Chapter Twenty-two

There had been a lot of great moments in Ford’s life. His first sold-out show. Winning his first Grammy. Having his lyric notebooks put into the permanent displays in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

But holding Mia in his arms easily surpassed them all.

Her lips were soft, but her tongue and teeth were hungry as she kissed him passionately. Her gorgeous legs were wrapped around his waist and her arms were wound around his neck as she told him without needing to say a single word just how happy she was to be here with him tonight.

Though he wished she could have been in the audience, he’d been so inspired from being with Mia during the past few days that he knew he’d given a pretty great show tonight. And maybe it was good that she hadn’t made it to the stadium any sooner, because if he’d known that she’d be waiting for him backstage afterward, he might not have been able to resist cutting the show short just to have a few more minutes with her.

Though he knew he’d need to put her down soon, her soft moan of pleasure as he threaded his hands into her silky hair and took their kiss even deeper made him want to do crazy things to her...and nearly made him forget that they were making out in front of his crew.

“I drove as fast as I could,” she said when he finally managed to pull his lips from hers, “but I still missed your show.”

He nipped at her lower lip. “And I missed you all day.”

They were so close that between his wet T-shirt and her thin silk shirt, he could feel her heart beating against his as she said, “I should have gotten on the bus with you this morning.”

Of course that was what he’d wanted, but he’d been careful not to even suggest that his show might take precedence over her own busy day in the office. “You’re here now.” And that was all that mattered, just being with the woman he loved more than he’d known it was possible to love anyone. “I was just heading to my bus. Ride back to Seattle with me, Mia. Unless,” he teased, “there’s something you’re dying to do in Eugene tonight, first?”

“Just you. I just want you, Ford.”

Slowly, he slid her to the floor. When her feet finally touched solid ground again, he threaded his fingers through hers and was heading out to his bus when she suddenly stopped.

“My car. I completely forgot about it.”

So had he, in his rush to be alone with her. “Where is it?”

“I parked out front. I think it was in a red zone. All I could think about was getting to you before you left the building. For all I know, they’ve towed it by now.”

He kissed her again, a quick press of his lips to hers, but one full of just as much possession as it was surrender to the magic that had always been between them.

“Billy,” Ford called, “can you take care of getting Mia’s car back to Seattle?”

“Sure thing, boss.”

Mia handed him her keys. “Thank you, Billy.” She described the make and model and gave him her license plate number, just in case he did need to track it down with a tow truck company. “I really appreciate it.”

“No problem at all, Miss Sullivan.”

* * *

“Wow,” Mia said when they stepped into his tour bus. “Your old bus was nice, but this one is over the top.” She ran her hand over shiny iron handrail by the stairs. “Please tell me these walls aren’t gold-plated or that you’ve got diamond-studded rims on the tires.”

Ford gave her a wicked grin as he pulled her inside and closed the door behind them. “If you think this part of the bus is nice, you should see the bedroom.”

Mia had never been the nervous virgin type. She didn’t blush or giggle or play coy. And yet, though she and Ford already knew each other intimately, being alone in his bus while he stood beside her in a T-shirt that was damp enough to outline each incredible ridge of muscle along his chest and abdomen, made her heart race and her breath come too fast.

After he buzzed his driver to let him know that they were ready to head out, Mia decided she needed to take back control. After all, she’d already abruptly left work in the middle of the day, chased Ford to Oregon, then jumped him in the middle of a crowded backstage area. Now that she was finally here and they had hours of driving ahead of them to get back to Seattle, there was no way she was going to let him hold her at arm’s length again for the rest of the night.

She reached for his hand, loving the way he always tugged her against him. “Do you still have the same post-show ritual?”

She could see the combination of desire—and his attempts at control—as they moved across his face. “Yes.”

“Good.” She smiled up at him, certain now that they weren’t too far at all from finally getting naked with each other again. Thank God. “Let’s get into the shower, Ford.”

He groaned as he moved the hand he was holding behind her back to immobilize her against his hard muscles, then slid his other hand into her hair to kiss her. All her thoughts of control, of trying to lead him where she was so desperate to go, fled as the pleasure of his tongue slicking hot and needy against hers filled her. Just being with him like this made it feel like the ground was moving beneath them...but then when he drew back, she realized the ground was indeed already moving at a steady clip beneath the tires of the bus.

“You tempt me.” He traced the swell of her lower lip with his tongue. “So much.” He gently sucked it into his mouth. “Too much.”

She slid her hands beneath his T-shirt to the muscles that jumped against her fingertips. “Let me tempt you tonight, Ford.” She licked at his mouth just the way he had with hers, loving the way his hands tightened on her. “And,” she whispered against his lips, “you can tempt me, too.”

“A shower.” He started to slip the small buttons along the front of her silk shirt out of their holes. “That’s all we’ll do tonight, Mia.” Lust fought with determination in his voice as his unbuttoning revealed the lacy edge of her bra. “Soap,” he said in a hollow voice, as if he was trying to remind himself what one usually used in a shower. He looked momentarily lost as to what else might be in there until he finally said, “Shampoo.”

“And naked skin,” she reminded him in a husky voice. “I can’t wait to be naked with y—”

The rest of her sensually teasing words fell away as he reached out to brush the very tip of his finger over the exact spot on her chest where the swell of flesh met lace.