From out in front of the stage the noise level was moderate. People were just now coming back to their seat after going to the bathroom or getting fresh drinks. The curtain was still up so they didn’t know that the band had taken the stage yet. The emcee, some local radio big-wig suddenly took the stage in front of the curtain, getting the fans screaming.
I put my fingers in my ears as the noise level became uncomfortable and Harris offered me some ear plugs. With a smile in thanks I put them in just as the drums and Wroth’s guitar became almost uncomfortable even with the plugs in. If the fans had been screaming for the emcee, they were roaring now as the curtains were drawn back and Axton greeted everyone.
“Panama City Beach!” he yelled and everyone in the convention center screamed as loudly as they possibly could.
That was all he had to do to get their attention. Three little words. I wondered if the words mattered or if it was just the sound of his voice. For me he could have just been saying random shit: sand monkey cloud. The words weren’t important. It was the man behind the words that caught your attention and trapped you until he decided to let you go. The ear plugs I wore didn’t lessen his magnetic pull. I doubted that if I were deaf it would lessen the pull.
For the next thirty minutes my eyes were glued to the stage as I watched him perform. He was magnificent, with sweat running down his face and his chest heaving as he enchanted everyone. When the next song was over he left the stage and walked toward me. Dumbly I offered him a bottle of water.
With a wicked grin he took it and swallowed the contents in two thirsty gulps. When I offered him a second bottle he shook his head, but didn’t turn back to the stage. “Ax..?”
His name was still hanging on my lips when he grabbed my hips and jerked me against him. My breath escaped me in a rush because I knew what was coming before his lips touched mine and a moan bubbled up at the anticipation of having his hot mouth devouring mine.
The kiss barely lasted a few seconds, but my entire body went up in flames so hot that it was a wonder my shoes didn’t melt. I clung to him, suddenly not caring that he made me stupidly weak or that I wasn’t the one he was in love with. Fuck love. Lust was just as good. Right?
“I’ll be back. Wait for me,” he commanded before running back onto the stage.
I just stood there, trying to draw in the lungful of air that he had stolen from me. Along with all my common sense.
Axton
I had never been into the whole drug scene. Sure I might have tried a few things back when the band first got started. I had been a curious idiot. But once had been all I’d wanted. Alcohol wasn’t something I favored all that much either. A few beers were all I really wanted, with something harder if the mood struck.
Getting on stage, performing for thousands of fans, hearing them chanting OtherWorld over and over again… That was what got me high. That was my addiction. By the end of the show my blood was rushing and my dick was hard as stone. Okay, so maybe my dick was so hard because of the kiss I’d stolen from Dallas halfway through our set.
When I walked off stage, to the sound of the crowd screaming for one more song even though we had given them three extras already, I felt like a live wire about ready to ignite at any moment. All I wanted was five minutes alone with Dallas. Five minutes was all I needed to get us both off. The first time. Tonight I planned on making her beg for more than one orgasm.
Someone tossed me a towel as we headed toward the dressing room. I wiped the sweat off my face and slung the towel around my neck before accepting a bottle of juice from Natalie. My throat was raw from singing and screaming along with the fans and, like usual, I didn’t want to talk too much right away. I needed a cup of hot coffee to soothe my throat and vocal cords before I spoke again.
When we got back to the dressing room, there was a whole pot of coffee waiting on me. Instead of heading for the shower I went straight for the table to pour a mug. After adding four teaspoons of sugar I swallowed half the mug in one gulp. It felt like it scalded the inside of my chest but my throat didn’t feel like it was bleeding anymore. A drink of cold water helped soothe any lasting burning.
“Emmie said to have you text her when you get a free minute,” Natalie told me as I pulled my sweat-soaked shirt over my head.
I glanced down at the watch attached to the leather bracelet I’d started wearing back in December. It had been a gift for Christmas from Emmie and I rarely took it off these days. Seeing that it wasn’t as late as I had assumed, I sighed. “I’ll take care of it as soon as I get out of the shower.”
