I counted out five hundred dollars, not really sure what a physician’s time was worth, and handed to the little man on the other side of my counter. “Will this cover it?”
He took the money from my hand and recounted it right in front of me. “It’ll do. Call the office if you need anything else.”
And just as quickly as he had wafted into my home, the good doctor found his way back out.
I watched through the window as he shut himself inside his car and then sped back down the drive.
“He was an odd one, wasn’t he?”
Lane’s voice caught my attention and I immediately went into the kitchen to get her a drink so she could take her medication.
I handed her the glass. “Yeah, not much of a bedside manner.”
“Right? That was exactly what I was thinking,” she said before swallowing down the meds.
It was good to see a smile on her face, even though I knew she still felt miserable. I sat down and then pulled her head down so she could rest it in my lap. My fingers stroked through her soft hair, and we settled in together to watch some movie on television. It wasn’t long before we both were fast asleep.
Chapter 6
After a couple days of tender love and care from me, Lane started to come back around. It was a good thing we’d come to my place when we had. Being sick on the bus was the closest thing to hell I’d ever experienced, so I was happy she didn’t have to suffer through that.
The oven timer chimed, and I removed our extra crispy tater-tots. I really needed to go to the store. Living off frozen food was starting to suck.
“Something smells good,” Lane said as she dried her hair with a green towel, wearing only one of my T-shirts.
I smiled. I loved it when she wore my clothes. “You feel like eating?”
She draped the towel along the back of the kitchen chair and gave me a wicked grin. “I’m really hungry. I’ve been a little deprived lately.”
I swallowed hard and licked my lips. We’d gone without sex for a couple of days now, and the way her eyes raked over my body when she’d slowly said the word hungry told me she’d been missing it too.
After a couple of steps toward her, I tugged her body into mine and both of her arms wrapped snuggly against my waist. The smell of her fruity scented shower products still surrounded her. Instantly my breathing picked up.
I raised an eyebrow. “Feeling better?”
She traced a line from my chest down to my belt buckle. “Much.”
With sure fingers she unzipped my jeans and snaked her hand inside. She grabbed my hard dick and a smirk played on the edges of her lips.
“I’m so buying you underwear for Christmas.”
I laughed. “Don’t count on me wearing them.”
When I leaned down to kiss her lips, she jerked her head back, and a frown filled my face. “Lane, let me kiss you.”
Her brow crinkled. “Noel, you can’t.”
“Don’t worry about that. Like I said, I don’t care if I get sick.”
“But I do. Can’t we just get creative?” Her finger traced my jaw.
My heart thudded against my ribs at what the word creative meant. This could be fun. “What do you have in mind?”
“We shouldn’t be face to face.”
Oh dear God. She was asking me to bend her over and take her from behind. My cock pulsed and it was nearly painful how much I ached to be inside her. She wrapped her hand around me and stroked me a couple of times while she waited on me to respond. I closed my eyes, enjoying her touch, and allowed my mouth to hang open a bit. Both of my hands gripped the hem of her shirt tightly. Simple touches from this girl drove me crazy.
I wrapped my hand around her wrist, stopping her. I needed to slow things down before I exploded all over the inside of my pants.
Lane took the hint and shoved my pants down to my knees.
“I want you inside me.”
Every cell vibrated with need. Without thinking about it, I pushed her shirt up and yanked on her bra, ripping it from her body. I tugged on each side of her panties until they dropped by her feet. I couldn’t get her naked fast enough.
She kicked them off, and I lifted her onto the counter. I dropped to my knees and placed soft kisses from her ankle to her exposed thigh. Her legs fell open for me and she watched me intently. I slid her ass to the edge of the counter and threw her left leg over my shoulder before I licked my way down to her moist heat. The scent of her arousal was nearly enough to make me want to come on the spot. I loved that she was always ready for me.
I took my time licking each of her folds before giving her clit the attention I knew she craved. She whimpered every time I got close, which told me I was doing my job. The anticipation of getting off drove her mad, but I also knew how much better it made the final moment of release when it had to be worked for.
My tongue darted out and drew the figure eight around her sweet spot. Fingers grabbed my hair and urged me in deeper. A quick peek at her face told me she was close. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and she propped herself up with one hand while plucking her nipple with the other.
I circled her opening before ramming a finger inside her.
“God, Noel!” she screamed and locked her ankles behind my head.
She needed to get off badly. I sucked her clit in my mouth, tasting all of her in the process, then flicked it with my tongue as fast as I could.
She sucked in a quick breath and groaned as she came hard against my lips, and her walls clenched greedily at my finger. She let my head go but still writhed with need before me.
I stood up and picked her up from the counter, anxious to be inside her.
“Turn around,” I ordered roughly in her ear, desperately needing a release of my own.
The soft skin of her back pressed against my chest, and it took everything in me not to ram my cock deep inside her ready core. I whipped her shirt over her head and tossed it to the ground, so that I could rub her back and get my hands into her hair. Finally I pushed down until her elbows rested on the counter in front of her. Kneeling behind her, I hiked up her leg so I could lap at her wet folds again. The moment I did that, she pushed back against my tongue, eager for more.
