by Claire Adams
“Doing all right?” Talon asked, grabbing a plate of food.
“Yeah, just thinking about the show,” I lied.
“I’m sure it’s going to be great. We totally killed it in rehearsal, so, I imagine it's gonna be just as kick-ass when we actually hit the stage.” He patted my shoulder then sat down next to me. “Not going to eat, bro?”
“I will in a bit.” I looked over at the food, not feeling too hungry.
“Too busy thinking about Nalia?” he whispered so the others didn’t hear him. I only shrugged. He could read me better than anyone. “For what it’s worth, I think you two are good for each other. Just don’t fuck things up while we’re on tour,” Talon winked.
I sure as hell didn’t plan to, and that was the truth.
I left without eating much, then went and changed for the show, and finally headed out of the dressing room while the opening band was playing to check them out. The crowd was huge, thrumming with energy. It brought a smile to my face and lifted my mood as thoughts of Nalia began fading into the back of my mind. It was getting close to show time, and I needed to get in the right mindset to perform.
The opening band finished, and we high-fived them as they came off stage, having a couple beers with them while the crew set up the stage for us. When it was time for Bleeding Heart to take the stage, we converged into our usual huddle, putting hands into the middle like we were on a football team before shouting “Bleeding Heart” to pump us up. It was a little juvenile, but it had been our routine since our first live gig.
When we ran out on stage, the crowd erupted in a thunderous roar of cheers and applause. As the wave of sound hit me, an electric rush flooded through me. Every time I stepped on stage, it was still surreal to see people cheering for us, even after all the years we’d performed. It never got old. Never. It always felt like it had the very first time.
“How’s everyone doing tonight?” I shouted into the microphone. The crowd roared in response, and my smile grew. “Are you ready to do this? Are you ready to rock this place down to its foundations, tear every brick out, and burn it to the ground?”
Even louder cheers came in response, and I nodded at Talon. He slammed on the drums and headed straight into our first song, and I watched the crowd morph into a sea of swaying bodies as I began to sing.
I got lost in the music, forgetting everything else at that moment. For that brief segment of time, everything was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Nalia
The guys came off the stage steaming from the heat of their performance and covered in sweat. I ushered them into the dressing room to freshen up before their meet and greet. Once again, they had pulled off a killer set. The crowd had been so fanatical that they had played three encores before finally leaving the stage.
Owen grinned at me as he passed and blew me a kiss, causing those stupid, silly butterflies in my stomach to swarm in a frenzy. Before I could even realize what I was doing, I gave him a flirty wink in response.
I waited outside of the dressing room for them and watched all the fans that had won a backstage meet and greet as they headed for the area set up for them. I tried to stop myself, but I couldn’t keep from eyeing them up and down.
A lot of them were women, and almost all of those women were dressed rather revealingly in halter tops, micro-minis, and clothing that revealed more of their bodies than most swimsuits would have. There were midriffs showing at every turn, plenty of cleavage, legs exposed almost all the way up to the point where you could see panties, and of course, pierced belly buttons and tattoos. To say that I wasn’t thrilled about these girls possibly throwing themselves all over Owen was an understatement.
Relax. They’re just fans, and he already said he wanted to spend the night with you. Talon and the other guys will be all over these groupies. Not Owen. He's not like that, and he's only got eyes for you. He's said it himself more times than you can count, Nalia. So, just breathe. You don't have anything to worry about.
It was easy enough to tell myself all of that, but when the guys came out, and I saw panties and bras go flying and girls begging to have their tits and asses signed, it was much harder to swallow my own advice.
This is how a rock band tour goes. Owen warned you that this is how it would be, and Talon has told you plenty of stories about the crazy things fans did on previous tours, I reminded myself.
Still, I ended up excusing myself and heading to the bathroom. I just couldn't take being around all the scantily-clad, turned-on groupies and watching them do everything they could to get their grubby, little paws all over Owen.
I felt panicky, nervous for some reason. I splashed a little water on my face and took a few deep breaths to calm myself. I knew coming into this job that this was how some fans acted, especially around attractive rock stars, and these guys were certainly that and more.
As much as I hated that I needed to, I once again had to remind myself that Owen wasn't like that. I kept repeating to myself that it would be the other guys doing unheard of things with these girls. Not him. He would simply be polite and sign autographs for them. I pulled my makeup out of my purse and freshened up my face, then fixed my hair before walking back out.
I was beginning to feel a little better—until I saw Owen. He had two girls sitting in his lap for a picture. Both chicks had their tits out on full display, and he had his tongue sticking out toward them like he was going to lick them. Waves of something I couldn’t even describe started rippling through my body, and an uncomfortable heat flushed through my face.
I bit my lip hard and turned on my heels, heading for the back door. I needed air, and I needed it fast. Fans or not, there was no reason for him to join in like that. Then again, he had made it clear we weren’t an item...or anything, for that matter. He’d also made it clear that crazy things happened on tour. I was just an idiot for starting to care more deeply for him than I really should have.
“Nalia?” I spun around to see Talon standing outside.
