Who He Is (FireNine, book 1) (12 page)

I dug around my suitcase for my colored pencils to fill in the logo I’d created. Orange, red, and black were already the band’s official colors, so I had to make do. I preferred the cool colors like blue, teal, green, and maybe a little bit of black for the boys because it fit them more, but I couldn’t change much just yet. I knew even if Gage were to set something up for me, I wouldn’t be able to make too many changes. I’d have a minor say-so, especially because of my age.

The night carried on with me making a ton of designs for T-shirts, their next CD cover, and even their instruments. It was fun to plan and I didn’t even realize how late it became or that we were on the road again until a knock came from my door.

I looked at it quickly, wishing I could just pretend to be asleep, but I was sure they saw my light on from the dark hallway. “Who is it?” I called.

“Your enemy, I guess,” Gage said from behind the door.
There was humor in his tone.

I rolled my eyes before pushing up from the bed and going for the door. Swinging it open, I looked into Gage’s bright eyes and folded my arms. His hands were gripping the frames of the door and his head was tilted down. He was way taller
than me, which wasn’t unusual at my five feet and three inches.

“I haven’t talked to you much today,” he said.

“And that’s my fault?”

“No.” He shrugged, stepping into my room. My eyebrows drew in as he looked toward my bed. He spotted the FireNine drawings and smiled as he picked up one. “You’re working,” he noted, smirking. “Dedication.”

“I don’t consider it working. Just thought it’d be fun to test some things out for you guys.”

“Seems like the testi
ng is going well. This looks like something I’d definitely wear,” he said, holding up the sheet of paper. “The colors I love most. Blue… it’s my favorite color. And black.”

“Yeah,” I scoffed. “I can tell black is.” I laughed as I looked him over in his black T-shirt and black sweats.

“Are you finding my clothes a problem, Ellie?” he asked, eyebrow arching as he sat on the end of my bed.

“Not at all, Gage.”

He sighed, dropping the paper back on the bed and then scooting toward me. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Were you upset about Penelope being over earlier?”

I scowled at him, taking a step back. “Why would I be upset?”

“Maybe because you’re interested in me.” He smirked confidently.

“Not likely. I don’t really care about you or Penelope, to be honest.”

His eyebrow rose. “Really? I find that hard to believe—not about Penelope, but about you not caring about me.”

“I’m just starting to know you and right now you’re coming off as an arrogant ass. I don’t favor people like you.”

“An arrogant ass?” he repeated, chuckling with wide eyes. “You’ve called me arrogant twice in less than a week. That’s funny.”

“Is this what you came in here for? Because you think I like you and I’m jealous of your ditzy girlfriend?”

He winked. “Maybe.”

I took another step back
and sighed. “Well, I’m not, Gage. As I’ve said before, you’re my
friend
. That’s all.”

He licked his lips, nodding slowly as he looked into my eyes. “And that’s final? You’re completely sure about that? You want nothing more?
Not even after what was about to happen between us last night?”

I almost hesitated. I wanted to shout at him about how I’d had a crush on him since my freshman year of high school. I wanted to tell him that I fantasized about those plush lips against mine, his firm body pressed up on me for hours. I’d even fantasized about having
sex
with him. All kinds of sex. I was sure I would’ve gone through with all of it if he weren’t so damn egotistical, but he was and I couldn’t get down with that.

I couldn’t get down with a guy who would sleep with a girl just for the hell of it and then forget about her. I couldn’t be a part of his “yeah, I fucked her” list. I was more than certain that was the list Gage would add me to, so I finally folded my arms and said, “I’m positive.”

He stared at me a little longer than expected and stood and stepped back with a nod. Gripping the doorknob, he narrowed his eyes and a forced smile across his lips. “Goodnight, Ellie.”

Before I could say it back, the door was already shutting. I pitched a dry laugh because that entire conversation was pointless as hell. What was the purpose of it? Why did he care if I liked him or not anyway? And why the hell would I be jealous of fucking Penelope?

There were probably a million girls in the world that claimed to be madly in love with Gage Grendel, but he was worried about
my
opinion of him? Thinking about it as I sat down to color in a few logos caused me to laugh again.

I’d mentioned it to Ben once before, but Gage really was a character in my eyes. A truly confusing one.

I’m not sure when I fell asleep the night before, but I do know I woke up in Orlando. It was a late morning and we’d been on the road twenty hours. I had to have slept for twelve hours or more
and of course I woke up in the middle of the night, gasping for breath while clinging to my chest. As I sat up, I had one of those sleep hangovers that could kill a whole day if you allowed it.

The only plus to waking up in Orlando was there was a ton of sun. I loved the sun. Anytime I could be in it, I would be. I would paint in the sun just to feel it on my skin. I could never figure out why I was so pale when all I wanted was to be around it.

A knock came from my door and right after, it opened quickly and in came Ben. He had on a collared light-pink shirt, dark-brown khaki’s, and penny loafers. His hair was parted in the middle, as usual, but what confused me was the frown on his face. “Why are you still in bed?”

I groaned, pushing on my hands to climb out of the bed. “I had a long night last night.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Doing?”

