by Cari Quinn
West stood behind her in line at Target. The conveyor belt was full of food, drinks, a good deal of clothes for her, four pairs of shoes, and a handful of tags for things she was already wearing. “We have an event tomorrow. It’s an all-day thing.”
Lauren glanced over her shoulder. “You do enjoy being evasive.”
He cupped her shoulders and kissed her neck. “Surprise.”
She sighed. “I do like surprises, but…” She stomped her foot. “I’m impatient.”
“Hey, man.” He nodded at the cashier and dug his credit card out of his pocket.
The teen nodded his head and mumbled a hello. A few hundred dollars later, they were walking out with eight bags and a twelve-pack of Coke under his arm. His thighs were still a little shaky from their dressing room excursion.
Luckily, the attendant had been helping another customer when they left. They’d raced through the store after a reminder text from Denver. He’d even managed to convince Lauren to pick up two bras. He was pretty sure he could put one of the cups over his damn head like a beanie, but he managed to keep the comment to himself.
Denver was standing outside the bus with her arms folded, legs apart.
“Hi.”
She said nothing.
“What?” he asked.
“Did I not say one hour?”
He winced.
Lauren slid her arm around his. “We were only a few minutes late.”
“Twenty.”
“Oh,” they both said.
“Get on the damn bus.”
West eased Lauren in front of him and they both took the steps double time. The clomp of boots made him turn around. Ryan was running full speed across the parking lot.
Denver had stashed the bus at the very back of the lot. However, Ryan wasn’t running from Target. He’d come across the street. West frowned as he tried to figure out where he was coming from.
Denver climbed the steps behind him and shut the door. She got behind the wheel and pulled out.
Ryan was outside waving his arms to flag them down.
“Uh, are you going to stop?” West asked.
“Nope.”
She did a wide turn in the parking lot and finally made a circle around Ryan. He stood in the middle of a parking spot with his hands on his hips, his head back as he gulped in a breath.
He held his arms out in the universal sign of “come on!”
Denver had a maniacal smile on her face. She opened the door. “You gonna be late again, Waters?”
“No.”
“What was that?” She held her hand by her ear.
“No,” he said more forcefully.
“I can’t really hear him over the engine, can you?” Denver looked up at West.
West grinned and plastered himself against the window, his hands spaced out on the glass. “We’ll miss you, Ryan.” Lauren waved, as did Juliet and Michael.
Ryan let out an exasperated laugh. “Can I just get on the goddamn bus?”
She slowed to a stop, a shit-eating grin on her face. “Last warning, Waters.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Ryan brushed by West and Michael.
Denver’s smile faded. “Ry…”
He just kept moving. Instead of talking to anyone, he rolled into his lower bunk across from Mal’s.
Denver looked up at her little picture of Mother Theresa she had on the visor and kissed it. “Good thing I only like tea with you animals. I’m driving through the night. We’ll get to San Fran by dawn. Sleep if you can. We’re parking near Crissy Field. No amount of soundproofing in your bunks will block out that kind of noise.”
“Thanks, Denver.”
Most of the bus was already dark. Mal had on his huge stereo headphones and he was watching TV in the main living space. He didn’t know how to sleep, which was why he had the other lower bunk. That and Mal was beast-sized. No one wanted him sleeping above them. Tonight’s offering on TV was an old Sam Kinison standup routine.
Juliet had quickly followed Ryan. Her bunk was above West’s middle one—Mal bunked under him when the fucker did manage to sleep. Juliet’s curtain was half open with two feet swinging outside it and lights flickering. She and Elle were probably binge-watching some show.
Elle on the top, Michael in the middle, and Ryan on the bottom bunk made up the other side of the aisle. Molly had the bigger bunk along the back of the bus. It was easier to let her have the slightly larger space.
Their lead singer was way too particular for most of them to stand.
Michael gave him a look, but West didn’t know what to say. Ry had been acting weird lately. He’d try to get him to talk at the Love and Paws event tomorrow. He was hoping the surprise would make Lauren happy.
