by L. P. Maxa
She wrapped her hand around me tighter, stroking from base to tip. “Playing nice.” At some point during the night I’d taken off my shirt, and thank God I had because now she was kissing and nibbling my collarbone. She continued to work me with her hand, and it felt fucking fantastic. I couldn’t even remember the last time a chick had given me a hand job…maybe like freshman year of high school? My pulse quickened and my balls started to throb; holy hell, I was going to come any second. “Lexi…I…oh God…wait—”
She turned her face up and kissed my chin, licked my ear and then whispered, “It’s okay. I want you to. Please, Dash.” And then she let out one of her little moans, like jacking me turned her on. That was my undoing. I came all over her hands and my stomach.
I threw an arm over my face and chuckled, “Damn, Lex, what did you do to me? How did you make a hand job so erotic?”
I felt her shrug. “Motivation, I guess. Can I go back to sleep now?”
I kissed the top of her head and grabbed the t-shirt I had taken off, cleaning us both up. “Sure, Kitten, go back to sleep.” I snuggled up next to her, tucking her body against mine. And this time, I fell asleep before she did.
***
When I woke up again it was to the sound of people. I couldn’t tell what time it was; the curtains that separated the bunks from the hallway were dark and thick. I would check my watch but Lexi was lying on that arm. I reached behind me and cracked the curtain. I was met with Amy’s smiling face.
“Morning, Dash! You haven’t seen my best friend Lexi have you?” She winked.
I looked past her, trying to tell if everyone else was up, if they had noticed that I wasn’t asleep on the couch like I said I would be. And by everyone else, I meant Luke. I looked back at Amy.
“Smith is in the shower, Jacks is brushing his teeth in the kitchen, and Luke is still in bed. You know him, he likes his sleep.”
I looked over at Lexi and smiled. “He isn’t the only one apparently.”
Amy laughed, “You didn’t try to wake her before seven did you?”
“I did.”
“Did she hit you?”
I smiled. “Twice.”
Amy looked over at the bedroom door and then back to me, her smile falling slightly. “I wanted to wake up Lexi before I got Luke up.” She shrugged. “I mean, I just…I thought it would be easier that way. He can get pretty protective over Lex and—”
I interrupted her. “Hey, no worries. I understand. I’ll get her up.” She just nodded and headed towards the living room, not where Luke was sleeping.
I closed the curtain and nuzzled Lexi’s ear. No joke, nuzzled. What the hell was happening to me? “Kitten, it really is time to get up now okay? It’s time for breakfast. Everyone’s awake.”
Lexi stretched her arms and yawned, she sat up, hit her head on the low ceiling and then lay back down. “Balls.”
I tried not to laugh, really I did. But between her scowl and her use of “balls” as a cuss word, I couldn’t help it. “Aw, Kitten, are you okay?” I rubbed her head.
“I’m fine. Where are my shorts?”
I reached down to the foot of the bed and handed her clothes to her. “I don’t think there is enough material there for those to actually be considered shorts.”
She shot me a glare. “I didn’t hear you complaining about my shorts last night when you couldn’t keep your hands off my legs.”
I grinned. “I wasn’t complaining now. Just making an observation. You sure are feisty in the morning.” I watched shamelessly as she got dressed. She left my shirt on instead of changing into hers. I kept my immense pleasure about it to myself. She pulled her long hair into a messy bun at the top of her head. She looked effortlessly beautiful. “All right, Kitten, I’m going to go shower all the dried come off my stomach. Thanks for that by the way. The lengths you’ll go to in order to get another two hours of sleep are astounding.”
Lexi kept her eyes locked with mine; a slow sexy smile came over her face. She climbed on top of me, rubbing her core against my dick. She closed her eyes, threw her head back and let out one of those moans that I’d come to love so much. Then she smacked me on the stomach and hopped out of the bunk. I think she’s my soul mate.
Chapter Seven
Lexi
If anyone noticed that I’d spent the night in the same bunk as Dash, no one said anything. And by anyone, I meant Luke. It’s not like either of us was hiding it. Dash found any and all excuses to touch me during breakfast and I was wearing his shirt. But I didn’t want a lecture from Luke. We’d both behaved and I didn’t want to have to explain everything to him. We’d all gone to breakfast at one of my favorite Mexican food places. It was a hole in the wall, but that’s what made it good. Now we were all sitting around the bus, trying to put off the moment when Amy and I had to leave.
