Sinners On Tour 01 Backstage Pass (27 page)

Sixteen years old and he knew his place on the planet. He said he’d been looking for a band to front. Told Eric point blank that he didn’t have the star quality or looks to front a band and he should go hide behind the drum kit.”

Myrna flinched. “That was harsh.”

“He was right. We were going nowhere. If it weren’t for Sed, we’d stil be playing birthday parties for spoiled rich girls. He had a plan, knew where he wanted to go, how to get there, and he made it work. For al of us. Sed changed the band’s name to Sinners and we searched for a bassist to replace Eric.”

“Jace.”

“Nope, we had a different bassist before Jace. Jace has only been with us for two years. Our first bassist was Jon Mal ory—Eric’s best friend in high school. Unfortunately, Jon was usual y too high to find the stage. If you could swal ow it, snort it, smoke it or shoot it, he’d do it. We tried to help him get through it. He was in rehab half a dozen times, but he almost brought us al down with him, so we had to let him go. It was hard to kick him out of the band. Just making the decision was hard, but watching Sed tel him… Fuck. That was brutal. He was like family, you know, especial y to Eric. I feel sorry for Jace at times. He has big shoes to fil and Eric sure doesn’t make it easy for him.”

“Drugs and alcohol mess up so many lives.” She’d probably stil be married to Jeremy if it weren’t for his drinking problem. “So how’d you find Jace?”

Brian smiled at her. “He came highly recommended by Trey’s older brother.” He winked. “Okay, your turn.”

“My turn?”

“This isn’t a one way conversation.”

“Wait. What do you mean he came
highly
recommended by Trey’s older brother? Wink. Wink. Were they lovers or something?”

Brian’s shocked expression was quickly replaced by raucous laughter. He stopped walking and wrapped his arms around his bel y as he continued to laugh. She thought he’d fal into the sand and start rol ing back and forth at any moment.

“What is so funny?”

Brian wiped tears of mirth from his eyes. “Oh God. I needed that laugh.”

He hugged her to his side, stil chuckling sporadical y.

“I stil don’t understand what’s so funny. Trey is gay, isn’t he? I mean he doesn’t real y look or act the part, but…”

Brian tugged her by the shoulders to face him and looked down at her. “Gay? No, not real y. Trey is more of an equal opportunity lover. His brother is straighter than an arrow, however. And I think Jace would rather die than be with a man. Just picturing Jace Seymour and Darren Mil s together struck me as hilarious.”

Darren Mills?
Why did that name sound familiar to her?

Brian continued, “What I meant was Jace tried out for Dare’s band and they were going to hire him, but their original bassist decided to stay after al . So when Dare found out that we needed a bassist to replace Jon, he sent Jace our way. We were lucky to get him. I mean, he’s good enough to get an audition with Exodus End at the tender age of twenty-one. That’s pretty fucking amazing.”

Myrna’s eyes widened. “Exodus End?” That’s where she knew the name Darren Mil s. Or rather, Dare Mil s. Her lead-guitarist-senses tingled at ful throb.

“Please don’t tel me you’ve never heard of Exodus End.”

She grabbed him by both arms and gave him a vigorous shake. “Of course I’ve heard of Exodus End. What planet do you think I’m from? Do you know them? Personal y?”

“Uh, yeah. Trey’s brother is their lead guitarist.”

“No shit? You’re teasing me, aren’t you?” She didn’t know why she’d never connected Trey and Dare Mil s. “Holy Toledo!”

“Holy
Toledo
?” He laughed at her sudden bout of fan-girlness. “Nope. Not teasing. You know, we’re opening for Exodus End at the end of June in Las Vegas. Maybe you’d like to meet him.”

Her heart rate accelerated. “Oh my God. I’ve died and gone to heaven. He’s the absolute best guitarist on the planet.”

“Hey…”

Brian was pouting again. Myrna patted his cheek affectionately. “I’m sorry, Brian, but he is.”

Brian chuckled. “You could at least pretend I’m the best while in my presence. Especial y since I have your car keys.”

“You know I think you’re awesome.”

“On second thought, I won’t introduce you to him. Not only is he a better guitarist, he’s better looking, tal er, more famous, richer.

He’l steal you away from me.”

