Nothing happened with that girl at the club, but that’s not why I’m pissed. I’m pissed that I found myself trying to explain to Lyric what really happened. Since when did I let myself get so worked up over a woman? Never. Not even when I was a punk teen who pretended to be a hard-ass to impress girls.

When Lorraine said Lyric took off without me last night, I knew immediately that Rex hadn’t gotten Rachel off me in time. I knew Lyric saw, but she saw wrong. I was practically molested by our backstage assistant, and my own drunk ass couldn’t control her. This, under normal pre-Lyric circumstances, would have been fine.

I may have been lit, but I know Rachel was all over me, dry humping me in front of my band and crew and whoever-the-fuck else was back there with us. Lorraine joked about it the entire ride home, but I didn’t find it funny. I only had one thing on my mind, and her name is Lyric.

I went straight to her room and banged on her door, but she must have already fallen asleep. No one would let me in, so I finally went to bed.

Why am I so concerned about what Lyric saw? Or what Lyric felt when she saw what she did? Why do I feel this insatiable need to protect her as if she were mine? Why do I feel like she is mine? She’s the furthest thing from it, but that doesn’t change the fact that I want to bury myself inside her every time I see her.

There’s only one thing I can do on an eight-hour bus ride. If I can’t get my mind off Lyric, I’ll write my own.

 

Stay

 

Emotions blister, feelings fester

Beneath cold skin

You weren’t invited in

Your heart is puckered at the surface

Feathers ruffled, you’re so damn careless

 

Strange vibrations, impure intentions

Everything I fear

Our connection so clear

It’s the ultimate crime, these sensations I feel

It’s every damn thing I fear

 

Stay … stay away 

You’re crawling beneath my skin

We’re putting a stop to something

Before it ever begins

Just stay … stay away from me 

 

It’s missing a bridge and maybe another verse, but I need to get up and stretch. I’ve been staring at my notebook for hours, unable to keep the words from spilling onto the page. I put the lyrics away and leave the space of my room. Writing never takes a toll on me like this. But then again, my songs are usually about partying and one-night stands. Not infiltrations of the heart.

I let out an amused laugh. If my dad were here right now, he’d tell me I was being a pussy. He’d encourage me to fuck the next chick I laid eyes on hard and fast to get Lyric off my brain. And as much as I detest the man, he’d be right in this case.

Befriending Lyric was a mistake. She’s our road manager, and she’s got an engrained distrust for rock stars. Maybe a small part of me wanted to prove her wrong. Maybe for a short time I did prove her wrong, but any progress I’d made was shattered last night.

The guys and Lorraine are watching television when I join them in the main living space. Lyric is nowhere to be found. I breathe a sigh of relief, ignoring the dullness in my chest at the thought of her. I want to pound on it until it kick-starts back to life—to the way things used to be, when I didn’t obsess over how someone viewed me or interpreted my actions. I need to get over this shit. Because this isn’t me.

I reach into the refrigerator for a water, ready to wash down the frustration. When I peer above the door, I stiffen. The curtain to Lyric’s bunk is opened slightly, just enough to see her sleeping comfortably on a bright blue pillow. At least she looks comfortable. The soft features of her face and those long eyelashes make my heart beat a little faster. I’ve watched her sleep before. She’s kind of beautiful when she sleeps—and she makes these adorable fucking noises.

“Hey, Wolf.”

I jump, splashing water down my shirt. “Shit.” I close the refrigerator and set the plastic bottle on the counter.

“Check out this riff for ‘Dangerous Heart,’” Stryder hollers from the couch, completely missing my blunder. He starts strumming something before I can respond.

I walk over and sit across from him, listening intently and trying to get a feel for it. He repeats it a few times, and then I’m singing along with him.

 

Can’t rely on second chances

Since the first ripped my heart apart

You’re not welcome here anymore

Cause there’s no going back to the start

 

“Yeah, man. That’s the shit right there.” I’m nodding and making him play it again so I can get the vocals right. Lorraine plays a few keys on her portable keyboard, and I smile over at her, loving that we can do this. Jam like this at a moment’s notice. It’s not long before Derrick grabs his sticks and tinkers around with his beats, and Hedge joins in with backup vocals because his bass is tucked away in the luggage bay.

