Page 83 of The First Chord

She giggled. “Really?”

“God, yeah. I mean we need to be sure we fit properly, don’t we?”

Amber rolled her eyes. “I think that’s a given.”

“Maybe,” I said with a shrug. “But no harm in being sure, is there?”

There was no reply as there was no need, because I was pushed to my back and straddled by the most beautiful woman in the world.

CHAPTER36

AMBER

It had been two weeks of pure heaven. Stolen nights in hotel rooms, furtive glances and secret touches. It had all been perfect and wonderful and I was falling harder and harder for Ronnie. After not wanting to be on the tour, I was dreading leaving it because after the next leg, back in the UK, there would be another two-week break. That was when Concepta had allowed me to leave.

“I could get Ali to suggest that you stay on,” Ronnie said, pushing his mug away.

We were on the bus travelling to Poland, having been to Monaco, Turin, Rome, Zagreb, and Athens in the last fourteen days. After three nights in Poland, it would be another two in Amsterdam, three in Germany, and then back to the UK for a two-week break. That was when I would have to leave my bubble of happiness.

“Jimmy would know if you did that.” I dropped my head to his shoulder and sighed. “I bitched enough about having to come on the tour. If I suddenly decided to stay, even he’s not that stupid.”

Ronnie scoffed and took my hand in his, lacing our fingers together. “We could go public?”

I lifted my head to see him staring ahead, his brow furrowed in thought. “You know that’s not really possible.”

With a sigh he looked down at me. “I know. I would happily do it but that’s not fair on you. I know he would torment you for it.”

“He would. It would be such a mess, for you, too.”

“Hah, I can handle that prick.”

I laughed softly but sat up quickly when I heard footsteps on the stairs. As I moved further along the bench seat from Ronnie, he shook his head and grinned.

“They all know. It’s fine.” With his arm around my waist, he pulled me closer.

Apparently, Ronnie had told them the morning after we first spent the night together. Simone squealed and clapped her hands, Beau and Joey slapped him on the back while Elliot gave him a talk about the consequences of what we’d started. Them knowing didn’t mean I wasn’t still feeling shy and cautious about our relationship, though. As much as I’d tried not to and told myself otherwise, I still felt a small amount of guilt for what we were doing.

“Evening, lovebirds.”

I turned to see Joey grinning at us. He was wearing a pair of jersey shorts, white socks pulled up over his calves, and sliders—nothing else.

“Can you please put some more clothes on,” Ronnie protested. “I can see your fucking swinging dick from here.”

I tried not to look but couldn’t help myself seeing as attention had been brought to it. As Joey strolled closer it was quite clear that he wasn’t wearing anything beneath the shorts and he was indeed swinging. Suppressing a squeak of surprise, I turned my head back to Ronnie, not daring to move my eyes an inch.

“I’m going to bed. Why would I put more clothes on?”

As he moved to the cupboard where the mugs were kept, he gave me sight of his bum. That view wasn’t quite as embarrassing, but Ronnie still threw a cushion at him.

“There are ladies present.”

“I am aware.” Joey flicked on the kettle and then reached for the green tea bags, dropping one into the mug he’d got from the cupboard. Turning around he leaned back against the cabinet, his muscular arms crossed over his broad chest. “How are you doing, sweetheart? Not sick of Ronnie yet?”

Keeping my eyes firmly on his face, I grinned. “No, not yet.” I wanted to sigh dreamily because that was how I felt; like I was in a dream. The best kind.

Joey ran a tattooed hand over his shaved head and yawned. “Give it time, Amber. We only let him stick around because he makes a great lasagne.”

“Do you?” I asked, turning to Ronnie. “I love lasagne.”