“I just talked to Linc,” Harper went on to inform me, not bothering to draw out her reasons for calling.
At the mention of Linc, I lifted my phone from my ear long enough to glance at the time. Just after three in the afternoon. I noticed that the bus was no longer moving and figured we had reached our destination. Orlando. The good news about being in Orlando was that we would be staying for two nights, which meant that we would have hotel rooms for the duration. Which meant a hot shower. Which meant room service. And a real, honest-to-God bed.
The silence on the bus told me that everyone else was off the bus and probably already checked into the hotel. Probably settling in and eating a meal that hadn’t been nuked in the microwave. Ugh, less than two days on the road and I was already missing home-cooked meals and actual plumbing. Or maybe it was just me being a crabby bitch because I hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before. Or really, this morning.
I bit into my bottom lip as I remembered the night before. Of having sex with Axton in a janitor’s closet/office. The feeling of completeness that had hummed through me as we had just held onto each other afterwards. Then both of our cells had started going off like angry bees. Axton’s call had been from Wroth who had been ready to head back to the buses. Mine had been from Natalie, letting me know that Liam was in some serious pain after hobbling around stage for several hours. By the time we met Wroth and Marissa out front, Linc had been with them along with Zander.
There was no hiding the obvious evidence of what Axton and I had been up to. My hair had been a total mess, my clothes still kind of haphazardly hanging off of me. The fact that Axton had his arm around me had been the nail in the coffin and Linc had not been happy with me. My friend was only worried about me, so I hadn’t taken his whispered bitch-out on the way back to our bus personally. He was just looking out for me, after all.
But I hadn’t wanted to hear it. Sure I knew that I had crossed the one line I had promised myself I wouldn’t cross. Ever. Like never, ever. Ever times infinity, ever. But hey, I broke promises to myself all the time, and part of me had known as soon as Emmie had conned me into taking on the job as Liam’s private nurse during the tour that I would probably break all kinds of promises. To myself. To my friends.
Which was why Harper was now calling me. I’d made the same promise to her that I had made to myself. That I wouldn’t fall under Axton Cage’s spell. Like Linc, I knew that Harper was only looking out for me. But right then and there, I wasn’t in the mood to be given the third degree about messing up my life all over again over some rock god. And it wasn’t like I was going to make the same mistakes I’d made last time around.
This time, I wasn’t going to let my heart be a part of the equation. This time, it was only about sex. End of story. Which was why I hadn’t let Axton onto the bus with me. No sleeping together. Sex, sure. Cuddling under the covers after? That was one of the places I’d gone wrong the last time.
Blowing out a sigh, I dropped my fingers from the tender spot on my forehead and glared up at the mattress above me. “Please don’t, Harp. I’ve had a long night. Liam didn’t sleep well, and I had to give him a shot and some pain medication. Natalie has to figure out a way to make him comfortable on stage because if he keeps it up he might have to see the orthopedic specialist a hell of a lot sooner than expected.”
There was a long pause on Harper’s end before she finally spoke. “Okay, I won’t go there. You’re an adult and know what you’re doing. But that doesn’t mean I’m not worried, Dallas. I don’t want you to get hurt again. I’m still not convinced that you are completely over the last time that fucker destroyed you. You were just able to hide it better because you were so busy with school.”
I clenched my jaw, knowing that she wasn’t completely wrong on that score. “I know you’re worried. I love ya, girl.”
“I-I love you, too,” came her wobbly reply. “And if he does hurt you again, I’m going to make Shane kick his ass.”
That brought a smile to my lips. “Okay, hottie, take it easy. No need to drag your husband into this drama.”
“He’s already been dragged, feet first. He’s the one I called first after I got off the phone with Linc. I’ve already told him that if he didn’t kick Axton’s ass I would suddenly not be in the mood for any new adventures in Shane-land for a very long time…” I laughed because I could just imagine the panic that must have put the ex-slut into. “By the way, if you can’t reach me in the next few days don’t worry. Pretty sure Shane took that as a challenge and plans on keeping me in the mood for the foreseeable future.”
“Duly noted,” I said and grinned, but it quickly turned into a sad smile. “I have to go, Harp. Call me when man-slut releases you from captivity. Love you.”
“Love you, Dallas.”
With a groan I slid out of my roost and climbed off the bus. Across from my bus Axton’s bus was parked, both engines turned off so it was obvious we had been here for a while. I shot Natalie a quick text because I had no idea where everyone was, or even where I was for that matter.
Ten minutes later I had my room key in hand along with the assurance that my stuff had already been taken there. Fighting back a yawn, I stepped off the elevator and found my way to my room. My body was aching, and now my head was hurting. When I opened the door to my room the first thing I heard was a shower running.
The room was a suite, with two bedrooms, something I hadn’t been expecting. Natalie hadn’t mentioned I was sharing with anyone, but with everything else that she had to take care of something as small as whom I was bunking with didn’t seem so trivial. Shrugging, I glanced in the first room, saw my luggage on the bed and breathed a sigh of relief.
Over the next thirty minutes I found my bottle of Tylenol, tossed back three of the extra strength capsules, then stepped into a hot shower. I took my time, washing my hair twice because it felt like it seriously needed it after last night. By the time I stepped out of the shower I felt more energetic and ready to face whatever the world threw at me tonight.
With a towel wrapped around my body and another around my hair, I found my toothbrush and started brushing my teeth as I left my room. “Hey, Marissa. How is Liam feeling this eve-…” I broke off when I saw who was sitting on the sofa in front of the flat screen watching ESPN. “…-ing.”