, and meet and greet, all before the show. Are you going to grace us with your sweet smile, or have these jerks scared you off already?”
She leaned over and placed her hand on his knee. A sentiment beyond his comprehension filled her eyes. Sorrow maybe? He really didn’t know much about her.
“I wouldn’t miss it. Thank you. I will try not to get in the way.”
Cole, Drew, Brett, and Zander stood in the aisle with their mouths open when he offered her the picture of his wife and daughter. He pointed at them and bestowed information on her even they weren’t clear on. He didn’t open up to anyone about his family. In one day, she had them all wrapped around her finger; she didn’t even know it.
“I know that look Cole, careful.”
His chest tightened at Drew’s caution but he didn’t want to think about it, not now. “Come on guys, let’s show Carolina how real men party.” He could fake it well, but the unknown reason for her list got under his skin.
Everyone got off the bus, tipped their heads, and waved to the few fans who always showed rain or shine, no matter what time of day. Venues catered to their privacy as much as possible, ensured a place to park behind buildings and away from the streets. Fans gathered at the gates in the distance, some with binoculars and lawn chairs, others with only a camera and an article of clothing to be signed if lucky. He’d try to find the time and make it over to them. He let everyone go ahead and held his arm out for her to go first.
She stood up and placed her hand on Derek’s shoulder. “Thank you for sharing that with me. Your wife and daughter sound like they were wonderful women.” He eyed the picture with fondness; his smile extended to his eyes.
Seems I may not be the only one who needs her.
****
Isabelle shifted her gaze between his hand and devilish grin, before she stepped ahead. The loud slap and sharp bite of pain on her ass confirmed her suspicion. She raised her hand to retaliate but he stopped her with his grip, and they both exited the bus with a quiet laugh to several camera flashes in the distance. It wasn’t until her foot hit the ground and someone yelled “who’s the new chick,” that she glanced down at their joined hands. She freed herself in casual fashion and put both hands in her pockets. Katherine’s text about that little piece of gossip would arrive in no time.
The side of the stage where she stood allowed for a great view while people hustled, monitored their watches, or talked into earpieces. She never could have imagined the size of the crew necessary to organize a concert. Then again, the many country concerts she’d attended before this were much different. There, men paraded around in cowboy boots and hats, with plaid shirts tight enough to reveal their muscles, and hold her attention from anything else.
Her usual view from out in the crowd, in nosebleed seats, didn’t compare to this. Only an arena, but more like a stadium of empty seats that’d be filled later. It was intimidating, to say the least. She held her hand over her stomach, not sure if the nausea was anxiety for the guys, or the tumor.
Led to believe, by said men, she’d blend in; she clenched her jaw with a smile every time someone greeted her by name. She spun to see if anyone else cared to approach her, before she used her phone to take a picture of the view. The legal document only mentioned no pictures of the band, not the stage. She sent the picture to her friends and titled it Get a load of this view…
Incredible…have you seen where the tattoo ends yet? LOL Taryn
I expect backstage passes soon. Abby
Wow. How u feeling? Katherine
She laughed and responded to Katherine. She could never get away with white lies to her, even in text.
I’m okay. Better than okay. Really. My pain is still a well-hidden secret, but the guys are very good at distraction. She tacked on a smiley face to the end of the message before she sent it.
“Enjoying the view?”
Warm arms wrapped around her from behind. She inhaled Cole’s familiar scent until it teased her body into delightful tingles “I a
m. Thank you.”
Things between them veered in a direction she’d planned to avoid and could if she broke the contact in this moment, but it was warm, comfortable.
“And who exactly did you send that picture to?”
She bit her lip, wiggled to face him, but his arm around her waist tightened.
“I’m sorry, I know I’m not allowed to take pictures but my three best friends back home, they are my world. I let them know I am enjoying myself, and I didn’t see anyone around to catch me. By the way, how does everyone know my name?”
She couldn’t see his face but felt him smile above her.
“Well, I made sure everyone knew. Things can get a little crazy on the road, and I don’t want anyone to mistreat you. No worries about the picture. Here, give me your phone.” He grabbed it before she could protest, dipped his head beside hers, and held out the phone.
“Send this. Let them know I’m taking care of you. Smile.”
She did, not because of the picture though, but because of the lack of space between them. Her body tingled like a giddy teenager. A horny one.
He swiped at her phone like a boyfriend would, with no concern for secrecy. “Which numbers in your contact list?”
She stood on tiptoe to steal it from him, but he was too tall. It’d become too natural, too fast between them. She placed her hands on her hips, and glared at him. “Katherine, Abigail, and Taryn.” She swiped the phone from him when he pressed a button and lowered it within reach. The thread of sent messages to her friends were still visible, and reminded her just how much he could have found out about her. She opened his message, couldn’t resist being nosey. The picture was perfect, but the message attached to it, warmed her chest.
Hello friends of Izzy’s…isn’t she beautiful? I promise you she will have fun—wink wink—and will be safe. Cheers, Cole.
She dragged her attention away from the phone. Her conscience ate at her. He regarded her as if he’d found his own adventure in her.
“Izzy?”
She swallowed hard. “Cole. I need to tell you something.”
Before she could get the words out, a strange man handed Cole a guitar. Zander, Brett and Drew joined them.