Maya’s POV

“Good morning,” I heard a deep voice rumble in my ear as warm breath sent shivers down my spine.

I smiled into the pillow, feeling hands carefully running up and down my side followed by a warm sculpted chest pressing against my back. “Mmm…” I murmured, pinching my eyelids shut to block out the sun. It felt so good to lay like this with Matt, feeling the rise and fall of his chest and his warm embrace.

“It’s time to wake up, beautiful.” Matt said while placing a line of kisses over my shoulder. His lips slowly made their way to my neck and I melted into the warm mass behind me. God, I would never get tired of how alive this man made me feel. I loved him and couldn’t imagine waking up next to anyone else ever again. “I’ve got a meeting with the crew before we get back on the road.”

“A what? Why?” I mumbled, robbing closer to him and his warmth. Matt just chuckled in response and ran his hands over my curves, hugging me to his body. His touch was like a drug!

I moaned and slowly opened my eyes to see the bright sun coming through the window. What time was it and where was I? I looked around through my heavy eyelids only to find that we were both squeezed into one of the bunks. That was odd? We never slept in the bunk.

“What are we doing here?” I asked groggily, looking up to meet those handsome hazel eyes and my favorite dimpled grin. I smiled as soon as I saw his face, my heart fluttering lightly.

Matt had his phone in one hand while the other was wrapped loosely around my waist, pressing me into him. Had he just been sitting there watching me sleep and playing on his phone?

“I guess I could ask you the same question,” he sighed, setting his phone on the windowsill. “What were you doing running around with Trevor all night? Gates and I looked everywhere but you and Ave were nowhere to be seen,” he explained as I blinked my eyes in confusion, trying to process his words. I wasn’t awake enough yet to have his conversation. “We were beside ourselves with worry, thinking someone had dragged both of you off.”

“What? You couldn’t find us, more like we couldn’t find you. We spent all night looking for you,” I yawned, recalling the pervious night. “Didn’t you get the text Ave and I sent after the call dropped?” Matt frowned and looked down at me with his brows drawn together in confusion.

“No, we never got any messages.” Matt shook his head and picked up his phone again, obviously checking for a message he might have missed. “Probably because there is barely any service out here. Why didn’t you just stayed at the party where we were supposed to meet?” Matt asked, pulling me on top of him so I could look in his eyes. They were full of hurt as they pleaded with me to tell him the truth. What was that about? It wasn’t like we were intentionally avoiding him! We were out searching for them!

I frowned down at him and shook my head, my hands gently touching his face. “We were at the party, babe,” I stated, starting to feel a little frustrated. “Ave and I had a few drinks, danced, and had a good time and when we couldn’t find you, Trevor tried to help us. We walked all over trying to follow leads of where you went, so don’t spin this like we were trying to avoid you all night. That’s not what happened at all,” I said and he let out a loud sigh.

“I know you weren’t trying to lead us astray but what if Trevor—”

“Don’t even go there, Matt,” I interrupted. I refused to let him blame this on my brother when we both knew it wasn’t his fault. “He was just trying to help. Please don’t start this again crap again. He has changed, I promise! You can even ask Ave.” I said as he grumbled something under his breath that I couldn’t comprehend.

“Babe, please give him a chance. He’s the only family I have left and I promise he would never do anything to hurt us.” I begged him to see reason, taking his face in between my palms. I pressed my forehead to his and looked him dead in the eye with all the love I had. “It was just a miscommunication, babe, that’s it. Please don’t make me choose between the two of you…”

Matt let out another sigh as he wrapped his arms around my waist. Something told me he didn’t quite buy into what I was trying to tell him, but I would make him see that Trevor wasn’t someone he had to worry about. Hell, it was the same with all strangers coming into the group. Trevor just had to earn their trust and what better way than to be part of the team.

“I know… I’m sorry…” Matt pulled me even closer as his lips started to move of my neck again, making me forget what we were talking about. Damn him for his amazing ability to distract me from my thoughts. “We will just have to lay down some ground rules with him about the job,” he said between kisses on my neck. “Does that sound reasonable?”

My eyes rolled back in my head as I let out a light moan, his tongue now gently tracing the shell of my ear. “Yes…” I breathed. I could feel his need stabbing my thigh through my shorts and I knew he was just as turned on as I was.

“How about we—” he started only to be interrupted by his phone going off. “Fuck,” Matt let his head fall back against the pillow as he looked up at the top bunk in frustration. “That’s my alarm to go meet with the crew.”

