Wright Rival (Wright)

Hollin glanced my way. “Shots?”

“Might as well,” I agreed.

Hollin ordered another round of tequila shots. Campbell hopped up almost instantly and was beside us as the shots were poured, as if he couldn’t sit still for a second. The bartender added a third for him. We held them up, clinking glasses before tipping the drinks back.

I coughed around the tequila and reached for the lime on instinct. I bit hard into it. This was the most I’d had to drink in a long time. If I kept going at this pace, I was going to black out.

“How do you do this every night?” I asked Campbell.

“I don’t know.” He fluffed his hair. “It’s the life.”

Hollin laughed, jostling his brother. “Don’t be an ass. There’s no way you could drink this much every night and still perform the way you do.”

“Hey, I can…sort of.”

“He doesn’t drink this much or smoke usually. This is Campbell’s hosting skills.”

Campbell snorted. “Hosting skills?”

“Yeah, you’re like a housewife. Except for the concert.”

“So, you’re saying, he’s showing off?” I asked.

“Obviously,” the brothers said at the same time.

I couldn’t help it; I laughed. “Well, that makes sense.”

“Speaking of showing off,” Campbell said, waggling his eyebrows, “want to see the tour bus?”

“Oh, yes!” I said, suddenly giddy with excitement. It was another thing I’d always wanted to see but never had.

Campbell and Hollin shared a look that I didn’t comprehend. Brother thing.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Hollin said. “After you.”

Campbell muttered something under his breath. Then, he gestured to the back of the room. “Let’s go this way. Security is going to have to check for a clear walk-through.”

We followed him through a maze of back hallways. Security stood in rapt attention at the door. They nodded at Campbell and checked for the all clear.

“Usually, the parking is pretty secure for the band,” Campbell explained while we waited. “But sometimes, superfans find their way through all the security to get back here. It’s happened a few times.”

“Do they try to kill you?” I asked.

Campbell sputtered in surprise. “What? No. They want a picture and an autograph.”

“You don’t arrest them?”

Hollin’s eyes were wide. “What do you think happens on tour?”

“There are lots of crazy people out there.”

“We try not to resort to violence,” Campbell said with a laugh. “Most people are cool, leaving when we tell them to. I’ve had a few stalkers and crazies, but security handles most of it.” A security guard nodded at him. “All right. Let’s go.”

We stepped outside, and there was the Cosmere tour bus. It had their logo in blue and gold on the side, almost like graffiti. Campbell opened the front door, and we followed him inside.

“Well, this is it. Our little slice of home.”

It was nice. Not anything fancy. I could see why they’d chosen to stay in a hotel while in Dallas. The beds were small though cozy. The space seemed cramped for five people to be stuck together all the time.

“This little nook is mine,” Campbell pointed out. “Viv gets the back room. We offered to get her a solo bus, and she told us to fuck off. Michael asked if he could have the solo bus, so he wouldn’t be with us all the fucking time.”

“Or so his wife and kid could travel with y’all?”

Campbell gestured to me. “Or that. But the record label nixed it. Said they could do gendered buses but not family. I don’t get the big deal, but here we are. One bus.”

“It’s not what I expected,” I said as I settled into the plush couch and leaned my elbows on the table.

“Nah, it’s nothing special. Gets us from point A to point B,” Campbell said. Then, his phone buzzed noisily in his pocket. He looked down at the screen and grinned. “I have to take this. I’ll be back. Help yourself to the booze.”

He disappeared down the stairs, leaving me and Hollin all alone.

13

Piper

I was alone with Hollin Abbey. This was a bad idea.

I swallowed and glanced over at him. He’d taken the seat opposite me on the couch, manspreading his legs wide and resting his arms across the back of the cushions.

“I could get used to this,” he said with a devilish grin in my direction.

“Most people could.”

“No,” he said calmly. “You.”

“Me?”

“I could get used to you like this.” His eyes crawled over me and answered the question on my lips. “A little wild.”

A hoarse laugh escaped my lips. “I am not wild.”

“You’re here with me…alone.”

“So?” I challenged him, coming to my feet defensively. “What? Are you going to put the moves on me?”

His smirk was so goddamn tempting. “I don’t have to.”

“And why not?”

“Because you want this as much as I do.”

I gaped at him for a split second before laughing softly. “Wow. You’re so confident.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Prove me wrong.”

“I don’t have to prove anything to you.” I had my hands on my hips, only a foot away from him.