Gone for You (Sixth Street Band #1) (11 page)

“The wicked witch of the west, or as she’s more commonly known in the business, Lindsey Barger.” I looked down at Lily, arching a brow. “Our manager.”

Logan brushed past Lindsey like she wasn’t there and strode toward us.

“Hey man, it’s fucking crazy out there, right?” He ground to a halt, his gaze flickering from me to Lily. “Hey, Lily. It’s good to see you again.” Leaning over, he brushed a kiss on her cheek.

“Hi, Logan.” She gave him a brilliant smile. “How’s it going?”

“Can’t complain.” He moved to her side as we walked toward the group of chairs in front of the stage.

Pulling her toward me instinctively, I leveled Logan with a scowl when I met his gaze.

Smirking, he lifted a brow. I was more than willing to pummel him to the ground and give him a taste of the AstroTurf if he didn’t behave.

The smirk turned into a smile as he ambled along, whistling to himself. Sean and Christian were seated in the front row with their heads together when we walked up.

“Hey, asshole, about time you showed up,” Sean said, doing a double take when he noticed Lily at my side. He jumped up. “Fuck, Lily, I didn’t see you.” Mimicking Logan’s earlier gesture, he leaned in and pecked her on the cheek.

What the fuck was with these guys? They didn’t have manners, let alone chivalry.

“Hi, Sean,” Lily said, an adorable flush creeping into her cheeks. “Good to see you.”

She turned to Christian, reaching out a hand. “I’m Lily,” she said cheerily.

Taking her hand, Christian’s gaze shifted to mine. “Nice to meet you, Lily,” his lip twitching as he held back a grin.

Pulling her back to my side and out of their clutches, I reached under her shirt, splaying my hand on her stomach possessively. My heart was thumping, beating wildly against my ribs, despite my casual demeanor.

Logan looked down at my hand. He saw right through me. Saw what I was hiding. They all did.

“Caged—you’ve got thirty minutes.” The guy with the headset at the center of the stage motioned for us to come up.

All of our gear was set. The guys headed for the stage while I lingered for a second with Lily. I caught Logan peeking at me over his shoulder.

“This won’t take long.” Turning to follow the guys, I spun around and impulsively pulled her to me for a kiss, lifting her until her feet dangled off the ground.

Her tongue wrapped around mine gently, in that way of hers. Calming me. If I could bottle it, have it with me always, I swear I would.

“God, you’re sweet,” I said, easing her to her feet.

“Right back at you.” She gave me a playful shove. “Now go to work, Mr. Knight.”

My stomach tightened. Lily wouldn’t be able to pick out Cameron Knight on the street. In the time I’d known her, he’d barely made an appearance.

Chapter 12

A
gain!” Logan shouted, glaring at me over his shoulder. I was looking across the field to where Lindsey and Lily were having a heated discussion. They stood toe-to-toe, with Lindsey towering over Lily in her five inch heels. Lily’s arms were folded over her chest, her mouth set in a thin line.

Since I missed the opening cue, Logan stalked over to me. “What the fuck is going on, Cam?” He followed my gaze to the two women, his tone softening. “What’s the dragon lady talking to Lily about?”

“Who knows?” I shrugged. “Let’s get this done.”

Logan hesitated for a second, studying me before he walked back to center stage. Letting my mind go blank, I turned my back and felt the music, blending the opening chords with Christian’s drum beat to perfection. Logan’s vocals rose up and filled the stadium, accompanied by Sean’s pounding bass. It was my song we were playing. My words and my arrangement.

Even in the light of day, the changing lights that kept time with the music spurred me on. Turning to Logan, I caught the glint in his eye. The same infectious spark that had brought us together years ago. Ambling over to him, I wailed into the mic, harmonizing easily. A group of girls stood off to the side of the stage. Groupies that showed up on the tour buses of the smaller bands who weren’t lucky enough to get hotel rooms. Strutting toward them, I smiled seductively, grinding my hips as the music poured out.

