Chapter 30
Thirty
JADE
The line of fans moves slowly as each of the guys give attention to every person as they walk past. It’s one of the reasons for their enduring popularity.
They’re so good at making each fan feel important because they are.
All three of them recognize they wouldn’t be here without the people who stream their music, who buy their albums, who come to concerts and scoop up as much merch as possible.
A woman gets to Xander and pulls her shirt down until her nipple is almost exposed. He winks at her and signs his name over her skin. Her cheeks are flushed pink as she walks away, giggling with her friend.
The next woman in line gushes when she gets to him and must ask for a photo because he stands and takes her phone. She curls into his side, eyes glazed with awe and lust as she looks up at him. His hand placement on her is just barely appropriate, fingers wrapped around her ribcage.
The next few people in line are men, thankfully. I know I said last night should be a one-time thing, but seeing him flirt with fans is pissing me off. Twenty-four hours ago he was naked between my legs, and now he’s just lavishing attention on any woman, and some men, who gushes over him.
What really pisses me off, though, is when the last woman in line lingers near him.
Instead of moving her along, he leans back in his chair as she twirls a finger in her hair.
She’s actually stunning; I’d probably be interested in her myself, if I wasn’t so annoyed.
My eyes narrow as she lifts her skirt and points to something on her upper thigh.
I’m guessing it’s a tattoo related to the band.
Xander’s eyes drag from the tattoo up her body in a slow caress, and then he smiles at her.
He smiles at her with my dimple showing.
Irrational anger pulses through me. Stone and Tobias have already left the room; there are just a few people left from the radio station taking down their backdrop and decor. The woman slides a piece of paper over the table to him. He locks eyes with me when he takes it.
I have to walk out of the room. A red haze darkens the edge of my vision, and my skin feels like it’s on fire. I skip the elevator and opt for the stairs, my heels clicking on the polished cement with purpose. I hear Xander call my name and speed up. His heavy footsteps follow me.
My hand brushes the handle of the door just as Xander catches up to me. He hooks his arm around my waist and pulls me back against his chest. I try to push his arm off, but he spins me against the cinderblock wall.
“What’s your problem?” he asks, caging me in between his arms. “You told me to be nice.”
“Let me go.”
“No,” his eyes are pinched in anger. “Not until you tell me why you’re so mad.”
I press my lips into a firm line and look away from him. He doesn’t move an inch when I press my hands to his chest to try to create some distance between our bodies.
“It isn’t because you’re jealous, right?” He leans down, his lips inches from my neck. “That couldn’t be it when earlier you acted like last night shouldn’t have happened.” His lips trace my jaw. “Especially when you spent most of the past hour flirting with that douche bag DJ.”
My head snaps in his direction. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re too smart to play dumb.”
“Do you mean the guy with the top-rated morning radio show in the entire state of Texas? The one I was being professionally kind to, so he’d keep playing your songs on the air? Doing, you know, my fucking job?”
“The way he was looking at you had nothing to do with our music.”
“I can’t believe you.” I look up into his eyes. “So you decide to flirt with every single fan that fawns over you to what? Make a point to me?”
“Yeah, it was. Look at you, enraged to see me doing my job. But you can’t admit why you’re angry.”
“Really?” I sneer up at him. “And why is that?”
“Because you’re scared. You’re terrified that what happened between us last night was real, that it was right.
You can’t admit to yourself that I’m the one you want, the one you have always wanted.
Even though we laid everything bare between us.
All the misunderstandings, the mistakes, and hurt and secrets.
The only thing standing between us is your fear. ”
My fingers claw into his shirt; I don’t know if it’s to push him away or pull him to me. He looks down at my lips and runs his tongue along his own.
“Until you realize that I’m not going anywhere and get over your daddy issues, we’re at an impasse.”
“Fuck you,” I growl at him.
Instead of pushing him away like I mean to, I pull him against me, my mouth finding his instantly.
He groans, and his hands move from the wall to dive into my hair.
This kiss isn’t sweet supplication, it’s a battle for dominance.