Over the past few weeks, the band has been working the social media outlets, sharing the video and recruiting help from our fans, searching for the owner of the song. We’re up to 15 million hits on YouTube, and radio stations are already calling our label rep, asking for the song.

“What are we going to do if we don’t find the writer of this song?” Lorraine asks, disappointment evident in her tone. She’s probably the most in love with it—other than me.

The rest of them chime in. Crawley’s eyes are on me from the passenger seat of the bus. He’s the only one who knows Lyric wrote it. I confided in him the next afternoon and asked him to keep it a secret. I didn’t have a choice if I wanted to do things legally. He happily obliged to handle all the legalities. Of course. And we agreed I should be the one to tell the band that we found her, although they would never know who she is.

“I’ve already found her.”

“What?” They’re all screaming at my confession, causing me to laugh.

“Who the fuck is she? You’ve been holding out on us?” Hedge glares at me.

“She wants to remain anonymous. Sorry, guys. I can’t tell you who she is, but she is letting us keep the song.”

“She doesn’t want money?” Derrick asks suspiciously.

I shake my head, just as bewildered as the rest of them. “She wants nothing but her anonymity.”

The bus gets rowdy, and before I know it, Stryder’s passing shots of whiskey around like it’s someone’s birthday. The jam session continues, and I almost forget that Lyric’s asleep in her bunk beside us. I’m not surprised when she wakes up and stumbles groggily into the wild party taking place.

I try to meet her eye, but she avoids me and sits beside Derrick. “What’s going on?” she asks him.

A pang of jealousy hits my chest as I watch their exchange and wish she had come to me. Sat by me. “Wolf found the writer of that new song. It’s ours. We’re celebrating.”

Her face tightens, and she immediately stands. “Count me out. I didn’t get much sleep last night, and I need to get some work done. See you guys.”

She starts to crawl back into her bunk, but I reach her first. “If you need to work you can use my room. It’s quiet back there. These guys will probably be rowdy the rest of the trip. They’re pumped about the song.”

Lyric gives me a half smile. I think she’s excited about the song, too, but she’s still pissed off about last night. I can’t blame her. I’m pissed at myself for last night, and as much as I could lay it all out there and tell her what I’m really feeling, it doesn’t change who we are. She doesn’t date guys like me, and I don’t date women like her.

So then why is Lyric’s smile enough to lift me above the clouds?

“Okay, thank you.”

I watch her walk away because I can’t exactly follow her to my room. Instead, I pick up the keyboard and mess around while Lorraine sings. She has a decent voice and sings backup on some of our songs, bringing a velvety softness to our usually deep-gutted raspy tone.

Derrick is the first to call our impromptu practice session quits when he gets a text message and slips into his bunk. Lorraine and Hedge turn on the PS4, and Stryder carries Misty to his bunk.

Without hesitation, I sneak back to my room and tap the door lightly before entering.

Lyric looks up. She’s lying flat on her stomach on my bed, her computer in front of her. She moves to sit up, and I wave my hand. “I’m just going to shower. You can stay.”

“I should go,” she says, avoiding my eyes.

“I wouldn’t go out there,” I warn. “Stryder and Misty get loud sometimes. Unless you’re into that shit, you should stay. I’ll be in here.” I point to the door to my bathroom. “Don’t worry.” With a final curl of my lip, I step into the tiny bathroom and close the door before leaning against it with a heavy sigh. My heart is pounding.

What the hell is wrong with me? I’ve never had to work so hard to keep a woman in my company before, but I don’t want Lyric to leave. Why am I even trying? Nothing good can come out of this.

Maybe I’ll feel better after we clear the air. It’s obvious we’re attracted to each other, but we both know anything more would complicate our worlds. Neither of us needs that kind of distraction.

Speaking of distractions… It’s hard—literally—to keep my mind off the fact that Lyric is lying on my bed right now with her tits pressed into my mattress. Her tight, round ass in the air. Her plush lips pursed as she works.

My hand instinctively finds my cock and begins stroking it as I start the shower. I need to take care of this problem if I’m going to spend any time around Lyric. There are no stops until we hit Pittsburg tonight. Then it’s late soundcheck, followed by showtime.

