sides of her mouth curving up seductively. She threw a knee over his lap and gathered the front of his blue t-shirt into her hands before molding her soft lips to his.
Heat spread out in every direction of his body. Forget convenience. This was how it was gonna be the whole damn tour. He was gonna have to take it where he could get it. He subtly increased the pressure between their lips to open her mouth so he could taste her. Greedily, he traced the contours of her mouth, feeling her shortened breath against his lips. He moved his hands up and under her shirt. Suddenly, there was a knock on the back window, startling them both. They broke apart, chests heaving.
“Dammit!” Marcus cursed, tugging her shirt back into place.
“Save it for the honeymoon, guys,” Dwight said chuckling. “The pilot’s ready to take off.”
Marcus opened the door and reached back for Avery’s hand. Her cheeks were flushed as he helped her get out of the car.
“Holy crap!” she exclaimed, eyes wide. “Is that our plane?”
“Yeah,” Dwight answered, glancing sidelong at Marcus. “You didn’t tell her Mary leased us a plane for the duration of the tour?”
“I did.”
“I just assumed it would be a small one like the one we took to LA.” Avery shook her head. “This one’s as big as a commercial plane.”
“It’s a 727,” Dwight said proudly. “We’re going in style. Tempest, the rest of the gear, and the roadies will go on tour buses.” He glanced over Avery’s shoulder. “Hey Marcus.”
“What?” Marcus asked from behind them, a guitar case in each hand.
“Hurry up. I wanna show Avery around this big ol’ jet airliner.”
Marcus nodded, following behind as they clanged up the metal stairs to the plane.
“Welcome aboard,” a uniformed flight attendant greeted them as they stepped into the cabin. She immediately went back to stocking the fridge in the small galley kitchen.
Turning the corner, they walked into a large lounge decorated in neutral tones and blond wood accents. Mary and Beth were waiting on a cream colored leather sectional.
“How’s your dad?” Beth asked, concern knitting her brow.
“He’s stable now,” Avery answered evasively, pulling on her wristband.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Noticing Avery’s uneasiness, Marcus laid his hands on her shoulders and squeezed. “I’m gonna take Avery to the back. Get her to lie down for a while.” He glanced back over his shoulder at Dwight. “Full tour will have to wait, Bro. She’s beat.”
“No worries,” Dwight replied.
“Have a great tour.” Beth stood and embraced Avery. “We’ll miss having you around the studio.”
“Thanks,” Avery offered with a weary smile.
Marcus slung an arm around her shoulder and guided her to the rear of the plane. He opened a narrow door and gestured for her to precede him inside.
“Whoa,” Avery exclaimed.
Marcus smiled, closed the door and drew her backward against his chest. “You like it?”
“Yes.” She swiveled her head to look into his eyes. “That’s our comforter from home, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” His chest twisted tight. It pleased him that she referred to his apartment as their home now. That was the way he thought of it, too. Squeezing her shoulder once, he moved to turn back the comforter on the queen bed that dominated the tiny space. “Come on, get in.”
Avery shuffled forward, sat down on the edge of the bed, and bent over to pull off her suede ankle boots.
“Let me,” he offered, putting his hand over hers. He knelt down and slid off one boot and sock and then the other. He softly traced her ankle before straightening. Using all the willpower he could muster, he stepped back from her. “Get some rest, Ace, while you still can. It’s only a short flight to Seattle. I’ve got some stuff I need to go over with Mary before she leaves.”
“Ok,” she mumbled, pulling the covers up to her chest and rolling immediately over.
He watched her for a moment before stepping out and closing the door softly behind him. In the main lounge, JR and Sam were deep in conversation with Mary and Beth. They all turned in his direction with matching questioning expressions.
“Where’d Dwight go?” he asked.
“He said he was going to lie down for a bit,” Beth replied.
Translation: He wanted some private time to talk to Lisa, Marcus thought. He could certainly relate to that. Marcus sat down in one of the captain’s chairs that faced Mary. “Fill me in. I know we’re late. We missed the thing you had planned out in Seattle, didn’t we?”
“I was just