I raised a brow and looked down at him. “Why do you have to meet with them right now? Did something happen last night?”

Matt scoffed and ran his hand over his face, refusing to make eye contact. “We just got a notification from the next venue that I need to talk with them about.” Why wouldn’t he look at me? He only did that when he didn’t want to tell me something or he was lying. I narrowed my eyes at him as continued to talk, trying to read his body language. Oh, he was definitely hiding something, but what? “Its nothing big but we will have to make a few small changes to the show.”

“Do you guys need an extra set of hands?” I asked, pressing the topic a little further. Maybe I could get him to tell me what was really going on so I could help. The thought of him keeping something from me just wasn’t sitting well in my stomach. “Ave and I could work the merch booth if you need Josh to help backstage,” I offered as we both sat up. Matt shook his head before he pulled on a t-shirt, covering up his mouthwatering tattoo covered chest.

“And leave you two to be swarmed by press and fans as soon as they see you?” Okay, so maybe he had a point. The press had been stalking our every move for the past week and I was just thankful for each venue’s security teams. They insured our privacy, though that didn’t stop the media from fabricating new stories.

“Well, at least if they saw us working the booth, they wouldn’t think I was in France with Ben, or whatever rumor they are spreading now.” Matt let out a light growl as he pushed away from the bunk and pulled me into his arms. He stared down at me with an intensity that made my heart race wildly, and I wanted nothing more than to push him back into the bunk and have my way with him. How could one thing turn me on in an instant? I guess Matt just had that power over me…

“Let them think what they want,” his deep voice sounded, causing shivers to run down my spine. What was this man doing to me? I suddenly felt weak in the knees and if Matt hadn’t been holding me up, I would have toppled forward. “You are mine and mine alone and that’s all that matters.” he said before pressing a hungry kiss to my lips.

After a heated make-out session though the living room of the bus, we headed back over to the hotel for some breakfast before the crew meeting. I couldn’t help but notice how Matt kept looking between his phone and the doorway as we ate, the vein in his jaw throbbing. What was going on with him? I had never seen him act like this before meeting with the crew. Was there more than what he was letting on to?

While we sat there waiting for Brian, Ave, and the crewmembers to arrive, I kept looking between Matt and my tablet with Ave’s wedding designs. I would ask him his opinion and each time his words came out angry and frustrated, which wasn’t like him at all. What the hell was bothering him so much? And more importantly, why wouldn’t he talk to me about it?

“Are you okay, big guy?” I asked and he nodded. “Sure, why wouldn’t I be? I just wish these assholes would answer their fucking phones.?” He snapped at me and then sighed, shaking his head. “I’m sorry babe. I know none of this is your fault. I just want to make sure everyone is on the same page,” He finally said and took my hand in his.

“I can understand that,” I said as his thumb ran over my palm, making the butterflies explode in my stomach. The more time we spent together, the more I fell in love with man. I honestly couldn’t wait until I could propose to him and make him mine forever. “Just remember it’s only one show, babe and the fans will love it no matter what. Not to mention that you have one of the best crews around.”

“Yeah…” Matt said, looking distant and lost in his own thoughts. “But we still need some fucking ground rules.”

I gently rubbed up and down his arm, feeling him physically relax. Why did he keep saying he needed ground rules? What had been going on behind the scenes last night? To me it looked like everything was on track, but then again I only had eyes for the very handsome man sitting next to me. But just as I opened my mouth to ask him about hit, Matt sprung from his seat, his eyes glaring at the door.

“About fucking time they got here,” Matt grumbled. I looked up in time just to see MB and Jason walked into the breakfast area. They both looked around for a moment before they spotted us and headed in our directions. “Would it kill you to answer your fucking phones?” Matt barked as they arrived at our table.

“Good morning to you too, Shads,” MB chuckled, quickly giving me a hug as Jason nodded with his usual goofy smile. “Morning, M.”

“Good morning, boys,” I replied, raising my cup of coffee with a smile.

“Enough of the small talk, we’ve got a meeting in the conference room in ten minutes,” Matt snapped before turning to me with a small smile. The Berrys looked at each other before shrugging and heading back out the buffet area, leaving me alone with Matt again. “I’m gonna go call Gates and he and Ave should be here soon. Are you gonna be okay for a few minutes, babe?” He asked, his fingers gently moving over my shoulder.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I’ll just work on some wedding stuff for Ave,” I shrugged, pulling my coffee cup to my lips and blowing lightly on the steaming hot liquid. “Just don’t make me wait too long,” I teased with a flirtatious smile on my lips. “You still owe me for the other night.”

