by Lauren Dane
Tuesday linked arms with her. “Duh. Where else would I be? Also, we look hot. I’m not gonna pass up a chance to go out looking hot.”
“Sure, and if Ezra sees you looking sexy as hell, even better.”
“Meddlesome.” But Tuesday didn’t deny it.
They headed down and Natalie grabbed her bag, checking for the credentials that would get them backstage and into restricted areas. Paddy and the guys went in separately. They had sound check and whatever else, including some publicity and interviews.
Tuesday drove, thank goodness, and they parked where Paddy told them to, and at the back entrance, she gave her name and showed her credentials. The guy marked them off the list and motioned them inside, telling her to keep the credentials where they could be seen.
It was sort of like what she thought it’d be on some levels. People milled around, some set stuff up, tested equipment, moved things.
“Where do you think they are? Or should I wait for them to go onstage?”
“What did he say?” Tuesday was calm, which helped keep Natalie calm.
“Come find me when you get there.”
“So, your answer is, we need to ask around until we find them. Look, your badge thing is different than the others I see, which means, probably, that you get in places most don’t.”
She touched someone’s arm as they passed. “Excuse me, have you seen Paddy Hurley?”
The person had an earpiece and a clipboard, and he looked at her. She held her badge up and he softened. “You’re Natalie, right? Paddy mentioned you might be looking for him. Come on.” He jerked his head, and they followed. “I’m Ross, Vaughan’s guitar tech.”
“Natalie, and this is Tuesday. Thanks for helping. I’ve never been backstage before.”
“No problem.” He pushed through a group of people all clamoring for the attention of a guy blocking another hallway.
Ross gave them all a look. “Blue badges. Taking them to the dressing room,” he told the tree trunk of a guy blocking access, who then moved to the side.
She heard someone call her name but didn’t recognize anyone.
“Shine it on.” Ross waved down the hall. “Those are the dressing rooms. Paddy is in one of them. I don’t know which, so knock first or you might get to know one of Paddy’s brothers more than you want.”
Natalie laughed. “Good advice.”
Ross headed back the way they’d come.
“What do you think he meant, shine it on?” She listened and decided to knock on the nearest one.
“I think people know you’re Natalie, Paddy’s girlfriend, and they’re going to try to be your friend to use you to get back here.”
She looked back over her shoulder as Mary opened, her eyes narrowed until she recognized Natalie. “Hey, there.” She hugged Natalie and Tuesday.
Damien came over. “Coast must be clear.” He saw them and also gave them a hug. He wore no shirt and low-slung jeans with heavy boots. He had as much ink as Paddy did. And seriously great arms.
“Hey, you two. Paddy is next door.” He pounded on the wall.
Paddy stuck his head out. “What?” His gaze slid past Natalie and then snagged back. “Wow.” He grinned, circling his finger to get her to turn, so she did.
“I’m pretty sure I’m glad I didn’t know how gorgeous the two of you looked before you got here. Must have gotten quite a bit of attention.”
Speaking of attention, Paddy’s hair was artfully tousled, he wore a threadbare Sonic Youth T-shirt, leather pants, also low-slung enough to show all of his hip bones, and purple Puma sneakers.
“You look pretty gorgeous yourself.” She was going to have to get him to do the outfit when they were alone. Maybe a private game of rock star and groupie.
He hugged her, kissing the side of her neck. “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it looks like I’ll enjoy it later.”
“We don’t want to be in the way, so let us know what you need.”
“You want to see the stage from back here?”
“Yeah!”
Ezra came down the hall, brightening when he saw them, darkening in a distinctly sexual way when he focused on Tuesday.
“Nats, beautiful, nice to see you.” He hugged her, nervous tension in his muscles. She knew it was his first live show in years.
“I’m so excited to see you up there tonight. You look hot.” She winked at him and loved the way he blushed.
“Tuesday, it’s been a while.” He took her hand, and Natalie’s mouth nearly hit the dirt when he turned it to kiss the inside of Tuesday’s wrist.
