The bus lurched to a stop after another hour or so. Keira’s stomach grumbled and she nearly knocked Eric down when Steve called out ‘Breakfast!’ from the front of the bus before stomping down the steps. The pit stop at the diner along the side of the road displayed the attention to detail needed to run a tour. Since she and Eric were the late comers they’d been forced to order at the diner. Apparently, everyone else had put in their orders the night before and they’d been sent to the diner to speed up feeding over fifty people that made up the tour.

Waitresses blasted through the kitchen doors, trays piled high with delicious meals of salty meat, sweet carbs and a shit ton of coffee. The squadron of waitresses zipped around the diner dropping them on every booth and table filled with rowdy men clamoring for their meals. Eric and Keira found a table in the corner while everyone else groused, yawned or yelled across the diner. It was like being back in the cafeteria on the first day of school, she glanced around wide-eyed at everything going on. The waitress came to the booth where they sat, took their order and returned in record time to drop off the pancakes, sausages and orange juice that they’d ordered before running off to refill the coffee cups of half the crew.

The bright afternoon sun was blocked from her view by a wall of a man who appeared in front of her. Without so much as a word, he bent down and scooted in beside her, squashing her against the wall.

“Well, look at the lovebirds trying to get a little alone time. Would have thought that the time on the bus would have been more than enough,” he said, winking. She racked her brain trying to remember which one he was. It wasn’t Owen or Lyx, she wouldn’t forget those two anytime soon. He saved her, extending his hand.

“Caden.” He grabbed her hand and pumped it up and down. Ah, he’d been the one with the two girls on top of him last night. She only got the briefest of glimpses before nearly falling down the stairs of the bus.

“Keira,” she said, pulling her hand from his.

“I hear you’re going to be our resident photographer for the rest of the tour,” he picked up her fork and plunged it into her stack of pancakes. She slapped at his hand and took the fork he had halfway to his mouth. “What? They are super slow with second orders around here and I’m starving.” Caden looked down at her, his gray eyes big and round and his bottom lip pushed out. His sandy blonde hair sticking up at odd angles like it hadn’t met a brush in days. Eric laughed from across the table. She kicked him under the table and rolled her eyes. Eric sucked in a breath and rubbed his shin.

“What was that for?” he said, grimacing.

“For laughing at poor Caden’s hunger,” she said, sticking out her tongue. Feeling pity for this mountain of a guy she cut the pancake stack in half and dumped half of it onto a side plate, pushing it toward Caden.

“I’m not the tour photographer. Just here for Eric,” she said, thumbing her hand toward him and then realized how that might have sounded. She ducked her head and hoped her cherry red face wasn’t super noticeable. “I’m working on a project that the label would like to try out.”

“Cool,” he said, pancake crumbs tumbling out of his mouth. “You’re staying the whole tour?”

“Only until Eric leaves.” Caden’s head snapped up.

“You’re leaving the tour,” he said, while shoveling in another forkful of pancakes.

“Yeah, that was part of the reason I went back to LA. They are setting me up with my own tour in a few weeks to support the new album. It’s why they sent the new bus.” Caden dropped the fork and gave Eric one of those ‘bro pat on the back’ handshakes.

“That’s great news dude. I knew you were cut out for way more than being our opener. That had to seem like such a raw deal to be playing in front of our crowds. I know they aren’t exactly the most hospitable to non-rock.” Eric shrugged.

“It’s been cool. I learned a lot. Namely, what a bunch of crazy mofos you all are,” Eric said, laughing and taking a bite of his sausage.

“We do try,” Caden said, looking up, wiping a fake tear from his eye. “So back to you, Keira,” he said, refocusing on her, a cheeky grin on his face. Oh he was definitely trouble. “What kind of pictures will you be taking? Sexy boudoir shots?” He put his hands behind his head and batted his eyelashes at her. She couldn’t hold back her laugh at this nut.

“No, we’re going for something a bit tamer. Something to get those female fans swooning over our dear Eric over here,” she said, gesturing to him across the table.

“Oh, sounds, completely and totally boring,” he said, shoveling the last bit of pancake into his mouth. The guy ate like a roving hoard of pack animals. He burped, thumping on his chest.

“Lovely.” She took another bite of her pancakes, mopping up the syrup. Another even bigger guy pushed into the booth beside Eric.

“What’s up,” he said, gruffly, nodding his head.

“Nothing much, just trying to find out some more about the newest addition to our tour. Keira made a lightning fast appearance last night before running away. It seems she’s not a fan of nakedness.”

“Hey, I have no problems with nakedness,” she protested. They both shot her unconvinced looks. “I’m an artist. Sketching and painting nudes is not an issue for me. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to sit around and watch two chicks fight over who gets to gargle your ballbag.” A spray of orange juice erupted all over her and Caden as Eric let out what sounded like a half cough, half wheeze. The newcomer pounded Eric on the back and Caden grabbed for the napkins from the dispenser. Orange juice all over his face and the table, Eric wiped his mouth and nose. Caden threw his head back laughing, while trying to mop up the juice they’d both been showered in.

“Jesus, Keira,” Eric said, mouth agape.

