Backstage Pass

Her heart warmed as he squeezed her closer. They exited the building to a crowd mil ing outside the tour buses. The fans cheered when they recognized Brian, but the security guards kept them at bay until he could get Myrna safely up the steps and on the tour bus.

“I need a shower,” he said. “But I think I’l lie down for a bit first.”

Her body thrummed, pumped ful of adrenaline. She didn’t know why he needed to lie down. Unless…

“Yeah, I think you should lie down. Can I join you?”

“What do you think?’ He looked down at her. “I’m getting sweat al over your dry-clean-only suit.”

“It’s disposable as far as I’m concerned.”

He grinned. “Seeing me on stage real y worked you up, didn’t it?”

“What do you think?”

She unfastened the buttons of her suit jacket and shrugged it off her shoulders. She tossed it on a random pile of jeans and black clothes before working on the smal buttons of her silver, satin blouse.

Brian took her hand. “Come on. No tel ing when a roadie or Eric wil show up.”

He led her to the back of the bus and through a door at the end of a narrow passage. They entered a smal bedroom, its space dominated by a queen-sized bed.

“I’m not sure how clean the sheets are,” he murmured, helping her with her buttons now. “We’re slobs.”

“Wonderful. Al of you.”

He paused, looking into her eyes in the dim interior of the room. The only light came from the streetlamps outside, filtering through the metal blinds. “Oh God, you aren’t lusting after Sed now, are you?” he asked. “I lose more women that way. They see him on stage and—”

She covered his lips with her fingers. “I’m lusting after you, Master Sinclair.”

“Don’t cal me that here,” he said against her fingers.

“Brian.” She replaced her fingers with her lips, kissing him hungrily.

Her shirt fluttered to the floor. His fingers moved to the fastening of her skirt. He unzipped it and it dropped to the floor around her feet. He glanced down her body with a sexy smile on his lips. “I’m glad you decided I was worthy to see what was under that suit. Very nice.” Col apsing face down on the bed, he bel y-crawled to the pil ows and sighed in exhaustion. “I need a nap.”

She climbed up on the bed with him and straddled his body. She tugged his shirt off and sat back on his thighs, massaging his shoulders and back.

Brian sighed contentedly. “Exactly what I need, Myr. Thank you.”

She leaned forward to kiss the skin along his shoulders, her tongue darting out to col ect the salt of his sweat.

“I can use some of that, too,” he murmured drowsily.

“Do you want me to leave you alone? I can tel you’re tired.”

“No, I like your company. This is nice. I don’t have the energy to devour you. You’re probably disappointed in me.”

“Never.” She took his hand in hers and massaged the base of his fingers and his palm.

“Mmmmmm.”

She lowered her head to kiss his fingers. “These are magical.”

“We both know there’s only one magical body part in this bed. I think the fans liked your solo, Myr.”

“Your solo.”

“That’s al you, baby. I just play it.”

She smiled. She knew she didn’t deserve any credit. “You’re sweet.”

“Shhhhh. Don’t tel anyone…”

He slept. So much for an hour of amazing sex before they had to go their separate ways. Myrna stretched out beside him, her hand tracing lazy paths up and down his back. Was she real y here? This had undoubtedly been the most amazing day of her life. And even if she never saw this remarkable man again, she’d never forget him.

A short time later, there was a commotion outside the bus. Loud chattering and laughter moved closer—a mix of masculine and feminine voices.

Myrna climbed from the bed, separated the metal blinds with her fingers and looked through the smal window facing the stadium. The rest of the band had emerged from the building. They moved toward the periphery of the blocked-off lane and mingled with their excited fans. Separated from the crowd by the metal barrier, band members passed out hugs and autographs and posed for photographs with enthusiastic admirers.

Myrna glanced over her shoulder at Brian, lost in dreamland. She wondered if he always kept to himself or if he indulged the fans on occasion. She returned her attention to outside. Sed lifted a scantily clad young woman over the barrier and added her to his entourage of females. When his attention turned to signing an autograph, the girl did a happy dance behind him and then pul ed her skirt down to cover the tops of her thighs.

Myrna wondered about the girl. Myrna doubted she knew Sed. Doubted Sed knew her. Would she sleep with him without hesitation? Myrna was pretty sure the answer to that question was yes, but did the young woman hop into bed with any guy, or was it Sed’s fame that seduced her? Myrna had to ask herself the same question. Why was she so wil ing to sleep with Brian? Typical y, she felt the need to get to know a man personal y before she got to know him physical y. And honestly, she hadn’t known many men wel enough to sleep with them. So why did she act differently with Brian?

Brian sighed in his sleep, his hand stretching across the bed to the location she’d been when he’d drifted off. He took a deep, startled breath as he regained consciousness and lifted his head. When he saw her standing near the window, he smiled and dropped his head back to the bed, stretching his arms above his head, then out to the sides.

“That was a quick nap,” Myrna said.

“I was dreaming about you.”

“Was it a good dream?” She stepped away from the window and sat on the edge of the bed next to him.

“Not real y. I was chasing you and you wouldn’t stop running from me.”

“I’m not running now.”

His hand moved to squeeze her thigh. “I guess you’re not.”

She wiped at a black smudge under his eye. “Your eyeliner is running, however.”

“I fel asleep on my face again.”

There was a sharp knock on the door. Brian groaned. He climbed from the bed and opened the door. “Yeah?”

One of the roadies said, “We’re heading out in an hour.”

“Al right. Thanks for the heads up.” He closed the door and turned to look at Myrna. “An hour.”

“I’ve got to go anyway.” Why did she suddenly feel so lonely? “I have to drive back to Kansas City and I need to get a head start tonight so I can make it home tomorrow.”