by Cari Quinn
“I want to take my time.” He lifted me higher, pinning my lower back to the wall. “I never have enough time,” he growled into my throat. “Damn, baby.”
I tilted my hips and he hit both my clit and that magic place deep inside. My thighs tingled then trembled as he nailed me to the wall. Forceful and thorough, he never faltered. I hugged him tighter, wrapped around him with my legs and arms as I just took everything from him.
All the worries, all the fear. I wanted to steal it away. I knew it wouldn’t happen, but maybe for this one moment, he could have a little peace.
And then there was no time for thinking.
There was only the tumultuous fall and the blinding pleasure as friction took over and I clenched around him, milking every inch of him. My name was a guttural cry within his hoarse groan as he finally emptied himself inside of me. He tipped his forehead into the wall, gasping for breath.
I started laughing. “I was trying to tell you I had to go meet with the fan club people, and we didn’t have time for this.”
He let me slide down the wall. “Oops.”
“Yeah, oops.” I tried to straighten my clothes, but it was a lost cause. My outfit was all wrong, anyway.
As I undressed, he caught my wrist to pull me back to him.
“Well, if we’re getting naked, we can start over.”
“Zip up, Romeo. I’m going to be late and now I look like I just got…”
“Fucked?”
“Keep smirking, buddy.” I opened the long, skinny door where I stashed my clothes. There was a mirror on the inside of the door. “God, just fucked is right.” I tipped my head. “You left beard burn on my neck again.”
He moved behind me, gripping my hips. He didn’t fit in the mirror, but seeing his scarred, tanned fingers against my skin always left me breathless. He tucked his fingers in the tiny bits of lace at each hip and rolled it down my ass, crouching behind me as they hit the floor. Before he stood up, he bit my ass.
“You smell like me.” He scraped his teeth over my shoulder. “I’ll be at rehearsal and know my come is still inside of you.”
“Jesus, Cooper.” I swayed a little then hissed when he reached around me to cup my pussy.
“Full of me. Don’t wash me away.”
“You expect me to do the whole fan club meet-up like this? Are you nuts?”
He moved my hair and kissed the nape of my neck. “Yep.”
“At least let me put on fresh panties. Or should I go without those too?”
“Fuck, no. That would be crazy. How am I supposed to keep time when my blood flow is rerouted south?”
I giggled and slipped a black lace camisole off a hanger and snagged a fresh pair of very brief panties. Instead of a little flouncy sundress, I chose one of my longer Stevie Nicks-style ones and filched a few dozen bangles from my jewelry case. I quickly got dressed, added a few more necklaces, gave my curls a quick fluff to use the sex hair look he gave me, and I was good to go.
“How do you do that?”
I slicked gloss over my lips. “Do what?”
“Look so goddamn beautiful without even a touch of effort.”
I smiled at him in the mirror. “Careful there, Dallas. You’re going to give a girl ideas.”
“Have all of them. I could watch you get ready for the rest of my life.” He turned me away from the mirror. “Because then I know I get to take you back apart.”
He lowered his mouth and I didn’t have the heart to tell him not to ruin my lip gloss when he said stuff like that. Instead, I enjoyed a longer than was wise kiss before I pushed him back. “I’m going to be late.”
He sighed. “Right.”
I ran the back of my knuckles down his ribs. His muscles flexed under my touch. I grinned at him. “Thanks for telling me about Benny.”
The crinkles by his eyes eased as his smile faded. “I don’t share Benny with too many people. Only those who are important to me.” He kissed my temple. “Get out of here before I strip you out of that Stevie Nicks getup.”
“Right? I thought so too.”
“She was one of my first crushes.”
“Is that right?”
“Until a certain redhead took over all my fantasies.”
“You gotta stop saying stuff like that.” I grabbed my phone off the charger under my bed.
“Never.” He turned me toward the door and followed me out and down the hallway.
