CHAPTER 16
Emma
“Ninety-eight degrees and it’s only the beginning of May,” Red grumbles as we walk back toward the arena parking lot and the tour bus. His bald head is shiny with sweat, and he’s huffing and puffing a little.
“Well, we are in Phoenix, Captain Obvious,” I point out to him.
“Your dog looks stupid,” Red retorts.
Looking at Sirius as he walks in front of us on his leash, leading the way with his nose to the ground, I have to admit… he does look stupid with his feet and half his legs covered with white socks that I “borrowed” from Evan. It’s so hot outside that I didn’t want Sirius’ pads to get burned on the concrete, so I may have rummaged through Evan’s clothes for some of his socks to put on my dog.
Red and I just took Sirius on a little walk for our afternoon break. We’re coming up on the end of the second week of the tour having gone from Miami, to New Orleans, to Houston, then Dallas, and finally into Phoenix. After the show tonight, we head for Los Angeles, where he has two shows scheduled and some pretty hoity-toity parties to attend with the record labels.
We’ve gotten into a good routine these last several days. One of the things Red convinced me to do was to join him on his afternoon walk with Sirius because, in his words, “No one should sit at a desk for that long and not take a break.”
The tour is going amazingly well, and by that, I mean practically everything associated with it. Evan is magic up on that stage. I’m getting extremely comfortable taking press questions about the legal issues, but really, it’s Evan who does most of the talking. And I’m actually getting some solid work done on the copyright case. I’ve spent most of my time researching the law, and I’ve even reached out to a few copyright attorneys to pick their brains. I’m now spending time on crafting all of my discovery questions to send to the other side, which will help to narrow down the issues.
The only thing that is causing me some heartburn is the fact that there truly is no reason for me to be on this bus. For the Atlanta and Miami concerts, there were quite a few questions about Keith’s death—which had nothing to do with Evan because an arrest had been made, but it was sensational fodder the reporters were going to ask about. There were also questions about the copyright case, but we were only in the beginning stages and it would be months before we had something solid to report. Since then, there are days where nothing is needed of me except to work on the copyright case and, let’s face it, I can do that from back in Raleigh.
So the heartburn is because I’m really not needed here, and I’m sort of thinking I should go back. I know I committed at least a month to Evan, but surely, he can see I’m not needed.
Okay… that may be the true heartburn.
That I’m not needed by Evan on a personal level.
I’ve got no real reason to think that. We’ve been going hot and heavy this past week and a half, and he can’t seem to get enough of me. I braved all the surprised looks I got when it became clear that Evan and I were an item, and I came out no worse for the wear. Everyone seems cool with it, except Tyler, but I’ve figured out that he’s just a natural jerk so I shouldn’t expect anything different.
“What time do you think Evan will want to pull out tonight?” Red asks casually as we walk down a sunny sidewalk about three blocks from the arena.
I shrug. “I’m guessing pretty quickly. No after-party and those meet and greets don’t take that long.”
Funny how Red comes to me with questions like this. Evan and Tyler are pretty much who calls final shots on when we leave, but Red’s figured out that I have Evan’s ear more than Tyler does lately so he knows I’m a quick source of info.
“You’re going to the show tonight, right?” he asks.
“Of course I am,” I tell him as we stroll along. I’ve shortened my pace as Red seems to be slowing down. Despite his big bulk, I’ve been impressed with his commitment to walking with Sirius a few times a day.
“Then I’ll head over to the other bus when Evan gets back from sound check and get some sleep,” he says conversationally, although it’s not really something that needs to be discussed. That’s pretty much the routine. Red and the other bus driver get their sleep in before and during the concert so they’re fresh to drive us to our next destination.
So it makes me wonder…
“Is there something you want to talk about with me?” I ask hesitantly.
Red twists his head and looks at me briefly before giving a sigh and looking away. “It’s just… you’re a really nice girl and this business isn’t so nice. I’ve been around it for a long time, and well… I’m just worried about you is all.”
