by Layla Hagen
“By all means. You can start right now.”
I grinned. “But I’m not sleeping.”
“Still. Leading by example and all that.” With a wink, he disappeared into the bathroom. For all our teasing, there was actually no time for shenanigans. Brayden was on a strict schedule. From the moment the alarm clock rang until he left the hotel room, only twenty minutes passed.
I was so excited about tonight that I couldn’t focus 100 percent during my three afternoon appointments. I kept checking the time.
The second I disconnected the last call, I went into a frenzy. I was wearing an outfit that Sasha had preapproved. She’d insisted I had to wear something that would look good on camera because we would get photographed for sure.
I’d told her that was fine as long as the outfit was comfortable. So we’d reached a compromise. I was wearing cropped jeans and a red top with spaghetti straps. The outfit was complete with black ballerina shoes.
I felt as if I was watching myself in a movie while Rick drove me to the football stadium where the concert took place. Hundreds of fans were lining up in front of the main entrance as security slowly let them in. Rick drove into a parking lot at the back, and when I got out of the car, the sound of the crowds nearby filled my ears. My heart rate sped up. Adrenaline spiked in my veins, and I wasn’t even the one on stage.
I blindly followed Rick, too excited to take in my surroundings. I felt like I was on a secret mission, to be honest, as he led me through narrow corridors and up two flight of stairs.
“This is the backstage area,” he said, pointing to an enormous room with several chairs and small tables, a rack of men’s clothing, and three sets of guitars that were either spares or Lars changed guitars more often than I thought. The room wasn’t shielded at all from the actual stage and the arena beyond it, so the sounds of the crowd were absolutely insane. I thought they were calling out the band name, but I couldn’t be sure.
A large number of people moved around, a mix of sound technicians and stylists. I noticed Sasha too. She waved at me, patting the chair next to her. I glanced around as I walked over.
“The guys are already out?” I asked.
“No, they’re in the small area shielded with the curtain between backstage and the actual stage.” She pointed to my right.
“I’ll be right back.” I immediately dashed away in that direction.
“Don’t let the crowd see you,” she called.
I waved at her dismissively. “I’ll just pretend I’m a sound technician or something.”
The closer I got to the front of the stage the louder the crowd sounded. I couldn’t see anything though, because the light projected onto the stage itself was so bright that the arena was completely covered in darkness.
The guys were all standing behind the curtain. The space was bigger than it sounded from Sasha’s description and shielded on four sides by curtains, like a cubicle of sorts. Lars was fiddling with his guitar. Harvey was drinking water. Thomas was pressing his fingers at the back of his neck in a massage of sorts. Brayden was looking at me intently.
“Oh hell no,” Lars said with a good-natured smile. “We’re going out there in thirty seconds, lovebirds. Don’t overdo it.”
“You guys go first. I’ll be right out,” Brayden told them.
Harvey chuckled. Lars shook his head. Thomas gave us the thumbs-up. The second they opened the curtain, the crowd truly went wild.
Brayden brought his mouth to my ear. “Thank you for being here. It means a lot to me.”
I narrowed my eyes, playfully pinching his shoulder.
“Aha! I’m hearing the crowd calling your name.”
“I like it best when you call my name. When you’re under me and I’m buried so deep inside you that you can’t even breathe, but you still call my name. Like you can’t help yourself.”
“Holy shit! I came here to give you a good luck kiss, and you go all dirty talking on me?”
He smiled right before he sealed his mouth over mine. He kissed me with urgency, and I felt the excitement in him. His pulse was pounding.
“A good luck kiss needs to be dirty, Isabelle,” he said when he pulled back, winking at me.
I needed to get the last word in, so I squeezed his ass shamelessly before kissing a bicep. “Well, go charm the crowd, and you might get another good luck kiss whenever you have a break. Might.”
He smiled wolfishly. His eyes were molten and determined. “I’m going to get that kiss, Isabelle. That’s a promise.”
