That’s another odd thing I’m doing these days—smiling. My fingers trace the twisting vines on her arm that lead into the lion’s head.

“What does this mean?” I ask, as I study the ink on her arm.

She lifts her arm, her gaze lingering on the intricate ink. “The vines symbolize growth and resilience, while the lion's head represents courage—the kind that pushes you to face your fears head-on.”

“What fears do you have?” I ask, genuinely curious.

Her eyes flicker with a hint of vulnerability. “I fear never fitting in, never finding the right place where I truly belong. Sometimes it feels like I'm lost, searching for a spot in this world, and I haven’t found it yet.”

Her words hit me like a ton of bricks, and a heavy feeling settles in my chest. It strikes a chord within me, more than I care to admit. I want to let her know that she’s not alone, but I can’t find the words. Instead, I just nod, wishing I could take away that fear for her, wishing I could show her she’s not as lost as she thinks.

“Do you want to do something today?” I ask, trying to keep it casual, but a part of me is wishing for more than just another round in bed.

“What do you mean?” she replies, her brows knitting together in confusion.

“You know, something other than this,” I say, a grin on my face, as I gesture between us. I don’t want her to think it’s a date or anything serious—because it’s definitely not—it’s just two people hanging out and having a good time. “Like, go see the sights. It’s our only day left here before we get back on the bus. With all the shit that’s gone on, I thought we could use a break and maybe go check out a few things.”

“Yeah, but what can we do? You’re famous. It's not like we can just go for a stroll through the city,” she says.

I laugh, thinking back to that time on our New Zealand tour when we used disguises to blend in and see the sights without anyone spotting us. Theo’s ridiculous get-up comes to mind, with his seventies porn-stache, and I can’t help but grin. It stings a bit, realizing that those days might be over now—of hanging out with the guys.

She raises an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?”

“Whenever we would go out somewhere like today, we all would wear disguises,” I explain, trying to lighten the mood. “Xander started the whole thing back when he used to sneak off by himself. But you should see Theo’s get-up—he rocks these massive sideburns and a mustache that looks straight out of an old porno film.”

She bursts out laughing, her eyes sparkling with that infectious energy. “Yeah, that sounds just like him.”

But then I notice her smile falter, a hint of sadness creeping in. It stings to realize she’s thinking about Theo, and it fucking sucks that I’ve come between them.

“So, when do you want to head out?” she asks.

“We can head out now if you’re up for it,” I say. “But first, you might need to hit Kit up for some kind of disguise.”

She gets up off the bed and stretches, and damn, it’s a sight to behold. “I need to hit the shower first,” she says, grabbing her phone.

As she stands there texting Kit, I can’t help but let my eyes wander over her tight body, and my cock reacts. It’s impossible to ignore how she gets me so worked up. She’s fucking beautiful—hot as hell—and those tattoos covering most of her body just make her even hotter.

She drops her phone onto the bed and turns toward the bathroom. I get up and follow her, driven by the thought ofgetting in on some steamy shower sex. There’s no way I’m fucking missing out on that.

As I wait in the lobby for Scarlet to arrive, looking like some damn blonde surfer dude, all I can think about is what went down in the shower. The moans I pulled from her are etched into my mind, and I know I’ll be reliving those moments again, with my hand wrapped around my cock, just like I’ve been doing these past few days. Every time I think about the filthy things we’ve done, it’s like my body’s wired to remember every detail—her skin glistening, her breath hitching, the way she wrapped her legs around me. It’s impossible to ignore how much I fucking crave her.

I pull out my phone and check the time. I’d left Scarlet in her room while she waited for Kit to deliver her stuff. We agreed to meet at eleven-thirty, and I’ve got a few minutes to kill. I sink into one of the seats, fully aware of the stares coming my way. My disguise seems to be drawing more attention than it should. Much like Xander’s, but it’s the only way I can move around without people recognizing me. Better to be under the radar than out in the open, exposed and vulnerable. I’d rather deal with the awkward glances than have some overzealous fan or a tabloid reporter shove a microphone in my face, trying to catch me off guard.

As Scarlet moves towards me, I catch a few guys checking her out as they pass by. She flashes me that smile, the one that drives me wild, and I know she’s totally smirking at my disguise right now. I get up onto my feet.

“What do you think?” she asks, her voice teasing as she twirls a lock of that black wig between her fingers.

I step closer, lowering my mouth to her ear. “You’re gonna leave it on while I’m fucking you tonight.” The words spill out, low and rough. This whole situation is so wrong yet so right, and the way she looks right now only makes it harder to think straight. Just the thought of her in that wig, has me revved up and ready to forget about everything else.

She pulls back just enough to meet my eyes. “But we’re on the tour bus tonight,” she reminds me.

I let out a low groan. “Well, I guess we'll have to get creative.” I take a deep breath, feeling a rush of excitement as I stare at her for a second longer than I should. And then, I do something I’ve never done before. I reach out and grab her hand. It’s not my usual move—holding hands is too damn intimate, too close, like I’m letting someone get under my skin.

She looks up at me, and I catch a spark of surprise in her eyes. She glances down at our joined hands with a smile playing on her lips.

“We’ve got a cab waiting,” I say. “Kit set it up. I thought we could hit the lake, get away from all the bullshit for a while.”

We walk out of the hotel, side by side, heading toward the cab. The driver’s already waiting, and I help her in—yeah, it feels a bit intimate, but I brush it off. Just something different, I guess. No big deal.