“Kick his ass, baby,” Owen said. “He gloats for days every time he beats someone.”

“Which would be every time I play,” Gabe said, rolling the dice and getting a pair of sixes. Again.

“I think his dice are loaded,” Caitlyn complained.

“I’m just lucky.” Gabe winked at her. She lost her train of thought for a moment. The physics majors in her class hadn’t looked like him. If they had, she wouldn’t have been fooling around with her English professor.

Gabe hit another of her pieces and lifted it from the playing field to sit it on the bar in the center of the board.

“Damn it.”

At this rate, she wasn’t going to get a single piece into her home base. It was impossible to make it across the board when she was spending all her time re-entering her captured pieces.

“This is why no one ever beats him,” Owen said. “He’s an offensive player.”

“I definitely find his playing offensive,” Caitlyn said.

The guys laughed, and she flushed again.

By the time they reached Houston, she was completely at ease in the presence of Owen’s band mates. And she’d even managed to beat Gabe in one out of their three games, which made her some sort of hero, especially in Adam’s eyes.

The bus stopped behind an empty stadium. Caitlyn peered out a large tinted window, surprised by the controlled madness shown by the road crew as they moved equipment inside. The huge semi-truck was nearly empty. They’d obviously been at it for hours before the band’s arrival.

As the other guys filtered off the bus, chatting, Owen pulled Caitlyn aside.

“Are you glad you came?” he asked.

“So far. I haven’t been subjected to your eardrum-damaging music yet.”

“You’ll enjoy it,” he said.

She wasn’t so sure, but she knew the guys in the band, so like the dutiful aunt of a school kid, she’d go to their music performance and tell them they sounded great no matter how horrible they were.

When the last of the guys stepped off the bus, Owen leaned in to steal a kiss. “I’ve wanted to do that for hours,” he said.

“Then why didn’t you?”

“I have to live with these guys,” he said. “And they can be pretty immature about teasing a guy about his girl.”

“But you’re not like that, right?”

He grinned, and she guessed he was the ringleader of the teasing.

“Of course not.”

He backed her into the square dining table where she and Gabe had been playing backgammon and lifted her to sit on its surface. His hands cupped her breasts, and he massaged them gently.

“I’ve wanted to do this for hours too.”

She wrapped her legs around his hips and urged him into a tight hug. He melted into her.

“I liked having you here with me today,” he said. “The guys didn’t seem to mind either. I thought they’d give me hell for bringing you along, but they seemed to like the idea.”

She turned her face into his neck and inhaled. Mmm. What was it about this man that drove her to distraction?

“I know we haven’t known each other long,” he said.

“That’s true,” she murmured.

“But you fit here somehow. You fit with me.”

She went still, anticipating words she was not ready to hear.

“So anytime you want to come hang out with us, you’re welcome.”

Was that all? She snuggled closer to him again.

“Because I really like you and I’d hate to think we wouldn’t get to see each other again.”

“I’d hate that too,” she admitted.

“You could come with us tonight to Beaumont,” he said. “And then after that we’re in New Orleans. I could take you to another sex club, if you like. There’s an interesting one there.”

Her lips brushed his throat. “Too soon, Owen,” she said. She didn’t want to say no, but she did need him to slow down. He was like a bullet train, and she was only prepared for freight.

“Oh,” he said, the disappointment in his voice perceptible.

“I’m not saying I don’t want to be with you,” she whispered in his ear. “I just have a lot of responsibilities, and I need to take things slowly.” She leaned back and cupped his face in both hands. “I’m not rejecting you.” She knew that was what he really feared.

“Feels like it,” he said.

Her heart gave a little pang for hurting him. She understood why he had rules for his entanglements with women; he got his feelings hurt much too easily to expose his heart. But he’d exposed it to her, so she was going to have to be careful with it.

“Why don’t you try kissing me into oblivion, Owen?” she said huskily. “I seem to agree to your crazy plans when I’m not thinking straight.”

He grinned and tugged her closer. “Now there’s an idea.”

She was halfway to oblivion when someone marched up the steps. Owen drew away and stared into her eyes for a long moment before turning his attention to the man waiting for him to finish his business. As far as Caitlyn was concerned, Owen’s business wouldn’t be finished until his cock was inside her and she was shattering in one of those fantastic orgasms he gave her, but apparently this guy had other ideas.

“Can I help you, Jordan?” Owen asked.

“Uh, sorry to interrupt,” Jordan said, as if he was sorry he was no longer watching Owen make out with Caitlyn. “You’re needed for sound check.”

“I figured,” he said. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Okay.”

Jordan watched him expectantly until Owen said, “I don’t need an escort, Jordan.”

“Okay.” Jordan stared at them for one more uncomfortable moment and then turned to leave the bus.

“Nice kid,” Owen said, “but he’s a little slow on the uptake.”

“I think he’s overwhelmed with idol worship,” Caitlyn said. She rubbed her breasts against Owen’s hard chest, in no way ready to release him to his job.

“I think he was dropped on his head as an infant.”

Her hand moved between their bodies to cup his crotch. His cock jerked against her palm.

“Do we have time for a quickie?” she asked. “It’s been several hours since my last orgasm, and I think I’m developing an addiction to the feel of you inside me.”

He groaned. “That makes two of us.” He kissed her deeply and then pulled away. “But we’re going to have to wait until after sound check.”

“I hope it’s one of those things that only takes a few minutes.”

“Doubtful. Do you want to come backstage and watch or stay here on the bus?”

If he had to ask, he didn’t know how curious she was to learn how things worked. All things. But he’d learn that about her soon enough.

“I’d love to come backstage and watch you work.”

“Okay,” he said, “but it will cost you a blowjob.”

She knew he was just trying to get a rise out of her, but she played along. “Great. I gave you one of those this morning, so I’m all set.”

“Another blowjob,” he hurriedly remedied.

“You can’t change the rules after you state your condition,” she said.

“Of course I can. I’m a rock star.”

“It’s a good thing I don’t care about that. You’ll have to find someone else to be in awe of your fame. I’m just in awe of your skill in bed.”

“Well, that’s something, I suppose,” he said, and he helped her down from the table.

He took her hand and led her off the bus and into chaos.

Chapter Eleven

Caitlyn was overwhelmed by the amount of activity going on backstage. She could never do Owen’s job; frayed nerves would be a constant for her.

“Once sound check is over, we can find someplace a bit calmer,” Owen said in her ear. “Get in that quickie.”

“So you can tell I’m out of my element?”

“You look just a little freaked out,” Owen said.

“She looks entirely spooked,” Gabe said.

Her eyes widened when she glanced at him. He’d been wearing a baseball cap all day, but he wasn’t wearing one now. He had a mohawk spiked at least eight inches in the air. It was black near his scalp and scarlet at the tips, but what really set her jaw on the floor were the dragon tattoos inked on his scalp.