Sinful Serenade

Chapter 17

Danielle

I somehow manage to beat Maeve back to the room, peeling out of Kenneth's shirt and throwing on my own before diving beneath the covers, pretending to be asleep. A few minutes later, Maeve walks in, shaking me awake. She apologizes for staying out all night, explaining that she was hanging out with the rest of the band. Conveniently, she leaves out that she slept with Gage.

After being college roommates with her, I know all too well what she smells and looks like after s*x. Although she's tried to cover it up with perfume and a quick fix of her hair, there's no hiding it from me. But s**t, if she's not going to bring it up, I won't either.

After noon, the rest of the band finally gets up, and we all head to "Granny's," a local diner. To my surprise, the entire restaurant is reserved for the band and crew.

"You guys usually shut down entire restaurants?" I ask, shoving a mouthful of waffles into my mouth. We're all sitting at a long table with the boys on one side, and me, Maeve, and Roxy on the other. Andy is absent, which doesn't seem out of the ordinary. I'm sitting in the middle across from Kenneth, where he keeps brushing his foot against mine.

"Yeah, it's one of the perks," Gage replies with a smirk. "Keeps the fans from swarming us while we eat."

Roxy laughs. "They don't mind. The crew and these boys eat more than enough to make up for any potential profit loss. That's why we choose small, local businesses. Our publicist posts it on the band's socials later and puts them on the map. It's pretty much a thank you for letting us devour everything in their restaurant."

Maeve moans beside me. "Wow, these are the best waffles I've had in a long time."

I smirk to myself. She sure is eating a lot for someone who spent the night playing "board games" with the band.

Kenneth's foot nudges mine again under the table, and I glance up to find him watching me with an amused expression. His playful grin suggests he knows exactly what I'm thinking.

But I can't maintain eye contact for too long. Those slutty snake bite piercings are making me horny again. God, he's so sexy, but when you add in the tattoos and piercings, especially down there, it makes me absolutely feral for him.

As the conversation flows around me, I catch snippets of band gossip and tour plans, but my mind keeps wandering back to what happened between Kenneth and me last night. My body is sore as hell, a lingering reminder of our intense night together. With only a few hours of sleep, I had to drag myself out of bed, but I'm determined not to miss a second of this summer—especially any moment that I could spend with Kenneth.

After blocking my mom, I already feel so much better, like I can breathe easily again. It's crazy how much of a difference it has made so far. I like it. I can focus more on myself and my own desires and needs.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Maeve asks, her voice cutting through my thoughts.

"Rehearsal at three, sound check at five, and then the show at eight," Gage replies, his hazel eyes never leaving hers.

They're doing such a great job at hiding their little secret.

Not.

"Wow, busy night," Maeve comments, feigning innocence.

Gage shrugs as if it's no big deal. "It's just one and a half hours of our lives that we'll spend performing our asses off, and then we have tomorrow to relax before we leave for Georgia tomorrow night."

I definitely don't miss the way he says "relax". I'm sure it's the last thing they'll be doing.

"You guys signed NDA's today, right?" Roxy asks, changing the subject.

Maeve pouts. "Yeah, Julio had us sign them earlier, which is a total bummer. Legally, I can't post anything about the band until the end of the summer, and even then, I can't share certain s**t for ten years."

I snort, trying to imagine Maeve keeping her mouth shut for that long. There's a chance she'll be getting sued by the end of the summer.

"Julio doesn't play about s**t like that. Blame Kenneth. I'm surprised he didn't have one ready for y'all to sign before you even touched down in Raleigh. Who knows what shenanigans the boys could've had y'all in by now."

Maeve and I both laugh, and I can hear the nervousness in her voice.

"There will be an after-party tonight, just winding down with the crew and maybe a few drinks. Last year we included a few fans, but that s**t went left fast," she says, rolling her eyes.

Nolan laughs. "Yeah, we were kinda having a fuckfest and some guys didn't like we were f*****g their girlfriends. So, they got their asses kicked by our bodyguards."

