“Shh,” I hiss.
She grins. “C’mon, let’s wait for your man outside.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
BEAUMONT
Standing to the side of the stage, I watch the opening act, sliding my arm around Hutton’s hip. I haven’t been able to talk to her this afternoon, but I can tell that something is up with her, that the picture is still bothering her. She’s quiet, her eyes searching me and when I look over to her, she shifts her gaze to the floor.
Dipping my chin, I touch my mouth to the side of her head, then skim my lips to her ear. “What’s wrong?” I ask.
She turns to me, her eyes wide and her face turning pink. “Why didn’t you tell me about the pictures? Why haven’t you told me about them?” she demands.
I blink, then grin. Gathering her in my arms, I pull her against me. “Figured we’d talk about it after the show. They didn’t show your face or release your name. The only thing you can see is my ass and your hair.”
“So, it’s no big deal?” she hisses.
Unable to wipe the grin from my face, I watch her as her face goes from pink to red with anger. It’s cute as fuck. This is her first experience in the public eye. Her first time having an unwanted moment photographed and posted for the world to see.
Lifting my hand, I cup her cheek with my palm and bite my bottom lip when she leans into my hand. “You’ll get used to it, darlin’. Sometimes we aren’t captured in the most flattering light, but let me tell you that I kept that picture because fuck me, you looked beautiful taking me.”
“Beaumont,” she breathes.
Dipping my chin, I touch my lips to hers. “Gorgeous.”
Inhaling her scent, I hear the opening band’s last song and know it’s going to be my turn to get on that stage in just a few moments.
“You can’t let that shit bother you. We’ll just be more careful, but trust me, they always find a way. Either just a random person or actual paparazzi.”
She nods, her lips parting against my own. Sliding my tongue inside of her, I taste her and wish that we could go back to the bus. A couple of days with her is not long enough and I can’t fucking wait until she comes back in just a couple of weeks when she joins me in Washington.
“C’mon lover boy,” Jesse shouts, slamming his hand down on my shoulder.
Looking over at him, I grin and jerk my chin before I turn back toward Hutton. Touching my mouth to hers one last time, I take a step back and turn from her. Walking away from her, I pause and glance back, giving her a grin and a wink.
The sound of the crowd, though it’s much smaller than I’m used to, it still fills me from the inside out and causes adrenaline to flow throughout my entire system. Austin is playing drums behind me, begrudgingly.
Like a child, Austin called our manager, Daniel, who told me that for the tour at least, we are contractually bound to have Austin play. Daniel has decided to spend the rest of the tour with us just to make sure everything goes as planned.
I could give a fuck. As soon as this tour is done, Austin is gone. Jesse is questionable, but I can’t have Austin with me behaving the way that he has been. I can’t change him, but I can change my association with him. I’m trying to be fucking better, and Christ, it’s already hard as fuck.
We play our regular set, the crowd sings along and the high continues to fill me with each passing moment. Glancing to the side, I watch as Daniel stands next to Hutton. He’s talking to her, Laurie is on her other side, but she’s focused on Jesse and doesn’t seem to be paying attention to the two.
A few more songs go by, I sing about life, play my guitar, and finally feel at peace. The only other time that I feel this way is being inside of Hutton, seeing her green eyes widen right before she comes, or when I first slide my cock inside of her. Actually, every moment with Hutton makes me feel this way.
I’m singing one of my last songs and I look over smiling, expecting to see her when I frown at the sight in front of me. Laurie is there, her eyes still fixated on Jesse. Daniel is there as well, but Hutton is gone.
I don’t have a choice but to finish the entire show, but I know that without a doubt something is very fucking wrong.
HUTTON
Daniel is a dick. I nod, confirming my own thoughts to myself. I’ve never disliked someone, other than my own parents, as much as I dislike that man. Even Austin, I understand where he’s coming from wanting to live his life the way that they used to on the road. The new changes bother him, because he didn’t agree to them.
But Daniel?
He’s just a jerk.
Standing off stage, watching in awe as Beaumont plays, the man slides up to my side. I jump when I realize that he is there. At first, he doesn’t say anything, then he decides it is time to educate the naïve hometown girl.
“You know he and Andi are still seeing one another,” he shouts.
I glance from Daniel to Beaumont, then to Laurie who is too focused on Jesse to even realize what’s going on around her.
“I don’t think so, not anymore at least,” I say. He chuckles, and I frown, turning to him, again. “What’s so funny?” I ask.
“I always feel bad when the naïve hometown girls get hurt. Usually it’s at the beginning of the careers, though that’s when it happened the first time, isn’t it?” he asks.
He knows. Swallowing, I refuse to answer him. He already knows my past with Beaumont, though why wouldn’t he? I have no doubt that he knows every single aspect of Beaumont’s life, including the part that I’ve played both past and present.
“We dated once in the past, yes.” I shrug.
I’m trying to be strong, not show him that he’s upsetting me, but honestly, I’m not one hundred percent confident in my relationship with Beaumont. It’s still new, then Chelle shows up to my work and now this.
It all feels like it’s too much. And Beaumont, he seems too big. The picture today just proves how famous he is. Although I knew that he was famous, really famous.
When he’s in Texas with his friends, with me, he is just Beau Griffin, he’s nothing like this. He’s not an enigma. He’s just Beaumont who kisses me, who makes love to me, who laughs and holds baby Reese. He is not the man on the stage.
“Then you know that what you have won’t last. He and Andi have been on and off for years. They understand one another, their lives are similar. You can never understand Beaumont’s struggles, his lifestyle. She can and she will support him when he needs it.”
“But he’s not with her, he’s with me,” I say, trying to stand firm.
Daniel smirks as if I’m being cute. “Do you know how many women have stood in your shoes. Starry-eyed and hoped for a future with him only to end up on the backburner. He’s on his comeback tour, then he’ll be doing radio tours and television interviews. Then he’ll be recording a new album and everything will start over again. Meanwhile, you’ll be home, waiting for snippets of his time, or maybe he’ll fly you to where he is for a weekend, until he doesn’t anymore.”
My gaze shifts from Daniel to Beaumont. I watch him for a moment, the way he looks so happy out there singing for his fans. Daniel is right, I don’t know what this life entails. I’m sure that Andi Anderson is much more equipped and knowledgeable about the life of fame and fortune, of the beautiful people.