Under the Lights (A Brothers of Rock - GONE BY AUTUMN - Novel) (17 page)

He moved Sam aside and walked down
the corridor. He found the rest of the band backstage warming up with some
drinks and a mini jam session. There was some press getting set up. Two radio
stations, two magazines, and a handful of lucky fans who won backstage passes
all lined up to get an exclusive interview. As per usual, they all asked to
talk to Ryan first. But to Ryan
’
s
credit, he kept directing all their questions back to the band and what the
band was up to.

The doors opened at six and the venue
filled up quickly.

Tanner sat alone on a barstool and
strummed away, stretching his fingers. He started to get nervous because the
singers hadn't shown up yet. Just as he was about to send Sam looking for them,
they came running down the hall explaining they had been stuck in traffic
because of a car accident.

Tanner was only concerned about one
person.

“
You
okay?
”
he asked Jules.

“
Yeah.
Luckily, we weren't involved in it." She looked around. "I can
’
t believe all this.
”

“
Want
to see something amazing?
”

“
Sure.
”

Tanner took Jules by the hand and
walked her down the hallway. They snuck past the techs and security. Tanner
pulled Jules to the curtain at the right side of the stage. He stood behind her
with his hands on her waist.

The venue was packed. Five thousand
eager and excited fans ready to experience Gone by Autumn. The crowd was loud
as they got situated. The opening act was starting in just a few minutes.

“
See
that?
”
Tanner asked.

“
Holy
shit,
”
Jules said.
“
I
’
m
going to be sick.
”

“
No.
No. Look at them. It
’
s
beautiful. All those people want to hear you sing.
”

“
They
want to hear Gone by Autumn.
”

“
And
you
’
re part of that now.
”

“
Someone
asked me for an autograph,
”
Jules said.
“
They said they
saw me at The Jack
…”

“
That
’
s what good music does to
people. It makes them travel hours to hear it again.
”
Tanner spun Jules around and stared into her eyes.
“
Right now, the way you
felt staring at that crowd is exactly how I feel looking at you.
”

“
You
say things like that to me,
”
Jules said.
“
I don
’
t understand it.
”

Tanner moved a few stray strands of
hair out of Jules' face.
“
There
’
s plenty of lies I could tell,
darling, but don't want to do that with you.
”

The lights suddenly went out.

The crowd erupted.

Jules crept forward and hugged
Tanner.

She
’
s afraid of the dark.

The opening band rushed out on the
stage and started to play. As the lights came back on, Tanner could see Jules
again. She was looking straight up at him. A little smile grazed her face as
Tanner leaned down to kiss her.

“
Might
want to let her save her mouth for the show,
”
Sam said and laughed.

Tanner grinned and Jules covered
her face with her hands.

“
Let
’
s rock n
’
roll, darling,
”
Tanner said, pulling her hands down so she was looking at him.
“
We
’
ll
continue this later.
”

*

Jules stood on the stage and
listened to the crowd swelling. The lights were out, the people were going
wild, and the band was slowly coming out on stage. Ryan ran right to the mic
and screamed, which got the fans even more excited.

“
Ready?
”
he yelled. The crowd cheered.
“
That
’
s not good enough. Bring the roof off the place. I
said
…
READY?
”

Jules could never have prepared
herself for the noise that shook the stage she was standing on. Being in The
Jack with a few hundred people jamming was much different than this. This was a
real show. A rock show. This was a freaking Gone by Autumn show and she wasn
’
t watching it from the crowd
…
she was part of it
.

Tanner began the show by playing a
guitar riff. Blake joined a second later and then the entire band kicked in. It
was so loud. Tanner ran across the front of the stage, waving his picking hand
when he could, making sure everyone was jumping.

Ryan sang and it brought it all
together. When it came time for Jules to sing, she sang like she never sang
before. There were lights shining down on her and after the first few songs,
Ryan introduced each of the singers. To hear her name being spoken to a crowd
of five thousand people was a dream. But what made it better was when the crowd
applauded her. They cheered her - and Marilyn and Dani - on to sing more.

