Dev was so blown away, he could barely speak.

Cheri was fucking gorgeous. He knew she was beautiful and that the dress he bought her was sexy. But on Cheri, it was sin personified. It clung to every curve, cut just low enough to emphasize her full breasts and leave him wanting more. The spike heels he bought had her swaying her hips in a way that made his throat go dry as she passed.

She was fucking killing him. On one hand, he knew he should pay attention to the people he was there to rub elbows with. On the other, it was impossible to concentrate whenever she entered his line of sight. The electric energy of being so attracted to a woman that he could think of nothing else filled his body with an aching pleasure even if it inconveniently robbed him of his voice. Dev did his best to keep his eyes off Cheri, but he couldn't help it. It was as if she had a bulls-eye on her saying “Dead sexy”.

And he wasn’t the only one who noticed.

Male eyes followed her everywhere and Dev hated it. If he didn't make some sort of move, someone here was likely to beat him to it.

He couldn't let that happen.

Guilt nipped at him again as he saw Rory talking to a record exec out of the corner of his eye but he pushed it aside. Rory wouldn’t want her hanging out with any of the guys here anyway. If Dev monopolized her attention, at least she wouldn’t get mixed up with any of these players.

Making his excuses to the movie star whose name escaped him, he moved toward the buffet. He took out his phone and tapped out a quick message.

Lesson Three…sexting

He waited for her response as every microsecond stretched into infinity. Finally, his phone buzzed in his hand.

What happened to Lesson Two?

Dev replied, You’re doing just fine on those spike heels without my help. We'll do the lingerie as a make-up lesson.

That makes two make-up lessons. I have the sense I'm falling behind.

He shot a glance around the room and caught sight of her profile across the dance floor. She was grinning, and her cheeks were flushed. That was all he needed to egg him on.

Don't worry. If you fall, I'll catch you. In fact, I plan on catching you, so you better start running.

There was a long pause before she replied. So what are we doing now?

Sexting. I told you.

The cursor blinked before his eyes before her reply popped up.

…Did we start yet or?

Dev bit back a crack of laughter.

Not really. I would probably lead off with something like, I can't believe how hot you are.

…Thanks?

Try as he might, he couldn’t wipe the stupid smile off his face. How was it that he’d had a starlet pawing at his arm, talking to him tits first not five minutes ago, but he was having more fun with Cheri and he could barely see her?

No. You’re supposed to say something provocative back, like, "If I lick your popsicle I can make you hotter."

Really? Popsicle?

Roll with it.

I'm no good at this.

Try, he urged.

He waited, pulse pounding as the three little dots blinked on his screen. Finally, words popped up.

Come closer, sugar and I'll show you what heat really is.

It wasn’t the words so much as the image of Cheri saying them that had his cock swelling.

Better. Then I say, "Too late. I'm already so hot for you I could explode. I want to lick you from your--"

"Dev!" said Bill from behind him. Dev flinched, and closed his palm over his phone screen. "I want you to meet Anson Paul of Red Ant Records. He's very impressed with your music."

Dev turned, shoving back his blast of irritation, and held out a hand.

"Nice to meet you, Anson. Don't you work out of Los Angeles?"

The other man gave him a smug nod and shook his hand in greeting. "Yes. So you've heard of my little company."

"Hardly little. Red Ant has Jane in Chains, Roadside, Urban Compulsion--

some really hot bands."

"I'm glad you keep your finger on the pulse of the music industry. You can understand then why I think Sub-Zero is a good fit with Red Ant."

Dev glanced at Bill. He didn't make any deals, did he? They still had time left on their contract with their present record label.

"Interesting," Dev hedged. "Of course, there are a lot of factors to consider."

"Of course," said Anson. "Tell you what. When you make it out to Los Angeles give me a ring, and let me take you to dinner. It doesn't hurt to talk."

"No, it sure doesn't."

Anson excused himself, and Dev grabbed Bill's arm.

"What do you think you're doing?" he snapped. "We’re perfectly happy with our label. I don’t want them getting wind that we’re talking to anyone else after all their support."

"Just keeping our options open, Dev. Like you said, it doesn't hurt to talk. Don't worry. Whatever the band wants is good with me."

