by Maya Hughes
She couldn’t have pictured her life turning out this way only last week. Waking up next to him on a tour bus driving down the highway, to a city she’d forgotten the name of, was something beyond her wildest dreams. She sat up in bed, light filtering in through the drawn blinds and the bus lurched to a stop. She slid down the bed and Eric groaned, rolling over to face her. Why did guys always have such spectacular eyelashes? She resisted the urge to run her fingers over them.
Tiptoeing out of the bed, Keira opened the bedroom and stopped short when the driver came out of the bathroom. He glanced at her quickly, grumbled a good morning, before stomping his way off the bus. Darting into the bathroom and taking care of business, she quickly brushed her teeth and ran a brush through her hair. Glancing at herself in the mirror, she assessed her hair, gave a small shoulder shrug, grinning, she stuck her tongue out then turned, opened the door and ran right into Eric. He grabbed her arms to steady her and she felt the distinct outline of some morning wood down below. His sleepy eyes and small smile, had her grinning up at him.
“I don’t have my glasses on, so I really hope you’re Keira and not Steve the driver.”
“Who’s Keira?” she said, in her best gruff guy voice.
“Well in that case, Steve, I have something to confess. I’ve always found you completely irresistible. And since Keira and I have made a solid pledge of professionalism, I’m going to finally take my shot at you.” He slid his hand along her cheek and threaded his fingers into her hair.
“Steve, your hair’s a lot longer than I remember.”
“Yeah, you know. I’ve been letting it grow out lately.”
“I like it,” he said, pulling her closer, bringing their faces within inches of one another.
“I have a confession,” he said, getting closer.
“What?” she said, her voice sounding breathier than she’d ever heard it.
“I knew it was you all along,” he said, his freckles drawing her in. She laughed.
“It’s good to know I’m not easily mistaken for Steve. Glasses or not,” she said, glad she’d already brushed this morning. Staring into his crystal blue eyes, she felt her mouth go dry and the flutters in her stomach were definitely not food poisoning this time. He leaned in closer and she opened her mouth, inviting him to take possession of her mouth. What had she been saying about keeping things strictly business?
Drawing her in closer, his eyes gazing deeply into her own, she held her breath. The warmth of his lips whispered across hers. They were less than an inch apart when a huge bang jolted them both apart. Eric peeked out from behind the open bathroom door.
“Morning Steve!” he called out. “At least I hope that’s Steve. It was a large grayish blob that sat down in the driver’s seat.”
The bus jerked as Steve pulled out of whichever pit stop they had made and got them back on the road. The two of them held onto the walls as they were rocked from side to side, nearly colliding with one another. A sharp turn had her falling into him, knocking him over and onto one of the bunks behind him. Breathing heavily, with her on top of him, she peeked up at him and he palmed her ass pulling her tighter against him.
“I’m just trying to make sure you don’t fall. Totally not copping a feel,” he said, grinning. She rolled her eyes and shifted her weight only to brush up against something she was pretty sure wasn’t a piece of musical equipment.
“Wait, don’t move,” he said, through gritted teeth. Wow, a little butt cupping and he was already at full mast. She’d have laughed, if her stomach wasn’t already doing summersaults. What If she just had a taste, she thought staring into his eyes. Their gazes were locked, neither able to look away and then, unable to resist anymore, Keira brushed her lips against his.
An electric jolt rocked her, along with the bus, that went from her lips, through her core straight out her toes. He let out a moan as he delved deeper into her mouth. Their tongues dancing and his hands skimming across her skin, as he broken the kiss and made his way down her chin. His thigh slid between her legs and before she knew it, she was grinding on him. Her breath hitching as pleasure rolled through her body. Realizing what she’d done, Keira clutched his t-shirt in her fists, twisting the fabric in her hands before pushing off him and out of the bunk. That was way too intense. That was ridiculously hot and she was kicking herself for thinking she’d be able to settle for a taste.
