by J. A. Owenby
“Turn around,” he ordered.
I faced the wall next to the recliner and spread my feet apart. I released a soft moan as he rubbed the tip of his dick along my slick folds.
“Jesus you’re wet. You missed me too, huh?” In one swift motion, he slid inside me.
“No,” I panted with every thrust. “I was thinking about Asher,” I said. I wasn’t really lying, but I couldn’t let Cade know he’d gotten into my head. It was enough that he was inside me again even though I’d said only one night.
His pace quickened with the mention of Asher’s name. I wasn’t sure if he was angry I’d mentioned another guy or he was trying to fuck Asher out of my mind, but I wasn’t complaining.
Cade shifted his hips, sending ripples of pleasure through me. My palms flattened against the wall while I pushed back against him.
“Harder,” I said, glancing back at him. His tongue darted out over his lower lip, and his fingers dug into my hips. “That’s it. Fuck me, Cade.”
“Say it again,” he panted.
“You like that?” I asked, smiling. “You want me to tell you how good your huge cock feels inside my pussy? Do you want me to tell you I thought about you before you showed up and it’s why I’m so wet? All I could think about was your mouth all over my body, and you pounding into me.”
“Dammit, Mac. You’re going to make me come.”
I groaned when he slipped his hand between my legs and gently massaged my clit.
“You like my mouth right there?”
“Yes,” I gasped. “Holy hell … Cade …” My body tensed, my climax building in intensity until I exploded.
“Ahh,” he groaned as he thrust deep inside me. “So. Fucking. Good.” He buried his face against my neck, shuddering as he let loose a muffled yell and then stilled.
I collapsed against the wall as he finished.
He leaned forward, raised my shirt, and placed a gentle kiss along my spine.
“Maybe I can focus in practice now,” he said softly and pulled out of me.
“Sorry,” I said, turning around and stepping back into my shorts. “I didn’t mean to mess up your music.”
Cade wrapped up the condom in some tissue and tossed it in the trash. He definitely looked more relaxed than he did a few minutes ago.
“Not your fault I can’t think straight today. Well, it might be,” he said, flashing me a grin.
“Ugh, help me open the door and windows, it smells like sex in here, and if Hendrix shows up …”
Cade nodded and hurried to the back of the bus. I snatched the air freshener off the shelf in the bathroom and sprayed a little.
“Is it better?” I asked, giggling. “I don’t know why this is funny.”
Cade chuckled and ran his hand over his dark hair. “Yeah, I think so. I’d leave the windows open for a few minutes even though it’s hot as fuck outside.”
“I will. Did you get your guitar strings?”
“Huh?” Cade asked, glancing around our bunks. “Yeah, I almost forgot what I came back for.” A shy smile eased across his face while he glanced at me.
“Well duh, for me. Helloo,” I said, giggling.
Just then the door opened.
“Hey man,” John said, hopping onto the bus.
“How’s it going?” I asked, hiding the air freshener behind my back.
“I’m on my way back now,” Cade said holding up the package with his guitar string.
“We were wondering if you stopped along the way and hooked up with some chick or something. Hendrix sent me to find you.”
A flush traveled across my cheeks. “Gotta pee,” I muttered and disappeared into the bathroom. The moment I closed the door behind me I heard John ask why all the windows were open. Cade professed total ignorance and said they were open when he got here.
Their voices trailed off, and I listened for the click of the door. They were gone.
Holy Hannah. That had been a close call. If John had been a minute or two sooner, we would have been caught.
Chapter 12
After the band performed and greeted fans that night, we all piled back on the bus. We were finally leaving Vegas and on our way to Arizona, New Mexico, and then off to Colorado. The week would be full of rehearsals, practices, and long drives.
Although I’d tried to sleep in my own bed that night, my thoughts raced with all the drama Vegas had offered. Asher, Cade, and the best sex of my life.
“You awake?” I whispered loudly. John’s soft snores carried through the small sleeping area while I waited to see if Cade would respond.
