The Rhythm

by Moira Callahan

  “You’ll do great. Plus, I’ll be talking to you every single night after we get back to the hotel. Although once we’re back on the East Coast maybe I should call you before we go on stage,” he said with concern coloring his voice.

  “Nope, after. I’m going to stay on your schedule for when I come back out there. I’m hoping not in that daze like I was the first week of the tour. My boss will hate it, but he can go suck a lemon for all I care.” She was going to be quitting once the piece was turned in, signed off by Christine, and set to publish anyway. She couldn’t work there while Lance was all the way across the country for the majority of the year. She wouldn’t survive the separation.

  “You sure? I don’t mind making the earlier calls, babe.”

  “I do. I want to have the option of a long talk. Our phone bills will seriously suck for a while, but it will be worth it. I need to hear your voice before I can sleep anyway. It makes me feel like this will all be worth it in the end.”

  “Of course it’s worth it.”

  Smiling as his words warmed her, Jen wiggled deeper into her sofa. “How’s Jeremy doing?” she asked. She knew Christine’s lawyers had been pushing for DNA testing for a while now. Last she’d heard before leaving was a judge had ordered them to be run, and by three different labs that only the court would know about to ensure no tampering.

  Lance’s heavy sigh told her more than words ever could. “He’s stressed out. I wish I could do more for him.”

  “You’re there for him, talking to him and letting him lean on you. The truth will come out, Lance,” she told him. The picture had been a complete bust. It turned out to be an image from a concert the woman had been at two years prior to the alleged hookup. Apparently the only time she’d gotten her picture taken with him, but of course she was claiming not the last time they’d met at a concert. She had receipts and stubs from several other Victorious concerts both before and after the photo had been taken.

  “Yeah, I know. We’ll get through it all. The DNA tests will be the proof he needs to get a good night’s sleep once more. God only knows what sort of shit storm Christine will raise when it’s proven the child isn’t his. Shit, hang on a second.” The line was muffled, but she could still hear voices. “Dinner’s here. Why don’t you go and get some sleep? I’ll give you a call tomorrow when I get up, and then after the show for a longer chat.”

  She figured it wasn’t a halfway terrible idea to get some rest since she was starting to feel the day catching up to her. “Sounds good to me. Be good, Lance West.”

  “Be safe, Jennifer Mitchell. Talk to you tomorrow, sweetheart.”

  “Good night, drummer boy.”

  The silence on his end of the call told her she’d shocked him. “Drummer boy? Seriously? You’re going to go with that?”

  Chuckling, she smiled. “Seems rather fitting actually. It also popped out without any forewarning from my brain. Should I apologize?”

  “No, it’s all good. But you will pay for that when you get back to me.”

  “Promises, promises Mr. West. Sleep well, Lance.”

  “You too, sweetheart,” he whispered.

  When the line went dead, Jen didn’t move right away. She continued to stare out the window at a view that had been comforting four months ago. Now it only made her heart ache to be somewhere she wasn’t. Sighing, she shoved up from the sofa.

  She had work to do, and then she’d be back with her man. God help the fool that tried to get in her way.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Christine had advised against him going to the airport. “Send Dennis, she knows him,” she’d said. But Lance hadn’t been willing to wait. He was more than willing to risk a mob scene than wait for Dennis to collect Jennifer and bring her back to the hotel where the band was staying.

  Five weeks was way too fucking long for him. They had three more tour dates before they’d be heading home, and he was more than ready to have her back in his arms. But if her plane didn’t get in soon he’d miss the opening number.

  Jeremy had assured him it wasn’t a concern because they’d work the sound check. With the stress finally off the other man, Jeremy was doing a few extra things to say thank you to the other members of the band. The DNA testing had come back to prove Jeremy wasn’t a deadbeat father. The woman who had accused him finally made a televised apology for going along with her boyfriend’s harebrained get rich quick scheme.

  Life was getting back to normal once more. It would be better when Jennifer was finally where Lance could see her again. But a storm had delayed her flight which was raising some serious worries from all corners. It was getting close enough to start time that their manager was texting him about it nearly every five minutes. The woman had way too many sources providing her with information for his peace of mind. She could probably give the government agencies some lessons.

  An announcement came through the airport in that distorted voice no one on the planet could understand. Except apparently Dennis. The driver gave him a look to let Lance know it was Jennifer’s flight. Digging his phone out, he sent a text back to Christine to let her know that the flight was in, and they’d be heading to the venue as soon as they collected Jennifer and her bags. Mainly he sent it to get the woman to lay off the insane amount of texting she was doing.

  Letting out a breath, he paced back and forth in front of where Dennis stood. Given he was incognito with the ball cap, thick-framed glasses, and bulky jacket, he wasn’t sure if Jennifer would immediately recognize him so it was good Dennis was there. She’d know their driver right off.

  The sound of doors opening behind him had Lance spinning and his gaze moving over the people in search for the one he wanted to see. Then she was there. She looked tired and had shadows under her eyes that hadn’t been there when she’d left.