As our tongues and lips duel, one of his hands runs down the length of my body and slides under my dress.
I gasp against his lips as his fingers dip under my thong and find my slit. He runs his finger up and down the length of me, gathering my wetness before circling my clit. My legs spread wider of their own volition, making room for more of him.
“You’re so fucking wet for me,” he says against my lips. “Was it fighting or just my proximity that made this greedy pussy drip for me?”
I whimper as he thrusts a finger inside me. “Xander.” His name is a plea on my lips.
“Want more than my finger?”
I nod.
“Beg.”
My eyes flash to his. I hate how much wetter this makes me. He hooks his finger inside me and circles the spot inside me that makes me black out with pleasure. I loathe the words that come from my mouth next.
“Please, Xander.”
“Please, Xander, what?” He presses the heel of his palm against my mound, adding even more delectable pressure.
“Fuck.” My head falls back against the wall. “More than your fingers, please.”
“What a good little mess. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
He drops to his knees before me and lifts one of my legs over his shoulder. My shoe drops to the ground when he grabs my thong and pulls it to the side. I cry out as his mouth closes over me. He moans against me as my fingers grip his hair, pulling him even closer.
He uses his piercing to tease and taunt my clit until my legs begin to shake.
When he slides two fingers back inside me, I feel the swell of my orgasm building.
The entire world could walk past us right now, and I wouldn’t give a damn.
He’s so fucking good at making me come. My skin is damp and dewy from the pleasure he’s wringing from me.
My pussy trembles, muscles seizing just before I orgasm and the world falls away.
My eyes fly open when cold air brushes my swollen, wet pussy. I look down to find Xander lowering my leg and fixing my dress. He stands with his lips still glistening from my cunt and smiles down at me, a gleam in his eye.
“You don’t get to come until you admit to yourself and me that you want more than sex.”
He walks to the door and pulls it open. I’m left aching and panting and disheveled as he disappears down the hall. Blood throbs angrily in my center, but a tiny, masochistic part of me smiles at his asshole move.
After a night of fitful sleep and no relief from the tension coiled in my body, I walk up the steps onto the bus.
John, our driver, gives me a polite smile and exuberant thanks as I slip a to-go coffee in his cup holder.
Our drive today isn’t as long as the previous, but who doesn’t love free caffeine?
I had assumed I’d be first on this morning, but Xander has beaten me out here. He smirks as I walk past him, looking anywhere but in his direction. Had I known he was on already, I would have waited to get on.
“Morning, Freckles.”
I continue to ignore him and walk back to the bunks to toss my purse onto my bed. I grab my phone and iPad and walk back up to the front to do some work. His aura of smug satisfaction suffocates me as he sits on the couch, relaxed as fuck.
I shove all of my annoyance deep inside, so he can’t see how irritated I am.
Had he not somehow gotten access to my room and removed the batteries from my favorite vibrator, I wouldn’t be so pissed.
It was the first thing I wanted to do when I got back to the room last night.
To ease the frenzied need he stoked inside me.
Instead, I stripped and got myself comfortable in the sheets that still smelled like him only to try to turn on the pink wand and find it dead.
Part of me wanted to rage. But that’s what he wants, a reaction. I’m dead set on not giving him one. If he thinks I’ll bend to his will, he’s forgotten who I am.
I open the group chat to talk through everything but reconsider. Amber would lose her mind if she knew I slept with him. So I close out of the chat and open my message thread with Steph. Plus, even though it’s early in LA, I know she’ll be up getting the twins ready.
You’re not going to believe what Xander did
Steph
What?
Stole the batteries from my vibrator
Steph
Why would he do that?
Because he’s a deviant little bitch
Steph
Right
The spawn of Satan sent to torment me for mistakes in my past lives
Steph
Seriously though, why did he do that?
Circle of trust? Pinky promise not to tell anyone else?
