With the Band (With the Band #1)

by Natasha Preston

  “I’m sorry that we didn’t tell you straight away when we figured out where this was going, but I was scared. Kitt doesn’t want to disappoint you either, and it was hard for us to know that we would. You’ve said, there is nothing we can’t get past, so I’m asking you to honour that because you and me both need our relationship to be solid. Please, Dad. I can’t lose you.”

  “Texas,” Dad says, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

  “Come on, Mark. You know she doesn’t want to go, and I know you don’t want her to. Don’t punish everyone for no reason. Don’t do this because of me.”

  “It’s not because of you. It’s because of you two. How am I supposed to trust you around each other now?”

  Maybe because you’ve just threatened to ship me off to my damn mother’s house, and I would do anything to avoid an unscheduled visit.

  “We’ll earn your trust back, I swear,” I say.

  “I’ll do whatever it takes to prove to you that I’m serious about her, however long it takes.”

  “You really want a girlfriend at this point in your life?” he asks Kitt, trying to psych him out.

  Kitt squeezes my hand. “I didn’t. This wasn’t in the plan, you know that, but I can’t help it. She changed everything for me, and there’s nothing I want more than to make her as happy as she makes me.”

  Jesus.

  I’m breathless and inappropriately turned on for the current situation.

  Dad’s eyes narrow, like he’s unsure if he believes Kitt or not. He wants to because he wouldn’t ever want me to end up heartbroken, but he doesn’t like this at all.

  “Dad, please. I…I love him, too. I feel the same as he does. And I love you. I need you both. Please, don’t do this, Dad. Please.”

  “We’ll see how it goes. If I still feel that I can’t trust you in a couple of days, you’re going to go to your mum’s, Texas. I can’t concentrate on this tour if you two are…”

  His face pales, and I know what he’s thinking. No one wants to know their teenage daughter is having sex.

  “You can trust us.” I’m not sure what he does not trust us with. Restraining? Like that’s going to happen. Does he want us to keep things quiet still?

  “I need to go and see Carl.” He storms out of the room, slamming the door.

  If he hadn’t threatened shipping me off to Jennifer’s, I would have made some sarcastic comment about him just leaving us alone.

  “I’m sorry, Tex,” Kitt says on a sigh. “I’d hoped that would’ve gone better.”

  “Well, he didn’t cut any part of you off, and he’s not booked me on the next plane to London, so it wasn’t that bad.”

  “I suppose. God, I hate the way he looked at me. He’s done so much for me, and now, he hates me.”

  “He doesn’t hate you. He’ll come around.” I lay my head on his shoulder. “We just have to show him that we’re not messing around here. It’ll be fine.”

  “Yeah, I know,” he whispers against my head. “Promise me something?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Don’t give up on us. Now that I know what it’s like, I can’t go back to before you.”

  “You’ll never have to go back to before me. Not ever.”

  TEXAS

  FRIDAY, MAY 29

  COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

  Everyone has gone to bed, but I can’t sleep. I watch the rain hit the window and drizzle down the glass. Today has been one of the crappiest so far. Dad hasn’t looked at me since our conversation, and Kitt has kept a respectful distance.

  “What are you doing up?”

  My heart jumps at the sound of Kitt’s sleep-filled voice.

  “Couldn’t drift off,” I reply, not even bothering to look at him.

  He sits down on the other side of the table and takes a sip from my freshly made coffee. The only thing he’s wearing is a pair of sweatpants. I want to leap over the table dividing us, run my tongue over his chest and the sexy tattoo that runs over his right bicep and shoulder, and then have more wild sex—this time, in the bus.

  “He’ll calm down in couple of days. Guess seeing your daughter getting screwed against your tour bus kinda pisses you off.”

  I manage a smile. “You put it so tastefully. Technically, he didn’t see anything though.”

  He shrugs one of his muscular shoulders. “I still think it’s hot. Hank’s sending me a copy.”

  My jaw falls on the table, and Kitt laughs.

