Текст книги "Share Me"

Автор книги: Olivia Cunning

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Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 6 страниц)

Chapter Eleven

Lindsey’s eyes snapped open. Was there an earthquake? Why was the bed rocking so hard? And what were all of those rhythmic, wet noises coming from beside her? She turned her head and her breath immediately stalled in her throat. A pair of chocolate brown thighs belonging to her best friend straddled the hips of some pelvis she didn’t recognize. Vanessa was rising and falling over a thick, veined cock as if she were riding bareback broncos in a rodeo. Lindsey was completely engrossed with watching Vanessa’s flesh ebb and flow each time she took him deep inside and lifted her hips to slide up his shaft.

“Did we wake you?” a deep voice said beside her.

Shade? She lifted up onto one arm and looked down at his sardonic grin. She couldn’t see his eyes, because apparently he wore sunglasses even when he fucked. The Christmas lights were gone, but his arms were still bound before him with a red rope in a crisscrossing pattern from wrists to elbow. Lindsey immediately recognized Kellen’s handiwork and began to tremble at the memories of what glorious things he and Owen had done to her body earlier.

“Sorry, girl,” Vanessa said. “I had to get a piece of this. Damn, this man is fine.”

“I understand,” Lindsey said wearily and dropped back down on the mattress. Her body was so exhausted, so relaxed, so completely satisfied that she didn’t want to move and lose the feeling of tranquility that suffused every inch of her. Unfortunately, she couldn’t seem to stop watching Vanessa’s pussy working Shade’s cock, so the flesh between Lindsey’s thighs started to swell and pulsate with renewed need.

“Your friend has a fantastic pussy,” Shade said conversationally.

“Is that so?” Lindsey said.

“Soft and lush. Like her sexy lips.”

“You ever been with a black girl before?” Vanessa asked him.

“A few,” he said. “I’ve found that fantastic pussy comes in all colors. Speaking of coming, can I come now?”

“Not yet. I’m not finished.” For which Lindsey was oddly thankful. She was completely mesmerized by what was going on beside her.

“You know what would be really hot,” Shade whispered into Lindsey’s ear.

“Hmm?” she murmured lethargically.

“If you moved up behind Vanessa, wrapped your arms around her and held her tits while she rides me.”

Lindsey’s eyes travelled up Vanessa’s naked body to her breasts. Lindsey had seen Vanessa nude numerous times in the past, but she’d never thought of her friend’s body as erotic. Or arousing. She also never thought she’d be so easily swayed by a man to obey his suggestion.

Vanessa glanced over her shoulder as Lindsey moved to kneel behind her. “Do you want a turn?” Vanessa asked.

Lindsey shook her head and kissed the warm, smooth skin of Vanessa’s shoulder. Vanessa’s back brushed Lindsey’s suddenly hard nipples as she continued to rise and fall over Shade. With trembling hands, Lindsey cupped Vanessa’s breasts. They were smaller than her own, their pointed tips pressed into her palms as Vanessa’s back arched and her head dropped back on Lindsey’s shoulder.

“Is this okay?” she whispered to Vanessa.

“It’s okay,” Vanessa said.

Lindsey massaged Vanessa’s perky breasts, fascinated by the way the soft globes of flesh moved in her hands, how easy it was to make Vanessa moan by stroking her large nipples, how erotic the contrast of their flesh tones looked as she gave pleasure to her friend. Lindsey shifted so that Vanessa’s soft ass rubbed against her shaven mound each time she rose and fell over Shade. This was definitely getting her hot and bothered again. Lindsey churned her hips to rub her mound more firmly over Vanessa and her hands began to wander—down Vanessa’s slightly rounded tummy, over her hips, her thighs. What am I doing? Was she really going to touch her best friend there?

Vanessa began to move faster over Shade. Faster. Seeking her climax. Lindsey wanted to help her find it.

Lindsey’s fingers slipped between Vanessa’s swollen folds. She found Vanessa’s clit with two fingertips and rubbed it fast and hard, the way she rubbed herself when she masturbated. Within seconds, Vanessa’s body went taut before her, and Vanessa shuddered hard as she screamed through her orgasm.

