German traced the line of Blaze’s jaw, making him want to lean into German’s touch like a cat. His eyes softened. “Good. I love everything about you.”
Blaze wasn’t good at stewing over things. He was too seize-the-day for that shit. “Was that your way of telling me you love me?”
German’s forehead furrowed. “Was that not clear? Yeah. I love you. I’m in love with you. Am I saying this wrong? I mean, I know I’m not good at it or whatever.”
Blaze kissed him, cutting off the rambling. It was a sweet kiss—as if neither of them wanted the moment to end. But Blaze had some shit to say too, and there was no time like the present. He pulled away. “I love you too. In a way, it feels odd. Our relationship has been more on FaceTime than not. But we also had these months where we ran into each other everywhere, and it never felt awkward. It was, in a way, like we had our own crazy relationship going on, but we hadn’t admitted it yet. Does that make sense?”
German’s expression said everything. He felt the same. “Yeah. I get it. If I was somewhere I knew you’d be, I searched every face until I found you. It was almost as if I’d made plans to see you there, even though that makes no sense. I never even questioned why I felt that way. I guess, in my heart, you were already mine in some way.”
Damn. Blaze really was in love with him. German said things no one else would likely understand, but it was always like he spoke every thought Blaze had but couldn’t articulate. He was pretty damn sure they were meant to be. “Maybe this isn’t our first lifetime together.”
German smiled. “Maybe.”
For the longest time, they simply stared at each other, enjoying just being together. Their feet played, and they kept stealing kisses. Blaze couldn’t imagine this connection with anyone else. He was happy. Blaze was at peace. He never wanted to lose this. Whatever it took, German would always be his.
Chapter Eight
Tourlifewasnothinglike German expected. All the times he had been part of any sort of celebrity event, it had been drugs and partying. There had been screaming fans and general on-guard-all-the-time mayhem. Sometimes there was that, especially during a couple of days Steel had him filling in for one of the other guys. For the most part, though, the guys spent a lot of time in their private spaces as they tried to stay rested enough to perform. That gave Blaze and him the time they needed to keep building on what they already had.
German fucking loved standing side stage, watching Blaze play. With his hair wet and plastered to his skin, sweat flew in every direction as he never stopped moving, drumsticks flying and twirling. Good God, he was sexy… and talented. Fuck. He left German awed. German spent most of his time humbled by the sheer level of ability Blaze had. He had known Blaze was good. It wasn’t like German hadn’t seen him in action before the tour.He just hadn’t watched him for a full concert before. German would’ve dropped dead thirty minutes in—if he lasted that long.
The phone buzzed in German’s back pocket, startling him out of his laser-like focus of seeing nothing but Blaze. He checked the face, and a weight dropped in his stomach.
Steel:Next Wednesday, I need you in Washington for three months, working with Maya Heartland. Normally, I send Diesel, but he has a permanent place now. You’ll need to meet Maya’s plane at ten a.m.
German’s gaze moved back to Blaze. His throat swelled. Things between them were going so well. He didn’t want to leave now. They had been on the road together for ten weeks. There were only three weeks left of the tour. German had been so hopeful that he wouldn’t get called elsewhere. He thought he still had three more weeks to think about something he had been considering for the last month. He had worked for Steel for sixteen years with zero overhead. German hadn’t needed a house or car. He lived with clients, couch-surfed, and drove what he had been assigned to drive with each client. A vast majority of his money had been invested or sat in a high-yield account. While that money wouldn’t last forever, it could last a long damn time. At the very least, he could take a sabbatical and hope Steel had a place for him in the future. Right now, he had something else he thought he might want for the future. If he left now, maybe this relationship wouldn’t make it. It still felt as though these first months were invaluable. They were building their foundation, and German wanted it to be rock-solid. He needed a few minutes to think. Still, it would probably be easier to acceptfor now and then take a couple of days to decide his path. He could always back out if needed.
German:Sounds good. Just send me the flight details.
As German hit send, disappointment filled him. He knew himself. Agreeing practically guaranteed he would go. He prided himself on keeping his word. Damn it, German really didn’t want to leave Blaze.
A solid slap landed on his ass. “Let’s go, sexy. I’m ready to get to the hotel.”
German jumped to attention and shoved his phone into his back pocket. As always, after a concert, Blaze’s eyes were lit with happiness and adrenaline. Currently, he stared at German with anticipation. Emotion swelled inside him.
“I love you. You did great out there.”
Blaze’s bright smile got even bigger. “I love you too. Now, come on. I need a shower.” His gaze raked down German’s body. “And you need your dick sucked.”
He was in. “Is that so? I guess we should get moving then.”
Blaze roared with laughter as he walked away.
German scrambled behind him. It didn’t sound like Blaze planned to stick around for any of the usual partying or fan meet and greets. The quicker they were alone, the better.
A private car waited for them. Diesel led the way, ensuring no one spotted Blaze and accosted him. He imagined the wildest of fans camped out near the tour bus, expecting the entire band. They made it inside the dark SUV in no time. Diesel sat up front.
In the dark, with only the city lights to illuminate things, they stared at each other. Blaze had donned a shirt on the way out. It was a shame, but at least he still wore his leather pants. They had gotten a little baggy in the waist from Blaze’s weight loss, but the pants still clung to him in all the right places.
The heat built between them throughout the ride. German knew Blaze. He recognized the expression Blaze wore. Blaze planned to do bad things to him in the best possible way. By the time the SUV arrived at the hotel where they planned to crash for two days, they equally popped from the vehicle at the speed of light. Diesel had to power walk to keep up with them. As always, a murmur went through the hotel lobby. Phones came out. Blaze didn’t flinch. He pretended not to notice. Luckily, they had checked in online. It still took way too long to get to the room. Diesel had to ensure they weren’t followed.
As German locked the door, he half expected Blaze to jump him like a crazed monkey. When he didn’t, German turned to see Blaze strolling into the bathroom nude. German enjoyed the show.
Much to German’s disappointment, Blaze disappeared inside. He stuck his head back out. “Are you coming?”
German was across the room in a flash. Blaze laughed at his enthusiasm. “You might not want to get too excited. I stink.”
German’s smile never dimmed. “I know.”
