Water drips from my hair as I step out of the bathroom to towel dry it and let Blake slip past me. He pauses after checking the coast is clear and tugs the collar of my shirt to the side, revealing the bite mark he left behind.
A soft sigh escapes me as he kisses it and gives me a shy smile before closing himself in the bathroom for his own shower.
Bending over, I dry my hair the best I can. There really isn’t enough room in the bathroom on this thing to do much more than the absolute necessity, which means I typically finish my hair in the living room area.
I tug my shirt back in place, thankful that we have five days for Blake’s love bite to heal. We need to be more careful. I don’t need anyone to get a picture of that. I know the ruse with Darius would get blown out of the water after some crazy ass fan measured his teeth from a picture and overlay it with Blake’s mark…
Shit. I rub at my temples, trying to ward off the tension headache wanting to appear at the thought. Warm hands landon my shoulders, kneading at the knots in my muscles. I shouldn’t be this tense after a morning like mine.
Glancing over my shoulder, I find Keaton. His drumsticks between his teeth and a dish towel thrown over his shoulder. Damn, he’s sexy first thing in the morning.
When my muscles aren’t nearly as tense, he leads me to the end of the couch and hands me his sticks. After a moment of rustling sounds, he comes back with my brush and hairdryer.
“Relax,” he commands, his smooth voice flowing over me like silk. One word, and yet my body complies, simply because he’s the one who said it.
I sink into the cushions, blowing out a breath. Keaton takes my brush and starts slowly, methodically, running it through my damp tresses.
His strong fingers dance across my scalp, sending tingles down my spine. The rhythm of his strokes soothes me as I close my eyes and melt in place. The scent of his cooking fills the small space between us. It might not be traditionally a romantic scent—bacon, eggs and hash browns—but it’s what our connection is built on. All that’s missing is coffee.
The sound of the bristles dragging against each strand of hair is hypnotic, lulling me into a state of calmness I haven’t felt in days. A warmth fills me as he meticulously works his way through the wet knots.
True to himself, Keaton remains silent, letting the peacefulness between us do all the communicating that words can’t. When he has all the snarls cleared, the whirring sound of the hairdryer kicks on as the heat washes over me, drying my locks as he runs his fingers through them.
I watch him in the reflection of the window—his lips pursed slightly, eyes focused intently on his task—and I feel a strange sense of helpless attraction wash over me. His gray-tipped darkhair hangs rakishly over his forehead, framing those intense eyes that always seem to see through me to my very core.
A strange sense of melancholy snakes through me. I’ve really missed this, being able to slow down and enjoy one-on-one moments with my guys. If I’ve learned one thing this morning, it’s that I need to make this a priority. No matter how chaotic the road becomes, we still need each other.
He finishes with my hair and turns off the blow dryer before running the brush through my strands one more time. “You doing okay, Keaton?”
While he’s always protected me and made sure I’ve been taken care of, it’s occurred to me that this might be a show of him seeking out a connection like the other two did this morning.
I don’t need more proof of how much we needed to escape, but I’m sure thankful Darius suggested it.
Keaton lifts my chin with his finger and brushes a light kiss over my lips.Let me finish breakfast,he tells me with the tilt of his head.
While he does that, I stand and make my way to the coffee bar. This time, I make one for each of us, Nash’s comment the other day playing through my head. I’m turning around to take my seat again when he comes out, Blake behind him, both of them fresh from the shower. I’m not sure what held Nash from coming right out, but he licks his lip ring like it’s the first time he’s seen me today, attraction brimming in his eyes.
“Here you go.” I hold his cup out to him and the biggest smile splits his face.
“You do love me!” He grabs the cup and takes a big sniff. “Ahh, that’s the good stuff. Not as good as you, though, baby.”
The door to the bus slams shut and we collectively turn to find Darius standing there. He shrugs off his winter coat, then strips a sweater off, exposing his six pack as the shirt underneath lifts with it. The smirk on his face says he heard what Nash said, butI’m distracted from worrying about it when he uses his arm to wipe the sweat from his brow. The man has that stupid V that makes me want to check my mouth.
“No drooling, baby,” Nash whispers, his coffee cup held in front of his mouth like it can act like an extra shield to block the sound. If it wouldn’t be so obvious, I know he’d swipe his finger over my lip like he’s cleaning it off.
“Breakfast,” Keaton announces, breaking the tension building in the room.
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.” Darius grabs a bottle of water from a case sitting by the door, drawing my attention to the numerous bags sitting there.
“What’s all that?” I ask, grabbing my coffee and the plate Keaton hands me.
“We messaged Gill last night when we picked a campground, and she was able to get us the supplies we will need to spend our time here without having to risk leaving to get it ourselves,” Blake tells me, grabbing both his and Darius’ cups from the counter and handing it to the man.
“She’s freaking amazing.” I can’t believe I’ve been lucky enough to get her on my team. I swear things have never run smoother.
“Because of her, I was able to get a start on some firewood. We also got some gas space heaters to make it bearable to sit outside.” Darius stretches his neck and takes a seat on the couch with his coffee and food.
Damn it. I can’t believe I missed seeing him splitting wood. Bet that was a freaking sight. I wonder if the others would be willing to take a turn.
