Dangerous Kiss (Dangerous Noise 1)

She nods.

I squeeze her hand as I lead her to the bus.

Violet looks back to the crowd. There are plenty of women shooting her dirty looks. Actual groupie-types get off on the envy. But Violet's not like that. She does everything she can to deflect attention.

I pull the door to the bus open for her and lock it behind me.

The tinted windows keeping people from looking in but they do nothing to obstruct our view.

Need to shut out the rest of the world. I close the blinds. That's enough to get Violet's shoulders to drop from her ears.

Violet sits on the couch. Her eyes go to the floor. She crosses and uncrosses her legs. "Are you used to all that?"

"Mostly."

She looks up at me. "You like the attention?"

"On stage, yeah. I'm there to entertain. If I have attention, I'm doing it right."

"Offstage?"

"Sometimes it makes me feel good, like I'm important. It's lonely on the road. You've seen the way Mal, Kit, and Joel look at me like their fuck-up little brother."

"They don't look at you like a fuck-up." Her eyes meet mine. "You're not a fuck-up, Ethan."

"Lost you, didn't I?"

"I guess I can't argue with that." She plays with the hem of her short black dress. "Do you tell women you love them?"

"No, but I have plenty of player bullshit lines, if that's your next question." I kneel on the ground in front of her. "No worse than when we met."

Some of the apprehension drops off her face. "I really thought you were this generous guy who loved giving back scratches."

"Who says I'm not?"

"You offered to get my bra off."

"You'd already decided you were gonna fuck me that night. I saw it in your eyes."

"Did you?"

I nod as I unzip her boot and peel it off her leg. "You have the same look in your eyes right now." I peel her other boot off her leg. Then the socks. Then my hands are on her smooth skin. Damn, those legs. I could die between those legs.

She lets out a heavy sigh as I slide my hands behind her knees and spread her legs. "Ethan… I… I've missed you a lot."

"You say that to all the guys who are about to dive between your legs?"

"No. I…" She slides her hand into my hair and cups the back of my head. "Fuck, how are you so smooth? I don't know how to say suave shit the way you do."

"You don't have to say anything. You just have to come on my face."

She groans with pleasure. "I want to do that. God, I want to do that." She swallows hard. "But I have to say this first. I don't want to hurt you. And I don't want you to hurt me either. No bullshit, okay. It scares me that you're famous now. It scares me that you're rich. That there are a hundred women outside this bus who are ready to drop to their knees to suck you off."

"I'm only sleeping with you."

"I know… but I don't know if you're the guy I fell in love with or if you're some rock star playboy douchebag, like you are in the tabloids."

She looks me up. I nod like the revelation is no big deal.