“No rush,” Natalie assured me. “I don’t think it was work related. She would have said something if it was.”
Devlin came out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist, his long, dark hair dripping everywhere. “Marissa and Harris back at the bus?”
“Along with Wroth and Dallas,” Natalie assured him with a new hardness to her tone that had my head snapping around to frown at her. The way she was glowering at Devlin made me grin as I headed into the shower.
“Good. I’ll get dressed and head back to the bus so that Rissa can go clubbing with everyone else. I don’t feel like it tonight.”
“Are you sick?”
“Just tired, Nat.”
“If you say so.” She headed for the door. “I’ll see if she wants to go. The limo is waiting out front whenever the rest of you are ready.”
Before I stepped into the shower stall I stuck my head back into the dressing room. “Make sure Dallas is coming.”
“She’s coming. Trust me. Dallas is looking forward to a few drinks and some dancing.” Natalie narrowed her eyes on me. “Don’t fuck with her tonight, Axton. I have no problem kicking your ass if you mess with her.”
“Maybe she wants him to fuck with her,” Liam spoke up as he hobbled from the showers with Zander’s help. “Leave it up to Dallas to decide. It’s no one’s business but hers.”
With a killer glare at Liam, Natalie opened the door and slammed it behind her. I grimaced before shooting Liam a nod in thanks. Since the accident Liam and I had become closer. It was the nights I’d spent just talking to him until he fell asleep in the hospital, then sticking around until morning just so I could see Dallas. We had bonded more in those few weeks than we had in the fifteen years we had been bandmates.
During those nights we had found ourselves confessing things that neither one of us would have done under ordinary circumstances. We’d talked about both our relationships with Gabriella and I’d assured him that I’d never been in love with her. When we had run out of things to say about the feisty Italian rocker, things had gotten more serious and headed toward Dallas. Liam was loyal to her, because she had been the only one to help him through a time when he had desperately needed a friend. I’d felt so ashamed that I hadn’t been there for him, but Liam had told me he understood and there were no hard feelings.
It was Dallas who had brought us closer during those long nights when Liam couldn’t find a comfortable position to fall asleep. He’d started turning down the sleeping pills as soon as he could, and demanded pain medication that was less powerful. He was taking his addiction recovery very seriously this time around and I was beyond proud of him. We would talk until Liam would fall into an exhausted sleep and I would watch over my friend, staying there not just because of my need to see Dallas, but in case he happened to wake up and needed to talk again.
Liam seemed to be making it his goal to help me get Dallas back, and I was thankful to have at least one of her friends on my side. “Thanks, man.”
“I expect to be the best man,” Liam said and grinned as he pulled a clean shirt on over his head. “You know, if you ever get that far.”
Liam went back to the bus, but Wroth, Marissa and Dallas along with Linc were already waiting in the limo when I climbed in with Zander thirty minutes later. “Where’s Nat?” Zander asked as he shut the door behind him.
“She said she had a headache,” Dallas informed him. “Try
not to be to broken-hearted.”
“Fucking Dev!” Zander growled under his breath before pulling his cellphone out and punching something in with angry jabs.
I stretched behind me and rapped my knuckles on the partition that separated us from the driver, letting him know we were ready to go. Moments later we pulled into traffic headed for Club La Vela. Every time we were in Panama City we went to Club La Vela. Each time was a different experience with all the different theme rooms and bars. And as long as we stuck to the shadows we could be anonymous for as long as we wanted it.
As the limo moved along I let my eyes drift to the blonde bombshell seated across from me. Dallas was dressed to kill in a skirt that was a mere millimeter from showing the world the ass that I worshiped. The top she had on was a baby blue that matched her eyes and the stiletto heels she was wearing were a pair of my favorites from when we had first gotten together a few years ago. I’d bought her those heels on the spur of the moment when I’d seen her glance at them while we had walked down Fifth Avenue. She hadn’t looked long, but I’d seen the look in her eyes before she had glanced away.
