“I’m sure the guys don’t want me hanging around all the time.”
I snatch her waist, tugging her to my body, and run my nose along her neck. “I don’t give a fuck what they want.” I breathe against her skin.
She shivers.
They wouldn’t give a shit, though. Hell, they like an audience.
She tilts her neck, exposing more of her skin. I take the invitation and kiss the area, noting the chill bumps there, and bite down gently.
“I think I’ll stay here until the roads clear. If that’s okay?” she says breathily as I continue to suck and kiss her neck. I can feel her pulse pounding against my lips and my cock starts to grow again.
“Mhmm, whatever you want.” I nip her ear and pull away, giving her ass a light smack. “If you’re hungry, I can make you something before I shower.”
She clears her throat and moves around me to open the fridge. “No, I can do it. Do you want me to make you something? I can make eggs or…” She bends over, searching the fridge, but it’s pretty bare. I eat fast food most nights because it’s convenient, but I make a mental note to get some groceries later.
I slip behind her and grab her hips. “Oh, I can think of something much better to eat.”
She straightens, sucking in a sharp breath. I give her hips a gentle squeeze and back away. Pretty sure her shoulders deflate, and I walk away with a smirk she can’t see.
“Make whatever you want,” I say. “Don’t worry about me.”
25
PENN
“Dude,what the fuck is up with you? You look like shit and you’re off key,” Tanner snaps, waving a hand over Travis, who looks like he’s been up all night. Dark circles line his eyes, and his clothes are the same ones as yesterday.
“Fuck you,” Travis spits back. “I’m fine. Let’s start again.”
Liam kicks the drum to start the song we’ve been trying to practice for the last twenty minutes. Travis can’t keep up with the beat, and he’s not even trying to hit his notes. He misses his intro, and I send him a warning glare. He rolls his finger in a motion that tells us to start again. We do, three more times, but it’s no use.
“I’m calling it,” Tanner says after the fourth attempt. He jerks his bass over his head and slams it in his case. “Let me know when you’ve got your shit together. This was a waste of my time.”
Travis laughs bitterly. “Who the hell put you in charge of everything? Haven’t you fucked us enough in the last twenty-four hours?”
Well, if I had any doubts he was still pissed about yesterday…
“Trav,” I say, but he ignores me.
“Next time you wanna fuck someone, use your girlfriend. Run along.” Travis flicks his wrist, shooing Tanner toward the door.
“You’re delusional. Maybe if you pulled your head out of your ass for five seconds, you’d realize that. Tell me, when’s the last time you did anything for the band other than sing and play guitar every once in a while, huh?”
Travis snarls, but Tanner keeps going. “I bust my ass for this band, doing everything you don’t want to do. All you care about is getting fucked up and sleeping with women who’d literally spread their legs for anyone.You’rethe only one fucking you, Travis.” With that, he storms out of the garage, slamming the door behind him.
Liam lets out a heavy sigh, tucking his drumsticks under his arm. “Get some rest, buddy. We’ll try again tomorrow, yeah?” He’s the youngest, but he takes on the role of caretaker and mediator between us when shit gets dicey. It’s a role he’s used to playing.
I tip my chin to Liam as he leaves.
Travis drops down at the edge of the stage, hanging his head.
“What’s up?” I ask, taking a seat next to him.
He runs a hand through his disheveled hair. “Nothing. I’m just exhausted and Tanner pisses me off. I do shit for this band! Anything he asks, I fucking do it.”
I nod. He’s not wrong, but Tanner also doesn’t ask a lot from us other than to play our respective parts because he’s a goddamn control freak and thinks we’d mess his system up.
“Cut him some slack,” I say, knowing it’s not what he wants to hear, especially from me.
