Page 24 of The Prodigal Son

Whether he knows it or not. He was flirting with me.

Lola drops onto the couch next to Rio, who is already lounging back with the TV on. He didn’t go to the after-party, it seems. Not that I would have noticed. My attention was elsewhere.

Our bus is gigantic. There’s a couch and a couple of recliners, a small kitchenette, four bunks for the band, and a room in the back for me. It’s almost unbelievable how massive it is.

Instead of hanging with the band in the main area, I move toward my room at the back and close the door behind me. I play it off like I’m just tired, but really, I want to unwind and decompress by myself.

Once alone, I toss my hat on the hook and shuck off my jeans and shirt. Down to my boxer briefs, I crawl into my bed and collapse against the pillows. With my phone in my hand, I scroll mindlessly. And before long, I end up doing exactly what I knew I would.

I pull up his text message. It’s the one I sent myself, of course, but I stare at it anyway.

There’s no time to hook up with him tonight. The bus is already fired up and ready to go. But if there’s any chance I could end up wrapped up in those meaty thighs somewhere in the future, I’d like to make that happen.

Thanks again for coming to the show.

My finger hovers over the send button, but I hesitate. Am I being too desperate? Too clingy? He’s going to think I’m a loser if I text him already.

I’ll wait until tomorrow. Or what is the rule? Three days?

Instead, I open a private browser on my phone and settle on some tried-and-true visual stimulation. Then I reach into my briefs and wrap a hand around my cock. It relieves the stress in my body after a long night.

It’s no six-and-a-half-foot daddy, and it doesn’t rev my creative engine, but it still gets the job done.

By the time I wake up, we’re in Salt Lake City. Our show isn’t until tomorrow, so the crew can get everything set up, which means I have a day off. The moment I wake up, I think about texting Jensen. Did he go back to Austin? Did he sleep with that woman last night? If I had stayed longer, could he and I?—

What the fuck has gotten into me?

I stay in bed as long as I can. I figure I need the rest after last night. Around noon, I finally get up. My phone has messages from the tour manager and Rio. Just because there’s no show tonight doesn’t mean I’m off. I still have to meet with my marketing team and agent about brand endorsements. They want me in an ad for jeans, not my songs,me. We’re not shooting that until next month, but there’s still stuff to be coordinated.

I take a quick shower after getting up. Then I find Lola on the couch outside my room.

“Hey, I texted you. We’re all going out for lunch if you want to come,” she says casually.

“Fuck yeah, I’m starving.”

I pull on my boots and hide my hair under a ball cap as we step off the bus together. A black car waits for us as we climb in. As soon as my ass hits the seat of the SUV, my phone buzzes in my back pocket.

Assuming it’s just my agent, I pull it out and swipe it open.

It was great hanging out with you last night.

My brain takes a moment to catch up with itself. I stare at his message too long before it finally kicks in. Jensen.

Oh shit.

My mouth tugs into a smile as I type out my response.

Had a blast. I don’t think your friend had as much fun, though.

I bite my bottom lip and wonder if I overstepped. I don’t know how close they are or if I’ve offended him by bringing her up.

She had other plans for the evening, but she’s fine.

Other plans? Instantly I wonder if that woman would have rather spent those two hours horizontal with him instead of talking to me. I don’t like the visual, so I push it aside.

You headed home today?

Yeah. At the airport now.

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