“Hey, Talon, did you need something?” I plastered a smile on my face, even as tears began to rim my eyes.
“No…no, I didn’t need anything,” he said, lighting a cigarette. “I came out here to check on you.”
“On me? Why would you do that? I’m totally fine,” I assured him, trying to keep it together and put on my most hardened expression. “You should get back in there with your fans; you're going to leave a lot of them disappointed if you don't. Go on, have fun; don't worry about me.” I waved a hand, managing a laugh, even if it sounded hollow.
He sighed and put a hand on my shoulder. “I saw your face, and I think I know you well enough by now to be able to see that you’re not fine.”
I tried to laugh it off, even as more tears formed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Owen. With the two practically topless girls. You can't tell me that's not going to bother you on some level.” He stared me straight in the eyes, and the tears finally began to roll down my cheeks.
“It’s my own fault. I’m an idiot, a stupid idiot, nothing more. I actually started feeling something for him. Even after he told me….” My voice trailed off as Talon pulled me into a strong hug, and I sniffled, hugging him back.
“Look, sometimes my brother can be an idiot just like me. It's a family trait, sadly. He cares about you, too, you know. A lot. He really does, believe me. He just got caught up in joking around with the fans.”
“By trying to lick their tits? That's what you call 'just joking around?’” I looked at Talon like he was nuts.
“I’m not excusing him! Fans get crazy, and, to be honest, it’s easy to get caught up in it, but I know he wasn’t going to do anything more than just humor them by playing along. Yes, I know they pulled their tits out; they want attention from us. And yeah, a lot of them want, you know, the whole package. But most are satisfied with a smile, an autograph, and maybe a flirty touch. But trust me, he's not going to go any furt
her than that with them because of how much he likes you.”
“I shouldn’t even be here right now. Everything is organized, and you guys don’t need me to get back to the hotel. I should just go back to my room,” I sighed.
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I don’t want to stay and watch him with….” I shrugged.
Talon gave me one more strong squeeze. “It'll be all right, I promise. I know him better than anyone. He is my brother. And, he's not going to do anything stupid. Don't worry; he's not like me in that respect,” Talon gave me a playful wink intended to reassure me. I wasn’t feeling too reassured. “Anyways, we’ll meet you back at the hotel, no worries, okay?” he added.
I nodded, feeling a little sad, disappointed, numb, and angry all rolled into one. Without another word, I headed around the building to the front to hail a cab. I finally caught one and simply headed straight up to my room when I arrived back at the hotel.
I wanted to go to sleep, but I was too agitated and upset over the situation and over the fact that I cared so much. Maybe Talon was right. Maybe Owen didn’t mean anything by it. Maybe he was just posing for a picture and didn’t think something like that might hurt me. Maybe, since I lied on my resume, he assumed I’d been on tour with other bands before and knew those kinds of things happened and were simply par for the course. But if I was being honest with myself, I didn’t know what to think anymore. I felt like I was unraveling, and I needed something to calm me down.
I suddenly remembered that I had passed a piano in the lobby of the hotel earlier. Without a second thought, I slipped my shoes back on and headed downstairs.
I sat down at the pristine black bench and started playing. As I did, I started to forget everything and just focused on the music.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Owen
I felt great after the meet and greet had finished, invigorated even. The show had been a spectacular success, and we had been on fire from the very first song to the final encore. Having the fans pretty much refuse to let us go off stage until they'd heard a third encore really had felt amazing. My earlier thoughts were spot on—this was definitely turning out to be one of the best tours we'd done, if not the best ever.
Even though confidence had never been something I had an issue with, it was nice to know so many women were still attracted to me. Every man needs a little ego boost now and again.
Not to mention, I had to face the facts: I was getting older, and damn if I didn’t feel less attractive in recent years. Damn ego. I mean, I'd stayed in shape, and my genes had gifted me with a full head of hair that showed no signs of thinning, and good, smooth skin that remained pretty damn youthful, but even with all of that, I'd began to feel as if I wasn't as attractive as I had been in my twenties. So, the attention from these star-struck groupies, well, it was nice in that regard.
Not that I’d given a lot of thought to women in the last couple of years. Mostly, I’d been working so hard and been so extremely focused on the record label, I hadn’t had time to think much about relationships or even one-night stands. Actually, I hadn’t really much cared what women thought of me until recently. And when I say “women,” I actually mean one woman in particular.
Knowing Nalia thought highly of me was more than enough for me, even with all the attention from the young, hot groupies. Something about her was so much more captivating than any of them could ever be. Speaking of…
I stopped and looked around the tour bus as I got on with the others. Where the hell was Nalia?
I walked to the back of the tour bus in search of her, but she wasn’t there, so I climbed off and headed back toward the building.
“Oh, my God! Owen, I love you!” some girl shouted and before I knew what was happening, she flung herself at me and wrapped her arms around my neck, her lips connecting with mine before I could even protest. The click of several cameras sounded before I could push her away with as much gentleness and calm demeanor as I could manage, as annoying as she was.