Noah was waiting downstairs along with one of his side pieces as Cooper liked to call them when we were up late talking. Noah seemed to have no end to the number of minions under his purview.
My phone buzzed in my hand.
“I just sent you the itinerary for this fan club thing. I still think it’s a bad idea.”
“I agree. Look at that. Let’s cancel.”
I elbowed Cooper. “You have made your opinions known.” I kept my gaze on Noah. “They look forward to this every tour. We only do a handful of them.”
“And now is not the time for it.”
Lindsey came up to join us. “We pride ourselves on staying in contact with our fans. Most of the bigger acts don’t do that or they charge exorbitant fees for it. We’re not going to show fear, and we’re going to prove to whoever this is that we aren’t going to be cowed.”
“Yeah, well, you’re not the one going in there,” Cooper said darkly.
“If I hadn’t just done the last one, I would. And turning Jamie loose right now isn’t the best option.”
“Definitely not.” Noah’s voice was tight with anger.
“And Zane is definitely off the list with his current media attention. And Cooper, while charming, isn’t quite delicate enough to do it alone.”
Cooper folded his arms and stood next to me. “Not sure anyone has used that word for me.”
“Unless we’re talking about your tong—” I flushed. “Yeah, we’re just going to pretend I didn’t open my mouth. Besides, I like doing them. And I really want to.”
“It’s no worse than the stage. Your people will be there.” Lindsey came over and looped an arm around me. “Bailey will take care of her too.”
“Oh, she’s a sweetheart.”
Noah lifted a clipboard. “Bailey Gilbert? Head of the fan club and your liaison?”
Lindsey nodded. “She’s sweet. She’s been with us since the beginning.”
“The perfect mole,” Noah muttered.
“If we think this way with everyone, we’ll never get out of freaking bed.” I stomped toward Noah. “I get that you are the reality check that all of us needs, but you,” I turned to Cooper, “and you cannot keep us in glass bubbles. If we’re off tour, we’re just as vulnerable. At least on tour we’re all together. The only way we’re going to get through this is together.”
Noah folded his arms around his clipboard. “Point made, shortcake.”
“You ruined that by using a little sister name.”
Noah gave a rare half-grin. “Take what you can get.” He nodded to one of the extra security guys standing at the front of the bus. “All right, let’s roll.”
I turned back to Cooper and gripped his near-vibrating forearms. “Stop. I’m going to be fine. Then we all can play Monopoly tonight.”
Cooper sighed. “Jamie always wins.”
“Jamie is a shark,” Lindsey said as she dropped into a corner of the U-shaped couch. She pulled a glittery purple guitar into her lap.
“Where is she anyway?”
“Sleeping.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Teagan.”
“Coming.” I stopped beside Cooper and gave him a quick kiss. “I’ll check in. Keep your phone on.”
He gripped my hip then looked over at Noah before he covered my mouth in a stupidly hot kiss. Finally, he stepped back. “See you in ninety minutes.”
Twenty-Two
Noah’s version of security was fairly hardcore. I was expecting him to stick me into a laundry basket and roll me into the venue incognito like the bands fr
om the eighties. Surprisingly, he led me to the front entrance with me flanked by four guys all over six feet.
My heart raced a bit as we headed for the stairs to the Philadelphia arena. It was a massive place that housed sports franchises and music aplenty. Today, the parking lot was nearly empty save for one lot. Our music pumped out of speakers, and a crowd of people were tailgating.
Posters, streamers, cars slathered in window markers—it was a free for all of uber fans. And because we were inconspicuous—yeah, right—we got noticed.
A trio of girls rushed the barricade that security had set up.
“Oh, my God! It’s Teagan.” Two of the girls started jumping up and down and waving.
My heart tripped. I often felt like the backup dancer to the band, and it was always a surprise when someone recognized me. As much as I liked being inconspicuous, this was nice too.
The hum of excitement rolled through the group like a wave as shock turned to glee.
“Can we stop?”