“I owe you?” he chuckled, kissing my forehead. “I think you’re the one that owes me after what I remembered.” Was he challenging me or did he actually remember something that I didn’t? “But when I get back, you are all mine babe. So don’t go too far.” Matt’s warning sent shivers down my spine and I couldn’t help but drift into a very steamy daydream. I couldn’t wait to feel his strong arms holding me against the wall, his kisses setting my skin on fire. Oh, and the way he would slowly pump in and out of me with that intensity in his eyes…

“Hello? Earth to Maya? Are you with me?” I blinked a few times only to see Ave waving her hands in front of my face.

“Hey, sorry, Little Gnome. What’s up?” I asked as she playfully rolled her eyes and took the tablet out of my hand.

“You’re going to ask me what’s up when you’ve got your sexy-time face on?” she giggled, scanning through the wedding dress sketches I was working on. “So I take it you and Matt had a good morning?” Was this really my little gnome asking me about my sex life? Okay, who are you and what have you done with Avery Jacobson?

I smiled at her and shook my head, amused by how much of a bad influence Gates was on my little innocent gnome. “No, not yet but I was thinking of some ideas for later,” I said and wiggled my eyebrows at her. “Hope you don’t have plans for the back room of the bus.” Ave immediately grimace and pinch her eyes closed, obviously trying to get ride of whatever image my words inspired in her head. Okay, there was the girl I knew.

“Okay, I asked for that one,” she sighed before looking back down at the drawings. “These are so incredible, M. Do we have any word of when the girls are going to have them done?”

“I’ll have to call Jess today and check,” I chuckled, hoping this time Jimmy wouldn’t steal the phone away from me before I could talk to her. I felt a little guilty for leaving her behind at the shop while we were on the road with her boyfriend, but what other choice did we have? She was our store manager. “Last time I checked the bridesmaid dresses and all the tuxedoes were ready for fittings. So all I should have to finish is your gown, Gates’ tux, and my dress.”

“But how are we going to get all this done on the road? We cant exactly open shop in the back room,” Ave pulled at her blonde roots with a light sigh. She was still stressed out over all the wedding planning even though we already had most of the small details in order. “By the time we get back to Huntington Beach for a break it will be a month before the wedding,” she sighed, putting her head in her hands. “Maybe we should just push it back a few more months.”

I quickly pulled her into my arm and shook my head. “We are not postponing anything. We well get all this done, little gnome and it will be all everyone talks about for months. Just leave it to me to worry about okay? You work on ordering your party favors and going over the guest list.”

About thirty minutes later, Ave and I had found the perfect place settings and wedding favors and put them all on order. I could tell that Ave was starting to feel a little better with a few more things crossed off the list. “So what’s next? Deciding on the reception menu, right?”

“What about food?” Ave and I both looked up from the tablet to see MB standing in front of us with a large plate of breakfast items. Wait a minute, wasn’t he supposed to be with Matt and Brian in a meeting? “If you’ve got questions about food, I’m the guy to call,” he laughed, taking a seat across from us.

“Weren’t you with Matt and Brian in a meeting?” Ave asked, picking up on the same thing I was. Something wasn’t right here. She looked over at me with a raised brow before we both turned back to see MB shoveling food in his mouth.

“Yeah, we got done with that like fifteen minutes ago,” he said with his mouth full. “Now we’ve got to go finish packing the trucks. We head back on the road in a little over an hour. Pack your bags ladies because we are headed to New York for a quick show and then fucking Vegas!”

The meeting got done fifteen minutes ago? Where the hell were Matt and Gates then? It wasn’t like them to not come back when they were done. Ave and I shared a glance before we both nodded and stood up. Something weird was going on and I was going to get to the bottom of it.

“Did you see which way the guys headed?” I asked, pushing my tablet back in my purse.

“I think I saw them heading toward the buses when I came down,” he said and Ave and I quickly hurried out the door.

“Why would they go to the buses?” Ave asked, looking at me with a frown on her face.

