Chapter Two
Aiden
The faint scent of Kit’s sweaty body caught my attention the moment I stepped into the living area of the bus, and my cock hardened to the point of pain. I busied myself with making coffee so I wouldn’t pull her into my arms.
Kit Ellis was hotter than hell, and I fucking wanted her. There wasn’t anything about the woman that could turn me off. She was beautiful, full of sass, and could rock out as hard, if not harder, than any female rocker I’d ever seen on a stage.
She had been hired on after our last bassist left for a life with his new family and a job that didn’t involve the music industry. It had been for the best. John just wasn’t cut out for this life, and we didn’t blame him for leaving, but it sure put a strain on us right before we kicked off on this new tour. Thankfully, we found a replacement. Kit came into the auditions with her own equipment and a badass attitude that would fit our hardcore antics on stage. Something Wicked was my brainchild, and I knew immediately that she’d make a perfect addition to our little family.
And I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her.
My fucking cock had a mind of its own when she was near me. The first time I touched her, my fingers tingled with some foreign electricity that left me craving more, and I’d almost ruined everything by putting my lips on hers. Thankfully, I caught myself before I did kiss her, but that night, all I could think about was her body and the fact that fucking her could ruin everything.
The woman drove me wild. Kit’s skin was smooth underneath her sleeve tattoo, and damn if she wasn’t curved in all the right places. The moment she’d passed me in the bunks and her breasts grazed my chest, my hands automatically landed on her hips. They were perfect for my hands. Her muscles had tensed as my fingers dug into her flesh. I wanted to push her into my bunk and have my way with her, but I didn’t.
She was half a foot shorter than me, and her short-cropped blonde hair made the freak in me want to tangle my fingers in the longer hair on top of her head so I could hold her to my lips...my cock.
“Fuck,” I groaned as I made my way into the bathroom to do what I needed to do and brush my teeth as soon as she was finished with her shower. I got a face full of her clean scent and that just sent my mind right back into the fucking gutter. There was no need to take care of my hardness, because every single time I’d done that since the first time I touched Kit, my need for her only increased. It was damn near impossible to keep my dick from swelling anytime she was near.
I slid into my favorite pair of leather pants and snagged a clean…okay, somewhat clean, band shirt from my bag. I’d ripped the sleeves off of it forever ago and used it more as a tank top than anything else.
It was still early by rockstar standards, of course. Eleven in the morning was more like five a.m. to a man like me. When I wasn’t performing, I liked to party more than the others. Who the hell could blame me? I was twenty six and in the prime of my life, leading one of the best up and coming bands in the nation. My only rule was not to step on that stage under the influence of anything. I’d seen too many bands fail because of it.
Something Wicked was the band I’d seen myself fronting from the time I realized that I could sing. When my mom realized my gift, she had immediately placed me in afterschool lessons to hone my singing voice and to learn how to play the guitar. When I mastered that, she found a guy to teach me how to play the drums, bass, and piano. By the time I graduated high school, I’d already found myself a band and had been performing in and around the Phoenix area where I lived for a year.
After a few years of dead end relationships with people and bands, I finally found three other guys who fit me perfectly, our sound matching so well that it was almost scary. Now, with our first single off of the new album climbing the charts, the band had set out on our third tour. We were kicking it off during the festival season, and thankfully, we had been able to get added to almost every lineup across the country. When John left us, I thought everything I’d worked for was going to be destroyed, but Kit came in and saved the day.
“I’m going back out to see what’s going on,” Kit said with a smile, dropping her trash into the bin under the sink. My eyes landed on her ass in those tight black jeans. The black and blue leather vest she wore matched her eyes and dark makeup and was the only thing covering her large breasts. The tattoo of an owl stood out across her chest, and it was visible along with her cleavage. I was honestly worried that if she sneezed, the damn thing would rip right down the middle. The thought of other men seeing her breasts sent me into a snarling frenzy.
“Don’t go far,” I grumbled, narrowing my eyes. She raised a brow, teasing and taunting me to give her more orders she probably wouldn’t follow. That alone made me want to take her over my knee. Kit pressed her lips together and hurried down the stairs instead of arguing.
“You need to hit that,” Jude laughed the second the door of the bus closed tightly behind her. He pulled a baseball cap over his dark brown eyes and leaned back in his seat. The fucker had a certain knack for knowing exactly what I was thinking.
“Not cool, my man,” I growled, making another cup of coffee. “She’s off limits.”
“Says who?” Kade asked, raising a brow. “You? Or some unwritten rockstar law that isn’t made to be broken?”
“It’s so obvious,” Jude teased, pulling his cap lower over his eyes as if he were going to take a nap. The smirk that formed at the corner of his mouth wasn’t easily covered, however. “Ever since we left Phoenix, you can’t keep your eyes off of her.”
“Fuck off,” I snarled, knowing damn well they were right. “I am not looking to hit that.”
“Bullshit,” my drummer replied.
“Can we talk about something else?” I asked, blowing out a breath of frustration.
“Like how Kit is out there alone with all of these band boys walking around?” Jude teased. “How they’re probably undressing her with their eyes as she walks past them looking like a walking wet dream?”
“Seriously, guys?” I snarled.
“Someone’s going to hit on her, and you’re going to lose your cool,” Kade warned. “Don’t end up in jail. I don’t have the money to bail your ass out.”
“I’m going for a walk,” I snapped at them and walked toward the front of the bus, ignoring their snickers. I snatched my badge and a list showing the schedule out of the envelope and left Kade and Jude on the bus. I needed some fresh air.
