Author: Olivia Cunning

She laughed. “You’re in a good mood.”

He leaned close to her ear and whispered, “We’re al happy. Maybe Brian wil stop bitching now that you’re here. He’s been on the rag since you left.”

“I heard that, Sticks,” Brian said.

Jace closed the door and walked into the room. “Hey, Eric. Brian said you could have his lucky hat for cleaning up the bus.”

“Cool!”

Eric squeezed past Myrna and Brian and grabbed the hat out of Jace’s hand. He crammed it onto his head and the other three bus occupants burst out laughing.

Eric looked from one person to the next. “What?”

“You look like an ass is al ,” Brian said.

“You look cool when you wear it, but I look like an ass?”

Brian nodded with his lips pursed. “Yeah, pretty much.”

Jace fel onto the sofa, clutching his side as he laughed.

Eric jumped on him and grabbed him in a headlock. “What is so funny?”

Jace choked and struggled as he attempted to get out of Eric’s grasp.

“Do you want to die, Little Man?” Eric asked. “What are you laughing about?”

“I’m… not laugh—” Jace gasped. “Laughing at… you.”

“You better not be.”

Eric released Jace, who sat up on the couch scowling and rubbing his red neck. It must suck to be the youngest and smal est member of this testosterone-laden group. Myrna winked at Jace and he grinned. Behind Eric’s back, Jace pointed at the hat repeatedly with a huge smile on his face and his tongue hanging out.

“Where’s Sed?” Brian asked.

“He took a couple of chicks to the other bus,” Eric said.

“And you aren’t filming it?”

“I was scrubbing the toilet.”

“Right. Where’s Trey?”

“I think he took his boy toy to a tattoo parlor.”

“That leaves the bedroom free.” Brian took Myrna’s hand and tugged her to the back of the bus. “Later, dudes. Do not disturb.”

“Don’t leave me alone with Sticks!” Jace complained.

Eric grabbed him in a headlock again. “Have fun, kiddies, I’m going to kick Little Man’s ass now.”

“Eric,” Myrna cal ed, as Brian opened the door at the end of the hal . “I think that hat looks real y good on you. And you know…

payback is always a bitch.” He’d probably never figure out that she was referring to having cum in his hair as payback to that time he’d jacked-off into hers.

“What?” Eric gave her an odd look, but Brian pul ed her into the tiny room and closed the door before she could respond.

“Wil Jace be okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, he’s used to us bustin’ his ass.”

She scowled. “That’s not nice.”

“Sed usual y keeps Eric in check, but Jace is so grateful for this gig he takes Eric’s crap. I think it’s because he hasn’t been with us since the beginning.”

“That shouldn’t matter. He’s a great bassist.” She shook her head. “I don’t understand how guys think.”

“No one denies that he’s an excel ent musician, but he has to earn respect as one of the guys. No one is going to hand it to him. Until Jace kicks the shit out of Eric, Eric wil torment him. That’s just how he is.” Brian removed the clip from Myrna’s hair, al owing the long locks to tumble free over her shoulders. “Why are we talking about this?”

Hel , she didn’t know. She felt protective of Jace for some strange reason.

“We should talk about how cold my legs are instead.”

She stared up at him while his fingers unfastened the buttons of her suit jacket. He kissed her temple, jaw, neck, as he brushed her jacket from her shoulders. Her eyes drifted close. She felt warmer already.

Brian stroked her bare arms with his knuckles, his open mouth sucking the flesh under her ear. She tugged his T-shirt out of the waistband of his pants, and he helped her pul it off over his head. She kept her eyes closed as she explored the hard muscles of his chest and arms with her hands. Her arms circled his body. He drew her against him, hands stroking her back soothingly. She rested her ear against his chest, listening to his strong, steady heartbeat. He held her there for a long while, one hand stroking the white, satin camisole across her back, the other gently massaging her scalp.

His heart rate picked up beneath her ear. She smiled. “What are you thinking?”

He hugged her closer. “It’s emotional. You wouldn’t approve.”

“Don’t be that way. I want to know.”

“I’l tel you later.” His hand moved to the zipper of her skirt. The garment landed in a puddle at her feet. She kicked it aside. He drew her camisole over her head, leaving her in her bra, garters, stockings, and high heels. Her panties were stil in his pocket. He took her hands and held her arms away from her sides, stepping back so he could get a good look at her. He grinned deviously. “You do know how to get a man in the mood, Professor. I wondered what you had on under that conservative suit. Even better than I imagined.”

She flushed with pleasure. “I always wonder why I buy fril y underwear when no one ever gets to see it but me.”

“I’m seeing it. It’s very nice. Feminine. Sexy.”

He scooped her up into his arms and she gasped in surprise. Kneeling on the bed, he crawled up the mattress, carrying her along with him. Her shoes tumbled off the end of the bed with a clatter. He gently laid her on top of the comforter and stretched out beside her, brushing the skin of her lower bel y with the back of his hand. She shivered. His finger traced the edge of her white, lacy bra. “So no one gets to see your underwear?” He grinned. Smugly.

