Free I Want You to Want Me (Rock Star Romance #2) by Erika Kelly Page A

flow. It saturated her tissue, until she carried the weight of it from house to house, along with the worn and tattered book of poetry her grandma had given her. She’d missed her grandma fiercely.
    Not that she remembered much, of course. She’d been too young. Just the lovely, quiet routine they’d had. After her postal route, her grandma would pick her up from an old lady’s house—a house she remembered smelled oddly of nail polish remover, no idea why—and take her home to their tiny little house on a busy street in Sound Beach, Long Island.
    As she’d fix them a simple dinner, her grandma would talk to her about the dogs that had barked at her that day or the curious man who’d peer at her through the curtains each morning. And then—her favorite part—after they ate, they’d go outside to the tiny backyard and water the flowers, as Grandma told more stories. A whole backyard filled with wildflowers.
    Boots clomped on the metal stairs, and her body went on alert. Her senses sharpened, tracking the movements.
    The curtain pulled back, hands pressed down on the mattress, and a big body heaved itself into the tiny bunk. Though she’d only met him two days ago, she already recognized his shape and scent, so it didn’t alarm her when Derek crashed into the tiny space.
    “I didn’t think that couch would work for you,” she said quietly.
    “Kept sliding off.” His gruff voice sent a shot of awareness through her.
    “I’m sorry.” She kicked off the blanket.
    “Where you going?”
    She welcomed the wall of heat against her side, considering how cold the bus was with the constant flow of air conditioning. “I’ll sleep there. You need your sleep more than I do.”
    His arm banded around her waist, tugging her back down. “You’re right. So go to sleep.”
    “I’m not sleeping in this bunk with you.”
    “You’re not sleeping in the lounge either.”
    “I’m not as big as you. I won’t slide off as easily.”
    He was quiet for a moment. “That’s not the only problem with the lounge.”
    Was he talking about the decadence that went on in there? They hadn’t let any nymphs on the bus since Violet had joined them. “Don’t worry about me. You can’t imagine the places I’ve slept.”
    She started to climb over him, but his hand clamped down on her thigh.
Oh
. Why did his big hand on her skin feel so good? She’d never dated a forceful guy before. Had always chosen guys who let her take the lead.
    “Slater’s room is right next door. The walls are thin.”
    “If you think Slater’s loud, you should—” A soft moan floated up the stairs. Heat burst inside her chest as she realized what he meant. “Ah.” How awkward was that? Did Emmie know she could be heard throughout the bus?
    Even in the darkness, she could see the flash of white teeth from his grin. “Yeah.”
    “Well, when they’re done, I’ll go.”
    “You’ll never sleep. Abe’s got talk radio going on all night. It’s how he stays awake.”
    Why bother fighting? They’d be up in a few hours anyway, and Derek needed rest to play the festival in Virginia Beach. “Well, we won’t be sleeping on the bus as much from now on.”
    “Yeah? How’s that?”
    “We’ll switch over to hotel suites whenever possible. I can make things more comfortable for you guys with a kitchen and actual bedrooms.”
    “That means driving during the day instead of all night.”
    “You’ll be getting better sleep, so you can actually work during the day on the bus. Without distractions. Isn’t that the fun stuff for you guys, making music?”
    He studied her a moment, and she couldn’t imagine what he was thinking. Maybe she presumed too much? He exhaled. “Yeah, that’s the fun stuff.”
    He seemed so tired. She’d let him get to sleep. Just as she started to turn over, his arm hooked around her waist. “You protected me tonight.”
    “Your dad—”
    “You don’t need to do that.”
    “I know.” As intimidating as he was with