Craving Talon (14 page)

I lead them off of the bus to find Mills and Beck standing guard. “Hi boys,” I say as we exit.
 

“Good evening, Addison,” they say in unison. Aw hell, they can be so cute sometimes.
 

We walk toward the back of the venue with my arms linked in both of theirs. Kyle, ever the gentleman, opens the door for us and I usher Talon inside first. Those backstage are not here to see me.
 

Empty Chamber is already on stage, playing their last concert with us. After tonight we pick up a new band for our opening act. Like EC, I’ve never heard of them, but I’m assuming they’re good or they wouldn’t be joining us.

Talon turns to me. “I need to go talk with the guys. You’ll be in your spot, right?”
 

“Ugh, I still have to kiss them all?” I tease.
 

“Yes, you do. Besides, I doubt they’d let you slip away that easily.”
 

I laugh and Talon takes off. I turn to Kyle. “What can I do to help?”
 

He chuckles. “Go be their good luck charm, I got it.” He leans down to kiss me on the forehead and I grab his neck, pulling him to my lips.
 

“So not fair,” he murmurs against my lips. I tease him with my tongue. He shaved up his scruffiness and is back to having his very well trimmed chin beard and goatee. It’s fucking sexy as hell and I want to lick his jaw, but he pulls away. “Later,” he moans in disappointment and I smile wide.
 

The grin doesn’t leave my lips as I walk to take my place along the stage, waiting patiently for my guys.
 

I begin dancing to Empty Chamber as they finish up their set. The adrenaline of the evening is kicking in and taking over, and for that, I’m thankful. I can’t sit here turning myself into a nervous wreck waiting for my time on the stage.
 

Jesus, I can’t believe I’m actually going to do this intentionally. The last time was a fluke. He wanted me on stage to sing to me, to thank me for whatever hard work I’d done to that point, and that was all, now I’ve turned into an overnight Youtube sensation. Oh by the way, the last I checked the video had jumped to more than twelve million views. After I saw that I decided not to look anymore and told myself it had to do with Talon and not with me.
 

Empty Chamber wraps up their set and the equipment dance begins.
 

The crowd starts chanting for 69 Bottles just a few minutes into the changeover. I smile knowing that my boys are about to take the stage.
 

I look down the hallway and here they come. Dex in the lead, Peacock, then Mouse, though I can’t actually see him, and finally Talon. He has a smile on his face as he looks at me. I can’t help but smile back.
 

“You sexy little minx,” Dex says as he comes up to me, wrapping his arms around me and planting one hell of a wet sloppy kiss on my lips. I think dogs use less slobber than this one does. He pulls back.
 

“Ugh, seriously.”
 

“One day you’ll start to love my kisses.” And with one phrase the old Dex has returned with a vengeance.
 

“Not in a million years.” He pulls away with a satisfied smirk on his face and saddles up to his drums.
 

Mouse and Peacock embrace me, planting their kisses and pulling away. “Break a leg, boys.” Though the tradition of the kisses formed immediately, it’s only now that I realize my lines to the boys are always the same.
 

The boys smile and walk to their spots on stage.
 

Kyle comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my belly, holding me to him and a thought passes through my mind, but before I can grab hold of it, it’s gone. Talon saunters up to me, taking my cheeks in his hands, he brings his lips to mine. I melt into the arms of my men. Loving every touch, every shiver and goosebump that forms across my skin.
 

One of Talon’s hands comes away from my cheek and I can tell just by the movement that he’s holding Kyle in his hand too. I feel Kyle’s hand move along my belly touching both Talon and myself.

He pulls back. “Kick some ass, big man,” I say with a breathy voice and a smile. He kisses me again, quick.
 

“That’s for good luck.” Then he kisses me one more time before taking my hand and backing away until distance separates us.
 

Kyle starts kissing on my neck. “Keep that up and I’m going to take you in the dressing room.”
 

He licks again and I shiver. “I don’t like the pasties,” he says.
 

“How’d…”
 

“Because I love how your nipples pucker when you’re turned on. Now, short of sticking my hand up your skirt, I have no idea.”
 

I laugh. “Believe me, I’m turned on.”
 

“Hello New Mexico!” I hear Talon growl into the microphone. I look at him and he looks back at me, the lust in his eyes is amazing and I’m dying to get my boys back beneath me.
 

The band kicks up and the show is off to a fabulous start. The crowd is cheering, the band is rocking and nothing else matters but watching them play.
 

That is until about halfway through their set, between songs the crowd starts chanting “We want Addison!”
 

Talon’s shocked eyes turn to mine. Mutual expressions reflected back. “Told you this wasn’t about you or him. It’s all about them,” Kyle says softly in my ear.

The chanting continues, Talon says something to the guys. From what he told me, they were going to play one more, then it was my turn, but it seems now is the time. The crowd continues to chant and the sound guy comes over giving me my microphone which is actually one that hooks into my ear so I can hear the playback of the band, and a slim, clear microphone that sits in front of my mouth.
 

The chanting continues and my heart starts pounding in my chest.
 

“You want Addison?” Talon asks the crowd and they go crazy. My heart swells as he looks over to me. Kyle is helping the sound guy tuck the cable under the strap at my back. “Why on earth would you want Addison?” he asks the crowd in a very playful manner and a good portion of them shout back, “Your Eyes.”
 

