Page 84 of Extended Bridge

“Girl, if any guy here wants to wear this outfit, I’d pay them money!” She laughs.

“Guess you have a point.”

I leave to retrieve my clothes when Luke approaches me. His coffee-colored eyes skewer me. “I think they did great out there. Got our side out better than any PR article could.”

He sounds so confident. “I hope you’re right.”

He taps my back. “There always will be detractors, but I believe we put Lissa and the Black Widow to rest.”

“Hey, you’ve had your time.” Río bullies his way over. Damn. Shirtless, the man’s as ripped as Bennett, if not more so. “We always have Bennett’s back. Tonight, we were happy to have yours as well.”

“Thank you so much.” I give him a hug before I’m spun around to Coop. “We’ve got you, girl.”

Not to be outdone, Tristan comes over to us. “I bet after tonight, the media will think twice about attacking you.” Because he didn’t make a move to me, I wrap my arms around the new keyboardist.

I step back and thank the men who stood up for me onstage. Everyone’s here except Bennett and Pierce. The former I’m sure I’ll see soon, not so sure about the latter. “What you said about me out there means so much. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

I’m shocked to see the missing bassist approaching the outskirts of our little group, but he steers clear. I can’t expect any more out of Pierce than what he offered from the stage. Which meant so much.

Bennett joins us, wearing a darker pair of ripped jeans and a Backdoor Clouds T-shirt. “Have you been keeping my girl occupied while I was changing?”

“Don’t you know it?” Río laughs. “Remember, Jenna, when you get tired of this one, I’ll be ready for you.”

“Don’t plan on that anytime soon,” Bennett growls at his drummer, who only laughs harder.

“Come on,” Coop taps Río. “Let’s stop giving them a hard time.”

Tristan joins the duo. “Yeah, I’m ready to hit the bus and rest up for the next show.” The three of them, plus Pierce, join Luke and leave The Closet.

“Looks like we’re the only two left. Well, except for Nese and her team, who clearly want us to disappear so they can break this place down.”

Bennett puts his arm around my shoulders. “By all means. Let’s go to the bus.” We take a few steps. “My bus,” he clarifies.

“I think that’s a foregone conclusion.”

“Better be.” He kisses my cheek. “I have big plans for this ride.”

“Me too, Rock Star. Me too.”

Chapter Twenty-One

When I climb the steps to enter the bus, a mixture of excitement and nervousness takes residence throughout my body. I’ve been on Bennett’s bus countless times, but usually with the excuse of physical therapy. Of course we’ve done much more than that, but tonight’s the first time we have an agenda—actual, full-blown, never-going-back sex. It feels weird, as if we put it down on our calendar.

Questions swirl:

What if he doesn’t like it?

What if I forget how it all works?

What if he gets me out of his system tonight?

“I can hear you thinking from across the bus.” Bennett hands me a glass of champagne. “We don’t have to do anything tonight if you don’t want to.”

Am I that transparent? “No, I want to. The doctor’s restriction is over. You’re good to go.” I pause. “So long as you take it easy.”

He pushes my still curly locks away from my face. “Oh, I plan on taking it slow. Very slow. I want to savor every single moan that comesout of your delicious mouth.” He kisses me as if to punctuate his last sentence.

I sip my champagne and sit on the sofa, facing the blank screen of the television. Might as well come clean. “I’m nervous.”

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