Chapter 49
Collins
“HERE WE GO.”
“Three, two, one, open,” Creed says animatedly from behind where Riley and I stand. He’s bouncing on his toes, jostling us from where he’s got a tight grip around our waists.
The moment I open my eyes, I’m awestruck. I gasp at the massive tour bus that sits running in front of me.
The first thing I notice? It looks nothing like the old bus. This one is a sleek, dark metallic maroon color and just screams luxury.
“You bought a new bus?” Riley asks, the shock in his eyes mirroring my own.
“Duh,” Creed huffs, followed up with a pfft. “Call it an anniversary gift.”
That brings me up short. Has it been a year already since he’d first claimed me as his girlfriend?
My birthday is still a few weeks away, so it must be.
I make a mental note to go shopping for a little something for each of them.
No way in hell am I not celebrating getting another year of loving these men.
“You want a tour?” Creed asks, rounding on us to gauge our reactions.
The rest of the crew is loading up the other buses, Fletcher’s included.
We’re supposed to go over the schedule with him in about an hour before we take off.
The energy surrounding the boys this morning felt different.
I have a feeling that it had something to do with the fact that we didn’t have anybody grating on their nerves from the moment they arrived.
Riley looks at me, his throat bobbing a little. I’m pretty sure we’ve got the same nerves running through our bodies at the last memory we have associated with a bus like this.
“Hey,” Creed says softly, pulling our attention again. “If you don’t want to, we can find another way. It’ll be okay. Promise.”
His smile tells me that he means every word. Creed would absolutely find a new way to travel if neither Riley nor I could step foot onto the bus.
Ri laces his fingers through mine and gives me a gentle squeeze.
You okay?
I squeeze him back.
Yep. You?
One last squeeze before he says, “Lead the way.”
The bus is fucking incredible. It’s roughly the size of a small, yet spacious house on the inside.
The bedroom in the back is actually large enough to fit the three of us comfortably, and the hallway has a built-in mini walk-in closet.
Across from it is a shockingly spacious bathroom, and the kitchen is definitely larger than the old one.
I’d be lying if I said I was completely okay. I can’t ignore the nagging unease that comes with every glance I make at the couch along one wall of the bus. The memory of the strange man sitting there waiting for me sneaks into the forefront of my mind, slowly taking over.
“Come back, Stardust.”
A soft kiss touches my cheek. “Come on, Snow. See me.”
“Feel me.”
It takes me a moment to register their words, but I blink my eyes, sucking in deep breaths as the world comes back into view.
“There she is,” Creed whispers, his hands stroking over my hair. “What set you off?”
Riley hands me a water bottle and a bag of M&M’s. My eyes dart to the couch, and they follow my line of sight. Creed pulls out his phone and fires off a text.
Minutes later, a handful of roadies knock on the door, and Creed has them fucking unbolt the leather couch from the floor, and a new, cream colored velveteen couch is brought in its place.
I turn on Creed. “Where the hell did you find another couch?” he laughs, and I huff, ripping open the bag of candy. Popping a few into my mouth, I say, “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I did, actually,” he states, plopping down on it the moment the crew leaves. “I want you to feel comfortable and safe while moving around in this space. It’ll be our home for the next few months, so yes, I did.”
Riley leans into my space and steals the M&M from between my fingers. “I’d just go with it. You know he’s gonna do what he wants anyway.”
“Bring your bratty ass over here and say it again, Riley Benjamin.”
“Is that a threat, or an offer, Credence?”
“You fucking—” Creed launches himself off the couch and bounds directly for Riley’s hips, tackling him to the ground.
They go down, and I laugh as they grapple for dominance.
Riley never quit working out after therapy stopped, and he’s now easily Creed’s size in muscle mass.
I settle on the couch to watch the show when a knock comes at the door.
A second later, Bear, Blair, Asher, Ayla, and Fletcher file onto the bus.
They all pause when they see Creed and Riley tangled up on the floor.
The boys pay our new audience no mind, since this game of submission is now fueled by stubbornness and principle.
“Do they do this often?”
“Yes,” Bear and Asher answer at the same time.
Ayla nudges my side as she sits beside me, “But with a lot less clothing, right?”
I snort, and Bear rolls his eyes.
Fletcher clears his throat. “Whenever you two are done, I’ll keep this quick. Schedule is ironed out. This is just to go over any setbacks we may encounter.”