I shrugged my shoulders and picked up my pace a little bit, causing Ave to basically jog to keep up with me with her short legs. “I don’t know. Do you know why they were meeting? Matt was very vague and just kept saying that they had to lay down ground rules and get everyone on the same page…”

Just at the moment it hit me why they were going to the bus—Trevor. “Fuck,” I hissed. “I bet you anything they are ganging up on Trevor for last night. Matt was pissed off because they couldn’t find us and he even tried to blame it on my brother.”

“But it wasn’t his fault. He was just trying to help us,” Ave agreed. “Though Brian was upset about it too. He thought we were just avoiding him until he got our text this morning on the way to breakfast.”

“We’ve got to put an end to this,” I said, quickly climbing the bus stairs only to see Brian and Matt standing in front of my brother. Oh, fuck no! I narrowed my eyes and immediately went to my brother’s side, my temper quickly rising inside me.

“What the hell are you doing here, teaming up on him like that?” I demanded, glaring between Matt and Brian. The pair looked at each other, opening and closing their mouths like fish out of water. Well? Were they going to say anything or were they just going to sit here staring at me? I wanted a freaking answer!

“Hey M, Ave… it’s nothing,” Trevor said, his hands landing gently on my shoulder. “We talked about work, and I asked when I should start and if I overslept on my first day already…” he said and I let out a sigh of relief. Thank god that’s all it was because I really didn’t want to have to give Matt another talk about Trevor. At least he finally seemed to be giving him a chance.

“Oh,” I said, turning to look at my brother with a smile. I would really do anything to help him out and I was so glad he was back in my life. “I thought… well then...” I gave his shoulder a quick pat before I moved over into Matt’s side. He quickly hugged me into his side and placed a kiss on the top of my head.

“Well, like I said, you gotta go and talk to Matt Berry, he will tell you where you should start your first shift and where they need you most,” Matt said. I looked up at his with a smile as my hand gently rubbed up and down his back. Now this was what I was talking about!

“Yeah, Matt Berry, alright, will grab a quick shower and head over there right away. Thanks again, for the talk…” Trevor quickly disappeared down the steps of the bus as I looked up at Matt.

“And speaking of Berry, he’ll probably be calling us any minute with our departure time,” Gates said, looking down at Avery with a wicked smirk on his face. “So we should probably go pack. We’ll see you two soon.” I chuckled as he threw the little gnome of his shoulder and took off towards the hotel.

“Should we follow them?” Matt’s voice sounded next to my ear and I turned my face to him, and all the angry thoughts from before vanishing, and I just saw these kissable plump lips.

“It’s probably not the worst idea to have a few extra minutes…” I looked up at him just as his lips captured mine. Damn he tasted good! I closed my eyes and just let him guide the kiss, his tongue slipped into my mouth and I suppressed the moan wanting to escape.

“Especially since you owe me,” Matt growled against my lips as his fingers played with the hem of my shorts in the most teasing way possible. We were suddenly lost in a heated kiss and I moaned against his lips, wanting and needing more.

“We don’t have that much time… MB said we have to leave for the next destination in about an hour,” I murmured, my voice full of lust as Matt ground his erection into my ass. He was quickly guiding me back toward our room by the hips, his hot breath on my neck making it hard to think about anything else.

“Ahh babe… I know you like hard and fast as much as you like slow and sweet. We can do one now and one later after we are on the road, but I want you now,” he growled. “Be ready because as soon as we are in the room, you are mine.”

He was making me weak in the knees and with him murmuring those words in my ear with his deep and sexy voice. I could only surrender to him and melt into his touch.

As soon as we reached our room, Matt kicked the door shut and his lips crashed down on mine, so hungry and hot that I let out a loud moan. He took the chance to slip his tongue inside my mouth and let his tongue dance with mine. Matt quickly pulled my shirt over my head and immediately unclasped my bra.

His hands were on my breasts, massaging and kneading them but never breaking our kiss. “You made me wait too long,” I said against his lips, feeling his hand grab my hips and push me down on the bed.

Matt let out a growl before his magic lips took me captive again, his hands moving down to open my shorts. He quickly pulled them down along with my panties before sitting up to admire my naked form on the bed.

“Damn you’re amazing, M,” He whispered and couldn’t help but blush lightly, loving that he was the only one that had that affect on me. He got rid of his shirt and pants and moved on top of me, his cock already standing fully erect. Mmm, I knew just how good he felt inside of me and my belly began to flutter just thinking about it. “Are you ready for me?”

