She’s not impressed with my job, but somehow seems to just like me. Or at least I hope she does. Even though the idea of wanting someone so badly like I want her is confusing as hell on its own. I haven’t cared what anyone thinks about me in years. Why her?
My entire body tenses in anger as I remember the look of anger in Ethan’s eyes and all the shit she told me about her husband and son. She’s been through the hell and the last thing I want, for whatever reason, is for her to go through crap like this when the tour just started.
I clench my fists and crack my knuckles to fight the urge to go back and punch Ethan in the face. It wouldn’t be the first time, and he totally deserves it.
“What did he say to you?” I ask her, although I pretty much already know.
“I’m not having sex with you.”
Well, hell. I wasn’t thinking about that either….but now that she mentions it, I can only imagine all the things I want to do to her. I bite my cheek and rub a hand roughly across my face to hide my laughter and shock. She’s blushing enough and I don’t want to make her feel worse.
I also need to erase all the images she just put in my head.
She’s not ready for that. I can totally tell, and while usually I wouldn’t go for someone who can seem like such a skittish rabbit, I’m really liking the fire in her eyes right now. Am I getting a glimpse of who she used to be before the accident? The woman she said she’s trying so hard to find again? If so, it’s sexy as hell, watching her light up like a firecracker in a mixture of anger and embarrassment.
“I don’t recall asking you to.” My lips twitch slightly as I fight the urge to smile at her.
I take a few steps toward her when she drops her forehead into the palm of her hands. I just want to touch her. To get close enough to gently run my hands down her soft skin and smell her hair. It smells like raspberries and I love it, even though it makes me feel like a pansy at the same time.
“Nic,” I say again while trying to keep my voice soft. “What did Ethan say to you?”
“He said something about how I’m not like the usual girl you bring on tour.”
Damn it, I so wish I would have punched Ethan earlier. By the time I get back inside he’s going to be so drunk it won’t even be fun anymore. It’s not my problem Ethan’s been screwed over by the last chick he liked. And it’s not my problem he couldn’t be faithful to his girlfriend either. I hate he put this doubt in Nicole. She’s not like the normal girls who throw themselves at us and I could tell that the minute she walked up to the bar the other night.
“You’re not. They’re…” I take a deep breath. “I have never brought someone on tour with me; ever. I’m not saying I haven’t had women on the bus with me.”
I hate that I just admitted that to her, but god I hope she believes me about the other stuff. I watch the doubt and embarrassment in her eyes and I feel like punching a wall. She’s been honest with me about so much shit in her life, and she actually thinks I brought her on tour with us just to screw her?
“Ethan and I have had some issues in the last few months, Nic.” Ever since the last chick he brought on the bus ditched him for me as soon as I walked in. I didn’t want anything to do with her, but it doesn’t stop him from being pissed. “Whatever he said to you tonight was for the sake of hurting you and pissing me off.”
I want to hold her and kiss her and make her believe me but she still seems nervous so I don’t. Slowly I watch acceptance fill her eyes in the place of doubt and she sighs. She believes me.
“And you are different than the other women. You’re not impressed with my image or what I do. You seem to just like…me. And you’re kind, passionate about what you do. I asked you to be with me on this tour because I want to get to know