He disappeared on the other side of the curtains, and the fans whistled and yelled his name. My pulse was still pounding, from the kiss and being here in the midst of it all.
I went back to Sasha, and even as I sat down, I knew the adrenaline wasn’t going to leave my body the entire evening. It was a new sensation to me.
“You know, I’ve been with a few bands over the years. I’ve never seen anything like you and Brayden,” she said unexpectedly.
“Oh?”
“This connection you have is special. I’ve known him for a long time. He’s always so careful and guarded, but when he’s with you, anyone can see how happy he is. I’m glad this is working out. In the beginning he mentioned that you two were probably only going to see each other until the tour started.”
“Yes, we thought things would work out that way. I was a bit wary of all... this. I still am. It’s so stifling to always think about security and all that, right?”
She smiled sympathetically. “I’m not enjoying it either, trust me. No one is. We all got used to it, and you will too in time.”
I knew I would. I was adaptable. It still felt surreal to see Rick in a corner and know he’d be on my heels if I moved around too much. But all that slid to the back of my mind when Brayden started speaking to the crowd.
“Good evening, Miami! I have a special surprise for you tonight. The guys and I wrote a new song, and this is the first time we’re performing it. It’s called ‘Say You’re Mine.’ Clap your hands while we’re singing, okay?”
The crowd immediately started to clap, and so did I. Goose bumps broke out on my skin. The stage vibrated between our feet. The air seemed to vibrate too. I couldn’t sit down any longer, so I went as near as possible to the stage so I could see the band but no one could see me, not even Brayden. The last thing I wanted to do was distract him.
Brayden was sitting at the piano, as usual. A microphone was mounted right in front of him. He was positioned so they could see his side from the arena and he could still watch the fans as he sang.
Watching him perform live was like seeing him again for the first time. His whole body transformed right before my eyes. I couldn’t explain how it was different from watching him in the rehearsal room, but it was spellbinding. I couldn’t look away.
I had no idea how long I stood rooted to the spot like that, but several songs later, the guys hurried backstage.
“We need more water,” Lars barked. I’d seen several assistants discreetly replacing the empty water bottles with full ones on the stage, but no wonder they needed more. The night was hot and humid, and somehow it seemed even warmer under the neon lights. To my astonishment, the moment they were handed bottles of waters, they poured it on them.
Brayden laughed at my expression. “It helps cooling off. And it’ll dry up as soon as we get out there. It’s crazy hot tonight.”
I made a “come here” motion with my forefinger. “I’ll let you in on a secret. You’re crazy hot too.”
He walked up to me, tilting forward until his lips were level with mine.
“I wrote that first song for you, Isabelle.”
“For me?” I whispered, completely stunned.
“I couldn’t get you out of my mind after I came to your office, so I started writing music. It’s your song.”
“Wow.”
“Think I deserve another good luck kiss?” He looked at my mouth as if he planned to claim it no matter what I said.
Clea
ring my throat, I made a big show of looking around at his bandmates. I had a plan, and it better work out.
“I promised him a kiss if he charmed everyone out there. What’s the verdict?” I playfully glanced from him to the guys. “Does he deserve it?”
Lars whistled. “I’m tempted to see what he does if I say no.”
Brayden growled.
Harvey clapped his hands, chuckling. “Now so am I.”
Thomas just nodded.
“Band, scatter around. We’ll regroup on stage,” Brayden said in a deliciously low baritone.
I wasn’t surprised when the band followed that order without any comment. His bossy allure worked wonders.
He trained his gaze on me once the guys left. We were by no means alone, but at least there wasn’t someone within a few feet of us.
“You make me do crazy things, Isabelle.”
“Ah, this was actually planned,” I whispered. “I knew you’d want to send them away if I got you too riled up.”
“Did you now?”
“You did say good luck kisses had to be dirty,” I reminded him, playing my fingers on his shoulder. “I needed some space for that.”
