Page 40 of I Need You Tonight
Chapter 14
Mason
Two days after the fire, Nicole and I drove to L.A. in my car. Heidi had been all for the idea of Nicole traveling with the band for the next three months. The two women had spent the remainder of the time Nicole and I were in Desert Springs planning out every detail of the new store. Heidi would keep Nicole updated on what was happening, and forward anything Nicole needed to deal with while she was away.
Now I just had to tell the band about her. I’d spoken with Nolan yesterday but hadn’t mentioned Nicole or what I had been doing while I was away. I had been telling the truth when I told her the band needed to hire someone to handle our social media. Until recently Jared and Aaron had been responsible for it. Our publicist had suggested we hire someone to take over the task, but I hadn’t exactly given the guys any choice when it came to Nicole. I had hired her without consulting them first.
I’ll admit that when I came up with the idea, I hadn’t really been thinking things through. I’d just known that for the past few days, before the fire, I’d been having fun. Sure, I loved touring and I loved my life in L.A., but something was missing. I still didn’t know what it was, but in the time I’d spent with Nicole, even after the fire, the feeling that something was missing was less intense than it had been before.
I didn’t know if it would vanish with her joining us on tour, but what I did know was that I wasn’t ready to walk away from her just yet. Eventually I would have to when she returned to her life in Desert Springs, but in the meantime we might as well enjoy ourselves.
We spent the rest of the journey talking and joking around and listening to my favorite rock station. I pointed out when the band’s latest single was on.
“Do the guys know I’m not some huge fan of the band?” she asked while we were stopped at a red light, and then blushed. “I mean, because, you know…” She gave a quick shrug.
“I haven’t told them. It’s actually better that you’re not a huge fan. Female fans tend to get all giddy around us. It’s impossible to even talk to some of them. It’s fine when they just want an autograph, but it wouldn’t be so great if they were working for us.”
“But eventually they’ll realize you guys are nothing more than regular people, and won’t act that way anymore.”
“One would hope. But in the meantime they’d be pretty useless. With you, we skip all of that.”
She laughed. “You do realize if I bumped into Luke Bryan, I’d be exactly like the fan you just described.”
“Who the hell is Luke Bryan?” The light turned green and I pressed my foot on the accelerator.
“Oh my God, you don’t know who Luke Bryan is?” she practically squealed.
“Not a clue. He’s not a singer from some lame boy band, is he?”
She laughed again. “He’s just one of the hottest singers in country music. He’s won numerous awards. I can’t believe you’ve never heard of him.”
I lifted one hand from the steering wheel and smacked my palm flat against my chest. “I must admit, Nicole, I’m heartbroken. You’ve never gushed over me that way.”
“You poor baby. I’m sure you’ll get over it.” Laughter filled her voice, reminding me once again why I’d asked her to join the tour. She enjoyed teasing me, but it wasn’t like she was attempting to get into my pants. Not that she hadn’t already been in them. Nor would I complain if she tried to get into them again.
We pulled up in front of Nolan’s house an hour later. The rest of the band had already arrived, their cars either on the driveway or parked in the street.
Nicole climbed out of the car, and I took the moment to enjoy the view. She was wearing a dark sundress covered with tiny pale pink flowers. The short, flowing skirt was the kind that would flash her ass and panties if a wind caught hold of it. She wasn’t wearing much when it came to jewelry, other than a narrow beaded bracelet in black and teal. But it was the short black cowboy boots with the rope design etched in the leather that gave it away—she wasn’t your usual Pushing Limits fan. She looked like she’d be more comfortable at a country music concert than she would be at a rock concert.
But either way she looked hot.
We walked to the front door, and I rang the doorbell. Rocky’s small yet determined bark answered from the other side. The door opened, revealing Nolan holding on to the collar of the eager eight-month-old golden retriever.
At seeing me again, Rocky yipped excitedly.
“Oh, aren’t you just adorable?” Nicole said, her voice pitched higher than usual. She knelt in front of the puppy and offered him her hand to sniff. Forget sniffing—he was more interested in jumping onto her lap, his front paws already there.
“Not quite Bernie, is he?” I said, smiling at Nicole’s excitement at seeing Rocky.
Nolan lifted his eyebrow in a question.
“Nolan, this is Nicole. She’s the sister of a friend of mine.” Who would kill me if he found out what we’d been doing the last few days. As it was, Nicole had made me promise not to say anything to Zack when it came to the fire. She didn’t want him to worry when there was nothing he could do.
He hadn’t even suspected that I would do the deed with his sister. But why would he? He didn’t know me as well as he thought he did. To him, I was probably the guy who had once been dragged down by a gambling addiction and drug abuse. Neither of those activities had given me the energy or drive to have a sex life.
And no, I hadn’t switched from one addiction to another—I hadn’t become a sex addict. If I went without sex for a period of time, I didn’t get the shakes and I didn’t get moody. I could survive.
Whether Iwishedto go without sex for a period of time was another thing. If it was offered, who was I to say no?
