Hillbilly Rockstar (22 page)

The next afternoon Liberty's cell phone buzzed and the ID read:
Private caller
. “This is Liberty.”

“Libs! S'up?”

She smiled. “You tell me. Been a while since I've heard from you, Beetle Bailey.”

“God, I hate that nickname.”

“I know. Why do you think I use it?”

“Fuck you, Liberty Bell.”

“Back atcha. So, little sis, how's the army treating you?”

“Like I'm a slave.” Bailey sighed. “Some days it's not so bad. Others, I can't freakin' wait to be done.”

“I remember those days. You over there? Or over here?”

“Over here. Me'n five other med specialists were selected for a new training program.”

“Cool.” Liberty propped her feet up on the ottoman. “Spill the details.”

After five minutes of Bailey filling her in, she said, “Anyway, enough about me. What's up in your world?”

“Still on assignment.”

“How much longer?”

“A week. Then I've got ten days off. And then the final three weeks.”

“Any hotties in your bed helping you kill time?”

The images from the past few nights flashed into her head. The erotic spanking he'd administered. Devin's rough hands caressing her before he leveled that stinging slap over and over. And afterward how one stroke of his finger over her clit had made her come so hard she'd screamed. His mouth had seemed cool against her heated flesh as he'd kissed her flaming butt cheeks. Then, after he'd soothed her, he'd lubed them both up and shoved that big cock of his up her ass. She'd loved every minute of it. His hard-driving rhythm. His muscled chest pressing into her back as his body covered hers fully. His deep voice in her ear as he gave her a dirty play-by-play.

Less than twelve hours after that, he'd shown his jealous side, his possessive side, when he'd fucked her in the dark in his ready room. She'd challenged him to prove that he owned her and he had. Twice. Because as soon as he finished his performance that night, he'd dragged her into the shower in his ready room and fucked her again. She'd been completely wrung out afterward. But it didn't escape her notice that upon seeing her
wet hair and Devin's, every one of the Wright Brothers fist-bumped Devin as they passed one another on the way to the buses.

“You've been quiet too long, Libs. Spill the deets from between the sticky sheets.”

“Nothing to tell,” she lied.

“Aha! I get it. The last time you got any was with Spike and Zeke?”

“No.” Even those two guys combined couldn't compare to one night with Devin McClain.

“You're such a whore, doing two hot guys at once. And brothers to boot.” In her best pouting tone, Bailey continued. “It's not fair! I wanna be a whore! Give me some pointers.”

“Mom could give us both pointers.” Liberty paused. “Have you heard from her?”

“No. It's been so long, I think she's dead. Is it really horrible that I don't care if she is?”

Liberty's gut clenched. Of the three of them, Bailey had the most issues with their mother, and she refused to tell either of her sisters what had happened in the years Harper had been away at school and she'd been in the army.

“Anyway, I didn't call you to talk about her. I want to make sure you're okay on this long assignment. Especially since I know you can't talk about it.”

“It's a different world from any I've ever been in, and to be honest, I'm glad it's only for a few months. I couldn't live this way. That said, I get an equal balance of worktime and downtime.” And she did get Devin's undivided sexual attention in that downtime, so that was a bonus. “Thanks for checking up on me.”

“Being away from family just reminds me how I didn't appreciate it when I had it. Jesus, I was such a brat to Harper sometimes. I can't believe she didn't wash her hands of me just like Mom did.”

“Everyone has a shitty stage in their life where they're dicks to the ones they love. The lucky ones grow out of it and move on. We Masterson girls gotta stick together because we're all we have.”

“So true. I talked to Harper last night. She mentioned your upcoming visit to Muddy Gap. I'm jealous.”

“I wish you could fly to Denver and drive up with me. Tate and Jake are at that fun stage where everything excites them.”

“I told Harper if I'm not mired in training, I'd try to get the week of Thanksgiving off so we can all be together. Of course, she's already planning a family holiday, and we've been drafted to play the part of pilgrims in the Thanksgiving Day reenactment.”

Liberty grinned. “I can't wait.”

“I can't wait until I live closer. I feel like I'm missing out.”

“The time left on your enlistment will go by faster than you know it. And since I'm buying a bigger place in Denver right after I'm done with this assignment, you can stay with me.”

“Hang on.” Bailey had a short, muffled conversation with someone and then came back on the line. “My study partner is here, so I've gotta go. Love you, sis. I miss you.”

