Brian grinned, glad his wife got along so well with his band mates. Many a band had fallen to ruin because a significant other didn’t understand the dynamics between band members. Myrna got it. And the guys adored her. He couldn’t ask for a better situation. Well, maybe if Myrna agreed to go on tour with them indefinitely. But he wouldn’t ask that of her just yet. Her job was important to her and therefore important to him as well. But if she came up with the idea to quit her job immediately, he wouldn’t object. They had the next six weeks together at least. He planned to spend every moment of them in her arms. The rest of the world would just have to get along without him.
“My turn!” Eric wrapped his long fingers around Myrna’s hand and helped her cut a slice of cake.
She lifted the piece and touched it to Eric’s nose, leaving a spot of white and pink frosting on the tip. When she fed a bite to him, Brian could practically see Eric melting.
“Do I get a kiss too?” Eric asked. He leaned toward Myrna with his lips puckered, and Brian shoved a hand in his face.
“Those lips are mine, Sticks,” Brian said.
“Damn it!” Eric said, but he was grinning.
“Do you want to participate, Jace?” Myrna asked.
“I don’t—”
She grabbed Jace’s arm and yanked him out of the booth. Blushing ferociously, Jace helped Myrna draw the knife down through the cake. When he took the bite into his mouth, she smiled. His gaze turned to the floor.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Myrna asked. “If you don’t stop looking so cute, I’m going to make you dance with me too.”
His gaze lifted to hers, and he didn’t look away. The fact that Myrna flushed in response wasn’t lost on Brian. Jace so rarely stared a person in the eyes that when he did, it was disconcerting.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said. “I’m a little... wound up today.”
Eric whacked him on the back. “He means he’s horny.”
“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” Jace said.
“I’ll dance with you, Myrna,” Eric said. He made his way toward the sound system in the living area.
Jace offered Myrna an apologetic smile and disappeared into the bathroom.
Myrna waved a beckoning hand at Sed. “Come on, Sed. Your turn.”
Sed eyed Brian. “If I touch you, Brian will have my nut sac made into a coin purse.”
Trey burst out laughing. “But who in their right mind would carry it?”
“I’m pretty sure Jessica Chase would,” Eric called from the living area. “She’s used to carrying his balls around in her purse.”
“Fuck you, Sticks,” Sed grumbled.
Brian stopped him from smacking Eric in the head by shoving a hand against Sed’s chest. “Go ahead and share a piece of cake,” Brian said. “I trust her.”
The tension went out of Sed’s body as he turned to look at Myrna.
Despite his words, Brian still stiffened when Sed moved to stand next to her. His wife looked so small beside Sed’s impressive height and broad shoulders. Sed’s muscles bulged inside his tight black T-shirt as he wrapped his hand around hers. Brian’s heart thudded faster and faster as the pair cut a slice of cake and Myrna lifted it to Sed’s lips. She smiled up at him with affection, and Brian’s skin crawled the entire length of his spine. He really needed to get over the jealousy he felt every time Myrna was anywhere near Sed. She wasn’t like his past girlfriends. She wasn’t going to cheat on him with Sed. Mentally, Brian knew that, but instinctively, he didn’t want her within ten miles of the man. When Sed stepped away, Brian released a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.
“Trey?” Myrna said.
Trey moved to stand behind her and wrapped both arms around her body before taking her hand in both of his. “I want lots of frosting,” he said, directing the knife toward a corner piece. “And some filling. And more frosting.” He scraped extra frosting onto his chosen portion of cake.
Myrna laughed. “You know what they say about guys with a sweet tooth?”
“What?” Trey asked.
“That they’re sweet.”
“That’s not very original,” Trey said. “I’ve heard they have special skills with their pierced tongues.” He stuck his tongue out at her and winked.
Myrna chuckled. “I think they just say that about you, Trey Mills.”
Eric finally found the song he was looking for, which was good because Brian was damned tired of watching his band mates touch his woman. She was laughing at Trey’s attempts to lick all the frosting off her fingers when Brian took her hand and tugged her against him. There wasn’t much room in the bus corridor for dancing, but that suited his purposes fine. It meant he had to hold her close and just sway to the music, her body plastered against his.
“I love this song,” she murmured and snuggled closer.
Her warm breath tickled his neck. His hand slid up her back to her bare shoulder.
“I love you,” he said.
“I’m happy. Deliriously happy.” She leaned away from him and stared into his eyes, the huge smile on her face echoing her declaration. “We’re going to make this work.”
He had no doubts.
“I hate to cut in, but”—Eric somehow got his lean body wedged between Brian and Myrna—“dancing was my idea.”
“God, when can we get the hell out of here and be alone?” Brian grumbled.
Myrna chuckled. “Go figure out which hotel you want to stay in tonight. I’ll call and make reservations. Eric is feeling left out.”
“No, Eric wants to cop a feel,” Trey said.
“It’s good luck to dance with the bride,” Eric said, displaying surprising skill as he led Myrna down the corridor and away from Brian. “And I need all the luck I can get.”
“I get to dance with her next,” Sed said.
“Absolutely not,” Brian said.
“And then me,” Trey added. He was making a spectacular mess of the wedding cake by removing icing with his fingers and sucking it off them.
“Okay, party’s over,” Brian said.
Emerging from the bathroom behind Brian, Jace pressed his hands against Brian’s shoulders and leaned close to his back to say, “Don’t forget to take off her garter. It’s tradition.”
Since when was Jace an expert at wedding traditions? But he was right. That was a tradition Brian didn’t want to miss out on.
Myrna gasped when he pulled her from Eric’s embrace and lifted her to sit on the kitchen counter. “Did you remember to wear a garter?” he asked.
She grinned devilishly. “I’m not telling. You’ll have to find out for yourself.”
He took her right ankle in one hand and slid the hem of her dress up one inch at a time. The guys hooted and hollered their appreciation. Brian kissed the depression under her kneecap and continued to lift her dress.
“Not too high, Brian,” she said to him, her hands pressing her skirt against her lap. “Don’t forget I’m not wearing panties.”
At this declaration, his band mates sounded like a bunch of Neanderthals at a strip club. Myrna just giggled at them. Brian found the lacy white and blue garter at the top of her thigh-high stocking. He slid his fingers beneath it, tracing the bare skin above her stocking until she emitted that sexy little gasp he adored so much. He slowly drew the garter down her leg to her ankle. Her high-heeled shoe tumbled off as he freed the scrap of material from her body. He kissed the instep of her foot and raised the garter over his head in victory. The guys cheered until they realized one of them would have to catch it. Brian slipped his finger into the garter and stretched it, hurling it toward four very uninterested bachelors. It hit the ceiling, bounced off Sed’s head, and landed on Eric’s shoulder. The other three men scrambled away from Eric as if he’d contracted an incurable, highly contagious disease.
“Looks like Eric’s the next to get married,” Jace said quietly.
“Who would marry him?” Trey teased.
“
Someone who likes a sucker with a lot of money,” Sed said.