Twenty-Seven
Logan stepped up behind Toni and filled his hands with her full breasts. The tips instantly stiffened against his fingertips. “Good morning,” he murmured against her temple. “Did you sleep well?”
“Have you seen my journal?” she asked.
Her first response wasn’t Take me back to bed right now, my irresistible stud? He apparently needed to work on his delivery.
“What journal?” he asked, sliding his hands down the smooth skin of her torso.
He was sure they’d both still be in dreamland if Butch hadn’t started banging on the door before the sun had even risen. The band had an early promotional commitment this morning. Logan had forgotten about it or he probably would have saved Toni’s lessons on incorporating food in sex for another night. But after he’d untied her, she’d retaliated by getting herself off and leaving him so turned on he thought his dick would explode. He’d had to think of some excuse to get them rejoined at the groin, and they both had a love for food.
“The little book I put into my bag yesterday. It’s not there.” She turned her head to look at him, concern clouding her pretty brown eyes. “It has a pink leather cover and is about so big.” She made a rectangular shape with her fingers about the size of a four by six snapshot photo.
“Did you have it out when we were working on your presentation? Maybe it’s with your notes and stuff.”
She shook her head. “It’s not for the book. My journal is full of my private thoughts.”
“Are they thoughts about my privates?” He prodded her in the rear with his achingly hard cock in case she’d forgotten which privates he was referring to.
She laughed softly. “A few,” she said. “I really need to find it. It’s important.”
“I’m sure it’s around here somewhere,” he said. “Let’s check the bed first.”
He tried easing her back to the bed, but she pulled away.
“It’s not in the bed, Logan. Help me find it.”
They tore the room apart and after getting dressed, Toni went down to the conference room to see if it had fallen out of her bag during her presentation. He found her at the front desk asking if anyone had turned it in to lost and found. Toni’s shoulders sagged when the clerk shook her head.
“Don’t worry about it,” Logan said “If it doesn’t turn up, then someone will get an interesting read about my privates.”
“But I wrote secrets in there. Not just secrets about me. Or you. About everyone in the band.”
“Maybe it’s in the limo.”
Unfortunately they’d already missed their window of opportunity to grab a quickie in their hotel bed, but maybe he could distract her from her worries in the limo. When they climbed inside the waiting car, half the band was already inside.
Fuck. These guys again.
“Did you even comb your hair?” Max asked Logan.
Logan tried smoothing his unruly curls. “No.”
“We have a television appearance in an hour, and you look like your head lost a fight with a wolverine.”
“So I’ll skip it. No one gives two shits about the bassist anyway.”
“You aren’t skipping it,” Max said.
“We didn’t even have time for breakfast.” He glanced at Steve for backup, but Steve’s head was leaning back against the seat, and he was undoubtedly asleep behind his sunglasses.
“Won’t be the first time or the last,” Max said.
Toni tried to calm Logan’s curls with her fingertips and a bit of spit. Logan was tired of all these stupid promotional events. They interfered with his sleep. With his hobbies. With the time he could spend with Toni. He longed for the days when all he had to do was stay sober enough to find the stage and the rest of his time was his own.
“Are you dropping me off at the arena? Or do I need to find a cab?” Toni asked.
“You aren’t following us to the TV station?” Max asked. “We don’t do many morning shows. This will probably be your only opportunity to catch any behind-the-scenes footage.”
“I’m with Colby and the crew today. They start assembling that stage early. And all my equipment is on the bus anyway.”
“Let’s hope they have my platform fixed,” Logan grumbled. “I don’t know why we need all the fanfare anyway.”
“You know the fans expect us to top the previous year’s stage setup every concert season,” Max said.
“And when did we start doing what’s expected of us?”
“About ten years ago when we hit the top of the record charts for the first time. Why are you so pissy this morning?” Max asked.
Logan scrubbed his face with both hands. “I’m just tired.”
“We’ve barely gotten started on this tour,” Max said. “If you think you’re tired now, wait until we take on the rest of the world and the jet lag kicks in.”
“We should fire Sam and go indie,” Steve said.
So he wasn’t asleep.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Max said. “We don’t do many morning events. Fucking suck it up.”
“Going indie sounds great to me,” Logan said. “Is Sam still shopping the rights to our next album?” He didn’t remember signing a new contract after they’d fulfilled their previous one with the release of their last album.
“He’s holding out for more cash,” Steve said.
“Where the hell is Dare?” Max asked.
“Do you think he’ll side with you?” Steve asked. “I’m sure he’s tired of all this bullshit too.”
“You’re not really considering going indie, are you?” Toni asked.
“Yes,” said Steve.
“No,” said Max.
“Maybe,” said Logan.
The door opened, and Dare tumbled in. He was barefoot and shirtless. Butch followed him into the car, carrying Dare’s boots and T-shirt.
“Where’s Reagan?” Butch asked, his eyes searching each face in the car as if he’d somehow overlooked her.
“Haven’t seen her,” Max said.
“Dammit!” Butch tossed Dare’s clothes at him before jumping out of the car again.
“Fuck, it’s early,” Dare grumbled as he tugged his T-shirt on over his head.
As soon as he pulled the fabric down to cover his belly, Dare leaned over and put his head on Toni’s lap, snuggling into her like she was his favorite pillow. Logan might have slugged him, but he was too tired for that level of activity, and if he’d have thought of it first, he’d have done the exact same thing.
Toni glanced nervously at Logan, but he offered her a reassuring smile. He trusted her not to break his heart, trusted his bandmates not to steal her away from him. The only one he didn’t trust with her was himself. Soon the North American leg of their tour would be over and she’d go back to her little chicken farm in Washington and they’d have to say goodbye.
A churning lump settled in the pit of his stomach, a sensation he quickly dismissed as hunger.
“How does Dare feel about going indie?” Toni asked.
Dare’s eyes eased open, and he zeroed in on Steve. “This again? Give it a rest, will you?”
“So this isn’t the first time you’ve discussed it?” Toni asked, her fingers twitching. Logan guessed she was itching to write down their entire conversation.
At times, Logan wished her reporter side had an off switch.
“It’s Steve’s favorite topic of conversation,” Max said.
“I just have a different definition of success than the rest of you,” Steve said. “I don’t need the limousines and the fancy house and the five-star hotel suites and the piles of cash.”
“But you do need the gorgeous babes,” Logan said with a grin.
“Of course I need the gorgeous babes,” Steve said, “but as far as everything else goes, I just need to make music and earn enough to get by. The rest of this is just . . . stuff. Unnecessary fucking stuff.”
“I’m so tired, he’s making sense,” Dare mumbled. He covered a yawn, and then a second, with the back of his hand.