Someone called his name and Bill excused himself, leaving Dev staring after him. But he wasn’t staring long because his phone buzzed in his hand.

Hello? Are you writing me an erotic novel back or did I just do such a bad job that you’re not sure how to break it to me?

He deleted the text he’d been about to send and tapped out another.

Sorry. I was busy picturing you out of that dress but still in those shoes and I got distracted. I can think of five dirty things I want to do to you right now.

This time, her reply came back like lightning.

Only five?

He nodded to himself. Atta girl.

Now you're getting the hang of it. ;)

Don’t deflect. You were about to tell me the five dirty things you wanted to do to me.

Not tell you. Show you.

Show, not tell? But what if I want to whisper dirty things into your ear?

Ah, fuck. She was getting into it now. And his cock wanted in on the action. It pressed against the front of his too-tight jeans and he had to duck behind a column to adjust himself.

I have a list too, you know.

He shouldn’t ask. The blood was already pounding in his ears. But his fingers were already tapping out his response.

Like what?

The wait was painful, but oh so worth it.

I want to put my mouth on you.

So simple. Almost demure the way she’d phrased it, really, but every brain cell in his mind short-circuited with the image of Cheri's tongue on his cock. Reason fled and his hand shook as he typed the next words.

What else?

I want to slide my hands over your chest and lower, past that trail of hair below your belly button, and close my fingers around you and squeeze. Would you be hard for me, Dev?

Like fucking stone.

That was no lie. His shaft could’ve hammered a nail into the broad side of a barn right now.

Now you.

He craned his neck from behind the column and saw her just a dozen yards away. She was propped against a table near the bar, her hand absently caressing the side of her neck as she stared intently down at her phone. Her lips were parted, her nostrils flaring delicately, and he wanted nothing more than to go to her, throw her over his shoulder and carry her to the closest secluded spot so they could fuck like animals.

I want to slide my mouth over your breast and flick your nipple with the tip of my tongue. I want to press my thigh between your legs until I can feel that heat against me.

His breathing went low and harsh as his words played like a movie in his mind. He kept going, like a man on a mission now.

I want to slip my fingers beneath your panties and find you wet for me. Come here.

He stepped out from the shadows and willed her to look up. It only took a second for their gazes to lock.

Her lean throat worked as she swallowed hard and she looked down at her phone.

Are you serious?

He should rethink. He should take it back.

Yes.

His heart stopped beating in the space it took for Cheri to reach him.

"Did I do something wrong?" she whispered, the pulse in her neck beating so wildly, he could see it.

He stared at this beautiful woman, unable to speak, his heart thundering in his chest. Dev grabbed her hand and pulled her with him as he opened the service door ahead of them. They entered into a brightly lit hallway, and he pushed her against the wall. Leaning into her, he slanted his mouth over hers with a groan. He pressed his body against her and she whimpered.

His patience was a thing of the past, and he slid his hands up to cover her breasts. Using his thumbs, he brushed against the sensitive tips of her nipples and she mewled low in her throat. Through her thin dress, he pinched lightly, and she gasped, making his cock buck in response. He pressed his hips into hers, grinding his aching length against her soft pussy.

Her creamy breasts were inches from his face, rising and falling with her ragged breaths. Dev slipped his hand to the back of her dress and tugged, releasing the clasp on her bra effortlessly. She sighed as he peeled the soft black fabric from her shoulders, unleashing her breasts into his waiting hands. He cupped those globes in his hands kneading them with his fingers, mad with lust.

“Dev?” she said. Her face flushed a lusty glow.

“Shh, shh,” he said. Dev buried his face into her cleavage, kissing and lapping her tender flesh as he worked his way to her tight, pink nipples. She trembled in his arms as he sucked the tender flesh into his mouth. It hardened under the ministrations of his tongue and she drew in a quick intake of breath when his teeth caught and nipped at her.

She quivered in his arms. Good lord, she tasted as sweet as candy and her body vibrated at his touch. Could she be any more perfect?

His cock, hard as steel, ached with the need to have her.

“Dev,” she whispered. “Don’t stop.”