“This is not okay,” Lindsey said and yanked her hand away.

Vanessa grabbed her wrist and buried her hand between her thighs. “Yes, Lindsey. It’s okay. It’s perfect. Feel him inside me.”

Lightheaded with shock, but for some reason unable to pull away, Lindsey held Vanessa’s mound cupped in her palm while Shade’s cock brushed rhythmically against her fingertips.

“That was beautiful,” Shade said. “Can I come now?”

Vanessa chuckled. “No, stud. Lindsey needs a turn.” She lifted her hips until Shade’s cock slipped from her body and then took Lindsey’s hand and placed it over the very slippery condom covering his shaft. “Have fun, girl. I need a nap.”

Lindsey looked up at Shade, wishing she could see his eyes, wondering what he thought of her behavior. Was he as shocked by what she’d just done as she was?

“If you untie me,” he said, “I’ll make this easy on you.”

“What do you mean?” Lindsey asked.

“You know you want to fuck, but you think you shouldn’t.”

“And how will untying you change those feelings?”

“You can blame your surrender on me, instead of taking what you want.”

“I took what I wanted,” Vanessa said.

“But she won’t,” Shade said. “Even though she does want it.”

She did want it, but he was right. She’d already had sex with two strangers tonight. She sure wasn’t going to go at it with another one. Unless he… forced her to.

“Are you going to force me?” she asked, her heart thudding with excitement.

“Do you want me to force you?”

“It’s not really force if she wants you to force her.” Vanessa rolled her eyes at him.

“I wouldn’t really force her if she didn’t want me to. That would be called rape, but it’s different if she wants to be held down and fucked while she struggles.”

“I do,” Lindsey blurted.

Her hands moved to the first knot binding his arms together—his strong, very muscular arms. She had a hard time untying the rope as she thought about those strong muscular arms holding her down while he fucked her. Her fingers weren’t trembling because she was afraid. They were trembling because she was excited.

“Should I leave?” Vanessa said.

“No, you’re going to watch and not interfere. But I would appreciate it if you got me a fresh condom out of the drawer over there.” Lindsey was floored by the gentle smile he offered Vanessa. Surely this big hunk of sardonic muscle didn’t have a gentle bone in his body. She was actually hoping that he didn’t. She especially hoped that the bone he was about to thrust into her throbbing cunt wasn’t the least bit gentle.

Once his arms were free, he rubbed them for a moment and flexed his fingers. She watched the movement of his muscles contracting beneath his skin. He was so big. So powerful. So strong.

“I think you’d better run,” he said in a deep voice.

Her heart slammed into her ribcage as she leaped from the bed. He pursued her and quickly trapped her against the inside of the bedroom door. She grabbed the doorknob, but his fingers were like steel bands around her wrists and she couldn’t turn the knob.

“Let me go,” she whispered, “Please.”

“Do you know what I do to girls who make me want them as much as I want you?” He fisted a hand in her hair and tugged her head back. And it hurt. It hurt real good. She forced herself not to purr in surrender.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Just don’t hurt me.” Much…

Hand still clutching her hair, Shade jerked her back against his hard chest and grabbed her breast with his free hand. He pinched her nipple and she gasped in pain.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said, his teeth scraping against the edge of her ear, “but I am going to fuck you. Spread your legs.”

“No,” she said breathlessly. Her blood was jetting through her vessels. She was so amped up on adrenaline, she doubted she’d ever come down.

“Spread your legs or I’ll spread them for you.”

His cock prodded her in the lower back as he forced a knee between her legs from behind.

“No,” she said. “I’ll never spread them willingly.”

There was a knock at the door. “Are you really raping someone in there?” someone said on the other side of the thin piece of wood before Lindsey’s face. “Do I need to geld someone with a rusty knife?”

“Go away, Gabe, you’re fucking up our scenario,” Shade growled at the door.

“I’m not going away until I’m sure it is a scenario.”