She felt like an animal person from the stuff she’d said about dogs. He was fairly certain he’d be crushed if she wasn’t.
Michael snuck a peek at his phone—as he did nearly every three minutes. “I’m going to go FaceTime with Chloe.
No surprise there.
West and Lauren unpacked, grabbed a big bag of Skittles, and escaped to his bunk. “Have you been to San Fran before?”
She nodded as she picked out yellow candies. “I’ve done the touristy things—of course more from an academic mindset. My parents thought all our vacations should include as much learning as possible.”
“Well, there’s plenty of history to Crissy Field, of course—Golden Gate Park and all—but our day isn’t really going to be academic. Unless you can count the cutest beings on the planet as academic.”
“Cutest?”
He nodded and settled against the back of his bunk. “I don’t want to spoil anything. You aren’t allergic to anything, right?”
She shook her head no. “Sounds ominous.”
“The only ominous thing on the bus is Mal in the morning.”
“I like the idea of that.” She scooted back against him and flicked her shoes outside the bunk. “Whatever are we going to do for the drive?” She ruined the saucy question with a big yawn at the end.
“We’re going to sleep. Full day tomorrow.”
“I’m not tired though.” She yawned again.
He scooted down and tucked his arm around her waist. “Maybe if we just shut our eyes for a few minutes, we can try making out again.”
“Oh, I like the sound of that.” She caught herself in a huge yawn before she could finish the sentence.
She was warm and soft and it had been a long-assed day. When he woke again, she was plastered to his back and he’d lost his shirt sometime in the night. His nose was pressed to the back of his bunk. It was always an adventure sleeping with Lauren.
He tried to turn over, but she moaned and her hand was dangerously close to cupping his assets. Voices dented the quiet of his bunk and the scrabble of paws.
“How the hell did he get on the bus?”
“Get over here, Jethro.”
Jethro? West scooted to the bottom of his bunk and slipped out. A ball of lemon-colored fur blurred past and took him out at the ankles. He landed on the floor with a grunt and put his hands up against the legs and doggy breath attacking him.
“West?” Lauren pushed his curtain open and peeked out. She instantly dissolved into giggles.
Jethro knocked him onto his back and went at his neck with doggie drool and kisses. “Okay, buddy. Back it up.” West pushed the dog off of him and grinned up at Lauren. “Not even going to help?”
“I think you have enough on your lap.” Her eyes went soft. “He’s the cutest dog ever. Look at that big flopsy mop of dark hair on his head.”
Jethro nailed him in the junk and West closed into a fetal position with a yelp. The dog darted away to the front of the bus.
“Are you okay?” She couldn’t stop laughing as she asked. Tears tracked down her cheeks as she sucked in a breath.
He hopped to his feet and followed the dog to the front of the bus.
Denver had her arms around Jethro’s middle. Definitely no fear in her heart about a d
og she didn’t even know. She lifted her chin to get away from the dog tongue that was in full-on lick. “You, squirmy little man, are supposed to be outside.”
The dog licked her face and tried to wriggle down.
“You little menace.” A deep voice came from the stairs to the bus. “Sorry about that, guys.”
“Hunter, I should have known you were behind this one.” West held out his hand to the lead singer of Hammered. They gave each other a hearty shake. Hunter and Kennedy Jordan ran most of the Love and Paws adoption events in California.
West had been volunteering for as many of them as he could in the last year. He’d dragged the band to this one since it was so close to their gig. It was great PR—which Lila loved—and who didn’t like hanging out with dogs and cats for the day?
Not a single person on the damn bus—even Mal.
Lauren padded behind him and ducked under his arm. “Is he okay?”
Denver nodded. “I was outside playing with the new puppies when this guy,” she scratched the dog’s head, “came tear-assing around the corner and shot up the stairs to the bus.”
