Page 20 of Reverb
He bumped her back, but glanced around at all of them. “Wanted to check in with you before we got going. I’ve followed some of your touring online, but I wanted to see how you’d like to handle rest stops and the like.”
Ray shrugged. “We usually stop in the middle of the night, and half the time, we’re asleep. The other half—well—it’s mainly us and truckers, if that. We don’t really think about it. Just get our shit and leave. I’m not sure we really need security for that.”
David shifted on the couch. He didn’t frown, but there was concern there. Zavier caught the look, too, it seemed, because he murmured, “It’s never been a problem before.”
“Situations change.” David gestured with open hands as if to saywhat can you do?“You guys are huge now.”
Plus she had a stalker. “I’ll stay on the bus.”
They all looked guilty. Dom nibbled his thumbnail until Adrian gently took his hand.
God, she hated the restrictions and the necessity. Hated the reason why David was here, even if she enjoyed his presence. “Look, we all know what’s going on. Let’s not pretend this is about the band when it’s about me.”
David bumped her knee with his again. “I’m not saying you need to stay on the bus. I just want to know how to handle the stops. You can run them as you always have. Just—be aware of your decisions. The majority of personal security is about awareness and presence of mind.”
She spent a few long moments watching him, the open way he looked back, the depth of his brown eyes, and the fucking honesty there.
Dom asked the question she didn’t want to. “So, what’s your advice?”
David didn’t look at Dom when he spoke. “I know that the stops are part of your social media. Ending them would give the stalker what he wants—a change in behavior, specifically Mish’s.”
“Fuck that,” she said.
He nodded, and refocused on the rest of the band. “Keep your stops, but if you don’t mind, I’ll tag along. And you should be more aware of the people around you in general. There’s always the possibility one of you—” he waved at the guys “—might pick up an obsessive fan. Anyone can figure out likely routes for your buses between cities, so it’s just good practice.”
That last bit—Mish hadn’t even thought of that. David was right, though. People knew the tour schedule, knew where they’d be and when. Probably even knew the names of the hotels where they were going to stay.
Everything in her spine tightened and she forced herself to roll her shoulders. “I guess this is the price we pay for fame.”
Adrian twisted his face. “It’s not beenthatbad.”
“Honey, you ain’t a women.” Though the fans were pretty good to her. Still, she did get more men coming up and making some awful sexual suggestions than Ray or Domino ever did, even when they’d been single.
Then again, with Domino, guys tended to think he was some ultra-dominant top when he was pretty much the exact opposite. Before Ray’d gotten together with Zavier, he’d picked up guys, but they hadn’t been the stars they were now. She’d never fished outside the crew for that reason. They knew they didn’t own her. Lovers from the outside? Too many wanted control.
David patted her knee. “We’ll figure out who this guy is.”
Would that be the end of it? The thought ofthisbeing her professional existence grated hard. She didn’t know what to say in return—though she did enjoy the warmth of David’s hand through her jeans.
She patted that same hand, now safely back on his thigh, in return. “Thanks.”
The driver stepped up onto the bus. “We’re going to get moving soon, folks.”
“I guess I should head back to the crew bus.” David made to rise.
There was that pang of sadness in her that he wasn’t around as much. Fucking annoying that the one person she wanted a little more time with was the one person she didn’t want to be here because of the damn situation.
David Altet was a fine man. But requiring his presence was hell.
Ray shrugged. “You can ride with us for a while. We should discuss tomorrow anyway.”
This time, she bumped him with his shoulder. “Stick around, honey. You’ll get to see more of the Dom and Zavier show.”
David’s grin was infectious and made her body heat with the need to find out what those lips and that beard felt like against her skin. “Darling, I’ll never pass up that opportunity.
Zavier, damn his quiet observant ways, chuckled. He didn’t say anything. Didn’t have to—she was pretty sure they all knew what was going on.
She knew her bandmates’ tacit approval when it was there, damn the lot of them.