“It is,” Lindsey yelled, her face flaming with embarrassment. What must Kellen and Owen be thinking of her? When had she turned into a ho for real? And why wasn’t she thinking that the best way to prevent her further mortification was to stop this? She didn’t want to stop. Not at all. So what if this made her a ho ho ho. She was having a very merry Christmas Eve.

“It totally is a scenario, drummer boy,” Vanessa yelled. “And damn, Shade,” she said, “watching this is totally turning me on again.”

“If you’re sure,” Gabe said, still in the corridor outside.

“We’re sure,” the three in the bedroom yelled in unison.

“Then you kids have fun, but keep it down. We’re going to bed.” There was a short pause. “Alone un-fucking-fortunately. Let’s hope the generator holds out so we don’t all freeze to death.”

“Way to spoil the mood,” Shade grumbled.

Lindsey grabbed Shade’s wrist and yanked, trying to dislodge his fist from her hair. “I said let me go,” she said and ground her ass into his cock as she tried to twist out of his grasp.

Shade groaned into her ear. “I am not going to last much longer,” he whispered. “Vanessa got me too worked up.”

Lindsey bumped her heel into his shin and, caught off-guard, Shade actually loosened his grip. She managed one step, before his fist tightened in her hair again.

“You’ll pay for that, darlin’,” he said.

Oh yes, make me pay.

In an instant he had her face down on the edge of bed, his big, strong hand pressing down in the center of her back so she couldn’t rise. And it wasn’t as if she wasn’t legitimately trying, but he so much stronger than her and no amount of trying to push upward with her spaghetti noodle arms could dislodge him. Breathing hard, she turned her head so she could draw air. As soon as she stopped struggling to rise, his free hand delved between her legs from behind, no doubt discovering how hot and wet she was down there.

Shade removed his hand from her back and she launched forward, trying to scramble away. He grabbed her by the thighs, yanking them apart and pulling her towards him until she felt his cockhead against her opening. Her core clenched with the tease of an orgasm.

“You want it, don’t you?”

Yes, yes, I want it.

“No,” she forced herself to say. She shook her head vigorously.

“Then why are you so wet?”

“I’m not,” she denied.

He thrust into her, sliding to the hilt in one hard motion.

She cried out. Lord, he was huge. She couldn’t help but rock back to meet his deep, punishing penetration stroke for stroke.

“Do you like that?”

“No,” she forced herself to say.

“She does like it, doesn’t she, Vanessa?”

“I think she does,” Vanessa said.

“Do you know what else she likes?”

“Your finger in her ass?”

“I didn’t think of that,” he said. His firm grip released from one thigh and before she could use that advantage to pretend to fight him, his finger slipped in her ass and she exploded with a earth shattering orgasm. He didn’t give her time to recover. He spread her legs wider and fucked her harder.

“Oh please,” she begged as rubbed her face over the bedclothes in blinding ecstasy.

“What were you thinking Lindsey likes?” Vanessa asked.

“I think she likes to eat pussy.”

“I hope so. My fingers aren’t doing the trick over here.”

Lindsey lifted her head and it took a moment for her eyes to focus on her friend, who was indeed trying to get off at her own hand.

“You want to lick Vanessa’s cum, don’t you, Lindsey?”

“N– no.” She swallowed hard. He wouldn’t make her, would he?

“I saw how turned on you were when you made her come. She was turned on by you too, Lindsey. I doubt she’s ever come that hard before in her life. Her pussy gripped my cock so hard, I almost lost it. She came for you. You want to taste it.”

“No, it don’t.” She honestly didn’t want to taste anyone’s cum, but would they believe her while she was playing this game of false denial with them?

“Come here, Vanessa,” he demanded. “Let her taste you.”

“Wait,” Lindsey whispered.

Shade grabbed a fistful of Lindsey’s hair and lifted her face off the mattress so Vanessa could position herself in front of Lindsey with her legs spread wide. Lindsey had never been this up close and personal to a vagina since birth. Shade released Lindsey’s hair, but she didn’t lower her head to do what they wanted her to do. She closed her eyes concentrated on the feel of Shade’s powerful thrusts. Damn, the man was a good fuck.

