We took a final bow. The stage went black and we walked off the field. Tension I hadn’t realized was there left my shoulders. The idea that we were on our way home had become reality.
A hand clamped down on my shoulder. I looked back and found Monty smiling at me.
“Ready for some fun?”
“Fun? Fuck, I’m ready to get home and sleep in my own bed.”
He quirked a brow. “Your own bed or Jenna’s bed?”
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”
Sawyer stepped up next to me. “So you haven’t made up your mind about her yet?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Maybe I have. Maybe I haven’t.”
“Don’t be a dick and fess up.”
I stopped walking and turned to face them. “Honestly, I know what I want. Not sure if she wants the same thing.”
I turned and started walking toward the exit again.
“Have you talked to her?” Monty asked.
I shook my head. “Not yet. I want to see her when I talk to her.”
“Haven’t you been using video calls?” Monty asked.
“Yeah, but seeing her on a computer and being in the same room as her are two different things.”
“Just ask her so you can go home and get some pussy or we can get drunk as fuck on the ride back.” Monty winked.
“Fucking hell, Monty.” Sawyer rolled his eyes.
“What?” He shrugged. “I’m ready to have some real fun.” A smirk lifted the corner of his lips as he turned and started for the door to his bus.
Sawyer and I shared a looked.
“It’s gonna be a long five days.” Sawyer sighed.
I watched Monty walk into his trailer. “Yeah, it will. We need to keep our eye on him even more now.”
“Luckily we’re mostly driving. Doesn’t leave him a lot of time to get in trouble “
“Hopefully. We still getting on the road tonight?”
“That’s the plan. We’ll stop at some point tomorrow to give the drivers a rest.”
“Perfect. I’m gonna sleep till then.”
“Don’t dream about Jenna too much.” He waggled his brows at me and I gave him a slight shove.
“Go take that shit and give it to Reagan. He appreciates it more than me.”
Sawyer laughed and turned in the direction of his trailer. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Thank God we’ll be moving and I won’t be next door,” I mumbled under my breath.
Sawyer put his hand to his ear. “What was that?”
I laughed. “I said, don’t pull any muscles.”
“I’ll try not to,” he called across the lot.
Shaking my head, I unlocked the door of the bus and climbed up the stairs. A few days on the road and we’d be home. I flopped onto the couch. If only my brain was as tired as my body. Instead it was running on overdrive with all the things I wanted to tell Jenna when I got there.
She was the only person to see through the front I put up for everyone else. The one that said I was strong and didn’t need help. That I could do it on my own. There were times I’d even kept Sawyer at arm’s length.
Not her.
She was the one person I woke up and wanted to share every moment of my life with. No regrets and no fear. We had each other and in the end that was all that mattered.
The words hit me like a freight train and had me running to the back of my bus to grab a notebook and portable keyboard.
I was going to write Jenna a song.
Over the next few days I stayed holed up on my bus. Coming out to eat and running right back, Monty was frustrated that no one wanted to go party at each stop we made, but for the moment, I couldn’t worry about him. The song had to be perfect. I’d just spent months hanging out with Monty. So had everyone else for that matter. He’d survive a couple of days of peace on the ride home.
By the time we pulled up to the studio, I couldn’t wait to get into Reagan’s car and head home.
“He is alive,” Sawyer joked when I stepped down from the bus, suitcase in hand.
Reagan nodded to the bag. “And apparently ready to get the hell out of here.”
I quirked a brow at him. “Yes, I’m alive, you ass. And I know you want get home as much as I do.”
Reagan shrugged. “He has a point. My ass wants to sleep in my own bed tonight.”
Sawyer stepped in front of Reagan and waggled his brows. “All you want to do is sleep?”
Reagan wrapped his arm around the back of Sawyer’s waist and drew him closer. “No, I can definitely think of other things we could be doing.” A yawn slipped past my lips and Reagan laughed. “I think Heath needs a nap.
“You ain’t shitting. I’m fucking exhausted.”
Sawyer winked. “I promise we’ll be quiet.”
I gave his shoulder a shove. “You’re an ass.”
“I’m going to grab the car while you two finish your lovers quarrel.” Reagan walked toward the parking lot laughing.
Sawyer smirked as he watched Reagan disappear into the parking garage. When he turned back to me the smile had slipped from his face, a look of concern taking its place.
“Glad to be home?”
I sighed. “More than you know. Being closer to Jenna in case she needs me makes me feel so much better.”
“You going to talk to her?”
“Yeah. I’m going to see her tomorrow. It’s not a conversation I want to have over the phone. But I’m pretty sure I could use a good night’s sleep first.”
“I hear ya. The bus starts to feel a little like home, but the bed never felt the same.”
“Not even a little.” I chuckled.
Reagan pulled up to the curb in his Land Rover and opened the back. After Sawyer and I loaded the bags into the trunk, I climbed into the back seat while Sawyer took the passenger seat.
Sawyer reached across the center console and took Reagan’s right hand. He brought it to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back. “Let’s go home.”