I shivered hearing his deep voice so near on my ear, having his lips touch me there, while his hands run over my nipples teasing them until they were fully erect. I felt his cock at my entrance and I let out a light whimper. “Yes.. Matt… please, I can’t wait any longer…”

He braced his weight on his elbows and slowly pushed inside of me, his lips leaving a trial of kiss as I squirmed beneath him. He was filling me to my limit and I arched my back with a loud moan.

“Mmm…So tight…” He groaned while still pushing inside. “Fuck.” He groaned before he was fully inside of me, leaving me in a euphoric state.

“Move… I need more.” I whispered and Matt slowly moved in and out of me. God, this was the best fucking feeling in the world!

He began to increase his pace and I knew I wouldn’t need much more. I was already on the edge and I let my hands move over his strong back, my nails scratching into his back. Matt let out ecstasy filled groan and when he pushed even deeper inside me I felt my body began to shiver. Just one more thrust and I knew my orgasm would overwhelm me.

“MATT!” I cried, closing my eyes as I was taken with the sweet darkness. Seconds later I felt Matt’s movements become sloppy and his eyes rolled back in his head as spilled his seed inside me.

“Babe… wow…” Matt rolled off of me and slowly pulled me into the circle of his arms.

“You can say that again,” I breathed, resting my head on his muscular chest. Those stunning hazel eyes looked down at me, taking my breath away.

Matt’s POV

“This is bullshit,” I muttered to myself as I watched Maya laugh with Trevor and the Berry brothers at the table on the other side of the bus. She was supposed to be sitting with me or moaning my name in the back room, not going over crew duties with her brother. That shit didn’t even involve her anyway!

And to make matters worse, every time I tried to get Maya to back over to me, fucking Trevor came with her. What was he attached to her ass now too? It was almost like he thought it was some kind of game to get between us and not give us any alone time. Like Jimmy wasn’t bad enough without Jess here to distract him. Fuck, what was it going to take for me to get some alone time with my girlfriend? I knew I was being selfish but I couldn’t fucking help it. I was practically addicted to the girl and I couldn’t get enough of her. She was mine and I wasn’t in a sharing mood today…

With a sigh, I stood up and headed over to the fridge to grab a beer, carefully watching Trevor and the Berry brothers. MB was sitting with his arm around Maya’s shoulder as he pointed and explained whatever was on the piece of paper in front of him. That was a harmless action right? It was just his naturally flirtatious behavior that was all. Hell, he was like that with everyone, right?

Fuck, why was I letting Trevor’s words get to me? There was nothing going on between our crewmembers and the girls. He was just trying to get under our skin to get a rise out of us. I mean, there was no way in hell any of our men would try to overstep their bounds with the girls because if they did, they knew they would get their ass beat. So why the hell was Trevor trying to stir up trouble?

Or more importantly, why the hell did he think we could see other people? That’s what was bothering me the most about all the shit he said this morning. Maya and I and Ave and Gates were very firm and to the point of being possessive with our relationship, so where would he even get that idea? Had I missed something? Or had Maya said something to Trevor that made him think we were having open relationships? Fuck! Why was I even thinking about this?

I quickly took a long sip of my beer, hoping the alcohol would calm my raging thoughts. Why couldn’t I shake the feeling that Trevor’s words weren’t completely unfounded? I knew Maya would never do anything to jeopardize our relationship – that was out of the question. But had Trevor seen someone else make a move toward the girls that I should be looking out for? Fucking hell, I wished I could just debunk this shit and move on. I knew it wasn’t true but I couldn’t stop thinking about the ‘what ifs’.

I looked back over at Maya to see her pointing at the paper and explaining something and I couldn’t help but smile. She was honestly the most beautiful woman I had ever seen and I knew I could never be happy without her. She had my heart and I wasn’t about to let it get ripped away because of some stupid rumor. Maybe I should just talk to Gates and see what he thinks about the whole thing? That wasn’t such a bad idea, right?

“Hey Gates,” I called, hoping I was just thinking way too much into Trevor’s words. I needed to talk to him about this so we could figure out what the hell was actually going on. “Gates?”

I looked up to find Gates sitting on the floor with Avery cuddled up between his legs, watching something on the TV. She appeared to be sleeping and I couldn’t help but notice the way that he was stroking her hair with a small smile on his lips. Though I could tell something was off with him because he almost looked torn. Was he thinking about the same thing I was?