Lindsey could smell Vanessa’s excitement now and eventually had to admit it was enticing. Her mouth watered. She wanted to taste it. She did. But she’d never done anything like this before. She was afraid of where her own desire might take her.

Vanessa placed a gentle hand on the back of her head. “It’s okay, Lindsey,” she whispered, stroking her hair tenderly while Shade continued to pound into her.

“Are you sure, Nessi?” she asked.

“I’m sure, baby.”

Lindsey lowered her head and drew her tongue oh-so-slowly over Vanessa’s quivering clit. Vanessa collapsed back onto the bed with a startled outrush of breath. Lindsey licked Vanessa’s inner folds, using the orgasmic, teasing technique Kellen had used on her earlier that night. Vanessa’s cum was sweet and tangy and Lindsey couldn’t get enough of it. She licked Vanessa’s opening until her tongue got tired and then she sucked her clit until her friend came. Lindsey was scarcely aware of Shade thrusting deep one last time or his shouting and shuddering as he took his release. When he let go of her thighs and pulled out, she shifted her arm between Vanessa’s legs so she could slide two fingers into Vanessa’s sweet, silky pussy. Lindsey loved making her friend moan and writhe in ecstasy. When Vanessa found another orgasm minutes later, Lindsey gasped at the sensation of Vanessa’s flesh clenching in hard spasms around her exploring fingers. When her friend had settled, Lindsey kissed Vanessa’s shaven mound affectionately and slid her fingers free.

She lifted her head to find that Shade had left the room while she’d been otherwise occupied eating out her best friend. What. The. Fuck?

Vanessa grabbed Lindsey and drew her against her in a warm embrace. “Damn, girl, where did you learn to do that with your tongue?”

“Um.” Lindsey flushed. “Kellen Jamison?”

Vanessa laughed. “That man just landed himself at number one on my fuck-it list.”

Lindsey lifted her head to look down into the familiar face of her best friend. She loved this woman, she did, but she didn’t ever want to eat her pussy again. “Nessi?”

“Yeah, sugar.”

“Does this mean I’m gay?”

“Naw, baby. We was just caught up in the moment and got a little bicurious.”

“Okay,” she said and laid her head on Vanessa’s shoulder.

“I don’t know what it is about rock stars that makes us act all crazy.”

Lindsey knew. “They’re walking aphrodisiacs.”

Vanessa chuckled and gave her an affectionate squeeze. “You said it, girlfriend. You said it.”

Lindsey’s mind soon wandered to the remaining two rock stars in on the tour bus.

“Hmm, I wonder if Gabe and Adam are cold and lonely.”

“We could go check,” Vanessa said.

Chapter Twelve

Owen hopped out of his bunk and winced when his barefoot landed on a used condom. He was pretty sure it wasn’t his, but who the hell knew after the orgy that had gone down the night before.

He peeled the sticky prophylactic off the bottom of his foot and tossed it into the garbage can under the sink. He was always the first to wake up, but this morning, it was important, because Santa had been too busy screwing the night before to dig his presents out of their hiding place.

Owen stepped over Tex, who was sprawled in the aisle wearing nothing but his cowboy boots, and for some inexplicable reason, his belt and prized rodeo buckle. Owen’s toe connected with an empty whiskey bottle and it rolled across the floor to get lost under the dining room table, which had been used for a different kind of feast the night before. It had been fun while it lasted, but now his tongue would never work properly again and his lower back and hips were calling his insatiable cock every sort of a son-of-a-bitch.

Or maybe he’d dreamt it all. His band members were all stark naked and passed out in various uncomfortable positions around the cabin, but there wasn’t a woman in sight.

He found the pair of female friends curled up together on the bed in the back of the bus. When the generous ladies had come out of the bedroom the night before, the only one who hadn’t taken a turn at one or the other of them—or both of them in Owen’s case—had been Kelly. He was still saving his love for a dead girl. Owen hoped his gift helped him get over her a little. If for no other reason, Kelly seriously needed to find something better than Owen’s had to get him off.