“Miss you too, Bails. Love you. Be safe.”

The conversation with Bailey increased her melancholy. It was so tempting to pull the covers over her head, stay in her pajamas and sleep until they reached their destination.

Except that you need to be on top of this security nightmare that Devin created.

He hadn't told anyone he planned to perform the controversial song “What Love Isn't.” His argument that, technically, it wasn't part of
his
set but the Wright Brothers' set didn't hold water. The crowd's response that night had been overwhelmingly positive. But in this day and age, media response was instantaneous, and word spread rapidly that he'd performed the song.

People in the Bible Belt were serious about lodging protests. So yesterday afternoon, when the bus pulled into the parking lot in Little Rock, a large crowd of protestors had gathered.

That had pissed Devin off. He didn't address the protestors directly—besides playing the song on his set list first thing.

While Liberty understood where Devin was coming from—freedom
of speech and not allowing a minority to silence him—it'd created bigger problems.

Trying to get the right media spin on it wasn't her job, but she'd been thrust into dealing with the aftermath as part of
her
job. She'd stayed up late last night worrying about possible security breaches in the next two small venues because she was Devin's lone protector.

Due to her restlessness, and, yes, her annoyance with Devin, she'd slept in her bunk for the first time in weeks. Rather than continuing to obsess over how their professional disagreement also affected their personal
relationship, she faced the wall and closed her eyes, trying to shut down her brain.

She had no idea how much time had passed when his warm body pressed against hers and his deep voice in her ear pulled her from dreamland. “Hey.”

“Hey, yourself. Are you finished working?”

“Yeah. Had a hard time concentrating today.”

Gee, I wonder why
. “What time is it?”

“A little after three. We'll be hitting Pine Bluff soon.”

“I should shower.” She tried to push up, but Devin held her in place, his hand on her stomach.

“Are you still mad at me?”

Liberty sighed. “I don't know if mad is accurate. You know how much I love surprises,” she said dryly. “I dread seeing how many zealots greet us today.”

“Besides their homemade signs spreading the hate, they've been law-abiding.”

“Until they're not. We're lucky that they haven't showed us the throwing things, burning things, Molotov cocktail side of public protests. We've had a good go of it the last few weeks with few incidents.”

“Because I played it safe,” he said testily.

“No, because I've worked my ass off to keep you safe,” she shot back.

“Liberty—”

“Don't, okay? It's your tour. It's your career. It's your song. So it's your
choice on how you handle it. When it comes to the artistic side, I'd never presume to tell you what to do.”

“But?”

“But nothing. As your bodyguard, you courting controversy makes my job harder. And that comment wasn't meant to say that how it affects me should hold any weight on your decision. Because at the end of the day, no matter what you choose to do, it is my job to adapt and protect you.”

Devin nuzzled the back of her head. “I didn't write the song to be controversial. I wrote it because I was pissed off and needed a way to express it.”

“What's the real story behind the song?”

“I've watched a friend havin' to hide who he is because the country music industry is highly homophobic. The guy is a brilliant performer and songwriter, but he'll lose everything if he's ever brave enough to step out of the closet to live openly with the man he loves. The whole theme of the song is . . . love is love. No one has the right to judge anyone else and tell them what love is or isn't. When a reporter questioned me whether the song was autobiographical, I said no. But I went off on her, stating that I think gays should be able to marry and that too many people worried what others were doin' behind closed bedroom doors when it ain't nobody's business. That didn't sit well with my demographic—according to the record label.

“I stand behind everything I said and the song because I believe it. But I'd already had enough threat stuff goin' on before I offered such a juicy sound bite. So I agreed to leave the song off the set list for this tour. I thought I'd made the right decision.”

“When did that change?”

“I don't know if it did. Now I'm fucked because if I don't play it, the hard-core religious groups targeting me claim they've won. If I do play it, I'm putting myself and you and the entire tour at risk. There's no easy or right answer.” He sighed into her hair. “I'm sorry it put us at odds.”

“It didn't.”

“Then why'd you sleep in here last night?” His lips followed the outline of her ear. “I missed you like crazy.”

That delicious curl of heat started between her legs and spread up to
where he was dragging his fingers back and forth across her lower belly. “I missed you too.”

“Come back to my bed,” he murmured against the nape of her neck. “Let me show you.”

