Page 84 of The First Chord

“Yeah, I do. I’ll make you one when we get home.”

My stomach lurched at the thought. He would be at his house, and I would be at the cottage. Then he would be gone again, and we would be apart. I had no idea whether such a new relationship with so much baggage could survive, but I had to hope.

“Beau and Elliot in bed already?” Ronnie asked, slipping his hand down the back of my leggings, making me jump.

Thankfully, Joey didn’t seem to have noticed. He yawned again. “Both been snoring away since they took it turns to bang one out in the bathroom.” He shook his head and tutted. “I’m sick of hearing them either moaning about missing their woman or groaning as they choke the chicken while I’m desperate to get in there for a shit.”

“Oi,” a voice from the front of the bus yelled. “I told you, No fucking shitting on this bus.”

We all burst out laughing at Terry’s continued insistence that no solids be passed on his bus. He’d even made Elliot hold it until we reached a service station on the journey between Zagreb and Athens. I thought the poor man was going to pass out and when he got off the bus, I’d never seen such a strange run.

“And then we have you two,” Joey said, waving a hand at us. “The young lovers who are trying desperately not to even touch each other in front of us.”

I sucked in my lips and gave Ronnie the side-eye. He just chuckled and flipped Joey off.

“Fucker,” Joey grumbled and turned to give us a view of his bum while he emptied the hot water into his mug. When he started bouncing his bum cheeks I snorted out a laugh. “Seeing as you’re looking,” he said over his shoulder.

“Why are you still up anyway?” Ronnie asked. “If the other two are in bed.”

“Arm is aching.”

I knew that Joey had broken his arm the year before, which had delayed the start of the tour, it must have been something to do with that.

“You need to start physio again,” Ronnie suggested. “Get Ali to get you someone who can travel with us.”

Joey turned back around, mug in hand and nodded. “Could be right. It’s this fucking schedule that Concepta have put together. It’s too much. Too much damn drumming.”

“Yep,” Ronnie said, sighing. “We should have insisted on more off days. Thank god, Beau insisted on the two weeks break every six weeks.”

“I think I’d be fucked if he hadn’t. Anyway, as much as I love stopping you two from playing hide the cocktail sausage, I need sleep.”

“Cocktail sausage my arse.” Ronnie grumbled as the cushion he’d thrown at Joey came flying back, hitting him directly in the face. “Go to bed prick face.”

Joey grinned and waved as he strolled past with his big dick energy clearly on display.

Once we heard footsteps creaking above us, Ronnie thumbed over his shoulder. “Fancy a comfier seat?”

I glanced at the clock on the wall. “Should we get some sleep?” It was only eleven-thirty, but sleep on the bus wasn’t the best. The bunks were comfy, but as soon as we stopped for either Jack or Randall, one of the back-up drivers, to cover Terry’s break, we all seemed to wake up and it was difficult to drop off again.

His eyes glinted with excitement as he stood up and held his hand out for mine. “Half an hour won’t hurt.”

I supposed he was right. It wasn’t like we had much to do the next day, seeing as we would be on the road for another nine hours or so.

I let Ronnie lead me to the sofas towards the middle of the bus where the exit door was. Dropping down onto the soft, buttery leather , he pulled me with him and on top of him as he lay down. His arms wrapped around me, and he dropped a kiss to the top of my head.

“No point asking if we can have a quickie, is there?”

“No! Terry is only a few feet away.”

“He can’t hear. He’s deaf,” Ronnie whispered. “I could probably make you scream, and he’d have no idea.”

I slapped playfully at his chest. “No.”

“Okay.” He blew out his cheeks with a sigh. “What about if I practice some chords?”

“What?” I lifted slightly so he could see my frown. “You want to play guitar, now?”

He smirked and shifted so that I was on my side, with my back to the sofa and he was on his side, facing me. As he grinned, his hand moved between us and slowly pushed inside my leggings. His finger ran across my pubic bone and whispered over the outside of my knickers where my favourite bundle of nerves was.

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