I didn’t want you to have sex with her because the thought of it makes me feel sick.
Blinking, I look up at him.
The look on his face. He’s pissed off, sure, but he looks…hurt.
I can see it there in the depths of his eyes.
And I feel like the bitch I am.
It’s too hard to look at him and say what I’m about to say, so I stare over his shoulder to the glowing lights of the bar behind him. “Look it was a real shitty thing to do…and I’m sorry, all right?”
His face is blank, but his eyes are saying a hell of a lot right now. None of it is good.
“How much?” His tone is brittle.
“What?” I look at him.
His eyes cut to mine. “How much fucking money did you bet Sonny?”
I swallow what feels like gravel. “Does it matter?”
“How. Much?”
“A hundred dollars.” I’m trembling on the inside.
Tom’s eyes widen, and he lets out an incredulous laugh. “A hundred dollars. That’s all I’m worth?” He thrusts his hands through his hair before linking them behind his neck. “Jesus Christ!” His gaze rips through me. “Nice, Lyla. Real fucking nice.”
“Look, I said I’m sorry.” I frown.
He drops his arms and folds them over his chest. “Did Sonny pay up?”
I know I’m stepping into something I really don’t want, but I have no other choice. “Yes.”
In one swift move, he pulls off his beer-soaked T-shirt, exposing that smooth expanse of total awesomeness. He shoves the shirt in the back pocket of his jeans, and then he’s moving. In a few steps, he’s on me, right up close. His chest is in my face. He’s everywhere, consuming me. I can’t breathe. I have to practically nail my feet to the ground to keep me from moving.
I tilt my head back to look up at him just as he leans down into my face.
He smells of beer. But mostly Tom. Everything that makes my toes curl.
“Okay, this is how it’s gonna go. You’re gonna go back to that bar. You’re gonna hand Sonny two hundred dollars—his own hundred back and the hundred for the bet you lost.”
My brows draw together. “I didn’t lose—”
“No, but you’re going to in about five minutes. Lucky for me, the blonde wasn’t put off by your little show in there. She’s coming here, and I’m taking her up onto the bus and into your bedroom where I’m gonna spend all night fucking her brains out while you sit outside, one hundred dollars lighter, listening to the kind of sex a frigid bitch like you could only dream of having.”
If he’d shot me, I don’t think it would have hurt as much.
Tears sting my eyes. “Fuck you!” I yell, shoving him away. I turn and start to run toward the bus.
I just want to get away from him and to rid myself of this goddamn pain in my chest.
I almost make it to the bus, but Tom catches me and shoves me hard up against the side of the bus. My breath leaves me in a whoosh.
“That’s what you want, isn’t it?” He presses his body onto mine.
My body starts to tremble.
“Me to fuck you. You were jealous, Firecracker. Admit it. That’s why you pulled your little stunt back there.”
I let out a laugh, but it sounds hollow, even to my own ears. “Jealous? You wish! I wouldn’t want you if you were the last man on Earth!” I’m saying this, but it’s clearly not true.
And he knows it.
If he can’t tell from the trembling of my body or my quick breaths or the fact that my eyes are glued to his lips, then all he would need to do is put his hand on my panties, and the damp evidence would be there for his confirmation.
“Yeah, well, the feeling is one hundred fucking percent mutual, sweetheart.”
He’s saying this, but I can tell from his quick breaths, the dilation of his pupils, and the fact that he’s dragging his teeth over his lower lip that he’s lying. And even if there weren’t all those signs, then his huge erection, which is currently pressed into my belly, would have told me all I needed to know.
“I think you’re a disgusting man slut,” I hiss, smoothing my hand up his bare chest.
His body shudders under my touch.
God, he feels so damn good.
Tom’s hand runs up my arm, skimming the edge of my breast. His fingers slide into my hair, and he pulls it down, tilting my face up to his. “And like I said, I think you’re a frigid bitch.”
I glare into his eyes. “I fucking hate you,” I seethe. But my voice sounds really breathless. Sexy breathless. I don’t sound like me at all.