My heart does a little flip-flop as I stop walking, reaching out to touch Red’s arm. He stops as well and Sirius, because Red’s been working on his manners, also stops and waits.
“That’s really sweet of you, Red,” I tell him with a smile. “But I’m not sure what you mean. Are you worried about something with Evan and me?”
He gives a shake of his head. “Nah… he’s a pretty cool dude since I’ve gotten to know him these past few weeks. Seems to have his head on straight. But he’s also new in this business and there are a lot of demands and pressures that can be tough on a relationship. I’m just saying… keep yourself a little guarded, okay?”
“But not with Evan?” I ask for clarification, because I’m still not sure what type of point he’s making.
Red leans in toward me, his expressive eyes filled with concern. “I’m not saying it about anyone in particular. Just you’re a nice girl and this industry can be not so nice. Evan seems to really like you, but that doesn’t mean everyone will. Doesn’t mean he always will. And you won’t be on this tour the entire time, so you’re looking at a long-distance type of relationship. So just be careful and try to look at things with a jaundiced eye. Okay?”
I nod in agreement, but I really don’t know what I’m agreeing to.
To be careful?
To not trust Evan?
Red’s so cryptic, but I also get that we’re talking about his employer. At least I think we’re talking about his employer, which would be Evan. But his other warning that “not everyone will like me” wasn’t as veiled as he thought it was. I know he’s talking about Tyler, who tries to avoid me for the most part, but when he can’t, he’s not the nicest guy. He’s never overtly rude in Evan’s presence, but if Evan’s not there, he’ll get his little zingers in if he can. No clue what’s up that dude’s butt, but I seriously don’t like him.
Giving Red’s arm a squeeze, I start walking again and he follows suit, Sirius taking off ahead of us with his sniffer going hard and looking completely ridiculous in his socks. “I appreciate it, Red. But honestly… I’m not sure this is a long-term thing with Evan anyway. I mean… it seems to be just… um… well, our interest right now is—”
“You’re saying it’s just physical and has an expiration date,” he suggests kindly.
And when he says it like that, God, it sounds awful. I don’t want it to be just physical, nor do I want an end date, but really, Evan’s not led me to believe it could be anything else. So I admit, “Yeah… that’s all this is I think.”
“Well if you’re unsure, you need to ask him,” Red says simply.
He’s probably right, but I just make a humming sound of agreement in my throat.
We make it to the arena parking lot in comfortable silence, then show our badges to the security guard working the fence that separates the buses from the public parking. As we approach Evan’s bus, I’m surprised to see him trotting off it. When he steps onto the concrete, he looks toward the arena, then swings his head our way. His face is impassive when he locks eyes with me.
“There you are,” he says as we approach. “I was just looking for you.”
“We took Sirius for his afternoon walk,” I explain, and Evan’s eyes drop down to the pup who is sitting down perfectly.
“Why’s he wearing my socks?” Evan asks, his brows furrowed together.
“To protect his feet,” I say simply.
When he looks back up at me, he’s shaking his head in amusement. “You owe me new socks.”
“You’re a millionaire,” I throw back at him. “You can afford to buy more socks.”
“That’s true,” Evan says, but then his smile slides off his face. He takes Sirius’ leash from my hand, turns, and hands it to Red. “I need to talk to Emma about something. Can you watch him a bit more?”
“Sure,” Red says as he takes the leash.
Evan turns and looks at me somberly. My stomach pitches.
“What’s up?” I say hesitantly, my head tilted to the side.
“Inside the bus,” he says as he nods that way. By the tone of his voice, this doesn’t sound good.
“See you later, Red,” I say and before I turn to the bus, his eyes look back at me with worry.
I walk up the steps, Evan close behind me, and I start to worry in earnest because he’s so quiet.
When I reach the top landing, I turn around and ask, “What’s wrong? You’re starting to freak me out.”