Just the thought of being on stage makes my heart rate speed up, causing my hand to work myself faster. A deep groan slips from my lips. Fuck. What if she heard that?

The last thing I want is for Lyric to freak out and leave to the sound of me jerking off. To thoughts of her.

I release my hardness with a silent cry and squeeze my eyes shut, thinking of anything to make the blood rush simmer. It takes a few minutes and a downpour of cold water, but I’m determined to make it through this shower without imagining Lyric moaning my name.

Still dripping wet, I wrap a towel around my waist and step into my bedroom. I’m expecting to find Lyric there. Still on my bed. Waiting for me. I’m already getting hard again thinking about it.

But she’s gone.

My heart starts beating erratically in my chest. I was hoping we could talk. I have no idea what I would have said to her if we got the chance, all I know is that I want that chance fucking desperately.

Looking down at the bulge in the towel, I see my standing ovation demanding attention. Again. “Shit, you’re needy today.” I rip off the towel and take hold of the rapidly growing purple monster.

Knowing this might take some time, I lean against the wall and close my eyes, thinking of Lyric again. My heart rate quickens with each movement as I imagine her petite, yet strong, hand wrapped around me, her pretty eyes batting up at mine before she takes a mouthful, moving down my shaft until it hits the back of her throat. She’s the perfect size to take against the wall, too, or a door, or the glass of a shower. “Ah,” I groan as I feel the rush of blood pumping through me.

“Oh my God!”

The sound yanks me from my daydream and my eyes fly open, my hand still wrapped around my beast of an erection. Lyric is in my room, the door closed behind her as if she looked up too late. She doesn't see that I’m staring back at her because her eyes are nowhere near my face.

What the hell do I do now?

She drops the notebook in her hand and backs up against the door, her eyes glued to every movement of my hand. I never stopped stroking myself. No way. She’s going to see what she’s doing to me. How much I want her.

A grunt escapes my throat as my balls tighten, begging for the release. I reach for them with my other hand and tug. Maybe this won’t take as long as I thought. With Lyric standing in front of me, frozen and practically salivating, I make my strokes extra dramatic.

My abs begin to tighten, my head feels like it’s ready to explode, and I’m grunting as I release my buildup onto the towel at my feet. I can’t remember ever being this turned on before.

“Holy shit,” she breathes.

I want to ask her if she enjoyed herself, but I need a moment to catch my breath and let the blood flow start circulating in my body first.

“Was that show for me?” Her unfaltering demeanor shocks me. She finally raises her eyes to meet mine.

“I didn’t know you were going to barge in. You could have knocked. Or left. You loved every fucking minute of it.”

I’m still breathing heavily. Masturbating in front of a woman isn’t a new thing for me, but somehow what I just did gave me the biggest rush. And she’s still here, narrowing those pretty eyes at me.

“You were right. Stryder and his girl are loud. I was coming back to wait it out, but I guess I’m not safe anywhere I go, now, am I?” A smirk appears on her face, building my confidence.

“Small bus, big problems.” I laugh.

She rolls her eyes, and I don’t blame her. That was cheesy as shit, but I don’t care.

“You can cover up now. I was going to do some writing.”

I reach for my towel, suddenly self-conscious, as she makes herself comfortable on my bed. I wash my hands and throw on shorts before she can get a look at my returning erection. Fuck. Not again. I have a problem, and it’s clear her name is Lyric. Just one look at her, and my dick reacts as if he’s never seen a woman before.

She lies flat on her stomach at the head of my bed, kicking her feet in the air. I join her, propping myself against the headrest, taking in the thin cloth that covers her ass. Barely. My gaze focuses on the crease between her legs and her cheeks. 

She glances over her shoulder, and her light green eyes lock on mine. She’s smiling, looking sexy as sin with a thin strand of hair falling into her eyes. “What are you looking at?” she asks.

“You.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m picturing you naked. Only fair. You just saw me in all my glory.”

She laughs. “Not my fault.” Turning back to her notebook she mumbles. “It was one hell of a show.”

My chest puffs with excitement. Damn straight.

“So,” she says casually, “everyone’s stoked about the song, huh?”

I knew she cared.

“Yup. It’d be cooler if they knew who wrote it. They already have mad respect for you, but this would blow their minds.”

The blush that creeps up her cheeks tells me just knowing that is enough for her.

