Chick and the other techs waited, stepping in to hand over instruments and earpieces. Harlow didn’t wear hers the whole show. She liked to hear feedback from the crowd so she took them out from time to time. But they protected her hearing and helped her pick through all the noise to find her guitar and stay on beat.

  She knew they were hooked in when she tried the opening to Billy Squier’s, “Lonely Is the Night” and heard the crowd react.

  After a quick grin at the others, they brought it in, touching foreheads the same way they had since eleventh grade. These friends would never let her fall. They’d hold her up and kick her ass when she needed it.

  “You ready to do this?” Harlow asked them.

  “Fuck yeah,” Brian said, echoed by Nora.

  “Let’s gooooo,” Nora called out, separating from them, grabbing her sticks from her tech, and slipped through the curtain that took her out on stage.

  The audience cheered. Nothing crazy just yet. They were the opener. Hell, half the ticketholders weren’t even there at that point. Still, this was their chance to triumph or fail, so hopefully Harlow could get them to the end of their set and have made some new fans.

  Nora settled in behind her kit and made a quick pass to let Brian know he was up next. And it helped them to get an idea of the time it took her to get there. Brian timed his entrance a few moments later, and when his bassline began, wrapping around Nora’s drumbeat, it was time for Harlow.

  One last deep breath past her nausea and Harlow moved through. From backstage to center stage. She left her fear and her anxiety behind that curtain and embraced her badassed persona. Harlow had wanted this for as long as she could remember, and she was going to give it everything she had. Center stage Harlow didn’t worry about failure, pretended not to even notice those in the audience who weren’t even paying attention. They were hers to capture or not.

  When she jumped up and down a few times once the driving beat of the song had begun, hit her distortion pedal, and grabbed their attention. And didn’t let go until she was ready.

  Miles stood watching them play, impressed and beyond attracted to Harlow. The woman he’d hung out with earlier had turned his head for sure. But this? This was Harlow at a fifteen. She moved on stage with joy and confidence.

  The confidence was what shot straight to his cock. Christ she was fucking amazing. She flirted with the audience but made it charming and funny instead of gross or cringe. They tossed the spotlight back and forth between the three in a way he knew took practice and thought, but made it look effortless.

  At his side Maddie danced with Poppy as Silas watched Nora drum. Omar just took the whole scene in with the same ease he did everything else. But they all were into Above Me’s performance and clearly saw their hard work.

  The light bouncing off the butterflies in her hair made it look like she was a flower and they fluttered around her head. The sparkling thing she wore over the purple dress she’d had on at dinner echoed that. That purple dress had called to his hands. It had taken all his willpower not to touch her and that silky fabric that had skimmed over her body.

  Beyond that craving that she’d awakened when he’d watched that video six weeks before, there was something so professionally produced about them while they remained rebellious and young. Miles hoped the industry didn’t kill that. Harlow’s fire was delicious enough that he wanted to get close enough to scorch.

  He needed to get his head on his own performance, so he gave Harlow a thumbs up when their set was over to very eager applause, but he and the rest of his band headed to their dressing rooms to handle last minute issues. Each of them had their own pre-show process and rituals so he found a quiet corner, put his headphones on and closed his eyes to meditate and focus.

  It was an hour later when he changed into his performance gear and met the others for the walk up with Poppy guiding the way. His baby sister was utterly unflappable as she navigated them through, holding off hails and questions that weren’t urgent.

  For the dozenth time that day alone he was glad she’d manipulated him into hiring her.

  Once they’d gotten to the immediate staging area, their intro began to play and they were surrounded by techs helping them gear up. When he’d been seventeen or so, watching this happen to his dad, it had always felt like a gladiator getting ready for battle and that’s the emotional energy Miles tried to bring to their live shows.

  Fans paid a lot of money to come to shows. They took time out of their daily lives to drive to an arena, pay another huge amount to park and then everything else inside the arena except water and the bathrooms cost more money. Miles didn’t want any of them to walk away feeling like they’d been cheated. Earthquakes owed them their absolute best every performance, no matter what, and that’s what they all committed to do.

  They jumped in place as Omar chanted what Miles thought of as their battle cry. Essentially a checklist of what they needed to do.

  Play hard.

  Play loud.

  Give it a hundred.

  Over and over as the four of them did a call and response until they cheered and were ready to get out there and do it.

  The intro music died down and the crowd cheered and then got silent as the panels behind Silas’s drum set slid apart to show them standing there.

  Omar teased the open of three different songs as they all came on stage. The silence erupted into monstrous applause and the booming vibration of stomping feet.

  This was magic. This moment was unlike anything else he’d ever experienced and he was so damned grateful for it. The crowds, the lights, not an empty seat. He’d loved playing live music since he’d been a teenager and getting to do this so many times every year was the best thing ever.

  “Hey there, San Francisco,” Maddie said and then they launched into “Cuts Me Up”, a hard and fast number from their first album and a fan favorite.

  They sang along, the crowd knowing every pause, every word and snarl.