Lo stepped forward and gave the dog her hand to sniff. The dog lost his fool mind and licked her fingers and arm, straining to get to her. “Aww, aren’t you the most beautiful baby.”
“Oh, yeah, he’s a baby, all right.” Hunter rolled his eyes and took him from Denver. “Jethro’s one of our senior dogs, but he acts like a pup. And his name should be Houdini.”
Lauren stepped forward without a lick of fear and scratched both his fluffy golden ears before kissing his nose. “Actually, he looks more like a Bert to me.” She rubbed the top of his head where the darker patch of brindle hair mixed with the gold.
“Bert?” West asked. He was actually afraid to ask.
“You know. Bert and Ernie. Can’t you see it?”
West laughed and threw an arm around her shoulders, dragging her back. “Now I can.”
Lauren hooked her arm around his waist. “He’s so sweet. I hope he gets adopted.”
Hunter scratched the big dog’s chest. “Me too. He’s been in the shelter too long.”
Lauren’s fingernails dug into West’s belly. “You don’t murder them, do you?”
Hunter’s eyebrows shot up. “God, no. We’re a no-kill shelter. Just the longer he’s in the shelter, the harder it is to get him acclimated to a home.” Jethro—aka Bert—licked his chin. “This guy is the sweetest of the bunch. Just everyone wants a puppy. Or one of the miniature trendy dogs.”
Lauren brushed her finger down his huge paw with a sigh. “People are stupid.”
“Agreed. So come on out and tell people. You know, with a little more charm than that. At least Kenny tells me that’s what I have to do.” Hunter grinned. “We’ll see you guys out there?”
West nodded. “Definitely.”
“Come on, buddy.” Hunter gathered the big dog against his wide chest. “Let’s get a leash on you.” He gave West a salute and smiled at Denver.
Denver swung down a step with a sigh and watched him go. “Why do all the gorgeous ones have to be taken?”
“Statistically, the more attractive males are usually paired off. Some say evolution and Darwinism to make children and all that. Personally, I think it’s just because he has a really nice ass.” Lo waggled her eyebrows at Denver and the girls laughed.
“Nice,” West muttered.
“You have a very nice ass yourself, Mr. Reynolds.”
“Don’t objectify me.”
“Maybe just a little bit?” Lo stood on her toes and pressed a kiss to his chin. “I like objectifying your really nice abs and glutes.”
“Okay, my cue to leave.” Denver rushed down the last few stairs. “See you guys out there.”
“How long are we going to have to listen to this bad porn dialogue?” Mal thunked his boot on the coffee table and pulled the laces of his Doc Martens tight.
Lauren’s attention swung to Mal. “Porn dialogue?”
Mal’s eyebrows snapped together. “Are you for real?”
“I can say with certainty that I am for real.”
“You’re a trip, Lo. Porn. You know boom boom goes the room with a big dicked dude and a woman—or two—with big titties.”
“I know what it is. I’ve just never watched it.”
“Oh, sweet beloved Jesus,” West said. “Okay, subject change.”
“No, I want to hear about this big dick and multiple woman thing.”
West’s jaw dropped. “I’ve seen your Tumblr, Miss Bryant. I know you know what porn is.”
She shook her head. “Actually, I’ve seen the live action stills, but it’s rare for video to be added to that particular social media platform. Probably because bigger videos slow down the site. Besides, I didn’t want to show too much on my browser history.”
“Because you live with your mommy?” Mal asked with a sneer.
Lauren’s face paled. “No.”
“Oh, that’s right. Professor Uptight is your poison, right?”
“Mal,” West said tightly.
Lauren brushed by him and headed back for his bunk.
“Really nice. Is asshole your perpetual state of being?”
“You’re starting to talk like her.” Mal stood up straight and looked down at West. They were similar height, but Mal now had nearly two inches on him thanks to his boots and West’s bare feet.
“Doesn’t make you any less of a dick.”
Mal shrugged. “I didn’t lie, did I?”