“So, what is it with you and that song?” I prod. “Are you ever going to tell me?”

Her cheeks darken before a thick curtain of hair falls over her shoulder, shielding me from catching any more hints in her expression. “It’s just … the pressure. Having music legends for parents didn’t make life easy. I always felt like I was disappointing someone, you know? Because I was never going to be a musician. But I loved the industry. I always felt a little lost and without anyone there to guide me…” she shrugs. “I wrote lyrics.”

“Did your parents know?”

She’s silent for a long time before answering. “Yeah, they knew.”

“So, what? You were afraid your lyrics weren’t good enough? I’m sure you’ve gotten better since then. Or maybe you just needed to get your songs in front of someone who needed them. Like me.”

Lyric flips her long brown hair over her shoulder and smiles back at me. “You think you have me all figured out.”

I let out a breath of air. “Actually no. I don’t. Not at all.” And it’s bothering the hell out of me.

Her feet sway slightly in the air, so I instinctively reach for the closest one and pull it to my lap. When I do, the fabric of her shorts leg stretches open at the center, revealing shimmering pink flesh. She’s not wearing any underwear.

“I didn’t fuck Rachel last night,” I blurt out.

“Wolf,” she says, her voice low with warning.

“She was crawling all over me, but I didn’t touch her except to yank her off. When Rex removed her, you were already gone. I wanted to ride back with you. You fucking left. You could have said something to me.”

I’m not sure if it’s the situation from last night or the sight of her bare beneath those shorts that’s firing me up, but before I know it, my hand is working her foot like I should be working my hard dick right now.

“What are you doing?” It comes out as a croak as she shakes her foot in my lap, but I hold onto it and press my fingers into her arch. When she lets out a little groan, my cock jumps in my lap.

I’m still staring at her naked flesh, which causes my strokes to quicken. She lays her head down, giving up on her notebook and sighing. She has no idea what she’s doing to me with every innocent sound that comes out of her mouth. I’m not sure how to stop touching her, or watching her, or imagining placing myself between her tight ass cheeks.

I clear my throat, coming to a decision. “I think you should let me fuck you.”

Everything about her freezes, and I’m not sure if she’s considering it or if she’s ready to lunge off the bed and into the other room. She turns her head to assess me, to see if I’m serious. I’m dead serious.

This is it! The answer to our problem. We fuck. We get it over with. A one night stand. I show her how well it can work, and we get it out of our system. Then we go back to business as usual.

“Let’s not be shy about this, Lyric. You’re insanely attractive, and while fooling around is probably the last thing we should be doing, I want to so damn bad.” I swallow, hoping I’m making a good case. “Just once.”

My fingers move up her ankles slowly. She twitches a little but makes no move to stop me. I continue the journey up her calves, then her hamstrings, and then to the bottom of her glutes, where the thin fabric of her shorts ends. The room is silent except for the sound of her harsh breaths and my own heart beating down the walls of my chest.

She’s still as a board, her eyelids pressed tightly together. I consider removing my hand altogether to give her a chance to decide before my fingers take off on a mission determined by the thickness between my legs. My poor dick is throbbing.

When she shifts a little, I know she’s giving me permission, but I hesitate. Lyric isn’t a rocker slut. She’s so much more, and she deserves so much more. More than I could probably ever give her.

But she wants this. Me. Maybe she needs a release just like I do.

Letting out a ragged breath, I slip my finger beneath the fabric of her shorts until it meets her pussy. So perfect. So wet. Already.

Fuck.

I glide my finger up and then down at a tortuously slow pace, giving her every chance in the world to refuse me. Her legs slide open, her clit swollen beneath my touch. I still make no move to take the plunge, not yet, although I know it’s what she wants.

I let her shift a bit more. She’s practically begging for it, and it’s hot as hell, but if this is really happening, I’m going to make it last as long as possible. Lyric deserves the VIP treatment. Multiple orgasms initiated by intense and mind-blowing foreplay. She’ll be screaming when she comes in my mouth, but only when I’m ready to let her.

My finger slips back down her leg, drawing a wet line down her skin. Reaching for the band of her shorts, I swiftly remove them, revealing the finest ass I’ve ever seen. It’s round and firm, sitting perfectly below her tiny waist.