He moves his mouth closer to mine. “Yeah, and that feeling is more than mutual.”
We’re locked together. Chests heaving. Neurons of sexual chemistry firing between us like bullets.
And I know all it’s going to take is one more move from either of us and we’ll be kissing.
Is that what I want?
I lick my lower lip.
The last thing I register is Tom growling out, “Fuck!”
Then, his mouth is on mine, hard and fast.
On a groan, I open up for him. His hot tongue plunges straight into my mouth, and he starts kissing me like a man starved. My hands go straight to his hair, and I attack his mouth with the same ferocity.
Tom’s large hands go to my ass, and he lifts me. I wrap my legs around his waist, linking them at the ankles.
In this position, his erection is now nicely pressed up against the seam of my jeans, sending my whole body into a frenzy.
I moan. I can’t help it.
Seeming to like my response, Tom moves his hips back, and then he thrusts upward.
“Oh God,” I whimper. My eyes rolling, my head drops back against the bus with a thud.
Letting out a groan-fuelled chuckle, Tom starts on my neck, kissing and sucking his way back to my mouth. The whole time, he is torturously rubbing that amazing erection of his against my hot spot.
When his mouth reaches mine, he hesitates. Eyes on my face, he slowly moves his hand under my shirt.
Letting him know that I’m okay with the direction where this is heading, I run my tongue along his lower lip, and then I suck it into my mouth.
Tom’s hand cups my breast through my bra. His rough fingers trace over my hard nipple through the lace.
“Jesus, Lyla.” Staring down at my breasts, he lets out a groan. “Your tits feel even better than they look. So fucking good. I can’t wait to have them in my mouth.” His tongue trails his lower lip as he gives my breast a squeeze.
A lightning bolt of lust shoots straight to my core.
Bringing his mouth back to mine, he runs his tongue along the seam of my lips and then takes me into a deep lush kiss.
I turn to putty in his hands as he takes control of the kiss.
Takes control of me.
My fingers tighten in his hair. He groans in my mouth.
Weak spot.
I smile to myself.
Then, I hear the sound of loud voices. Cale, Sonny, and Van are heading straight in our direction.
Tom’s mouth disconnects from mine.
“Shit,” I gasp.
I stare into his eyes, unsure what to do. I don’t want the guys to see Tom and me together like this. And I’m thanking God right now that the bus parked next to ours is shielding us.
“We need to move,” I urge.
Nodding, Tom lowers me to my feet. Grabbing my hand, he pulls me toward the back of the bus, getting us out of view. We stand here with a foot of space between us, just staring at one another, as the guys all pile onto the bus.
When the sound of them has settled, Tom says quietly, “You go on first. I’ll follow in a minute.”
He glances down, and my eyes follow, seeing that he’s still very hard.
How is that even possible?
“Um…where was I?” I ask him.
He gives me a sexy grin. “Just a few feet down there with your legs wrapped around my waist, moaning into my mouth, while I dry-hum
ped you against the bus.”
“I didn’t mean that!” I slap his stomach, hitting rock. “I meant, where do I tell the guys I’ve been?”
He shrugs. “Just tell them you were making out with a hot stranger in the parking lot.”
I jab him in the arm this time.
“Ow!” he whisper-shouts, rubbing his shoulder.
Like I could hurt him.
I roll my eyes.
Tom glances over his shoulder at the lit store behind us. “Just tell them you went to the store.”
“Good plan.” I nod.
“What about me? Where was I?” he asks.
I give him a saucy grin. “Tell them you were making out with a hot chick in the parking lot.”
His hands come up to the sides of my head, caging me in against the bus. “Talking of hot…” His mouth starts to descend toward mine.
“No.” I press my hands against his chest, stopping him.
The one thing the guys turning up gave me was clarity, reminding me of what I don’t want to do.
My body was in the driver’s seat for a while. Now, my brain is back and functioning.
“No?”
“No.” I duck out from under his arms. “This was a mistake.”
