Fully Automatic (Bullet) (18 page)

Holy shit. When he started pulling up on her shirt, she moved back and lifted her arms.  Hot damn.  Oh, God, could he make it?  He set her shirt on top of his on the seat and brought her mouth to his to start kissing her again.  He knew he’d have to move slowly.  He didn’t want to freak her out, didn’t want to move too fast.  He would take his time, go as slowly as she needed, but she’d just made his night.

He moved his hands to the small of her back and started feeling her skin from the top of her skirt to the bottom of her bra strap.  He wanted to ease into things, and he could tell she appreciated it.  She needed to be warmed up each step of the way, and he could do that.  Her fingers on his chest were driving him crazy, especially when she’d drag them down his torso, because his cock would get harder again, aching for her to touch him there.

She shifted against him again, almost grinding into him.  And then he thought they could just dry fuck tonight if she was comfortable with that.  He didn’t care.  It was just nice being with her, feeling her, tasting her, spending time with her and only her.  He started kissing her neck again, and this time, she let out a long sigh, encouraging him to go further.  So he kissed lower, trailing his tongue along the top of her breasts, just above her bra.  He moved his fingers up to the bra at her back so he could unclasp it.  He was pretty sure, based on their previous
conversations, that she’d never had a guy kiss her breasts, and he wanted to warm her up more.  He knew he could make her feel good that way.

He was hardly aware of the sound of a girl giggling just outside the van, but it
all came crashing down when the side door to the van slid open.  The dome light came on then, shining its harsh beams on them, and Nick and the brown haired girl he brought along with him crawled into the van.

Val gasped.  Nick said, “Oh.  Don’t let us stop you.”  Then he slid the door closed.  The light was off again
, and Brad hoped Val would be okay with having them up there.  “We’re just gonna take the seat up here.  Proceed.”

Val was tense now, but Brad hoped he could pull her back into the mood.  In his mind, he thought,
Goddammit, Nick. 
He kissed her neck, moving up to her ear, and whispered, “You okay?”

“Define
okay
.”

He chuckled.  Nick and his girl were being noisy, so making Val feel comfortable with them there was going to be difficult. 
“We can keep going.”

Val started pawing at the seat next to them, searching for her shirt.  “I really should go.”

“Oh, Valerie,” he said, whispering.  This was his last shot, and so he had to tell her exactly what he was thinking.  He ran his fingers through her hair again and said, “I could make you feel like you were born to fly.  I want to do that.  I want to show you what you were made for.”  He kissed her neck again.  If she could just get back in the mood…

But, even though she’d paused for a moment, she was feeling for her shirt again.  “Brad, I’m sorry.
  I can’t.”  She found her tee and slid it back over her head.  Then she got off his lap and felt around for her shoes.  While she did that, he grabbed his t-shirt and put it on.  She was heading to the door, and he scrambled to get up.  His hard on was gone, but it was replaced by a dull ache in his balls.  Fuck.  He’d have to kill Nick later…especially since, as he followed Val out of the van, he noticed that Nick was getting some.

The air outside the van was cool, and it made Brad notice the front of his jeans were damp.  Oh, God, he couldn’t dwell on that.  He’d had her turned on
, and they’d been so close.  Well, one last shot.  He pulled Val close to him in an embrace.  “Did they make you uncomfortable?  I know that was weird.  I can get us a room, just you and me…”

“I can’t, Brad.  I just can’t.”  She looked down, avoiding his eyes.  “I think I’ll just go home.”

He brought her closer, holding her head to his chest.  Goddamn, he was hurting, but he had to give Valerie credit for sticking to her guns.  She had a hell of a lot more willpower than he did.  “No, that’s cool.  I respect your decision…probably more than you’ll ever know.  Doesn’t mean I didn’t wish you wouldn’t change your mind.”  He sighed.  “How far do you live from here?”

“Not too far.  Probably less than a mile.”

“I’ll walk you home.”  He put an arm around her shoulders so they could begin the walk.  Maybe it would help.  “You okay?”