“Not a chance.” She stood on tiptoe to kiss him, a contemplative look sliding into place. “Richer, you say?”

“Al right, that does it.”

She squeaked in surprise when he lifted her off the ground and tossed her over his shoulder. He gave her ass a playful swat.

“You, Miss Evans, are being very naughty today.”

“I’m always naughty.”

“True. But today’s naughtiness is poking holes in my fragile ego.”

Myrna laughed and slid her hand down the back of his pants to toy with the smooth skin on his butt.

“None of that.” He pul ed her hand out of his pants.

“Since when is your ego fragile?”

“Since I met you.”

“So is that the attraction?”

“Huh?”

“Wel , I can’t help but wonder why you’re so interested in me when you can get much better looking and younger women who jump at your every command.”

“There are no better looking women than you. Though I admit most of my girlfriends have been younger. Okay, al of them have been younger. I didn’t know what I was missing.”

She slid her hand into the back of his pants again.

“What are you doing?” he asked, pul ing her off his shoulder and setting her back to her feet.

“Convincing you to let me down.” She grinned up at him mischievously. “It worked.”

He shook his head at her. “You never do what I expect you to do.”

“Then maybe that’s the attraction.”

“Is it real y so hard for you to believe that I’ve fal en for you for no reason whatsoever?”

“There has to be a reason.”

“It’s more like there is no reason for me
not
to fal for you. You’re everything I want.”

“I don’t think I’m cut out to be a rock star’s girlfriend.” It made her heart ache to say it, but it had been weighing on her mind a lot lately. The more she talked to Brian’s groupies, the more jealous she became. She knew he had no real interest in them, but they were so available and she knew she wasn’t there for him emotional y. What if he decided she wasn’t fun anymore? That he needed more than she could give him? Would he toss her aside? And why did that thought bother her so much anyway? It wasn’t as if they were serious.

He touched her cheek gently. “Then don’t be a rock star’s girlfriend. Be Brian Sinclair’s girlfriend.”

“They’re one and the same. Your life is so interesting and mine is so ordinary. Boring. I’m an over-educated farm girl from the Midwest.”

“And I’m a col ege dropout from the West Coast.”

“You went to col ege?”

“For one semester.”

“What did you study?”

“Girls, mostly.”

She poked him in the ribs. “Why did you drop out? You could have graduated Summa Cum Laude.”

“Sinners signed a record deal.”

“Wow, that young? Did your father help you get it? He must have mil ions of connections in the business.”

Brian laughed. “Here’s the thing about my dad. He never once encouraged my music career. We cut our first album with a smal independent label and went on tour in a piece of shit van for eight months. I’ve never been hungrier in my life. It didn’t help that Jon kept stealing our cash to feed his drug habit. When I final y swal owed my pride and asked my dad if he could offer some support, do you know what he said?”

“What?”

“If you real y want to fol ow this dream, you need to suffer for it so it means something to you if you manage to reach the top. He wouldn’t even buy me new guitar strings. Ever try to play a solo missing your second string? Uh, yeah… Not good.”

“Did you hate him for that?”

“Nah, I thought I did, but now I realize he was right. If you don’t have to work for something, you just don’t appreciate it as much.”

Myrna nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I can understand that. That’s why I went for my PhD. My parents didn’t support me when I went to col ege. They thought I should get married and have kids. Stay home and raise them like a clone of my mother. So when I was in col ege, I worked my ass off at odd jobs while most of the traditional students had their tuition and bil s paid by their parents. Going it on my own real y did make me appreciate it more. I worked harder to get good grades, too. I wanted to prove I could do it.”

He hugged her. “See we do have more in common than great sex.”

“Fabulous sex.”

“Amazing sex.”

“Yeah, let’s have some of that right now.”

He squeezed her butt. “Not until after the show.”

“You know I love a chal enge, right?” She closed the gap between them, her hand cupping his half-hard cock through his pants.

“I’m very determined to get what I want.”

“Something else we have in common.” He removed her hand from his crotch. “Wil you watch the show tonight instead of interviewing the groupies?”

“Wil you make it worth my while?”

“Do you have to ask?”

“Brian, I’m incredibly turned on right now.”

He groaned. “You don’t plan to make this easy on me, do you?”

“Do you have to ask?”