Luke put his arm around Amy’s shoulder. “Y’all stay. Ride to Houston with us and I’ll fly you home on Monday. Pllllllease. I haven’t seen you guys in months.”
Amy cocked her head to the side, contemplating. I knew she would move heaven and earth if it meant she got to spend even a little more time with her baby brother. “You sure you want your sisters here two nights in a row? Aren’t we messing up your game?” Amy and I both smiled at that. Luke was gorgeous, but kind. If he wanted to he could have run outside, grabbed a girl, nailed her against the bus and been back twenty minutes later. But that wasn’t Luke. He didn’t do easy.
Jacks put his arm around my waist pulling me against his side. “What about you, Lexi? Think you can handle another night with a group of rock stars?”
Dash walked in and saw me leaning on Jacks, smiling up at him. How could I not? He was adorable in his tiny t-shirt. Dash stalked across the room and took my hand, pulling me away from his band mate. Jacks laughed.
“If Amy wants to stay, then I’ll stay on until Houston.” I looked over at her, my eyebrows raised in question.
“Let me just go call Parker. And I’ll have to call work. Man, Lex, I wish I had your freedom.” Amy pulled out her phone and stepped into the bathroom. Her husband Parker absolutely adored Luke. He would have no problems with Amy wanting to stay with her brother. I assumed she needed privacy to call and leave a fake sick message for work.
Dash smiled—the sex god smile, not the adorable one I loved. “What is it that you do, Kitten. How are you so free?”
“I’m a freelance photographer.”
“Are you any good?”
I stood on tiptoe and whispered in his ear, “You know I’m good,” before spinning out of his grasp.
Luke came up and placed his chin on my shoulder. “She’s amazing.”
Dash narrowed his eyes at Luke. “Why does everyone keep touching her? Stop touching her.”
I laughed. Was the rocker jealous? “I’m right here and if I want Luke to stop touching me, I’ll ask him to.” Luke rubbed his chin stubble across my neck taunting Dash.
Dash cocked his head. “You know, we’re looking for someone to photograph the tour for our next album. Can I see some of your work?”
“You may….” I was proud and passionate as hell about my work. I was good and I knew it. Touring with The Devil’s Share would be a huge opportunity for me, my art would be seen by millions, but I was wary. Touring with the guys meant more time with Dash and I knew myself—I’d give in and sleep with him. And I doubted it would end in a happily ever after. Plus, I’d toured with a band before, and that had turned out to be a nightmare.
Luke pulled out his phone and handed it to Dash. “The folder marked ‘Lex.’ Those are all pictures she did of me and my old band.” I heard the sadness in Luke’s voice when he mentioned his first band. I knew he missed the guys he grew up with, the guys he learned to play with. He rarely talked about them. I wondered if The Devil’s Share crew even knew what Luke had gone through, knew the kind of guy he was. He was hands down the most amazing man I’d ever known.
Dash scrolled through the pictures. “These are really good, Lexi. Like real,
real good. I’m impressed. And I want you.”
I snorted, “I think we already established that you want me.”
Dash called over his shoulder, “Y’all come over here and look at these pictures.” He passed Luke’s phone around, the guys all taking a turn to scroll through my work.
Smith looked up. “These are the exact kind of pictures we wanted for our new album. No joke, Lexi. You have to say yes.”
I bit my lip to keep from smiling. It was hella flattering to have this group of very talented artists appreciate my work. The pictures were mostly candid shots I took when the band hadn’t been looking. Shots of them with their heads down practicing, or them asleep on the couch piled next to each other. The pictures I took of Luke’s old band were raw, and full of contrast. I used filters to make the guys seem dark and grungy. Little did I know, weeks later I wouldn’t even need filters to make the band look that way. All the pictures tugged at my heartstrings. That little tour I went on with them was the beginning of the end. It wasn’t a stadium tour by any means, but they were gaining popularity and had a strong following. The pictures pretty much chronicled their decent into sex drugs and rock-n-roll. Well, all of them except for Luke. He told me one night after way too many Van Morrison songs and way too much whiskey that I saved him. That my being on the tour with him kept him grounded and home at night. But I knew that wasn’t the case. I knew that it was his heart that kept him clean, his pure love for the music. He was a good man, through and through. He tried to kiss me that night. I hadn’t let him.
