Tequila

by Toppen, Melissa

  “Okay, sounds good.” I nod, taking another long pull of water.

  “So what’s your plan for tomorrow? I was thinking maybe we could do a little sightseeing while we’re out. I’ve actually never been to Knoxville before.”

  “I don’t think I’ll be able to,” I say, not missing the confusion that crosses her face but also not wanting to get into all of it with her right now.

  The argument with Lennon this afternoon really opened my eyes. I know she’s expressed uneasiness about my friendship with Anna before, but I don’t think I realized just how much it was bothering her until today. And of course there was the knowledge that she spent time with Travis and how tore up that made me feel.

  She did nothing more than have a friendly conversation with another man and I instantly started a fight over it. How would I react if the roles were reversed and she was spending her days and nights with another man? I would fucking lose it.

  I know she has more she wants to still say. I could tell by the way she exploded that it’s been building for a while. I think it’s about time I stop worrying about Anna’s feelings so much and start worrying about Lennon’s like I should have been all along. I finish the rest of my water, catching sight of Lennon making her way toward us.

  “I’ll talk to you later, Anna, yeah?” I don’t wait for her to respond before taking off toward my girl.

  “Oh my god, you were amazing,” Lennon squeals, launching herself into my arms the moment we reach each other.

  Given the way this day started, I couldn’t be happier with how it’s ending. I’ve sensed a disconnect with Lennon for some time now. Like she’s pulling away even though I don’t think she’s aware of it herself. But today, after our argument, I felt some of that dissipate. Pulling her close, I bury my face into her hair and inhale her sweet scent.

  “Seriously, so good.” She pulls back, her hands resting on my shoulders.

  “It felt good.” I tip her chin up with the back of my hand, not able to resist the urge to taste her lips.

  She instantly opens for me, a soft moan escaping her mouth as my tongue slides against hers. Fuck me. It’s only been a couple of hours and I already feel the need to bury myself deep inside of her again.

  “Come to Tennessee with me,” I murmur against her lips.

  “What?” She pulls back like she didn’t hear me.

  “Tennessee, come with me.”

  “When? Tonight?”

  “You can ride on the bus with me. We could spend the day together tomorrow and I can arrange to have you brought back here by tomorrow evening. Unless you want to stay the whole weekend with me, in which case I could make that work too.” I smile, tucking a strand of her blonde hair that’s worked its way loose of her ponytail behind her ear.

  “But Starr and Sandy,” she starts to object.

  “Will be just fine without you and you know it,” I cut her off.

  “It’s tempting.” She kneads her bottom lip between her teeth.

  “Don’t feel obligated to stay here. You know as well as I do that your sister won’t care. In fact.” I reach around and snag her cell phone out of the back pocket of her jean shorts.

  Punching in her code, I quickly pull up her contacts and click on Starr’s number.

  “What are you doing?” she asks, reaching for her phone which I quickly pull out of her reach and hold to my ear.

  “Shhh. I’m making a phone call,” I say, giving her a wide smile when she crosses her arms in front of her chest and taps her foot in mock impatience.

  “Travis is getting ready to come on. Kiss your hot country star and get your ass back out here,” Starr rambles without so much as a hello.

  “Well, she’s already kissed me but I’ll make sure she does it again.” I chuckle.

  “Hudson James. You better announce yourself before you let a girl word vomit all over the place.” She laughs and it’s pretty clear she’s been partaking in the moonshine festivities.

  “You didn’t really give me a chance,” I point out.

  “Okay, good point. Now why are you calling me from my sister’s phone?”

  “I’ve asked Lennon to come with me for the rest of the weekend but she’s feeling guilty about bailing on you.”

  “Put her on the phone,” she demands in a way that sounds so much like Lennon it’s uncanny.

  Pulling the phone away from my ear, I switch it to speaker.

  “She’s on,” I tell Starr, smiling at Lennon who gives me the cutest evil eye I’ve ever seen.