“Painting, drawing—the usual.”
And thinking about Gage.

Ben’s lips pressed as he folded his arms. “Well, everyone’s outside waiting on
you
.”

“On me?” I frowned
, eyes wide. “Why?”

“We’ve decided to go out for some breakfast.” He flashed a smile and then checked his watch. “Ten minutes, button bottom.”

Before I could speak, he was stepping out of my room and shutting the door behind him. I sighed, turning for my suitcase to pull out some jean shorts and a lavender tunic. I then grabbed my toiletries and rushed for the bathroom to take a quick shower. I usually hated those, but I hated it more when people were waiting on me. It kind of bothered me.

I rushed to put on my clothes, sliding the thongs of my flip-flops between my toes, grabbing my camera, and then hurrying out. I kicked open the screen door and stepped out, absorbing the sun. It felt nice against my skin, although I was a bit flustered from rushing around. I turned
my head to look toward the white truck Ben and I usually rode in, but before I could even take a step ahead, Gage stepped to my side.

“Did you even bother to dry your hair?” he asked.

I frowned, reaching up to touch it, and my face fell rapidly. I jerked my hand down because my hair was soaked. My cheeks burned and I rushed away from Gage to get to the bus again. I could hear him laughing at me and felt even more embarrassed. I had a damn mop on top of my head and didn’t even realize it. No wonder it felt so nice outside.

I hurried for the bathroom, wrung out my hair, dried it with a towel, and then pulled it up into a bun. I gave the mirror one last check, approving my casual demeanor, and then stepped out. As soon as I did, I ran into a broad chest.

My eyes traveled from his tan T-shirt up to his pink lips curved into a smile and then into his light-green eyes. His blond eyelashes batted at me and my breath stifled slightly as he caught me by the hip before I could fall into him any farther. “Morning, Eliza,” Cal said, still smiling.

“Um, good morning,” I murmured, taking a step away. “Sorry. I’m in a rush. Ben said I
only had ten minutes to get ready.”

Cal
laughed. “There’s no rush. Ben and the crew are too busy chatting about today’s show.”

I nodded, releasing a breath of relief. “Oh… okay.”

“So I take it I’m riding with you and Ben?” he asked, turning around.

“I guess so.” I took a few steps down the hallway and he followed me out the door.

He was right about not being in a rush. Ben was talking with a group of people near the FireNine tour bus. I took in the bus and noticed how different it looked from the last. It was still black, but instead of just the logo, it had each band member on the front, posing with their instrument. Gage was in the middle, behind the FireNine logo, with a mic in hand, his hazel eyes narrowed and his hair hanging over his forehead. It was an old picture because Gage had cut his hair a while back so it didn’t even touch his forehead. It barely touched his ears.

And then it dawned on me. I hadn’t even noticed that the boys’ luggage wasn’t on the bus. Their bunks were clear and made up. The band was finally going back to their own bus. I wanted to shout with joy when I figured it out, but I kept my cool, especially when Gage and Montana started coming our way.

“Eliza, is there ever a time you don’t look good?” Montana asked.

I laughed.

“Seriously,” he said, looking me over. “You always look hot.” Gage play-punched his arm, chuckling, and I giggled.

“Thanks, Montana.”

“Just stating facts.” He winked.

“So where are we eating?” Cal
asked.

“Cracker Barrel,” Gage said, folding his arms.

“Oh, that’s great.” Cal’s gaze shot over quickly to Montana. “Montana, do you think I could get some questions with you—I mean, since we’re waiting on Ben and the crew, I thought it’d be the perfect time and all.”

Montana ran a hand over his mohawk that was slicked back and then nodded. “Sure.”

“Great.” Cal stepped from my side to get to Montana and they walked off. Cal had pulled out his phone and every time he asked a question, he would put the phone a little too close to Montana’s mouth for his response. Montana would back away, aiming to conceal a frown, and I would laugh because he was doing a horrible job at hiding his discomfort.

“Don’t tell me you find that
Calvin
guy interesting,” Gage said, snapping me out of my stare.

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re practically drooling, Ellie.” He smirked.

“No, I’m not.”

“You are.” Gage chuckled. “So you find guys with blond hair more interesting than me. Maybe I should bleach my hair. Will it get you to be nicer to me?”

“Gage.” I laughed, shaking my head. “I’m not mean to you. And besides, blond would be really ugly on you.”

He laughed smoothly. “Would it? Penelope told me I’d look good in anything.”

“Well, I’m sorry to tell you, but for one, Penelope lied to you and two… it’s Penelope. I’m not entirely sure what she knows outside of following your every command.”

His eyes narrowed, but in only a second he smirked. “Is that jealousy I’m sensing? Did you lie to me last night?”

“Not at all. Sorry.” My sarcasm with Gage was growing by the second.
It was hard keeping up with this careless attitude.

Gage moved in closer, limiting the space between us. He was about to reach up and touch my cheek, but then he stopped abruptly, in midair, and shook his head, jerking down his hand. “Whatever you say, Ellie.” He turned quickly, meeting up with Roy and Deed who were standing by the truck. Ben clapped his hands and yelled for everyone to get ready and I sighed, turning for our Navigator. I hopped in
the backseat and Cal jumped in a minute after.

