Assured (Soul Serenade #2)(30)

“Always,” the four us respond. This causes the girls to giggle again. I admit it’s rather infectious, their excitement.

“You’re on in five.” He leaves, Cassidy trailing behind him.

“I’ll meet up with you,” Gavin says as he runs after them.

Tristan opens the door, and the rest of us pile out. Kacen and Logan are huddled close together; I know he’s doing it to keep the press from hounding her.

Reaching out, I pull Stacy to my side. “Stay close. Those f*ckers are vultures.” I motion with my head to the swarm of press we have to pass in order to get backstage. We all hate it, but it’s a necessary evil in this business.

Stacy doesn’t hesitate as she wraps her arm around my waist and buries her head in my chest. This makes me grin—me, the guy who’s always avoided this type of situation, grins at the idea that I can protect her from them. Any other girl and I would let her fend for herself. Not Stacy.

We make it through the crowd and lead the girls to their seats, side-stage. She’s still in my arms, even though there’s no longer a need, not here on stage. Leaning down, I place my lips next to her ear. “How about a kiss for luck?”

She surprises me when she says, “You really think you need it?”

I chuckle as I nuzzle her neck. “The luck? No, we got this. To taste your lips? Most definitely.”

“Cole.” She breathes my name and it’s sexy as f*ck.

I’m playing with fire, knowing Kace and Logan are standing beside us, but I can’t seem to find any f*cks to give right now. I turn her so we’re facing each other, my arms wrapped around her. She looks over at our friends, and I take a step back behind the thick black curtain, out of their line of sight. I don’t wait for her to give me permission, just place my lips against hers. I take my time tasting her, enjoying the feel of her in my arms.

This is another new experience for me. I never bring girls behind the scenes to watch the show—none of us do. It’s always after-show hookups, kind of like an unwritten rule or something.

I slow the kiss, hating that it has to end. She looks up at me with those emerald eyes of hers, full of lust and . . . happiness. Standing on tiptoes, she whispers in my ear, “Good luck, Cole.”

And just like that, she’s on the other side of the curtain, leaving me dazed and captivated—completely f*cking captivated—by her charm.

Taking a deep breath, I get my shit together and walk around the curtain. Kacen and the guys are already on stage. I walk past Stacy and smack her on the ass, then keep walking as though nothing happened. No one saw the kiss, but all the f*cking roadies saw that; all eyes are glued on the two beautiful women, and they need to know she’s off-limits.

Fuck! I need to get my head in the game. It’s a packed crowd tonight, and we always deliver 110 percent.



We killed it! That’s all I can say. The crowd was energetic and the entire show f*cking rocked. Stacy seemed to be having a great time as well, and I admit it was nice to be able to turn my head and see her. The two of them never moved once from the spots side-stage. Every time I looked over—which, I admit, was more often than I should have—they were dancing and singing along.

Kacen bids the crowd a final good night and the lights go down. Even in the darkness, I head straight toward her, needing to taste those lips again. I couldn’t give a f*ck who sees me do it.

As I make my way over, I hear both of them cheering. My pulse quickens. It’s a f*cking rush like no other to know she enjoyed the show—not just because she wants my cock, but because she really enjoyed it.

“EEEKKK!” is all I hear as her body slams into mine. I catch her as she jumps into my arms. “That was amazing! You guys killed it.”

Her face is lit up, her hair wild from dancing, her emerald eyes shimmering with excitement. I tighten my hold on her ass, and her legs squeeze tight around my waist. Satisfied that she’s not going to fall, I kiss her. No, I f*cking devour her.

My tongue slips past her lips and she immediately opens for me. I kiss her like my life depends on it. She moans and it fuels me as I squeeze her ass tighter and rub her against my hard cock. This girl, that’s what she does to me. Just saying her name has my cock standing at attention.

Much to my disappointment, she pulls away, her lips swollen from mine. Slowly, she releases the grip her legs have on my waist and slides down my body, taking a step back. I’m reaching for her when Tristan picks her up and spins her around. He places a chaste kiss on her lips and sets her back on her feet.

“What did you think?” he asks.

I reach out and grab her hand, pulling her to my side; thankfully, she doesn’t protest. Not fond of punching one of my best friends, a guy I claim as my brother, but that kiss. . . . Yeah, I could punch his ass right now.

“You guys rocked,” she happily praises him.

“They did, didn’t they?” Logan says as she and Kacen join us.

“It’s a f*cking rush,” Gavin chimes in.

I fight the urge to tell them all to f*ck off so I can disappear with her. She pulls out of my hold, which pisses me off because she’s now hugging Gavin, then Kacen. I get it; she’s congratulating them, but dammit, she just had her tight little body wrapped around mine.

I miss her heat.

How f*cked up is that? I’m losing my f*cking mind over this girl.