I sighed. “Maybe we should wait ‘til Red gets back. I’m sure she has plenty to say about this.”

“You sayin’ my wife agrees with you?” The disbelief on his face was comical.

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying, you big oaf!” I slammed my water on the small counter that separated us. “I can protect myself.” A distant memory, from what seemed like another life, one where I’d had to be tough because there was no one to be tough for me, bubbled to the surface of my mind. I hated bringing it up, but the point needed to be made. “If you need a reminder, I’m sure Billy will show you his bridge.”

Billy threw his remote down, lifting his hands into the air in surrender. “Oh, no. This is between you two. Don’t drag me into it.”

“You wanna be that girl?” Nate asked, taking two steps to stand in front of me. “The one who has to knock some asshole’s tooth out because he decides he wants a little more than what you’re willing to give?”

“So not what happened!” Billy objected from the floor, but neither of us paid him any attention. “I was only going in for a kiss. She’s a fuckin’ brute, man.”

I ignored his compliments, because to me, that’s exactly what they were. “No. But I’d like to be the woman who gets to make up her own goddamn mind for a while. I’d like to go to the damn store alone without it causing drama. I’d like to hire and fire my own staff. And if I decide I want to fuck a stranger, I’d like to do it with no interference from you.”

“You”—Nate pointed his index finger at my chest—“the girl who is so far into my business and knows more about what’s going on in my life than I do, is telling me she wants me to stay out of hers?” He forced out a chuckle as his eyes sparkled with either anger or amusement. “That’s hilarious.”

“Oh, whatever!” I snapped like a moody teenager. “I’d say we’re pretty even on the nosy scale, wouldn’t you? You know just as much about me as I do you, apparently even more!”

Nate shook his head once, bracing his fists on his side of the counter. “What in the hell are you so pissed off about?”

I waved my hands in front of him, around the bus. “This!” I growled. “I’m so sick of everyone making my decisions for me!”

“Everyone doesn’t make decisions for you. I did! I fired Tim. He wasn’t doing his job, and you sure as shit weren’t going to handle him. Yeah, I’ve scared a few guys away because they were bad news and I wasn’t going to stand around and wait for someone to hurt my friend. I was thinking about you, because you never think before you do stupid shit. Don’t act like every single thing you do doesn’t affect your career. Because we all know it does! Your career is linked with mine, whether you want to believe it or not.” He leaned over the counter, lowering his head to make better eye contact. “You fired Eli. I didn’t have anything to do with that. You hired Red. Didn’t have anything to do with that, either. Stop acting like you have no control.”

“Ugh!” I smacked the cold tile, annoyed that he was right. I closed my eyes for a quick second, took a deep breath, and did the only thing I could. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Nate reeled backward as if I had slapped him, taking two steps away from the island. Then his face crinkled in concern as he glanced around the room at our friends before settling blue eyes back on mine. “What?”

I shrugged, shifting my attention to the water bottle in front of me. “You’re right. I just need to get off this damn bus for a while. I’m being a hag and I’m sorry.”

Strong arms yanked me against a hard chest before I realized that he’d moved. “I’m sorry, too.” Nate mumbled against my hair. “Love you, kid.”

“Love you.” I pushed him away, embarrassed. The guys had seen me at my worst, though, so I didn’t know why it bothered me now.

Nate grabbed my hand as I turned away, pulling me back toward him. “You tell your manager the problems you have with me, get her to work on them, too.” Giving me a little wink, he smirked. “And I’ll try to back off.”

It was my turn to be surprised. “So you’re gonna help a friend out and let me hook up with some random stranger tonight?” I asked, half joking. “You’re not gonna swoop in and scare the guys away?”

“No, he isn’t. That’s my job.”

The deep voice caused everyone to turn toward the door at once. Before I could react, the guys were off the floor and the room exploded in what sounded like hundreds of greetings for our old friend. All I could do was stare.

Mike Carson was even more handsome than I remembered. He had that rough and rugged “don’t fuck with me” look that drove all the girls on the tour nuts. A few inches taller, and much wider than Nate, it was easy to see that he hadn’t spent the last few months laying around in his boxers playing video games. His hair was shorter and darker than it was the last time I saw him, and for a minute, I wondered if it was possible for someone to go gray in such a short amount of time.

“What in the hell happened to your hair?” Reb asked, reaching out to give Mike a noogie.

Mike batted the hand away. “Fuck off, man.” Then he smiled, and I got the quick glimpse of healthy white teeth and the dimples that transformed his face, taking at least ten years off. Mr. Sullen himself hardly ever smiled like that, but when he did, it did things to my lady bits I could never admit. “Cort thought that I needed a change, so I dyed it.”

Noah laughed. “Yeah, better to do it now, old man. That way, you can hide your age for a few more years.”

“You actually dyed your hair? Isn’t that shit what women do? They need a change so they dye and chop their hair like it’ll magically transform their lives. Fuck, you go away for a little while and come back all metro?” Rhett demanded, appalled.

“Hell, man, I’d do whatever the fuck that little piece asked me to do. Whenever she asked me to do it. Maybe then, she’d let me watch when she and her girlfriend got busy.” Billy spoke up, being…well, being Billy.

Mike held up a middle finger, but his eyes turned to me, ignoring all of them. “Mols.” He nodded and then offered a small, close-mouthed smile. Motioning me toward him, he growled, “Move assholes,” to the band. Once I got through, he put his hand on my lower back and guided me toward the door, down the stairs, and out into the sun.

“Where are we going?”

“To our trailer to get you ready for the show.”

Just like that, Mike was back. And he was in charge. I shouldn’t have been happy about it, but I was.

Chapter Four

~ Mike ~

It’s funny how quickly you can get back into a routine. I’d only been back on the job for—I glanced down at my wrist before sliding my eyes quickly back to Mols—three hours, but it felt like I’d never left. Well, with some minor changes.

I stood on the side of the stage, just outside of view, watching as Molly shook her ass and sang her heart out for the sold-out venue. If I’d still been working for Nate, I’d be down at the front of the stage, surveying the crowd, or walking around out back to make sure that everyone was where they were supposed to be. It felt weird to know that I didn’t have to worry about any of that now. My only concern was the woman out there performing, and making sure that she got from venue to bus and back to the next venue safely.

I was a goddamn babysitter. The thought struck me suddenly and I shook my head¸ annoyed at myself. I needed to relax and enjoy the tour. I didn’t need any of the bullshit that came with the responsibility of being more than a glorified nanny. I deserved a few months of stress-free peace and quiet. But that didn’t keep me from scanning the crowd every few seconds.

Someone stopped next to me, and I knew it was Lee before I glanced at her. I gave her a quick nod of acknowledgment before I turned back to the show. We watched our girl in silence a few minutes before she lightly touched my arm. “She seem off to you?”