Page 17 of The Roadie
“I’m Brett Navarro, part of your road crew.” Before he could elaborate, Damian Diamond, the hardcore punk rocker, cut him off.
“Dude, you’re on the wrong fucking bus.” Damian jutted his chin toward the driver. “Charlie, stop and let this guy off.”
The driver hit the brakes, and the bus doors immediately opened.
They were going to throw him out, on his ass, on the side of the road. Brett’s eyes darted around the bus for Kira, but it probably just made him look more suspicious. “You got it all wrong. I’m with Kira.”
The guys smirked at one another, clearly questioning his explanation. Angel look the most put out, with his brows raised high with disbelief. “You’rewith Kira?”
“Why don’t we know anything about this?” Tommy Blade, the iconic guitar player, asked.
Brett shrugged. “It was kind of last minute. Call her. Or Audra.”
Jimmy Wilder, Audra’s husband, snapped his fingers. “He’s right. I remember, now. Kira met this guy in Chicago and Audra hired him as a roadie. He’s part of Bulletproof’s crew. It was a surprise.”
At least Jimmy didn’t look as if he wanted to chop Brett’s head off and spoke with a natural charismatic smile on his face. His easy-going demeanor could have easily passed for someone on the West Coast, and Brett immediately took a liking to him.
Tommy and Angel seem to relax their posture at the confirmation that Brett belonged on the bus, but Damien Diamond was relentless. A suspicious scowl remained on his lips as he glared at Brett. “You’re still on the wrong bus.” He pointed his thumb out the window. “The road crew’s ride is back there. What are you doin’ on our bus?”
Jimmy clapped his hand on Damien’s shoulder, dimples still fully on display. “Relax, man. Let’s find out what’s going on.” He turned toward the staircase and called up to Audra. “Sweets! Come down here and bring Kira. Damien thinks we got a stowaway, and he’s about to throw the guy out the window.”
While they waited in awkward silence, Damien didn’t take his eyes off Brett, and it made Brett’s hackles rise. He didn’t care that Damien was the talent and technically his boss, or that the guy looked like a mean motherfucker. He wasn’t backing down and returned the dead-eye stare.
Finally, high-heeled footsteps tapped on the circular stairway as Audra and Kira join them on the first floor.
“Why is the bus stopped?” Audra glanced at the time on her phone. “Charlie, what are you doing? We’re on a tight schedule. You know we don’t have time for delays.”
The driver stuck his head out and peered into the back of the bus. “Sorry ma’am. I was told to stop. Should I continue?”
“Yes. Please.”
As the bus started again, Kira elbowed her way through the wall of men and stood at Brett’s side. She looked up at him with the most adorable amused smile on her face. “Are they giving you a hard time?”
“We didn’t mean to give him a hard time,” Angel said, apologetically. “We were just concerned. He said he was with you, and we didn’t know anything about it. Jimmy straightened it out.” Angel smiled warmly at Brett. “We were just looking out for Kira. She’s family.”
“Yeah,” Damien blurted out. His tone couldn’t be more different from Angel’s. “We look out for family.”
Kira smiled affectionately at Damien as she looped her arm through Brett’s. “This is Brett Navarro. Brett, I’d like to formally introduce you to Immortal Angel.” She presented them each with the wave of her hand as she recited their names in succession. “This is my brother-in-law, Jimmy Wilder. Tommy Blade, Jessi’s husband. Angel Garcia, Tommy and Jessi’s husband. And the man with the blue Mohawk, who’s all smiles, is Damien Diamond, Alyssa’s husband.
The remark about Damien being all smiles was obviously a playful jab, but he actually did smile a little when Kira said it. But it was so quick that if Brett hadn’t been looking directly at Damien, he would have missed it.
Brett shook hands with Angel and Tommy, received a healthy slap on the back from Jimmy and a very hesitant fist bump from Damien. The rebellious bass player still wore his signature scowl, but his demeanor warmed up by half a degree.
“We’re going to get settled in my room.” Kira tugged Brett toward the back of the bus. “Try not to kill anyone while I’m gone,” she joked, directing her statement at Damien. “Did they really want to throw you off the bus?” she asked, when they were finally alone in the small room that would serve as their private space.
“Yes.” Brett grunted, still irked by the less-than-friendly initial reception. “I honestly thought I was about to get rolled out there.”
She smiled with affection. “They’re just protective.”
He could understand why. Kira was a sweet, innocent little thing who was petite and cheerful and well-mannered. But he knew there was a fire inside of her. He saw the way she stood up to the jerk who spilled coffee on her. The guy had been arrogant and brash and twice her size. But that didn’t stop her from lashing out at him. She had grit and moxie, and he loved that she had a hot temper that simmered under the surface just waiting to be unleashed.
Staring into her pale eyes, he saw the spark that ignited his hormones, reminding him that it had been too long since he touched her. “Come here.” He placed his hands on her slender hips, feeling the curve of her pelvis. Gently, he pulled her to him and pressed his lips to hers. He’d waited so long for this kiss, and it brought an intoxicating sense of relief. It was a rush of adrenaline that woke something inside of him that had been sleeping since they’d been apart, as if waiting for her touch.
She slid her hands around his neck and took a quick intake of breath as they shared their first kiss in a month. It proved that he had an effect on this gorgeous woman. She had everything. Opportunities. Wealth. Power. He had nothing, but it didn’t matter to her. She wanted him, and that was the biggest turn on.
He pulled back when the kiss turned heated and he felt his body respond to hers. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we need to slow it down.”
Her brow creased with confusion, and she gave him a quizzical smile.
