Power Couple: A Marriage of Convenience Romance (The Nashvegas Series Book 1)

by Laramie Briscoe

  “You’ll be one of the first people I call.”

  Bri

  We ended up staying awake all night, and as he drops me off at the airport, the sun is just beginning to come up on the horizon. “Ten days, right?” I wrap my arms around myself, smiling up at him.

  We’re standing in the middle of the airport, almost at the same spot where I was when he spotted me last time, but I don’t care.

  “Ten days,” he answers. His voice deep with lack of sleep, his eyes bleary, a day’s worth of beard growth covering his jaw. It’s probably the hottest he’s ever looked to me. “Ten days and then you’ll be right where you’re supposed to be for a good, long while.”

  Maybe we’re moving too fast, but I don’t care. I launch myself at him, hugging him tightly, trying to hold the emotions in. “I can’t wait.” The words come out broken, but he holds me tightly. The strength of his arms holds me together when I truly want to fall apart. “I’ve got to get going if I want to get through security,” I whisper in his ear.

  “Let me know when you get there. Call me and video chat me every day, don’t let it get awkward. I’ll work on getting some of your stuff unpacked, and maybe I’ll learn how to grocery shop.” He does his best to smile for me.

  “Save the grocery shopping,” I laugh, but it’s strained and watery and bordering on a sob. “That’s something I want to experience with you. Our first married chore together.”

  He holds me tighter. “Then I’ll save it for the night you come back. We’ll do it together.”

  “I can’t wait.” I turn in his arms, holding my phone out so that we can get a picture together. “Smile for me, Everett.” The same words I’ve said before.

  “I’ll see you soon,” he whispers in my ear as he hugs me one more time.

  “Ten days,” I remind him.

  He kisses me one more time. “Go, babe, hurry up and leave so you can hurry up and get back.”

  Later, when I’m on the plane, I post the picture of us, tears in our eyes, lack of sleep evident on our faces, but I know people will also see something that’s starting to develop between us. Something I’m feeling in the pit of my stomach and in my chest when he’s around.

  Left my heart in Nashville with @EJGreySkies See you in ten days! <3

  Then I turn my phone off, grab the airline provided blanket, and drift off. The more I sleep, the faster the time will go.

  Chapter Twelve

  Bri

  Sighing, I roll over, wishing that the gentle swaying of the bus would lull me to sleep. But I know I only have five more days to go before I see EJ again, and the thought makes me too excited to close my eyes.

  It’s never been like this, I’ve never had a boyfriend in the spotlight, never been with someone I so badly wanted to see. The last few years all I’ve done is work, work, work, but with EJ, I can be Brianna, the person. Not Bri, the superstar.

  I’ve already cruised Instagram – liking the pics he’s posted today – checked my private Facebook, and searched YouTube for anything to keep me interested. Nothing. I don’t even feel like writing music tonight, which is something new I got into not long ago.

  Madison went to sleep almost as soon as we boarded the bus, but not me. Two hours later, and I’m still laying here wide awake.

  As I pick up my phone, I see EJ’s smiling face, trying to FaceTime me. Happy that I’ll finally have someone to share this boring night with, I accept it quicker than I’ve ever accepted any of them.

  “Hey!” I greet his face, smiling brightly at him.

  “Hey,” he answers back, taking a drag off his cigarette. I can see it’s dark where he is, can hear the crickets.

  “Are you outside smoking?”

  “Yeah, almost done though.” The bright glow indicating he’s taken another hit shines in the frame. “The mosquitos are eating me alive, but I hate smoking in the house.”

  I’m not too fond of the smell myself, but there’s something about the taste of his kisses after he’s been smoking, something about the way he looks as he’s inhaling deeply, then exhaling. His fingers come up, holding the cylinder, his forearm flexing as he grasps it between the pads of his thumb and index finger. The move shows off his wrists too. Have I mentioned how sexy his wrists are? God, what the fuck is wrong with me?

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” A small grin plays on his face.

  “I just like the way you look when you smoke.” I grin back, knowing I’ve been busted checking him out.