She scrambled off the bunk and back to the bathroom door. They both panted, out of breath, and staring into one another’s eyes.
“That was an accident. I didn’t mean to—” she said, her crimson face reflected back at her in the mirror right next to her face. How in the hell do you accidentally maul a guy’s face and hump against him until you’re seconds from coming? She barely refrained from slapping herself in the head.
“Of course, a mistake,” A big smile on his face. “Can’t say I wouldn’t mind a few more of those,” he said, moving her to the side into the hall outside the bathroom door. “I can be patient and walk you through any more mistakes you might want to make later. You know where to find me,” he said, grinning and closed the bathroom door in her face. She walked back to the bedroom and plopped down on the bed, staring at her feet.
Shit! Why had she done that? His lips looked so freaking soft and kissable. And once her fingers touched his solid chest she’d lost her mind a bit. How could she resist him? Did she really want to?
When Eric’d woken up, he ran his hand over the bed next to him. He popped up when he found the space beside him empty. Without his glasses, he trusted his hands over his eyes. Where had she gone? The loud flush of the toilet in the hall clued him into her whereabouts. Deciding against wearing the glasses on the bedside table, he stumbled out into the hall outside the bedroom and ran smack into Keira. Even as a blurry blob, waking up and seeing her first thing in the morning brightened his soul in a way he hadn’t known possible.
Their playful banter, so free and without reservations made him happier than he had been in a long time. He’d have to give Steve a tip for his ace driving that ended with his lips pressed against hers. Fully on board with not taking this any further than she wanted, once her lips were on his, the searing heat of their skin radiated through him. Her hair, so silky and smooth, ran through his fingers and he couldn’t help but try for more. Once her fingers gripped his t-shirt he was sure this would be the end of her protests of them being together in a more than professional way. It was her soft moans as she ground against his thigh that almost had him exploding in his pants like a high schooler.
But she reeled it all back in, leaving him wanting more. The morning wood transformed itself from a biological quirk to a massive hard on for her. Her protests only showed him that he would have to bide his time, but she wasn’t completely against them being together. He could make her see how good it would be, but for now he needed to take care of things in the bathroom away from her, lest he embarrass himself.
Washing his face, he stumbled back out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. Keira sat up on the bed, leaning against the headboard with the blanket over her legs. Sick of not being able to see her clearly, he begrudgingly picked up his glasses and put them on. Sitting in the bed next to her, he picked up his notepad and flicked it open to the song he’d been working on before the one Keira inspired last night. Instantly, his stomach turned. Talia. He needed to get this out. Get this done and banish Talia from even a fleeting thought forever.
They sat in companionable silence for a bit, out of the side of his eye he could see her staring at him.
“Yes, I know. Glasses.”
“They’re cute,” she said and he almost believed her.
“Sure,” he said, going back to his notepad, angrily stabbing words onto the page. The click of a camera snapped him out of his irritated trance. He whipped off his glasses and put them on the table.
“You cannot show that to anyone,” he said, putting his notepad down.
“Why not? I think you look cute in your
glasses!” she said, snapping a few more pictures.
“Coke bottle glasses are not exactly known to win over the music loving masses.”
She let her camera dangle around her neck. “What about Buddy Holly? I think those glasses worked out pretty well for him. Plus, it’s a side that fans don’t get to see of you. I think they would love it.”
“Keira,” he warned.
“Okay, fine, fine, no glasses pictures. But I still think they’re cute.”
His heart warmed at that. Growing up as a nerdy kid with shitty eye sight, a dorky demeanor and a freakishly intense love of music, he hadn’t ever thought that a woman like Keira would go for him. She exuded an easy confidence that told him she’d always been one of those girls. A girl who had an easy way about her that made everyone around her love her without even realizing it. He was halfway there and he’d only known her for a few days.
The early morning stop and late flight had screwed up both of their sleep cycles. Eric knew that ‘breakfast’ didn’t usually happen until eleven, so they had a little bit longer until that stop. Keira’s stomach growled next to him and he chuckled.