The next song started and Ryan ran over
to the three of them.

“
The
chorus!
”
he screamed and
gave a thumbs up.

Jules knew what that meant. They would
carry the chorus like they had worked on during practice.

That was one of the greatest
moments of Jules' life.

Tanner played a guitar solo while
standing in front of the drum kit. When he finished, he pushed his guitar
behind him. He looked even hotter with a guitar strapped to his back. He
reached up and started to clap his hands together. As he charged to the front
of the stage, Blake played the drumbeat and the crowd followed Tanner
’
s lead.

“
Take
it away,
”
Ryan said into
the mic.
“
Let
’
s hear it for Marilyn, Dani, and
Jules!
”

The three of them started to sing
the chorus, their voices being heard throughout the whole venue. Jules wasn
’
t sure if she could keep her
eyes open for fear of messing things up, but she quickly realized she couldn
’
t even blink right now. She
wanted to see the crowd's reaction. She wanted to experience it all. And the
best part was when the crowd started to sing back at them.

Ryan and Tanner sang one chorus and
then stopped. They all then took turns, Ryan and Tanner sang one more, the backup
singers sang the next, and then the crowd sang the third while the band was
silent.

Jules was having the time of her
life. She was a part of something that mattered. Her voice mattered. It was a
dream come true.

Tanner went to the back of the
stage and climbed on top of his speakers. He pointed to Asher and the other
guitarist did the same. They started to play the chorus one last time and
everyone sang this time.

The song came to an end and the
crowd erupted.

The stage went dark.

A few seconds later Blake started
to play another drum beat.

A light turned on above Tanner and
he started to play guitar.

Jules was in awe. Forget the stage.
Forget the show. Forget the crowd even. Looking at Tanner atop a set of
speakers, like he was on top of the world, had her body going wild. His fingers
made the guitar scream and he played what everyone in the venue wanted to hear.

Those same fingers
touched
my body.
Between my legs.

Another light came on, this one on
Asher, and he started to play.

The intro went on and on for a
minute or two before both Tanner and Asher stopped at the same time.

The lights went out again and the
crowd cheered.

Jules suddenly realized she had
been holding her breath watching the incredible performance the guys were
putting on. Then, all at once, the lights came on and Tanner and Asher jumped down
to the stage at the exact same time. When their feet hit the stage, the song
started and didn
’
t stop
again.

It was so cool to see, Jules was so
into it. She was smiling and wanted to jump up and down and cheer.

The show continued through a few
slow songs, a couple acoustic songs, and then went back into the faster
material. Jules sang her heart out, making this the longest show she had ever
been part of.

Gone by Autumn played a three song
encore and when the show finished for good, they stood at the front of the
stage, bowing, throwing anything they could into the crowd, grabbing what they
could to sign and toss back. Jules followed Marilyn and Dani off the stage. She
turned to catch one more glimpse of the band and saw Tanner take his shirt off
and throw it into the crowd.

Jealousy flashed in her eyes, but
then she remembered that, yes, some lucky fan would have Tanner
’
s sweaty shirt
…
but Jules would have Tanner
’
s sweaty body.

Jules started chugging water like
she hadn't had any in years. Her heart was racing from the show. Her adrenaline
was in high gear, and now she was backstage waiting for whatever was going to
happen next.

Through the walls Jules could hear
the crowd cheering for Gone by Autumn. Even after they appeared backstage, the
crowd cheered for a little while longer until they realized the show was
actually over.

The five guys celebrated with hugs
and handshakes. After they each grabbed a drink, Tanner turned and stared right
at Jules.

“
Time
to hit the bus and party,
”
Asher said.
“
Everyone is
invited.
”

On the bus? The tour bus?

Jules smiled.