Owen donned a pair of discarded jeans he found on the bedroom floor—which turned out not to be his because they were several sizes too big—and his Santa hat. He flopped down on the floor, rolled onto his back, and shimmied his shoulders under the bed. He tugged out the velvet sack he’d stuffed way back under the headboard a few nights before.

A foot stomped right in the middle of his stomach.

“Umph!”

“Oh my God,” Lindsey said as she pulled her foot back. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

“You don’t need a spleen to live,” he said breathlessly and after some scooting around, rose into sitting position.

“Did we really have a sex orgy last night?” she whispered, her innocent-looking blue eyes wide in disbelief.

“Nope. What happens on the Sole Regret tour bus, stays on the Sole Regret tour bus.” He winked at her and rose to his feet.

Owen slung his sack of presents over one shoulder and grinned at Lindsey. “Santa already gave you your present last night. You are now permanently on his naughty list.”

She flushed and lowered her eyes to her clenched hands.

He leaned over and kissed her temple. “I meant what I said about every sinfully delicious thing that happens on this bus, doesn’t leave it.”

“Okay,” she said breathlessly, but didn’t look at him.

She really was a doll. He might have considered calling her if she hadn’t slept with every last one of his band mates. Oh, and his bus driver.

“You had fun, right?” Owen asked.

She nodded earnestly and then her eyes rolled up in her head as whatever erotic memories were teasing her thoughts.

“Then don’t let it bother you.”

He tripped over what had to be Gabe’s overlong pant legs as he left her to mull over her misdeeds. He should probably find his own jeans, before he started waking people. He found them in the shower and had no idea how they’d gotten there. He took the time to use the john before changing into his own pants.

“Merry Christmas,” he bellowed from the end of the corridor.

Tex sat bolt upright in the middle of the aisle. “What the fuck?” He covered his head with both hands and winced in pain. He then noticed his state of undress and shifted his hands to cover his crotch. “Who gave me whiskey?”

Owen chuckled. He wouldn’t remember a thing from the night before. He never did when he drank too much whiskey.

“Ah God.” He tried to stand but ended up crawling to the bathroom and locking himself inside.

“I said, Merry Christmas, assholes,” Owen yelled. “It’s time to wake up. Santa came.”

“I remember him coming at least four times,” Adam’s said from his bunk. Well, he was mostly in his bunk. One hand and foot were dragging the floor. “I can’t feel my arm.”

“That sucks for a lead guitarist, doesn’t it?” Shade grumbled from the sofa. He had a pair of pink panties stuck to his forehead. Owen grinned, wondering how long it would take him to notice.

Adam rolled onto his back and used his functional arm to try to rub the circulation back into his temporarily frozen one. “I’d flip you off if you were worth the trouble.”

“Here’s what Santa brought you, Adam.”

“Let me guess. Another chain.”

Owen laughed. “How did you know?”

“You buy me a chain every year. That’s why I have like ten of them.”

“Well now you have eleven. You’re welcome.”

Adam smiled at him—he really didn’t do that enough these days. “Thanks, man. It’s exactly what I wanted. And I really didn’t get you shit.”

“That’s not from me, it’s from Santa.”

“Yeah okay. What are you—five years old?”

“On Christmas I am.”

Gabe hadn’t stirred from his upside down sprawl in the recliner. His mohawked head was on the extended foot rest, legs spread and draped over each chair arm. After seeing where Gabe’s balls were currently situated, Owen vowed to never sit in that chair again.

“Gabe, are you awake? It’s Christmas.”

“I just wanna sleep,” he said in a slurred voice.

“I guess you don’t want this boring ass book that Santa brought you.” Owen dropped the heavy book on Gabe’s chest, which definitely got his attention. Clutching the book in both hands, he lifted his head and glanced around in confusion. “Um,” he said. “How in the fuck did I wind up sleeping like this? It defies all logic.”

“Sort of like your hairstyle.”

Gabe lift the book and blinked his eyes until they focused well enough to read the title. “Theories in Antigravity? Now there’s a thought. Imagine sex in space.”

“Enjoy,” Owen said.