“Keep it moving, Daly.”
I waved back and the chattering turned to laughter and a few screams. “Oh, come on. Look how excited they are.”
“They’ll be just as excited inside where I can keep things under control.”
I sighed. “You’re right.” Even without the crap we were going through, it was a security disaster. People got too excited and others got hurt, not even just me.
With one more wave, I followed the two linebacker-sized security guys through the double doors. The arena was empty except for our crew setting up our equipment. Normally, we didn’t have two days to get ready, but the fan club events were done around four times a year, and we had deals with certain arenas to do the special soundcheck, fan club only merch, and a special hour with one of the band.
This wasn’t my first time, but it was the first event that I’d had a hand in creating.
Nerves climbed up my shoulders the closer we got to the tunnels that led to the backstage area. A hive of people was waiting for me, including a small video crew we used for those who wanted to pay for a copy of the entire event. We had all different levels of fan coverage. The main package would get the rehearsal, and the second tier would get time with me.
“We’re setting you up on the B-stage for the event. Jefferson brought out your Steinway at your request.”
“Thanks.”
There would be a crowd of fans staring at me. I wasn’t Lindsey. What the hell had I been thinking with this? I should have just gone for the awkward question and answer session.
“Do you need a little time to warm up?”
I nodded. “Yes, just a few minutes. I can do it in the ladies’ room.”
“Perfect.” Noah hustled me out of the hallway to one of the larger bathrooms. “Cole will be right outside.”
I gave him a brave smile and nodded to Cole as he held the door for me. It was a standard fare arena bathroom. Garish lights and dingy tile with Formica counters and a dozen sinks. I went right for the center bowl.
It was one of those controlled flow kinds so I just kept my hands in front of the sensor so the cool water kept running over my wrists. A light buzz filled my ears.
“Not now.”
I gripped the counter.
“Come on. You’re fine. You can do this. You’ve ached to do this for ages.”
I lifted my gaze to the mirror. The harsh light made me look a sickly green. I took a long, slow breath and thought about what Cooper had told me to do to get through a panic attack. Breathe. I pictured his smiling face when he sat across from me at the burger place.
Fries.
Smiles.
All that love in his eyes.
Was it love on his end too? It had to be. Not that we’d said the words. I knew I felt it—with everything. But I hadn’t been brave enough to say it either.
The buzzing slowed. Apparently, thinking about my real world problems negated my not-so-rockstar-like stage fright.
I pulled my hands away and the water stopped. I grabbed paper towels and dried off and forced myself to work through a few sets of warmups. I was well aware that Cole was probably laughing his ass off outside the door, but I needed to loosen up my neck and belted out, “Let It Go”. It was the easiest way to get through my chest and head voice. And it was one of those songs that stuck in your head for ages.
But the time I was at the end of it, I was flushed and less ready to toss my cookies. My voice wasn’t near Lindsey’s epicness, but I had a strong natural voice that worked for backing up her vocals. And it was the perfect kind for what I had in mind for the fan club event.
I cracked my neck and jumped up and down a few times to get the last of the nerves out of my system. Then I took a deep breath and opened the door.
Cole stood on the other side, his face impassive. “Ready, Elsa?”
I giggled. “Yes.”
“Noah has Bailey in the backstage food area, and they’re lining up the kids outside.”
“Perfect.”
It was eerily quiet other than the occasional echo from the bowl of the arena. They were doing mic checks and the rat-tat-tat of snare drums snapped through the air. As soon as we got to the side door, there was a new hum.
A trio of catering personnel were putting out drinks and setting up the big silver warming trays for food. There would be about two-hundred fans here for the event. They’d eat between my event and the actual band rehearsal. We’d do five songs and sign autographs.
It was a nice way to give back and usually got people excited for the tour.
I slid a bottle of water out of the tub on the end of the table.
“Teagan?”