  “Yeah?” The grin has turned into a huge smirk, his green eyes shining with amusement in what little bit of muted light there is. “You like it, or it’s a turn on?”

  I struggle, because I’m not sure how open to be with him yet. “I don’t know.” I shrug, sitting up slightly, so I can lean fully against the headboard of my bed on the bus.

  “I think you do know, but you’re scared to tell me.”

  The way he speaks the words it’s like a taunt.

  “I just don’t have much experience with this,” I admit, my face burning.

  “With what? Talking to a man?”

  He takes the last drag off his cigarette, throwing it down to the ground. I can hear him snuffing it out, before his face is clearer as he walks into his house. He doesn’t have a shirt on, and I so badly want him to angle the phone down.

  “I’ve never really had someone I can call a boyfriend.” My voice is small and quiet as I make the admission.

  He stops where he’s walking, in the middle of the hallway, leading to the bedroom. “Goddamn, Bri. Please tell me you weren’t a virgin. You never said, I never thought to ask. Holy fuck.” He runs a hand down his face.

  “No.” I shake my head. “I wasn’t, but I don’t have much experience,” I speak those words again.

  “I think maybe we should talk about how much experience you do have, wifey.”

  The way he says wifey sends a thrill through my body. A warmth I didn’t expect to get when he acknowledges my place in his life. “What do you want to talk about?”

  “Dudes I have to beat up, assholes who kissed you before me. Ya know, the normal shit.”

  “And what about all the girls who had you before me?” I sass back, rolling my head toward him.

  “Don’t remember them,” he says it with a straight face and I have to laugh.

  “Oh my God, whatever, Everett,” I sigh, situating myself as he takes off his sweatpants and climbs into bed himself. “You really wanna know?”

  “I wouldn’t have asked you if I didn’t, Bri.”

  He looks so stern, so hot as he gives me a no-nonsense glare. “Okay, okay. When I was sixteen, I knew that things were about to take off with singing and performing. There was a guy I’d been on a few dates with, and I wanted more than anything just to give up my V-card. I felt like everyone else had done it, except me. And at the time, I realized if I did become popular, I would never know who wanted me just for me anymore, so I let him take it.”

  “How was it?”

  “You know it was bad, EJ. That’s why you asked,” I laugh as I snuggle deeper under the sheet.

  “How do I compare?” He props himself up on his elbow.

  “Can’t remember the actual deed, so that’s to be determined.” I give him a pointed stare.

  “Totally cool, babe, we’re gonna remedy that soon. So what about after the guy who you lost it to?”

  “There’s been a few more, two to be exact, and I never slept with them more than once. So counting you I’ve had sex a total of four times, and so far…” I can’t articulate my words, and I hate this. I make a living writing and singing words, but when it comes to this I can’t. “I’ve always been left feeling unsatisfied. Even the couple I’ve fooled around with, except for you. When we fooled around, I did like it.”

  His eyes darken. “How much did you like it?”

  “You’re the only one who’s ever really gotten me off.” I clamp my hand over my mouth. Why the hell do I tell this guy everything? Wh
at happened to leave a little to the imagination. “I shouldn’t have told you that.”

  “You should tell me everything, Bri. I want you to enjoy what we do together. I want you to want me.”

  Sighing, I lay it all out, things I’ve been grappling with for the past few days as we’ve been talking. “I do, there’s something about you that sends a spark of electricity through my body. It makes me want to try and be sexy for you, makes me wonder if you think about me when I’m not around.”

  “Oh, I definitely think about you when you’re not around, Bri. Since you left me, I’ve done nothing but think about you.”

  “Really?” My confidence needs the boost, I need him to be honest, and I need him to want me as much as I want him. “This is all so new to me, I don’t know I should be feeling the way I feel about you now, or not. Like what’s proper? At what point do I tell you, I wish you were here so we could do some more experimenting with each other? I liked it.”

  “You can tell me any fuckin’ thing you want, and don’t think I don’t want to hear it. I do. Whatever you have to tell me, I’m all ears. Any question you wanna ask? Baby, I got the answer.”