  She waved to Dennis. Her gaze swept over him, then snapped back with her jaw going slack in surprise. Okay, maybe he should have figured that she would recognize him with his crappy disguise. She ran right for them, dropping her bags and throwing herself into his arms.

  Not catching her wasn’t an option. Wrapping his arms around her, he met her for the kiss she aimed his way and groaned into her mouth. It had been too long since he’d last tasted her. Driving a hand into her hair, he grabbed hold of the strands, tugged her head to the side a bit, and deepened the kiss.

  “Uh, could you two possibly wait until we’re in the car by chance?”

  Dennis’s voice penetrated the haze of need saturating his every cell. Breaking the kiss despite the internal scream not to, Lance stared up at her. “Hi.”

  “Hi yourself,” she said back. Her smile was glorious.

  Lance gave her another quick peck before setting her on her feet. Adjusting his ball cap, he laced his fingers through hers, took one of the bags from Dennis, and followed the other man out to the short-term parking.

  “We should be able to make it, sir,” Dennis told him.

  Tossing her bag into the trunk with the other ones, Lance checked his watch. “Sounds good. Get us to the venue, and then you can take her stuff back to the hotel.”

  Dennis pulled open the back door for them, and Lance urged her inside. Once the door was shut, and they were hidden from view, he tugged off the cap and glasses. Cupping her cheeks in his hands, he pulled her in for a kiss. He let out a moan when she scrambled to straddle his lap with one hand sliding into his hair. Her other hand was busy getting under his clothing to press to his skin.

  Lance dropped his hands to her ass, pulling her tighter against his cock. Lifting his hips, he let out a moan when she rocked her hips forward. The friction would likely kill him, but he didn’t care.

  Jennifer scraped her nails down his chest to hook her fingers over his waistband. Then she worked his fly open and wrapped him up in her hand. Lance about came off the seat at the sensation of her smooth skin to his cock. Giving her hair a tug, he broke the kiss to stare into her eyes. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Tou
ching you.”

  Obviously she was doing that. He bit back a moan when she rubbed her thumb through the pre-cum leaking from his cock. “Jennifer, this is definitely not the place for that.”

  She threw a look over her shoulder, and then gave him a grin. “Good thing you have a car with a divider to keep Dennis from seeing what we’re doing this time around. I’ll never survive through your entire set, Lance.”

  He couldn’t figure out a good enough excuse to put her off because he knew he’d never be able to walk out on stage in his current condition, let alone play. Lifting her off, he dug into his pocket for his wallet and the condom he had in there. After getting it on over his aching cock, he held on to the base hard to stave off the orgasm.

  Jennifer had used the time wisely to ditch her shoes and jeans. Throwing her leg over him she pressed her wet pussy to the latex-covered tip of his dick and eased down to take him in. They both let out throaty moans of pleasure as she sank down further.

  Cupping her bare ass, he lifted his hips to drive in deeper. Her arms wound around his neck. Warm kisses rained down on his nose and cheeks as she began to lift and lower her body. She pressed her lips to his, giving him a small bite he loved to his lower lip.

  The car hit a bump that sent him in deeper and had her throwing her head back on a moan. Shifting his hold on her ass, Lance helped her to move faster. He didn’t know how much time they had, but it wasn’t enough. He thrust harder, faster, and with the help of a couple more bumps she went over the edge with a scream she muffled against his shoulder. Dragging her down over his cock, Lance ground his hips up until he came.

  His breathing was erratic as he wrapped his arms around her to hold tight. “I missed you,” he croaked out.

  Jennifer nodded against his cheek and squeezed the back of his neck with a hand. “I missed you too. Never again.”

  “Never again.” Pulling her back enough to reach her lips, he kissed her hard.

  The slowing of the car had them breaking their kiss to stare at each other. Then it was a sudden, mad scramble to get her dressed, and for him to clean up. By the time they came to a stop, most of their giggles and cursing had subsided. The grin he was wearing was still in place when Dennis opened the back door to let them out.

  The look on Dennis’s face said he knew exactly what they’d been up to. As a professional he said nothing. Jennifer must have picked up on it though because her cheeks were bright red as she hustled over to the backstage door security was holding for them.

  Lance caught the driver shaking his head before the doors closed. He still couldn’t lose the grin, and knew it would there for all to see for a long while. Hugging Jennifer close to his side, he gave her a squeeze while they walked quickly through halls, and up a set of stairs. “I am beyond happy you’re back.”

  “Me too. How much time before you have to be on stage?”

  He checked his watch. “About ten minutes. Gives me plenty of time to change and also gives you a couple of minutes with the guys. They’re happy you’re back too, by the way. You did remember the copies for them right?”

  “Of the magazine with the article? Absolutely,” she said. “I have them in my bags to give to them when we get back to the hotel. I also have a few extras for Christine to put in her office. Everyone will be super jealous she has them before the newsstands.”

  “Oh hell yeah, she’ll love that.” A security guard yanked open another door letting in the sound of the crowd already chanting for Victorious. Lance hustled her through the halls to the dressing room.

  When he pushed the door open, everyone inside turned. The guys suddenly went into motion, scooping Jennifer up for hugs and rather enthusiastic kisses to her cheeks. Shaking his head, he made for the bathroom to change, noting Christine checking her watch. “Plenty of time, told you I’d be here.”