“Not recently,” she said. “Present company being the exception.”

He kissed her passionately, his hand cupping her breast over her bra. When his mouth drew away, he whispered, “Let’s keep it that way.”

When she didn’t deny the logic of the idea, he smiled.

“Of course, the rest of your band has seen me naked,” she reminded him.

“But it didn’t mean anything.”

Her legs started to tingle as warmth sank into her flesh. She reached for the edge of the comforter and folded it over herself.

“You’re stil cold, aren’t you?”

She nodded, shivering slightly. He climbed from the bed, removed his boots and pants, and then climbed between the sheets in his boxers and socks. He held the covers up and she crawled beneath them with him. Brian spooned against her back and draped a leg over hers, cocooning her in his warmth. When she shuddered with cold, he tucked the heavy comforter under her chin.

“You’re freezing,” he whispered, his nose pressed under her ear.

“I noticed. And you’re so warm.” She snuggled closer.

His arms tightened around her. “You like me, don’t you?”

“What makes you say that?”

“When I cal ed you this afternoon, I thought you’d just hang up on me. Those stupid girls yel ing at me to sign their tits the moment I got you on the phone. Great timing, I thought. It took me two weeks to find the bal s to cal you.”

“If I had any sense, I would have hung up on you.”

“And now you’re here. Wil ing to drop everything and hop on a plane to see me.”

“For entirely selfish reasons. Trust me.”

“Wil ing to freeze half to death and ride on a motorcycle in a skirt to be here.”

“Hey, it’s a real y nice bike.”

“You like me. Admit it.”

“A little,” she said, grinning to herself.

He squeezed her closer. “Wanna go to Vegas and get married?”

She frowned. “No. Why do you keep asking me that?”

“Because I want to marry you, why else?”

“Marriage is not my idea of a good time.”

“How would you know?”

“I tried it. Didn’t like it.”

“You were married?” He leaned away from her. She glanced over her shoulder at him.

“Yeah. I’ve been divorced for almost five years now. I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Wel , that explains a few things. He hurt you badly, didn’t he?” He stroked her hair from her face and kissed her temple.

“Yeah, actual y, he did.”

“I’d never hurt you, Myrna.”

She snorted derisively. “How many times have I heard that same old song?”

He kissed her cheek tenderly. Her jaw. “Never. No one’s heard the songs we make together. We write them as we go. I haven’t written more than three notes since the last time we made love.”

“Then I think it’s time to write another.”

“I agree. But I’ve got a few questions first.”

She rol ed over to face him. “This sounds serious.”

“Now that I know you aren’t sleeping with any other men—”

“Wel , there is BOB.”

His face fel . “Bob?”

“Yeah, but he never actual y sleeps with me. Just gives me fantastic orgasms, then I put him back in the drawer. I have to change his double A’s occasional y, but he’s fairly low maintenance.”

His brow furrowed. “A vibrator?”

She grinned. “Multi-functional with attachments. BOB. My Battery Operated Boyfriend.”

“God, don’t tease me like that. You ripped my heart out of my chest for a minute there.”

“Aw, I’m sorry.” She stroked his longish, black hair from his face. “I’m not real y sleeping with anyone.”

“So you aren’t on birth control?”

“I have an IUD. Wait a minute. Is this the it’s-time-to-stop-using-condoms conversation?”

“I keep dreaming about coming inside of you.”

“You dream about it?”

“Al the time. I’m usual y awake, but…”

She laughed and kissed him. He looked so hopeful as he gazed into her eyes. “Pregnancy isn’t the only thing we have to worry about, Brian. There are STDs—”

He leaned over her body, opened a drawer in a side table and pul ed out a piece of paper. “I’ve already been checked. See. Al clear.” He held up a printout from a clinic.

“But what if I’m not?”

His face fel . “Is that a possibility? I’ve been inside you more than once without any protection.”

“I tested disease free at my last appointment.”

“And?”

“And I haven’t slept with anyone but you since.”

“Awesome.” He tossed the printout aside and climbed on top of her. He worked his boxers down his thighs and lowered his head to kiss her throat.

“Brian?”

“Hmm?”

“Did you plan al this? Why did you have your test results in a drawer next to the bed?”

He lifted his head to gaze down at her. “Myrna, you’re under my skin. I’ve been planning for your return since the moment you left me behind in Des Moines. I have several surprises for you, actual y.”

Intrigued, she lifted an eyebrow at him. “What kind of surprises?”

“If I told you, they wouldn’t be surprises.”

“That’s true.”

“So can I come inside you?”

“There’s no reason why you can’t.”

“Yes.” Fist clenched in victory, he leaned out of the bed again, retrieving something from the drawer. “Now for one of your surprises.”

He opened a smal square package with his teeth. It looked suspiciously like a condom. He dumped something into the palm of his hand. She stared at it, perplexed. It wasn’t a condom. It was a pink rubber ring about the size of a condom though. On one edge, it had a pil -shaped attachment.