Before I even know what’s happening, Evan’s slapping at the button on the dashboard and the doors hiss closed. He lunges at me, drops his shoulder, and before I know it, I’m being lifted and thrown into a fireman’s carry.
I shriek in surprise, and Evan laughs as he turns back to the bus. “Fuck, I missed you and totally wanted to spend some time with you before the show.”
“Evan,” I say in exasperation as he carefully navigates the steps to his bus. “I’ve got work to do, and you should be resting before the show.”
He doesn’t respond but carries me down the length of the bus, to the bedroom we’ve shared every night since Miami, with the exception of our stop in Dallas when we stayed in a hotel that evening since we had an extra day to get to Phoenix.
Evan drops me on the bed and because the room is small enough to do so, manages to kick the door shut with his foot from the same position.
Before I can even open my mouth to chastise him for his controlling ways, he peels his t-shirt over his head and I go absolutely mute. My throat goes dry, my tongue curls in on itself, and that sweet spot between my legs starts to throb just by looking at his chest and stomach.
That line of hair that starts below his belly button and disappears into the waistband of his cargo shorts.
Knowing what lies just beneath that.
Evan’s fingers pop the button on his shorts, and I go hot all over.
“See something you like?” Evan asks in a husky voice, and my eyes shoot up to him, humiliated that I’d been staring so blatantly.
“Um…”
“Or rather, see something you want?” His tone is devilish and his eyes are sparkling with amusement.
It feels like flames are licking at my face, and I really need to stop getting so embarrassed when he says things like that to me. Over the last several days, Evan’s told me so many dirty things, I should be used to this by now. And what’s worse is that I think he gets a kick out of it, which is somewhat annoying.
In an attempt to save some face, I pluck up my courage and try to give some of it back to him. My eyes fall back down to the front of his shorts and to the large bulge pushing against the zipper. “I don’t know, Evan… what you got under there?”
A small growl rumbles out of Evan, and I look back up at him. His eyes are dark and his jaw is locked hard, and for a very brief moment, I think he might be mad.
Then, while holding me pinned in place with his eyes alone, I hear the zipper go down as he murmurs, “I’ll show you exactly what I’ve got under here.”
Swallowing hard, I let my gaze fall as he ever so slowly unzips his shorts and lets them fall to the ground. I’m vaguely aware that he kicks his shorts off along with his flip-flops, but more acutely aware he was commando. I stare blatantly at him all thick, long, and flushed dark. My breath catches in my lungs as he wraps a hand around himself and just squeezes.
Oh, wow… now that’s not only hot and dirty but actually quite beautiful.
It’s taking me some time getting used to him being so free with nudity. I’m still embarrassed and tend to pull the sheet around me when we’re done with the sexy times. Evan doesn’t think twice though about flaunting his body, and why would he? It’s damn near perfect.
“What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?” Evan asks me, and it’s with great pain this time that I drag my eyes back up to his face.
Yes, my face is red.
Yes, it feels hot.
But I’m going to ignore it and try to push out of my comfort zone. I come up onto my elbows, which I know thrusts my breasts out a bit, and with a quick flick of my eyes down and then back up again, I tell him the God’s honest truth. “I’m wondering what you taste like.”
“Christ,” Evan mutters as he crawls onto the bed and right over me. I fall back down to the mattress, but he holds himself above me on his hands and knees. He bends his head, peers at me closer. “You know I’m going to let you find out the answer to that question, right?”
I lick my lips. “God, I hope so.”
Evan groans and then gives me a hard kiss. When his lips release mine, he rolls to my side and settles into the mattress on his back. I roll toward him, let my gaze roam down the hard planes of his body, down to his erection, which is huge and laying on his belly.
“Do me a favor, Emma?” Evan whispers, and I tilt my head to look at him.
“What’s that?”
“Get naked before you put your mouth on me, okay?” he asks softly.
“Okay,” I breathe out in a soft gust of desire to please him.
So I get naked and I do it without too much embarrassing shyness.
Then I find out what he tastes like, and… he’s delicious.