Just staring at Lyric’s curves is enough to get me off. Seeing her bare is more arousing than I was ready for. I pull my erection from my shorts and tug at it a few times, hoping to relieve some of the pressure. To my surprise, Lyric takes that moment to look at me over her shoulder, her eyes darkening by the second. I squeeze her ass and watch as her teeth sink into her plush bottom lip. I fucking lose it.

I shift her so her legs are on either side of mine and my feet are angled to lock her body in place. She’s still lying flat on her stomach and I’m still sitting with my back resting against the headboard, but now her clit is directly below my cock. Right where I want it. With her eyes still on me, I stick a finger in my mouth and suck, giving her an idea of what I’m about to do. I grin and sink it straight into her wet opening until her eyes roll back in her head.

Hell yes. So warm and soft, but tight. So tight. My dick throbs knowing those narrow walls will be wrapped around me soon. I don’t know if I can resist much longer. Not after knowing what’s waiting for me.

My free hand palms one of her ass cheeks, gripping it for leverage as I sink and twist and jerk my finger in her depths. My hands are big, and one finger is enough for someone as tight as Lyric, but if I’m going to prepare her for taking all of me when I’m ready to give it, she needs to understand what she’s in for. So I dip a second finger into her tightness … and then a third. She screams a little. It’s a quiet scream, but a scream no less. I smile in victory while continuing to pump until her walls begin to strangle me. She’s so close.

Call me a savage beast, but I won’t let her come yet. That was just a primer. I release my fingers while she mewls in disappointment.

I’m quick to maneuver her to the foot of the bed until her head and arms dangle off, and then I move to my knees and lift her legs until they’re propped up on my shoulders.

Then she’s in my mouth. There’s no mercy now. No gentleness. Pure mouth-fucking, and it’s beautiful. Her pussy is perfection and her juices are sweet, just as expected. I suck her clit, already knowing the pressure she needs to send her into a state of orgasm. She chases a moan with a scream until she’s convulsing wildly against my face. She comes for what seems like minutes as I continue my work on her.

“Jesus, Wolf,” she says through deep, heaving breaths, her first words since asking me what I was doing.

I chuckle into her wet heat, flip her body, and pull her closer so her head rests on the foot of the bed. I leave her for only a second to remove my shorts, and then I climb back onto the bed, my dick angry as hell at me for taking so long. “Please tell me you’re on birth control,” I moan, brushing the crown of my cock against her pussy.

Her eyes are glazed over when she peers back at me. It’s all cute until she opens her mouth to respond, and I know her answer isn’t going to be a good one. It’s like someone kicked my puppy when she shakes her head. “I stopped taking it. Do you have protection?” She looks almost as sad as I am.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I shake my head. “No.”

Why didn’t I think of that before getting on this bus? Lyric and all her distractions, that’s why. For the first time in years, my goal wasn’t to fuck as many women as possible on the road.

I still consider shoving my cock into her before she can resist me. I need to be inside her now. I’ve waited patiently, and I finally have my chance. Rubbing the head of my dick against her again, I moan, but I think I might cry.

“I can pull out.” It's worth a shot.

She shakes her head firmly. “No.”

“I’ll ask one of the guys.” I make a move to get up, but she grabs my arm.

“You can’t do that,” she whispers. “They can’t know.”

I growl and let my head fall into her neck. “Baby, I need to get inside you. You have no idea how many times I’ve thought about fucking your sweet pussy. If this doesn’t happen, I swear my dick is going to fall off.”

She giggles, and even in my state, I smile at the sound. “We can do something else,” she says coyly.

I raise an eyebrow, wondering if a blow job will suffice.

“Do you have any oil or lotion?”

“Hell yeah, I do.” I hop off the bed to grab a bottle of edible lube from my bathroom. I’m heaving quick breaths at the thought of taking her ass. When I return, she’s slipping her shirt over her head and removing her bra, letting her beautiful tits out to play.

Why didn’t I get those in my mouth earlier?

“You’re so hot, babe.” I can’t help moving my eyes across her body, appreciating. She smiles before taking the bottle from me and squeezing a string of clear liquid onto her chest. I begin stroking myself as I watch her, promising my balls their release soon.

