Before I knew it, April and her dad were walking onto the stage as we finished up our tenth song. Sweat dripped off my face and onto my shirt, which seemed like I’d taken a shower in it. Before I could stop myself, I stood up and met her halfway across the stage. I held up my drumsticks, which started a frenzy in the crowd. They knew what I was doing. They were seasoned groupies.
April’s eyes met mine as she realized I was walking toward her. That same charge traveled through my body. I handed her the drumsticks without saying a word. The crowd went insane. I could see many flashes as people took pictures, but it didn’t bother me. She beamed as she took the sticks from my hands, her fingers brushing mine. I almost jumped at her touch but forced myself to take one step back instead.
“Did you see this?” April boomed into the microphone. “Beau just gave me his drumsticks! Who is jealous right now?” The crowd screamed, jumping up and down. She glanced over her shoulder at me and grinned wickedly.
I froze in place behind her. Bex’s footsteps came up behind me, her hand lightly skimming my arm. I immediately relaxed.
“We wanted to take a moment to thank you for coming to this Jaded Regret concert to benefit Young Angels Children’s Hospital, which you can see behind us. Because of all your generosity, not only will we get to complete the next phase, but we will also get to help many foster kids who have aged out of the system but still need assistance. Thanks to Bexley Bryant-Gibbons, we’ll be assisting her in funding an assisted living facility here in Orlando for those kids. It will help them with finding jobs, giving them life skills, and assist them in finding a safe and low-cost place to live.”
Bex stepped up next to April. “Thank you, Orlando.” Her voice was gruff through her headset. “Most of you know I have a special place in my heart for kids in the foster care system, especially those who never got to have families and then found themselves all alone in the world just because they were considered adults. It’s my goal to help those who need it and get more kids families.” The crowd screamed and jumped up and down. Bex glanced back at me for just a second, but I knew what she meant. For kids like us who had no one.
“Now who’s ready to rock?”
Bex nodded at us, and we turned to go back to our respective places. April put her hand on my arm before I could get too far from her. “Thank you,” she whispered into my ear. “I’ll keep them forever.” I allowed a small smile to play on my lips before turning away from her. I grabbed a new pair of drumsticks and watched as she exited the stage. She turned back and stood, studying me the entire time again.
I wasn’t sure what I was doing, but I could still feel where she’d touched me on my arm.
“I’m exhausted,” Bex said, tipping back a water bottle and draining it. She picked up her signature chicken tender—she always liked greasy fried food after a show. “We have to get out there soon.”
As part of the fundraiser, we had sold tickets to a meet and greet. We would sign items purchased at the event, take pictures for a donation to the hospital, and mingle with a few hundred of our best fans. It was enough to make me nervous as hell, but I’d do it.
“All I want to do is crash with my babies.” It shouldn’t shock me at this point to hear her talk about her kids like that, but it did. The softer side of Bex was still taking some getting used to.
“Hell yeah. Maybe I can get April and Camryn to come back with me to my room tonight,” Tanner said, ignoring Bex’s comment about her kids. “Camryn was—”
“Do you always think with your dick?” I interjected. “Who says April would fall at your feet? She doesn’t seem the type to suck your dick while you lick someone else.”
Four sets of eyes swung to me in shock. I never spoke up to Tanner about his shenanigans, but why did he need to try to get April, too? She was too classy for a slut like him.
“Most guys do,” Tanner said. “Just because you are a self-imposed prude doesn’t mean the rest of us have to be. And thanks for the visual, now all I can think of is April sucking my cock while I’ve got Camryn spread eagle.”
“Tanner,” Natalie said, her voice tight. I clenched my fists at the image of April bent down in front of him.
“You got a problem, Beau?” Tanner crossed his arms in front of his chest.
I shook my head, forcing myself to breathe out and slow my heart rate before I responded. “No. I guess I just don’t understand why you need to try to fuck your way through every town we go to. You are a womanizer, and it’s just old. The whole world knows you’re a whore, and you just keep going like you’re proud of it.”