That night, after she had worn the heels out to some club I couldn’t even remember the name of, she had kept those fucking amazing shoes on while I had made love to her on my bed.
Seeing my gaze was lingering on her shoes, Dallas lifted one foot, making the anklet she had on sparkle in the dim lighting of the limo. “You like?” I nodded dumbly because my mouth was suddenly as dry as a desert. “Some rock god bought them for me. I probably should have tossed them out, but I couldn’t for some reason. They’re far too beautiful to throw away.”
“The rock god has great taste,” I growled catching hold of her ankle and pulling it onto my lap so I could inspect the anklet she had on. “Where did you get this?” I demanded, my tone sounding harsher than expected. It looked expensive and the little charm that I recognized as being the same as the tattoo on the back of Dallas’s neck was telling me that it was a personal, almost intimate gift.
“Some hottie gave it to me for Christmas.” When my eyes narrowed on her she laughed. “It was Harper.”
I relaxed and started rubbing little circles around the anklet. “It looks good on you.”
I felt her shiver and noticed the goose-flesh popping up along her legs as I skimmed my hands over her calf. A moment later she pulled her foot away and shifted in her seat.
“You can cut the sexual tension with a knife in here.” Zander put his phone away. “Think I will hit the hard stuff and find a few chicks to take my mind off of shit.” The limo pulled up in front of the club and he jumped out before the driver could open the door for us. “Later, fuckers.”
Wroth got out next and helped Marissa and then Dallas out before moving toward the VIP entrance. This side of the club was nearly deserted except for the hulking bouncer standing with a clipboard and a headset in his ear. After Linc had climbed out I finally moved and shut the door behind me. The humid Florida air filled my lungs but did nothing to help alleviate my painful condition. Dallas had made me hard as titanium and there was no way I would be dancing tonight without hurting myself.
The bouncer said something to Wroth, but his eyes were glued to Dallas. His eyes, which looked beady in his huge-ass head, raked her from top to bottom, stopping on all the good parts in between that I was going to touch at every opportunity tonight and every other night thereafter.
“Hey dickhead,” Dallas glared at the bouncer that easily outweighed her by two hundred pounds as if he were some insect she could crush beneath her killer heels, “my eyes are up here. You want to keep yours in your head, I suggest you keep them on something that doesn’t have another man’s name tattooed on it.”
In the dim lighting I watched as the bouncer’s face turned stony, the only sign of his embarrassment was his ears turning blood red. He averted his eyes and opened the VIP door. Marissa was smothering a giggle as Wroth pushed her in ahead of him. Linc followed behind them, but grabbed ahold of Dallas’s elbow and pulled her along behind him, muttering something under his breath that made Dallas grumble back in a whiny tone. As I followed I shot the bouncer a cold glare.
The others were already heading for the bar when I caught up with them. I waved the bartender over and told him to start a tab under one of the fake names I alternated between, then handed over my credit card that had the same name on it. The skinny guy with long blond and blue hair swiped the card once and gave it back to me. “What will it be?”
I nodded toward the VIP room. “Keep the beers flowing, and the bottled water. For now, whatever the lady wants.”
Dallas turned from chatting with Marissa at that. She raised a brow at me but gave the bartender her order of rum punch. The skinny bartender’s eyes lingered on her top as she spoke to him and the growl that escaped me must have been menacing because he jerked his eyes away and started tossing the drink together.
“Please tell me you will be okay if I go find some fun,” Linc said beside Dallas. “This place is swarming with my kind of a good night.”
“She will be fine,” I rushed to assure the muscle head. “And anything you want to drink just tell the bartender. The tab is under Henry McGill. Don’t forget that we leave for the next show at six.”
I could see the conflicting emotions cross Linc’s face. He wanted to go and find a hookup, but he didn’t want to leave Dallas alone with me. My word wasn’t going to be enough for him, which should have pissed me off, but didn’t. He was just looking out for his friend and I respected that.