She smiled, wrapped her arm around his lower back, hitching her thumb in his belt loop.  Then she leaned against him.  “Yeah, I think so.”

Maybe he still had a chance…sometime down the road.  Whatever the case, his feelings for this girl ran deep.  “You are amazing.”

She giggled
, and they started walking.  Brad knew it was gonna be a long damn night.

Chapter Twenty

BRAD AND VAL
took longer than half an hour to make it to her house, a nice leisurely stroll in the cool early summer air.  She even let him kiss her good night before she went in her house.  It assured him he continued to have a chance.

The walk back to the hotel, though, was something different entirely.  He was fucking pissed—not
only at Nick for the cock block of a lifetime, but he was pissed at Ethan for making Valerie feel like shit.  He was gonna give it to them both with both barrels.

By the time he got there, though, he was tired and, even though his balls ached to their core, he was feeling calmer.  He walked in the hotel room
, and everyone was passed out.  Ethan was in one of the beds with a blonde on both sides.  Zane and his girl were in the other bed, and there was no sign of Nick.  Still in the van maybe.  He grabbed a pillow that had slid onto the floor and sat in one of the chairs, setting the pillow on the table and resting his head on it.  Before he knew it, it was morning.  He felt like hell, so he got in the shower.  The guys (and the girls surrounding them) were sleeping, so he got dressed and decided to walk around town in search of a cup of coffee.

He slammed the door on his way out.

Immature, yeah, but he wanted their asses out of bed by the time he returned.

He felt a little better.  His head stopped throbbing
, and he felt a little calmer about the situation with him and Valerie.  But he’d also been hatching a plot—not only would it keep her more fully in his life, but it would also help her realize the dream she’d been denying herself.

He found a café on Main Street and drank a few cups of coffee.  He wrote some
notes on his phone—that song, that tune that had been floating around in his head the night before.  He had to get it down before it was lost for good, because it signified something special in his life.  When his head was clear and his mood improved, he paid for the coffee, left a nice tip, and then walked back to the motel.

Sometime after
ten o’clock, Brad unlocked the door to the motel room he and his bandmates (and their dates for the previous evening) had shared.  He was dying to get home to his own bed and real sleep.  Before then, though, they had some business to finish.  He nearly started shouting, finding them all in various states of slumber—including Nick, who’d found his way back to the room.  The drummer was curled up on the bed next to Zane, his mouth wide open and snoring.  He was also tempted to kick their asses.  It was a little too early to start doing the whole sex, drugs, and rock and roll thing.  They weren’t established enough at the rock and roll part to go nuts yet.

Instead, he stayed under control and cool and said, his voice loud, commanding, but not overbearing, “Guys, time to get up.  We gotta check out and then hit the road.”  He had to shake Ethan’s shoulder once to get him to stir, but one of the blondes sat straight up and then freaked out when she realized her tits were hanging out uncovered.  She woke her sister
, and both women made their way to the bathroom.

Zane was moving his head back and forth and started opening and closing his mouth as though there were a bad taste in it.  Then he opened his eyes and saw Nick curled up next to him.  He sat up, his date waking at the same time.  He said, “Nick, get your ass up.”

Brad was moving Ethan’s shoulder back and forth.  The guy was dead to the world.  He heard Zane behind him say, “What?  Your girlfriend didn’t want to cuddle with you so now you’re hitting on me?”

“Whatever.”

“Yeah, whatever.”  Zane cleared his throat.  “Fag.”

“
Fag?
  You’re the one who was cuddling
me
.  Just ‘cause I curled up next to you.”

“Kiss my ass.”

“Yeah, you play tough.  I felt your dick getting all hard with me next to you.”

“Get the fuck out of here.”

Nick started giggling, and then grabbed his head.  “Oh, fuck.  Laughter—not good.”

“That’ll teach you to hit on your friend, butt munch.”

“Fuck you.”

