Page 13

Twelve

Jensen

T he moment my Uber drops me off at the venue, I bolt toward the entrance. There’s a massive line to get through security and into the stadium, which is a bit different than last time and it makes me irate. I’m practically bouncing.

I just need to get to him. It’s only been five days, but it feels more like five weeks.

You here yet?

Waiting in line at security.

Fuck, I should have given you access to come around the back.

I wish I could come out there.

Don’t even think about it. You’ll only make things worse.

I’m coming to you.

I don’t have a private greenroom this time.

I’ll be on the tour bus.

I’ll get to you.

I can’t wait.

It’s unbelievable how close Theo and I have grown in the past week. Everything between us feels so natural. Nothing is ever awkward or uncomfortable. We text each other all throughout the day. We FaceTime as much as we can. He’s like a drug I can’t get enough of.

When I finally get through security, I bolt toward the VIP section that leads to the backstage area. They are more skeptical this time, and I nearly lose my mind when the security guard almost doesn’t let me through, claiming it’s only for after the show.

I’m about two seconds away from threatening to get Theo himself on the phone when a supervisor comes over and tells him to let me through.

Next time, Theo definitely needs to get me access to come around the back instead of through the stadium. Which is wild to even think.

Not all that long ago, he was just a favorite singer of mine. Now…he’s so much more to me. He’s a man I’m growing feelings for. A real person with wounds and scars. After only a week, he has me wishing I could be the guy who makes sure he never gets hurt again.

But I can’t. Not really. Not unless I make some very serious changes in my own life.

When I reach the backstage area, I recognize a few faces from the last time.

“I’m here to see Theo,” I say to a guard, and he gives me a skeptical look as if I should be detained for even daring to say that sentence out loud.

“He’s on the bus,” a woman calls. Turning toward the sound of her voice, I recognize the bassist Lola. She waves a hand. “Follow me.”

Leaving the security guard behind, I rush after her. But the moment I catch up, I see the hard, skeptical expression on her face and realize she’s not going to give me what I want that easily.

Instead, she leads me toward a doorway that’s secluded from others. Before pushing it open, she turns to me.

“Theo is my best friend,” she says flatly. “And he might seem like he can brush off anything, but he’s been hurt before.”

“I know, and I don’t want to hurt him,” I say with severity. “I want to protect him.”

“Before you can protect him, you need to know him.”

“I’d like to,” I plead.

“He doesn’t let most people in, you know. So if you get that privilege, I hope you don’t abuse it.”

“Never.” She stares at me for a moment, and I start to grow antsy. “Can I please see him now?”

“Be gentle with him,” she says with sorrow in her eyes. “He really likes you.”

“Thank you for looking out for him,” I reply. “But I promise I like him a lot too, and I don’t want to let anyone hurt him.”

“Good.”

With that, she turns and presses the door open that leads to the back lot. I spot his tour bus behind the other rigs that must have transported their gear and set. After a few feet, Lola stops, letting me finish the walk alone.

I practically sprint. The door to the bus is unlocked as I pull it open and climb the stairs in a rush.

Theo stands from the couch and faces me from the other end. There’s a brief moment of hesitation as we each take in the sight of the other. I know deep down that he is as anxious to see me as I am to see him.

“Hey,” he mumbles.

“Hey.”

Then, we both move at the same time, rushing to close the distance. I grab him by the back of the head first and haul him toward me. His facial hair scratches my lips as I kiss him hungrily, and I savor the burn.

It’s only been five days since I kissed him last, but it’s as if I’ve been starving for his touch my entire life. His mouth moves so perfectly with mine; it’s like we were made for each other. Our tongues glide as we explore each other’s mouths. He clings to my arms, leaning his weight on me as I devour him.

After a moment of kissing, I take a step forward and he lets me press him against the small counter. Without breaking the seal of his mouth, my hands roam down the black fabric of his shirt and over his hips.

Theo’s body is slender but muscular. I’m dying to see the definition of each of his abs and that delicious V line that leads down below his pants.

“How long do we have?” I hum against his lips.

“An hour, I think,” he replies raspily.