“Yeah, come on,” Cade replied.
I tossed my covers off, scrambled up the ladder, and into his bed.
“You’re getting good at catapulting over me,” he said, grinning.
“Thanks, I’ll be sure to enter the Olympics for hot dude hopping,” I said dryly.
“You think I’m hot?” Cade asked, rolling over on his side to look at me. The muscles in his arms and chest flexed with his movements.
“No, you’re a troll. But no guy has ever gotten me off as fast as you can, so I put up with you.”
Cade’s chuckle filled the small space.
“Shh, you’ll wake up Pierce,” I reminded him.
We settled into a comfortable silence for a minute.
“You were drinking today,” Cade said, his expression gentle.
“We drink all the time,” I replied.
“I guess so. It’s normally after a show is all.”
“Not in the middle of the day?” I asked, arching my eyebrow at him.
“Mac, I’m not judging. I’m the last person on earth to judge anyone. I just wonder what’s going on in that mind of yours sometimes.”
I searched his face, but all I saw was sincerity. Maybe he really was concerned.
“If I invited you inside my head, you’d take off running in seconds. It’s dark, Cade. I’m not a good person. I don’t think good things, and I’m judgy as hell.”
I bit my thumbnail, afraid to see his reaction.
“I honest to God hope someone gets a hold of Brandon in prison and stabs him. I hope he dies a slow horrible death for what he did to Gemma and me. Not to mention all the other girls,” I said.
“Would it make you feel any better if I told you I also hoped the same for him? And I can tell you John does, too. Even Hendrix and Gemma have weighed in on the topic. You shouldn’t feel bad about it. Getting rid of Brandon would mean one less evil bastard walking around on the planet in my opinion.”
“Really?” I asked. Good to know I wasn’t the only one who had those thoughts. “I’m scared to go out by myself anymore. And I truly believe I’d be able to sleep again if he disappeared for good. Ya know, I mean he haunts me everywhere I turn. I just want to move on with my life. I’m not sure I’ll be able to, though.”
Cade’s arm moved out from under his blankets, and he took my hand in his. His touch was gentle, different than earlier in the day when we were fucking like bunnies in the springtime.
“When I got older and realized Mom needed me to take care of her, it was really tough to deal with. I hated her, actually. The last thing I wanted was to be tied down, fully responsible for her and Missy. But as soon as the thought formed in my mind, I felt lower than a piece of dog crap on the bottom of a shoe. I knew foster kids at school who would have given their left nut to have a mom, sister, and a safe place to live.”
I traced his long slender fingers as he talked.
“It’s super tough for a kid to step into a parental role, for any reason. You probably felt like you didn’t have a life. When Hendrix was thirteen, Franklin’s alcoholism was at its worst. But you can’t force an addict to get clean. My mom had already given up trying and we left. But Hendrix stayed for a while, hoping he could get through to his dad. It didn’t work. When Hendrix came to live with us he was a mess. He was angry and depressed, but his music saved him. Was it like that for you? Your music I mean?”
The go
ld flecks flashed in his eyes while I waited for his answer.
“Yeah. It kept me from getting into even more trouble.”
I couldn’t stop my grin. Cade was always pulling a prank on someone in school or getting into some kind of predicament.
“Have you ever thought of doing anything other than performing? Or is this your life like it is for Hendrix?”
“As long as I can sing and play … I’m good. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
A pang of sadness twisted inside my stomach. I wanted that as well. Something I loved so much it kept me sane no matter what else was happening in life.
“You and Hendrix are lucky,” I said, shifting on my pillow. “It’s hard when you don’t know your place or where you belong.”
I stifled a yawn, growing sleepier by the second.
“You’ll find it, Mac. I promise,” Cade whispered, right before I drifted off to sleep.