Brad would have laughed if he hadn’t been so angry.  “Come on, Ethan.  Get your ass up.”  Finally, his friend registered Brad’s voice
, and he sat up.  In the meantime, Brad heard the girl with Zane mutter something, and then she rustled around a bit and left.

“What?”

“We gotta go.  We need to get back home.  I have to work in the morning.”

“Work shmirk.  I don’t know why you bother.  If you wanna have a band, you need to fully commit.”

That was it.  “Are you fucking kidding me, Ethan?  You have the balls to go there?  Did you know we wouldn’t even have that goddamn van or be able to rent that trailer if not for my job?”

Ethan shrugged but said nothing.  The blonde twins emerged from the bathroom.  They giggled and tiptoed over to Ethan.  Both kissed him on the cheek.  “Call us next time you’re in town.”

“I don’t have your number.”

“Yeah, you do.  We
added ourselves to your contacts list on your phone.”

They blew kisses and one of them shook her ass on the way out the door.  Once they’d shut it, Zane said, “How the fuck do you do that, man?”

“Do what?”

“Score such prime meat.”

Ethan shrugged.  “I dunno.”

“They’re cute.”

“Monique and Dominique.  They had a unique technique.”

Nick started laughing again and then he grabbed his head once more.  “Ow.”

Brad sighed.  “Guys, we have a lot to talk about.”

“Sure, dad.  What’s on your mind?”  Ethan draped his legs over the edge of the bed and grabbed the crumpled pack of cigarettes on the nightstand next to the phone.

“Don’t
you
start that bullshit right now, Ethan.  Actually, no.  Since you did, we’ll start with you.”

Ethan scowled.  “What the fuck did I do exactly?”

“What
didn’t
you do?”  Ethan glared at him, challenging him.  Brad took that as a cue to chill, so he took a deep breath and made sure his voice was calm and even when he finally spoke.  “Dude, what the hell are you doing to Valerie?”

“What? 
Valerie?
”  Ethan lit a cigarette and slammed the lighter on the nightstand.

“Yeah, Valerie.  Didn’t you kiss her when we were in Colorado Springs?”

Ethan rolled his eyes.  “Maybe.”  He took a drag off his cigarette.  “So?”

“So…she cares about you.”

“And?”

“And she thinks you feel the same way.  That was an asshole move, bringing those two girls to the party when Val was expecting to spend time with you.”

Ethan stood.  “Don’t even fuckin’ start with me, Bradley.  I saw you more than happy to pull her out of here.  Why the hell should I even try when you’re with her?”

Brad stood as well.  “Are you
that
goddamn stupid?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?
”

“Guys, help me out here.  Who does Valerie really have eyes for?”

Zane said, “Fuck that.  I’m not getting in the middle of this bullshit.”

Brad nodded.  “Fair enough.  Maybe you need to ask her yourself.”

“Tell me the truth,
brother
.  Did you fuck her last night?”

Oh, God…he’d wanted to.  He hadn’t ever wanted anything so badly in his
life.  Nick could attest to the fact that he hadn’t—if he could even remember anything.  Of course, he could also let them know that Brad and Val had been doing a little more than talking.  But that led him to topic number two.  “No.  But I wish we had.  She needed someone to make her feel better.  And, by the way, Nick, thanks a lot.”

“What the hell did I do?”

“Biggest cock block in history, man.”

Nick’s jaw dropped as he
seemed to remember the past night’s events.  “Oh, shit.  Sorry, dude.”

Brad’s shrug was halfhearted.  “Too late now.”

“I thought it would be okay.  We do shit like that all the time.”

“Yeah, but…Valerie’s different.  She’s not a groupie.”

Ethan crushed his cigarette out in the glass ashtray on the nightstand.  “And that’s where your problem is, assholes.  You think of Val like a friend, rather than just another chick.”

Brad felt his blood pressure rising again, but he caught Zane’s look, so he knew it wasn’t just himself thinking Ethan was way out of line.  That was good, because he was going to need back up for the final thing he was going to say—a proposition of sorts, and if he had to, he was going to make both Ethan and Nick feel guiltier to get them to agree to his terms.
  He wanted to instead beat the shit out of his friend, but he also knew it was Ethan’s dark, drug-fueled side, and he’d let it slide…for now.