Tanner approached her as the group
started to break up. Sam came into the room on his cell phone. There were
people rushing around, taking down equipment, shouting orders, knowing they
were on a timeline to get the stage packed up and on the road for the next
show.

“
How
was that?
”
Tanner asked.

“
That
was better than I could ever have dreamed.
”

Tanner bent down and put his lips
to her ear. It tickled.
“
You
don
’
t know dreams yet,
darling. These guys are going to party on the bus. I want you. Give me your
hotel room number and I
’
ll
be there in an hour. You better be ready.
”

Tanner kissed her cheek and walked
away.

Jules was melting on the inside. Nobody
else had heard what Tanner just said, but Jules did. Oh, she heard it. And her
body was making sure she also felt it.

(16)

Jules sat on the edge of the bed in
her hotel room. She had assumed that she and the other singers would be sharing
a room, but they each had their own. She got the suspicion that Tanner had
something to do with that. And there was nothing wrong with it.

After getting to her hotel, Jules
quickly took a shower to clean up. When she got dressed, she paced the room
before finally making herself sit down and wait. Her heart refused to believe
that Tanner would forget about her. Her mind said otherwise. Tanner had just
played an incredible rock show. Why wouldn
’
t
he want to be on his tour bus with drunk and willing women?

A soft knock sounded at the door
and Jules jumped up. Her mouth went bone dry as she approached the door. She
opened it and Tanner was leaning against the wall, a grin on his face, his
dark, sexy eyes eating through her heart and soul.

“
You
came,
”
she said.

“
Of
course. What did you think I was going to do?
”

“
I
don
’
t know.
”

“
Can
I come in?
”

Jules backed up and let Tanner into
the room. He had a bag with him and tossed it against the wall. Then, without
hesitation, he took Jules' face in his hands and attacked her mouth. It was
wild and sexy. His mouth and tongue were aggressive. Tanner pressed at Jules
until they were against the wall. His hands cut up her shirt. Jules mouth
opened and all she could do was groan. Tanner
’
s
tongue flickered down her neck.

“
I
want you naked,
”
Tanner
growled.
“
Right now.
”

“
I
can make that happen,
”
Jules whispered.

“
I
need a shower first.
”

“
You
could wait
…”

Tanner stepped back. He shook his
head.
“
You
’
re more than welcome to watch.
”

Tanner grabbed his bag and went
into the bathroom. He left the door slightly open. Jules' heart was pounding
like a hammer.

The shower turned on and she knew
she would be an idiot if she didn't accept the invite. When she gently pushed
the door open, Tanner was butt naked, his back to her. His back muscles looked
delicious and his ass was firm and perfect for her nails to dig into.

He looked over his shoulder and
said,
“
About time, darling.
”

Tanner turned and stepped into the
shower. The glass door allowed Jules to see
everything
. Tanner was a
beautiful man. She was overwhelmed trying to look at everything he had to
offer.

The water hit Tanner
’
s chest and ran down his body.
Jules stood at the sink, gripping the edge of it. Her toes were curling, knees
buckling. The anticipation was doing intense things between her legs.

The steam from the shower rose and
climbed across the ceiling. Tanner washed himself, acting as though Jules wasn
’
t there. Although he was the
only one naked, Tanner still managed to be in control of the night. Jules didn
’
t mind one bit. There was
nothing else to worry about. The show was over. The band was on the bus. Jules
had a private room. And now she had a private show as a sexy rockstar ran his
hands down his body, guiding the water and soap off him.

When Tanner touched himself, Jules
bit her bottom lip. He then rinsed his hair and shook his head. He opened the
door and looked at Jules, water dripping from his gorgeous face.

“
Are
you going to stand there dressed all night or what?
”
he asked.
“
I
’
ll tear your clothes off your
body if you want me to. Or
…”

Tanner shut the door again.

