King of Nice

by R H Tucker

  “What are you doing?” I whisper to her.

  “Follow my lead,” she whispers back, without moving her lips.

  “What?”

  She leans closer, and now there’s no nervousness at all. All I have is wide-open awareness with her lips grazing my ear. “They are getting closer. If we don’t do something, they’re gonna see you.”

  I don’t know how to feel. Literally. I’m on edge, worried about a group of wild fans finding me, but I have a beautiful girl in my lap, whose lips are pressed against my ear. My world is spinning in more ways than one. And then it comes to a crashing halt. In a good way.

  Wrapping her arms around my neck, she tugs the hoodie over my face, seeming to bring it down to cover more of it. But you’d still be able to recognize me if you saw me face-to-face, so to counter that problem, she plants her lips over mine.

  At first, I’m still frozen. I don’t know what’s happening or what to do. Then, the moment I feel her tongue, it’s like second nature, which is weird because I can count on one hand the number of girls I’ve kissed. Actually, I can count on two fingers. But feeling Skye’s lips against mine, my hands instinctually come up, and I hold her face.

  She’s unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. Pressing her lips harder against mine, she brings her arms over my head, and I start to wish I didn’t have the hoodie on so I could feel her fingers on me. I want to feel all of her on me. Another pass of her tongue against my lips, she takes a small bite, and it takes everything in my power not to let out a groan.

  She breaks away first, and I immediately want more. When my eyes open, they go right to her lips while her forehead is pressed against me. Her breath floats against my chin, and her dark eyes connect with mine. I swallow the lump of whatever this sensation I have builds up inside, and she finally breaks eye contact.

  Glancing over my shoulder, she looks back at me and seems to have regained composure. I wish I could say the same for myself. “I think they’re gone,” she whispers.

  All I can do is nod, still staring at her. A small smirk from her earns a smile out of me as I see her lips are slightly swollen.

  “We should probably get out of here. Who knows how soon someone else will be back.”

  All I can do is nod. Again.

  6

  Skye

  Hurrying out of the hotel, we run down the street and flag down the next taxi we see, jumping inside. Other than telling the driver which hotel we’re going to, we’re quiet. Gone is EJ’s slightly frantic attitude, along with his confidence in trying to escape the hotel. And I’m not much better either.

  Exchanging quick glances, we both smile uncomfortably before looking away in the backseat of the car. I can’t stop myself from licking my lips. I didn’t plan on kissing him, but I figured it was the best way to cover his face in case the girls passed in front of us. At first, he seemed frozen in place, but then he came alive, and it was amazing. Feeling his hands on me … I didn’t mean to get more aggressive, but I couldn’t help myself from nibbling on his lip. I wanted to devour him. I don’t remember feeling like that with any of the past guys I’ve gone out with.

  Which is why I think I’m acting as nervous as he is. If it was just a kiss, it’d be fine. I’d continue on my way, having an incredible story to tell one day about how I made out with EJ Tyler. But it felt like so much more than a kiss. I broke away to check if we were in the clear, and when we were, I wanted to go right back to attacking his lips.

  Our taxi driver tries to beat a red light at an intersection and takes a right turn a little harder than average. It forces me to slide against EJ, and my hand comes up, pressing it against his leg to keep myself from falling over in his lap. Straightening out, I quickly pull my hand back and offer him a timid smile. “Sorry.”

  He shakes his head, making a face as if it’s no big deal, but doesn’t say anything. Licking his bottom lip again, he nervously chews on it, and I have to force myself to look away.

  “Here you go,” the driver calls out.

  EJ finally speaks up, handing him a credit card. “Thanks.”

  “Oh, I can pay.”

  “It’s cool,” EJ replies, staring anywhere but me. “You got the hoodie. Thanks again.”

  I nod and slide out of the backseat. Making our way into the hotel, the silence continues, and I hit the button for our floor. EJ sees it, then looks over at me. “Oh, we’re the floor above you guys.”

  “Cool.”

  “Yeah … cool.”