The scenery passed by in a blur as Sawyer’s question kept coming back to me. Telling Jenna what I really wanted seemed like such a hurdle to climb. I thought he might feel the same way I did, but I wouldn’t put all my money on it. She could throw the words back in my face. There was no way to know until I talked to her.
“Fucking finally.”
Sawyer’s voice pulled me from my thoughts and I watched as Reagan made the left into our driveway. I expected the tension to release from my shoulders as the house came into view. But it didn’t. Instead the knot in my stomach grew. In a daze, I followed Sawyer and Reagan to the back of the car to get the bags and head into the house.
The minute we stepped through the door of the house, the couch called to my exhausted self. My brain begged me to lie down, even if only for a few minutes. That I could talk to Jenna tomorrow, except my heart was winning the argument. The studio didn’t expect the buses back for a few days, giving us enough time to completely unpack.
I ran to drop my bag in my room and grabbed the few things I would need for the night.
“Where the hell are you going?” Reagan called as we passed each other. Him on his way in, me on my way out.
“I need to talk to Jenna.”
He yawned. “And a phone call won’t do?”
Sawyer walked up behind Reagan and wrapped an arm around his waist. He winked at me. “Not this conversation.”
Reagan glanced over his shoulder at Sawyer. “What conversation?”
“I’ll explain later.” Sawyer pressed a light kiss to his lips. He glanced back at me and shooed me out the door with his free hand. “Go. Just let me know how things go.”
“I will.” I swiped my keys off the table we kept by the door and jogged to my car, a duffle bag still in hand.
If things went the way I hoped, I’d be staying with Jenna tonight.
I backed out of the garage and peeled down the street, tires squealing behind me. The sooner I got to her, the sooner I
could set my nerves at ease. Thankfully, I knew she had the night off from both jobs.
I raced down the highway, wishing like hell she lived closer. In that moment, ninety minutes seemed like a lifetime.
My hands were sweating by the time I pulled up to the curb in front of her house. The stars were the only thing lighting up the night sky. A light from the TV shone through the front window. I tried to calm my racing heart as I walked up the sidewalk.
I knew Jenna had feelings for me going much deeper than friendship. Whether or not she was ready to admit them was another question.
I sucked in a breath and lifted a trembling hand to knock on her door.
“I’m coming,” she shouted from the other side of the door. “Give me a minute.”
A light flipped on in the living room. Exhaustion laced her words. I wanted to put an end to that. To take care of her so she never had to work another day again unless she wanted to.
The door opened. She looked at me for a moment before her eyes widened in surprise. “Heath? When did you get back?” She stepped forward and threw her arms around my waist. It wasn’t easy with her pregnant belly blocking the way, but her excitement confirmed what I knew. I just had to get her to see it.
“About eighty minutes ago,” I wrapped my arms tightly around her, enjoying the way the scent of jasmine enveloped me.
She let go and stepped to the side of me. “I’m so happy to see you.” She took my hand and led me into the living room. “I can’t believe you drove all the way here after driving for days to get home.”
She walked us over to the couch. I sat down and put my hand out, guiding her down. She faced me and I tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
“I wanted to see you.”
She glanced away quickly. The shyness I only saw when I did things for her coming out. “You must be tired.”
She picked up the remote and flicked off the TV.
“A little. But there was something more important I wanted to talk to you about first.”
Her gaze snapped to mine and I noticed her breathing picked pace. “Wha-what is that?”
Just another thing I loved about her—the little stutter when she got nervous. We would have to work on her doubting herself and me, though. And now was the time to do it.
“Please relax. It’s good, I promise.” I angled my body to face her and scooped her hand up off the couch. She trembled slightly, so I rubbed my thumb over her knuckles, hoping to calm her down.
“Oh…Okay.”
It was time to get to the point before she got too worked up. “Over the last few months we’ve been talking almost every day over the phone.”
She nodded. “We have. I always look forward to when you call.”
“I looked forward to making them. What started out as once a week became an addiction and I found I couldn’t wait a week to talk to you anymore. I tried holding out a few days and even that didn’t work.”
She ran her fingers down a piece of my hair that had fallen in my face. “More than a day is too long.”
I took her hand and pressed it to my cheek. “It took me a while, probably longer than I should have to realize what that meant.”
“That we have a lot in common.”
“We do, but it’s more than that. You are the only woman I think about, dream about, and can’t go more than twenty-four hours without talking to you.”
Her hand began to shake again as pink tint raced up her cheeks. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I love you. That I want us to be more than friends, or separate parents to our beautiful baby girl.” I ran my hand over her belly. “I want it all from you and I hope you feel the same.”
CHAPTER 27
Jenna
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
They seemed to be the only three words I could understand from his little speech. They were the only ones that mattered.
I stood there frozen, afraid it was too good to be true. If I blinked, he wouldn’t be sitting in front of me.
“Jenna?” he whispered, his eyes searching mine.
That snapped me out of my daze. I threw my arms around his neck.
“I love you too. I want that more than you know.”