Kit had been consuming my every thought, and I needed to stop my wayward thoughts when it came to her. She wasn’t mine no matter how badly I wanted to claim her.
As I walked around, I noticed a few of the other bands gathered in the VIP tent, signing autographs and meeting with fans. We weren’t scheduled to be there for a little while longer. I saw the hordes of fans waiting in line to meet whatever band was in the tent. A girl in the line called out my name, but I just ducked my head and kept walking. If I stopped now, they’d want me to come over. I was on a mission.
I needed to find Kit. If I found her talking to another guy, I was worried that Jude would be right and I would beat the shit out of someone. I knew ninety percent of the bands who were playing at the festival, and I also knew that one hundred percent of those guys would want in Kit’s pants. Jude and Kade were right. She wasn’t mine, but the thought of those motherfuckers laying a hand on her sent my blood to boiling.
What the fuck was wrong with me?
As I rounded the line of buses, I came to a halt. Kit was leaning against a brick wall that blocked off the buses from the bathrooms. She was on the phone with someone, and she looked like she was about to burst into tears. My eyes narrowed as she let out a string of curses and ended her call. She covered her eyes with her fists and slid down the wall. My feet moved quickly, and the next thing I knew, I was standing in front of her.
“Who were you talking to?” I demanded, holding out my hand as I schooled my features. I knew I must have looked like I was angry, but seeing her upset sent me to a place I didn’t want to think about just yet. “What’s wrong?”
“Shit, Aiden,” she gasped, placing a hand over her heart. Her other hand landed in mine. “You scared me.”
“And you haven’t answered me,” I growled, pulling on her hand so that she was upright. My body automatically leaned in, making her back hit the brick wall. My other hand landed just above and to the right of her ear. I could smell her again, and it was driving my cock insane.
“It was no one,” she mumbled, looking toward the ground.
“The fuck it wasn’t,” I replied, sensing the lie as I hooked my finger under her chin and pulled until she looked up. I leaned forward and brushed my lips against the shell of her ear. She shivered in response. “I don’t like being lied to, Kit.”
“I’m not lying to you,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “It really wasn’t anyone important.”
“Why are you upset?” I asked, pulling away from her ear. I stroked her jawline as I waited for my answer. I wanted to know who had put those tears in her eyes. At that moment, if I had a name, I would’ve found the son of a bitch and killed him.
“Aiden,” she sighed, slumping her shoulders in defeat as I stepped back a bit farther to give her a little space. “It’s really nothing.”
“Bullshit, Kit,” I snarled, sending her eyes back to mine. I scared her, but at that moment, I really didn’t care. “Tell me, or I will think the worst.”
“It’s…it’s things at home.” She frowned, looking toward the ground for a moment to gather her thoughts. When her eyes raised and locked with my own, she let out a curse and told me what was bothering her. “My mom is in jail…again.”
“Seriously?” I asked, wide-eyed. “What the fuck for?”
“Drugs,” she said, waving a hand out in front of her. A crew member walked by, causing Kit to pause. She waited until he was out of earshot to continue. “This isn’t the first time.”
“Jesus,” I said, running my hands through my hair. “Do you need to…?”
“No! Fuck, no,” she snarled, cutting me off with a slash of her hand. “She is a grown ass woman and I’m done bailing her out. We won’t be home for another three weeks. She can sit in jail and detox until I get there.”
“If you’re sure,” I pushed, resting my arm beside her head again. I made a fist where she couldn’t see, hoping it would make me forget that being that close to her was driving me mad with lust.
“I’m sure,” she said, ducking under my arm. “I need to call the landlord and make sure they don’t evict us.”
“Us?” I asked, shocked as I spun around to watch her walk away. “You live with her?”
“Yeah.” She nodded, glancing over her shoulder. She looked down at the phone in her hand and grimaced. “I’ll have to wire him some money to cover the rent until I can get home.” I could see that she was thinking, calculating in her head, when she started to walk away.
“Kit,” I called out as I jogged to her side, reaching for her arm. She stood still when my fingers made contact, hanging her head as she turned around slowly. The look of defeat in her eyes almost brought me to my knees. “Do you need money?”
“No,” she growled, fire sparking in her deep blue eyes. “I don’t need handouts, Aiden.” She jerked her arm and jogged away, disappearing behind one of the food tents set up by the buses.
“Fuck,” I mumbled, taking off after her at a steady clip. She didn’t go far before she stopped and spun around as soon as I got close. Her eyes held a fire I’d never seen before. She was upset, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to let her run off on her own.
“Give me some space, Aiden,” she warned, placing her tiny hand on my chest. The inferno of her touch burned me through my shirt when she pushed me away.
“Not happening here, Kit,” I replied, noticing all of the people running around the back lot. She didn’t need to be out here alone.
“I’ll meet you at the VIP tent in an hour,” she said, then sighed heavily. “I really need to take care of things at home while I have time.”
Something told me that she wasn’t telling me everything. Hell, I knew nothing about her other than she was a badass on stage and had a sharp tongue…and was fucking beautiful.
“If there is anything I can do,” I offered, softening my voice.
“Thank you.” She relaxed, her shoulders slumping. “I’ll meet you at the tent.”
She turned and walked away from me. It took everything I had to keep from taking her into my arms and solving all of her problems to keep that sadness out of her eyes. I really should’ve left her to take care of her own things. The last thing I needed was to get involved in her family drama, but damn if I didn’t want to make things better for her.
What the fuck was wrong with me?
And why the hell had I been asking myself that repeatedly over the past few weeks?