“Yes you were. Is someone on the bus? Steven do something to you?” His tone went from concerned to lethal in a split second.
She waved her hand between them. “No. Not at all. He’s playing poker with the guys. I’m fine.”
“Fine minus the crying part?”
Before Kylie could deny her breakdown, the bathroom door opened and Lulu stepped out with Trace’s bass player close behind her.
Kylie couldn’t even begin to contain her shock. Or her laughter.
“What the hell, Mike?” Trace didn’t seem to find the situation nearly as amusing as she did.
“Um, hey, man. I was looking for you.”
“Oh yeah? In my bathroom with Kylie’s friend? How long did it take you to figure out I wasn’t in there?”
Kylie watched Lulu’s face turn ten shades of red. She couldn’t resist embarrassing her friend a little more. “Sounded like they were looking really hard. Like slamming cabinets and everything.”
“Cabinets, huh?” Trace glared at Mike, who shrugged apologetically and yet didn’t appear to be the slightest bit sorry.
“I was going to see if Kylie wanted to grab some food and then I ran into Mike and…” Lulu’s eyes met hers.
Kylie nodded. “Well I’m here now if you’re still hungry. Sounded like you worked up quite an appetite.”
“Yeah. Starved. Let’s go.” Lulu ducked past all of them and was off the bus before Kylie could blink.
Kylie grinned and shook her head. She felt fifty pounds lighter. “Well, boys, care to join us for dinner? Might be a tight squeeze in my truck but I’m guessing Lu could sit on Mike’s lap.”
“Sounds good to me.” Mike took a step toward her but Trace’s hand on his chest stopped him.
Trace glared at his friend. “Thanks, but I think we’re gonna stay here and have a chat. And Mike’s going to sanitize my bathroom. Now.”
Kylie nodded. “All right. We’ll bring something back in a doggie bag. See y’all later.” She practically skipped toward the exit. Until a hand on her upper arm and his voice in her ear stopped her in her tracks. She hadn’t even realized he’d been following behind her.
“You were crying,” he said. An uncontainable shiver danced up her spine. “Because you thought that was me in there. You really think I’d screw your best friend? Right next to where you sleep?” His face told her exactly how much that assumption had hurt him.
She glanced over his shoulder to where Mike was sitting on the couch and turning on the Xbox. Clearly he had no plans of cleaning Trace’s bathroom. Once she was sure he couldn’t hear them, she met Trace’s wounded gaze.
She sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to drop it. “It caught me off guard, is all. I had no idea who was in there. I didn’t even know it was Lu until they came out.” A faint smile hinted at his lips. “I know it wasn’t in the contract or anything, but I thought we had enough respect for each other not to do that on the bus.”
“So you were crying because you thought it was me in there with someone? Why do you care?”
Kylie’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because I want to know. I want to know what bothers you and what makes you cry. Just like I want to know what makes you happy and what makes you laugh.”
She huffed out a breath. “Why do you care?”
“Why do you think?”
She rolled her eyes. “Well this is getting us nowhere. It was fun playing twenty questions, but I’m starving and Lu’s waiting.”
She turned to leave but Trace surprised her by reaching out once more. Strong hands pulled her to him and she didn’t fight it. After Steven ditching her, her own band not wanting to hang out with her, and hearing what she thought had been Trace with another woman, she didn’t have the strength to fight it anymore.
Breathing him in, allowing herself to savor the warm woodsy scent she hoped would linger on her skin, she struggled to hold herself upright. She trembled in his arms as he lowered his mouth to her ear.
“For future reference, you don’t have to worry, darlin’. If I make anyone moan on this bus, it will be you.”
His lips barely grazed her earlobe and her knees went weak.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
“Just being honest. I’d hate for you to waste any more of those sweet tears of yours for no good reason.” He straightened up and winked at her.
For a moment, all she wanted was to kick Mike Brennen the hell off that bus so Trace could make good on his promise.
“Kylie, you coming?” Lulu’s voice startled her out of her trance.