Stop? How could he, especially with the look of pure desire and bliss in her eyes? His body and his mind warred for supremacy, one arguing for good sense and the other for taking this gorgeous woman against the wall.

Either way, he would lose.

But all thought ceased as his mouth crashed into hers again. She flexed her hips against his, trapping his erect cock between them, then she ground her body into his swollen shaft, sending spikes of need through him.

Dev was close to losing control as she nipped at his lip, and what should have been pain was pure pleasure.

Somewhere, a million miles away or just a few yards, a door opened and closed, and the clatter of road cases on wheels invaded the space. He jerked away and pulled off his jacket throwing it over her shoulders, shielding her with his body moments before a group of catering staff rounded the corner and walked past.

They didn’t blink an eye as they entered another doorway.

Dev’s head was still reeling when he pulled up the dress around her shoulders, clasped her bra, and zipped her dress. He took his jacket from her hands and slipped it back on.

"You," he ground out, "pass sexting. And you made up the section on kissing. But we’ve got to get back. I’ll go in first and distract anyone important watching,” like Rory, “and you follow in a minute.”

He opened the service door and walked back into the crowd of people nursing the world’s worst case of blue balls in the history of man. Nothing had changed. Nothing had been settled.

The only thing he was sure of was that, at this rate, Cheri Galveston was going to be the death of him.

* * *

What the hell was that?

If she didn't feel so weak in the knees, she would have grabbed Dev and kept him there, screw it if someone saw them.

She held her fingers to her mouth and let out a groan.

It wasn't as if she'd never been kissed. But kissing Dev was more than two sets of lips touching. He elicited feelings from her that she never imagined. Her own explorations of her body with her fingers didn't do half as much for her as Dev’s fingers skimming across her nipples. And when he ground his thick cock into her, every nerve ending caught fire. In the primal way that only her body understood, it wanted more.

Oh, she knew the mechanics of it, but she had no clue how amazing it was to touch another human being that you were so unbearably attracted to. And it was Dev’s face she thought of whenever she’d experimented. Dev she wanted, poised over her as he slid deep. Dev, brushing the hair from her face as they rocked together beneath the sheets.

And now that she’d had a taste of the real thing? She wanted nothing more than to give him everything she had. If he had wanted to take her in the hallway, she would have let him.

Because she loved him. It wasn’t a teenage crush or a fantasy. She was surer of that than ever.

Do you honestly think he wants you--to keep you--when he could have movie stars and sex goddesses?

She argued with the better part of herself, where good sense and better judgment resided. If she could have him just once, then at least she’d have that memory to keep for the years ahead. And who better to give her virginity to than the man she’d loved for most of her life? Because every part of her body burned for Dev Lachlan's touch, for his mouth on hers, and for the promise of more in those kisses.

She took a few deep breaths with her back against the cool wall of the service hall to compose herself. She was nearly calm when the service door flew open, startling her. Gina stalked in with a dark expression on her face, looking down the hall first and then her eyes lit on Cheri.

"Cheri?" she said her face softening. "What are you doing here?"

"Um, getting a breath of air," she said stupidly.

"Are you feeling okay? You look flushed."

Cheri blushed even more now that Gina stumbled over her sexual near-adventure, but Gina was still talking.

"You scared me," Gina said. "I thought one of those industry sharks seduced you."

Cheri forced a laugh. "You thought what? Oh, Gina, that's ridiculous."

Gina's eyes looked her up and down.

"In that dress, I don't think so. Anyway, Richard called me looking for you. He needs you backstage to help with the load-in. What happened to your phone?"

Cheri’s face flamed as she felt for it on her body and found it had slipped to her waist. She dimly remembered the phone had buzzed while she was making out hot and heavy with Dev. But there was no way, no how she was going to stop kissing Dev to answer it.

"I must have forgot and had it on silent," she said lamely.

"Uh huh," said Gina. Her voice held suspicion, but she stopped her probing of the issue. "Well, Cinderella, time to leave the ball before your coach turns into a pumpkin."

She turned to go but Gina stopped her.

“Wait," she said, her eyes focusing on a spot on the floor by Cheri's feet, "did you drop your camera? I hope the pictures didn't get lost."