Tuesday’s lids dropped just a little, her mouth curving up. “Hey, Ezra. Give me a tour?”
Natalie was torn between wanting to hug her friend for taking his mind off being nervous, and wanting to corner her and demand some facts because there was simply no way these two had only seen each other the two times Natalie had been there when they were in a small group, and the handful of other times when there was a large group. There was intimacy of some type between them.
“My pleasure.” He turned to Paddy. “Check with Stuckey. He was looking for you.” He drew Tuesday down the hall without another word.
“So you want to tell me what that’s all about?” Paddy demanded.
“Me? I was going to ask you. Clearly, there’s something going on, and she hasn’t mentioned it, even when I poke at her over it. Who’s Stuckey?”
“My guitar tech.”
He placed a hand at the small of her back, waving at people who called his name, but he kept moving. “By the way, I meant it when I said you looked gorgeous.” He leaned in close, ducking them into an alcove. “I want that shade of lipstick on my cock later.”
Her heart pounded at his words, at the intensity of his body against hers. They were in public and yet, wow, it was hot even as it made her a little nervous.
He smiled, that sexy smile that promised all sorts of dirty fun later, and moved back. “Let’s find Stuckey. I’m playing my new guitar tonight, and I want to be sure there aren’t any problems.”
It was all sort of a blur from then on. It got more crowded as more and more people directed Paddy to do stuff, demanded his attention, especially the fans who saw him at the stage from their place up front. It was a fan club crowd so they were pumped up, but the intensity of it was a little nerve-racking.
He brought her to the side of the stage. “I’m going back with the rest of the dudes. We’ll be out shortly. Just wait here.”
She took his hands, kissing his fingertips. “All right. I don’t know if I should wish you luck or if that’s a no-no or if I have to wish for broken legs or whatever.”
Again, that sexy grin. “Gorgeous, your being here is good luck.” He kissed her. Not a quick peck but a full-on, openmouthed swoonworthy kiss that left her breathless and clutching his shirt to keep standing.
“Now, that’s even better than wishing me good luck.”
He was different. Not like a totally new person, but Paddy on fifty instead of fifteen. And he was already sort of overwhelming at fifteen.
He hustled back to the dressing rooms, and she watched him retreat, loving the way he moved.
“Dude.” Tuesday sidled up, both of them watching Paddy’s ass. “Spectacular.”
“Um, yeah.” She turned her attention back to Tuesday. “You totally have some explaining to do.”
Tuesday bit her bottom lip for a moment.
“Don’t worry, I won’t hound you about it right now. But later I expect a full accounting.”
“Maybe by then I’ll understand whatever it is that’s happening,” Tuesday muttered.
There was a flurry of action—lights adjusted, sound done and the crowd hushed.
They turned to watch the Hurley brothers—no, more than that, Sweet Hollow Ranch—make their way up to the stairs where Natalie and Tuesday stood.
They were all the same, but more. Ezra was with them like he’d never left. Paddy took his guitar from his tech and winked at
Natalie before he walked out, Vaughan behind him, and Damien jogged to his drum kit.
Ezra hung back. She took his hand, and he smiled at her. She stretched up to kiss his cheek. “Kick ass, Ezra.”
“Thanks, sweetheart, that’s my plan.”
The crowd lost their shit when Paddy tried to talk. He waited and finally got them quieted. He pointed to his guitar. “Sweet, huh? This is what happens when you have the best girlfriend on the planet.”
More hoots and shouts, and she blushed even in the dark.
“Hey, Portland, what’s goin’ on?” Paddy asked.
Something south of Natalie’s belt buckle might have pulsed at how hot he was as he owned his role as Paddy the rock star.
The crowd cheered.
“Awesome. Here’s the deal. Tonight we’ve got some new stuff just for you. We’ve been working our asses off for a few months, and before Christmas, we finished production on Day Dream. It’ll be dropping in a few weeks, and then we’ll be touring. You guys need to keep an eye on the fan club site for presales. As in, check tomorrow.”
