“I want to.”

  And I do.

  Until now, I’ve been on the receiving end, taking much more from Dmitri than I have given. It’s time for me to reverse that dynamic.

  Never having been this close to another man’s cock, I take my time. From our night in the storage room, I already knew he was big, but as I wrap my fingers around his thick shaft, I marvel at his size.

  How is that giant thing supposed to fit in my mouth?

  Might as well just swallow a whole banana while I’m at it.

  Focus.

  His swollen, pink head gleams with arousal, bulging veins marking a map for my tongue to follow. The now-familiar flavor of his pre-cum hits my taste buds as I lick across his tip, and it makes me greedy for more.

  My lips wrap around his crown, and he moans above me. I let my tongue glide over every bump and groove, flickering over the raised ridge and seam on the bottom. This might be the first time I’ve sucked a dick, but having had one for the past twenty-eight years, I replicate what I know feels good to me. More suction and a few swipes of my tongue have Dmitri’s hips pushing forward in an instinctive flex, inching himself further into my mouth.

  “God, you feel incredible,” he mutters, his head falling backward and his fingers grabbing the wall for support as he resists the urge to take control.

  Our eyes meet as he looks down, and I’m hit with the sudden rush of fresh arousal on my tongue. I hollow out my cheeks, sucking harder as he loses his battle of wills, gripping my hair and rocking his hips into me. “Look at you, so perfect on your knees for me. Fuck, Eric.”

  My confidence builds as I slide up and down along his shaft, my own cock thickening again at the wet slick of his thrusts. When my hand snakes its way to roll his nuts between my fingers, he tenses.

  “Goddamn, I’m not going to last.” His palm slaps at the wall as I suck him harder, bobbing my head faster with each pass.

  My moans vibrate against him, and he swells between my lips. Right as I prepare myself for his release, he pulls his hips back and slips from my mouth with a wet slurp.

  “Get up here,” he rasps, grabbing my elbows and yanking me to my feet. Covered in spit to the point of dripping, his cock is slick as it slides against mine. Dmitri takes my mouth in an urgent kiss as he wraps his hand around us both.

  Immediate bliss.

  My jaw falls open and I pant heavily into his mouth, my hips moving rhythmically against his, relishing the slippery glide of us together. “Holy shit, that’s amazing,”

  Dmitri grunts his agreement and deepens the kiss, frantically stroking us both. When I suck his tongue into my mouth, he moans, long and low, and his cock jerks against mine as he comes. Hot spurts of his release coat us, making his hand slide even easier.

  His orgasm sets me off, and he swallows my moans as I join him in falling over the edge. My cum erupts in streams, spraying my stomach and cascading down his fingers over our joined cocks.

  We rock against each other until we’re drained, and he releases us as I fall forward, leaning my head on his shoulder. A sudden rush of intense emotion has me nestled into his neck, kissing the salty skin there as his breath coasts across my cheek.

  Home.

  He feels like home, tastes like a dream, and it’s perilously close to perfection.

  Fingers snake into my hair as he kisses me sweetly on the temple. Every inch of our bodies pushes together, his cocooning me as we come down from this incredible high. Our mingled cum makes the ridges of his abs slide against me, and my twice-spent cock attempts to rise again before admitting defeat.

  “Did I do okay?” I ask, and his chest rumbles beneath me as he chuckles.

  “So much better than okay, Eric. Hell, even if you just laid there, it’d be more than okay because it’s you.” He guides my lips to his and kisses me softly. “But you had me straining not to come the second you touched me, baby. You were incredible.”

  “I, uh… I know we leave tomorrow, and you have packing and stuff to do. But, do you think…” I trail off, suddenly unsure of myself.

  Dmitri’s lips find me again. “Do I think…?”

  “Do you want to stay? Here? Tonight, I mean. You know, with… with me?” My heart thuds against my chest as his nose nuzzles against mine.

  “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

  19

  The bus is bigger than I’d expected, a goldish-tan monstrosity that looks like it has all the bells and whistles. I glance at Dante’s face, his chin tinted in shades of green and yellow from Eric’s fist. He notices me inspecting it and rolls his eyes as he glances back at his clipboard.

