Slash and Burn Read online

  “I’m not.” Man, not only was she bossy, she was impatient, too. But maybe she had a point. The meet and greet was going to start any minute, and it wouldn’t do to have half the band missing. He knew what he wanted to do, though, and having her boss him around and hurry wasn’t going to help.

  He didn’t know how to shut her up except to get on with it, so he kissed her neck just a little, but then he gave her breasts one last squeeze before getting down on his knees. If she hadn’t been wearing that tight-ass black leather super-mini skirt, he wouldn’t have been inspired, but he wanted to give her an intense orgasm. He knew his tongue could do it better than his cock could. Once he was situated, he reached under her skirt and yanked on the tiny panties, pulling them down. When he had them past her knees, he grabbed her leg at the back of her thigh and raised it, but she helped. He pulled the panties down over that long boot and left them hanging on the top of her other boot. He held her leg up to the wall in such a way that she was spread and he could get at her easily, and then he pulled her lips apart with his other hand. He heard her start to say something, but he knew exactly how to shut her up at this point. He stuck his tongue down below her clit and then licked upward, as though she were an ice cream cone. Just that one stroke had her making a guttural noise. So he ran his tongue up again, eliciting a loud gasp, and she shoved her fingers in his hair. “Mmm.”

  Yeah, that was just the beginning. He kept a steady pace for half a minute until he sensed her growing impatience. Her thigh muscles were tight and quivering, and she wanted a release. He knew it would help calm her, and he wanted to make her feel good. So he sped up the pace of his tongue, treating her like his friends would play a shredding guitar solo—no more moving in just one direction. He needed to move up and down now and go faster, and then she’d respond by giving in to the inevitable.

  He could tell she was getting closer, because her gasps were almost constant. When she did come, her noises became mere moans, and she was loud, louder than he’d ever heard her before. Her thigh quivered even more and he could feel all her muscles squeezing and clenching as she enjoyed wave after wave of pleasure. When she was done, she had a huge smile plastered on her face and she even laughed. “Holy shit.”

  Nick kissed the inside of her thigh. “Good, huh?”

  She let out a long breath of air. “Hell, yeah. Beyond amazing.” She let go of his hair, smoothing it out almost as though he were a pet, and said, “Damn. I wish we didn’t have this fucking meet and greet. I’d blow you and have you come all over my face.”

  It was Nick’s turn to laugh. He’d never actually seen a real girl do that—he’d only ever seen that happen in porn movies. Before he could say anything, she grabbed his t-shirt by the shoulders and he stood obediently. “Got a condom or would you like a blowjob?” Before he could even answer, her lips were on his, demanding he give into her.

  Like it was an effort. His hard on was relentless now, and he really didn’t care how he got off. She said, “Condom now. I’ll blow you later.”

  God, his cock couldn’t take it. He reached in his back pocket for his wallet and fished out a condom. In no time, it was covering his dick and she was facing the door, shoving her ass out, and he couldn’t resist the temptation any longer.

  Oh, Christ, she felt like heaven, and she made it that much better by crying out her pleasure once more. Then she dropped her voice and said, “Give it to me, Nick.”

  “I am, baby.”

  “Hard.” He could barely hear her when she said, “I think I’m gonna come again.”

  Oh, shit. She did, and when she started groaning again, clenching against his dick, he lost it. He couldn’t hold back any longer, and the explosion in his head felt like paradise. His hands were holding her at the waist and he pumped in her as long as he could, but it was over too soon.

  He stood there for a few minutes, trying to catch his breath. Maybe this had been a bad idea, because now all he wanted to do was hold her close and go to sleep. He did not want to talk with people or smile or even play a show.

  Well, that wasn’t entirely true. The smiling would come easily.

  He kissed her neck and sighed. “Fuck,” he said, but his voice barely came out as a whisper.

  “We better get our asses back before they wonder where the hell we are.”

  “Probably should.” He pulled out of her and tore the condom off, and it was as though he’d drained himself of every little ounce of energy he had. Maybe they’d have some cans of Red Bull at the meet and greet, because the crew knew that was one of Brina’s favorite drinks, and they tried to accommodate them all. He thought he could use one about now. He found the trashcan and tossed the condom in it and then zipped up his pants.

  When he turned around, Brina already had her skirt back down, hugging her ass again, but she had the panties hanging from her index finger, and she pointed it toward the ceiling, twirling the underwear around in a circle. “Want these?”

  He grinned. “What—as a souvenir?”

  She walked over to him, her boots clicking on the tile. “No, as a reminder during the show.” She tucked them in his front pocket and damned if he didn’t feel his cock twitch again. Shit. He was such a typical guy.

  No…Brina made him feel like a man. She made him want to be a one-woman man, probably for the first time ever. The grin hadn’t faded from his face. “Yeah, I can do that. When do you want ‘em back?”

  She kissed him and then said, “Think of them as a ticket. You bring them to me next time you want to fuck.”

  He started laughing. “Well, I’d be giving them back to you now.”

  She smirked and tapped him on the nose. “Let’s go, Nicky Sticks.” Brina laced her hand in his and led him back out the door. He would gladly let her lead him around to wherever her heart desired, whenever she wanted.