She was so ready for me.
Unable to hold back any longer, I rose up behind her, grabbing the base of my shaft and rubbing it in her juices before guiding it inside her.
“Fuck!”
It came out almost like a growl. It just felt so good, and I couldn’t stop myself from voicing just how amazing she felt, finally wrapped around me.
I gripped her right hip with one hand and her left shoulder with the other as I worked in and out of her a few more times. Soon after she was good and ready I drove deep into her.
The noises that came from her mouth sent a wave of pleasure through me. I loved when she enjoyed something sexually as much as I did.
Close to losing my mind, I lay my chest on her back and reached around her hips with my right hand, fingering her sweet spot. “Come with me.”
“You like it when I do that?” Lane said, her voice full of passion.
Oh my God. “You have no idea how much I fucking love it.”
“Then fuck me harder.”
My eyes widened at the dirty words coming from those sweet lips.
I bit my lip as I pounded into her full force.
“Oh, God!” she screamed as she gripped the counter.
“Ah!”
It was all I could get out before my hot seed spurted inside her tight little body.
Totally spent, I lay gasping as I wrapped my arms around her waist. Every time with this woman was better than the last. We connected on so many levels it was crazy. She truly was my soul mate.
Chapter 7
The rest of the week flew by too damn fast, and Tuesday morning came before I was ready.
Kyle pulled up in the Escalade and honked the horn. Now that we were going back on the bus I was thankful Lane was nearly better.
I carried our luggage outside and stacked it on the porch so Kyle could load it. “Hey, man. Find your way back all right?”
Kyle nodded, tucking his hair behind his ears. “Yeah, it wasn’t too bad.”
Lane came up beside me, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders as she said. “I can’t believe we have to go back already.”
I sighed. “Tell me about it. I never get enough time off. Sometimes I feel like running away for a while.”
She leaned her head against me. “That’s a nice dream, but I think your legion of fangirls would track you down if you stayed hidden for too long.”
“If they’re hot, I wouldn’t mind so much,” I teased and she smacked my ass. “Ouch!”
She raised an eyebrow and shot me look that told me she hadn’t found my little joke funny.
I threaded our fingers together. “Come on. Let’s head back to civilization.”
About twenty minutes into our drive, after hearing all about Kyle’s week with Emily, Lane’s cell chirped. She dug into her purse and fished out her phone.
“We finally have service.”
Even though I knew it wasn’t polite or good boyfriend etiquette to peek at her phone, I glanced down at the screen. Ten missed calls flashed before she dialed in the code to listen to her messages.
A distinctly male voice was on the line, and my ears perked up.
Lane twisted her lips as she listened and then after a couple seconds grinned. Why was she smiling? I was trying not to be a jealous dick, but I didn’t like it when another man made her face light up like that. That was my fucking job.
She hung up the phone and stared at me. “That was Striker.”
Both of my hands curled into fists on my lap. “What did he want?”
“To offer me a job,” she said. “Isn’t that great news?”
“No.”
“No? What do you mean, no? This is a great opportunity.”
How could she not see what he was doing? This job wasn’t a goodwill gesture, it was a way to keep her close. That asshole obviously still didn’t get it. Lane was mine and he needed to move the fuck on and quit trying to go after my girl. It wasn’t going to happen for him.
“You can’t work for him.”
Lane’s eyebrows furrowed. “You promised you wouldn’t complain about any job I took. I can’t believe you’re acting like this. I know this isn’t the ideal situation, or Striker the ideal boss, but there’s nothing between him and me.”
A sarcastic laugh slipped from me. “Maybe on your end.”
“Noel...don’t be that way. I need this job.”
I grabbed her hand. “But you don’t need this job. I’ll take care of you.”
She pulled her hand away. “I don’t want to be taken care of. Don’t you understand? I need a life outside of us—some independence. The job Striker’s offering allows me to remain on tour with you and still work. He won’t be around like you think. It’s the best of both worlds.”
I folded my arms across my chest and attempted to listen calmly. “What kind of job?”
She grinned. “It’s putting together an online marketing campaign for a new line of men’s jewelry Striker has designed with a jeweler. It’s a personal project for him.”
I raised my pierced eyebrow. “Men’s jewelry? I knew that British fucker was part fairy.”
Lane laughed and smacked my leg. “Be nice.”
I held up my hands defensively. “What? Just stating the obvious.”
She rolled her eyes at me, and I tugged her body against mine in the seat. “This is serious, Noel.”
I sighed. “I know. I’m sorry, but you have to admit he’s a tool.”
“He’s pretty nice to me.”
“Yeah, because he wants in your panties. But I’ve got news for him. It isn’t happening. Those panties belong to me.”
She gave me a pointed look. “Do they?”
I leaned down and kissed her lips before I worked my way to her ear. “We both know you love screaming my name when you come. So, yeah, they belong to me,” I growled.