I turned to find a woman—girl-ish? She looked sweet and young and unsure. She was a few inches taller than me with light brown hair liberally streaked with either natural highlights from the summer, or she knew a damn good hairdresser. She had huge blue-gray eyes behind tortoiseshell glasses. Instead of typical concert wear, she was in denim overalls shorts with a Brooklyn Dawn shirt.
I held out my hand. “Hey there, you must be Bailey.”
She nodded. “That’s me.” She nibbled on her lower lip. “I don’t usually come to these things. I’m more of a behind the scenes girl.”
“Well, I appreciate you coming out for this. I know it’s a little different, but I thought it would be fun for the site and for the people here.”
“There’s been nothing but chatter about this on the boards. There was even a bit of a scalper thing going on for those who wanted to get last-minute tickets to this. I put a stop to that.”
“Really?”
“Oh, yeah. Everyone loves a good question and answer session. It’s like our own version of a convention.”
I laughed. “Like Comic Con?”
She nodded. “We had a T-shirt contest for the tour and everything. The winner gets it signed by everyone in the band.”
“Huh. I had no idea there was so much going on. I’m not online too much. A little scrolling kind of thing.”
Bailey tucked her hair behind her ear. “Oh, that’s okay. I’m sure you’re very busy. We just love to talk about shows and to share videos and experiences. It’s a community. I think the actual fan club is up to three-hundred-thousand.”
I was mid-sip and choked. “No way.”
“Oh, yeah. We’re one of the biggest fan clubs out there.”
“And you run this?”
She blushed. “Well, I make sure it all runs smoothly. I have a few other clients, but Brooklyn Dawn keeps me busy.”
“Well, I really appreciate you coming out from behind the curtain as it were.”
“I was surprised you invited me. I usually come to the shows and of course to watch the rehearsal, but I don’t talk to the band too often.” She shrugged. “You guys are really busy.”
“You were a huge help in getting this put together. Now you have to help me. I’m going to have you play MC.”
“Wait. What?”
“Yeah. Field quest
ions when they come up and of course…the game.”
“Right.” She flipped her hair over one shoulder until it was tangled into the bib of her overalls. She carelessly started braiding a chunk of it as if it was a nervous habit. “I didn’t realize there would be talking.”
I laughed and hooked my arm into hers. “We’re going to get along just fine. We’ll both be nervous Nellies together.”
“You?”
I dragged her along to the hallway. Cole and another of the security guys followed us. “So nervous. Last time, I did a super awkward Q&A, and I definitely didn’t want to do that again. I’m just not that interesting.”
“I beg to differ.”
“You’re sweet. But it was really bad.”
“That one was in California. Too far for me. I’m an East Coast girl.”
“I hear that one.”
We chatted as we walked down the stairs to the B-stage. The house lights were up, making it feel intimate. There was a hum of conversation that quickly turned to excitement.
I waved and headed for my piano. I took one of the microphones and handed one to Bailey. “Hey guys. I can’t believe there are so many of you.”
Butterflies were an understatement. There were usually only seventy-five people at the events prior to the rehearsal. It wasn’t a cheap ticket. We didn’t gouge, but this sort of thing was reserved for people who actually cared to hang out. Not people who were using it to boost their social media status.
I did a quick bit of mental math and wished I hadn’t.
Well over a hundred. Maybe even one hundred and fifty people were here to see me. Alone.
Dear God.
Even in my dreams, I didn’t expect this. It was like a real version of that late night at Purgatory. Only instead of empty seats, there were people there just to see me. I’d asked the crew to point my piano so I could talk to the fans. I pulled out my bench. The familiar leather and rivets soothed away some of the nerves.
“Guess I should start off with introductions. I’m Teagan Daly, and Lindsey lets me play piano. She used to do it a lot more, but she wanted to stay out front more often. And now here I am living out my dreams with Brooklyn Dawn.”
The group clapped. Within the hushed murmurs, there was laughter and smiles as they looked back at me expectantly.