“What?” she said, innocently, shrugging her shoulders. “That’s what was happening. I mean I’m all for appreciating the human form, but even that’s a bit much for me.” The other newcomer cocked his head to the side, shooting her an assessing stare. A bit unnerved, she went about cleaning the juice off her shirt. He extended his hand across the table.

“Nice to meet you, Keira. I’m Grayson,” he said, the corners of his lips quirking up just a hare. She felt that was the closest he had to a full out grin, so she’d take it.

“He’s my brother,” Caden said, beaming. “My little brother,” he teased and Grayson rolled his eyes.

“Anyway, glad to have you on the tour. Maybe a non-groupie female presence will encourage these guys to tone things down a bit.”

Keira surveyed the room, which teamed with more animated characters now that everyone had had their morning coffee. Some of the guys were walking along the backs of the booths, others were animatedly retelling stories and pounding on the tables.

“Somehow I doubt that. I’m planning on staying out of everyone’s way and trying not to screw this up for myself.”

“What’s the deal with the pictures?”

“I’ll take some the day before or day of the show, get them approved by the label. They will have them printed up locally and sold along with the rest of Eric’s other merch. It’s a trial run for his tour. Maybe do a photo book at the end. If I do a good job here, then they will keep me on.”

“She’ll do an excellent job. Her pictures are outstanding and I think she’ll be able to get some great stuff that my fans will like. Don’t worry so much,” he said, putting a gentle hand over hers on the table. He squeezed her hand and ran his thumb across the back of it. Caden and Grayson glanced down at their hands and exchanged looks. She nodded at Eric and pulled her hand from his, tucking it in her lap under the table.

“We’ll we’re glad to have you on the tour.” Caden slung his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her to his chest. He mussed her hair for good measure before releasing her. She blew her hair out of her face. A shadow fell over the table and everyone looked up. The pair from the night before stood at the end of their booth, grimaces on their faces.

“Five minutes,” shouted a stocky man with a long beard and ponytail standing in the center of the diner.

“It’s time to head out,” said Owen, staring at her. She shifted uncomfortably in the booth. It squeaked under her. The guys looked from Owen to her.

“What’s your deal, man?” Caden said, pushing his way out of the booth, forcing Owen to take a step back.

“Nothing, ready to get on the road and get to the venue,” Owen said.

“We’ve got plenty of time. Lighten up.” Caden threw his arm around Owen’s shoulder, which Owen promptly shrugged off.

“That means you two too. The tour waits for no one. Not even pretty little ladies.” He stared down at Keira.

“We’re good, Owen. Don’t forget, we have our own bus. No need to let us hold you up.” Eric motioned for her hand and she put hers in his as they scooted out of the booth. Grayson came out first, bumping into Lyx.

“Can you move? What the hell is wrong with you two?” Grayson said, moving around them. Eric still holding onto her hand, pulled her to his side and put his arm around her waist. Owen’s eyes zeroed in on his hand placement and he smirked.

“I didn’t know part of your new label package came with a ride along groupie. Maybe we’ll have to work that into our new contract,” he said, grinning at Lyx.

“Would certainly make those long drives a lot more enjoyable,” Lyx said, grabbing his crotch. Keira stepped forward out of Eric’s grasp.

“Maybe if you two weren’t such assholes you wouldn’t have any trouble attracting someone who would be willing to go on tour with you. What the hell is your problem? You’re both,” she said, jabbing her finger at the two of them, poking them in the chest. “being such colossal dicks. I’ve been around you for maybe fifteen minutes and I can’t wait until we’re off your tour and on Eric’s.”

Owen’s head snapped up and his eyes bulged. “You’re getting your own tour?”

Eric stepped forward and pulled Keira back against him, his hand resting on her hip.

“Yeah, starts in a couple of weeks, we only have until Philly with you guys and then we’re heading out.”

Owen’s eyes narrowed and he abruptly turned around and stormed out of the diner, pushing the door open so hard the jingling bells attached to it flew off the door onto the asphalt outside. Lyx jogged after Owen and everyone else stood there wondering what the hell just happened.

“What was that?” Keira said. Grayson and Caden exchanged looks and shrugged. She peered up at Eric who shrugged too. Everyone began filing out of the diner and she and Eric climbed into their bus. They stretched out in the living area at the front of the bus and the driver slid into his seat. They pulled away from the diner, both lost in thought.

After a few minutes on the road, Eric went back to the bunks and pulled out his guitar. She sat mesmerized as he tuned it and began playing a few songs. In complete fangirl mode, she jumped up realizing this was exactly the type of thing she should be taking pictures of. Bracing herself as she walked down the rocking bus hallway to the bedroom, she spotted her bag and opened it. She grabbed her camera and laptop out of her bag and stumbled back to the booth.

He smiled at her as she held her camera on her lap, her butterflies back fluttering with a vengeance as he began humming a tune. His fingers plucked the strings and moved quickly across the fretboard, driving a rhythm she wouldn’t have thought possible with an acoustic guitar. Smacking the body of the guitar, he peeked at her through his eyelashes and winked at her. He knew exactly what he was doing and if her panties were any indication right then, this tour would test her restraint like nothing else ever had.