Jules stripped herself, tossing her
clothes onto the bathroom counter. As she stood in her bra and panties, she
watched Tanner reach for the water and turn it off. She reached back and unsnapped
her bra. It fell to the floor. She slipped her panties off and shyly stood back
up, not sure what to do with her hands. The first time with Tanner she was
drunk, which made it feel easier somehow. Now she was nervous. A second time
with Tanner was only going to pull her heart closer to him. But she couldn
’
t resist it. Even if it meant
getting hurt in the end.

The shower door opened and Tanner
stepped out.

“
Need
a towel?
”
Jules asked.

Tanner
’
s eyes were wide as they scaled her body up and
down. He moved at her, grabbing her waist. He lifted her onto the counter. His
hands slid up her body, his wet hands made her shiver and her nipples ached for
his touch. As if he could read her mind, Tanner was there a second later,
cupping her breasts, squeezing them and moaning.

“
So
beautiful,
”
he said.
“
I want to kiss you everywhere.
”

“
Please
do it,
”
Jules said.
“
Please, Tanner. Please.
”

Tanner slipped a hand behind her
head and came down at her, kissing her mouth passionately. He moved down her
neck and went right to her chest. But to Jules' surprise, Tanner kept going. He
went right past her breasts, the tip of his tongue tracing down past her belly
button.

Jules took a shaky breath and
forced herself to look down just in time for Tanner
’
s hands to open her legs, his tongue licked her
silky sex. One lap from the rockstar
’
s
tongue had Jules thrusting at him. She held onto the edge of the bathroom sink
with one hand, and grabbed Tanner's hair with the other. She felt desperate yet
good at the same time.

Tanner's soft lips kissed her
wetness as he glanced up into Jules' eyes. When he finally offered his tongue
again, his did so with such precision at her sensitive clit that she threw her
head back and cried out. The bathroom was still full of steam, making it hard
to breathe. But it felt so good. It felt so damn good.

As Tanner swirled his tongue,
cutting like the edge of razor, it sent pleasure racing through Jules. She
quickly found herself rocking at Tanner, wanting more. When he suckled her
folds, she crunched forward and pulled at his hair.

“
Easy,
darling,
”
Tanner whispered,
his breath spreading across her sex.
“
Easy.
”

Tanner kissed up her body, leaving
her tingling and aching for more. At her breasts, he stopped and kissed, his
tongue making circles around her nipples. Her needs were out of control. She
never felt like this before. Her body couldn
’
t
get enough.

Tanner kissed right back to her
mouth. Jules kissed him back, surprising herself that she wanted to taste what
Tanner had just enjoyed. Tanner grabbed Jules at her waist and pulled, bringing
his engorged tip to her sex. She was so ready for him and he was obviously
ready for her.

But not yet
…
not yet
…

Jules bent her legs and rested her
feet on Tanner
’
s legs. She
pushed him away, bit her lip, and slid from the counter. She admired the
chiseled body before her. Her hand was eager to touch Tanner, her fingers
tingling to scale his thickness.

“
Follow
me,
”
she said.

She led him out of the bathroom and
right to the bed. Tanner didn't stop touching her. One hand on her shoulder, playing
with her hair. The other hand trailing down her back. He cupped her ass,
reached between her cheeks, and kept going. Two fingers slid into her sex and
Jules moved to her toes and gasped.

“
Still
tight, darling,
”
Tanner
growled.
“
I like that.
”

Tanner bent his legs and kissed
Jules at the back of her neck. He guided himself to her and pressed, but Jules closed
her legs and reached back. She put her hand over Tanner
’
s hand and pulled his hand off himself.

“
What
are you doing?
”
he
whispered, his chest pressing against her back.

“
My
turn to taste,
”
Jules said.

She slowly turned, placing her
hands to Tanner
’
s stomach.
She felt his muscles flexing with his heavy breathing. Jules kissed Tanner
’
s chest and seductively began to
kiss down his body. She dug her nails into his hard skin.

Just below his belly button she
pulled away. She wrapped her hand around his shaft and moved up and down. Her
other hand rested against one of his legs.