  “Your boy got me good.” He’s casual as he says it, but I still choke out a surprised cough.

  “He’s not my…” I trail off, unsure of how to finish that sentence. Despite Eric and I agreeing to be exclusive, we haven’t officially defined our status. There are no labels.

  Hell, he isn’t even sure of his sexuality at this point, and he certainly isn't out.

  Dante makes eye-rolling an Olympic sport, seemingly getting better at it every time. “Yeah, okay,” he mutters, dismissing me entirely. “Got your equipment loaded?”

  I nod, glad for the change of topic. He glances up at me from the checklist, satisfied with my answer.

  “Yo, Sticks!” Theo comes bounding over in a cloud of over-enthusiastic excitement. Dante tenses, subtle enough that no one else probably notices it, but I’ve always paid attention to body language. As soon as he gets within arm's reach, he tucks his lips between his teeth, looking sheepish. "Hey, I'm really sorry about leaving you the other night. I would never have left if I'd known how drunk you were."

  My smile is soft as I watch him fidget. "Already in the past, Theo."

  Relief tips his lips back up in his usual grin. “Have you checked out the bus yet? Dante scored us an upgrade, so there’s more room than expected.”

  My eyes dart to Eric, standing near the rear of the bus where the equipment is stored. He meets my stare, sights flickering to Theo and a flash of something that looks suspiciously like jealousy crossing his face.

  Reluctantly, I turn my attention back to Theo. “Nope, haven’t had a chance yet.”

  “Well, c’mon, let’s go.” He grabs my wrist and tugs me forward, and my gaze finds Eric again, his jaw tight with tension. Theo is leading me, not looking behind him, so my eyes widen, and I gesture with my head.

  “Come here,” I mouth to Eric, and the jealousy melts to amusement. “Please!”

  He relents, jogging over and falling in line behind me. “Touring the bus? I haven’t checked it out yet.”

  Relief crashes through me as Theo releases my arm, turning and giving Eric a nervous smile.

  Probably scared he’ll get hit. I smirk at Eric, aware that he’s thinking the exact same thought. He reaches over and gives a quick squeeze to my hand, and that tiny touch has me lit up like a Christmas tree.

  We climb inside, and I glance around with a raised brow. “Damn, Dante did good.”

  The living area has two long couches facing one another, and a giant flat screen TV mounted to the wall. A decent sized kitchenette has a small island with stools bolted underneath, and a booth-style dining table sits on the opposite wall. I explore, opening cabinets and peeking in doors.

  “Driver cabin,” Theo says, pulling open a door and showing the two cushy leather bucket seats surrounded by enough lights and switches to be an airplane.

  A thought springs into my mind. “Do we hire a driver, or…”

  “I have my CDL, asshole,” Dante yells from right outside the bus.

  “Oh-kay, then,” I mumble, and Eric flashes me a grin.

  “You should’ve known he’s too much of a control freak to let anyone else do the driving,” he says, smile spreading further when he hears Dante grumble again from the door.

  Theo waves us on, and as we pass back through the main space, Tai has climbed up and joined the tour. Despite my best efforts, a twinge of jealousy hits me as I give him a polite nod, still not over the anger of seeing him with Eric.

  Seeing those long, elegant fingers sliding over Eric’s thicker, stronger ones. Eric titters beside me, and when I glance at him, he nudges his eyes towards Tai with a knowing grin.

  Bastard.

  “Bathroom is here.” Theo opens another door before walking through. “It’s the only shower, but we did luck out and get a second half bath in the bedroom area.”

  “You guys only had a single toilet last time?” I ask, eyes wide.

  “Yeah, it was a fucking disaster,” Eric says. “Started carrying plastic bottles around so I could take a piss without waiting for one of these drama queens to fix their hair.”

  Theo turns and opens the door to the sleeping cabin, and I can’t help myself as I lean into Eric’s ear. “Need a pretty big bottle for that sledgehammer you’re packing,” I whisper as low as possible. A satisfied smirk crosses his face as he twists and meets my eyes, heat flaring inside them.