Lane blushed fiercely. I knew I was fighting dirty, but when it came to claiming her, there were no rules. She was mine, and I wasn’t above reminding her, or anyone else, of that from time to time.
We pulled into the parking lot a little later, and with the regular crew gathered around it, Big Bertha was a comforting sight. Although I didn’t know the roadies all too well, it was good to see their familiar faces.
Kyle parked the SUV near the back of the bus and hopped out.
“Feel good to be back?” Lane asked as I helped her out.
“Yes and no. I miss the guys, but there’s never enough alone time with you.”
She threw her arms around my neck. “See, then you should be happy about this job.”
My shoulders tensed under her touch. “I’m just not happy about your new boss.”
She traced my chin with her finger. “Nothing will happen between me and Striker. I love you, so quit worrying.”
It was easy to trust Lane, but it was hard to trust that douchebag, Striker. Who knew what his plan was. Everything inside of me told me that this wasn’t about giving Lane a job. She was a beautiful woman, any man would’ve told you that. Something just didn’t add up.
“I could always try to get the Black Falcon account back from Center Stage,” I told her, hoping to change her mind.
She shook her head. “No. They have Aubrey working on it now, and I can’t take that away from her.”
I knew Aubrey was her best friend, and she and Riff kind of had a thing, but her career wasn’t what mattered to me. I guess I was just being a selfish jerk because taking something away from Aubrey to give to Lane was something I would have tried in a heartbeat if she wanted it. But she would kill me if I did that. There didn’t seem to be a way around her taking this new job.
I sighed again and felt utterly defeated. “You won’t be around him much?”
“If ever,” she countered.
“If it makes you happy, then I’ll try my best to be supportive.”
Her lips crushed into mine. “And that is why you’re the best boyfriend in the entire world.”
I grinned and ground my pelvis into hers. “I thought this made me the best.”
She smacked my chest. “You are impossible.”
I laughed. “But you love me.”
The skin on her cheeks was so soft as I cradled her face in my hands. I dipped my head and planted my lips on hers.
“Oh, God! Would you two get a room already?” a voice behind us remarked. “A week of fuck time didn’t get it out of your systems?”
I turned to find Trip grinning like an idiot. “Don’t be a jealous asshole. Someday you’ll find a woman you don’t have to pay.”
“Ha. Ha. Very funny, dickhead. Now come on and get your asses on the bus. We’ve been waiting for twenty minutes on you two so we could head out.”
I nodded to him. “All right, we’re coming. Simmer down, saucy.”
He flipped me off and headed for the bus. I turned back to Lane. “Come on, before he gets his panties in a bunch.”
Once inside, it was good to see nothing had changed. All the guys were present and accounted for. Tyke and Trip busied themselves with restocking the kitchen with supplies, while Riff talked on his cell, a stack of Oreos in front of him. With my girl at my side, everything was right with the world. Everyone that mattered, with the exception of my mom, was here on this bus.
Lane kissed my cheek and I watched her head towards the bedroom to settle in with a huge smile on my face.
Tyke handed me a beer from across the island. “I see that sappy grin. Good break?”
I twisted off the cap. “Don’t hate.”
Tyke held his hands up palms up. “I’m not. It’s just going to be weird around here with both you and Riff settled down and all.”
The liquid in my mouth nearly strangled me. “Riff?” I peered over at my friend sitting at the table wearing a g
oofy grin while he talked quietly on the phone. “With who?”
Tyke gave me a pointed look. “Lane’s friend, Aubrey. Who else?”
My eyebrows rose. “Really? Wow. I thought they just hooked up?”
He shrugged. “Apparently he spent the entire break with her in New York, and he’s been on the phone with her now for the last hour.”
“Huh.”
I was shocked. My best friend was a totally the bag ’em and leave ’em type. The only person he’d ever had a long-term relationship with was Sophie, and even that had only lasted two months before she claimed to have slept with me. But he’d never acted like he was smitten with her. There must have been something about Aubrey that hooked him. For as long as I had known him, I’d never seen that happen before.
Tyke chugged the rest of his beer and then tossed it in the trash. “Did you hear Attack Jacket dropped off the rest of the tour?”
“What? When did this happen and why am I only just now hearing about this?”
“Try getting a landline out in that no man’s land you live in. We couldn’t get a hold of you.”
“Well, who did the label get to cover?”
Tyke cocked his head. “Who does the label always get to cover?”
Fuck me.
Shit.
Shit.
Shit.
Not that asshole. Now his little scheme to get Lane to work for him was starting to make sense. He’d known he was going to be around her, and planned on using the job as an excuse.
Damn his sneaky ass.
This was so not good. Striker needed to know Lane was off limits. If I slapped a huge carat of commitment on her finger, he sure as hell would take the hint to back the fuck off.
The perfect proposal was just going to have to be skipped. When I got a minute away I was going to buy a ring, and ask her the first chance I got.
Chapter 8
The next night Lane and I were backstage while Embrace the Darkness wrapped up their set. I never had a problem with them opening for us before—not until Striker tried to put the moves on my girl. Now, I was so agitated by it that it was eating me alive.