“Are the servants' quarters below the master's standards?” she teased.

“There's not enough room to spread out this gorgeous body and feast on it like I'm dying to.”

“Maybe you should get creative.”

Devin rolled her flat on her back. Then he pinned her legs beneath his and shoved her T-shirt up. Instead of taking her shirt off, he did a quick tie that immobilized her arms. A growling noise vibrated against her skin
when he discovered she wasn't wearing a bra. His mouth descended, and he pressed hot kisses around the outside of her left nipple.

He kneaded her right breast while he teased the left one with his tongue. Light flicks and his soft breath on the wet tips until she squirmed. Then he suckled sweetly as he stroked the other nipple with a lazy sweep of his thumb. “I need you like this.”

“Like what?”

“Sweet and slow.”

She melted. “Undo my hands so I can touch you too.”

The caresses lingered. The kisses were gentle and teasing. In the small space, their naked bodies were in constant contact. Tangled in the sheets and wrapped up in each other, they turned their passion into comfort. And it was the reminder she needed to let their need bring them closer together instead of letting it keep them apart.

T
hree days until the longest leg of the Heroes and Heartbreakers tour ended. Two more performances and then ten days off. Ten days that he hoped Liberty would spend with him in Nashville.

As soon as the bus parked in the back lot of the event center in the Woodlands, Devin launched the first stage of his plan to convince her. He managed to kill thirty minutes before he left his room.

Liberty sat cross-legged on the chair across from her bunk, playing a video game. She wore baggy tan capris and a baggier T-shirt. He preferred her this way, because no one else got to see her like this. She looked cute.

The woman would knock you on your ass for saying that.

She'd pulled her hair into a ponytail that bounced when she snapped her head up. “Why are you standing there staring at me?”

“I've got a surprise for you. Grab a jacket. And a pair of flip-flops.”

“Where are we going?”

“You'll see. And no, you don't need your gun.”

Liberty gave him the evil eye. “
I
get to decide where to take my gun.”

“It's not necessary where we're goin'. I swear.” Up at the front of the bus, he settled his favorite ratty UWYO ball cap on his head. Then he grabbed his backpack and slipped his feet into his sandals.

“What's that for?”

Devin tucked a loose strand of blue hair behind her ear. “Stop bein' so suspicious. We're gonna have some fun.”

She muttered something he didn't quite catch as she armed the alarm, but it probably wasn't flattering.

The humid Texas air rolled over him. He wondered how long it took people who lived down here to get used to it, because he doubted he could.

Clasping hands, they skirted the back of the bus. It was the hour before twilight, when the sun had lost its power and most of its heat. He saw the two cars in the middle of the empty parking lot. Right on time.

“Devin, this is making me uncomfortable. You being out in the open like this.”

He stopped and faced her, leaning close enough to feel her breath on his lips. “Liberty, relax. There's no one around.”

“But—”

He pressed his mouth to hers. “We're leaving. Will that calm you down some?”

“I don't know. This is all so . . . weird. So unlike you.”

Which is exactly why he'd set it up. “As of right now, you're officially off duty.” He took her hand again and headed toward the two lone cars parked in the lot.

A young guy, probably midtwenties, exited the driver's side and approached them. “Mr. McClain?”

“Yes. Thanks so much for bringing it here on such short notice. Is there anything else you need?”

The guy handed him a clipboard. “Just your signature. Normally we demand a photo ID, but I understand it's an unusual circumstance. Besides, I recognize you. I'm bringing my girlfriend to the show tomorrow night.” He grinned.

Devin grinned back. “Excellent. I always look forward to playing here. Good crowd.” He scrawled his name and passed the clipboard back. “Soon as you get here tomorrow night, go to the merchandise stand and ask for Sarge. Tell him you met me and use the phrase
Gatlin Brothers
and he'll get you backstage passes for the fan meet and greet.”

The guy's jaw dropped. “Seriously? Thank you, man. My girlfriend is gonna be stoked. You are her favorite singer.”

“Look forward to meeting her, then. So, are we all set here?”

“Yes, sir.” He tossed Devin the keys. “Word of advice when you're in the Gulf region? Put the top up every night.”

“Will do.”

The guy climbed into the passenger's side of the Enterprise pilot car and they sped off.

Liberty was completely focused on the car. “What is going on?”