I tug up his shirt to get my fingers on his skin, and the moment I trail my touch across his waist, he sucks in a breath through his teeth. My mouth moves to his neck as I kiss and nibble on his sensitive skin. I treasure every little rigid muscle under my fingers as I explore him, but it’s not enough.

Meanwhile, he’s doing the same to me. He’s tugging up on the back of my polo to run his hands along my back.

I can’t get close enough to him. That fear I once had of burning out is gone because I don’t see a world in which I would tire of kissing Theo. I want more. Need more.

Cascading my hands down his ass to the backs of his thighs, I bend my knees enough to get a grasp and hoist Theo up in the air. He clenches his legs around me to hold himself up before I deposit him on the counter. It’s much smaller than a real kitchen counter and the upper cabinets get in the way, but at least it lets me feel his legs wrapped around me.

I pull up his shirt again, and this time, I lean down and kiss my way up from his navel to his pecs. He hisses and buries a hand in my hair.

There’s a patch of chest hair between his nipples that fades on its way down to his navel. Then there’s that delicious trail of hair that disappears under his jeans. I run my fingers through it as I move my mouth to his left nipple. The moment I wrap my lips around the tight bud, he jolts on the counter and drives his hips toward me.

“Fuck, that feels good,” he says while I flick it with my tongue and give it a little suck. I move to the other side and do the same there. He’s trembling on the counter as I play with his nipples, and it gives me a sense of power that I love.

“Jensen,” he cries out. “You’re going to make me come in my pants before the show.”

“Good,” I reply with a smile. “Then you’ll have no choice but to think about me the entire time you’re up there.”

“I’ll be thinking about you anyway,” he replies, making me stop with his nipples. Standing upright, I kiss him hard on the mouth again.

It’s like I’m still on that ride without brakes, but I’m no longer on it alone. We’re both speeding toward something we weren’t expecting.

As our kiss ends, I reach for Theo’s ass and drag him toward me again so I can grind myself against him.

“I won’t really make you come in your pants,” I murmur as I kiss along his jaw.

“Maybe you can make me come out of my pants later,” he replies, arching his back for me.

“Oh, definitely. I think we’re ready for that.”

As much as I’d like to spend our hour preshow kissing and grinding against each other, I’m not just here for that. I want to look into his eyes and speak to him.

Pulling away from the kiss without it getting too heated, I stand a foot away from him with my hands on his legs.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” he says softly.

“Me too,” I reply, running my hands comfortingly up his thighs. “How are you feeling about tonight’s show?”

“Good,” he replies with a nod. “Are you going to watch again?”

I lean in and kiss him softly. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

“I kind of like you in the audience,” he says with a crooked smile.

“Then I’ll be in the audience.”

We kiss again, this time softer, as if we’re breathing each other in.

“Jensen,” he whispers.

“Yeah?”

“You scare the hell out of me.”

Hearing him say what I had told him last week hits me with intensity. It means a lot to know that I’m not alone in the shock of this relationship. It’s grown faster and more intensely than either of us expected. There is a chemistry and a draw between us that is beyond what either of us has felt before. And it’s not just because he’s a celebrity or the first man I’ve been with in a while.

It’s because everything about Theo Virgil is compatible with everything about me.

We fit together. And it doesn’t make sense.

There’s a bang on the door, and I groan into his neck as he answers it.

“I’ll be there in a minute!”

We kiss for a while longer before begrudgingly tearing ourselves apart.

Then, I do the same thing I did last time. I watch him give his band a pep talk. I watch him walk out onto the stage, only this time I head out to my seat and enjoy the rest of the concert from there.

It’s amazing to see him again from this angle. He gives the crowd exactly what they want. He dances with them, sings with them, and becomes a part of them. He’s not up there to be a star. He’s up there to be an artist. He looks out at the crowd as if he’s looking out at every single person in the arena individually.

I have a new appreciation for him every time I witness his show. I loved his music before, and now I’m growing a new appreciation for him as a person. I’m still a fan. I still scream the words of his songs and cheer for him after each one. Only now, I do it with the taste of him on my lips.