West gave up. Mal was who he was. Most of the time West actually wished he could say half the shit their drummer did. Except for today, of course.
“Could you get your girlfriend out of the bathroom, please?” Molly’s voice was clipped and pissy.
The word girlfriend made his spine tingle, but it wasn’t a bad feeling. Just so fast. He’d only been with her for a few days. “Give her a break, Mol.”
“If she uses all the hot water, I’ll break her fingers.” She turned on the balls of her feet and swished away in a haze of spicy perfume.
West sighed and knocked on the door. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” Lauren’s voice was full of false brightness.
“You know Mal is a dick.”
She opened the door and peeked out. “He’s right,” she said quietly.
“Ethan is a little uptight.”
“He’s a really nice man. He’s been with me through so much, West. I hate that I hurt him.”
“I know, Lo.” He pulled her out of the bathroom and down the aisle to the corner couch that butted up against their bunks. “But you want to be here with me, right?”
He hated having to ask.
Hated more that he wasn’t sure what her answer would be.
Twelve
“I do. I really do.” Lauren clutched his fingers. “And not just for the project. I really like who I am with you.”
He pulled her into his arms. “I feel the same way. It’s stupid fast, but everything about us feels right.”
“Do you really mean that?”
“One hundred percent.”
“That’s a very tricky statistic, sir. There’s not even a sliver of apprehension.”
“Okay, ninety-seven.”
“I can deal with a three percent conversion.” She tipped her head up to meet his mouth. She settled her chin against his chest. “Are we really playing with animals all day today?”
“Among other things.”
“There’s more?” Her gray eyes gleamed.
“A whole lot more.”
“Then we should get dressed and get out there.”
He stood up. “After you.”
It took a little longer than a quick change of clothes to get ready, considering how many people shared a tiny bathroom. Twenty minutes later, she was wearing the jeans he’d sacrifice a kidney for, and a bright pink shirt with one of her new bras. She slipped on her Skechers and vibrated next to him as he waited his turn for the sho
wer.
“Can I go out there without you?”
“No.”
“Come on. There’s a million dogs out there. I can go with the girls until you come out.”
He sighed. “All right. Go.”
“Yes.” She slid down off the bunk and shot out into the main living space where Elle and Juliet were finishing their primping.
He liked that Lauren didn’t bother with tons of makeup like his bandmates, just a stain on her ridiculously perfect lips. Her top lip was a little heavier than the bottom and made him want to bite and suck on it all damn day.
How the hell was he going to keep his hands off her today?
He palmed his half-hard cock. He had to put that out of his head for now. He had a fun day planned for her and maybe tonight he could find a way to make it even better.
They were all free to do what they wanted after the Love and Paws event until the show. And if things worked out how he hoped, it would be a very memorable night.
West took the fastest shower known to man and tied his hair up in a wet bun on top of his head. Last time he’d done one of these events, his hair had been used as a kitten jungle gym.
Not again. Little shits had needle-like claws.
He pulled on jeans and a thermal shirt. He was going to bring her down to the coast so he wanted to be able to enjoy it and not freeze his ass off.
He was the last one off the bus. Molly was over to the side with the trendy dogs and cameras all around her. She was good at getting eyes on her, and in turn, on the project. At least that was what he told himself.
Denver and Jules were hip deep in the pibble pens. A dozen puppies crawled over their laps and tried to launch themselves into their arms. Hunter and Kennedy were walking around with a news crew, giving their spiel.
West scanned the crowd. There were tons of people there today and the adoption area was swarming with children and their parents. The walking trails around the water were full of bright leashes as volunteers showed off dogs of every breed.
West finally spotted Lauren in the kitten pen. Three white kittens with various black markings were crawling onto her lap, and one enterprising soot-colored cat had hidden itself in her hair.
Christ, she was adorable. All smiles and happy laughter as she juggled one cat, then another and chased after another that tried to get up the mesh enclosure.