Early the next morning, I slipped back into my own bed. Minutes later I heard the bathroom door open and close. Even though I suspected it was Pierce, I really needed to be more careful. Pierce already knew I slept in Cade’s bed more than my own, but I didn’t want him to know any real details. A nagging thought tickled my brain. I hoped he didn’t feel obligated to say something to Hendrix or Gemma. He wouldn’t do that, would he? He’d always stayed out of our personal business unless it came down to safety. I chided myself, rolled over, and pushed the thought back down.
An hour later everyone was up and ready to find a place for breakfast.
“Welcome to Phoenix,” John said, stepping off the bus.
I cringed against the heat and sunshine as I followed him and Hendrix.
“Geez, is it hotter here than Vegas?” Gemma asked, pulling her hair into a ponytail.
“I’m going to start carrying deodorant in my purse,” I mumbled, patting my bag with my secret stash of vodka and pills.
“At least we’ll be inside most of the time. I wanted to sightsee, but this heat is brutal. I think I’ll pass.”
“There’s a park with a big pond and water fountain over there.” Cade pointed to the right of us.
“It looks pretty, maybe I’ll check it out later. For now, it’s breakfast for me and then I’m staying for your rehearsal,” I said.
“Oh cool. You’ll get to see what Hendrix and I have been working on.”
“A new song?”
“You’ll have to wait and see,” he said, elbowing me gently in the side.
I shot him a nasty look. If we were going to keep up appearances, I had to give it right back to him.
“You two are like a brother and sister,” Gemma teased.
I inwardly cringed. That comparison was all kinds of wrong. Yeah, we were friends, but we'd had sex, and in most states banging your brother or sister was illegal. I shuddered at the thought.
“That bad, huh?” Cade said, laughing.
“You weren’t thinking the same thing? Like, that’s seriously illegal.”
“What’s illegal?” Gemma asked. “All I said was you two are like brother and sister.”
Cade’s face paled with my slip.
“Oh, haha. No, I thought you said something else. Never mind. All these late nights and lack of sleep are getting to me, and I’m not making any sense over here,” I said.
Gemma stared at me skeptically. “You’re still not sleeping?” she asked softly.
“Some nights are tough,” I whispered.
She took my hand and squeezed it as we followed Hendrix and the guys into the diner, the smell of fresh pancakes and bacon immediately taunting me. My stomach growled in response.
We seated ourselves at a table in the back of the restaurant, and twenty minutes later biscuits, gravy, and flapjacks were in front of me.
I took a bite of biscuit and gravy and moaned.
“Heaven,” I said around my mouthful of food. “But still not as good as Ruby’s breakfasts.”
“Right? I think one of the things I miss most when we’re on tour is not stopping by Franklin’s for meals. Ruby’s cooking is amazing,” Gemma said.
“I know. I’ll probably gain ten pounds when we get back home.”
“You and me both,” she said smiling.
The rest of the conversation was filled with the band’s schedule and what time we needed to roll out of here to reach New Mexico. A gentle graze across my knee stopped me short. My eyes cut across the table to find Cade leaning forward as far as he could. His hand slid beneath my knee, and he lightly caressed my bare leg. I shivered visibly, which sent my fork clattering to the floor.
“You alright?” Gemma asked.
“Yup,” I said, “Just got a chill for a minute. I’m fine.” I flashed my best smile at her while I shot Cade the evil eye for teasing me under the table. What was he doing?
When everyone’s attention had turned to Hendrix again, Cade gave me a wink and mischievous smile.
“Later,” he mouthed and licked his lips.
My panties were wet in seconds. How could he do that to me? Besides, the deal was one time, and we’d already broken it yesterday afternoon. No more. Plus, I’d told him that if he wanted to be with me, he needed to let me know he was going to stop visiting other girls’ playgrounds. So far, he hadn’t given me his decision. Apparently he was going to push a little and see what he could get away with. I’d have to talk to him.
“Maybe,” I mouthed back.
