Chapter 31

After our hair and makeup was done, which seemed to take forever, I hustled Ronin out of the dressing room and into the private bathroom at the end of the hall.

I knew that Ronin was just teasing Payton, but still. I didn”t like the flirting. A possessive instinct I didn”t know I was capable of was suddenly all I was capable of feeling.

“Why’re we coming in here—” Ronin started.

“The question isn’t why, but when,” I replied.

I reached up, taking his lips in a fierce kiss, showing him exactly what I meant. There would be coming all right. I was going to suck Ronin”s cock down my throat until he came long and hard.

He backed me up against the door, and it was on.

I ran my hand frantically over his denim covered crotch, cupping his dick, feeling him harden under my touch. I unzipped him, delving my hand inside. His cock grew heavy, hot, and hard in my hand. He moaned my name so loud, and it was the best thing I’d heard all day.

Dropping to my knees, I pulled out his dick and gave the fat cockhead a teasing lick, swirling my tongue around the head and then sucking him down my throat. I gagged, and swallowed again, determined to take him all the way.

“Baby,” he whispered when I finally managed to do just that. “So many times, I watched you doing this. Wanted you to suck me off. But I never imagined. And now, here... I… fuck… can’t believe?—”

My dick jerked hard in response to Ronin’s admission, begging for attention.

I gripped the base of his cock in my hand and slowly pulled off.

“Same,” I whispered, my voice hoarse. “And now this dick belongs to me. Not Payton, not anyone else. Me.”

He nodded, and I teased him with more licks and then swallowed him down again, saliva running down my chin, my lips sore, my throat aching.

Ronin delved his hands into my hair, tugging, pulling, his moans and pleas getting louder, more desperate with each swallow. I sucked hard, feeling his cock swell in my mouth.

“Pull off if you don’t want to swallow,” he warned.

Was he kidding me?

There was nothing I wanted more than his cum. I kept bobbing my head, until Ronin’s body locked up tight.

“Yes!” he screamed as he shot in my mouth.

I was so turned on that I came, without touching myself, in my pants.

Ronin’s body jerked again, and he flooded my mouth with so much cum that I couldn’t swallow fast enough. It spilled out of my mouth and down my face. No doubt, I was a filthy mess. My hair was ruined, my makeup too, and my clothes would need to be changed.

I’d have to run around like a mad man before the show started. But fucking hell, it was worth it.

Ronin’s softened cock slipped out of my mouth, and he leaned back against the sink, holding onto it like it was the only thing keeping him upright. He was panting hard, running his other hand through his long, dark hair.

“That’s a new part of our pre-show warmup,” he quipped, as his stood there, staring down at me. His face was flushed and his eyes were bright, the blue so electric, I couldn’t look anywhere else.

“Thank fuck I don’t have to hit any high notes,” I whispered, my voice hoarse.

Finally, I stood up on shaky legs.

He reached for me, pulling me into his arms, resting his face in my hair. What started out as fast and frantic was suddenly slow and sweet. And fuck, why did that make my stomach drop out from under me? Like I was free falling.

A sudden knock on the door had me burying my face in his chest, not wanting to move an inch.

“You guys done in there or what? And I hope you didn”t break anything. Our insurance doesn”t cover sex related damages.”

Of course, it was Brodie.

“We’ll be out in five,” Ronin replied.

Then he tucked his dick back inside his jeans, and I washed up quickly. But my lips were unmistakably swollen. Both of us looked fucked out.

Ronin opened the door, and I was not in the least surprised to see Brodie standing on the other side of it, giving us a shit eating grin.

“Payton won”t be happy he”ll have to redo your hair,” Brodie teased.

I shrugged, too blissed out to care. Besides, that would put an end to any future flirting with Ronin. Maybe. Not that Ronin was looking anywhere else but at me. But we”d been in our own private world. What would happen when we were out at parties again, and clubs? He always drew attention, and he was never short of interested partners. Would I be enough for him?

I hated these doubts in my head. I never questioned his love for me as my best friend. But as a partner? I wanted to say I was confident that he wanted me and only me. He said it, I felt it. But exclusivity was not for everyone. And monogamy was not something he’d ever said he wanted.

“Boo?”

“What?”

I glanced at Brodie and Ronin, who were staring at me with concern.

“You okay?” Brodie asked.

“Yeah, just… ah.” A rare flush crept up my cheeks. “I need to get changed.”

“No shit.” Brodie shook his head. “Meet you guys upstairs in ten.”

He walked off and left me and Ronin standing in the hallway.

