Heat warmed her spine before she felt the brush of his moist breath to her ear. “Whatever’s going through your head, don’t.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Something gave you a sour look, Jennifer. Whatever it was, let it go. Talk to me, tell me what put that look there.”
She couldn’t tell him what had skittered over her brain. That she’d been only a heartbeat from acting like that crazed fan who’d attacked him. Only he didn’t have security to rescue him this time around. She shook her head and met his gaze in the mirror with a small smile. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”
Not now that she’d gotten herself under control again anyway. Turning, she patted his arm. “Have your shower and meet me in the living space. I’ll put on more cream before dinner arrives, and then it should be dry enough for you to get some rest when the time comes.” Scooping up the tube of antibiotic ointment she slipped around him and left the bathroom.
Knowing the other band members could see the bathroom door she made sure to keep a pleasant expression in place. “How long until food?” she called out.
“Thirteen minutes and counting,” Shade called back.
Enough time to throw some cold water on her cheeks and calm her libido down some more. Maybe it would work for her finally. It had to. No way in hell was she going to fuck up what no one else had ever managed to achieve. It broke her heart a degree to know she couldn’t ever have him.
Chapter Eight
For the next month, Lance had to fight to get in a conversation with Jennifer. The first couple of days after they got going on the tour everything was hectic enough he paid the sudden distance no mind. But once the first week had passed, he was almost positive she was avoiding him on purpose.
By the end of the second week, he knew for sure that she was. She wasn’t rude by any means. But he couldn’t draw her into a real conversation to save his life. By the time they were a month into the tour, he figured he was destined for a permanent case of blue balls. With the rest of the group she was open, carefree, and laughing. With him, it was like a veil came down, and she turned reserved and guarded.
It was pissing him off. Likely why he was down in the gym at the hotel with two of their security team keeping watch. He was taking his frustration, annoyance, and general confusion with those of the female persuasion out on the heavy bag. He didn’t get women. Never had, and likely never would.
“Should you be doing that¸ Lance?”
Christine’s cool voice didn’t stop him from beating the shit out of some imaginary foe. He’d known the instant she’d walked into the room. Those heels of hers weren’t exactly made for sneaking around in.
A heavy sigh told him she was much closer than he’d realized. “You know I’m here for you, all of you boys. But you have to tell me what the problem is before I can fix it. Tell me what’s got your knickers in a twist, and I’ll go out and slay the beast who dared to upset one of my boys.”
A faint ripple of amusement flowed through him at her words. Since the day they’d taken a chance with one another she’d called the members of Victorious “her boys.” Christine had never married, never had any kids of her own, and while she still had time to get hitched, she’d said the time for children was long gone. She had Victorious, after all. And after dealing with all their issues, she didn’t need to go through the early stages of kids only to have to deal with another dose of rampaging idiocy. Her term when referring to teenagers.
While Lance didn’t appreciate the fact she likened them to teenagers, he did understand her point of view. There had been more than a few days in the early years where she might have had better luck getting a pack of feral dogs to do what she wanted than she’d had with them.
“There’s no beast to slay,” he told her finally. She wouldn’t leave him alone if he didn’t give her some sort of answer.
“Yet you’re down here beating on this innocent bag of sand like it offended you in some way. This tells me something must be wrong, Lance.”
Huffing out a breath he slapped his hands to the bag to stop its swing. “I couldn’t sleep and figured some mindless physical activity might help get me to a point I could rest.”
“Ahh.”
Lance did not like how she said that. “What ahh?”
“You’re miffed that the girl you like is keeping you at arm’s length.”
How she’d figured that out, he didn’t want to consider. “Don’t know what you’re talking about, Christine.”
Her heels clicked on the floor until she was up on the mat next to him. “Lance, you seem to forget I know you boys rather well. I’ve seen you at your worst and at your best. You, right now my boy, are somewhere in the middle. Since you’re not up screaming at one of the others or drinking yourself into a stupor, and I know it’s got nothing to do with the band or creative differences. This fabulous display of aggression is pure male sexual frustration.”
Lance felt his cheeks warm up at her rather blunt assessment. Unfortunately, he couldn’t deny her claim either. He was sexually frustrated, and it all centered around one particular woman. “What would your suggestion be then, Mom?”
He felt mildly better when she nailed him with a glare that should have set him on fire. It was better to have her riled up, and off center than too focused on him. “I’ll let that one pass, but next time I’ll smack you upside your head. Talk to the woman, Lance. Open your mouth and let the words come out.”
Lance shook his head. “Great plan there, coach. Except for one major problem. I barely get two words out before she suddenly has somewhere else to be.”
“Oh my God,” she muttered. Pressing a hand to her forehead she let out a long, annoyed sounding breath. “How any of you get laid is beyond me.”
Lance snorted out a laugh. “Usually it’s not exactly exhaustive to make it happen.”
She poked him in the middle of his chest. “The ones who matter take work, Lance. Does she matter, or should I kick her perky, petite ass to the curb?”