  She gave him a glare before turning her attention to her phone.

  Once he was changed, he rejoined the others. They were all sitting around telling Jennifer what a miserable, growly, and grumpy bastard he’d been while she’d been away. While it was all true, they fucking didn’t need to be telling her that shit.

  “What the hell you guys? What about the bro code?” he demanded to know.

  “When you’re worse than Christine on one of her missions to tear us a new one, you get ratted out,” Chase said. “He truly was. All the moping was seriously depressing. Staring out the window with this hangdog look all the time. Horribly pitiful.”

  “And that is enough of that. Time to get our asses out on stage.” He’d have to keep her away from them for the next while until they were back in L.A. If only to ensure they didn’t bare more of his apparently pitiful behavior to her.

  Jennifer was laughing and let him pull her to her feet. She lifted her chin up for the kiss he offered her. “Go out there and be amazing,” she said.

  “Yes, ma’am.” He could do that. Especially with his reason for breathing in the wings.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The tour ended with a roar. Literally. The crowd at the end of the last show shouted for the band long after the guys had stepped off the stage. When they were leaving the venue, there was an inordinately large crowd still in the parking lot.

  During the ride back to the hotel, Jen scribbled down notes for the autobiography. She’d worked on it off and on during the tour but the majority of her focus had been for the article. Now that the article was out of the way, she had to shift from journalist mode to something she wasn’t entirely sure she could pull off. She had to become a storyteller of a different kind while sticking to the facts, and only the facts.

  The soft brush of Lance’s lips to her neck tugged her attention off her worries. “What are you working on?” he asked softly.

  “Some notes for the book.” She’d always been completely open with him and the other guys about the book. While her notes weren’t exactly compelling reading at the moment, she hoped to find a way to make the jumble of thoughts flow eventually. Luckily there was no time limit on the autobiography.

  Jen tipped her notebook up for him to read over her shoulder what she’d written down. She’d ended up having to teach him her version of shorthand because of the way she took her notes. Every reporter, journalist, and writer had their own version. Something morphed that worked for them, and in most cases they were the only ones that could read it.

  She felt him chuckle and knew he’d gotten to the point she’d written down about how the guys had all but collapsed in the dressing room after the show. Any other time they’d have been hopping around talking and making minute fixes to the show. Not that night. The tour was over and it had been like all their energy had been shut off for a few brief beats of time.

  It was one of those real moments she wanted to have in the book. She wanted to not only tell the band’s story but show the fans that each and every one of the guys that made up Victorious was a real person. They all had faults, they all had superstitions, and they were all human. Things like their reaction after the last show was only one of a dozen things she wanted to integrate to portray that realism.

  “Have you figured out how you’re going to structure it yet?” Jeremy asked.

  Looking to the lead singer, she made a face. “Maybe. I want to run it by Christine to get her take on it. The other thing is she will need to shop around for a publisher who’ll want to be the one to sell the full Victorious story. They’ll have their own take on it of course. What I will want to do, in time, is sit with you all to do a more in-depth interview. I figure there will be a chapter for each of you in the book, and maybe a few fun stories as well in between all the facts. Again, I don’t know if it’ll fly with her, but that’s something I’ll talk with her about at our meeting next week.”

  This time it was Chase who asked the question. “You have a meeting with her already scheduled?”

  Jen snorted. “It’s been planned since the second week I was with you guys. I had to give her the yea or nay prior to joining you guys
for the tour about doing the autobiography. I have a feeling if I’d said no I’d have been out of there by month two.”

  Lance tightened his arms around her. “I’d have fought it,” he said quietly.

  Rubbing her hand over his arm, she twisted to look up at him. “Me too.” Tooth and nail if it had been required. Once she’d let him in, there’d been no going back. While she still worried it was all moving too fast, and that one or both of them could be burned in the end. She was willing to risk it for him. For them both.

  “We likely would have made a stink too,” Shade said.

  Jen looked over at the other four men and lifted a brow. “Considering the grief you’ve been giving him, I’m shocked to hear you say that.”

  “You shouldn’t be,” Mark told her. He twisted the top off a bottle of cola and took a long drink. “Busting his chops is fun, and you being there gives us a ton material to work with.”

  “Ah, now I see how this works.” Laughing, she looked to Lance and pressed a kiss to his jaw. “Don’t worry, Lance. One day these guys will all meet their match, and then you can return the favor tenfold.”

  His lips curled into an evil looking grin. “Can’t wait.”

  “This is all based on the idea we’d actually hook up with a woman for longer than a night or two. Who says that’ll happen?” Chase asked her.

  Jen lifted one shoulder in a shrug as she settled back into position against the heated strength of Lance’s body. “I have a feeling that you’ll all meet your match eventually. Not saying it’ll happen today or next week. But there will come a time in the future where a woman will take you out at the knees. I only hope I’m there to witness it in person. I seriously hate having to hear about such things secondhand.”

  Mark shook his head at her. “You have a mean streak, Jennifer Mitchell. When the hell did you decide to let that out?”