  I almost hate myself for asking this question, but I need so badly to hear the answer. It’s bothered me since day one, and I need honesty. “Do you really think I’m pretty or are you pretending you like me because it’s what the record company and our management said to do?”

  “Oh, Bri, you’re young and I get that you think guys can fake shit. But trust me, I’m old enough to know what I want. I’m man enough to know what I want. I enjoy your company, I enjoy the person you are, and please, let there be no doubt I want you.”

  “No doubt?” I flirt with him, because I need to know.

  He bites his bottom lip, before he reaches up to the turn the chat window the other way. I’m about to ask what he’s doing, but then I see it. He’s reaching down, cupping an obvious bulge in his boxer briefs. For a few seconds, I watch as he thrusts his cloth covered erection into the palm of his hand, I hear his moan rip from his throat, before he turns the camera back on himself. “Absolutely no fuckin’ doubt. I wish you could see yourself right now, Bri. Hair tangled from being on-stage, makeup smeared like I spent all night fucking you, I’m still not sure if you have any clothes on under that sheet because there aren’t any straps, and I’ve caught glimpses of the upper portion of your tits. It’s all a turn on. You are a turn on. When we get off this phone, I’ll probably spend about three minutes jerking it.”

  A wave of arousal hits me, and a boldness I never knew I had pushes forth. “Who says you have to wait until you get off the phone?”

  “Fuck me,” he whispers, tilting his head back against the pillows. “You want it?”

  “Yeah,” I answer, already feeling my body heat up.

  His voice is deeper, gaze darker. “Then you’ll get it.”

  When he turns the camera back down his body, I open my eyes wide, this is something I truly don’t want to miss.

  Chapter Thirteen

  EJ

  I’m not ashamed to say I’m turned on. Certain women just do it for me, and Bri is definitely one of those women. Confident in what she wants, a go-getter who doesn’t wait for other people to hand her shit. All of that is sexy to me, and the way she looks right now? I wasn’t kidding when I said she looks like I’ve been fucking her. Horny, for me, right now, is a fucking understatement.

  I position the phone beside me, pointed at the midsection of my body. One to give her a good angle. Two so that I can use both my hands.

  “Is this good for you?”

  “Yeah,” she answers, her voice breathless, heavy with need. “I can actually see every bit of you in profile, you’ve got it sitting back far enough.”

  “Nobody’s gonna interrupt us, are they?”

  “No, it’s just me, Madison, and the bus driver. Mad’s asleep, and the bus driver is between two doors and a hallway. I’m in the back, in my own room, with the door shut. We’re good.”

  Thank fuck. If we get interrupted, I might kill the son of a bitch who does it.

  “Okay then, you wanted to be bold by asking me those questions? Let’s be bold. Nobody here but us, babe. Let’s get to know one another on a more personal level.”

  I can hear her sharp intake of breath as I trail my hand down my stomach, cupping the palm over my hard length, once and then again before I push my boxer briefs down. My cock slaps my stomach as I disentangle it from where it catches on the waistband. I give it a few experimental pulls before I bring my hand back up to my mouth, licking my palm and then go to town. Caressing the head first, I flick my wrist, make a trip down, and then back up again.

  “I wish you were here.” My voice is pitched lower, yet faster as my heart accelerates against the pump of my hand. Honestly is a big thing with me, especially being honest with myself. She intrigues me, makes me want to be around her. I’ve never felt a pull from another woman before, but with her, I do. “I’d love to do this in front of you, let you see up close how I like to touch myself, would love to see how you touch yourself, Bri. We haven’t had nearly enough time.”

  Her answer is a moan when I use my free hand to pluck at my nipple, hardening it further, pulling it tighter as I set a pace with my hand on my cock.

  “Don’t even need lube, babe, you were it. Just thinking about you, thinking about us, memories of what we did on our days together. It’s all I need,” I continue talking as I pump my fist up and down. Feeling myself already getting close, I slow down slightly.