"Why do you never hear about incidents like that in the media?" I ask, genuinely curious. For such a mischievous group of men, there isn't much negativity about them on social media, which is a good thing, but still.

Gage grins. "Money talks."

Roxy glares at him but then looks at us with a sarcastic smile. "You see what I have to deal with, ladies? These boys just think with their tallywackers, and it's exhausting having to babysit them. I'm really glad y'all are here to help me keep them in check."

Maeve and I exchange glances, trying not too hard to laugh at Roxy's exasperation. I see she's like the mother of the group, making sure her little boys stay out of trouble. "Uh, I guess, we'll do our best," I promise, although I'm not entirely sure what "keeping them in check" entails.

"Seriously, don't let them drag you into any craziness," Roxy advises, her tone more serious. "Kenneth and Gage are my troublemakers. Nolan is more of a follower, so if you have the first two under control, he behaves too. Andy is the only one nobody has to worry about; he pretty much stays to himself."

"We got you," Maeve responds.

"Duly noted," I say, throwing an amused glance in Kenneth's direction. I've gotten a taste of his trouble, and I'm already craving another fix.

"You okay, Danny? I thought I saw you walking with a slight limp earlier." Maeve suddenly asks, throwing me off-guard.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Kenneth smirk, a hint of amusement playing on his lips.

I take a sip of my coffee, trying to cover my burning cheeks. "Yeah, I might've slept weird last night," I mutter. Changing the subject before she inquires further, I ask her, "So, what game did you play with Gage last night after I went to bed early?"

Maeve stares right back at me, her expression unchanging. "Monopoly," she answers, as if she had the answer rehearsed.

Liar.

"Wow, that sounds fun. I'll have to join you guys next time," I say, my voice dripping with false cheerfulness. "Did you have fun playing the game, Gage?"

Not paying attention, Gage furrows his brows at me in confusion, before quickly changing it. "Oh yeah, Uno was fun," he responds, trying to sound nonchalant.

I raise an eyebrow, my amusement growing. "Maeve, I thought you said Monopoly."

Her eyes widen. "Oh yeah I forgot, we played Uno too. Didn't we, Gage?" she asks, giving him a pointed look.

He nods, a bit too eagerly. "Yeah, that we did. There were, uh, multiple games."

"Mhm, I'm sure there were," I say with a knowing smile.

"So, I was thinking that since we have one more day in Florida, why don't we all go to the beach tomorrow?" Roxy suggests, excitement evident in her tone.

"Oh, hell no. I'm not trying to get eaten by no damn alligator," Gage retorts.

Roxy rolls her eyes, brushing her long, burgundy hair out of her face. "Gage, stop being a damn baby. My cousin lives here and she has a private beach. Plus, a gator would just spit you out anyway. I bet you taste like weed and fried chicken," she teases.

"That sounds kinda stereotypical, Roxy," Gage replies, narrowing his eyes playfully.

She shrugs. "If it is, that's your own fault. Maybe you should have a more balanced diet," she counters, grinning at him.

"Look, you're eating waffles and fried chicken right now," Nolan points out with a laugh.

Gage gives him the middle finger. "Nobody asked you that, asshole," he retorts, his tone light-hearted.

The table erupts in laughter, the tension dissipating as the boys continue to tease each other. I gnaw on my lip as I think about going to the beach with them. I'll probably pass out from heatstroke if I wear my usual attire in the Florida sun, so maybe I'll just feign an illness or something.

"Fine, I'll go," Gage concedes with a chuckle. "But if I see one gator, I'm outta there."

"You comin' too, Kenny?" Roxy asks, turning her attention to Kenneth.

Kenneth shrugs. "Sure, whatever."

He nudges me beneath the table to tell me that I'll be joining him.

Roxy smirks as she pokes my arm with her elbow at the same time, whispering, "Girl, I don't know what you're doing to him, but keep doing it."