“Fuck me,” I breathe in wonder.
 

Kyle laughs, wrapping his arms around me from behind. I turn and the sound guy hooks me up by putting the clip in the belt I’m wearing.
 

“So you think I should bring out my dearest angel so she can sing for you all?” The crowd cheers like crazy and the band kicks up the soft opening of the song, quiet, but still there.
 

Kyle kisses me, hard and fast on the lips. “Go get ‘em, panda,” he says to me and I want to cry. I touch his cheek.
 

“Thank you,” I mouth and I turn back to Talon.
 

“I don’t know guys. What do you think?” he says toward the band and they kick up the sound to a fever pitch, the playback is in my ear. The crowd goes crazy. “I’ll take that as a yes.” He turns back to the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor and privilege to welcome the one and only Addison Beltrand to the stage.”
 

I take a deep breath and step out from behind the curtain. Focusing hard on Talon’s face, his features, the softness and the love I can see radiating from his body as I walk closer. Feeling the overwhelming excitement from the roaring crowd, I’m spurred on and I wave with enthusiasm; the crowd goes nuts. The lights are so bright I can’t see them, but I can certainly hear them.
 

I snuggle up to Talon and he wraps his arm around me, the one without the microphone. A bunch of people in the crowd start yelling for him to kiss me. I blush and he doesn’t hesitate in planting a soft, yet firm kiss against my lips. “Let’s do this,” he says softly, I nod and the band starts at the beginning.
 

Talon doesn’t leave my side the entire time. Holding on to me, though I finally draw the courage to face the crowd.

When we finish singing, the crowd goes crazy. Those that are not down on the floor stand, clapping and cheering. “You did it,” Talon whispers in my ear. I smile wide and the crowd cheers some more. I wave to them.
 

“Thank you,” I say to the crowd and they’re seriously pumped up. Talon kisses me one more time and then lets me go. I drift backwards slowly, waving to the crowd as they continue to cheer. As soon as I’m out of the line of sight, Kyle’s arms are around me and I slump down into them.
 

“Jesus, you’re amazing,” he says as he grabs the pack off of my belt and untangles me from the mic. After it’s gone he wraps his arms around me from the front. “Well done, panda girl. Well done.”
 

Kyle and I spend the rest of the show dancing back stage, rocking out to Talon and the boys of 69 Bottles. They put on one hell of a show and even with all of these shows I’ll be seeing; I don’t think it will ever get old. The last show in Vegas killed me to miss but I was hurting too bad to get out of bed.
 

The guys wrap up their show to another encore, this time they play three songs, instead of two, and I was the focus of Talon’s attention between the sets. He doted on me, kissed me, loved on me; it was amazing to have him back in my arms. His praise was unbelievable and he tried to convince me to come out for a final bow, but I told him that this was his show, not mine. He winked and then went back on stage.
 

After the show was over, the guys met in the greenroom and there was a very long line waiting to see them. Talon dragged me in there with him. What happened after they opened the door was nothing I could have ever imagined. While the guys got the majority of the attention, I received more than my fair share too. Autographs were asked for and pictures were taken, with me alone, with me and Talon and with me and the entire band. It was enough to make a girls head explode. I know I thought mine was going to.
 

There is definitely something to this whole celebrity thing and I decide that Tristan and I need to talk sooner rather than later. I can already tell just how overwhelming the whole ’you’re cool’ status can be. About an hour after the show wraps up, near eleven thirty, Kyle comes in and starts shooing away our guests, thank god. My cheeks are killing me from smiling so much.
 

Once the room is empty, Kyle stands before us. “Tonight was Empty Chamber’s last show with us and they’d like to go out to celebrate the tour success, Addison’s addition and their farewell. Cars are being arranged. This wasn’t a planned event so anyone who wants to stay back is more than welcome.”
 

Everyone agrees to go. The show kicked ass tonight and they’re all pumped up, even me. “I need to change. I don’t want to go out in this.”
 

“Absolutely,” Kyle tells me. “Go ahead, I need to talk to Talon anyway. We’ll meet you at the bus in what, ten minutes?”
 

“Sure.” I kiss them both and leave them to their discussion.
 

“Seriously, that was a fucking amazing show,” I tell Talon as soon as Addie leaves the room.
 

“It was pretty fucking awesome, wasn’t it? Did you hear the crowd? Fuck, that was intense,” he tells me as he slumps back onto the couch.
 

“The videos are already starting to pop up online.”

“Cell phones,” We say together. “How do they look?” he asks.
 

I shrug. “I haven’t looked yet. But I need to warn Addie. She’s gonna be all over the news tomorrow.”
 

I watch as he runs his hand through his hair. “Do you think this is really what she wants?” he asks me, his tone is somber and unsure.

“The fame?”
 

“Yeah. Man, you should have seen them in here tonight. After they were done swooning over me and the guys, they pounced on her like white on rice. It was insane. She took it in stride, answered their questions, signed some autographs and took a shit ton of pictures. I have never in my life seen a celebrity pop so fast as it has with her and I’m not talking about the guys. There were so many girls, fuck! It blew me away.”