Logan joined me, vying for their attention. I playfully shoved him away, locking eyes with a girl that shoved her way to the front, shaking her hair and bouncing on the balls of her feet. Turning to her friend, they fused their hips and swayed to the music while they stole glances at Logan and me.

Closing my eyes, I played the final refrain, drawing out the last chord until it died on my strings.

“Fuck yeah!” Logan slapped me on the back. “That was it! It sounds awesome in here. Let’s wrap it. Whoa—check out the Jumbotron.”

My mouth fell open when I looked to midfield. On the biggest screen I’d ever seen, my image was frozen, staring down at the girls with a “fuck me now” look, hot enough to melt butter.

My gaze fell to Lily, seated at the front of the stage. Lindsey was beside her, the smile on her face so malicious I wanted to strangle her.

Pulling the strap off my shoulder, I handed it to the roadie and walked toward the ramp. Lily’s eyes followed me, her face impassive and unreadable. Chewing up the space that separated us, I walked straight to her, avoiding Lindsey when I stopped.

“You ready?” I said, shoving my hand out for her to take.

Lily blinked, her gaze dropping from my face to my outstretched hand.

Take my hand, baby.

She reached out hesitantly, and I pulled her up, breathing a sigh of relief.

“Cameron,” Lindsey said, teetering to her feet when I didn’t acknowledge her. “If you don’t return my calls, I can’t schedule any interviews or rehearsals,” she scolded. “Haven’t you gotten any of my messages?”

Lily’s hand went limp as I stalked across the field with her behind me.

“Cameron!”

Stopping at Lindsey’s bellow, I turned and walked toward her.

“We just rehearsed; we’re tight,” I snapped. “We’re done until the show. Christian needs his rest.”

Lindsey chuckled. “Christian looks fine to me.”

“I’ll see you Saturday. Contact Logan if you need anything.”

Lindsey grabbed my arm, her nails digging in just enough to let me know she was serious.

“You have responsibilities, Cameron. We have a meet and greet tonight.” Her heated gaze shifted to Lily. “Time to stop
dicking around
and get back to work.”

Shaking loose of her grasp, I turned on my heel, nearly bowling over the two girls that had been watching the rehearsal from the side of the stage. The dark-haired girl, obviously the bolder of the two, looked up at me, putting a hand on my chest.

“Hey, Cameron.” She ran her tongue along her bottom lip seductively. “That was fucking brilliant. You guys are phenomenal.”

“Thanks. That’s good to hear.” Smiling tightly, I stepped around them. “You girls have a good day.”

Her hand fell to my arm. “We could make sure you have a really good day.” She slipped her other arm around her friend’s waist, pulling her flush to her side. “Let’s go find someplace to party.”

“I don’t think so. I have plans.”

She licked her lips again. “No problem. We don’t mind sharing.”

“No thanks.” Tightening my grip on Lily’s hand, I brushed past them, power-walking the length of the field. She struggled behind me, trying to keep my pace.

“Cameron.”

I kept moving, trying to put some distance between us and the fucked up mess at our back.

“Cameron!” She ground to a halt midfield, grabbing the back of my shirt.

I turned a heated gaze on her, full of irritation mixed with something else. Embarrassment. For her. For me.

Lily’s gaze was just as heated, her normally pink cheeks stained deep crimson.

“What?” I bit out.

“What?” she barked. “Look, if you want to go with those girls, feel free.
You
asked me to come. Don’t drag me out of here like I’m a dog that pissed on your carpet.”

“I—I don’t want to go anywhere with them. I…It’s just…” Shaking my head, I looked down. “I don’t know what to say. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

My head snapped up when she laughed.

“You didn’t.” She snickered. “Until you dragged me away like you couldn’t wait to find the nearest bus stop.”