“I might have a protein bar or something in my bag. They haven’t stocked the kitchen yet, but I’ll be sure to get some supplies for us today. Food stops on tour are always a bit off the normal schedule.”
He climbed out of the bed and dug around in his bag for a protein bar he’d stashed there earlier. His stomach grumbled when he finally found it. Keira perched on the edge of the bed and he held it out to her. She shook her head.
“You’re just as hungry as I am. You have it. I’m good.”
“No, I’m fine. Seriously,” he said, holding the bar out to her.
“How about we split it?” she said, taking the bar, unwrapping it and breaking it in half. She held out the other end to him and he took it from her, grateful that she’d been willing to share. They chowed down on their bars and started to get ready for the day. Moving into the living area after getting dressed, they found a pack of cards and got down to a brutal game of War, while trying to keep their minds off their grumbling stomachs.
Stocking up on snacks became the top priority. He wasn’t exactly showing off the best aspects of touring right now. But he vowed that he’d make sure this was a tour for her to remember.
16
The bus lurched to a stop after another hour or so. Keira’s stomach grumbled and she nearly knocked Eric down when Steve called out ‘Breakfast!’ from the front of the bus before stomping down the steps. The pit stop at the diner along the side of the road displayed the attention to detail needed to run a tour. Since she and Eric were the late comers they’d been forced to order at the diner. Apparently, everyone else had put in their orders the night before and they’d been sent to the diner to speed up feeding over fifty people that made up the tour.
Waitresses blasted through the kitchen doors, trays piled high with delicious meals of salty meat, sweet carbs and a shit ton of coffee. The squadron of waitresses zipped around the diner dropping them on every booth and table filled with rowdy men clamoring for their meals. Eric and Keira found a table in the corner while everyone else groused, yawned or yelled across the diner. It was like being back in the cafeteria on the first day of school, she glanced around wide-eyed at everything going on. The waitress came to the booth where they sat, took their order and returned in record time to drop off the pancakes, sausages and orange juice that they’d ordered before running off to refill the coffee cups of half the crew.
The bright afternoon sun was blocked from her view by a wall of a man who appeared in front of her. Without so much as a word, he bent down and scooted in beside her, squashing her against the wall.
“Well, look at the lovebirds trying to get a little alone time. Would have thought that the time on the bus would have been more than enough,” he said, winking. She racked her brain trying to remember which one he was. It wasn’t Owen or Lyx, she wouldn’t forget those two anytime soon. He saved her, extending his hand.
“Caden.” He grabbed her hand and pumped it up and down. Ah, he’d been the one with the two girls on top of him last night. She only got the briefest of glimpses before nearly falling down the stairs of the bus.
“Keira,” she said, pulling her hand from his.
“I hear you’re going to be our resident photographer for the rest of the tour,” he picked up her fork and plunged it into her stack of pancakes. She slapped at his hand and took the fork he had halfway to his mouth. “What? They are super slow with second orders around here and I’m starving.” Caden looked down at her, his gray eyes big and round and his bottom lip pushed out. His sandy blonde hair sticking up at odd angles like it hadn’t met a brush in days. Eric laughed from across the table. She kicked him under the table and rolled her eyes. Eric sucked in a breath and rubbed his shin.
“What was that for?” he said, grimacing.
“For laughing at poor Caden’s hunger,” she said, sticking out her tongue. Feeling pity for this mountain of a guy she cut the pancake stack in half and dumped half of it onto a side plate, pushing it toward Caden.
“I’m not the tour photographer. Just here for Eric,” she said, thumbing her hand toward him and then realized how that might have sounded. She ducked her head and hoped her cherry red face wasn’t super noticeable. “I’m working on a project that the label would like to try out.”
“Cool,” he said, pancake crumbs tumbling out of his mouth. “You’re staying the whole tour?”
“Only until Eric leaves.” Caden’s head snapped up.