He handed Shade a long flat box. “Sunglasses? For me? Good thing. Vanessa broke my last pair when she sat on my face.”

“Nope, sorry. Had he known you would be without your precious sunglasses on Christmas morning, Santa would have gone with the usual, but he was a little more creative this year.”

Shade opened the box and lifted the flat cross that dangled from a silver chain. He lifted an eyebrow at him. “Trying to keep me out of trouble?”

“Wear it over your heart,” Owen said. “And read the inscription on the back while you’re at it.”

“Your angel,” Shade read haltingly. “…is always.” He scowled at the words.

“Close to your heart,” Owen finished for him, knowing how the guy struggled with written language.

Shade bit his lip. “I wonder if she’s awake yet. I need to call her. Do we have phone service yet?” He slipped the chain over his head and patted it into his chest, before peeling the panties off of his forehead and seeking clothes to make himself decent before he talked to his three-year old daughter on Christmas morning.

“Yeah, we have service,” Tex yelled from the back of the bus. “I just called the crew. The equipment truck didn’t attempt the pass, so they’re all fine. A snow plow is trying to clear the roads and they’re sending up a tow truck to help stranded vehicles.”

Not quite a Christmas miracle, but definitely good news.

Owen found Kelly in the driver’s seat. He was wide awake, wrapped in a red plaid flannel blanket staring out at the bleak white landscape outside the bus. The snow had stopped during the night, but the wind had piled it into huge drifts. The sky was gray with dense clouds making the sunlight dim. Like Kelly’s mood. Owen couldn’t stand to see him depressed. Especially on Christmas. He stood beside his chair and stared at Kelly’s reflection in the windshield for a long moment. Kelly had that familiar far-off pained look in his eyes. He didn’t seem to realize that Owen was standing at his side.

“You’re thinking about her again,” Owen said.

Kelly sucked a startled breath through his nose and then released it slowly. “Christmas is tough,” he said quietly, though his gaze never moved from whatever point in the distance held his attention. He was seeing the past. Still living in the past.

“Why’s that?” Owen asked.

“She said she wanted me to take her to see the Christmas tree in Times Square before she died.”

Owen knew Sara had died in January, so the opportunity had been there. “Did you go?”

He shook his head almost unperceptively. “I refused to take her. I wanted her to stay in bed. All those little things she wanted to do before she went, I wouldn’t let her do them. I was so afraid of her dying that I didn’t let her live.”

“Are you going to let yourself start living soon?” Owen asked.

Kelly turned his head to look up at him. “You can’t help but stick your nose in other people’s business, can you?”

“Nope.”

“And you can’t let people wallow in their misery.”

“Nope.”

“You know why?”

“Nope.”

“Nothing truly horrible has ever happened to you.”

Owen smiled. “And I plan to keep it that way.” He pulled the last gift from his bag and tossed it on Kelly’s lap. “Santa got you something. When you wear it, Sara will know you’re still bound to her. When you take it off, it’s because you’re finally ready to do what she wanted you to do and move on.”

Owen hoped Kelly didn’t wear the leather wrist cuff for too awfully long. He wanted it to be a constant reminder to him that Sara would want him to find someone to love. Or at least to someone to screw properly.

He patted Kelly’s shoulder and turned to go. Kelly grabbed Owen’s wrist and stuffed a small box in his hand. “Santa got you something too.”

Excitement flowing through him, Owen opened the box and found a set of dog tags on a chain. He ran his fingers over his brother’s name—Chad—and then donned him. He’d worn dog tags for years—even before his brother had joined the military—to symbolize how he loved his country. These tags meant something even more to him. He clutched the flat pieces of metal in one hand and sent a silent prayer to keep his brother safe in Afghanistan. He hoped Chad was able to have some sort of celebration. Maybe he could talk the guys into visiting the troops and putting on a concert for them someday. Or maybe he could fool Shade into thinking that he’d come up with the idea and he’d insist the band go overseas.

“Thanks,” Owen said, “but don’t you think it’s kind of lame to give your buddy jewelry for Christmas?” He knew damned well he’d given three out of four of his band mates some sort of jewelry, but couldn’t help but mess with Kellen. He was entirely too gloomy this morning.