He tugged her against his body. “We are practically livin' together. We've been lovers for a little more than two months, and it occurred to me in the past few days that I've never taken you out on a real date. So that's what I'm doin' tonight. Just you and me. On a date.”

She looked up at him. “You rented a Mustang? For me?”

“I figured you missed your baby and you'd like to see how fast you can get us to the beach.”

“Really?”

“Really. Galveston is an hour or so down the road. We can hit a drive-thru barbecue joint, then sit on the sand in the moonlight and listen to the waves crashing on the beach for as long as you like.”

Liberty threw herself into his arms. “This is so perfect! I can't believe you set it up.” She slid her hands to his cheeks, holding his face as she kissed him.

He had to pull back because she was bouncing up and down with such excitement he worried one of them might break a tooth.

But she wasn't ready to let him go. She peppered his face with kisses. “Thank you. This means so much to me. Especially since very few people get me.” She kissed his chin and stepped back. “Now I know why you said I didn't need to be armed. But I still feel . . . naked.”

“You really wanna spend hours cleaning sand out of your gun just for taking it along?” He tucked a hank of hair behind her ear. “We'll be far away from the crowds. I promise.”

“Okay.” She grinned. “Now, hand over those keys, buddy.”

Devin tossed them to her. “Let's go.”

Driving down the highway in the early twilight hours softened the breath-stealing humidity. Liberty was in her element, with wind blowing through her hair and a powerful car under her control. Devin was content
to watch her, such a rarity in their world because she spent all her time keeping an eagle eye on him. Sometimes after she fell asleep in his arms,
he watched her sleep, feeling both guilty and daring, knowing she'd hate that he'd studied her at such a vulnerable time. But her toughness and resilience only made him want to embrace and celebrate the playful side of this complex woman.

“Did you want to listen to music?” she asked.

“No. I like the sound of the wind whistling through the car.”

“I thought about buying the convertible model, but it didn't come in the color I wanted.” She grinned at him. “I can't believe you rented us a Mustang.”

“I can't believe you didn't freak out when I suggested we eat in the car. Aren't car nuts like you vigilant about keeping the interior pristine?”

“Yeah. But this is not
my
car.”

“So if we were in your Mustang right now?”

“We definitely wouldn't have chowed down on ribs soaked in barbecue sauce, corn bread muffins and sweet potato fries in here.”

He laughed. Seemed he did that a lot around her.

They didn't talk much, but given the people and noise they were usually subjected to, he preferred comfortable silence. Those were his favorite times with her. The two of them tangled in bed, watching TV or playing a video game. Maybe it sounded boring to others, but the normalcy was exciting to him because he'd never really had it.

The scent of the air changed, and she turned to him and grinned. “I can smell the ocean.”

“Not far now.”

Once they'd crossed onto the island, they hit stop-and-go traffic. Devin expected Liberty would be an aggressive driver, cursing and muttering about idiots, but she remained relaxed. About a block away from the main boardwalk, she said, “Which way? Left or right?”

“Left.”

Devin didn't tell her to pull over until they reached a section of the road where there weren't many streetlights and access to the beach was a little more difficult. Since it was summer and tourist season, theirs wasn't
the only vehicle, but he knew they'd have more privacy than if they'd come during the day.

“Should we put the top up on the car?” she asked.

“Nah. Nothin' to steal. And it doesn't look like rain.” He shouldered his backpack and pointed.

They followed the path to the water single file. Liberty said, “I'm glad you suggested flip-flops.”

“I don't like wearing sandals, but I hate havin' sand in my shoes even more.”

As soon as they could walk side by side, Liberty reached for his hand.

He loved even the smallest gesture of affection she offered without thinking.

“There it is.” She tugged on his hand, urging him to move faster.

Devin laughed. “Baby, slow down. The Gulf ain't goin' nowhere.”

“I know. I'm just excited.”

He stood beside her about ten feet from the water, watching the waves break on the beach and then flowing back into the water. They remained like that, looking out across the dark expanse. Hearing the steady whoosh and crash that came only from the ocean.

Liberty kicked off her flip-flops and released his hand, shuffling closer to the water's edge.

Devin stayed behind her, watching the slight breeze tousle her hair. She jammed her hands into her pockets and dug her toes deeper into the sand. Tilting her head back, she inhaled an exaggerated breath, letting it out on a long “Aah.”