  More silence. We stand next to each other, waiting patiently as the elevator continues to rise, a soft, generic tune playing in the background. Should I bring up the kiss? Do I tell him I was just doing it so they wouldn’t see him? But, he would know that, wouldn’t he? He can’t be as nervous as I am. I’m sure he isn’t freaking out for no apparent reason like I am right now. He’s EJ Tyler. A King. He must make out with girls all the time.

  The elevator finally dings, and as the doors open, I’m met by Roxy and Leah, who are both laughing.

  “No, we’ll just sneak in a couple slot machines,” Leah says, laughing. “They won’t catch us.”

  “What if—” Roxy’s giggling questions come to a halt, and they stare at me. Then at EJ. Both of their mouths drop.

  “Hey, guys.” I wave at them, trying to sound as natural as possible. They don’t answer. Glancing back at EJ, he quirks an eyebrow at me, then looks at them, unsure. “Sorry. EJ, this is Leah and Roxy. The other members of the band. Guys, this is EJ.”

  “EJ …” Leah says, but it’s almost a whisper.

  “EJ Tyler?” Roxy gets louder, her shocked mien morphing into a grin. “You’re EJ Tyler.”

  “That’s me,” he answers with a slight chuckle.

  “EJ Tyler?” Leah repeats Roxy’s question. “One of the Kings of Karmichael?”

  He lets out an amused chuckle. “Yeah.”

  The elevator dings and the doors begin to close, so I have to reach out to keep them open. “Were you guys going down to the casino floor?” I ask.

  “No,” Leah responds quickly.

  “No,” Roxy repeats.

  I narrow my eyes at them. “Okay … what are you doing, then?”

  They quickly exchange glances and then take a step back. “We were … waiting for you,” Roxy says.

  “At the elevator?” I ask. They both nod furiously with huge smiles. “Freaks,” I say, letting out a laugh. I guess my time with EJ has come to an end, so I do my best to stay natural. “So, I guess that’s that.”

  “Yeah,” he replies, smiling. “Thanks again, Skye. You were—I mean, that was … just thank you.”

  “No problem.” Finding some normalcy and a little confidence, I give him a smirk. “Anytime.”

  He chuckles. “I’ll probably see you guys around this month.” I nod. “We play on Sunday.”

  “I know.”

  “Right.” He nods, gazing at the ground. Looking back at me, his smile is still there, and it makes me want to kiss him again. “I’ll see you around.”

  Giving him one last smile, I step out of the elevator, feeling both Leah’s and Roxy’s eyes on me. The elevator dings again, and the doors shut. My smile fades, and I look up, seeing the elevator lights light up to the next floor. He said he’ll see me around, but really, how would he? He’s packed to the brim with not only playing this month, but his band has signings and meet and greets and everything else that comes with being in a mega-famous group. Still, this is definitely a day I’ll remember.

  Turning around, I realize both Roxy and Leah continue to stare at me. Simultaneously, they cock their hips, narrowing their eyes at me.

  “Thanks for what, Skye?”

  “You made out with EJ Tyler!” Leah screams.

  It’s the second time she’s screamed it in the last thirty seconds. Having just explained everything that happened earlier, both she and Roxy listened with wide eyes, hanging on my every word. It was actually kind of funny.

  “You made out with—”
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  “I know, I know,” I stop her, then start laughing. “It was just a one-time thing, though. No, less than that, it was like a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

  “Still! How was it? Does he use a lot of tongue?”

  “No!” I give her a slight push as we sit on the couch in the living area of our suite. My mind drifts back to the kiss. He didn’t use a lot of tongue, but he didn’t use too little either. Now I’m starting to remember what his lips felt like. Why have they left such an impression? It has to be because he’s a teen idol. He’s known all over the world with the rest of his band. I made out with a rock star teen idol. That has to be it.

  Still … the fresh memories of his arms around me, his fingers holding me close. I don’t know that I’ve felt a rush like that with any of the guys I’ve gone out with before.

  “Look at her.” Roxy pushes my arm with her elbow. “Was he that good of a kisser?”

  “I … I don’t know,” is all I can respond.

  “How can you not know? You’ve kissed guys before.”

  “It’s just …” I shake my head, pushing away any of the starting thoughts. “It’s nothing. Like I said, it was crazy. He had all those fans chasing him. It was sort of an adrenaline rush, you know? I was helping him escape.”