I blinked at her, certain I didn’t hear her right. How could she think I was mad at anyone but myself? Rubbing the back of my neck, I looked up, hoping the right words would fall from the sky.

Lily stepped forward, the tips of her Converse meeting my boots.

“You can tell me, Cameron. Whatever it is.”

Tell her what? Tell her I want to take her to Austin and introduce her to my brother. Tell her I want to go rafting with her down the Guadeloupe and sleep with her under the stars. Tell her I want to see if this can last longer than two days, but I can’t promise that it will.

“Those girls—they didn’t mean anything. The song. When I play, the audience, they’re like props. I didn’t even realize…”

Reaching down, she took my hands. They relaxed immediately, sliding between her fingers and locking in place.

“You didn’t realize what?” She arched a brow, a smile playing across her lips. “That you’re sexy as hell, and every chick out here wants you to play them like you play that guitar? Hell, even I was ready to jump you.”

I laughed. “You wanted to jump me, huh?”

“Don’t judge.”

Pulling her to me with our joined hands behind her back, I placed a soft kiss on her mouth. Her fingers wiggled.

“I’m beginning to think this is a thing with you, Cameron.”

“What’s a thing?”

“This.” She wiggled her fingers again. “First you tangle me up in my t-shirt while you’re having your way with me, and now you’ve got my hands twisted behind my back. If you want to tie me up, just ask.”

Dropping her hands, I cupped the back of her neck, pulling her forward until she was on her tip toes, her mouth so close to mine, her breath heated my lips.

“You better be careful, baby. I might take you up on that.”

She wrapped her arms around my neck, sliding a hand in my hair. A twinge of pain shot through me when she coiled her fingers in the strands, pulling me to her neck.

“Promise,” she breathed.

Chapter 13

L
ily’s back was against my chest, her legs spread out on the seat as she devoured the last of her What-a-Burger. Half of my burger sat untouched on the seat next to me. My appetite was basically non-existent. On the other hand, Lily was poking around inside the bag, foraging for leftover fries and onion rings.

I chuckled.

My mama always told me never to trust any woman that didn’t appreciate good barbecue or a greasy cheeseburger. I didn’t rely much on her dating advice since she was leery of anyone that resided west of El Paso. She was thoroughly convinced that Texas was a country unto itself, with everything you could ever want available inside its borders.

“It’s the largest state for a reason, sugar plum,” she always said.

When I found out in the third grade that Alaska was actually larger, I couldn’t wait to share the information.

“That’s rubbish,” she’d scolded, the normally serene pools of her eyes turning fierce. “I don’t know what they’re teaching you, but if I ever hear you say that again, I’ve got a bar of soap with your name on it.”

Of course, Callie, my sainted mother, was the same woman who believed the sun rose and set on Tyler Noble’s ass. Her judgment was questionable at best.

“Did you get enough to eat, darlin’?” I gave Lily a wary look.

She had the bag upturned, gathering the crumbs from the onion rings in her palm.

Looking over her shoulder at me sheepishly, she brushed the crumbs off her hands.

“I’m fine. I just love burgers and fries.” She sighed. “I wasn’t allowed to eat them when I was a kid. I guess they’re like forbidden fruit.”

Brushing the crumbs off her lap, she downed the last of her water and threw the bottle in the bag. She scooted off the seat, crawling toward the mini fridge. Damned if I wasn’t right on the money when I told her that having her wear my boxers was about the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. The black elastic waistband peeking out of her jeans brought my cock to life faster than the porn that Logan played on a loop on the tour bus.

“Want something?”

You…now.

“Nope. I’m good.” I smiled, trying to figure out how to keep her in that position long enough to get her pants off.

“Are you sure?” Her brow creased in the most adorable way.

“Positive.”

My phone lit up on the seat. I’d set it to vibrate after Logan’s third call. Lily crawled toward me, settling on the floorboard between my knees. Twisting a hand in her hair, I tugged it gently until she stared up at me, a wide smile on her face.