Chapter Twenty-Five
Owen
Nalia smiled and took a sip of the drink I’d handed her. She claimed she was just doing her job when I praised her for how smoothly everything had gone, but to be honest, it was way more than that.
She wasn't just doing her job well; she was doing everything above and beyond, really going the extra mile for us. There was no way we'd have been able to pull this all off so smoothly without everything she had taken on for us. I was hugely impressed with her dedication, enthusiasm, and efficiency. I could hardly believe how incredible she was. To hell with the after party. I wanted to spend the night celebrating with her, and her alone.
“Come here.” I took the drink from her hand and put it on a cup holder, grabbed her wrist, and tugged her toward the bathroom as the bus started to move. We pushed past the guys and the horde of groupies they had pulled onto the bus with them.
“What are you doing?” she giggled as I yanked the door open and tugged her inside with me.
“This.” I heaved her against me and kissed her firmly on the lips—something I had wanted to do ever since I had seen her step into the room backstage in the little miniskirt she was wearing. After the high performing for a sold-out crowd had given me, I wanted her even more. She’d done everything, and because of all her effort, the day had gone off completely without a hitch. The woman was amazing, and I wanted her desperately.
Her lips melted into mine, and I wrapped my arms around her waist, fondling her ass before she pulled back.
“You’re making out with me in the bathroom?”
“Yeah? So? I wanted to get you all to myself,” I admitted, still breathing heavily. She smiled and leaned forward to kiss me again when someone banged on the door.
“Dude! I gotta take a leak!” Nate yelled from the other side of the door. I frowned as Nalia laughed and shook her head.
“Come on,” she said as she dragged me out of the bathroom, an act that prompted several hoots from the other guys. “Besides, I still have a few more things to take care of, and you need to mingle, not be hiding out with me. You go do your job, and let me do mine. Remember what our priorities are here, Owen. We both agreed on certain things, and we need to stick to them.”
“But what if I want to hide out with you?” I grinned.
She shook her head at me and raised an eyebrow. “Go. Mingle. Do what everyone expects you to do.” She gave me a gentle pat on the butt, then disappeared toward the front of the bus.
I did as I was I was told and hung back with the guys, even though I didn’t really want to. Talon was already doing body shots off of the stomachs of two of the girls he’d brought on the bus. He certainly wasn't one to waste any time when it came to the ladies. I shook my head and grabbed a beer, sitting down next to Jeremiah.
“Good show tonight, man.” He clinked his bottle against mine. “Nalia is amazing, man, she really is. I'm glad you found a good assistant. She's taken a huge load off of your shoulders. All the guys have been talking about how they can tell you’re way more relaxed. I know it’s because of her.”
“Yeah, she’s pretty great,” I sighed.
Jeremiah raised an eyebrow at me. “You seem rather enamored with her, too. Funny. If I remember correctly, you were the one who made us all promise that we wouldn't get involved with her, no matter what?”
I shrugged and took a swig of beer. He knew me well enough that I didn't need to respond. We finished our beers in silence as the bus headed back to the hotel.
Once there, we all piled out of the bus and headed up to the penthouse in a couple of different elevators. I lost track of Nalia in all of the chaos, even though I was doing my best to keep an eye on her. When we walked into the penthouse, however, she was already there waiting, still wearing the Bleeding Heart tank top, but having changed out of her mini skirt into a pair of yoga pants.
“You changed,” I frowned, looking down at her outfit. “You are partying with us, aren't you?”
She shook her head. “Sorry, Owen, but I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to join in. I have a few things I need to take care of, and I thought maybe it would be a good idea to give you guys some time away from the mother hen’s watchful gaze. I was just going to head to my room and get some work done.”
My frown deepened. “You’re not staying in the penthouse with us?”
“Nah, with the extra people you guys brought and the road crew still coming to join in, I figured you guys could use the extra room. I'm sure you all want to cut loose, and the other guys already think I’m strict as hell. Actually, I think they're even a little scared of me now!” I laughed, thinking of how quickly they now conformed when she barked orders.
“No, I'm gonna leave you all to do your thing, while I just get some peace and quiet. I’ll just be down a floor, though, in room 217, so if there are any problems just head down and get me or give me a call.” She gave me a comforting smile, but I still didn’t want her to go.