He looks over his shoulder at me. “A mistake? Are you fucking kidding?”
Biting my lip, I shake my head. “It shouldn’t have happened. And it won’t happen again.”
Turning, he steps into my space. “It should have happened a long time ago. And it for sure will happen again.”
“No, it won’t.”
His slow smile causes my belly to whoosh.
“We’ll see.” He walks away from me, heading in the direction of the front of the bus.
That’s it?
I expected him to fight me on it more.
Then worry grips tight hold of me. What if he’s going to collect what he’s not getting from me from the blonde groupie, who’s due to show up here any moment.
“Where are you going?” I despise how needy my voice sounds.
He turns to me, continuing to walk backward. “Shower. I stink of beer.” He gives me a look. “Then, to bed.”
With her.
I grit my teeth. “With your blonde skank?”
I really need to filter this crap coming from my mouth.
He grins, and it spreads right across his handsome face. “Nope. Haven’t got a clue where she is.”
“But you said…” I frown.
He gives a slow shrug of his shoulders. “Never intended to sleep with her. I was just”—Tom rubs his head thoughtfully and then smirks—“putting on a show.”
Mother. Effer.
He played me.
All that in there—he was just doing it to drive my jealousy to the front.
“You-you’re a…mother-effing mut!” I hiss.
“Yeah, and you’re the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Sleep well, Firecracker.” He winks and then climbs up onto the bus, disappearing from my view.
I fall back against the bus.
Touching a finger to my lips, I realize that I’m actually smiling.
Then, a giggle escapes me.
I’ve just been dry-humped against the side of a tour bus by Tom Carter.
And I wanted it.
I want him. Really bad.
Well, there goes my chastity. That belt has been snapped in two and fed to the cock wolves.
And me? Well, I’m in big trouble. Not only did I want Tom before, but now, I want him even more after that kiss.
The Next Day—Tour Bus, St. Louis
Avoidance is my friend.
When I climbed back onto the bus a few minutes after Tom, he was laughing and joking with the guys, acting like nothing had happened between us only moments before.
Of course, that was good. It was exactly what I wanted.
But the sexual tension between us was still there, smoldering with intent. It was to the point that I thought it was going to actually drive me insane.
I tried my best to act natural, but it was difficult. Every time Tom spoke, I would remember the feel of his lips on mine.
Cale knew something was off with me, and his questioning eyes weren’t helping my overall state. It was hard to keep myself in check when he pulled me aside and quietly asked what my stunt in the bar was all about.
He knew that was out of the ordinary for me.
I played it off. He wasn’t convinced, but thankfully, he didn’t argue me on it. Van and Sonny were oblivious. Sonny was still grumpy because he’d lost our bet.
It was long after that when I went to bed.
I woke up early, feeling restless, but I stayed in bed, not wanting to get up and risk finding myself alone with Tom. So, I waited until I heard the noise levels rise as the boys all crawled out of their bunks, and then I made an appearance.
I could feel Tom’s eyes on me when I came out to have breakfast, but I steadfastly ignored his gaze.
From now on, my plan is to avoid being alone with Tom under any circumstances.
It’s going okay so far.
Tom is currently in my bedroom on a conference call with Jake and Zane.
The guys and I are going over a song we’ve decided to add to the set. It’s a song I wrote a long time ago. I could never get the sound to work, but Van has come up with an amazing riff for it, which gives it the perfect tone. We’ve decided to try it out on the crowd tonight and see how it goes down.
I feel Tom enter the living area before I see him. That has been happening more and more lately, like I’m connected to him in some way.
He has his cell in his hand. “Got a minute, guys? I’ve got Jake and Zane still on the line. A few things are moving forward, and we want to bring you up to speed.”
I put my music sheets on the coffee table, but I keep my pen in my hand.
Tom places his cell in the middle of the table. He stays standing. “Jake, Zane, you’re good to go.”
“Hey, how’s it going?” Jake asks.
“Really great,” I answer for us.
“Cool. Okay, so we’ve made some decisions on how we’re going to move forward with you guys. Actually, this is Zane’s baby, so I’ll let him tell you.”