He toed off his sandals and moved in behind her, wrapping his arms around her and setting his chin on her shoulder.

“Devin, this is so awesome. Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

Sometimes it was weird to think he had enough money to take her to any beach in the world. He could buy her—not just rent—any car she wanted. But he knew that wouldn't appeal to her. Because this was more real.

“The first time I saw the ocean was when I went overseas on my first deployment,” she said. “I remember being on the troop transport plane, and
I snuck over to stare out the window because I'd never seen so much water.
I mean, you watch TV shows and stuff and know it's there. But flying over it for hours and hours with no land in sight fucked with my head. Standing on a beach like this seems more manageable.”

“Same thing happened to me, that feeling of almost panic when there's nothin' below you but miles and miles of water. I'd never been on a plane before, so it seemed like it took forever to get there. Although the flight wasn't nearly as long as the one you took to Iraq.”

“Where did you go?”

Devin felt that same jab in his heart whenever he spoke of it. “Hawaii.”

“Sounds fun. I've never been there.”

“We did have fun, but at the same time, it seemed forced.”

“How old were you?”

“Fifteen.”

Liberty spun into his arms and looked at him. “You went with your family?”

“Yeah. It was a vacation of sorts, but it wasn't for us. It was for Michelle. It was her Make-A-Wish trip. The organization is wonderful; everything from our hotel to the sightseeing stuff was top-notch, and they treated Michelle like a rockstar. But for my folks and my sister Renee and me, there was a layer of sadness there the whole time. We all knew it'd be her first and last trip.”

She framed his face in her hands. “Devin.”

Something about her made him keep talking, allowed him to share a piece of his past he'd never told anyone. He closed his eyes, letting the memory wash over him, almost as sharp and painful as when he'd lived it. “The last night we were there, my mom, dad and sister were packing. Michelle wanted to walk on the beach, so she and I took off. We did all the things kids do when their parents aren't around; we picked up shells, jumped over the waves just as they broke on the beach, splashed each other, kicked sand at each other. She talked nonstop about how much fun she'd had swimming with dolphins earlier that day. As soon as she'd gotten out of the water, before they'd even wrapped her skinny body in a towel, she'd informed everyone that one day she was gonna be a dolphin trainer.

“We'd walked farther down the beach than I realized and she started to
get tired. We'd had so much fun just bein' a normal big brother and little sister that for an hour or so I'd forgotten how easily she got tired out and how frail she really was. So I swung her up for a piggyback ride. Since she'd gotten so quiet, I talked for a change and didn't notice that it was a different kind of quiet with her. When we reached the beach house, I turned to let her down and she clung to me. She said, ‘No, wait. I wanna look at the water and pretend.' I said, ‘Pretend what?' She said, ‘Pretend that I really will grow up and be a dolphin trainer.' Then she paused and said softly, ‘But I'm not gonna grow up, am I?'

“I wanted to lie, be the protective big brother and assure her that she'd grow up and annoy me for years to come. But I couldn't do it. For a year and a half Michelle had been living with people tellin' her that she'd be fine. Yeah, she was young, but she wasn't stupid. She knew bein' in that kind of pain wasn't normal. Neither was living in the hospital. Or seein' her family cry after a doctor's visit. Or getting a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Hawaii. So I didn't lie. I said, ‘Nope, bug. Probably not.' She was quiet for so long, I thought maybe she'd fallen asleep. But she finally whispered, ‘Then promise me that you'll think of me every time you go to the ocean.' That's the one promise in my life I've been able to keep.”

Liberty's thumbs swept away the tears he hadn't tried to stop. When she buried her wet face in his neck, he knew she'd been crying too. She wrapped herself around him, showing him without words she was a woman strong enough to hold him up.

After a while he felt a little ridiculous. He forced a laugh. “Sorry if that put a morbid spin on what was supposed to be a fun date.”

“Don't apologize. We're standing on the beach and it was bound to cross your mind. Although it breaks my heart all around”—her voice caught on a sob—“I'm happy you trusted me enough to tell me.”

Tell her she's the only person you've ever told.

But Devin's lips remained sealed. Until Liberty kissed a path up his neck to his mouth and urged him to open up to her kiss. She teased and tormented, licking his teeth, sucking on his tongue. As she used her mouth like a weapon on his, he wanted the same treatment on his cock.