“That’s from Santa,” Kelly said. “Don’t tell me you stopped believing.”

“Of course I haven’t. It’s Christmas.”

He turned to find Shade talking on his cell phone and grinning like a loon. “Did you open all your presents already?” Shade laughed at whatever his daughter said on the other end of the line. “What did Santa a bring you?” He interjected a “wow!” and a “that’s awesome!” every now and then, but otherwise just listened to her rattle on about her apparently huge pile of gifts. After several minutes, his smile faltered. “No, angel, I can’t come see you today.” He put on a pair of horribly bent sunglass to hide his suddenly watery eyes, but he couldn’t disguise the breathless quality of his voice as he spoke to her. “I’m stuck in the snow.” He chuckled. “Yes, I know it doesn’t snow lots in Texas, but I’m in Idaho. It snows lots in Idaho.” He bit his lip. “You’d make a perfect snow angel.”

Owen pointed at his Santa hat to remind him that they were going to give little Julie a second Christmas this year.

“When daddy gets home…” He paused as she interrupted him again. “Eight more sleeps. I know that’s a long time, honey. When daddy gets home in eight more sleeps, we’ll have another Christmas with just you and me.”

Owen crossed his arms over his chest and cleared his throat pointedly. He totally wanted in on the fun. He loved Christmas just as much as any three-year-old did.

“And Owen is going to get himself stuck in the chimney just for you.” Shade laughed. “Yep, he does have a flying reindeer as a matter of fact.” And then apparently his ex-wife got on the phone because his expression changed from his “melted daddy” look to his “oh my god what does this bitch want now” look. “Maybe he does have a fucking flying reindeer,” Shade shouted.

Really? She was going to yell at him about that? Owen normally didn’t interfere in Shade’s drama with his ex-wife, but he wasn’t letting Tina ruin Shade’s entire day. He was miserable enough about not getting to see his daughter today.

He lifted the phone to his ear, not really paying attention to her caterwauling. “Tina,” Owen said, “he’ll be there to pick Julie up a week from tomorrow. Have a Merry Christmas.”

He hung up and handed the phone back to Shade.

“Thanks,” Shade said, “I can’t seem to control my temper when I have to interact with her.”

“No problem,” Owen said. “I love hanging up on her.”

“How about a nice Christmas breakfast?” Shade said.

“Are you cooking?” Owen asked.

“Yep.”

“Pancakes?”

“What else?”

“I’m in.”

“Me too,” Gabe said, setting his new book aside.

“Me three,” Adam said.

“Kelly?” Owen called. “You want breakfast?”

“Does Gabe have pants on yet?”

“I’m on it,” Gabe promised.

“Then yeah.” Kelly shed his blanket, his new leather cuff on his wrist.

It brought Owen no joy to see Kellen wearing the gift he’d given him. He looked forward to the day that he took it off permanently.

Lindsey and Vanessa slinked out of the bedroom at the back of the bus.

“Can we join you?” Vanessa asked.

“Shade tugged a pair of panties out of his pocket and passed them discretely to Owen.

“Did you ever find your panties, Vanessa?” Shade asked.

“No,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I think some fool stole them.”

Owen tucked her panties into his back pocket.”

“I hope they turn up,” Shade said. “We have a no panties-no breakfast policy on this tour bus.”

“Whatever,” Vanessa said.

“It’s true,” Gabe said. “Why do you think I decided to get dressed?”

“You wear panties?” Vanessa asked.

“Only on special occasions.”

Lindsey grinned. “I found my panties. What’s for breakfast?”

“Shade’s famous melt-in-your-mouth pancakes.”

“Sounds great.” She moved to sit in the booth at the dining table.

When Vanessa tried to follow her, Adam reached out of his bunk with his now fully functional arm and grabbed her leg. “Panty inspection required.”

“I said some fool done stole my panties.”

“Then no breakfast for you.”

Vanessa looked to her friend for assistance. “Girl, you aren’t going to desert me, are you?”