  Fuck, I don’t think there’s a thing about this girl that doesn’t make me rock hard in two seconds flat.

  “Lennon Marie Claire. When a hot country star asks you to get on his big tour bus and go somewhere with him, you go. End of story.”

  “But I came here with you and the girls.”

  “And?” Starr cuts her off. “Do you want to go with Hudson?”

  “Yes, but...”

  “No buts, Lenny. You always prioritize everything over what you want. I’ve seen how hard of a time you’ve been having lately and you deserve this time with the man you love.” Lennon meets my gaze but I can’t quite read the look on her face. “Now go. I’ll make sure to spend the rest of the weekend getting good and wasted for you.”

  “If you’re sure,” Lennon says, the smile on her face telling me exactly what I want to know.

  “Oh my god.” Starr groans dramatically into the phone. “My man is getting ready to come on stage. Call me and let me know when to expect you back or tell me you’re not coming back and I’ll drive your car home. Either way works for me.”

  “Thanks, Starr,” I say before Lennon has a chance to.

  “Take care of my sister.”

  “Always.” I smile when the line goes dead. “Guess it’s settled.” I pull Lennon back into my arms, laying a kiss to her mouth.

  “I need to go to the hotel and get my bag,” she says after I’ve kissed her good and deep.

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “No, it’s literally right down the road. I can be there and back in twenty minutes.”

  “Okay, I’ll come with you,” I repeat.

  “Do you really think it’s a good idea to be walking around a venue where there’s thousands of fans who could mull you to death?”

  “I highly doubt it would end that dramatically.” I chuckle. “Besides, there is a back entrance.”

  “Oh, good point.” She laughs at herself, clearly having not thought of that. “Well, let’s go then, country star. We don’t have all night.”

  “Actually, we do,” I say, raising and lowering my eyebrows in a playfully seductive manner.

  “What am I going to do with you, Mr. Demasi?” she says, running a hand through my hair before trailing it down the side of my face.

  “You know exactly what to do with me, Miss Claire.” I wink, allowing her to wiggle out of my grasp even though it’s the last thing I want her to do.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  “I don’t want to get up.” I swat at Hudson who snuggles up behind me, rubbing his scruffy face on my back as he tries to coax me awake.

  “It’s late, sleepyhead.” He smiles against my shoulder seconds before pressing a light kiss there.

  “Well perhaps you should have let me sleep last night.”

  “But keeping you awake was so much more fun.”

  “Yeah, but now I’m sleepy,” I whine, attempting to pull the covers over my face.

  “Oh no you don’t.” He chuckles, managing to completely remove the blanket from my body in one quick pull.

  “Hudson, it’s cold.” I curl into a ball, my tank and panties not offering much in the way of warmth.

  “I’ll keep you warm, baby,” he teases, forcing me to my back seconds before his weight settles on top of me and his entire body covers me like a blanket.

  “Mmm.” I murmur my delight without once opening my eyes.

  “You like that? I can think of a few other ways to keep you warm,
baby,” he whispers in my ear causing goose bumps to erupt across my skin.

  “You’re insatiable.” My body is already starting to respond to him.

  “Only for you, baby.” He smiles against my neck, peppering kisses up to my ear before gently sucking my earlobe into his mouth.

  “I need to go to the bathroom,” I tell him, trying to shift his weight off of me.

  “Only if you promise to come right back.” He runs his nose through my hair.

  “I promise.”

  “Okay.” He kisses my forehead before rolling off of me and onto his back, tucking his hands behind his head as he watches me slide out of bed and cross the small room.

  Hudson is still laying in the same position when I reenter the room a couple minutes later. The sight of him so relaxed and happy does something crazy to my stomach.

  It’s so easy to doubt and dismiss our relationship when he’s not with me, but looking at him now – hair disheveled, his incredible stomach and chest on full display, his brown eyes locked on me like I’m the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. It’s exactly what I needed to remind me why this is worth fighting for. Why all the lonely nights and uncertainty is worth it.