  He wasn’t even thinking straight when they walked back in the room where the meet and greet was being held, but they were still hand in hand when they entered through the door. There was a press person there, something Nick hadn’t anticipated, and a photo was snapped before he could make sure their hands were separated—not that it would have mattered. Jerking his hand out of hers would have been ridiculously obvious anyway. They’d been caught and there was no getting around it.

  There was more than that, though. Nick suspected he looked just like Brina, and that woman had an undeniable just laid appearance about her.

  The guy with the camera let it rest against his chest while he lifted a notepad and pen and began walking toward them. “So how long have the two of you been dating?”

  Brina didn’t even let Nick answer. “Long enough.” She turned to Nick and kissed him on the cheek.

  Nick felt his heart swell much as his cock had earlier, because Brina telling the press meant one thing—it was real, more real than he’d allowed himself to imagine before now.

  Chapter Sixteen

  BY WEEK THREE of their tour, the days and places began to blend together, just like every tour before that one had. Nick wasn’t sure where they were anymore, itinerary or not. All he did know was that they were getting ready to begin a new leg of the tour, one that included some of his old friends, the band Last Five Seconds. He’d known them since their indie days and, in fact, it was Clay Smith, LFS’ beloved guitarist, known to fans as Jet, who had gotten Fully Automatic their chance. Nick loved those guys and hadn’t seen any of them in ages. Now that they were part of the tour, he knew they were going to have a great time and have awesome shows. The biggest thing with having world-famous Last Five Seconds along was that they were going to be the headliners and Val Hella would become the opening act or, for the few shows where they had three bands, Val Hella would be the second band.

  Nick knew it would be a great show every time, though. Last Five Seconds always brought it, and he’d never seen a single show of theirs that disappointed.

  He and Brina were no longer a secret, and so he was often tempted to get cozy in the bunks but always th
ought better of it in the end. They had their weekly hotel tryst and they didn’t get much sleep when they did that, but it was fucking worth it.

  Well, the three times they’d done it thus far. The rest of the time, they found some out-of-the-way place or waited for everyone to clear out of the bus for a meal and then took advantage of the hour by themselves.

  Nick had never thought he would have been able to consistently enjoy sex over and over again with the same woman, but he was. It didn’t hurt that he was smitten with this girl. Yeah, Nick was afraid to admit it to himself, but he was falling hard.

  They weren’t going to meet Last Five Seconds until they were at the venue the first night they joined them. Nick was jazzed, and he wanted to talk to Brina and get her excited about it too, but when he found her backstage, she was doing something on her phone. She was leaning against a wall, and Nick was overwhelmed by the sound of the crowd. That was all he needed to hear—they would be stepping up their game now that the boys of Last Five Seconds were joining them, and the audiences would be bigger and ready to rock harder.

  As he got closer to Brina, he was sure she would notice him in her peripheral vision and look up, but she didn’t, so he walked around behind her and snaked his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. He expected her to snuggle up next to him, especially considering they’d been pretty hot and heavy and even lovey-dovey (in spite of the fact that it was very un-Sabrina-like), but instead she jerked away. “What the hell, Nick?”

  He felt confused. “What do you mean, what the hell? I was holding you. Is that so weird?”

  “You didn’t have to sneak up behind me.”

  His eyebrows were as high as they could climb on his forehead. “I didn’t sneak up on you. You seemed pretty...engrossed in what you were doing. Did I startle you?”

  She still seemed irritated but he could see her feathers settle. “No. Sorry. Just a little keyed up.”

  “You nervous again?”

  She sighed. “Yeah, a little. I feel kind of like I did our first night. I’m used to playing for one type of crowd, and then it grows. That’s okay—it’s demanding, but it’s a good kind of demanding. I can do it. I just need to be by myself to work through it. I’ll be ready when the time comes.”

  Oh. That was a slap in the face if he’d ever gotten one…which he had, so it was something he could recognize. “All right. Well, uh, just holler if you need me.”

  As he walked away, he had to remind himself that Sabrina had always been like that—hot and cold—and she was simply being her cool self right now. Just because they were in a relationship now didn’t mean her personality had changed overnight. He needed to toughen up. Just because he’d never been in love with a woman before didn’t mean he had to act like a girl. As long as she was there when he needed her, it would be okay.

  He wandered back to the dressing room area. Val and Brad would still be accessible, and he could talk to them for a while instead of standing around bored, waiting for the show to begin. When he got to the rooms, he got more than he bargained for. The entire Last Five Seconds gang—Clay, Brian, Sam, and Liam—was chatting it up with Val and Brad, and Nick wanted to see the guys too.

  Brian spotted him first. “Hey, man, how you been?”

  “Great. Been a long time.”

  “Yeah.”

  Liam, their drummer, a guy known to fans as Silver, saw him then and said, “All right. One of my favorite drummers—next to yours truly, of course.”

