Page 134 of Before Now

“You hadn’t earned it yet.” His lips are at my ear. “This is the only freebie you get from me. Anything else you pay for by stripping out of one of these slutty little outfits you wear.”

Then he’s gone, striding across backstage. I’m still smiling when he texts me the video. I watch it again, my sole focus on the guitarist. Tortured eyes and hard-set jaw. A hint of a melody emerges while he plays, barely there but enough I recognize what it will evolve into eventually. The song that put them on the map.

“Echo.”

* * *

After both ofthe next two shows, I become prey as soon as the final song ends.

Like tonight. Adams North closes out the show with his guitar hanging. He has a hand on the microphone stand. His voice is worn and oh-so sexy.

And his heated gaze is locked on me offstage through it all.

People scream while he, Felix, and Dev walk off, and Foster hands off his guitar to one of the roadies before descending the stairs. Same as last time, he stalks toward me, grabs me by the nape, and then his lips crush to mine. His kiss is hot and claiming and everything.

I gasp when his hands drop to the backs of my thighs and he hikes me up. My legs wrap around his waist, my arms around his neck.

Once he has me breathless, he tugs at my lower lip. “Are you mine?”

I’m so his it hurts. But he means for the night, to which I slowly nod, and then he nods with me and carries me to the dressing room.

The door’s open, no Felix or Dev. Foster takes my bag, tossing it on the floor, and lowers me onto the couch. He comes down on top of me, his mouth back on mine, my hands in his hair.

“Sinner, I need him,” Christian says.

I turn my head, and he winks at me from inside the doorway.

Foster groans and drops his forehead onto my shoulder. “Fuck off.”

The band’s manager tugs down his sleeves, switching back to business mode. “Would if I could. You know how much I hate to be a cockblock, but I need all of youandyour attention. So, be a good boy and heel.”

He walks out.

Foster’s lips find my neck before he climbs off me with a sigh. “You good to hang out for a bit? I don’t want you leaving without Colt, and I have no clue where he is right now.”

I nod, sitting up as he fishes his phone out of his pocket and checks the screen.

“Shit.” He seems to mull something over and then glances up. A little smirk forms as he tosses his phone at me. “I’m expecting a call from a guy about a thing. I don’t know how long this will take, so if he calls, let him know I’ll call him back as soon as I’m done.”

“A guy about a thing?”

“Yep,” he says, leaning down to kiss my cheek. He pulls back enough to see me. “The passcode’s how many times I think about you a day—184369.”

“Uhhu, sure,” I say as he heads for the door. The battery’s nearly dead when I glance down. “On top of being your secretary, I’ll charge it for you too.”

He spins to walk backward and clutches his chest over his heart. “The sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”

I laugh as he pulls the door shut. Once he’s gone, I sink into the couch, fucking dizzy from him.

Felix left the charger he used earlier, so I plug in Foster’s phone before moving my bag to the wall beside it. After I review the list of shots I wanted for tonight, I start to text Xander to see if they’re still meeting. They might as well swing by here so he doesn’t need to relay everything.

Despite the rough start, having him around has taken some pressure off. We have an extra set of eyes for potential shots and hands for the planned ones. Not to mention he knows how I work and easily slips into the assistant role or a leader one when I need it. He’s also been respectful of me and Foster, back to being my friend—where he started, and I need him to end.

Before I hit send, Foster’s phone lights up. I stretch for it, realizing I have no idea if the guy about a thing is saved in his contacts. If he is, I doubt it’s asA Guy About a Thing.

Sitting back, my brow dips at the name. It takes me a second to realize the numbers separated by a dash is yesterday’s date. Apparently vagueness is Foster’s favorite language.

Not sure what else to do, I swipe to answer.

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