“Hey, guys,” Zane speaks.
“Hi,” we all say in unison.
“So, like Jake said, we’ve been working on things here. The album is cut, so Jake, Tom, and I have been discussing which song should be released first. Of course, you guys had input before you left for the tour, and I know you all felt that ‘Nonsense’ would be better as your first release. But after tests and looking at the market lately, we think that ‘Better Than You’ would be the perfect song to release first.”
There’s a silence, and then Zane says, “What do you think?”
I think on it for a moment and then look around the table.
We’re all looking at one another, waiting to see what the others think.
“What do you think, Ly?” Cale asks, the first one to break the silence.
It is a great song with commercial appeal, and I can see why they want to put it out first.
“It’s a great song,” I echo my thoughts. “I’m happy with that if you’re happy with that.”
“What about you guys?” Cale asks Sonny and Van.
“I’m easy,” Sonny says. “Just happy to be cutting a record and touring.”
“What he said.” Van smiles.
“So, we’re good?” Cale checks with me.
For some reason, I feel the need to look at Tom, almost like I need his reassurance on this.
My eyes slide to his. His are already on mine.
For the first time since last night, I actually speak directly to him. “You think it’s the right song?”
I see a flicker of surprise in his eyes, and then his expression softens.
“Yeah, I do.” He smiles. “The track will bring the right kind of attention to you. The kind of attention we want.”
I look b
ack to Cale, who is glancing between Tom and me with a furrow of confusion in his brow.
“Then, yeah, we’re good,” I finally answer Cale’s question.
“Okay, so that’s settled,” Jake says.
“Zane’s team will hit up the radio stations across the country. We’ll concentrate mostly here in LA, but we’ll also hit all the areas where you’re playing now. We’re going for big coverage and fast. Then, we’ll see how it goes from there.”
“Sounds great,” Cale leans forward to say.
“So, I think we’re done here,” Zane speaks. “Unless there’s anything else anyone needs to talk about?”
“Nothing else from me,” Jake says. “Wait. What?”
Jake’s voice is muffled as he starts talking to someone in the background.
I hear the words, “What the fuck?”
Then, “Jesus fucking Christ.”
“Jake, all okay?” Zane says.
“Tom, take me off speaker. Now. Zane, I’ll call you after I’ve talked with Tom.”
Frowning, Tom scoops up his cell and takes it off speaker before pressing his phone to his ear.
I watch as he walks into my bedroom and closes the door behind him. I get an uneasy feeling in my gut.
“Wonder what that was about?” Van asks the table.
I shrug. “Beats me. Probably TMS stuff.” Even as I say it, it doesn’t feel right.
It’s feels like—
Oh no.
Holy fucking no.
I quickly pull out my cell phone from my pocket and type into the search engine, Tom Carter. Lyla Summers.
Then, I press enter.
And I watch in horror, my stomach sinking, as my screen fills with headlines and pictures of Tom and me.
THE MIGHTY STORM’S TOM CARTER CAUGHT CHEATING BY THE GIRLFRIEND WE DIDN’T KNOW HE HAD!
WATCH THE EXCLUSIVE VIDEO FOOTAGE OF TOM’S GIRLFRIEND CATCHING HIM WITH ANOTHER WOMAN. JUST MAKE SURE TO STAND BACK TO AVOID THE SPLASH!
TOM CARTER, WE THOUGHT YOU WERE SMARTER!
BAD BOY OF ROCK, TOM CARTER, CAUGHT CHEATING! FULL CONFRONTATION CAUGHT ON VIDEO! WATCH HERE!
CARTER CAUGHT CHEATING!
Ladies’ man of rock and The Mighty Storm’s bassist, Tom Carter was caught cheating by his girlfriend in a bar last night. According to onlookers, Tom was flirting up a storm with a leggy blonde. Before leaving with her, his girlfriend came storming over. We have confirmed his girlfriend is Lyla Summers, lead singer of up and coming band, Vintage.