All of the late-night calls. The small gifts that arrived twice a week. Flying back for appointments. Each and every one of those things knocked down the wall I tried to build around my heart to keep Heath out.
He kept pushing. Proving that he wanted to be here. Wanted to be with me. He snuck past my walls and I couldn’t be happier.
Heath leaned back and took my chin between his thumb and forefinger, guiding my mouth to his. The moment his lips touched mine it was as if an electric current ran through my body. Every part of me felt alive.
Not just alive, but very fucking needy. I wanted him and I wanted him now. Almost like something snapped inside me and I couldn’t control it anymore.
I drew my tongue across his lips and shivered at the moan that sounded from the back of his throat. Our tongues tangled until the choice became kissing or breathing. And with the baby pressed against my lungs, breathing became a necessity. We were both panting by the time I tore my lips from his.
“I missed you so much these last few months,” he said, running his fingers lightly from my temple, along my jaw, and down the column of my throat.
I pushed myself off the couch and stood, reaching a hand down to him.
He looked at it for a second then back up at me. Before I saw desire, now lust set his eyes ablaze. He wanted this as bad as I did. He stood and took my hand, moving around the couch and pulling me down the hall beside him.
Clothes went flying once we stepped over the threshold. Heath lay down on the bed and crooked a finger at me. And there was no way I would say no to all the muscled glory spread out before me. His hair spread out over my pillow. Never in a million year had I thought guys with long hair would do it for me. But fuck, it did.
He was so much more than a famous musician. He was kind and gentle with a heart of gold. A heart he’d just placed in my hands and there was no way I’d do anything to hurt him.
I climbed into the bed on my side next to him. He rolled to his side, facing me, and ran his palms from my thighs, over my hips, then up to caress the side of my breast. His thumb circled my nipple and my head fell back as sensation spread along every nerve, electrifying my body. Memories of that first night flooded my mind, making my blood heat faster than his touch could.
“You are the sexist woman I’ve ever seen.”
His hand slid up the side of my breast and into my hair, bringing my head up as his lips descended to capture mine. The moment he dipped his tongue inside, I lost all rational sense of thought. The only people who existed in the world were me and him. With our mouths connected, Heath’s hand returned to my breast, rolling my nipple between his fingers. The touch so simple, yet so seductive at the same time. My hips jutted forward, needing to feel more of him. Never in my life had my body reacted so strongly to something so small. Between the hormones and the man in front of me, I knew I was in deep shit. Heath knew how to play my body like the most precious instrument and still drive me wild. He knew that night. And now the cravings for him were even stronger.
When he tore his mouth from mine, I cried out at the loss, only to watch him smirk as he move farther down the bed and replaced his fingers with his mouth. I slipped my fingers into his hair, holding his head to my chest as his tongue lashed over my nipple, then sucking hard. The combination was insanely erotic and had me begging him for more.
“Fuck, Heath. Touch me.”
“Your wish is my command.”
The second his fingers circled my clit, I thought I might die. With his mouth still at my breast and his fingers toying with me, I felt like I might spontaneously combust. He licked his way across my chest to take my other nipple in his mouth at the same time he slid a finger inside me, his thumb still rubbing across my cli
t.
God, I needed him so bad.
Between the sex dreams and the way he touched me, I wanted him inside me, taking me.
“Heath…more,” I panted out, trying to keep from exploding.
His hands and his mouth left my body and I whimpered as he moved back up the bed to face me. Once again, he captured my mouth, his tongue darting between my lips, and he hiked my thigh over his. The head of his cock rubbed against my entrance. I tried to move my hips forward to take him inside, but his hand held me still.
He broke the kiss and caught my gaze. His chest rose and fell quickly. “Condom or no? ’Cause I won’t lie, I wanna feel all of you.”
I slipped my hand down over his ass and pulled him closer.
“No,” I whispered.
That one word made his eyes blaze with heat. He let go of my hips and thrust up into me. I tightened around him, loving the feel of him inside me. He pulled back and thrust up again.
“Fuck yes,” I screamed into the quiet bedroom.
He seemed to know exactly what I needed and gave it to me in a pounding rhythm that had my eyes rolling into the back of my head and my fingers gripping for purchase in his muscled ass. The muscles in my leg began to tremble. So close. I was so close to heaven.
“Come on, baby.”
Heath slipped his hand between our bodies and gave one quick pinch to my clit. It was like dropping a match on dynamite. My whole body bowed as the orgasm tore through me. Stars danced before my eyes. Somewhere in all the pleasure I heard Heath call out my name and grip me tighter to him as he thrust into me one last time.
My body finally started to relax as we both lay there panting. A sheen of sweat glistened over his brow. His eyes slowly opened to capture mine in his gaze. Neither of us said a single word. We lay there in the dark, still intimately joined together, letting the moment wash over us. This man was really mine. No more wondering when he would get tired of the burden of me and the baby.
He loved me.
He really loved me.
The tears pooled in my eyes so quickly, I had no chance to stop the one from tracing down my cheek. The corner of Heath’s mouth turned down immediately.
Cover Me (Jaded Ivory Book 3) Page 20