More insanity, and Mary came to stand on Natalie’s other side.
“We’re going to give you all a special sneak peek at the new album. You’re the first people outside the studio and the label to hear it, and we figured, why not add something old to something new?”
Ezra stepped forward, taking the guitar his tech handed his way and walked onstage. And then the crowd went absolutely bat-shit crazy as they stomped and called EZZZZZZZZZ over and over.
He stepped to the mic and didn’t pause at all, just counted into the first song, and they were off.
It was hard to remember everything that happened that night. Once they started singing, it was as though she was swept up into a weird thrill ride.
Mary hugged her at one point. “You look like a deer caught in the headlights.”
“I’m overwhelmed by it.”
And it was overwhelming. Mainly in a good way. Paddy was undeniably sexy. He owned the stage. He crooned and snarled.
He handed his guitar off and headed to the piano. Mary pressed a tissue into Natalie’s hand and she nodded her thanks.
“Hush now or you won’t hear the first single.” He winked and she wasn’t the only one swooning. “This one is called ‘Silent No More.’”
He closed his eyes as he started to play, leaning in, his lips close to the microphone and began to sing.
She sang along at a whisper and when he opened his eyes, it was to track her, lock on and sing the chorus to her.
Shivers ran over her skin.
When the song ended, the crowd went wild, and he blew a kiss to Natalie before he moved out to grab his guitar and head up front once more.
* * *
BACKSTAGE AFTER THEIR ENCORE, when the lights came up, it was insanity. She would have gotten swept up, but Mary grabbed her on one side and Tuesday on the other and tugged them through the crowds.
One of the security people stopped them but recognized Mary. “This is Natalie. She’ll be around with Paddy, so don’t give her a hard time.”
He smiled at her and made some sex eyes at Tuesday, who gave him the once-over.
“Good Lord, come on.”
In one large room, the green room, it said on the door, the guys were laughing, toasting one another and giving each other sweaty hugs and shoves.
Paddy glistened with sweat, his shirt off and tucked into his waistband. His eyes gleamed like he was high, and she supposed he probably was from adrenaline.
“Ezra, my man, you killed the hell out of it.” Paddy clapped his brother on the back.
Ezra grinned. “I totally did. Wow, it’s been a while. I’m tore up.” He laughed. “Good thing I’m in shape, even so, I forgot what it was like to be up there for longer than an hour. An arena show would kick my ass.”
He pulled his shirt up and off, mopping his face with it, and Tuesday made a sound under her breath. Mary nudged her with an elbow. “Right? Good gracious.”
Damien then looked toward the door, bounding over to his wife and sweeping her into an embrace. “Curly! How’d we sound?”
“Excellent.” She laughed as he kissed her face and neck.
He put his hands on her belly, bending down. “How’d Daddy do, sprocket?”
Paddy wove his way over, looking pretty fierce and sexual, and her heart stuttered as he stopped a breath away. “I’m sweaty.”
“Yeah. You totally are.”
“You’re doing that breathless thing. It makes me feel like a wolf, and you’re the rabbit.”
She swallowed, blushing.
All around them there was noise and celebration, so no one heard him lean even closer and say, “And I want to eat you all up.”
She put a hand on his chest—partly to keep standing because he overwhelmed her. He was warm and real and sweaty or not, it was clean sweat from hard work. And it must have been laced with some major pheromones because she wanted to lick him.
The Natalie that she was back at the beginning wanted to kick the door down, jump on him right there and ride him to the floor.
“You should see something,” he whispered.
“I’ve seen it.”
He laughed, sliding his hand up to cradle the back of her neck.
“It’s in my dressing room. It shouldn’t take too long to see.”
“Better take long enough for both of us to see it.”
He laughed again, kissing her. “Of course.”
