Manaconda (Hammered #1)(27)

She blinked at me for a moment before her eyebrows snapped down.

I laughed and linked out fingers again, dragging her down the hallway again. Finally we came to a door marked exit. I peeked out. No way was I making the same mistake from earlier in the night. No one—it seemed to be some sort of annex parking lot.

She ducked under my arm and a strong sense of deja vu hit.

“Parking lot?” she asked.

“Not sure.”

“Maybe we should go back.”

I shook my head. “Maybe we can sneak around. Seems like there wouldn’t be any fans back here.”

“Famous last words,” she muttered.

I strode out, gravel crunching under my boots.

“You know, I’m not a huge fan of this dragging me around like a child.”

I turned back to her, dragging her into my body. “Nothing child-like about you, Kenny.” I bent down to her, our noses touching. “I just want a little alone time with you.”

A loud engine started up.

“There’s an elevator back there.” She pointed with her thumb. “I bet we could do a lot of things in your room, my room—whatever.” She rose on her toes until our lips were a breath apart. “You can give that whole seven thing a go.” She dragged her nail over my bottom lip. “I don’t believe you’ll make it to seven, but I’m willing to let you try.”

“I—”

“Oh, my God, that’s Hunter!”

The hiss of hydraulics and stomp of many feet did not bode well.

I closed my eyes. “Shit.”

“What?”

“Please don’t be what I think it is.”

“What?”

A trio of people in black shirts with our new album on the front were standing in front of a huge bus. “Can you run in those things?”

She looked affronted. “I can do anything in heels.”

“I hope so.”

A woman in her twenties pointed our way. “Is that him?” she shrieked.

“Fan club.”

“What?”

“This is where the fan club bus is parked.”

“They should be at dinner. Why aren’t they at dinner?” Kenny asked with rising panic.

“Guess it’s over.” I sprinted to the door we’d just come out of. “Son of a bitch.” I twisted the handle but nothing. “It must have locked after us.”

She slapped the keypad. “Ya think?”

“Not helping.” I darted a look past the bus, along with the line of at least seventy people lined up to board. Definitely couldn’t go that way.

“They’ll eat you alive.”

“No kidding.”

Three women broke off from the crowd and headed our way. As soon as they did, twenty more followed. I dragged Kenny with me to the front of the bus and around the side. The bus driver looked down at us and shook his head.

No help there.

The people that had boarded the bus were pointing at us as we ran to the other end. I shot by another line of cars and zig-zagged around another bus and saw a familiar logo. “Thank God.”

“Where did he go?” Came shouts that were way too close.

“Where are we going?” she hissed.

“My bus.”

“Your bus?”

I dragged her behind me as I ducked behind a black truck we used for our equipment. It has been a stripped down stage, but we still had a lot of instruments between Keys’s pianos, the entire percussion set up that Wyatt used, all the guitars, amps, and digital network we used—we needed a truck no matter what.

“New plan.” I unlatched the back of the rig and lifted the rolling door. “Get in.”

“Are you freaking kidding me?”

I stared down at her. “Does it look like I’m kidding?”

She groaned. “I can’t get up there.”

I lifted her until her knee was on the base of the truck ledge. She scrambled in as the scraping of heels and running feet got closer.

“Move it, Kenny.”

Her skirt rode up as she dragged herself inside. I threw her a soft whistle. She turned back to me with murder in her eyes. I squashed down a laugh, rolling in after her, tugging the door down behind me with a bang.

“I hate you.”

I just smiled into the dark.





12





Kennedy





I work hard for my clients, and make sure I take care of their every need.

When I started my day, hiding out from Hammered fans in the back of a truck had not been on my itinerary. And absolutely no part of my business plan included getting my panties stolen by a rock star with a crazy sexy dimple.

“Are you kidding me with this?”

“Shhh.”

I folded my arms and tugged my dress down. It hadn’t felt nearly as short when I put it on. Amazing how important panties were as part of one’s wardrobe.

The slats of the truck’s back door gave off tiny shafts of light from the parking lot lights. Enough to see that Hunter was digging around at the back of the truck.

I thunked my head against the side wall of the trailer. “When you teased me with seven orgasms, I had a whole different scenario going on in my head. Not that I figure you’ll make it to the seven, but I was going to let you give it a try.”