Cade’s face fell, and he slumped back in his chair, folding his arms protectively across his chest. Why was he acting like I’d hurt his feelings? For a moment I almost felt bad, but we had a deal. I wasn’t going to sleep with someone who tapped everything with a pulse. I had self-respect, but my hormones overruled it sometimes.
Forty-five minutes later we had finished eating and arrived at the concert venue. John held the door open for us as we filed into the back.
“I swear every time I walk into a new place for a concert, I panic a little. I’ve never gotten over the tornado at the concert in Louisiana,” Gemma admitted.
“I was thinking the same thing. It’s almost like Deja vu or something.” My attention quickly darted to Hendrix while I recalled the long recovery he’d gone through after the tornado had nearly killed us all at Cane’s River Center. Thank God Gemma had acted quickly, or I’d have been sucked up into the vast whirlwind.
At least Cade and John were back in Washington when it happened. Shaking the memories from my mind, I took a deep breath and glanced around at each of my friends. We’d come a long way in a short time.
We stepped out onto the stage and stood quietly as we scanned the rows and rows of empty seats.
“You guys ready?” Hendrix asked, running his hand through his hair.
“Yeah, man, let’s do this,” John said, taking his sticks out of his back pocket and settling in at the drum set.
“I’m so excited,” I said, bouncing up and down and clapping my hands. “I’m going to go have a seat. I can’t wait to hear your new song!”
I hopped down the stairs two at a time and plopped down in a front row chair. A few of the technical and lighting crew joined the band on stage. Cade grabbed his guitar case from one of them and Hendrix did the same. Gemma sat at the piano and gave me a tired smile.
Cade slipped the strap over his shoulder and strummed his electric guitar. I nearly laughed as I remembered Marilyn’s comment at an earlier concert about how she’d like him to strum her. Well, if I ever saw her again, I would be more than happy to let her know his fingers were even better on my body than on his guitar.
The band played a few songs and adjusted to the new acoustics of the auditorium. They sounded better with each performance, if that were even possible.
An hour later, Gemma joined me in the front row.
“This is going to be so amazing,” she said, grinning. “Cade has talked about this for a while.”
“Talked about what?” I asked and leaned over to her.
“Watch and listen,” she
said, motioning to Cade and Hendrix on the stage.
Cade walked toward Hendrix, and quietly conversed with him. What were they doing?
They nodded, then returned to their own microphones. Cade strummed his guitar, the sound filling the auditorium as it resonated through the speakers. And then he began a song I’d never heard before. Hendrix moved back and played bass and John continued on the drums.
Cade’s silky tenor voice enveloped me as he began to sing.
I gaze into your deep brown eyes, hypnotized.
And nothing else seems to matter, it all fades away.
I think about your touch, and the way I feel when I’m with you.
His eyes fell on me, our gazes locking. Mesmerized, I remained still. Our focus never left each other while his amazing voice penetrated every fiber of my being. My entire body tingled as he finished the song.
The taste of your lips I can’t ignore.
But it's your heart that makes my life worthwhile.
I’ll show up for you, and we’ll hold onto each other
No matter what we go through.
“Oh. My. God,” Gemma whispered and jabbed me with her finger.
“What the hell?” I asked, rubbing my arm and breaking free from my Cade daze.
“Is there something going on between you two?” Gemma asked, her expression full of questions.
I frowned and glared at Cade, who was now busy talking to Hendrix about tweaks in the performance. What had just happened? Was the song about me or had he simply gotten nervous and used me to stay focused? That was probably it. He couldn’t have stared at Gemma or Hendrix would have thought he had a thing for her. As far as I could tell, Cade didn’t have a thing for any girl.
“What? Don’t be ridiculous. You do realize what a player he is, right?” I asked.
“Yeah, but the way he looked at you … and wait a minute.” She wiggled in her seat so she could see me better. “Cade has only disappeared a few times during this tour, nothing like before you were with us according to Hendrix.” Her stare intensified as she searched my face for any sign her assumptions were correct.
I swallowed hard. At least two of the times Cade had disappeared, he’d been with me.