“You’re leaving the tour,” he said, while shoveling in another forkful of pancakes.
“Yeah, that was part of the reason I went back to LA. They are setting me up with my own tour in a few weeks to support the new album. It’s why they sent the new bus.” Caden dropped the fork and gave Eric one of those ‘bro pat on the back’ handshakes.
“That’s great news dude. I knew you were cut out for way more than being our opener. That had to seem like such a raw deal to be playing in front of our crowds. I know they aren’t exactly the most hospitable to non-rock.” Eric shrugged.
“It’s been cool. I learned a lot. Namely, what a bunch of crazy mofos you all are,” Eric said, laughing and taking a bite of his sausage.
“We do try,” Caden said, looking up, wiping a fake tear from his eye. “So back to you, Keira,” he said, refocusing on her, a cheeky grin on his face. Oh he was definitely trouble. “What kind of pictures will you be taking? Sexy boudoir shots?” He put his hands behind his head and batted his eyelashes at her. She couldn’t hold back her laugh at this nut.
“No, we’re going for something a bit tamer. Something to get those female fans swooning over our dear Eric over here,” she said, gesturing to him across the table.
“Oh, sounds, completely and totally boring,” he said, shoveling the last bit of pancake into his mouth. The guy ate like a roving hoard of pack animals. He burped, thumping on his chest.
“Lovely.” She took another bite of her pancakes, mopping up the syrup. Another even bigger guy pushed into the booth beside Eric.
“What’s up,” he said, gruffly, nodding his head.
“Nothing much, just trying to find out some more about the newest addition to our tour. Keira made a lightning fast appearance last night before running away. It seems she’s not a fan of nakedness.”
“Hey, I have no problems with nakedness,” she protested. They both shot her unconvinced looks. “I’m an artist. Sketching and painting nudes is not an issue for me. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to sit around and watch two chicks fight over who gets to gargle your ballbag.” A spray of orange juice erupted all over her and Caden as Eric let out what sounded like a half cough, half wheeze. The newcomer pounded Eric on the back and Caden grabbed for the napkins from the dispenser. Orange juice all over his face and the table, Eric wiped his mouth and nose. Caden threw his head back laughing, while trying to mop up the juice they’d both
been showered in.
“Jesus, Keira,” Eric said, mouth agape.
“What?” she said, innocently, shrugging her shoulders. “That’s what was happening. I mean I’m all for appreciating the human form, but even that’s a bit much for me.” The other newcomer cocked his head to the side, shooting her an assessing stare. A bit unnerved, she went about cleaning the juice off her shirt. He extended his hand across the table.
“Nice to meet you, Keira. I’m Grayson,” he said, the corners of his lips quirking up just a hare. She felt that was the closest he had to a full out grin, so she’d take it.
“He’s my brother,” Caden said, beaming. “My little brother,” he teased and Grayson rolled his eyes.
“Anyway, glad to have you on the tour. Maybe a non-groupie female presence will encourage these guys to tone things down a bit.”
Keira surveyed the room, which teamed with more animated characters now that everyone had had their morning coffee. Some of the guys were walking along the backs of the booths, others were animatedly retelling stories and pounding on the tables.
“Somehow I doubt that. I’m planning on staying out of everyone’s way and trying not to screw this up for myself.”
“What’s the deal with the pictures?”
“I’ll take some the day before or day of the show, get them approved by the label. They will have them printed up locally and sold along with the rest of Eric’s other merch. It’s a trial run for his tour. Maybe do a photo book at the end. If I do a good job here, then they will keep me on.”
“She’ll do an excellent job. Her pictures are outstanding and I think she’ll be able to get some great stuff that my fans will like. Don’t worry so much,” he said, putting a gentle hand over hers on the table. He squeezed her hand and ran his thumb across the back of it. Caden and Grayson glanced down at their hands and exchanged looks. She nodded at Eric and pulled her hand from his, tucking it in her lap under the table.