was a teenager, and it was never enough. Worse, he’d been thinking about what Molly had told him, that she’d been burned badly by another guy. That bad things had happened to her. Thinking about it pissed him off, but it also made him…fuck, he didn’t know what to call it. She’d said it as though it were something to be ashamed of, but to Declan, she’d looked like a grown woman with some baggage to deal with who owned that baggage. She didn’t pretend everything was hunky dory; she put that shit front and center, and she was dealing with it the best way she knew how at the moment.
As opposed to the other women in his life, who hadn’t been able to deal with much of anything and kept on pretending they had no problems right up until everything went tits up.
Molly handled her troubles more like he did. It made him feel closer to her, even if he had no right to feel like that yet.
Again, the whole thing was stupidly dangerous, right there.
Just preshow jitters , he told himself. That was why he had this jumpy energy, why his eyes followed her around the bus, even when he was supposed to be working on new material. She was just so damn beautiful, her hair falling in her face as she leaned over that notebook, writing. The way she tucked one leg under her. The way she made fun of him whenever she caught him looking.
He needed to get either in her or on stage, one of the two, and he needed it bad. At least he’d get one of those things tonight: first big show on the road. First real test of the band without Soren. They’d played a couple of small venues, like the show at Volare. They’d been warm-ups, and even that had been dicey up until he’d rocked the stage, but this? This was an old venue, Springfield, somewhere they’d played regularly since they started to get big. True blue fans, not handpicked and half famous. Declan stayed away from the news and the gossip, but he knew his fans. Knew most of them were either in love with him or Soren.
Who knew what was going to happen?
“Fifteen minutes!” yelled Davey from the front of the bus.
He caught Molly looking at him. “You checking me out?” he teased.
“No. You nervous?” She grinned. She was curled up next to a window, the sun hitting the highlights in her hair, lighting up her face. More than normal, even.
“Nah,” he said. I’m wound up and you could help me with that , he thought. But she already knew it.
Molly let her eyes linger on him.
He knew she knew. Knew that it had to happen eventually. They were both only human. And now that he knew she’d been hurt by someone, someone who’d robbed her of a chance to find out who she was—it hit every Dom button he had, knowing he could help her. Declan didn’t leave a sub in need. Didn’t leave a woman in need, period, but this was different. This was something he knew only he could give her.
“Careful with those looks, Mol,” he said easily. “You’ll get yourself into trouble you can’t get out of.”
He laughed when she blushed deep, deep red, then got up to get his stuff together. Too late he thought about how red she’d get over his knee and under his hand, and then he had to jump in the shower again.
***
Freshly scrubbed and it was all a damn waste. He came out of his bedroom to find Molly looking just as good all over again. In fact, she looked good enough, leaning against that window, legs spread out in front of her lengthwise on the seat, that it took him way too long to read the expression on her face.
He’d seen it before, always when she was checking her phone. Molly looked the way he felt when he was waiting for Bethany to check in and tell him she’d made it through another day.
Somebody had Molly worried. Somebody important.
“Somebody wake Brian up, we’re here!” Davey yelled.
Molly’s head shot up, and she came to join Declan near the front of the bus while Gage and Erik went to go drag Brian out of his bunk. Declan was surprised to find that
As opposed to the other women in his life, who hadn’t been able to deal with much of anything and kept on pretending they had no problems right up until everything went tits up.
Molly handled her troubles more like he did. It made him feel closer to her, even if he had no right to feel like that yet.
Again, the whole thing was stupidly dangerous, right there.
Just preshow jitters , he told himself. That was why he had this jumpy energy, why his eyes followed her around the bus, even when he was supposed to be working on new material. She was just so damn beautiful, her hair falling in her face as she leaned over that notebook, writing. The way she tucked one leg under her. The way she made fun of him whenever she caught him looking.
He needed to get either in her or on stage, one of the two, and he needed it bad. At least he’d get one of those things tonight: first big show on the road. First real test of the band without Soren. They’d played a couple of small venues, like the show at Volare. They’d been warm-ups, and even that had been dicey up until he’d rocked the stage, but this? This was an old venue, Springfield, somewhere they’d played regularly since they started to get big. True blue fans, not handpicked and half famous. Declan stayed away from the news and the gossip, but he knew his fans. Knew most of them were either in love with him or Soren.
Who knew what was going to happen?
“Fifteen minutes!” yelled Davey from the front of the bus.
He caught Molly looking at him. “You checking me out?” he teased.
“No. You nervous?” She grinned. She was curled up next to a window, the sun hitting the highlights in her hair, lighting up her face. More than normal, even.
“Nah,” he said. I’m wound up and you could help me with that , he thought. But she already knew it.
Molly let her eyes linger on him.
He knew she knew. Knew that it had to happen eventually. They were both only human. And now that he knew she’d been hurt by someone, someone who’d robbed her of a chance to find out who she was—it hit every Dom button he had, knowing he could help her. Declan didn’t leave a sub in need. Didn’t leave a woman in need, period, but this was different. This was something he knew only he could give her.
“Careful with those looks, Mol,” he said easily. “You’ll get yourself into trouble you can’t get out of.”
He laughed when she blushed deep, deep red, then got up to get his stuff together. Too late he thought about how red she’d get over his knee and under his hand, and then he had to jump in the shower again.
***
Freshly scrubbed and it was all a damn waste. He came out of his bedroom to find Molly looking just as good all over again. In fact, she looked good enough, leaning against that window, legs spread out in front of her lengthwise on the seat, that it took him way too long to read the expression on her face.
He’d seen it before, always when she was checking her phone. Molly looked the way he felt when he was waiting for Bethany to check in and tell him she’d made it through another day.
Somebody had Molly worried. Somebody important.
“Somebody wake Brian up, we’re here!” Davey yelled.
Molly’s head shot up, and she came to join Declan near the front of the bus while Gage and Erik went to go drag Brian out of his bunk. Declan was surprised to find that
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