  Arousal ripples through my body and I groan to myself as his expression turns knowing, and I shift my hips as my thoughts threaten to expose me.

  “Got a handle on that situation?” he asks, lips twitching.

  This is going to be a long six weeks.

  “Beds are in here.” Theo is oblivious to the heat storm raging just a few feet behind him. “Six total, so no one has to sleep on the couch this time.”

  I glance down the row of beds, set up in bunks, one on top of the other, with a curtain for privacy. They are narrow, the width of a twin, but longer than a standard bed to accommodate my long legs without having to curl up into the fetal position.

  “Anyone claimed spots yet?” Eric pushes the curtain back on the first bottom bunk with a whoosh.

  “Don’t think so,” Theo responds, turning and letting his eyes flicker across mine as I toss my bag on the bed Eric has exposed. “I figured I’d take a top bunk since I’m the smallest.”

  Discomfort creeps into my gut as I realize that he’s about to claim the spot above me, but Eric is quicker to the draw. “Damn straight,” he says with a grin, tossing his stuff on the mattress above mine.

  “Hold on,” I say with a chuckle, “are you implying that you, Eric Woodard, are small?” As I look at him, my eyes dart over his well-built body, and his smile stretches even wider.

  “Sound carries down, and I’m not about to get stuck underneath one of these motherfuckers that tosses and turns all night.”

  “I don’t think that’s scientifically accurate,” I mutter, but Eric just shrugs as Theo’s shoulders sag, whipping back the curtain to the next top bunk and tossing his suitcase on top.

  Tai comes bursting in from behind us in his typical dramatic fashion. “Last one to pick is a rotten egg!” He dumps his stuff on the bottom bed closest to the rear, leaving only the one above him and the one underneath Theo for Dante to choose between.

  I suspect I know which one he’ll pick.

  Theo shows us the half bath in the back of the bus, and at this point we’re sardines crammed into this tight space. I return to the living area where there’s more room.

  “Alright, assholes,” Dante yells from outside, and we all exchange grins as we climb back down into the blinding sunlight of the late morning. He waits until we are lined up in front of him to continue.

  “Everyone should make sure their equipment is accounted for. We’re scheduled to hit the road in an hour, and it’s a four-hour drive. That gives us three hours to park the bus, unload, and set up for our first show tonight in Charleston.”

  He lowers his sunglasses and stares at each of us one by one. “We do not have time to forget things. Double check your shit, then ask someone else to triple check it. Since my stuff is already signed off on, I’m going to run to the store and load up the kitchen. If you have any special requests… fuck off.” With that, he turns and climbs into his car.

  “He loves this, doesn’t he?” I ask with a deep chuckle.

  “What, being an asshole?” Eric deadpans, and the four of us burst out laughing as he gets smaller in the distance.

  Precisely sixty minutes later, we’re rolling out of the parking lot, and a rush of excitement churns under my skin. Falling Absent may not be on a national level yet, but they’ve gained immense popularity in the past couple of years. My previous bands didn’t have this amount of exposure. The nerves and expectations are on a whole different scale.

  Jitters have me pacing the bus for most of the drive, whereas Tai is out cold on the couch, cap pulled down over his eyes without a care in the world. Theo sits on the other couch with a book in his lap, while Eric is at the dining table flipping through his phone.

  He keeps glancing up at me as I wear a path in the carpet, finally sighing heavily. “You’re making me nervous, Dmitri.”

  “Sorry,” I mutter, not slowing down. “Too much energy.”

  As I make another loop past him, he reaches out and grabs my arm. The contrast between his bronzed, tanned skin and my olive complexion ignites a whirlwind of improper thoughts in my head.

  “Sit,” he says, tugging me towards the booth, so I slide in across from him.

  As soon as I’m seated, my legs bounce underneath me, and he rolls his eyes before glancing over his shoulder. “Looks like someone needs to release some stress,” he mutters, so quiet I can barely hear him.

  “Fuck, Eric,” I groan, forgetting to control my volume, and his cheeks flush as Theo’s head whips in our direction. I drop my head into my palms, laughing under my breath, as his foot slides against mine under the table. My hands part and I glance up at him, grinning like a cheshire cat.

