Page 57 of Love You Like That (Excess All Areas 4)

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“Ican see a day coming soon in my future when I go back home,” Willow said wearily as she trudged up the stairs behind Alex.

“Whatever makes you and Cletus comfortable,” Luke said from behind her. “Getting woken up after a bath to get you to sleep sucks.”

Alex noticed Willow was still in her pyjamas with one of Luke’s hoodies over the top of her bump, and he envied her as she crawled onto the compact double bed in the room next to his bunk.

He threw his and Zoe’s bag onto the bunk beneath his, frustrated that his moment with Zoe had been interrupted. There had been so much more he’d intended to say. Instead, they’d separated immediately as the band were put under a thirty-minute order to be back on the bus.

The decision made sense.

Whenever there was a rare severe storm in the UK, power was lost, trees were felled, and people died. And given their route to London would include the occasional high bridge leaving the tour bus exposed and prone to tipping, Ed’s call was the right, if inconvenient, one.

Finally, Zoe trudged up the stairs. She’d been signing with Cerys while they waited to board, and he was happy to see the two of them back on a more even footing. Zoe climbed onto her bunk and face planted down onto her pillow with a groan. “Remember how exciting it was that first night two weeks ago to spend all day on the bunk driving to Aberdeen?”

Alex placed a palm on her back, rubbing gently as he had the night he’d gone to her room. It was the most he could do without everyone else figuring out the two of them had moved past friends. When she flopped over onto her back, she smiled at him. And while his Nan has been right about her usual facial expressions, he kind of liked it that she saved the smile for him.

With a wink, he moved his hand and jumped up onto his bunk to let Luke through with the second armful of his things.

“All I’m saying, sunshine, is that, if you loved me, you’d sleep in my bunk with me,” Jase said as he followed Cerys up the stairs.

“No,” Cerys said with a grin.

“But I want to finish what we started before Ed knocked on the door.”

Alex knew exactly what that felt like.

Ben groaned. “Please, Cerys, for the love of god. Don’t let him finish what he started on the bus.”

Jase pouted like a five-year-old. “Little Jase hates being interrupted.”

“I bet Alex has rope or ties of some kind in his bag,” Matt said. “Any weird noises from your side of the hallway and I’ll tie you to your bunk. Alone.”

Alex glanced at Zoe, glad it was highly unlikely she’d caught that. He wanted the opportunity to show her what he liked, wanted to have a conversation about what her boundaries would be, and figure out what she’d like to try. The thought of showing her made his dick start to harden.

Zoe tied up beneath him would be utterly fuckable.

“Everyone good to go?” Ed yelled.

Alex tipped his head over the safety railing. “Yup. Good to go.”

“It’s about a six-hour drive. We’ll stop part way for a quick break, then park up at a service station just outside the M25 until a more reasonable hour for everyone to get off the bus. Have a good night.”

Ben had brought his acoustic guitar with him and was strumming it softly, currently “To Die For” by Sam Smith.

Jase chimed in with the vocals. Matt with the harmony.

Yeah. Music was life.

He climbed into his bunk, lying in the opposite direction to Zoe so he could see her. She’d got comfortable, reading another eBook. He reached for his phone and texted her.

What’s this one about?

When she looked up, he tipped his chin towards her gadget.

A woman with amnesia who ends up with her ex-boyfriend while she tries to figure out who she is. There’s history. She ditched him before she got amnesia because she thought he was cheating and can’t remember any of it, but I’ve read the author before. I know she wouldn’t write cheaters.

Yeah, he could imagine that would be weird and disorientating. You’d have to go through all the firsts all over again.

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