Instantly he bristled at the thought of her getting rid of Jennifer.
“Right, you disapprove of that plan, go figure. Fine, I’ll figure something out. But you damn well better get me something truly fabulous for my birthday this year, Lance. Helping you get laid was not in my fucking contract.”
He gave her until she was nearly to the door before he threw out his two cents. He wasn’t suicidal enough to say it when she could reach him after all. “I would get you anything you wanted, Christine. But you have to tell me when your birthday is first.” Her date of birth was more protected than most state secrets.
She shot him a withering look. “Be at the venue earlier than the others, Lance. I’ll make sure you have time to talk with her, but the rest is up to you. Don’t screw this up. If she’s truly the one for you, you’ll hate yourself to your grave for blowing it.”
Chilled by the thought, he gave a tight bob of his head. No way in hell was he going to screw up what might well be his only shot with Jennifer. Turning back to the heavy bag once Christine was gone, he gave it another couple half-hearted hits before deciding he was done. He needed to get some sleep before seeing Jennifer. Being off his game because of exhaustion was not an option.
****
Stepping out on the stage without the other members of Victorious was odd. It wasn’t the first time he’d done it, but knowing they were a full hour behind him had his palms sweating. The venue was empty except for the roadies finalizing the setup of their gear, and, of course, the security to ensure no one got to thinking of trying to slip in early.
He went to his drum set to run a hand over the cymbals before settling down onto the stool. Rubbing a finger over the skin of the snare drum, he let out a breath. He was more nervous about getting Jennifer to himself for a while than anytime he’d stepped out in front of a crowd.
Lance heard Christine coming long before he saw her. From her conversation he knew she had Jennifer with her. I
nteresting tactic. Hopefully, it wouldn’t backfire.
“Then of course once everything is in place the band arrives to do the sound checks on the mics, their instruments, and for all the speakers involved. More than once there’s been a crossed wire that creates a horrifying dead zone. It’s all part of the process, but I will say Victorious’s roadies are some of the best in the business. It’s pretty rare we have any major issues during sound checks. Remind me to tell you about the one time that Shade hid Chase’s guitar picks. The boy was frantic trying to find his lucky pick for the show. It wasn’t pretty once he figured out who’d hidden them.”
The heels of Christine’s shoes told him where she and Jennifer were in relation to him. Easing off the stool, he moved into the wings as they came out onto the stage.
“Doesn’t look like much in daylight does it?”
“No. It looks, I don’t know, normal I guess,” Jennifer said. She had a notebook and pen in hand, obviously making notes to write up into her piece later.
“Normal is in the eye of the beholder. I see what is to come.” The ring of a cell phone had Christine cursing. “Sorry, I need to take this. Get some photo’s while I’m gone,” she advised. Then she walked off the other side of the stage already talking into her phone. When she crossed the same wing, he stood in on the opposite side Christine threw him a look.
He dipped his chin in return. Drawing back further, he moved out of the wings to the mishmash of shadows of the backstage area to watch Jennifer as she pulled out a camera. She took a variety of shots of the venue, then a couple of shots of the mics, instruments, and others he couldn’t quite figure out. Eventually, she wandered back to his drums to take a few shots. One had her bent over giving him the perfect view of her ass.
Groaning softly, Lance adjusted his cock with an internal curse. He had to get through to her; he’d never survive otherwise.
When she moved behind the drums, she took another couple of pictures. He saw her shoot a look around before reaching out to run a finger over the crash cymbal. Grinning, he stuck his hands in his pockets and began to head her way. She was seated on his stool when he cleared the wings, her head turned partially away. Jennifer must have seen him in her peripheral since she attempted to scramble up from the stool. Not as easy as it sounded.
Lance held up a hand. “Stay there,” he told her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t touch them I swear.”
“Hush. It’s fine, Jennifer.” Moving closer, he stopped with the floor tom-tom between the two of them.
“Uh, Christine’s on a call right now. She should be back any second.”
“I know. I’m not looking for her.” He watched her closely and knew the instant she realized she’d been set up. “You’ve been avoiding me for the last month, Jennifer. What’s going on?”
Jennifer looked to the wings where Christine had gone, but she must have realized she wasn’t going to be rescued anytime soon. A look of defeat came over her, and her shoulders hunched forward.
He didn’t like seeing her looking beaten down. Slipping around to stand next to her he put a hand on her head. “Talk to me,” he encouraged gently.
She leaned into his touch giving him hope. “You confuse me.”
Her muttered words made him smile. “Join the club, sweetheart. You baffle the shit out of me.” Reaching down he took her hand in his and tugged her up. “Come on. Let’s grab a seat and then you can talk to me without someone interrupting us.”
Lance led her to the stairs at stage right and down to the front row of seats. Pushing a seat down for her he settled in next to her keeping hold of her hand the entire time. He didn’t know if it was to keep her from bolting, or because he couldn’t let go. Either way, he laced his fingers through hers and gave a squeeze. “Talk to me,” he prompted when she remained silent, staring down at their joined hands resting on his thigh.
