"Shotgun."

"I already called shotgun last night."

"You can't call shotgun until you're within sight of the car."

"Says who?"

"Says the rules of shotgun."

"Guys," Seth interrupted, stopping Gael and Nathan in the middle of their squabbling. "Julian gets shotgun."

"But Julian almost always gets shotgun," Nathan said.

"Driver gets final say," Seth cut them off. "And since you guys always force me to drive, I say Julian sits up front." Seth made a face. "The last time Gael got shotgun, I was forced to listen to stories of his, quote, sexual prowess for two hours."

"I've got a girlfriend now," Gael protested.

"And I don't need to hear stories of all the public places you've done it, either," Seth said.

Gael and Nathan grumbled, but climbed into the minivan the label rented for our tour, taking their places in the middle seats. Julian shot Seth a grateful look as he took his place in the passenger's seat.

The minivan wasn't a fancy, high-tech, double-decker tour bus, that was for sure, but I wasn't going to complain. We had a label who actually paid for it. We didn't have to front the cost ourselves like when we were indie.

Besides, we were still the new guys on the music scene. I knew we'd get there eventually. And this was a local tour, only cities within a days drive. It wasn't like we had to be sleeping on a bus overnight.

"So that leaves me and you in the back?" Liam asked.

Damn. I hadn't thought of that. Me and Liam, crammed next to each other for hours on end.

I grabbed the door handle and pulled it open. "Guess we'll have to entertain each other."

The words popped out of my mouth without thinking of the double meaning.

"I'm sure we'll find something to pass the time," Liam said.

I expected him to follow up with some sort of innuendo or come-on, but he didn't. Instead, his voice was tired, near fatigued.

He wasn't the only one. As Seth took his place in the driver's seat, I could see the dark bruises under his eyes. They no doubt matched my own. Julian's dark hair hung limp around his pale cheeks. Even Gael and Nathan's playful antics were half-hearted, as if they couldn't summon the energy to properly tease each other.

The last few weeks had been rough. We'd practiced nearly day and night, and then some, as the final days before the tour approached. Our muscles were sore. Our heads pounded.

We probably shouldn't have pushed ourselves as hard as we had, but each of us knew how important this was. We couldn't just be good on stage. We had to be amazing. We had to be flawless.

We had to be rock star gods.

"Cerise?" Liam prompted.

I shifted my attention away from the other band members. As much as they worried about me, as the leader of the band, it was my job to worry about them.

Liam gestured for me to climb into the van first. "After you."

The vehicle was raised and I had to step up and crawl in. I was acutely aware of my backside right in Liam's face as he climbed in behind me. Luckily the hem of my skirt fell lower than I usually wore, or I might have given him an entirely too private view.

I had to wonder though. If I had flashed Liam, would he have even reacted?

Liam and I had kissed and it had been amazing. Breathtaking.

It had also been a terrible idea. So I'd pushed him away.

Liam had respected my wishes and kept his distance.

It could have been because of what I'd said to him. Maybe my last rejection had finally sunk in this time.

It also could have been because we'd simply been too busy, too exhausted, to have any sort of flirtatious tension between us.

"Anyone need anything before we take off?" Seth asked. "One last coffee run?"

A chorus of weary no's followed his question.

I settled into my seat, leaning my head back against the soft leather headrest. Closing my eyes, I heard the rustle of Liam plunking himself down beside me. The back of the minivan was bench style, not bucket seats. I wondered if he would scoot closer, until he was right up beside me. But no, he kept to his side of the van, pressed against the right window, leaving the middle seat empty between us.

"I've barely spent any time with Jessie in the last few weeks," Gael was complaining from the middle seat.

"You sleep over at her place every night," Nathan pointed out.

"Yeah, and that's all we do. Sleep." With the way he said the word sleep, Gael's displeasure was clear. "After the tour I'm locking us together in her bedroom and not coming out for three days."

"What did I say about discussing your sex life?" Seth called out from the front seat.

"You wanted to know all about it so you can get tips, right?" Gael called back.

"I don't need to take advice on women from the likes of you."

Gael looked affronted. "My advice is solid gold."

Seth just laughed.

The guys continued to joke and banter. Liam joined in once in a while, but mostly seemed content to keep to himself. I tuned them out, listening to music with my earphones on, trying to get my head into the right space for our upcoming concert.

After an hour my knees began to ache. I might have stretched them out on the seats, taking up the whole back, but I couldn't that do with Liam there.

After shifting and squirming for what felt like the dozenth time, crossing and uncrossing my legs, Liam tapped my shoulder. I took out my earphones and raised an eyebrow in question.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Just feeling a little cramped."

"Would it help to stretch out?" Liam asked. "You could put your feet in my lap."

That was an unusually intimate offer. Or perhaps he was simply being nice, like a friend would be.

Giving my knees a break sounded like a great idea, especially if I wanted to be in top shape for the concert. But putting my feet up in Liam's lap? The thought sent butterflies flapping madly in my stomach. It might just encourage him. Might end up canceling out all my previous rebuffs.

Liam watched patiently as I debated the idea internally, expression placid, as if he would be content with my response either way.

"Sure," I finally said. "Thanks."

I unlaced my knee-high boots and toed them off. I scooted around until my back was against the door. I hesitated, just for a moment, before lifting my feet and resting them gingerly on Liam's thighs.

"Aw," he said, feigning disappointment. "I was hoping you'd have some sort of cute or embarrassing pattern on your socks so I could tease you about it."

"Sorry," I said. "Solid black is what you're stuck with."

I nestled deeper into my seat and extended my legs. I couldn't straighten them all the way — my legs were too long for that — but it was enough.

"Better?" Liam asked.

"Yeah, thanks," I murmured.

He flashed me a smile and rested his hands on my shins. My stomach tightened and tumbled over. I was fixated on that smile, his green eyes crinkling at the corners. His hands were warm, even through my socks. This was the closest we'd been, physically, in weeks. My toes curled and uncurled unconsciously. His smile widened. He ran one hand up and down my shin soothingly. I caught myself before I let out a shuddering breath.

Liam turned his head forward. "Hey Seth, about how far away are we?" he asked.

I blinked to clear my head, set free from that gaze.

"A bit more than an hour," Seth replied, looking in the rearview mirror. "Maybe less if traffic lets up."

Liam nodded. I focused on my knees, refusing to check if that smile was back on his lips.

No wonder he kept pursuing me. I'd never given out so many mixed signals in my life. One smile and I reacted like a lovesick schoolgirl.

I couldn't deny my attraction to him, not even to myself.

And from the amused look in his eyes, I wasn't keeping it from Liam, either.