  “Uh-oh. If Mark catches you two porn stars out here…” Cooper says with the biggest, toothiest smile I have ever seen. He’s loving this, of course.

  “Not very good porn stars. You couldn’t see anything,” I reply, giving him the finger.

  “Speak for yourself. I saw a lot,” Kitt says, making me want to punch him.

  I ignore him and focus on Coop. “No one would pay for porn you can’t see.”

  “Unfortunately—or not—you could hear everything.”

  What the hell? My eyes pop out of my head.

  Coop bursts out laughing. “Kidding!”

  “I hate you, Cooper,” I snap.

  “Good thing really. Don’t think your dad would have liked hearing you beg me to go harder,” Kitt jokes.

  I throw a pen at him, wishing it were a bloody knife. It was all I had. He’s still holding my coffee.

  “Hmm, maybe if you weren’t such a little girl in bed, I wouldn’t have to tell you how to do it.”

  “Ou,” Coop says, laughing again. “That had to hurt, man.”

  Kitt raises his eyebrows. “Not really. I remember her moaning my name, and I still have the scratch marks on my shoulders to prove there was nothing girlie about it.”

  Coop smirks in my direction, and I want to throw them both out the window.

  “Loved it, did ya?” Coop asks me.

  “She did,” Kitt confirms.

  Do I even need to be present for this conversation? I hold my hand out. “Coffee.”

  Kitt’s smirk rivals Cooper’s as he hands me my drink back.

  “You both suck,” I say.

  Coop sits beside me. “Hmm…but do you?”

  I have nothing left to throw besides my coffee, but if I’m going to have to deal with them, I need it. Turns out I didn’t need anything to throw because Kitt chucks the pen I launched at him at Coop.

  Ha.

  Coop easily catches it, shaking his head and laughing. “So, what are you two doing now?”

  “Sitting at the table with you,” I reply.

  “We’re doing nothing, mate, so get your head out of the gutter.”

  Coop looks disappointed. “No more bang-bang?”

  Kitt rolls his eyes. “No, no more bang-bang. Not until Mark gets his head around this. Or we’re home. Or in a hotel.”

  Basically, no more bus sex.

  “It’ll be interesting, watching you two handle no shagging.”

  “We have some control,” I mutter defensively. Why does everyone think I’m a slut who can’t help herself? I love Kitt. It’s not as if he’s some random guy. He’s the guy I trust with my life.

  “Mmhmm,” Cooper chants. “Well, first, it didn’t look like you had much control on the big screen. And, second, now that you’re having scratchy-back sex, you’re gonna want it more and more. I mean, come on, how close are you to asking me to watch Mark’s door like a hawk, so you two can get down to round two?”

  I fold my arms. “I’m not.”

  Kitt smirks. “Bull. Unlike little Miss Liar over there, I would take her on this table in a heartbeat.”

  “Thank you. Just what every girl loves to hear,” I reply sarcastically even though my body heats up at the thought. I need to get out of here before I say or do something I’ll regret. “Cooper, can you let me up? I’m suddenly tired.”

  Again, Kitt smirks. “Your room is the first place he’s going to check, Tex.”

  “The only action you’re getting tonight is from your hand.” And with that, I leave the kitchen area and make my
way to my smaller-than-a-prison-cell room. Arsehole.

  In the morning, everyone but Dad is out. Filthy Sound is in the arena, and I’ve no idea where the rest have been banished to.

  Dad puts two plates of eggs, bacon, and toast down on the table.

  We’re about to have a serious conversation, one I’ve not had nearly enough coffee or sleep for.

  I sit down and purse my lips. This will be about Kitt, but I’m not sure if the making of breakfast means he’s accepting our relationship or he wants to soften the blow.

  “Are you okay, Dad?”

  He turns around but ignores my question. He sets down two mugs and the pot of coffee. Dad doesn’t cook, so this is making me nervous. Finally, when everything is on the table and he can’t waste any more time, he sits and faces me.

  “This looks good,” I say.