“Montana is hilarious,” he said, tucking his phone into his pocket.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Montana’s pretty chill.”

“My boss
is gonna love what I’ve gotten so far. I should be able to take up four whole pages for FireNine by the time the tour is over. That could make them a highlight of the magazine… maybe even get them on the front cover.”

“Wow. That would be good for them.”

“Yeah. These boys are underestimated. I’d love for my article to be one of the very first up-close-and-personal articles with FireNine. Not only will it take me to greater places, but it just might get them attention outside of the United States. They might not just be traveling by bus anymore.” He winked.

I smiled and Ben opened the front door of the truck to get in. He glanced over his shoulder, lowering his sunglasses to wink at me. “Sorry about the wait,” he said. “We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”

“What’s going on today?” I asked as Ben faced forward and Marco put the car in drive.

“The boys
have a show tonight and Monday night.” He sighed as the tires of the truck hit the main road. “Besides tomorrow, Sunday, and Tuesday, their weekend in Orlando is booked.”

“Oh.” I nodded.

“Yeah. There’s supposed to be a huge turnout tonight. I had to make sure I told the drivers to get the boys there on time and make sure Deed P. is there on time as well. I still haven’t figured out what the hell held him up during the last show. It almost cost us a good penny.”

I stared at Ben’s back before looking out my window. I had to remain quiet about Deed. I didn’t know what happened to him either, but it had to be something serious if he was left with a black eye.

Marco pulled up to Cracker Barrel and I hopped out quickly. Turning back, I saw the band hopping out of their truck as well, but they had to be escorted to the door by a few security guards when a cluster of squealing girls rushed for them. It had to suck for the boys. They couldn’t even go out and eat comfortably without fans hounding them.

As soon as we were inside, the woman behind the counter gave us a table immediately. Of course, she got the boys to autograph a few things for her in return, but the
y thought nothing of it. Ben asked for an entire section alone so people wouldn’t purposely walk by our table just to get close to FireNine. Being with the band made me realize how people would do anything for an autograph. Even the employees stepped out of their way to get a few things signed.

Unfortunately, I had to sit between Ben and Gage. It kind of bothered me that Gage was sitting so close, and even when I slid his chair away from me with my foot, he always managed to get close again.

Cal sat across from Ben, engrossed in a topic about the magazine and how he was going to write the article about the band. He was really excited about his job. I couldn’t wait to be like him one day—excited to work. Most people are miserable when they think of work. I didn’t want to be like that. I wanted to be eager for my next day on the job.

Our food arrived and I drenched my French toast with syrup. Gage chuckled from my side and I looked up to meet his eyes. “You’re like me,” he noted, pointing at his plate with his fork. “You love syrup.”

“I do love syrup.” I cut my toast into pieces and began to eat, but it was kind of nerve-wracking to have Gage so damn close to me. His heavy arm always brushed against mine when he would cut his pancake or when he took a sip of his orange juice. He was so close I could smell his body wash hidden beneath the sheen of spicy cologne. It wasn’t too strong for me so I dealt with it, but I had to get his chair to move again.

Placing the tip of my san
dal against the leg, I pushed his chair forward slowly but kept my gaze on my French toast. I grabbed my drink and Gage laughed silently, his shoulders shaking as he placed his elbows on the table. “Don’t you like being close to me, Ellie?” he asked, almost in a whisper.

My stomach rolled. I couldn’t understand how it was possible to feel so pleasured by someone’s voice. Gage’s voice was so damn sexy that I couldn’t deny it, no matter how much I despised the way he was.

“You’re just really close,” I murmured.

“You don’t like when I’m close to you?”

“No.”

He chuckled silently again before looking around at each person busy chatting over their breakfast. He then slid his chair in closer and my heart paused on the next beat as he placed his hand on my thigh beneath the table. He and I both knew if I were to jolt I would bang my knee against the table and draw attention
, so I kept perfectly still.

His fingers
moved up until they were completely between my legs. It was a gesture he’d pulled once before, but I couldn’t remember much of it from last time. This time, it was as clear as day.

His fingers were warm, the palm of his hand soft as it caressed my skin. My breath kept hitching and I was glad everyone was talking because otherwise, I would’ve been making a fool of myself.

“It’s funny how you seem to hate me so much, yet your body is reacting so positively to my touch,” Gage whispered in my ear. “Maybe you do like when I’m close to you.” My legs clenched around his hand and he chuckled softly so only I could hear. “There are so many things I could do to you, Ellie, if only you’d let me.”

His
hand recoiled and I was partially relieved, partially upset. Relieved because that was too close to me reaching a damn orgasm and upset because I kind of liked his hands on me, his fingers moving up and down my leg. Unlike the club where he had his hands on me briefly, this moment seemed longer. It was weird how no one noticed how close he was to me, and if I wasn’t mistaken, he would have definitely finger-fucked me if he would’ve kept his hand down there a little longer.