I kissed his jaw before brushing my lips against his. I teased him only for a few seconds before he took control of the kiss. Bossy man!
I thought he was running on adrenaline back at the hotel, but it was nothing compared to now. His whole body thrummed. The way he kissed me turned my legs weak. My panties felt on fire.
I tugged at his T-shirt, demanding more, needing more. Did he really have to go back on stage? I kind of didn’t want to give him back.
“Hey! Don’t forget to breathe,” Lars called from somewhere nearby, breaking the spell.
Brayden grumbled, looking over his shoulder. “I thought I told you to go away.”
Lars grinned. “Your exact words were ‘scatter around.’”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Harvey and Thomas weren’t with Lars, so he’d clearly stayed behind to give Brayden crap.
“Right. Next time I’ll be more literal.”
Brayden kissed my forehead before heading back to the stage.
As I looked at him, I made all sorts of post-concert plans. My chest kept expanding with joy. He was mine. All mine.
I kept watching the show from the same hidden spot as before. The temperature seemed to be rising the longer the evening went on, or maybe we were all fired up.
Before I knew it, Rick came over to me to talk about my exit plan. I couldn’t leave with the band because they were going to be ambushed by press and fans.
“A bunch of fans have already crowded around the back entrance, so we’d better leave now,” Rick said.
I wanted to stay until the end, because the concert was phenomenal, but I understood why it wasn’t possible.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
We navigated back through the labyrinth of corridors and stairs. Even this section of the arena was vibrating from the music and the bass. Rick opened the door to the parking lot, asking me to stay behind him.
Suddenly, he backed up and shut the door again.
He made a phone call, speaking in a low tone, but I caught every word.
“Send reinforcements. We have a big horde of fans in the back already.” After hanging up, he focused on me. “We need to wait a few minutes. The reinforcements will go through the front and push the crowd back so we have a clear path.”
“Okay.” My heart was pounding faster. Was this normal?
Rick was on the phone again. I tapped my foot, crossing my arms in front of my chest to keep from biting my nails.
I had no idea how much time passed before he finally opened the door, gesturing me to follow him. It felt like an hour, but I was sure it had only been minutes.
Rick’s reinforcement team had created a corridor of sorts that led to our car. There were mobile metal railings flanking my sides. The corridor was wide enough for two people to pass, but fans pressed in from both sides. Their hands stretched out until they could almost touch me. I couldn’t hear what they were saying. Hundreds of voices boomed around us, mixed with the music still coming from the stage. I thought a few of them shouted my name. My pulse thrummed in my ears. The car seemed so far away, and Rick was doing his best to shield me, but I still felt a few fingers brush my arm, tugging at my tank top, scratching as I hurried by.
We reached our dark blue Mercedes at last. I ducked inside immediately, and the second Rick closed the door, I locked it, pressing a hand to my chest. Rick got into the driver seat, and as he drove off, I felt my pulse calm somewhat, though it was still thumping in my ears.
“Are you okay, Ms. Gallagher?”
“Yeah! Just... wow that was insane.” I looked at the crowd through the back window. It all felt so surreal. The more distance we put between them, the more at ease I felt.
***
Back at the hotel, I took a quick shower and changed into my pajamas, cotton pants and a T-shirt that said “Coffee is for Losers, Naps for Winners.” As soon as I lay down on the bed, tiredness slammed into me. I wanted to wait for Brayden to come back, but I didn’t think I could keep my eyes open for that long.
A ping from the nightstand startled me. I picked up my phone, discovering a message from Brayden.
Brayden: Rick told me what happened. Are you okay? We just finished.
Isabelle: I’m okay. It was a little scary.
Brayden: I’m going to make it up to you tonight.
Isabelle: I can’t find the eyebrow wiggling emoji, but I’m wiggling my eyebrows.