  Because he’s worth it.

  “You just gonna stand there checking me out or are you going to get back in this bed and let me finish what I was about to start?” He gives me a sexy smirk.

  “Hmm.” I tap my chin. “That’s a tough one. The view from here is pretty spectacular.”

  Hudson gives me a full dimple smile seconds before he rolls and grabs my hand, pulling me back into bed with him.

  “That’s better.” He shifts so he’s lying on top of me again. “Now, where were we?” He presses a kiss to my lips and then another and another, not giving me the opportunity to respond. “Oh, that’s right.” He pulls back, that cocky smirk he wears so well in full bloom. “I was just about to wake you up. Let’s get to that, shall we?” His smirk turns into a wicked grin seconds before his mouth closes over mine again.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  “What time do you think you’ll leave in the morning?” I ask, tossing a couple outfits into my carry-on duffel bag.

  “The bus will be parked for the night since the next show is only three hours north. I can’t see them leaving until nine or ten at the earliest.” Colton pauses. “What time will your flight be in?”

  After spending last weekend with Hudson, I decided that I need more. More time. More him. More everything. Fast forward to an hour ago when I decided to fly to Colorado where Hudson has two shows this weekend. One tonight and one tomorrow night. I won’t make tonight’s show as the earliest flight I could get won’t land until seven in the morning, but I’ll get to see Saturday’s show and hopefully get to spend a few hours with him beforehand.

  “I’m scheduled to land around seven. I’m going to take an Uber to the bus. Can you send me the address where they’ll be parked.”

  “Already emailed.”

  “You’re a rockstar.”

  “Actually, I’m a country star’s bitch but who’s keeping track?” He chuckles.

  “You are not his bitch.” I laugh, grabbing my toiletry bag from the bed before tossing it into my duffel. “Now, promise you won’t tell him. Not a word.”

  “Cross my heart,” he says and I can practically see him making an X with his finger across his chest.

  “You’re the best.”

  “I know.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow. Thank you again, Colton.”

  “Safe travels. And anytime.”

  I toss my cell on top of the bed the instant the line goes dead, looking around to make sure I have everything packed. I don’t have to be at the airport for a few more hours but I have a couple errands I need to run before I leave so I want to make sure I have everything together before I head out.

  Picking my phone back up, I consider calling Hudson to tell him my plans but I quickly talk myself out of it. I set out to surprise him and damn it I’m going to do just that.

  Shoving the device into my pocket, I grab my bag off the bed and make my way into the kitchen. Like so many times before, I stop and take in the incredible view of the ocean. I don’t think I’ll ever look out at the white sand and crisp blue water without thinking of Hudson. He’s tied to so many things that existed before him but somehow held no real meaning until he came along.

  It’s hard to think about how much has changed in less than a year. Had someone told me this time last year this is where I’d be I probably would have laughed hysterically in their face. Now, I can’t imagine things turning out any different.

  I never dreamed I would meet a man like Hudson. Or that I’d find him again. Back then he was just some fantasy. A memory I glamourized to convince myself that it was possible to feel that way about another person. Now I know it was real from the beginning. From that very first night, from the moment he smiled at me, I knew. I knew this man was going to change everything.

  —-

  It’s almost eight by the time I make it to the address Colton sent me. I spot Hudson’s bus as we round the corner and I instruct the Uber driver to drop me off at the curb.

  As I climb from the car, a light breeze whips around me, feeling amazing on my heated skin. Adjusting my bag onto my shoulder, I quickly cross the parking lot and slip between the two busses that are parked side by side.

  I was a mix of nervous and excited, so I couldn’t sleep a wink on the plane, yet somehow I don’t feel even a little bit tired despite the fact that I’ve been up over twenty-four hours straight.