I was jerked back from my trip down memory lane when Dash rudely snapped his fingers in front of my face. “Focus, Kitten. What do you say? We’ll pay you an ungodly amount of money. And I promise to make you very happy every night.”
“Oh yeah? You’re going to bake me fresh cookies and watch The Original’s with me?”
Luke chuckled.
Dash pursed his lips, “What?”
“Making me happy every night. That’s what you said, right? I assumed that by ‘make me happy’ you meant cookies and vampire dramas. What else could you possibly mean?” I winked.
Dash narrowed his eyes and shook his head before shooting me the crooked grin.
Smith raised his hand. “Uh, if you say yes, I’ll bake.”
“And I’ll watch whatever The Originals is with you anytime you like.” Jacks put one hand on my shoulder and flipped Dash off with the other.
“What do you say, Lex? You already know that I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you with me.” Luke’s smile turned sad, and his eyes became very puppy dog like. “You know I need you.”
Ass wipe. He knew those sweet words in that sad tone would be my undoing. He also knew how big this would end up being for my career. “Fine, I’ll do it. One condition though…” I smiled at Luke. “And you know what it is….”
Luke started to shake his head. “No. No way, Lexi. Dagger isn’t coming.”
I shrugged, “No Dagger, no me.”
Luke stomped his foot like a petulant child. “Come on, Lex. Let Amy and Parker watch him.”
Amy walked back into the room. “Let Amy and Parker watch who? Dagger? No. He ate my couch last time we watched him. Wait. Why do you need a dog sitter?”
Dash put both his hands on my shoulders, pulling me back against him and this time I stayed. “Kitten here has agreed to tour with us and be our onsite photographer. And of course your little dog can come.”
Amy started jumping up and down and clapping her hands. Then she hit me. “I am so damn jealous!”
***
Amy agreed to run home with me so I could pack up all my stuff and get back on the bus before we left for Houston. I was so glad that we had one more night all together before Amy had to go back to Dallas. If I could keep her with me for the whole tour, I would in heartbeat. We spent so much time together; I knew I’d miss her. But hey, I got Luke. “Ams?”
She was busy sliding everything from my bathroom counter into a bag. I guess that was one way of speed packing. Although I doubted I’d need three bottles of perfume on tour. “Yeah?”
“Do you think Luke would be mad at me if I ended up hooking up with Dash while we were on the road?”
She brought the bag into my room and set it down on my bed. “I don’t think he’d be mad. I think he’d worry. Why? You planning on having a hot love affair with Dash Conner? Or did you already start one last night?”
I groaned and flopped down next to my now over-packed bathroom bag. “We didn’t have sex. We just made out a little. And spooned. It was perfect and he was…surprisingly sweet. I just have a feeling that being in such close proximity to him for so long…it’ll end up less sweet and more steamy.”
Amy sat down next to me. “Lex this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Take pictures, drink too much, dance, sing, fuck a rock star. Live it up.”
I shook my head. “Sometimes I wonder how in the world you ended up as an elementary school teacher.”
“Me too. And by the way, the correct term is steamier, not more steamy.”
Chapter Eight
Lexi
“What the hell is that?” Jacks jumped up on the couch as I boarded the bus with Amy and my dog.
I laughed, “Jacks, meet Dagger.”
“That is not a dog, that is a small horse. Good God, Lexi, what kind of dog is he?”
Jacks was still standing on the couch. I stifled another laugh as I answered, “He is a mutt…but mostly he’s pit bull.” I loved Dagger more that life itself. He was the sweetest, most wonderfully goofy, loving dog ever. “I know he looks kind of intimidating, but I promise, if you just give him a chance you’ll love him.”
Smith came up the stairs and stepped around us. He stopped so fast when he saw Dagger he lost his footing. “Holy hell.”
Jacks nodded. “Smith, this is Dagger. Lexi’s ‘little dog’ and our new tour mascot.”