  When he held back on the chorus of “Shine Though” the audience took over every sigh and growl. Joy was a bright, warm sun in his belly when he turned and caught sight of Harlow off to the right. She’d changed into jeans and a t-shirt, but the butterflies were still in her hair as she moved her hips to the music and sang along.

  Something she’d already awakened in him stretched out a little more, pleased as fuck that she was there enjoying herself.

  Two hours later, a sweaty, tired, but very happy Miles and the rest of Earthquakes debriefed with their sound engineer and techs before heading off to shower and change into regular clothes.

  He saw Harlow at the end of the hallway and called her name, jogging over.

  “You were on fire tonight. Holy shit. Good job,” she told him with a smile that made his stomach tighten. “Fans loved it. An excellent start to this tour, yeah?”

  He took her hand. “Thanks. It felt really good. You were all amazing too. What are you up to right now?”

  “Grabbed some food so we’re headed back to the hotel.”

  He wasn’t ready to let her go for the day.

  “Did you need something?” she asked once she saw his expression.

  “If you want to wait about forty-five minutes or so, we can all ride together,” Miles said.

  “Thanks for offering, but Phil’s arranged a car for us. Enjoy your night. Celebrate this! You deserve it. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He frowned again. Normally people did what he suggested. There was chemistry. As he still held her hand and she looked up into his face with an openness he knew wasn’t manufactured, he was certain he wasn’t imagining it.

  Harlow called out her congratulations to the others and then slipped her hand from his.

  “Oh! Wait. I forgot to tell you what I thought of your show,” Miles said with a grin, pleased he’d found a way to keep her there just a little longer.

  “Terrible right? You’re going to fire us?” Harlow teased and damn if he didn’t want her even more because of it. She knew they’d done well and wasn’t going to pretend otherwise.

  “Really awful. I’m sorry you’re so out of tune and homely.”

  That made her tip her head back to laugh and he arrested his attempt to step forward and kiss the exposed skin of her throat.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Miles.”

  She caught up with Nora and Brian and Miles stood there watching her walk away until she’d turned the far corner.

  CHAPTER

  FOUR

  Two days later they needed to drive from San Francisco to Sacramento for the next show, so Harlow had packed her stuff and been ready but when she checked the peephole and opened the hotel room door, it was Miles standing there.

  “Hi! Are you lost?” she asked, stepping aside to admit him.

  “Your ride is here,” he told them.

  “I thought you’d be flying or something,” Harlow said.

  “We’re driving between cities for most of the shows. Makes more sense that way and I’m going to be honest and admit that it’s just so much less costly in most cases we prefer it.”

  True or not, what Harlow wasn’t sure of was why he was there. Surely, they didn’t want to share their private transport with their opening band and she said something like that but nicer.

  “We’re just musicians like you are, Harlow. It’s a seriously nice bus we’ll be using the whole tour and you’re invited. You’re three people, not forty.”

  “Stop trying to talk him out of it, for fuck’s sake,” Nora said as she hefted her small suitcase and overnight bag and went into the hall.

  “Yeah, stop trying to talk me out of it,” Miles said with a smile, liking Nora more every moment. He bent close to Harlow’s ear. “I already told Phil you’d be coming along with us. He says he’ll see you in a few hours. I want to hang out with you. I like being around you.”

  Oh.

  She hoped she wasn’t blushing but the heat on her skin told her that was a vain wish. She wore her emotions on her skin. Mad, happy, or sad, she blushed, flushed, and got splotchy.

  “Is that okay with you?” he asked oh so quietly like he hadn’t just snuck under her defenses and gotten right up in her space. And he was so big. In more than only physical terms.

  Miles was used to being in charge. Used to people following his leadership. Getting involved romantically or sexually with someone like that was something she usually avoided. Harlow was her own strong personality used to being in charge.

  For the last few days, she’d been thinking about that. Thinking about the way he made her react. The way she sought him out when they were at the venue and the way he did the same. This was dangerous territory. They were on tour together and letting herself get caught up in Miles was a hugely ill-advised idea.

  But she nodded. It had only been a few days after all. What could be the harm if she was careful? Just a little taste.

  Then he brushed his lips over the shell of her ear before he grabbed one of her bags and headed into the hallway before she could respond.

  Miles paused at the door so Harlow could get on first. Which gave him a great view, his reaction to he was glad to hide behind sunglasses.

  Some part of him had eased in, patient to slowly seduce her. Greedy to know her more. Spend time with her. Here she was in his space for the next few hours.

  Poppy waved a hello. “I’m so glad you’re coming along. Once we get moving, I’ve got smoothies and coffee and a bunch of breakfast sandwiches and wraps. Come sit.”

  His perfect sister directed Harlow to the spot next to the one Miles had staked out. Miles sent her a discreet nod of thanks.

  Within a few more minutes they’d finished stowing the luggage and everyone had loaded in. The bus lumbered out of the city and on to the next one.

  Soon enough there was food and coffee and several different conversations. Brian and Omar had bonded over D&D and were talking about the people on the crew who’d be up for a weekly game. Nora pulled out a deck of cards and was in the process of explaining a very complicated set of rules to Poppy and Maddie.

  “What was the first song you learned to play?” he asked Harlow.

  “One Divine Hammer by The Breeders. You?”

