Chapter 2
Lane
I t’s time to play our most popular song. The crowd roars as I strum my fingers across the strings of my bass. Vibrations radiate through the stage from Nix’s drums as one final song stands between us and three months of rest before the next leg of our tour.
I tap my foot, counting to four like always, to keep my mind in check. The last two years have been a whirlwind. It’s everything we could’ve ever dreamed of, but we’re all tired, even if Ender refuses to admit it.
Speaking of Ender. That stubborn ass loves to pretend he doesn’t want to be around us. He’d rather make us think he enjoys sticking his dick in the direction of every girl who bats her eyelashes at him. It’ll be interesting to see how he chooses to spend our break in shows.
Poor Nix takes it upon himself to try to keep him out of it.
Ender has been a never-ending magnet for trouble ever since we started this tour.
No matter how many of these crazy fans he takes to bed, we all know there’s only one girl who’s ever had his heart.
It’s the same girl that had both River and me captivated, too, a girl that left us in the dust .
I can’t speak for the rest of the guys, but I want answers.
I’d love to know what happened back then that was so bad that she completely ghosted us.
Regardless of whether or not she got into a fight with Ender, she could have answered my messages or River’s, and she should have shown up for the meeting with Glen.
When we didn’t hear from her, we had to move on. Things with the band came together so fast, between studio time and interviews. It’s been so busy. With this break coming up, maybe we can track her down and get the closure we all deserve.
I shouldn’t be focusing on her right now.
The roar of the crowd reminds me we’re still mid-song.
I jump through the chords, moving my hands up and down the neck of the guitar while bouncing my head along with the beat.
My black hair that’s grown a little longer than usual sways in front of my eyes, covering my lackluster gaze.
I'm thankful nobody can tell how eager I am for this show to be over. It's an honor to have this kind of success. We’ve made it to a level of fame that most artists spend their entire lives dreaming of, but I’m exhausted.
Nix finishes his drum solo, and Ender sings a short chorus while I make my way across the stage to River.
This is my favorite part of the performance, and the crowd eats it up every time, probably because it’s performed by the two most talented members of the band.
A small chuckle escapes me. Nah, it's actually because a bunch of horny fans get to see two dudes rubbing up on each other. They go feral for it, and I don’t blame them.
If it were me out there watching, I'd probably have a raging hard-on.
The cadence of the song changes, and it’s my time to shine.
Here we go. Four… three... two... one… River and I jump up and down, in unison, for four beats before I crouch down slightly and he leans his back against mine.
The two of us strum our guitars as my head falls backward, landing on his shoulder.
We’ve done this so many times it feels like muscle memory.
Our intimacy sends the masses into an uproar, giving us time to milk the applause for another few beats before I lift my head.
We turn to face each other, making eye contact as he leans toward me.
I arch backward to make it seem like I want space, but in reality, all I want is him.
I want to feel the way his hands grip my skin as I make him bend to my needs. Fuck. Is this song over yet?
My gaze stays locked on River while we’re surrounded by screams again. The sincerity of our bond has always existed. It’s almost electric in a way. River isn’t the first guy I’ve been with, but I’ve come to the conclusion that I want to make him the last.
We've never publicly confirmed whether or not we’re together. Our manager, Glen, prefers it that way. It’s easier to market four hot single dudes. For Riv and me, public status never mattered. We know what we mean to each other and have an open and communicative partnership.
Back to the song. Focus, Lane .
River and I hold our position for four more counts of eight.
I tap my foot to each one, keeping up with the rhythm as the part of the song where we’re the main focal point ends.
Usually, we step aside, setting the stage for Ender to take the limelight and sing the last few lines. I’m going to shake things up tonight.
I lean into River, letting my guitar hang from my shoulder as my fingers wrap around the back of his neck.
Before he can react, my lips crash onto his in front of everyone, his nose ring brushing against my skin.
He grips my waist, melting like a good boy and silently begs for more than I can give him right now. There are too many people watching.
Everyone loses their minds, becoming louder than I’ve ever heard and making Ender falter with one of his lines. I pull away from River with a smirk as the stage goes dark and we hear chanting for more. We could do an encore, but we've learned it's always better to keep them wanting more.
"What the hell was that?" Ender shoots a glare my way as we filter off the stage.
"River looked good tonight. I couldn’t help it." I shrug.