“Gates!” I said a little louder. Both he and Zack looked over at me with a raised brow. “Come help me with the set list,” I said, trying to make it look as inconspicuous as possible. The last thing I wanted was for the girls to catch wind of what we were talking about. Set list talk should be a good deterrent.

He furred his brows together and pointed to Avery as if to say he couldn’t move but I didn’t buy it. Zack was right next to them and he could easily pass her off. What was his deal? Did he have any concerns about the talk with Trevor this morning? “Give her to Vee and get your ass over here. Don’t fucking give me that look.”

Gates sighed as he carefully passed the little gnome off to Zack after kissing the top of her head. Avery smiled in her sleep and immediately wrapped her arms around Zacky who looked like the happiest motherfucker to hold her.

“I don’t understand why you can’t plan this without me. I’m good with whatever you choose,” Brian grumbled as he plopped down on the bench.

“I don’t want to talk about the set list,” I said, lowering my voice and leaning towards him. “What do you think that bastard saw last night?” I asked, cutting straight to the point. Haner’s eyes wandered over to the Jason at the table and then back over toward the little blonde with a frown.

“I don’t know but if what he said is true, we maybe looking for some new employees,” Gates hissed, narrowing his eyes. “Don’t start planning the drum tech’s death just yet,” I warned. “We don’t even know if that bastard was telling the truth or not.”

“I really don’t like that guy,” he huffed, narrowing his eyes at Trevor, leaning back on couch, and putting his arms behind his head. “I want to say he’s trying to fuck with us but I can’t be too sure. We should keep an eye on him and the crew to see what’s going on.”

“So you think there could be some truth in his words?” He asked.

“I doubt it, but it wouldn’t hurt to keep an eye on the situation. Let’s watch them at sound check and see if anything happens,” I said, watching as he shifted his attention over to Zack and Avery just as Jason took a seat next to them. Gates instantly tenses but relaxed when Ave muttered something in her sleep ending with his name. She then wrapped her arms around Zack’s waist and cuddled closer with a cute little snore.

“I’m watching you, Baker,” he warned before Zack flipped him off mid conversation with Jason.

“Relax, she’s the one making the moves not me,” he chuckled in response as I looked over to Maya. As I watched her throw her head back with a laugh, her gorgeous eyes meeting mine. She smiled before she slowly got up and made her way over to me amidst Gates and Zack’s bickering. We all knew Avery was crazy about Brian and that Zack just liked to stir up trouble. That was there relationship, constantly teasing each other about something. They were worse than children sometime, I swear.

“What are you two scheming over here?” Maya asked, taking a seat on my lap and looking between Gates and I. Her hand slowly ran down my chest, causing my dick to spring to life in my pants. How did she turn me on so easily?

“Just planning the set list for tonight,” I said, looking over at Gates who nodded in response. “Yeah, we cant use Pyro tonight so we are gonna play some old fan favorites,” he said with a smirk, though his eyes were still on his sleeping fiancé.

“Well I’m glad you got some work done on this trip because MB said we will be arriving at the venue any minute. Then Ave and I are going to go help Trevor get situated with the merch booth, but don’t worry we’ll be gone before fans start to arrive,” Maya explained just as I opened my mouth to protest.

“What happened to Josh?” I asked, not like the idea of Trevor being alone with the girls in the merch stand.

“Because of the changes for the night Josh is going to help the stage crew since we can show Trev the ropes with the merch booth,” she explained and had to suppress a groan. Damn it, what happened to our talk about not leaving the girls alone with that bastard? I really hoped the Berry brothers had a plan and that they weren’t going to leave the girls unsupervised. “And don’t worry, Dan will be down there making sure we get out before the festival gates open.” Oh, thank fucking god.

“Good, I’m glad you have a plan. Just remember to meet me on the side of the stage after the show. We’re not going to play that game of cat and mouse all night again,” I warned just as Jimmy came flying out of the back room. I hugged Maya into my chest as he did laps around the small space. He was shrieking and carrying on about something and I just shook my head when Johnny came out from his bunk looking confused. I knew it had been way too quiet for too long.

“W-what’s going on?” Avery’s groggy voice called. I saw the confusion in her features when she looked up to find herself in Zack’s arms. She looked around until her eyes landed on Brian who quickly moved to scoop her back into his arms.

“We’re here! We’re here! Finally we are fucking here!” Jimmy screamed, continuing to run around the bus as we pulled up underneath the awning at the hotel entrance.