“Fucking submit!” Creed barks through his laughter. He’s got Riley pinned with his arms above his head and his legs bracketed by Creed’s thighs.
Riley’s head thumps against the ground in defeat, but he says nothing. Creed just grins like the menace he is. He leans down into Riley’s face and murmurs something that sounds an awful lot like, “Thank you, Pookie.”
He helps Riley to his feet, and my poor baby is beet-red as he takes in the number of eyes that are on him.
“C’mere,” I call, patting the empty cushion beside me. He throws himself into it, and I kiss his cheek. “You did good, baby.”
He hums, looking a little put out that he’s been bested, but he smiles anyway.
Fletcher really does keep the conversation short. He’s in and out, and we’re on the road half an hour later.
The first trek takes a little over two days. Charlotte is the first show, followed by Lynchburg, then Miami. It’s been two days of Creed finding it impossible to keep his hands to himself. I’ve woken up to being eaten out just as often as I’ve woken up to him choking on Riley’s cock.
He’s supposed to be prepping and rehearsing, but instead, he’s giving my vocal cords a workout to see how often he can make me scream.
The last four hours of the ride, I locked myself in our bedroom and refused to let him in until I heard him practice through the set at least once.
My heart fucking soared when I heard him sing. I’ve heard it so often lately, but listening to him through the door does nothing to dull the strange, flighty feeling in my chest at hearing his deep, smoky vibrato.
There’s a reason the world loves Dark Sins so much. Creed brings a unique, unparalleled approach to music that pushes the boundaries of the genres they enter with every song.
When he gets to Born From Ash, he cranks the music up extra loud. I roll my eyes because he knows how I feel about it. I fucking love it. Despite the fact that he left one of my moans in the song, it’s one of my favorites on the album. Right next to Theirs.
I know we’re getting close to the arena, and I need to sleep if I have any intention of performing tonight.
The fans are apparently just as excited to see me again as they are the band.
It’s weird, feeling this level of popularity, but if it means I get to do what I love with the people I love, I can’t complain.
I wake sometime later to the feeling of a body settling on top of mine. The clean laundry scent wraps around me like a comforting blanket, and in an instant, I know that it’s Riley.
“I distinctly remember locking the door,” I mumble into the fabric of his shirt.
“And I distinctly remember hiding the key in the kitchen drawer,” Creed drawls from somewhere across the room.
I peek around Riley to see him smiling at me with a shit-eating grin on his face.
He plops down next to me. “You ready, Stardust?” he asks, booping my nose.
Riley kisses the junction of my neck before pulling away. “Rehearsal starts in about an hour, and we need your help picking where to set up your silks.”
My stomach flips with excitement. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
Riley and Creed stand, each of them offering me a hand. Eagerly, I take them.
I stand in the front row of the crowd, a black slip dress covering my aerial costume. It’s shiny and iridescent, the shades matching my hair, half orange and half blue. This piece is more modest than the first one Riley and Creed bought for me, but it’s still cheeky enough to have Creed on edge.
I love how over the top he gets when it comes to Riley and me.
Asher and his security team surround me as I watch As We Stand open up for Dark Sins.
They’re good, and they sound even better live than they do on their recorded tracks.
Jake sounds fucking phenomenal. I can’t stop the tiny twinge of jealousy that radiates through me at how he fully recovered with proper therapy.
But I can’t be angry. I was taken care of by the best of the best, despite my brother and Creed not having enough money to pay for my therapy.
I’ll forever be grateful for them and their protection.
A delicate finger taps my shoulder, and I turn to find a girl staring at me through the dim lighting. Security blocks her access to me, but I wave him off. He only moves when I glare at Asher long enough to have him sigh and nod.
Alphahole brother.
“I’m…a huge fan,” she says over the roaring crowd.
She’s pretty. Short, curvy, tanned skin, and long, pastel peach hair.
A tattooed arm snakes around her waist and tugs her back.
She elbows the terrifying man playfully before turning back to me.
“I just wanted to say good luck, and…I’m glad you’re okay. ”
“What?” My brow furrows, but Asher says my name to get my attention.
“You’re up, Bug. We gotta go.”
“O-okay, but—” I turn back to the girl, but I find that she’s gone, along with her scary boyfriend.
“What?” Asher shouts over the crowd.
I glance around again, feeling confused by the entire brief encounter. “Never mind. Let’s go.”
CREED