He stared at her for a moment, worrying his lips with his tongue. He looked ready to pounce on her and she was more than ready to be pounced on.

“Farmer’s daughter, huh? I know nothing about farming,” he said. “What’s that like?”

She sighed in exasperation. “You real y are going to make me wait until tonight, aren’t you?”

“Yep.”

She turned and started walking back the way they’d come. They must have walked at least a mile down the beach. “Farming is boring,” she cal ed over her shoulder. “That’s al you need to know.”

He jogged to catch up with her. “You’re not going to get out of this that easily. Tel me something about yourself.”

A rumble of thunder reverberated above. Myrna looked up at the black clouds. “I think we should make a run for it.”

“It’s too late. We’l never outrun it.”

The first fat rain drops splattered across Myrna’s upturned face. “We’re going to get soaked.”

She dashed toward the car at a ful run. When she reached the car, she tugged the door handle. Locked. Brian had the keys. She turned to find him sedately walking up the beach.

“Hurry!” The clouds opened wide and drenched her within seconds. “Brian, hurry!”

She could see him grinning to himself as the rain plastered his hair to his head and his shirt to the contours of his chest. He didn’t pick up his pace though. She stood there, shivering, waiting for him to open the car. When he final y reached her, he drew her chil ed body against his, his strong hands splaying over her back.

“Open the door.” She reached behind her to grab the door handle.

“No.” His fingers sank into the wet strands of her hair, tilting her head back. He stared into her eyes until she released the door handle and slid her hands up his bel y and chest. He lowered his head and kissed her, his fingers easing her dress’s zipper down. He brushed the straps of her sundress from her shoulders, exposing her breasts to the elements. Goose bumps rose to the surface of her skin and her nipples ached as they beaded in the chil y air. Rivulets of rain trickled over her shoulders, between her breasts, down her bel y. Brian lowered his head and col ected water from her skin with his warm tongue. His mouth burned over her flesh.

Myrna groaned and reached for his fly. If she unleashed The Beast, she knew he would end her torment and possess her body with his. Hopeful y right there on the cold, slick hood of her car. Before she could release the button of his jeans, he grabbed her wrists in a steely grip and pinned her arms to her sides.

“No,” he said.

He gazed up at her, water dripping from his nose and chin.

“No?”

“That’s what I said.”

He sucked her beaded nipple into his mouth. His hot tongue rubbed against her sensitive flesh, drawing moans of pleasure from her. She struggled to release her wrists from his grip, wanting to bury her fingers in his hair, but he refused to set her free. She jerked her body away from his devilish tongue, changed her mind, and twisted to offer him her other breast.

When he didn’t immediately draw it into his mouth, she looked down at him. His devilish grin made her heart throb.

“Do you want me to suck this one, too?” He stroked her neglected nipple with the tip of his nose.

“Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes, please.”

He drew the flat of his tongue over her offered nipple and she shuddered.

“I think my work here is done.” He stood straight and released her wrists.

“Oh no it’s not.” She threw her body against his, her fingers tangling in the wet strands of his hair, her mouth seeking his in a desperate kiss. He kissed her in return, while drawing the bodice of her dress to cover her breasts and zipping the garment at her back.

He pul ed away al too soon. He looked up at the sky, blinking rain from his eyes. “I don’t think this rain is going to let up any time soon.” He retrieved the keys from his pocket and unlocked the car door. Before she could climb into the warm, dry interior of the car, he asked, “Have you changed your mind about going to L.A. with me yet?”

“Is that what this is about?”

“Nope. I just want you to want me real y, real y bad.”

“Mission accomplished.”

“We’re lost,” Myrna said. “Pul over and I’l get directions.”

“We are not lost,” Brian said. “We’re in Tampa. That does not equal lost.”

“But we’re not at the stadium and your show starts in an hour.”

“I am aware of that.”

“Then stop being so stubborn and pul into that gas station. I won’t tel them you’re lost. I’l nonchalantly ask them how to get to the stadium.”

“I’m not lost.” He released an exasperated breath and pul ed into the gas station. “Just buy a map.” He handed her his wal et.

She sighed. She guessed rock stars were stil men. Was there a man in existence who would admit he was lost? She hurried into the store, not caring that her hair looked like she’d stuck her tongue in an electrical outlet. While she purchased the map, she asked the clerk for directions.