I put my bag down and took Dagger’s leash off. I sat down on the couch next to Jacks. Dagger immediately followed and parked it on the floor at my feet, leaning all of his almost hundred pound weight against my leg. I scratched behind his ear and kissed his soft gray face, well his whole body was gray really. Solid gray with beautiful blue eyes. “Stop being such babies. He’s just a dog. Now come pet him and say hello.”
Amy giggled from the armchair across the room. Jacks sat down next to me, but kept his feet on the couch. He slowly reached out and patted Dagger’s head. Smith came and sat on the other side of me and did the same. Fast-forward ten minutes? Dagger was stretched out across all three of our laps, snoring. A cool breeze signaled that the door had just opened, seconds later Luke came up the steps. “Ah, Dagger. How I’ve missed you, buddy.” At the sound of his name Dagger jumped up off our laps and made it to Luke in one bounding leap. Luke fell on the floor and Dagger assaulted him with kisses. “Worst behaved dog in the history of the world.”
I wrinkled my nose. “He isn’t bad. He’s just aggressive with his affection.”
Smith chuckled, “Spoken like a true mother, blind to her child’s imperfections.”
I scoffed, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. He has no imperfections.”
Dagger got up and made a beeline for the door when he heard it open again. That must be Dash. I braced myself for his reaction. Dash simply planted his feet and held his hand out towards Dagger.
“Sit.” And my dog sat.
Luke stood up and threw his hands in the air. “How in the fuck did you do that? That dog doesn’t listen to anybody. Ever. Do you have any idea how many times I’ve begged that dog to sit the hell down?” Luke cocked his head. “Are you like a dog whisper?”
Dash laughed as he reached down and petted Dagger before kissing his cheek, just like I had. Damn, a sexy man that likes my dog? There go more defenses. “I’m good with animals. And women.” He winked at me.
***
The bus had just taken off, heading towards the guys’ next venue. Amy had gone to take a nap; she was a l
ittle hung over. Smith was sitting in a recliner with a guitar in his lap and a pencil in his teeth. Every once in a while he would jot some stuff down in the spiral notebook balanced on the arm of the chair. His hair looked almost gold when the sun’s rays would hit it through the window. The lighting was perfect. I snapped a few pictures. Dash was sitting on the couch next to me. He had his phone in his hands; his fingers were flying a mile a minute. I assumed he was answering emails. I guess he could be sexting. I hoped he wasn’t sexting.
Jacks was sitting cross-legged on the floor, leaning his back against Dagger’s massive body as he played some war game on the Xbox. “How did you come up with the name Dagger? I mean, it’s badass, but were did it come from?”
I smiled. “His nickname is Dags. Get it?”
Jacks shook his head, “Nope.”
I rolled my eyes. “Say it out loud.”
“Dags?”
Smith smiled. “Do you like Dags?”
Dash laughed, “Snatch? You got your giant pit bull’s name from the movie Snatch?”
I nodded. “I did. I love that movie. And tell me that’s not the coolest name for a dog, like ever?”
He grinned and pulled my legs into his lap. “It is the coolest name ever, and you are officially the coolest chick, ever.”
Luke came from the back room, grabbing us all beers on the way. “It’s a good thing y’all got it. I’ve seen Lexi refuse to be friends with people before because they didn’t get his name. She uses it to ‘weed out’ boring people.” He handed out the beers and then plopped down between me and Dash, sitting on my legs. I rolled my eyes and pried them from under his ass. Dash flipped him off.
Chapter Nine
Dash
Luke had been sticking to Lexi’s side since she and Dagger had boarded the bus. I didn’t know if it was because he knew about our little spooning session or because he just wanted to be near her. Like I did. I hadn’t been lying before. I was actually really good with dogs. I always had been. My parents were of the mindset that a house just wasn’t a home without at least three dogs. Being on the road and constantly working for the past ten years made it almost impossible for me to own a pet. But if I could have handpicked my perfect dog? I would have picked Dagger. He was a giant gray beast with the kindest eyes. Just one more thing to love about Lexi: her impeccable taste. “Okay, so since Lexi is the only girl on the bus annnnnd she has a hundred pound dog that will be sleeping next to her, she gets the bedroom.”