Steph
Yes
We slept together two nights ago
Steph
FINALLY
No
Absolutely not
I told him we couldn’t do it again, it’s obviously unprofessional
Steph
Uh huh
But then he accused me of flirting with a radio guy and I got pissed at him for being inappropriate with fans during the meet and greet last night
Steph
He chased me down the stairs when I stormed off and cornered me
Steph
OMG did he fuck you in the stairwell? That’s so hot
I’m lucky to get a quickie in the laundry room once a week
Worse.
He dropped to knees and went down on me but stopped right before I came
And had the audacity to tell me I couldn’t come until I admit that I want more
THEN HE WALKED OUT LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED
I refuse to tell anyone he had me begging for him. Absolutely the fuck not. That is a secret I’m taking to the grave.
Steph
Don’t hate me
But that’s kinda hot
Would definitely work on me
I hate you. Make it up to me by sending photos of my babies
She sends several photos I haven’t seen of the twins yet.
My lips lift at the photo of her daughter in rain boots, a tutu, fairy wings and holding a water gun which she must have used to squirt her brother because he’s making his about-to-cry face.
She’s a little badass, and I love her for it.
Not that I don’t love her brother just as much, he’s such a soft-hearted soul.
My attention lifts from the phone to Darren as he unbuttons his suit jacket and sits down across from me.
There’s not a hair out of place on his head, as usual.
I’ve never met anyone with a keener ability to slip into two dichotomous personas so easily.
Buttoned suit by day, making deals and keeping the band’s business interests on top.
Tattooed biker by night. But regardless of which persona he’s wearing, he’s always a bit of a dick.
Tobias walks by, ruffling my hair in greeting, and disappears to his bunk. Probably to grab a few more hours of sleep. The fact that he doesn’t have dark circles under his eyes is huge, though. I catch Darren’s concerned gaze following him as he moves through.
Stone and Hazel are last. Her cheeks are flushed, and he’s wearing a smug grin on his face. I can only imagine what he just did to her. At least someone is getting laid.
He proves my hypothesis when he pulls her against him and kisses her like they’re going to be separated by thousands of miles, even though it’s less than ten feet. Xander looks from them over to me. A second later my phone pings with a text from him.
Deviant Edgelord
That could be us
You just have to admit you want it
Yes. I was in the middle of typing out a strongly worded text last night but thought better of it before hitting send. Instead, I changed his name in my phone.
Hazel sits down beside me, pulling her laptop out.
I’ve really come to love our little work group on this tour.
It’s been so fun watching her work, getting a behind the scenes view of how she comes up with her story.
There are times her fingers fly over the keyboard so fast, I’m in awe.
Then there are others where she’ll look over to me and ask if a sentence sounds right.
“Who is Deviant Edgelord?” she asks when another text pops up on my phone.
Xander’s head snaps in my direction, and he descends into laughter. I make the mistake of looking over and seeing the stupid dimple that haunts my dreams as he chuckles into his hand.
“Just an asshole from the past. No one important.”
Another text comes up, and I ignore it as well. I turn on do not disturb and set my phone face down. His eyes bore into me as John pulls the bus away from the curb and starts our drive. I grit my teeth, fighting the magnetic pull between Xander and me is so much harder than it was three days ago.
Xander and Stone pull out one of the gaming systems and start playing.
Usually, I’m able to block them out and focus on work.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case today.
I ask Hazel if I can slide out for a second.
She stands and, once I’m past her, slides to the window effectively trading places with me.
I cross to the fridge and yank open the door, rattling the drinks and bottles inside.
“You good?” Stone asks, looking at me curiously out of the corner of his eye.
“Fine.” I slam the can of soda down on the counter harder than I meant to.
“You sure?” Xander asks. “You seem a little tense.”
I look over at him with a death glare. “I’m sure.”
“I don’t know. Feels like you’re a little tightly wound.” He emphasizes the last two words. “Should probably find a way to ease that tension. Let go and relax, you know?”
Even the first taste of a crispy Diet Coke doesn’t calm me. I drop back down onto my seat and brood about how I’m going to get him back for last night. Because I can’t just let him get away with this. There must be some form of retribution.