Jules let her tongue flick and
sample Tanner
’
s body before
she slipped her lips around his erection and eased down as far as she could. She
began to stroke him as her lips and tongue pulled back.
He tasted good. He
tasted fucking good.

Tanner let out a hiss as Jules came
down again. She moved slow. She wanted to memorize his body with her mouth. She
would definitely never forget this moment.

Tanner ran a hand through her hair
and rested at the back of her head.

“
So
good, darling,
”
Tanner
said, looking down at her.
“
Keep
going.
”

Jules moaned and started to move
again, adding a little more speed. She worked into a rhythm, loving the way
Tanner groaned, breathed heavily, and thrust at her. As Tanner added more
speed, Jules wondered if he was going to climax.

But then Tanner curled his fingers around
her hair and pulled himself back. Jules sucked and teased with her tongue until
Tanner left her mouth. He was glistening.

“
Damn,
”
Tanner growled.
“
You
’
re going to kill me too soon.
”

“
Sorry.
”
Jules smirked.

Tanner pulled Jules back on her
feet. Tanner guided her onto the bed. He hovered over her, teasing her with the
potential of what could happen between them. As he lowered himself down, she
felt his thickness touching her lower belly. She let out a whimper, but Tanner
wasn
’
t ready yet.

“
This
isn
’
t a fling,
”
Tanner said.

“
Then
what is it?
”
Jules teased
in a flirty voice.

“
I
’
m being serious.
”

“
Show
me how serious then,
”
Jules
said. She scratched at his face and bit her lip. She was burning everywhere, and
she couldn't wait any longer for him.

Tanner slithered off her body and
disappeared for a second. When he returned, he had something in his hand. Jules
reached back on the hotel bed and grabbed the headboard. She watched the sexy
show as Tanner sheathed himself and returned to bed. He dove at her, bending
her legs, as he guided himself to her welcoming center. With a hard thrust,
Tanner was inside Jules.

Whether it was the second time they
were together or not, it had as much, if not more, pleasure as the first time.
Jules entire body seemed to jolt all at once, every muscle tightened and
loosened as Tanner worked her body with his. He remained on his knees,
thrusting, loving her body.

As Jules started to arch her back,
Tanner brought his hand down between her legs. The subtle touch of his thumb
against her core, mixed with his thickness sliding in and out, was all she
could handle. With her eyes shut, Jules let out a long cry of relief as she
reached her first climax.

Tanner thrust deep into her and
held, slowly bringing her right leg over and down to her left leg. Gently, he
turned Jules, forcing her to her side. Jules was still throbbing, aching for
more, her body already addicted to Tanner. She was greedy now. She wanted to
climax again.

Tanner then came down to her bed,
his chest to her back. He was still inside her, loving her again with each long
thrust of his body. His right hand touched her belly while his left hand held
her left breast tight. As he breathed harder and faster - matching the speed of
his body - Jules was gasping for air.

“
I
love your body,
”
Tanner
growled.
“
How you move
against me. You make me feel like I
’
m
going to explode.
”

Jules groaned and thrust back at
him.

They started going as fast as they
could in the position they were in. The entire bed was creaking back and forth.
Jules wondered if her pleasure filled sounds were able to carry to other rooms.
She tried to bite her lips a few times, but it was impossible. It was too good.

Tanner was so strong and thorough. He
held her and loved her at the same time. He was pleasuring her at the same time
he was protecting her. It was, quite possibly, the most romantic thing a man
had ever done for her.

And the faster he went, the better
it felt. Jules couldn
’
t get
enough.

Tanner kissed Jules' shoulder. He
kept going, moving the hair from her neck and kissing there. The flick of his
tongue made Jules think of when that tongue was between her legs. It made her
ache and throb again. Tanner kissed to her cheek and then moved his right hand
from her belly. He touched her chin and turned her head, begging her to kiss
him.