Page 61 of Bonding the Band

“Maybe so, but you still have to tone it down while I’m trying to sleep.” She turned to Hendrix. “You better have a good reason for leaving the nest while I slept.”

He held up his water bottle in defense. “Just getting us a drink. I was coming right back.”

“Can I join?” I asked.

“Titty punchers lose cuddle privileges,” Meadow replied. “Maybe tomorrow.”

I let Hendrix scoop her out of my arms. I could respect a boundary, even if I didn’t like it very much. He was already looking a million times better just having Meadow around, and now he was practically fuckingglowingafter all that nest time with her. I could sacrifice for the greater good if it meant one of my best friends was living his best life.

They couldn’t stay in there all day when we had a show tonight, but hopefully by the time that was over, Meadow would restore nest privileges.

My phone buzzed, and I made the mistake of checking it.

Fucking Gary.

Gary:

You’re needed in sound check. One of your guitars got dinged during transit and you need to check it and the backup.

Now.

I wanted to ignore the text, but a potentially damaged instrument was a serious thing. With a groan, I dragged my ass inside.

“About fucking time.” Gary was already waiting and directed me to the stage where the instruments were laid out. “I need to fire the transport guys.”

“It was probably just a mistake. Shit happens,” I countered, picking up my guitar to look it over. There was a pretty hefty scuff, but the sound was still smooth.

“Things around here are getting lax. You guys are too focused on your new piece of ass to think straight,” he grumbled.

My entire body stilled. The overwhelming urge to punch Gary was all I could think about. What ego trip was this asshole on?

“Don’tcall her a piece of ass.” I slowly turned and advanced on Gary.

He immediately realized his mistake when faced with a pissed-off alpha who could throw him through a window without breaking a sweat. Holding his hands up in surrender, he rushed to speak. “Hey, you can do what you want. The tour just has to come first.”

“Listen, Gary.” My usual friendliness evaporated, and I let every ounce of my alpha energy seep into my voice, letting him know who was in charge. “Meadow is ourmate.I know a limp-dick little beta like you who doesn’t possess the instincts to fight their way out of a paper bag wouldn’t understand, but she isours.If you keep talking about her that way, I will happily give you a broken nose to match those black eyes Hendrix gave you. Do you understand?”

Our manager shrank backward, his eyes bulging in fear. “S-she’s a distraction!”

I laughed. “Gary, if you don’t shut the fuck up and stop calling our mate a distraction, I will take her and leave. Fuck the tour, fuck the albums, fuck the fucking press. And you know if I walk away, my pack will follow. I don’t give a fuck if you took a chance on us when we were kids; that doesn’t give you the right to mistreat a member of our pack,” I snarled, my voice low and dangerous.

Without giving Gary a chance to reply, I turned and stalked out of the room.

That fucker needed to do some soul searching, or I was going to be searching for a lake to “accidentally” throw him into.

Chapter 25

Beckett

August, Boston

Hendrix and Arlo were not discreet men. Those two were head over heels for Meadow and pawing at her at every chance they got. Hendrix had a pep in his step, and I had caught him smiling like a loon on several occasions.

The dude was happy. It had been so long since we had seen him like that, it felt downright bizarre.

As I had rested in my bunk the previous night, the entire bus could hear what Meadow and Hendrix were up to in the nest.

I had done my best to roll over and ignore it, but those sweet, breathy moans of Meadow’s carried, and before I could think, my cock was in my hand and I was sneakily rubbing one out to the sounds they were making. It was torture to be so close to Meadow and have no clue how to bridge that gap. I’d never had difficulty pulling women, butthiswoman was way too fucking important, and I couldn’t afford to fuck it up.

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