"No," said Cheri. It must have slid off her shoulder without her thinking about it when Dev kissed her. "I just set it down for a minute.”

Gina fanned her face with her hand. "You aren't the only one that needs air. Go. Get. Richard is buzzing me again, and considering where I put my phone, it's having the most curious effect on me."

"You sure you’re okay?"

"Go," said Gina with an imperious wave of her hand. "I'll handle the sharks, you go handle Richard. Go that way," she pointed down the longer part of the hallway that stretched to the back of the building, "and you'll meet up with the buses parked there."

The memory of Dev's kisses sent electric shocks through her as she made her way out toward the lot. She felt as if she was walking in a dream until she shucked her dress inside the empty bus. She spilled out the new clothes on the bed, marveling over how perfect every piece of clothing seemed to be for her. There was a pair of black leather pants, and she smiled at the thought of Dev seeing her in them. When she put the soft, buttery leather on it hugged her like a second skin. With the thigh high boots, a red sleeveless tank, and a black leather vest, she thought she looked more like a rock star than the boys did.

She remembered to put on her band identification and grabbed her tablet to get to work.

"Thank god," said Richard when he finally saw her. "Where have you been?"

"Rubbing elbows with the rich and famous. I thought you were too?"

"Me? Hell, no. I put in an appearance, but I can't trust these bozos to tie their own shoes, let alone dress a set, so get to work." He started down the hall toward some unnamed task.

"Aye, aye, captain," Cheri said, popping off a snappy salute.

He turned on his heel. "That's not a nickname, is it? It better not be a nickname. I hate those."

"Says the man that calls me Bug."

"Well, that's your name, isn't it?" He pulled out his phone, swore and dashed away.

"My name's Cheri," she called out loudly after him.

But contrary to Richard's opinion, the crew of Sub-Zero was extremely competent, both in their own tasks and in handling the union crew of the venue. And a beautiful one it was too. Cheri nearly lost her breath when she stepped out on the stage and saw the sweeping arc of the three stacked balconies and the expanse of the first-floor seats that marched under them. Twenty-five hundred people would pack this auditorium tonight.

Behind her, the backdrop tumbled, revealing the logo of Sub-Zero, and Cheri's heart swelled with pride for the five men that made this happen. The boys she followed, cajoled and teased had grown into this incredible force of nature called a rock band.

An arm slipped around her shoulder, and she didn't have to look to recognize Richard's familiar cologne.

"Yeah," he said. "It's pretty damn awesome."

"I used to listen to them play in Dev's mother's garage," she said. "They sounded like crap."

"Pretty much," he said, "they all do, at the beginning."

"I wonder what's going to happen now that they are going national. You hear stories about other rock bands, how they go off the rails."

"Yeah, that's true. I've seen it too. But those bands didn't have what Sub-Zero has. And that's you. I don't think you realize it, but you’re part of this too."

"What? No way. I’m just a spectator, mostly."

Richard shook his head. "No, Cheri. You’re the person that keeps things real for them, the person that reminds them where they came from. They didn't have to bring you on tour, and if you weren't important to them, all of them, they wouldn't have.” He looked down at her leather pants and boots. "I'm glad you are finding more confidence, but don't forget where you came from, or these boys might forget too."

She watched him walk away, his words ringing like a funeral dirge behind him. That was what she wanted, wasn’t it? For the guys to view her differently? Especially her brother and Dev.

But she couldn’t deny, a part of her went ice cold at the thought that this could all backfire. Her relationship with the two most important men in her life had been complicated, but she’d always known at the end of the day that they had her back. She’d never be alone or without a friend.

Was this crazy lesson thing with Dev going to cost her that and more? Because as good as it had felt, she couldn’t imagine a world where a guy who commanded all this…the amazing venue, the screaming crowd, the adoration of thousands, could ever wind up with a woman like her. So she was risking it all for a fleeting reward.

She could put on a pair of leather pants, but at the end of the day, she’d always be Bug. And the odds of her brother and Dev both seeing her as anything else long-term were slim to none.

A chill shot down her spine as the truth settled deep into her bones. Hitching her heart to the shooting star that was Dev Lachlan could be the biggest mistake of her life.

And it scared the shit out of her.