  He grinned at her, a scorching blast of heat. “I love that. For me it was Creep.”

  “Radiohead. Well played.”

  “When my dad came into my life—and the instant he knew about me, he was a consistent presence—part of how we learned each other was through music. He helped me, well, me and Silas, learn the song in the garage of the house I’d grown up in.”

  It remained one of his favorite memories of his father.

  “You’ve been playing music with Silas a long time.”

  Miles looked at his oldest friend. “Yeah. We went to the same elementary school and didn’t really hang out. But in middle school we were both in the jazz band and that’s when we became friends.”

  “It was the food. My house was always chaos, but Gillian, that’s Miles’s mom, she always had great food in the house and didn’t care if I slept over three nights a week,” Silas said from his perch across from them.

  “Mary, that aunt Maddie and I share, she ran a catering business so she’s the reason our house was always overflowing with food. Mum took care of Mary’s heart and Mary took care of Mum’s health and me,” Miles explained.

  “That’s the age Nora and I became friends. I honestly can’t imagine my life without that nosy bitch. She’s my soulmate,” Harlow said.

  In the midst of the card game, Nora held up devil horns in agreement before turning her attention back.

  “She’s the one who will tell the server if the food is wrong. And she does it without making anyone hate us,” Harlow joked.

  “Every friendship needs that person,” he told her. “Why a Breeders song?”

  “I love the Pixies and through them I discovered The Breeders. My aunt introduced me to more music than my dad has. She had these binders of CDs and I’d page through, choose something at random and we’d listen. My dad’s the one who helped me learn the chords though.”

  “Is he cool with you going into music too?”

  Harlow nodded. “He’s very proud of us. Always has been a big support. He and Brian’s aunt produced our current album in his home studio. Wants to see all our contracts just to be sure we aren’t being taken advantage of. Even though his agent is at Jeremy’s agency, and he likes and trusts Jeremy.”

  “In a weird way, Jeremy has always been like family,” Miles said of their shared agent—and his aunt’s ex-husband.

  “If my dad thought anything but that Jeremy was helping, he’d say so loudly and insistently. He’s very mellow in his personal life but when those lines are crossed, he can go off.” Harlow snorted a laugh. “I know people assume he’s a wild man with the way he is on stage. But that’s a persona. He puts it on like a costume. When he’s not onstage, he’s taking my three-year-old sister to her dance lessons and playing with her in the pool. I just always wanted to be a musician and he always supported that.”

  Miles liked the way she spoke of her family. Another connection, he realized.

  “Your mom?” he asked.

  “Isn’t really in my life.” Flat words closed with a period like a door slam.

  He’d back off. Until he got to know her more and could poke around without fear of hurting her feelings or making her feel uncomfortable.

  “This is a very nice bus,” she said shortly after that, to underline the subject was closed.

  “We don’t do overnights in it, but we’ll be using it to drive from show to show. There’ll be a few dates where we’ll end up flying and the bus will meet us at the next stop just because of distance.”

  “I can’t sleep in a moving vehicle without terrible nausea. Affects my performance,” Omar said, reminding Miles that just because they were all involved in multiple conversations, they were still listening to what everyone else was saying.

  And he for sure caught Silas’s narrow eyed stare when Miles had leaned close to Harlow. His friend wouldn’t be silent about it forever. But right then Miles didn’t really have any answers to give about it anyway. He just knew he wanted more of her.

  Harlow got up to go sit next to Omar and tell him about a medication she took for her nausea while traveling but then came back to Miles so he didn’t have to manufacture a reason to follow her.

  “Miles Brown is hot for you,” Nora said once they’d checked in to the hotel later that afternoon.

  “He flirts with everyone. It’s not personal.” Harlow rolled her eyes, heart thundering.

  Nora scoffed. “You’re a liarpants! Yes, he’s friendly and has that charming flirty energy with everyone. But he didn’t corner anyone else on that bus. Just you. And then he watches you like he’s starving and thinks no one notices.”

  Harlow growled. “Okay so there’s some attraction.”

  “He’s a lot. I searched online. His dick is pierced. Did you know that?” Nora asked.

  Harlow clapped a hand over her mouth for a moment. “How did you know? Did you search for that very thing? Hussy.”

  “Some ex of his apparently got very chatty after they broke up a few years back. Told the gossip sites about their sex life and stuff. It’s a Prince Albert.” Nora picked up a pen and pointed to the underside of the cap at the top, indicating the position of the piercing.

  “Were there pictures?” Harlow whispered.

  “Not that I saw, and Brian already frowned at me for googling him anyway. He thinks I should back off and let you make your own choices. I think he’s acting like we just met yesterday. Of course, I’m going to get in your business.”

  “We’ve got over two months to go so at this point, my choice is just to enjoy whatever it is. Flirting is fun. He kissed my ear,” she confessed, telling Nora about that moment earlier that day when they’d left San Francisco.

  “Just don’t overthink,” Nora warned, pointing at Harlow.

  “I don’t overthink.”

  Nora just stared at her.

  “Okay so I do. But I like Miles. As long as this stays private and casual, things will be fine.”