I think I’m going to come before I even touch her again. When she’s done spreading the oil all over her breasts, I practically run to the bed and straddle her. It’s a slippery journey for my hands as they glide up her ribcage and over her tits. I lick each one, silently apologizing for not tending to them sooner.

She giggles at my obvious distraction and lies back on the bed. It finally dawns on me what she wants me to do. Taking her full breasts in her hands, she holds them together, using her thumbs to rub her nipples slowly. I admire her confidence and the perfect curves of her body before allowing my cock to slip into position. I growl when she squeezes her plump breasts against me, hugging my length tightly.

It’s like I’ve died and gone to heaven when I start to move. Lyric’s tits are big for a petite girl, but they aren’t fake. I can’t remember the last time I fucked real boobs. These feel better as they conform willingly to every inch of me.

The fact that I see so much of Lyric as I’m titty fucking her—and she sees so much of me—is causing a shortage in my brain. So many women over the years, and this is the one I want to turn the lights on for. This is the woman I want to see, even when I close my eyes.

Sweat drips down my body as I gain momentum. I have the strongest desire to plant my lips on her and feed her the sounds of what she’s doing to me.

“Baby, are you ready for me?”

Her eyes light up, and we both shift so I’m no longer between her tits. I’m on my knees while she sits cross-legged, and I’m in her mouth without a single beat lost between us. It’s like we’ve done this a million times, and no words are necessary to know what the other needs.

One of her hands rests on my ass while the other plays with my balls and holds my cock. This chick will be the death of me. She pulls me deep into the back of her throat. My dick has girth and length, so I don’t expect her to take it all, but she does a pretty fucking good job.

“So. Good.” I grunt each syllable, articulating, so there’s no mistake.

She uses this moment to take more of me, and then her cheeks go hollow as she sucks, detonating the pending explosion. “Ah,” I grunt as she strokes every last drop into her waiting mouth in calculated spurts.

When she swallows and licks her lips, I want her again. This is insane. I’ve come twice in the last hour, but I know it won’t take much rest for me to build up again.

I fall back onto the bed, my arms crossed over my eyes. I can’t look at her. If I do, I’ll want her again and again, until my dick really does fall off.

A moment later, the bed dips, and I force myself to look up. “Where are you going?” I growl.

She slips on her shorts and looks around for something. I can feel her bra digging into my back and look down to see her shirt right next to it. She sees them at the same time and reaches over me. I smile and grip her waist, pulling her onto my chest. “I didn’t say you could leave.”

Her eyebrows raise, but she’s smiling. “I should probably go before your friend gets excited again and we do something stupid.”

Her words crush me, but I don’t understand why. “Stupid as in have sex?”

Lyric tilts her head. “I’m not having unprotected sex with you, Wolf. The longer we stay in this room together, the probability of that happening gets better.”

“Really?” I ask, already starting to get excited.

She cuts me off with her eyes. “Not happening.”

I stare back, locking eyes with her, desperately wanting to look deeper. There are so many emotions floating around, camouflaged in specks of gold and glimmers of light. She’s fucking beautiful, and I’m not thinking this way because she just drank from my fountain. Usually after I get a woman off and vice versa, I can’t wait to send them out the door. No repeats allowed. But not this time. There’s an ache in my chest at the thought of her leaving.

“Wolf,” she whispers in a silent plea to let her go.

I refuse, tightening my hold around her waist. “Stay. No sex. No finger fucking. I won’t even try to lick your pussy again. I can be good.”

She groans and laughs at the same time. “This was a one-time thing, remember?”

My face twists with mock confusion. “We didn’t even have sex. One-night stands include sex. This isn’t over.”

Rolling her eyes, she pushes away from me, not even trying to cover her glorious breasts. They’re perfect, just like the rest of her. “I’d like to get dressed.”

Sighing, I hand her the rest of her clothes and sit up, pressing my feet into the floor. “So that’s it?”

She raises a brow. “Yeah, I guess I should say thank you.”

Damn, this woman plays hardball. I laugh and shake my head. “You are something else, Lyric Cassidy.”

With a wink, she walks toward my door, giving me an over-the-shoulder smile before opening it. “Thanks for the good time, Wolf Chapman.” Then she walks out.

And that’s where this is supposed to end.

Yeah fucking right.