Tuesday was talking to Ezra and Mary. Natalie motioned that she was ducking out, and Tuesday waved a lazy hand at her to go on and get some.
He took her hand and dragged her out of the room and two doors down. He ignored the hails of his name, slamming the door once they were inside, locking it.
“Now, then.”
Holy cow.
“I believe earlier, I mentioned wanting to see that particular shade of lipstick on my cock. But I’m all sweaty so it can wait. What can’t is you dropping those pants and panties, facing the table over here, bracing your hands and waiting for me.”
He pulled his shirt from his waistband, wiping his skin down and goodness help her, it probably should have been gross but it was sooo hot. She moved to the table, facing him as she got out of her boots but kept her socks on, and slid her pants and panties off.
He dug in his bag, pulled out a foil packet, and she turned, bracing her hands, sticking her butt out because why lie about how much she wanted it at that point?
“Damn, look at you.”
The sound of his pants unzipping made her suck in a desperate breath. His heat at her back and then a kiss to her neck.
Ever the gentleman, even as he was ordering her around, he slid his fingers through her, testing her readiness. He hissed. “You want this as bad as I do,” he murmured as he pressed inside with his cock.
She arched to meet him as a driven sort of heat settled in her gut.
“Yes. Give it all to me, Nat. I’m all worked up and I need you.”
The table began to thunk against the wall as he thrust harder and harder.
He crooned to her all manner of dirty, sexy things. Some sweet. Some vulgar. All hot. He fucked her as though he couldn’t possibly do anything else. His hands roved over her body until one found its way to the spot between her legs she needed him most.
Needed him to soothe that ache that was just out of reach of climax.
He’d gone quiet and she knew he was close. Knew he was waiting for her to go first. She opened her eyes and realized the glass frame on the poster hanging in front of them reflected what they were doing.
He had a smile on his face and she bit her bottom lip, tightening around him with her inner muscles, gripping the edge of that table so hard, her knuckles went white.
A roll of pleasure took her and she let it. Grabbed it, jumped in. Behind her—inside her—she knew he’d met his own end as he made that growling snarl he did when he came.
He kept deep and she gasped, s
ucking in air, letting go of the table to slap a palm against the wall, going up to her toes to receive him.
“Jesus.” A harsh whisper as he pulled out.
She swallowed around a dry throat as she turned to watch him duck into the attached bathroom. She opened a bottle of water, drank half and handed the rest his way.
“Thanks, baby.”
She watched his throat work, his Adam’s apple going up and down as he swallowed. His gaze never left her as she got dressed.
He grinned, tossing the bottle into a recycle bin. “You look like your boyfriend just fucked you hard and fast in his dressing room.”
She laughed. “It’s the new trend. I guess I know why now.”
He stepped close, his arm snaking around her waist to pull her to him. “Let me kiss you before you put your lipstick on again.”
She did, breathing him in. Loving his taste and the way he felt against her.
“I feel better.” He grinned, stepping back.
“I’m glad I was here to help you out.”
He could have told her he normally came back and jerked off in the shower to rid himself of the postshow adrenaline jitters. Or availed himself of the women who offered themselves. But Natalie was there now, and what they’d just done was better than fucking his fist or some stranger.
Even better, despite the chaos all around them, she seemed to be dealing with it well. Maybe the key was a good hard fuck to keep her mellow. He could be down with that.
“Let’s go back and celebrate awhile. Then we’ll go home, and I’ll pretend not to scour the media to see what they thought of the material.”
“I’m sure we can find a way to keep you occupied some.”
He took her hand. “What did you think?”
“You were awesome. The band was awesome. The material sounds great live. I’m so proud of you. How are you going to do the piano thing when you’re on tour? If Ezra isn’t there to do your guitar parts, how does that work?”
“We have a guitarist and a few other musicians who tour with us. I’ll probably end up playing the guitar and someone else will do the piano.”
The room was lively still, filled with friends and family and a few faces Paddy hadn’t seen in some time—including Adrian Brown.