I was a little irritated as I walked into the building, but was focused on my search for Nalia. I’m a rock star, and stupid shit like that happened all the time. I was pretty used to it by now, but it still had a tendency to catch me off guard sometimes and get under my skin.
I walked all around the backstage area, searching everywhere, but couldn’t find her anywhere. Finally, feeling both disappointed and a little worried, I headed back to the bus. When I got on, Talon was lounging up front swigging on a beer.
“Have you seen Nalia?” I asked him, thoroughly concerned. He stared at me for a moment, and there was a look on his face I wasn’t sure how to read.
“She went back to the hotel. Wasn’t feeling well,” he said flatly. I looked at him, now more than a little confused. If I hadn't known any better, I’d say he was mad at me, but what the hell for, I didn’t have a clue. I hadn't said anything even remotely out of the way to him for days now.
Whatever it was, though, I wasn’t going to let it get me down. I was in a good mood and still feeling pumped. I went to the kitchenette on the bus and grabbed a beer, then went to the back to hang out with the other guys while the bus driver drove us back to the hotel.
When the bus stopped, I followed the others off and headed into the hotel lobby. Talon stopped abruptly in front of me, making me almost run into him. I started to say something about him being a dumb shithead, but stopped when I saw, and heard, what had made the others stop in their tracks.
Nalia was sitting at the piano in the lobby, playing one of the most beautiful renditions of “Unchained Melody” I’ve heard. Other people had stopped to listen, even some of the hotel staff had stopped doing their jobs and were simply standing there, utterly mesmerized. In fact, the whole lobby was silent except for her playing.
I walked closer until I was right behind her, my heart feeling as if it were going to burst as I watched her. She was incredibly talented. I could listen to her play for hours.
I closed my eyes, getting lost in the beauty of the music as the notes flowed around me. Not only around me, but through me, stirring my heart and soul. I hadn’t realized I had started singing until the music suddenly stopped, and she was saying something. I opened my eyes and found her facing me, a slight frown on her lips and a sad look in her eyes.
“Nalia, what’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing. I’m just tired,” she sighed and turned away from me. I followed after her as she got up from the piano and headed for the elevators.
“Wait, where are you going?”
She spun back around as she reached the elevator doors, something else now clearly present in her eyes. Was it anger?
“I’m just going to go to bed, all right? It's been a long day, and there's still plenty more for me to do tomorrow. So, I need a good, quiet rest. Goodnight, Owen.”
I grabbed her arm before she could turn away from me again and pulled her back against me. My heart pounded heavily in my chest, and my mouth went dry. I wasn't sure what exact feelings were ripping through me, but there was definitely a tidal wave of them. “You promised me, Nalia, remember? Tonight?” I said, kissing the side of her neck. She pulled away a little and gave me an icy glare.
“You sure you don’t want someone else?”
I felt a little wounded at her words but pulled her back to me once more. “Hell no. Why would I possibly want anyone but you? Not a chance. Never,” I whispered in her ear.
Chapter Thirty
Nalia
The elevator dinged, and Owen pulled me inside with him.
“Come here, beautiful,” he muttered in a gruff, sexy voice, drawing me against him.
I still felt a little upset and more than a little jealous about the incident with the groupies earlier, but also suspected I was being ridiculous. We had agreed not to get too attached, and we were just having fun. Why was I worrying and not just living a little? I was young. I was supposed to be living it up, not taking things so seriously. I relaxed against him, and Owen
groaned in my ear, pushing his hips against me, letting me feel that he was already a little hard. I turned my face to him, and he kissed me deeply, making me moan into his mouth.
“Mmm, God, you’re so sexy. All I’ve wanted was alone time with you for days,” he whispered, running his hands over my hips. “I've waited so long for this, too long. It's been driving me out of my mind.”
I didn’t say anything back, but I leaned back against him, pressing my ass against the growing bulge in his jeans. He pressed gentle kisses to my neck and slipped one hand over my ass, letting his fingers slip between my thighs.
“I want to lay you down on the bed, kiss every inch of your body,” he moaned, his fingers starting to rub over my panties. I couldn’t stop a moan escaping from my lips.
The elevator dinged again, and this time it opened on our floor. He led me out, forcing me against the wall and surprising me with a deep, passionate kiss. I put my arms around him, and he lifted me up, wrapping my legs around his waist.
Maybe I had been all wrong about what happened earlier. Maybe all it had been was a stupid pose for some bimbos’ Instagram accounts. It had bothered me, but maybe that was just a part of the rock star life that I wasn’t used to, and it really had meant nothing to Owen at all. The way he was acting now, it seemed like those girls were the furthest thing from his mind.
After a moment, he lowered me back to the floor and fumbled with his card key for a few seconds before finally getting the door to the penthouse open. He led me to his room, stopping every now and then to kiss me as we went. Once we were in his room, he backed me up to the bed and laid me down, kissing me again, his tongue flicking against mine.
“Nalia, I want you. Only you,” he said to me in the gruff, low voice that made heat pool low in my belly. I pulled him harder into a kiss, massaging my tongue against his as I rolled over so that I was lying on him.