Jennifer’s shoulders lifted in a shrug while she blew out a breath. She shifted a little and shocked the hell out of him by resting her head on his shoulder. Afraid to move, he waited quietly. Obviously something was going on with her. He’d give her a minute to sort it out if that’s what she needed. He had the time. She already felt important to him. More than his bandmates which should have scared the shit out of him. In reality, it felt right but also scarier than anything he’d ever had to do before in his life. At that time, he felt like everything was about to change. What he didn’t know was if it would be good or bad.
Chapter Nine
Jennifer breathed in Lance’s cologne. It was subtle, a hint of spice that mixed with the more musky tone that was all man. She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder, not surprised when he gave her fingers a light squeeze in response. He seemed to be in tune with her. Odd given she’d done everything in her power to avoid spending enough time with him for something like that to happen.
Obviously he’d noticed. He had to care a bit if he had gone to all the trouble of getting Christine on board to set this meeting up. Jen knew the woman would have protested. Christine was nothing if not super protective of the band members.
Might have had something to do with why Jen had backed off. No, she couldn’t cop out like that despite it being only in her own head. She’d made the choice to back off from what could be with Lance because of her own fears. Too many stories of what happened on the road, some from Victorious’s own roadies, and others from press releases from other bands over the years had her cowering back from her feelings. No more.
Only problem now was she had no idea how to start this conversation. If it had been an article she could have played around with the opening line, but this was real life. No do-overs in life. At least she’d never gotten one.
Turning her head she pressed her nose to his shoulder to take a deeper breath. His heat poured easily through the thin t-shirt he wore. Closing her eyes, Jen could imagine that heat wrapping around her, and holding her safe.
After returning her cheek to his shoulder, she let out a sigh. She figured to jump in and see where this ended up going. “I’m attracted to you,” she admitted. His body tensed next to her, but he stayed silent. Likely a good thing since she didn’t know if she could keep going if he spoke.
“I have been since we first met. The night in the bathroom when I was tending to those scratches seemed to take it to a new level. It scares me, Lance. As much as I don’t want to get hurt, I’m also worried that if I don’t explore this I could miss out on something huge. I don’t know what to do. Not something I wanted to admit to you or anyone. I’ve always known what I wanted to do in my life, always had a plan, and then you entered the equation and threw it all out the window. I thought if I avoided you the attraction would ease. It hasn’t. If anything it’s gotten worse, sharper, and to the point that it’s affecting my dreams.”
Jen shot him a look and found his gaze on her. He had a serious expression like he was hanging on her every word. An unusual experience for her outside her work environment, and then it usually only lasted until something bigger came along.
“I’ve only had three semi-serious relationships in my life. All of which eventually broke down because they didn’t like my traveling for work, jealousy over who I spoke to or saw, or figured they should be the center of my world. In order of relationships for the record. Not saying I was a nun in between, it would be a lie, but I’m not into casual. I’m not built that way. My parents married young and are still married and happy to this day. I guess I’ve been searching for what they have.” She lowered her gaze to their joined hands and let out another sigh. “I’m terrified of being hurt, and I know you could hurt me worse than any of the others. What I feel for you already makes the others all pale in comparison to the point they are nearly nonexistent.”
Lance shifted next to her and put his free hand to her cheek. The fingertips and palms were calloused, providing an extra sensation to the touch. He used his thumb to lift her head, but she resisted for a moment. Meeting his green gaze, she let herself relax into his t
ouch.
“I can’t make promises that you won’t be hurt if we go forward. That wouldn’t be fair or right. Neither of us knows what the future might bring. I will promise you this, Jennifer.” He moved his thumb to stroke over her lower lip. “If you want to give this a shot I will always be honest with you. I expect the same. We don’t need to tell each other our life stories right off, but I won’t ever lie to you about what’s going on in my life. I will also promise you that there won’t be any other women. There couldn’t be when I have the opportunity to be with the best there is. That’s you by the way.” His lips quirked up.
She gave a slight nod searching his eyes for...something. Jen didn’t know what she was looking for, but a lot of tension slid from her body as they stared at one another. She believed him. Jen wasn’t sure if she should, but right then she was going to go with her gut. “Do you want to try?”
“More than anything, sweetheart. I’ve wanted you from the instant I read your packet. It’s only gotten more intense since you arrived. We’ll have our ups and downs, all relationships do, but we have to stay open and communicate with one another.”
“I can do that.” Easy to say, execution might prove a mite tricky, but she’d definitely give it a go. Suddenly a wave of shyness hit her, and she squirmed a little. “What now?”
“I’m glad you asked.” His thumb slid under her chin again to tip her face up further. Then his lips were pressed to hers.
Warm, soft, and the entire focus of all her attention. Opening to him, she let out a low moan when his tongue slid in to stroke over hers. She had to admit the man knew how to kiss. Lance didn’t rush her, but he didn’t stand on the sidelines either.
The Rhythm Page 5