“Go clean up, animals.  There’s something else we need to talk about.”

“Spit it out.”

“Fuck, no.  Go clean up.  Then we’ll talk.”  Brad went outside for a few minutes of fresh air.  It was almost hot outside, but for now, the warm sun felt nice on his arms.  He looked down and saw the half sleeve of tattoo from the hem of his t-shirt sleeve down to his elbow.  He
loved that mishmash of tats, and they made him feel like an honest-to-God rock star.  He knew better, though.  It was time to take it seriously, time to take it to the next level, and he thought maybe his proposal would help them.

After close to ten minutes, he walked back in the room.  Zane had taken a shower and was wearing a new pair of jeans.  Ethan was smoking another cigarette
, and Brad couldn’t tell if he’d done shit, but he looked more awake.  Nick appeared to have, at least, scrubbed his face and made an attempt.  Brad could tell that the guy was feeling last night’s overindulgence.  He was glad he himself had found coffee, because it was helping him deal better.

“All right, guys.  Ready to hear me out?”

Ethan growled, “If you’re done nagging like a bitch.”

Ethan was getting under his skin today, and he’d get nowhere if he let him.  So he took a deep breath and pretended his friend hadn’t said anything.  “I have a question first.  What’d you guys think of Val when she sang with us?”

Zane didn’t hesitate.  “She’s got a great voice.  And the guys seem to really like her.”

Guys?
  “What guys?”

“The guys in the audience.  They dig her.  She looks hot with a mike in her hand.”

Brad felt a little green monster rear its ugly head in his gut, and he had to fight it.  Maybe that was true, but that wasn’t what Brad was thinking…or wanting.  “Yeah, but singing…what do you think?”

“She kicks ass.”

Nick said, “Yeah, she really does.  She wrote the song you guys sang, right?”  Brad nodded.  “I think that’s why she put so much emotion into it.  She has solid pipes, man.”  He tilted his head.  “What are you thinking?”

Ethan had been unusually quiet, and Brad didn’t want to show his cards until he knew what his brother thought.  “Ethan?”

His friend scowled again—something that was becoming a frequent occurrence—and then lit another cigarette.  “If you’re thinking what I think you are…”

“Just answer the goddamned question.”

“What was it?”

“What did you think of Val onstage?”

Ethan took a long draw on the cigarette in his hand and seemed to consider it.  “She was good, I guess.”

Well…for him to admit it, even if in a noncommittal way, said something to Brad.  “Guys, I’m thinking she might be just what we need to move to the next level.”  He let that sink in for a few moments.  They didn’t quite know what to think, but he could see them processing it.  Time to drive forward.  “You guys know she’s a phenomenal songwriter.  Her words blow ours to utter shame, and if you deny it, you’re fucking liars.”

They all nodded,
including
Ethan, and that was telling, because out of the two of them, Ethan was the better songwriter.  The guy had deep wells of pain to draw from, and when he focused on the pain and driving it through the pen onto paper and into his music, he was brilliant.  More often than not, though, Ethan preferred to drown the pain in booze and drugs, squandering any writing talent he had.

“But she’s a great singer too.  For not practicing at all, she was amazing.  And you can tell she’s into it.  I think once she got over being nervous, she could take us to the next level.”  Ethan blew out a cloud of smoke, ready to protest, but Brad interrupted.  “No, think about it.  Ethan, you and me, man…we’re doing double duty.  Wouldn’t it be nice to just focus on your axe, concentrate on perfecting your skills?  Instead, we’re so busy singing too that our attention’s divided.  Rhythm, lead, it doesn’t matter.  I know
I
personally could get a thousand times better if I wasn’t worried about singing too—and keeping the audience excited and engaged.”

Zane said, “So…do we try her out or what?”

“Well—yes and no.  I mean…we already tried her out, right?  And she passed with flying colors.”