Unbelievable.

I didn’t need any more incentive than that to get the hell out of there. Keeping my gaze off Houston, I left the room, ignoring Rich, who stood there looking confused and concerned. Barry, thankfully, was already waiting outside.

As soon as my ass touched the leather seats inside the SUV, I shifted uncomfortably. The arousal soaking my thong was called The Houston Morrow Effect. It ruined panties and destroyed brain cells.

I had twenty minutes until I was home. Twenty whole minutes until I was alone and could relieve the ache. After that, I’d figure out how I planned to survive a world tour and months of lonely nights spent in close quarters with three men slowly awakening a part of me that I thought was long buried.

“You look fabulous.”

Sherri, who’d been waiting for me when I stepped inside my dressing room, stepped aside after admiring her work. I didn’t want to look, but the gasps that came from Griff and Maeko had my eyes flying to the LED mirror in front of me.

I didn’t recognize my reflection. She wasn’t the girl I’d become these past few months. Sherri had hidden all the sleepless nights and endless days spent worrying over this moment.

When it was discovered I’d be filling Calvin’s shoes, everything changed. For the past month, I’ve lived under a microscope. My job, my home—nothing was private anymore.

I’d always feared that I’d do something to trigger this scrutiny—like when Britney flashed her crotch. It turns out I didn’t have to be that drastic. Existing was all it took. Rich promised I’d get used to it, Loren swore I’d hate it forever, and Houston told me to suck it up.

Since tonight was the first show of the Bound & Bellicose tour, I’d taken Houston’s advice. It turns out three months flew by when you didn’t want it to.

The Forum, formerly the Lakers’ arena, was our first stop, and all eighteen thousand seats had been sold. My stomach turned as my hands began to shake. At this very moment, those seats were filling, and it was all I could do not to click my heels and wish I were somewhere else. Or someone else.

“Thanks, Sherri. You’re an artist.” I gave her a smile I didn’t feel, even though she’d truly done an amazing job, and she excused herself.

“Stop it,” Griff ordered once we were alone in my dressing room. “I know that look. You’re an amazing guitarist, Brax. They just don’t know it yet,” she claimed, referring to the stadium full of Bound’s adoring fans. “That’s why you’re going to show them.”

I wanted to believe her, but I ended up rolling my eyes instead. “I love you, Griff, but we both know those people didn’t spend three hundred bucks on tickets to see me. They’re here for them.”

“Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong. They might not have good intentions, but that won’t matter in a couple of hours. You’re going to make those assholes find a heart just so they can eat it.”

My head tilted to the side as I turned over her words. “Are we talking about the crowd or Bound?”

Griffin shrugged while staring at me with unflinching confidence and a lack of remorse. She’d make a great lawyer one day. “Both.” Nudging Maeko with her elbow, she added, “Back me up here, Ko.”

Tapping her clutch, Maeko nodded. “I packed extra panties just for you, Brax.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. It chased away the butterflies. “If you throw them on stage, the guys might get the wrong idea,” I warned her.

“What’s your point?” she countered with a straight face. Griff rolled her eyes before fixing her gaze a little too hard on a spot on the other side of the room.

I adored Maeko, but she would not last an hour, much less an entire night, with any of them. Maeko was too soft and sweet, even for Rich, who was an angel compared to his friends. Besides, I was still hoping my absence would give Griff the courage to make her secret feelings known. Maeko might have been oblivious, but I’d caught on a while ago.

At first, I thought maybe they’d connected better than they had with me until I realized it was a different connection entirely. I wasn’t sure what was holding Griff back. She was usually straightforward and not the least bit shy, but I hoped she got over it soon. I wanted my friends happy.

“Can we please talk about how hot you look?” Maeko gushed, pulling Griff and me out of our heads. “I’d say you look like a rock star, but that’s kind of a moot point. I wonder how much hairspray Yuri used to get your hair to stay like that.”

“Judging by how hard it still is to breathe in here, I’d say a lot,” Griff deadpanned while fanning the misty air in front of her with a frown.

Rather than shaving the sides of my hair to achieve the faux hawk, Yuri had braided the sides, leaving the larger mass of my hair drifting down my back. Sherri then amplified the edgy look by darkening my eyes with black liner and shadow and painting my naturally red lips with clear gloss.

Tonight’s wardrobe consisted of a black halter with crisscrossed strings holding the front together and electric-blue pants, both leather and so tight I wondered if they assumed breathing was optional. The boots adorning my feet were the best thing about the ensemble. I didn’t know if I got to keep them, and I didn’t care. They were coming home with me.

A knock on the door had my heart falling into my stomach as fear and worry sent my olfactory senses on a joy ride. I knew before the stagehand yelled through the door that it was time.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Maeko yelled while jumping up and down excitedly. And then, with tears in her eyes, she added, “My best friend is a rock star.”

“Not quite,” I denied with a weak smile. I almost choked on the copper and brine I knew only I could smell. “But keep your fingers crossed for me, will ya?”

I left the dressing room with my friends hot on my heels since there was nothing left to say or do. It was so loud I couldn’t hear myself think. Perhaps it was best for everyone. Backstage was chaos as the crew hurried to and from to get last-minute things in place. Our opening act would be done any minute and then…

I took a deep breath that shuddered out of me before looking around.

Where the hell were they?

She didn’t see us, but we saw her.

We watched as one of our roadies handed Braxton the guitar she’d be using for the first half of our set. She then looked around again as soon as he was gone. It hadn’t been my intention to hide, but then I saw her and the last thing on my mind was the goddamn show. Closing my eyes, I leaned my head against the wall and willed my hard-on away.

“Damn,” Loren mumbled. I didn’t need to see to know that he was referring to Braxton. “Maybe having a chick in our mix isn’t such a bad idea after all. She’s certainly nicer to look at. Smells good too.”

“Not wanting her in our band never had anything to do with her being a girl,” Rich claimed.

“Uh-huh,” Loren mocked dismissively. There was a beat of silence and then, “If you’re picturing your grandmother naked, I wouldn’t advise it. She’s kind of hot.”

My eyes flew open, and I found Loren watching me. “What are you talking about?”

“Braxton. You want to fuck her.”

Xavier found us sitting on the staircase even though there were empty couches just a few feet away. We were hiding. “Last I counted, I only had two kids. Why do you three make me feel like I have five?”

“Relax, pops,” Loren replied. “We’re kind of pros. No big deal.”

“Your guitarist isn’t,” Xavier snapped while pointing at Braxton. She’d given up her search and was now pretending interest in her phone while her friends asked our busy crew a million questions. “She has no idea what she’s up against.”

Loren shrugged before leaning back to rest on his elbow on the step above him. “Not our problem.”

“And when the people who paid to see you perform start demanding their money back? Get your asses over there and make sure she doesn’t choke.” Shaking his head, Xavier cursed more before storming off to yell at someone else. It was why we paid him the big bucks—to worry so we didn’t have to.

Braxton had gravitated toward the stage with her friends huddled around her for support. Sighing, I ran my hand down my face. What the hell did Xavier expect from us? To lie and tell her everything would be okay? We did our part and taught her our music. The rest was up to her, and if she wasn’t ready by now, she never would be.

Feeling like I was on autopilot, I pushed to my feet anyway before making my way over. Closer now, I could see her shoulders trembling.

“Hey.” Braxton whirled at the sound of my voice, her brown eyes rounder and brighter than ever. She was like a goddamn vortex, pulling me in and swallowing me whole. “Ready?”