"Hey! I look good every night." River grins as we push open the door of our dressing room and step inside.
"That's true. Maybe I should start kissing you at the end of every show. You'd have to be a good boy, though." I wink.
"Don't be a tease, Lane." He wraps an arm around my waist.
“Why? You like it when I make you beg.” My eyes flicker down to his lips, the tension between us building .
"Can you two wait until we get to the apartment?" Ender grimaces.
It's not like he's never seen us together. River and I have been messing around for the last two years. He feels like home. Although, it has become more frequent recently.
"Don't be a bitch, Ender. Jealousy isn't a good look for you," I remark, letting River step away from me to gather his things.
"I'm not jealous." He narrows his eyes while making his way to our personal mini bar to grab a bottle of whiskey. "I could have anyone I want right now."
"You could. But it would be meaningless," I toss out, knowing it’s a deeper jab than necessary.
"I think that's enough." Nix breaks up our banter.
On top of being Ender’s babysitter, Nix also likes to play peacekeeper and make himself the voice of reason during arguments. Theoretically, it makes sense. There’s less of a complicated history with him since he came into the band after Rocky’s death.
"How about you don't tell me what to do?" Ender huffs before grabbing his bag and stomping out of the room.
"Wonder what crawled up his ass," I joke.
Nix rolls his eyes. "Just let him be. He can take the extra few minutes to cool off by himself. The bus won't leave without all of us anyway."
River steps toward me again when Nix turns away to gather his personal things, and I slip an arm around my guy’s waist. He glances up, his green eyes hitting the light perfectly .
"Are we sharing a room tonight?" Desperation is written all over his face.
"I thought that was abundantly clear from the moment I kissed you on stage." I grin. “I’ve been thinking about running my fingers through your hair and making you gag on my cock since the show ended.”
"That might be something I’m interested in.”
He might be interested? He’s definitely interested.
I lean in, pressing my lips slightly against his briefly while knowing that later tonight, his ass will be mine.
He sighs when I step away and follows Ender out of the room.
Nix and I gather the rest of the band's things before making our own way to the bus waiting for us outside.
Once inside, everyone scrambles to our usual spots, with Ender having his eyes glued to his phone.
I plop down on one of the couches, exactly fourteen steps from the top of the stairs, and instead of River sitting beside me, he slides directly onto my lap. I wonder what has him feeling extra naughty tonight?
A smug sense of satisfaction rushes through me as the corner of my mouth curves up, and my hands grip his waist. “This is a nice position you’ve placed yourself in."
He rolls his hips, grinding against me. "You keep teasing me. I figured it was your turn."
"Gasp,” I joke, audibly. “Me, tease you? I don’t know what you're talking about."
Nix casually walks past, heading toward the back as things between River and me intensify. He slides his arm behind my neck, placing his face only centimeters from mine. The warmth from his body sends a burning desire directly to my cock, making it spring to attention.
The tip of his nose rubs against mine, teasing me further, and when I try to kiss him, he pulls back.
It feels like an eternity before he finally presses those lips firmly against mine.
I want to rip off his clothes, bend him over, and fuck him raw.
Instead, I tap one of my fingers against his soft skin, grounding myself in his presence.
One. Two. Three. Four.
Both of his palms land on my cheeks, embracing my face before his tongue dips inside my mouth as he deepens the kiss. He couldn’t be more perfect. I would gladly get lost in a million of these moments with him.
“Fuck,” I groan as he pulls away.
My eyes fall over his shoulder, accidentally making contact with Ender’s, and a pain-filled expression encompasses his face. He shakes it away as soon as he realizes I’m looking at him. Whatever vulnerability that was just there has now gone sour, replaced by a scowl.
River kisses my neck, and my eyes fall closed. When he pulls the bottom of my earlobe into his mouth and flicks it with his tongue, I moan quietly. His body presses further against mine, allowing me to feel how hard his cock is through his clothing.
“I might blindfold you tonight and kiss every inch of you," I whisper, knowing he’s already hard as fuck .
"Lane,” he whimpers while pulling away with desire-filled eyes. “You can't say that to me right now."
"We're almost to the apartment, baby." I smile, running my hands up and down his back.
With a sigh, he slides off of me, grumbling, "Not soon enough,” and accepts the need to wait just a little longer.
"You're cute when you pout," I tease and wrap my arm around his shoulders, pulling him into my hold for the rest of the ride.