Dallas wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed his cheek. “I’m good. You know I can take care of myself. Just be careful, okay? Make sure you get a birth certificate and use protection.”
With a sigh Linc pressed a kiss to her temple and grabbed one of the bottles of beer the bartender had placed on the bar top. “Text me if you need me.”
“I won’t need you. Love you,” she called when he disappeared into the crowd. He winked at her over his shoulder before he was completely out of sight.
Marissa, with a glass of white wine in hand, turned to grab Dallas’s arm. “Will you dance with me? I love this song.”
Picking up her own drink, Dallas took two big gulps before pushing it into my hands. “We’ll find you two later. My girl and I are gonna dance.”
My lips twitched, trying to hold onto a grin. She was so fucking beautiful, but right now she was adorable. “Wait.” She raised a brow at me again and my body responded accordingly with how much I liked when she did that. “Kiss me.”
Just before her blue eyes narrowed on me I saw the heat and need. As if taking my command as a challenge, she stepped closer. My body caught fire as her perfume filled my nose. My gaze zeroed in on her lips, craving her taste with an almost desperate need. As if in slow motion, she moved closer. In her heels she was as tall as I was and I couldn’t wait to find a dark corner to mold every inch of her against me.
Closer and closer her lips got until her breath caressed my mouth. I tried to hold in my groan but didn’t quite succeed when I caught the hint of rum and pineapple juice on her hot breath. Her lips tilted up in satisfaction when she heard the groan. “Ax...” she breathed my name, making my body throb. Her voice plus my name equaled a raging hard-on.
Then her lips brushed over my cheek, and not my lips. With a wicked grin she stepped back. “Later,” she called over her shoulder as she grabbed Marissa’s now-free hands and pulled her toward the crowded dance floor.
I stood there, sucking in deep breaths as I attempted to gain control of the inferno that was now my entire aching body. Beside me, Wroth chuckled in his scary as shit tone, his hands full of his beer and Marissa’s glass of wine. “Damn, she’s a fucking tease. Nearly got me hot watching her just now.”
I shot him a freezing glare and took a long swallow of Dallas’s punch. “Fuck you.”
Wroth threw his head back and laughed out loud, something that rarely happened. Some of my tension eased at the sound
of it and I took another drink of the rum punch. It was girly as hell but it was delicious and soothed any remaining ache in my throat. Rolling my eyes, I swallowed the rest of the drink, ordered another one for Dallas to have when she was through dancing, and let Wroth lead us toward the VIP room.
While we waited on the girls to get back I finally pulled my phone out of the front pocket of my jeans and pulled up Emmie’s name in my text history. Not surprising the last text that we had shared had been early that morning. I talked to her more than anyone else in the world, and half the time she was the length of the country away.
Me: Nat said 2 text u. Y couldn’t u just text me and wait until I got back 2 u?
Almost immediately she texted back.
Emmie: Because I knew u wouldn’t unless she made u. U would b 2 busy chasing after blonde and beautiful.
Me: Guilty. Don’t be sad. I still
Emmie: Lol. Pretty sure Nik knows.
I glanced up from my phone as Marissa and Dallas dropped down onto the long leather couch between me and Wroth. She looked like she was having the time of her life. I typed one last message before putting the phone back in my pocket.
Me: Almost. Working on it. Night, gorgeous.
Drinking her punch thirstily, Dallas leaned her head back against the leather couch. “Who was that?”
“Em.” I lifted my beer to my lips and took a long swallow. “You all danced out or you want to hit one of the theme rooms with me?”
“You’ll have to ask my date.”
“What the fuck?” I didn’t mean to snarl but that was the way it came out.
Dallas giggled and picked up Marissa’s hand. “I told you, she’s my girl tonight.” She lifted Marissa’s hand and nibbled on her fingers, wiggling her brow at Marissa suggestively.