He didn’t answer, so I rolled onto my stomach and hugged the pillow, smiling into it. Yeah, it had been scary, but it was so worth it. I was so in love I couldn’t even believe it.
I couldn’t stay still, too caught up in my excitement. I turned on my back, staring at the ceiling. Then I remembered the sleeping naked rule and threw my pajamas on the floor.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Brayden
Usually the day after a concert was my time to recharge, and I did that by being alone. I liked to stay in the suite of whatever hotel I was at, mentally go through the routine for the next concert and doing the workout my fitness trainer had designed especially for the tour—a mix of movements that encouraged muscle relaxation.
The guys sometimes went out exploring the city, but I’d never been interested in anything except preparing for the next performance.
But right now, I had Isabelle on my mind. She was asleep when I arrived last night, and I didn’t want to wake her up. She needed the rest, and so did I. Now, however, I was in top shape. We only had a few hours to ourselves before traveling to Orlando, and I wanted to make the most of them.
She was sleeping on one side, pressing that perfect ass against my cock. Her naked ass. It’d been driving me crazy since last night.
Moving the covers away, I skimmed my hand on her upper thigh, then her waist. She shimmied against me, and I had to laugh.
“This is an easy way to wake you up,” I said.
She turned around to me as her face morphed into something between a yawn and a smile. It was very cute.
“I fell asleep last night, didn’t I?”
“Yeah you did. I wanted to wake you up, then felt guilty even thinking about it.”
“But now you’re not feeling guilty, judging by this.” She gripped my cock, squeezing it once. An unexpected shock of pleasure ripped through me. I tilted my hips forward into her clenched hand.
“I like your no-pajamas rule,” I said. I rolled her over the next second so my cock was pressing against her belly.
“Wait a second, I want to take something from the drawer,” she said.
I moved only enough to allow her to get what she needed, thinking she was going to take out a condom.
Instead, she took out two pills.
“Mints,” she said.
My mind went blank. “What?”
“You know. For morning breath. I foresaw a lot of nappin
g and waking up shenanigans and planned accordingly.”
Only Isabelle.
“I want to wake up like this every morning,” I said.
She stroked my erection, making me lose my train of thought for a second there. “You mean with a mint?”
“No, I mean next to you. Move in with me when we get back to New York.”
She blinked rapidly, pushing herself on her elbows. “Wow. You mean during your time off between tours?”
My muscles clenched. Was this her way of telling me she didn’t want us to live together?
“No, I mean permanently.”
Her mouth popped open. I swear to God the next seconds lasted a century.
“Okay. But on one condition.”
“Whatever you want.” My body nearly buckled in relief.
“We make the no-pajamas rule permanent too.”
“Fuck yes. I love you, Isabelle.”
“I love you too.”
I kissed her so hard that I was afraid I’d bruise her lips. I craved this woman. I needed her, and I liked that. I used to see that kind of vulnerability as a weakness, but not anymore. It felt fucking amazing. Like we were part of each other, and being together only made us stronger.
She stroked my cock again, drawing her thumb over the tip. Groaning, I pushed my hips back and forth, needing the friction. But I needed to please her more. I braced my weight on one forearm and my knees and calves. I kissed her again, this time slowly, savoring her. I parted her thighs wide with my legs, pushing a hand between us. She moaned when the tips of my fingers brushed her clit, but I didn’t give her what she wanted yet. I moved my fingers down her right inner thigh, then her left one before touching her belly again, all the while kissing her. I could feel her need for me intensifying in the way she kissed me back. I gave her a little more, brushing my fingers against her clit again, this time applying pressure. She whimpered against my mouth. I stroked two fingers down her opening and nearly lost it feeling how wet she was. Her whole body shuddered as her breath caught. She broke off the kiss.
“Pleaaase touch me more. I need more,” she whispered, looking between us.
I pinched her clit between two fingers. Isabelle tried to close her thighs, but I kept them in place.