  His lips try to curve into a smile, but he can’t quite manage it.

  “Are you going to start? Because there is obviously something you want to say.”

  Picking up his cutlery, he clears his throat. “I understand the manner in which I deal with your news affects our relationship, so I want to get this right. Jimmy said to discuss it calmly with you. So, this is me, discussing it calmly.”

  “Jimmy is wise. I didn’t ever want to lie to you, Dad, I swear. I’ve liked—loved—Kitt for two years now. When I realised that he was starting to develop feelings for me, I felt like I’d won the lottery. I still do feel like that actually. But I knew you wouldn’t like it, and I didn’t want things to be tense and awkward for everyone here.”

  I take a gulp of coffee. Don’t stop now. You’re doing great.

  “We were together for, what? Three weeks before you found out? And every day I lied to you, I was drowning in guilt. Kitt, too. He hated it as much as me. You’re his hero and mine.”

  Dad’s eyes fill with tears. But he must have known that already, surely?

  “I love you, Daddy, and I’m so sorry I wasn’t honest from the start.”

  He swallows hard. “There is this huge part of your life I don’t know about. You never even told me you liked him before. Why didn’t I know this two years ago?”

  “Because you were working with him, and I didn’t want my feelings to cloud your judgement. Kitt deserves everything good that’s happening to him. Can you honestly say that you would have given him a fair shot if I’d told you how I felt?”

  “I thought—think a lot of Kitt, pumpkin.”

  “That’s not what I asked.”

  “I don’t know, is my honest answer.”

  “You want to keep us apart, and we can’t do that.”

  “You’ve been together three weeks, Texas.”

  I cut off a piece of egg. “I love him. I’m sorry that it’s not been three months so that it’s easier for you to understand. I didn’t know there was a timeline for it, and even if there were, I don’t care.”

  “Always doing things your way. I suppose I should be glad that you don’t follow the crowd.”

  “You definitely should. You might not like all the choices I make, but at least you’ll always know that, with the ones I make, I’m sure they are right for me.”

  “The bus…that was the right choice?” He grips his cutlery harder.

  I swallow the food I’m about to choke on. “Oh, we are not going there. I wasn’t slutting it up with some random. I was with my boyfriend.”

  “Boyfriend,” Dad scoffs like it’s a dirty word.

  “I’ve had one before, and you liked Xander. Hell, you like Kitt more than him, and you know it. He’s not the enemy, Dad. He wants the same thing as you.”

  Okay, maybe not exactly the same. Kitt doesn’t want me to be celibate until my wedding day.

  “Kitt is where I was when I was young and starting out.”

  “No, Dad, not anymore. He’s changed just like you changed when I came along.”

  Wow, I’m one super cockblocker.

  “You think he’s ready for a serious relationship? To settle down at this age?”

  “Yes, I do. I believe him. Anyone out there can sleep around. If he wanted, he could do it as a musician or a plumber. I trust him.”

  “I want to believe him, Texas, but you love him, and…fuck.” He puts his cutlery down, takes a deep breath, and rubs his eyes.

  Oh God, he’s not crying, is he?

  “Dad?” I say slowly. My heart is thumping. I don’t want to see him cry, not ever.

  “I’m okay. I don’t know if I trust him with your heart.”

  “Well, I do. I might not deserve your trust right now, but please have faith that I know what I’m doing. Kitt is who I want to spend my life with, and so help me, we will be happy.”

  Dad laughs and blows out a held breath. “And you’re sure you can deal with what will come next? The rumours? The time alone? The uncertainty?”

  “One, I don’t care what people think. Two, I have plenty of things I can do while he’s off rocking. Three, I’m certain, just like I was when I told you that getting highlights was a bad idea.”

  He rolls his eyes. “I was young.”

  “Not really though, were you?”

  “We’re not discussing my hair, Texas.”

  “It’s not about the hair. It’s about me being right. Dad, I’m sure about me and him. And I promise not to leave you out of the loop again. I want to be able to talk to you about it. I’m happy. Really happy.”

