Page 89 of Reverb
When they climbed out, Marcella was waiting for them, looking both smug and annoyed. “I see you all had fun.” She waved her phone.
Adrian shrugged. “Photos and video happen when we go out.”
Oh god. Video. David wiped a hand down his face and over his beard. “My singing’s out there, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is. Nice voice.” She paused. “You and Mish playing tonsil hockey isalsoout there.” Marcella’s expression hinted at concern. “You guys making this official? Or should weno-commentit?”
He met Mish’s gaze, and the same hesitancy and need lay in her, too. David cleared his throat. “It’s probably too late to put the cat back into the bag.”
“I should probably make a pussy joke here, but I’m gonna refrain.” Mish managed her most innocent smile.
Marcella rolled her eyes. “Thankyou.”
Ray looked like he might choke for laughing so hard. It ended in a coughing fit.
“Yeah,” Mish said, her tone serious. “Why don’t we say we’re dating?”
Something flipped in David’s chest. Warmth. Joy. Fear. He swallowed. “That’s fine with me.”
Marcella nodded, as did Adrian. “Got it covered,” he said. She strode to the crew bus while the rest of them boarded the band bus.
Dom headed to the bathroom to strip off his makeup while the rest of the band changed into more comfortable clothes. Not much privacy, but then none of them were getting naked. David followed their lead and pulled on sweatpants and a T-shirt.
A soft touch on his back alerted him to Mish’s closeness. “You fine with us?” In the quiet of the bus, the others had to have heard. But they were minding their business.
“Yeah.” He was. Mostly. “You’re a hell of a woman. I’m honored.” He paused. “Dating’s gonna make the job interesting, I can’t lie about that. But I’ll have your back, and the band’s, too.”
“Good.” She dropped a brief kiss on his lips. “Don’t think I don’t know what you did for me tonight.”
“Your bandmates love you, too, you know.” The words came out before he even considered the meaning.Shit. Because it was still too soon for his heart to be so involved.
She leaned in and kissed him on the forehead. “I know.” That seemed to be an answer for both what he’d said and what he insinuated. “Come have some water. Wind down with us. Pretty sure we’re all gonna crash soon.”
They ended up spread out among the couches and the table by the coffeepot and sink, chatting about nothing in particular until yawns and bleary eyes overtook David. He rose, gave Mish a quick kiss, then excused himself to finish his nightly routine and crawl into his berth.
The rumble of the road threatened to pull him down into sleep almost as soon as he hit the mattress, but a thought kept him awake and peering up at the dark, close roof above his head. He was dating Mish Sullivan. Openly.
There was the media to contend with, but in the grand scheme of things, they were harmless.
Mish’s stalker wasn’t going to take kindly to her change in relationship status. That drove fear deep into David’s heart. This wasn’t a job anymore. The whole thing was so far from a job that he felt unmoored for the first time in years.
He flattened his hand over his chest where his tags would’ve been, if they weren’t on Marly, and that brought a kind of comfort—soon those would be with Mish in the little cubicle she’d sleep in.
A little piece of David, close to her heart.
Chapter Eighteen
The delicious aroma of Adrian’s magical coffee roused Mish from her sleep, though the rumble of the bus and the soft feel of Marly pressed against her neck enticed her to stay curled up in her pod until she identified the voices murmuring softly at the front of the bus. Adrian, of course, but also Zavier, and the voice she’d come to love so much: David.
She couldn’t make out the words, but the usual thrum of snark and laughter were missing, and that set her on edge. So much for relaxing.
She checked the time on her phone, gave Marly a boop on the nose, then crawled out of her berth. “Please tell me there’s a mug of Adrian’s coffee with my name on it.”
“I didn’t see any mugs with your name on them, but get me a Sharpie and I can fix that.” David rose from his seat and headed for the coffeepot.
“Now there’s a thought,” Zavier said. “Individualized mugs. Maybe Ray’d stop stealing mine.”
“Never in a million years.” Adrian clicked off his phone. “Besides, you like it when he steals your things.”