  Yep, this will be a very long six weeks.

  The rest of the drive is uneventful and peacefully quiet, with Eric sitting across from me dealing cards while he distracts me with a game. The occasional snore sounds from where Theo and Tai nap on opposing couches.

  We make excellent time, and before long, Dante’s voice is echoing through the intercom, telling us we’re ahead of schedule and will be parking soon.

  “Bet he loves doing that, doesn’t he?” I ask as Eric shuffles the deck, having just beaten me at rummy for the third round. I’ve discovered he has a tell. Whenever he has a good hand, he tugs on his bottom lip, but it’s too endearing for me to exploit.

  “Oh yeah, power trip central.”

  His fingers move to his lip and pinch. Prepared to lose again, I hide my smile behind my cards.

  Dante gets the bus parked and comes to join the rest of the group, telling us there’s a little over an hour before we need to prep for the show. Tai jumps off the couch, stretching like a cat and immediately looking wide awake.

  “I’ll make dinner,” he offers, causing me to raise my eyebrows. I assumed that five men on a trip would rely on hamburgers and pizza for sustenance.

  “Tai likes to cook,” Eric explains as we wander back towards the sleeping cabin to put our stuff away in our bunks. “He does it more often than the rest of us, although Theo jumps in the kitchen sometimes.”

  “He won’t poison me, will he?”

  Eric raises an eyebrow, glancing over his shoulder at Tai digging through the refrigerator. “Who, Tai?”

  I snort. “Well, I know Theo won’t.”

  Jealousy flares in his eyes as his head whips back to mine. “What makes you think Tai would? Think he’s trying to get rid of you so he can have me to himself?”

  This time it’s me who’s jealous, releasing a low growl and cornering Eric against the bunks. We’re barely hidden behind the half-open pocket door, and he glances into the living area before turning back to me, pupils blown out.

  “What are you looking at, Peaches?” I murmur, leaning in until my lips are against his ear. “Afraid someone’s gonna see?”

  “Peaches?” His voice turns breathy as he twists until we’re face to face.

  “That’s right,” I whisper as I nuzzle my nose against his. “When you’re hard for me, the crown of your cock takes on that pretty shade of peach.”

  “Fuck,” he grunts, glancing once again into the living room before catching my lips in a brief, blazing kiss.

  “I’ll back up if you want me to,” I whisper, brushing his lips again. “And keep my hands off you, if that’s what you prefer. But the second Tai gets too close to you, all these urges are going to come right back, and I can’t help the way I look at you.”

  “And h-how do you look at me?”

  I let out a contented hum as I feel his cock twitch against my thigh. “Like I’m so intimately familiar with your body that I could count the number of ridges that surround that sweet, tight asshole.”

  “Dmitri!” he whisper-shrieks, slapping his hand over my mouth.

  “And like I can’t wait to taste you again.” I’m muffled by his palm against my lips. His eyes are full of fire as he releases me, a hand drifting around the backside of my head. “God, how I crave you,” I murmur against his lips as he tugs me closer.

  “Food in ten, ladies!” Tai shouts, and Eric reluctantly pulls back from me, licking his lips as his head thuds against the wall.

  “C’mon,” I say with a pang of longing as I separate myself from him, my eyes drawn to the erection that’s attempting to Kool-Aid Man its way out of his shorts. “Tuck that away and let’s go eat.”

  20

  Nerves have me restless, bouncing on the balls of my feet as I wait for the curtain to rise. I turn around, checking again to make sure everyone is in place, but just like the other fifteen times, they are all ready to go on my cue.

  Our first bus tour only had five stops, and the venues were significantly smaller compared to what we have lined up this time. Over the last year, the band has been steadily gaining in popularity, and the thunderous ruckus behind this velveteen drape is deafening.

  What if I’m not ready for this? The sudden intrusive thought sends a wave of dizziness through me. My throat is dry as sandpaper, a bad omen since the curtain is scheduled to rise in mere minutes. I grab my bottle of water and force a long swallow before walking a loop around the stage.