  “Don’t stop,” she begs. Her voice a seductive whine. “I want to see it, want to hear it.”

  “Yeah?” I bite my lip as I stroke a little faster, grip a little harder.

  Glancing over at the phone, I can’t see her, but I can imagine her. No contacts for me tonight, and I’m not stopping this to put them in.

  “Yeah,” she makes a little noise in her throat.

  “Are you touching yourself too?” The last word, I groan out as I pull my hand back up, fucking my palm.

  “I am.” I can hear her moving against her sheets, and it spurs me on, makes me want to be at the finish line when she is.

  Tilting my head back against the pillow, I throw my mind and body into the subject at hand, or in my hand, whatever the case may be. The only sound in the room is that of my fist slapping as I stroke up and down, my moans when I hit a particular sensitive spot, and Bri as she watches me.

  “Everett, you look so hot. Your big hand wrapped around yourself. Have I told you…” she stops, inhaling deeply. “Oh my God…have I told you I have a thing for your hands, your wrists, your forearms? And they are all on display right now. This is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”

  Her praise makes me want to roar with pleasure. As it is my ass starts to flex and relax as I pump up into my hand. Moisture leaks, helping me lubricate further as I move the fingers I’ve had at my nipple down my body to cup my balls.

  “I don’t know how much longer I can hold off,” Bri warns.

  “Just a minute,” I gasp. “Just a few minutes,” I pant as I lose my rhythm. It’s completely gone and disheveled as I thrust up into my hand, push down with my palm, giving myself a tight pocket to fuck. Jesus Christ, I wish it were her though, wish it were my wife I was shooting into, rather than my abdomen I’m about to paint with the evidence of my pleasure.

  “EJ, I can’t…” she moans loudly.

  “There,” I fucking roar as I splash across my stomach, push up so far my hips, ass, and part of my lower back come off my mattress. Another burst of pleasure slips out as I try and bring myself down. Then I’m too sensitive to handle anything.

  My heart is pounding, my ears are ringing, and I’m seeing damn spots in my vision. I don’t know what the fuck just happened to me, but I know it’s all because of the woman on the other end of this video chat.

  It could be minutes or hours later, but I finally come back to myself. Roll over slightly and grab my phone with my cle
an hand. “I need to go take a shower,” I yawn as I grin at her.

  “Okay, I’ll see you soon?” She stretches against the covers, her voice sleepy, soft, and sounding like she’s ready for bed.

  “Sooner than you know.”

  “Five more days.” She blows me a kiss.

  “Yeah,” I answer. “Five more days.”

  Four Days Later

  “Does anybody besides you know I’m here?” I ask Madison as she helps me get through security. I never realized how lax our security is until going through Bri’s.

  She smiles. “The people who had to help me make this possible. The record company obviously loves it.” She rolls her eyes. “They’re filming it to put up on the Insta’s and stuff.”

  “Figured they would.” I follow her through the maze of hallways. Madison Square Garden is a place we haven’t been able to play yet, and I don’t know it like the back of my hand. One of the only places I don’t, but I’m fucking pumped for Bri. This is a big moment.

  “You’re making management very happy.” She gives me a thumbs up.

  Bully for them, but management and record companies aren’t why I’m here tonight. I’m here because I want to see Bri in her element, and for once I wanna be the romantic guy that surprises someone. I’ve seen my dad do it plenty, surely God that gene hasn’t passed me by.

  “Two more songs!” Bri is talking to the crowd as Madison and I get to the backstage area. Looking out over her crowd, I’m amazed she’s out there looking so at home. We do the summer festivals, but this many people crammed inside? It’s a different kind of energy.

  “You’ve got your in-ears?” Madison asks as she helps me get prepared.

  “Yup.” I take off the hoodie I wore into the arena, turning to face her.

  “You’re wearing a Brianna Jenkins shirt?” She giggles.

  “Some of us have a legacy to uphold.” I grin back at her. Grabbing my hat, I put it backwards on my head, put my sunglasses over my eyes, and tell her I’m ready.