“Stay,” I grabbed her hand, but it slipped from my grasp.
“If you need anything, you know where to find me,” she said before she kissed my cheek. “Now, go enjoy your party; you guys earned it.”
“Right,” I sighed, walking her to the door. I wanted to go with her, but at the same time, I knew the guys and the rest of the crew would expect me to stay, at least for a little while. Nalia was right; I did have to stay and mingle and at least try to have a good time. As the leader of this band, it was pretty much expected of me, even if I wasn't really in the mood for it.
I watched her get onto the elevator before I headed back inside the penthouse, and couldn't deny there was a pang of sadness and disappointment that she wasn't going to be at the afterparty with me. Talon and Jay, meanwhile, had cranked up the stereo system and were pumping some party tunes, and people were starting to dance.
I made my way over to the bar where I got the attention of the bartender and ordered a couple of drinks, downing them quickly in an attempt to drown my disappointment before joining the others. Forty-five minutes later, the crew arrived, bringing a few more guests up with them. The penthouse quickly became packed with partygoers. The party was definitely on now, and I was starting to feel a slight buzz from the drinks.
“Great show tonight. Gonna be a good tour,” some of the crew members said in passing as they picked up drinks at the bar. I ended up hanging with several of the road crew guys on the sofas, bullshitting and laughing as I downed a few more drinks. I was having fun, but it didn’t feel quite right because Nalia wasn’t with me. I tried to shake the feeling, but for some unknown reason, I couldn’t.
I had a heavy buzz going when I got up and headed to the bar for another drink. Talon came over and slung an arm around my shoulder.
“Come on! Let’s do some shots!” he said, slurring a little bit.
“You sure you need to do any more shots?” I asked, unable to help smiling.
“Hell yes!” he snorted, then slapped the bar. “This party is only just getting started, bro! Four shots of fireball!”
The bartender came over and filled up four shot glasses and Talon beamed at me picking up one.
“To Bleeding Heart!” He clinked his glass on mine, and several hoots of agreement sounded around the room.
“To Bleeding Heart,” I agreed before taking the first shot and quickly following it with the second. If I had to mingle, I might as well get a bit drunk.
“A couple more?” Talon shot me a mischievous glance. I nodded. Why the hell not?
After two more shots, I was definitely in a more sociable mood. Still, something was missing with Nalia not being there, and I couldn't really get in the right mood for it, even with the alcohol flowing through my veins. I hung out for an hour or so more, then decided I’d had enough. I wanted to spend some time with her.
Since Talon and Jeremiah were busy chatting up girls, I excused myself with an Irish goodbye and headed into the hall for the elevator. I knew she was just one floor down, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember her room number. You drunken idiot, I thought as I stared at my swaying reflection on the mirrored elevator doors.
Ever stubborn, I stepped off the elevator onto her floor, looking up and down the hallway, hoping that seeing the room numbers might jog my memory. What the hell was her room number? 218? 216? I remembered it was in the teens but not which one. Was it an even or odd number? I could knock on half if I remembered and find her.
No, don't do that, I told myself. It was two in the morning. I doubted anyone sleeping in any of those rooms would appreciate me trying to guess which room she was in that way. I sighed and rested my forehead against the wall. Maybe those last few shots hadn't been my brightest idea.
A door opened, and I looked up, but it was just some old man in his bathrobe who gave me a weird look when I smiled at him. Damn. Like I’d be lucky enough to have her step out of her room with perfect timing like that. I stood in the hall a little longer, hoping that I’d either remember her room number or that she’d come out to pull me into her room, but neither happened.
The longer I stood there, in fact, the more I realized what a stupid idea this had been. As shitfaced as I was, I would probably make an ass out of myself trying to be smooth with her, anyway.
With a sigh, I turned toward the elevator and stumbled back in, pressing the button for the penthouse floor. When I walked back in, Jay and Nate were hanging with some girls on the couch, but instead of more partying, I headed straight for one of the rooms to crash, no longer interested in hanging out or mingling.
I threw myself on the empty bed, grumbling about not getting to see Nalia tonight and then humming a song I had stuck in my head but couldn’t remember where I knew it from. After a minute, it hit me: it was the song Nalia had been playing at the bar. Shit, she really was starting to get under my skin.