“What’s wrong?” Ronin asked.

“Nothing. What makes you think anything’s wrong?”

Ronan raised one eyebrow. “Everything was fine until Brodie mentioned Payton. You don’t seriously think I was really flirting with him, do you? I was just trying to help poor Len. I don”t want anyone else but you.”

“I know that. It”s just that you and me as a couple, it”s all new. Amazing, incredible, but yeah, new. And, you know, you”ve always made it clear that monogamy isn’t for you.”

“It wasn’t. I didn’t want that with anyone else,” he confessed and pulled me in tight. “But I need it with you. I’m sorry it took me so long to finally get my head out of my ass, but?—”

I laughed at that. “We both took a while. But we made it.”

He kissed me, and then gave me one of his unforgettable hugs. I didn’t want to ever let go.

“Come on,” he reached down and squeezed my ass. “You need to change, and we both need to hydrate. Then, we’re gonna rock the fucking house down.”

He guided me back to the dressing room, where I selected another outfit and quickly changed. Payton was busy chatting up Holls, so I got him to fix my hair.

After a round of razzing by Holls, I was ready to head upstairs. When Ronin popped his head in and winked at me, Payton patted my shoulder and told me he was happy for me. And Ronin.

“I need to snag me a big, beautiful man like yours,” Payton sighed as he added texture spray to my hair to give it that bedhead look.

I didn’t see the difference in my hairstyle from when I walked in here, after Ronin’s hands had messed it all up. Tousled was tousled. Still, I had my creative art, and hair and makeup had theirs. It was not to be questioned.

“Well, you’re on tour with us for the next few weeks and so is Lennie so—” I started.

“I don”t know. I mean, I don”t know if he”s interested in me.”

Payton sounded so unlike his usual confident self. He wasn’t shy or uncertain.

“Only one way to find out.”

“But isn”t he always on the job?”

“There’ll be times when he’s off shift.”

“It wouldn’t work anyway. Between you, me, and my flat iron, I think I’m done with hook ups. I need a man who’s going to stick around for more than one night. But with my work schedule, all the traveling, forget it.”

Lennie entered the room and stopped short when he saw Payton. “You ready?”

Was he asking me or Payton?

“I’m good to go.”

Payton stared back at Lennie, but no words were exchanged. I got up out of my chair and headed for the door.

Payton was right. It was hot in here.

I sat behind my drum kit, doing my warmup, waiting for the curtain to rise. Ronin and I did our usual pre-show clench, but this time, with a kiss. And lots of tongue.

Brodie and Holls made gagging noises, while Ro and I gave them our best fingers.

When Ronin took his spot on the stage, my nerves began to churn full force. I glanced over at the wings and spotted Lennie, Regan, and other team members watching. I also knew there was a shit ton of security in the audience. Not to mention the screening process for people coming into the venue. Still, the reminder that someone threatened to harm us at our Nashville show still lingered.

I don’t think that fear was going away anytime soon.

Brodie turned around to face us just before the curtain dropped. The determined look in his eyes and the nod of his head told me that despite our fear, we were gonna be okay. I’d always admired his ability to say what he wanted, and the fact that he didn’t take shit from anyone. He stood up for what he believed in. And that was always us.

The stakes had never been higher. I felt it, fuck, the whole stage was thrumming with nervous energy, and we hadn’t hit a single note yet.

I nodded at Brodie, reading his expression.

No one’s going to fuck with our family, our music, or our fans.

Our stage cue crackled in my earpiece and thank fuck my melodic brain clicked into gear.

When the stage lit up, and the curtain dropped, the roar of the crowd hit us like a sonic boom.

We started out with Never Look Back and the song had never felt more appropriate.

My arms and legs moved without thought. Kick on the downbeats. Snare on the backbeats.

It was my job to set the tempo, the mood, for all our songs. Ronin drove the rhythm with his bass, and Holls gave us melody lines and memorable solos. Brodie was the final missing piece, putting our harmony into words, driving the energy of the crowd higher and higher.

I joined in on the harmony when we hit the first chorus, but my voice was huskier than usual. Grittier. Even I could admit that it sounded pretty fucking sexy. And so was the reason why my voice was so low. Images of me and Ronin—in his bed, on the bus, in the bathroom—flashed through my mind, as bright as the lights that flashed around us.

And as soon as we were done on stage, I knew that being back in Ro’s arms was the only place I wanted to be. Today, tomorrow, and every day after.

Forever was a long time.

But suddenly, to me, it seemed like no time at all.