  Reaching up, I gently wrap on the bus door. Seconds later the door slides open and I look up to see Zeke, Hudson’s drummer, standing shirtless at the top of the stairs.

  “Hey, did I wake you?” I climb up, dropping my bag next to the small table in the common area, my mind instantly going back to last weekend when Hudson had me pressed over it as he drove into me from behind.

  “Nah, been awake a while.” He scratches his bald head before collapsing down on what can only be described as a couch but is really nothing more than a glorified bench.

  “Hudson sleeping?” I gesture toward the back of the bus.

  “I don’t think he’s here.”

  “He’s not here?” I question, trying to mask my confusion.

  “Nah. He left with Annabelle after the show. Didn’t come back. My guess is he was smart and got a hotel room. These beds are shit.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right.” I force a smile, not letting him see how much that statement bothers me. “I’m gonna check really fast just in case he slipped in while you were sleeping.”

  “Be my guest,” he says after I’ve already taken off down the narrow hall, past the bunks, to the bedroom at the back of the bus.

  The instant I see the empty bed I feel like I’m in danger of losing the breakfast sandwich I scarfed down on the way here.

  Taking a deep breath, I pull the door closed before heading back out to the common area. Zeke’s head pops up when I reenter the room.

  “Did he know you were coming?” he asks, stretching out his legs.

  “No, thought I’d surprise him. Mind if I wait?” I point to the chair in the corner, refusing to let my mind run wild with me.

  “Not at all. I think we’re scheduled to leave in a couple hours so he should be back soon.”

  “Okay, thanks.” I slide down into the chair, not able to shake the sick feeling that’s settled in the pit of my stomach.

  Zeke pops in a pair of ear buds and scrolls his finger across the iPad in his hand, doing what I presume he was doing when I showed up and interrupted. Meanwhile, I’m sitting across from him, silently freaking out as every imaginable scenario runs through my head.

  Hudson left after the show with Annabelle and didn’t come back? Just what every girl wants to hear about her boyfriend. And as much as I try to convince myself he would never do that to me, deep down I know that’s what everyone tells themselves when they’re
in love. You never want to believe someone you care that deeply for could hurt you in such a way. But the truth of the matter is, it happens every single day.

  Who’s to say I’m not just another stupid girl who finds it easier to ignore the signs than admit the truth? I shake away the thought. There’s no way Hudson could ever do that to me. I see the way he looks at me, the way he touches me. I feel it in his words, in his action.

  I’m sure everyone thinks that way, the little voice in my head chimes in.

  I go back and forth. The internal battle raging on and on as I wait. And I wait. And I wait...

  —-

  “Lennon.”

  My eyes shoot open and I straighten. Looking up at Hudson and then around the bus, I feel a little disoriented, but it doesn’t take long for me to remember where I am.

  “What time is it?” I stifle a yawn as I stretch my arms.

  “Just before ten.” He squats down in front of me. “What are you doing here?”

  “I wanted to surprise you,” I say, my voice groggy and sleep riddled.

  “Well you definitely have.” He gives me a full blown smile but it quickly falls when he catches the shift in my expression as my earlier thoughts hit me like a bullet.

  “Where have you been?” I ask, trying to keep the question from sounding accusatory.

  “I decided to stay at the hotel.”

  “Were you alone?” I can’t stop myself from asking.

  “Why would you ask me that?” His forehead draws in confusion.

  “You left with Annabelle after the concert and never came back.” I look around the room noticing that Zeke is not there to back me up. In fact, the bus seems completely silent.

  “Lennon.” I recognize the tone of his voice. The irritation and frustration due to the fact that I’m going there yet again. I hate that I am too, but I can’t help it. It’s like a knee jerk reaction at this point.

  “Answer the question, Hudson.” I cross my arms over my chest and wait.

  He opens his mouth and closes it a couple of times like he’s not really sure what to say. The action only makes me more nervous and the knot in my stomach grows tighter with each second that passes.