  Nick laughed. “Good to see you, man.” He also got to shake hands with Clay and Sam, and all of them stood around talking for a few minutes. One of the crew members brought a few six packs of beer, and Nick was tempted, but he didn’t drink before shows if he could help it. It wasn’t unheard of, but he didn’t want to tonight. It was easy enough to let fatigue get to him or to just have a simple fuck up. A beer or two would make it that much more possible. He was the undercurrent of the band—the timekeeper, the metronome, the beat. Out of everyone in Val Hella, he had the most important job. It wasn’t the most glamorous nor the most memorable or even the most creative but he would always argue that it was most vital, because without a beat, it was easier for the song to go wrong.

  As a general conversation ensued, one centered around Last Five Seconds’ new album, Nick thought back to his childhood, to the first time he realized he wanted to be a drummer. He remembered singing in music class in elementary school—maybe fifth grade, but probably even before that—and they would often do it a capella. Sometimes the teacher would clap out the beat, but she usually wouldn’t. Nick could hear the song in his head—all the instruments, but especially the beat—and it pissed him off when other kids would race through the song. That’s not how it goes, he would think. Those kids seemed to have no respect for the song. He forgave the tone deaf ones, but there was no excuse for the laziness of ignoring how the song should be sung or the sloppiness of wanting to rush and get it over with.

  It drove him nuts. They’d been missing the beauty and perfection of music.

  He tuned back into the present conversation, but it seemed like mere seconds before one of the roadies stepped in and told them it was just about show time. Sam, Last Five Seconds’ singer known to his fans as Devil, said, “Break a leg, guys. Get ‘em all hot and bothered for us, and we’ll finish ‘em off.”

  Brad nodded and Val smiled, and all three promised to do just that. As the other guys walked down the hall toward their dressing rooms, the smile slid off Val’s face. “Where the fuck is Brina? Any of you seen her?”

  Nick nodded. “She was just backstage a little bit ago.”

  “Oh, okay. You guys set?”

  “Yeah.”

  So they headed up to the stage and put on one of the best shows of their lives. Nick didn’t know if it was because of the energy Last Five Seconds was bringing to the place, or if it was the crowd (and how many of them there were), or just a weird fluke, but they played like it was the last show of their lives, so they had to make it amazing. He was glad, because maybe that would help Brina realize once and for all that she was a great bassist and they were a fantastic band.

  And, in spite of the family element along for the Val Hella part of the tour, there was still a party after the show. It almost felt like old times, with three distinct differences—no Ethan, no Zane, and Brina along for the ride. She was acting cold again, though, and he didn’t get it. It made no sense to him. He wasn’t going to push it, though. He’d known her long enough now to know that she seemed to cycle…and she was apparently in the cold part of the loop. He just wished he knew what brought those moods on or if he could predict when they were coming, because right now, they always came as a surprise.

  No, that wasn’t true. Her icy mood shouldn’t have seemed unusual at all, considering she was that way most often. It had only been the past couple of weeks, since they’d begun a relationship (and also the threesome he’d enjoyed with her and her ex in December), that he’d seen a warmer side to her. She was like a porcupine—warm inside, but there was no getting past all the fucking spines to find out…and if you did, you were going to get hurt along the way.

  Yeah, Nick needed to accept the fact that this was Brina’s normal state. And then he had to decide if he was okay with that, if he wanted to put up with that for the rest of his—

  What the fuck was that?

  That was something weird, a strange thought rolling around in his brain pan, something indicating a forever feeling.

  He shook his head. Oh, hell, no. No forever, and—even though he couldn’t get enough of this woman—especially not with someone like Brina. Yeah, okay, he had to admit it now. He loved the woman—really, truly, deeply loved her—but she was trouble. He knew it down to the roots of his heart. He knew too that she had the ability to gut him, and he was letting it fucking happen, day after day after day. The worst part was the armor she wore—he had no idea how she felt about him, if he was just a plaything to her or if she cared. In fact,
she’d only let him see the truly human part of her a couple of times, and that was right after she’d broken up with Monica. She didn’t share that side of herself much, preferring to keep it locked inside.

  It was almost as though she didn’t understand how relationships worked—give and take. He’d give while she took, and then she needed to give so he could take…but Sabrina had seemed (and Monica had voiced it herself) selfish. Nick was sure there was a good reason for it—maybe a bad relationship in the past or shitty parents—but he didn’t know how to get through to her.

  Maybe all he could do would be to continue to love her. Nick had always heard that dumb saying love conquers all. He was about to find out if it was true.

  * * *

  One thing Nick would say about Brina—sex was never the same with her, not once. It was always something different, and, he supposed, that kept it exciting.

  He had to admit, though, that he’d started feeling like groupies were becoming a thing of the past.

  Wrong.

  Brina had other ideas, and they involved her and Nick…and a groupie.

  It was a good thing Nick was extremely open-minded about sex and willing to try anything, because, for the first time in his entire life, he’d been feeling like a monogamous guy…and like he wanted to be. He wanted to be a better guy for Brina, wanted to worship her, be faithful to her and only her.

  But he’d learned from when she’d been in her relationship with Monica that she would bring others into the mix on occasion. Nick remembered that Brina had said having sex with him by herself would have been cheating, but getting her girlfriend’s permission for a threesome wouldn’t be.