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CHAPTER 10
Delia
I hated how aware he made me feel. Aware of all the things I still had yet to experience in life. It was easier when I didn’t know what I was missing.
Now, I did. Thanks to what happened on the bus and the way he looked at me after he caught me. I knew what I was missing. How wonderful someone else’s lips tasted on mine. The way a man looked at you in the throes of lust. I was painfully aware of the heat he generated against my body, and I was helplessly aware of how much my body had wanted to lean into it.
Not to mention, he'd caught me calling out his name. It was painfully awkward to be around him after that.
I was here to do a job and nothing else. I was here to pave a way for my life that would sustain me after college. I wasn’t here to fall in lust with some asshole of a man who thought he was God’s gift to women. He was cocky. He was arrogant. And I wanted him.
“You done?” I asked.
I was aware of the fact that he was staring down my shirt. I could see his reflection in my computer screen. He looked like a fucking idiot, but my cheeks still flushed. Almost like it felt nice to have him staring at me
“Yep,” he said, as his eyes moved to the computer screen. “I’m done.”
I gritted my teeth and shook my head.
“Hank and I will be on the same floor as you and the band for the tour. I will be traveling behind in my truck and Hank will be on the bus with you guys.”
“Seriously? Hank’s riding on the bus?” Drake asked.
“He is.”
“And you’re sure that beat up truck can keep up with us?”
I drew in a deep breath as I closed my eyes.
“If it can’t, I’ve got the addresses for all the hotels. I’ll survive off my GPS,” I said.
“Fine. Suit yourself. But the party would be better if you were on the bus.”
“No thanks. I don’t feel like experiencing your rendition of any other picturesque fairytales.”
“Suit yourself,” he said, with a shrug.
It was easy to tell myself he was just an asshole, but when he pushed away from me and walked back toward the coffee pot, I caught the outline of the flask pressed against his pocket. He was a man that was struggling. Dancing with his demons while trying to keep his head above water. I knew he had a heart, somewhere down deep. He was once a family man. He gave a free concert to a charity that was close to his heart. After meeting his sister, I now knew why. I saw his eyes light up when he looked at her. That sister of his was his world. He was single-handedly taking care of a ranch, a music career, and an autistic sister.
Hell only knew the pressure he was under on a daily basis. Along with dealing with the loss of his wife and daughter, hell, that would drive any man to drinking.
It was hard to be mad at him when I saw the heart of him shining through. All the pain he was experiencing and all the booze he was using to cover it up, and he still had a soul he allowed out. It was hard for me to hate a man like that. Especially when I was supposed to be helping him.
I sighed and closed my eyes, resolving myself to work through the morning.
There were meetings to plan and interviews to confirm. There were hotels to talk with and concert coordinators to double-check on. Drake and his band liked things a very specific way whenever they arrived on site They each had their own pre-show rituals that needed tending to, and I found that the concert coordinators were willing to bend over backwards for them.
But the hardest thing to wrangle was the press. Four concerts in four different cities meant four different media escapades. Each wanted their own official press release from Drake Blackthorn himself, and it fell onto my shoulders to get those to them. Plus, there was figuring out how to get the tour bus cleaned down between cities and researching spots to gas up where the guys wouldn’t be bothered.
There was so much that went into just four shows. I could only imagine what it took to get an entire tour on the books and situated.
I expected Drake to go out and help Paul, but he didn’t. He bounced between rooms as I worked, not really sitting down or being of use. I had no idea what his issue was, but I was here to work.
Once I had everything confirmed, I gave him the rundown.
“Okay, I think I have everything confirmed,” I said.
Drake grunted as he stood at the window, tipping up his flask to his lips.