  “You should ask him out. Like, for real,” Leah says.

  “It wasn’t anything, Leah. I was a victim of happenstance.”

  “Wait a minute.” Roxy grabs my arm. “The makeover.”

  “What?” I quirk an eyebrow.

  “Damage control, Skye. EJ Tyler is the perfect guy for the job. He’s the King of Nice.”

  “Rox, I’m not doing that.”

  “EJ fell into your lap … well, I guess you jumped into his, but you know what I’m saying. It’s like fate or something. You two go out for the month, and when the festival is over, you end it with him. It’ll show everyone that you aren’t the heartbreaker. You’ll be in a nice, easy relationship with the ultimate nice guy. What says good girl more than that?”

  “You’re insane.”

  “No, she’s right,” Leah jumps in. “What says reformed party girl more than going out with the most reserved member of the Kings of Karmichael.”

  “Hey! Who says I’m a party girl?”

  “You know what I mean.” Leah gives me a quick hug, giggling. “Skye, you should really think about it. Do you think he’d do it?”

  “Do I think he’d do it?” I gape at both of them. “Why on earth would he even consider it? I’d look like an idiot bringing it up.”

  She shrugs, then reaches over, grabbing the remote control to our TV. Roxy’s eyes linger on me for a moment longer, but then she looks away. It’s true. There’s no reason in the world EJ would even consider acting like we’re going out to reform my reputation. It doesn’t matter that they do have a point. He’s called the King of Nice for a reason. He’s the quote-unquote shy one, though he didn’t come off that shy today. He’s the boy next door. It’s why he was given his nickname.

  But what if? What if he did want to help me out? I mean, I helped him out today. Would he be willing to repay the favor? And it’s not like we’d have to go out for months on end. We could go out for a few weeks, enough to show the paparazzi and all the gossip magazines that I’m not a heartbreaker. Then we could end it. As a matter of fact, he could end it. If he broke up with me, that’d put even more sympathy on my side. At first I thought their idea was beyond crazy, but what if it actually worked?

  Now I just have to work up the courage to ask him.

  7

  EJ

  Jennifer Hilton. Brianna Lopez. Skye Robbins.

  Those are the three girls I’ve kissed in my entire life. Please, no need to tell me how lame I am, I already know. What kind of rock star, in the most popular band on the planet, has only made out with three girls his entire life? And I shouldn’t even count Jennifer Hilton as making out. We were in sixth grade. It was a Sadie Hawkins dance. She asked me, we went to it, and I got to kiss her on the lips. Hey, that was a big deal for me in sixth grade, even if Derrik was already on his third girlfriend.

  Brianna Lopez was a girl I went out with twice our junior year of high school, just before our last tour kicked off. Our second date was when I got to kiss her, but it was only because she said we should stop seeing each other. She knew we were going on tour and didn’t want a “long-term, long-distance-relationship thing.” Those were her exact words. But, I got to make out with her. So, that was cool.

  Now, we have Skye Robbins. Her band, The Electrocutes, has some good music. It’s a little more punk, while ours leans more toward the mainstream side of rock, but we’ve all heard of them. They’ve been on the Southern California music scene for a while. And now, I not only know Skye is the badass bassist of the group, but she’s a fantastic kisser. Maybe I shouldn’t call her fantastic since my experience is highly limited, but I can’t help it. She’s amazing. It was amazing.

  When I got back to the penthouse, Maddox and Jade had already made it back. Derrik showed up about fifteen minutes later, and we all had a good laugh about the craziness that happened. Even while we joked around, eating pizza, then playing rounds and rounds of bowling, I still had Skye on the brain. The kiss already embedded in my memory.

  I wanted to show up the next day to her band’s set, but I thought better of it. Who shows up like a stalker out of the blue? What would I even say to her? “Hey, Skye. I was just thinking about that amazing kiss we had and thought I’d stop by.” How lame would that be? It’s times like these, wondering how I would even approach her, that I kind of wish I was like Derrik or Maddox.

  Not so much in who they are, even though Derrik’s my brother and Maddox is like one, but just in their attitude. Their confidence. It’s something I’ve always been sorely lacking. However, after meeting Skye, I wish I had some of their gumption.