  “That’s all I want, Tex. But you don’t ever hold anything back with me, even when he fucks up, yeah? I need to know, so I can set him straight. You’re right when you said he won’t hurt you.”

  I arch my eyebrow and twist my mouth. “So, he messes up, and I set my daddy on him?”

  “Yes,” he says, as if there’s nothing weird about that.

  We both laugh.

  Good luck, Kitt.

  KITT

  SATURDAY, MAY 30

  COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

  “You good, man?” Milo asks, handing me another beer.

  “Thanks,” I reply. “I think so. Mark and Tex are cool, but he’s still not said much to me.”

  “You’re banging his daughter. What do you expect?”

  “Really, Milo?”

  Chuckling darkly, he sits down. “You had to know this was going to happen though, mate.”

  “Well, I was kind of hoping that when he found out, it would be because we’d sat down and told him. But no, I have to fuck her against a bus, and…” Groaning, I rub the dull throbbing behind my eyes. “I couldn’t have done this worse if I’d tried. What the hell is wrong with me? This is Texas, not some random horny chick I’ll never see again. The side of a bus, Milo.”

  He grins. “Yeah, I saw the footage.”

  Tightening my hand around the neck of the bottle, I glare. “Not helping, prick.”

  “Hey,” he says, holding his hand up, “I’m not trying to be a wanker here, Kitt. I’ve seen it, and it’s plain to see that this isn’t some random screw. Everyone knows you two aren’t just fucking. You’ve told Mark there’s more with you and her, and you’ve not split up. He gets that. Let him get used to the idea of you being with his only child. You’re overthinking. Give it some time. Besides, Mark can’t just blame you. Texas was right there with you the whole way.”

  Yeah, I remember how with me she was. I ache to be with her again. It’s been too long. I hate that we’re back to being careful. I hate that I can’t wake up beside her.

  “If you have any great ideas on how I can fix this, please speak up.”

  “I think you need to talk to him again. Explain that, although you’re sorry about how he found out, you’re not sorry you’re with her.”

  “Mark wants to rip my head off.”

  “Maybe a little.”

  “Has he said anything to you?”

  “Not directly.”

  “Milo!”

  “It’s not my place to say. Stop being a moron, and go and sort things out with Mark before it affects Texas. You to
ld him you’d do anything for her, so prove it.”

  I hop over the bench seat, slam my beer in front of him, and clap him on the back as I run past. He’s right. “Where’s Mark?”

  “His room. Good luck,” Milo says, chuckling to himself.

  I run up the bus and make my way to Mark’s room. Tex is in hers, and the pull to go there instead is strong. This needs to be sorted out first.

  I walk two doors past and knock for Mark.

  A gruff voice calls, “Come in.”

  Pushing the handle down, I let the door swing open. “Can I have a word with you?”

  “There’s no need, Kitt. I’ve spoken to Texas. I won’t tell her how to live her life, but I want you to know that I’m watching you.”

  Smiling, I give him a nod. “She’s it, Mark. No slipups, no freak-outs. I’ll make her happy.”

  “Make sure you do. I’ll still be watching.”

  “I know. Want the door closed?”

  “Please.”

  I back out and release a breath. That was easier than it should’ve been. Suspiciously easier. Though his watching-you warning pretty much said everything he needed to, and I’ve already told him I’m in this for keeps.

  Mark is okay—or as okay as we can hope for—about us, so I hover at Tex’s door.

  Will he be this okay?

  Fuck it. She’s mine.

  For all of one second, I consider knocking, but instead, I let myself in.

  She’s lying on the bed, facing away from me, but she’s not asleep. I know Texas when she’s asleep, and right now, she’s nowhere near peaceful enough.

  Closing the door to give us privacy, I step closer and say, “I know you’re awake. I need to talk to you.”

  Rolling onto her back, she smirks up at me. “Can’t a girl take a nap?”

  I shake my head and walk deeper into the small room. “Nope, sorry. I want to spend time with my girl.”