“Calm down, Jimbo, you know you cant get off the bus until we check you guys in,” MB said, watching him jump up and down with an amused look on his face. “We don’t want a repeat of the Charlotte hotel incident.” And he wasn’t kidding. The last time they let us go into the hotel before they check us in, Jimmy broke at least three very expensive pieces of art and almost got us kicked out of the hotel.

“Come on, let me out! I’m going to fucking explode!” he raged before Johnny came up behind him, looking out the window. “Save it for the show, Jimbo,” he chuckled only for Jimmy to press the little punk into the wall.

“That’s not what your mother said last night…” he said in a deep voice and I couldn’t help but chuckle. “She liked it long and hard…no questions asked.”

“Get out of here and don’t fucking talk about my mom,” Johnny grumbled, pushing away. “Sicko…”

I shook my head and looked down at Maya, her brown eyes watching me carefully. She smiled lightly when our eyes met and leaned into her, putting my lips next to her ear. “Remember tonight is about you and me… you better be ready when I get off that stage…”


Avery’s POV

“Okay so each tote is labeled with a picture of the shirt and the size,” I explained to Trevor, who was standing behind me in the truck. He was starting to invade my personal space but then again there wasn’t a lot of room in the truck. This was more a one-person kind of job. “So you just take the totes with the pictures and put them under the table. You want to make sure you have enough of each size to put out or else people get testy,” I sighed, remembering the good old days of working here.

Part of me missed working the merchandise booth while the rest of me really liked being able to spend more time with Brian. Working just kind of gave me something to do while he was getting ready and performing. Now I just got to wait around, make wedding arrangements, and watch the show, which was my favorite part of the evening. I swear I would never get bored watching those guys on stage. They amazed me every show!

“So I put the merch on the table and then put the totes with the extras under the table. Got it,” Trevor replied, his warm breath running down the back of my neck. I quickly took a step away and turned around to look at him.

“Yeah, there isn’t much to it. Well, not until all the fans come storming the booth,” I giggled, climbing out of the truck to see Maya and Dan setting out all the merch. “Now over to the cash register. You want to make sure you always put it in the back of the booth so no one can steal from it,” I instructed only to notice that he wasn’t really listening. His eyes were staring straight at me but he looked a little distant. Was I going to fast? “Trev? Are you listening?”

“Yeah, I got it. No big deal. It’s just like selling hat and t-shirts at the bar in Maine,” he said, leaving against the side of the truck as he looked at me with a smile. “The town I was living is actually a lot like Huntington Beach,” he explained, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “Maybe I could show you one day,” he smiled and I raised a brow at him.

“Who knows, maybe the tour will go through that area and you could take us all out,” I replied only to see his face fall slightly. “But do you have any more questions before Maya and I go get? Do you think you’ll be okay by yourself?”

“It would be easier if I had another set of hands, but I think I’ll manage,” Trevor frowned lightly. “Do you think the guys would mind if you stayed a little longer? I bet they wouldn’t even notice you were missing, being so busy with their fans at the signing right now,” he said, causing me to frown. What did he mean by that.

“Oh, don’t worry too much, Ave,” he continued, putting his arms around my shoulders as he lead my over to the other side of the booth. “Hanging out with groupies and entertaining them is all part of being a rock star. Though from what I’ve heard from the crew in passing, it’s pretty common for the groupies to entertain the guys too, if you know what I mean. I just hope that’s not why we couldn’t find them last night, especially your fiancé…”

I blinked a few times as I tried to process what Trevor was telling me. No, there was no way the guys were screwing around with the groupie girls, at least not Matt, Brian, and Jimmy. They were all in happy relationships. But the crew said that the guys frequently entertained the groupies? Is that what they did when we weren’t with them? I bit down my bottom lip, my stomach dropping at the thought.

“They-they wouldn’t do that,” I stammered shaking my head at Trevor as he shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t want to believe it either, Ave, but that’s what some of the crew members were talking about when we were packing up this morning,” he sighed and I just gapped at him.

No, there was no way the guys would that. The crewmembers had to be talking about someone else…

“Hey Ave, are you ready to go?” Maya called, waving me over to her and Dan. “It’s almost time for them to open the gates. We better go now before we get trapped.”

“Coming!” I called, quickly trying to push those bad thoughts out of my head. “Bye Trev. Text us if you have any problems or need help.”

“Will do, see you around, beautiful…”

Notes

Here is another chapter for you lovely readers! Let us know what you think!