  Now that I’m on stage, though, performing our set for the first weekend of shows, I’m finally stress-free. Being on stage with everyone else, it’s always where I’ve felt most comfortable. Which is odd, since we play in front of thousands of people, all of them screaming our names, but when I’m hitting the strings on my guitar, rocking out with my brother next to me, it all fades away. I’m free.

  “Thank you, Las Vegas!” Derrik shouts into the microphone as our set ends.

  Running off stage, Maddox shouts out, running over to a table lined with bottled water. Undoing the cap on one, he starts throwing it everywhere, laughing.

  “Maddox!” Jade screams at him, getting dosed with water.

  He’s laughing his head off, then grabs another bottle, eyeing me. “Don’t do it,” I tell him with a stern voice, though a smile seeps out. He flinches an inch, acting like he’s going to pour it on me, and I jerk my head back. “I’m serious, Maddox!”

  He flinches again, then shakes the entire bottle of water over me. Then he tackles me to the ground. “Get off!” I scream at him, and he starts laughing. I hear Jade and Derrik laughing in the background, too. “You ass!”

  He rolls off of me, and I get up, thoroughly drenched in not only the sweat from playing our set but now water, too. “You idiot,” I grumble, shaking my leg. “My boxers are soaked.”

  Tearing off the shirt, I reach for my E.T. hoodie, which I’m a little embarrassed to admit I’ve been wearing since Skye bought it for me. Setting the shirt down, I slide one arm into the hoodie and look up to find Skye there.

  She’s in a small, red tank top that shows off her curves, and the same kind of ripped skinny jeans she was wearing the other day, only these are black. Her light brown hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and her mouth is open in a half-smile. Her eyes meet mine for a moment, then scans me up and down, lingering on my stomach and chest a bit longer, before meeting my gaze again.

  “Skye,” I say, but I’m not sure she hears it.

  I immediately see Derrik and Maddox stop. I notice it because they aren’t staring at her but at me.

  “EJ?” D
errik smirks at me. “And who is this?”

  His teasing immediately breaks through my shock. “Shut up,” I tell him. Clearing my throat, I motion to everyone. “Everyone, Skye. Skye, everyone.” I glance over at Jade. “She’s in The Electrocutes.”

  “Oh, I love you guys,” Jade says with a sincere smile, walking over to her. “How do you two know each other?”

  “Yeah, that’s what I want to know,” Maddox says, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

  I scowl back, shaking my head.

  Skye giggles, breaking through my annoyance at Maddox. “You guys, that set was amazing,” she says. Nervously, she bites her lip, and we all stand in silence for a minute. “Um, EJ, can I talk to you for a minute?”

  “Yeah, sure.” I look around at the others. “I’ll catch up with you guys back at the hotel.”

  “For sure, man.” Derrik bumps his fist to mine and then starts walking away.

  Jade smiles and waves, with Maddox following behind her. Then he yells into the air, “Be gentle! It’s his first time.”

  I scowl, burning a hole through the back of his head, grinding my teeth. “I’m gonna kill you,” I hiss at him through a locked jaw.

  Skye starts giggling.

  “Sorry,” I tell her. “He’s an idiot.”

  Stepping closer, she smirks. “So, it wouldn’t be your first time?” She waits for a response, but I can’t talk. I want to say something—anything—but there are no words. Then she starts giggling again. “I’m joking, EJ.”

  “Right. Yeah.” I shake my head, lifting my shoulders, trying to act like it’s not a big deal. “Yeah, right. Right. Of course. Yeah.”

  She laughs again. “You gonna put a shirt on?”

  “Oh!” I finally realize I’m shirtless and hurry to slip the hoodie on. “Thanks. So, um, what’d you want to talk about?”

  We’re sitting on a private balcony of a restaurant, overlooking the city lights of Las Vegas. In normal circumstances, it might be romantic. I’ve never thought of myself as romantic. Still, as far as romance goes, I don’t think you can beat a view like the one we have. Plus, no one disturbing us since the restaurant has kept individual sections for VIPs only, which include artists performing at the music festival.