Page 137 of Creed

Me: Pick your favorite food and snacks and I’ll order them for a movie night in. I’ve got plans for you and Riley and I can’t wait to bring them to life. I’ll see you soon, Stardust. Xx

I send it and look up to see Riley sending off his own text before he looks up at me.

“You ready?”

“For a rehearsal, we don’t need, for a guy who can probably outplay any of us on any instrument? Sure.” He pouts, looking back toward the room where Collins is sleeping soundly. He looks like he wants to say fuck it and go back to bed with her.

Me, too, buddy. Me-fucking-too.

I sling my shoulder around him and we make our way to the venue with the security that was waiting for us when we stepped out.

We get through rehearsal just fine—exactly as we expected—and Riley is fidgeting in his seat behind the drum set. His knee hasn’t stopped bouncing and he’s biting his lip. My brow furrows, wondering what’s got him so antsy right now.

I step up onto his platform and his eyes take a second to snap to mine. “What’s up?” He asks before going right back to biting his lip.

I want to bite it for him to pull him out of whatever haze he’s in, but instead I say, “You alright? You seem like you’re not all here.”

He chews his lip for a second before he responds. “I forgot my headphones. The ones I use to cancel noise and listen to the tracks before the concert starts.”

Ah. He hasn’t gone a single concert without them and I think at this point he doesn’t need them, but they’ve become a part of his routine and it’s throwing him off. I also think he wants to see Collins one more time before the concert starts. I also don’t blame him for that.

I jerk my head toward the backstage area. “Why don’t you go get them real quick? We’ve still got time before they start ushering everyone inside, so go.”

He releases a breath and stands from his seat and makes his way down the platform. I grab the back of his neck and pull him in to kiss his temple. “It’ll be alright. Give our girl a kiss for me.”

“Just the one?” He jokes and it puts me at ease.

I laugh. “I mean you can kiss her as many times as you fucking want, just make sure at least one of them is from me.”

“We’ll see.” He smirks. The little shit fucking smirks at me, and it’s such a rare expression coming from him that it’s got my dick twitching and my brain threatening to challenge him.

So, because I am me, and Riley is Riley, I do. Still gripping his neck, I swing him around to face me and shift my grip to his hair and tug until he tilts his face up to meet mine. I stare down at him and watch as his pupils blow wide with something that looks an awful lot like lust. It’s just Bear and Blair onstage right now and I couldn’t care less if they were watching.

“Careful, Sweet Boy,” I all but growl in a low, hushed tone, my face inches from his. “You keep using that smart mouth with me and I might have to come up with other ways to fill it.”

His chest is heaving and I realize he’s got a tight grip on either side of my t-shirt. His dark eyes glaze over, filled to the brim with subservience when he breathes out a shaky breath. “Yes, sir.”

Holy fuck.

I hold back a groan of frustration because I don’t have time to explore that response. But I absolutely will be exploring it later, that’s for fucking sure.

I grin, it's wide and shit-eating but I can’t help it. I pull back, squeezing his hair at the root once as I whisper, “Good boy.”

He visibly shudders at the words and I remember the way he reacted the same way when Collins had called him the same thing. I spin him around and swat him on the ass before shoving him toward the exit before he can respond or overthink things. “Hurry up and get your headphones, kiss our girl and get back here so we can get this show over with.”

He nods and fixes me with another smile before he walks off, looking a little lost in thought but not like earlier. He’s got a goal in mind and other shit to think about now.

I’m not exactly looking forward to the concerts anymore. It’s not that I don’t love performing, because I really do, but this tour has been stressful because we’re constantly tense. Everyone is walking around on high alert because no one can find Collins’ foster father who can’t seem to get over his obsession with her. All I want to do is whisk her away somewhere she can fully enjoy herself and live a free and easy life. A life where she doesn’t have to constantly look over her shoulder and anticipate the worst case scenarios.

I send a text to Lachlan asking for updates but he doesn’t answer.

I dick around with my guitar, talk with Bear and Blair about plans and sets for the next few cities, and make sure everyone’s got what they need onstage before we start. I do everything I can to keep my mind busy and off of all things Collins and Riley. Specifically, Collins and Riley naked. On their knees in front of me.

Shit. I don’t need to start the night with a raging boner and a bad case of blue balls because I’m thinking about how my girl and my boy will look while they?—

Goddamnit. Focus, Creed.

I’m talking with Ayla about an article that was posted about Collins as the ‘Mystery Girl’ when Asher comes barreling backstage like his ass is on fire. I’m immediately on alert because I realize that one, Riley hasn’t been back for nearly an hour and two, Asher doesn’t have Collins at his side.

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