Ballad (Rockstar #5) by Anne Mercier

been doing the same,” Justin announces and I groan. Is it too much to ask for a little privacy? I mean, I’m all for them getting off and all, but not my first time with Nicole.
    “I guess,” Nicole begins, struggling through a laugh, “I’ll have to be more quiet if we do this again.”
    “Won’t matter,” Justin tells her. “We’ll still hear it.”
    “We’ll play some music or something,” I tell her. “And there’s no ‘if’ we do this again. Baby, this is happening more than once.” I can’t let this go. It was too good and I feel something for this girl, something that gets my blood running and tells me my heart isn’t broken.
    I’m not sure what Ben’s deal is, why he hasn’t made a move with the size of the hard-on he’s got for Coley. All I know is his loss is my gain.
    I crawl up the bed and pull Coley with me. She snuggles into my side and I cover us both, settling into the soft pillow. I haven’t had a girl sleep in my bed—ever. We have the same rules as FD—Fuck ‘em and chuck ‘em. We’re assholes and we make no apologies for it. Only there’s something different about Nicole. Something that has me wanting to keep her close and spend time with her. It’s not her illness, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t scare the hell out of me.
    Her breathing is even as she drifts off to sleep. I absently run my fingertips up and down her arm.
    “What if you’re falling in love with her, man?” Justin asks through the door.
    I don’t have an answer to that question so I just don’t say anything.

“S HE DIDN’T COME back to any of the buses last night,” Lucy whispers to Sera.
    “She’s likely with Lucian.”
    Again with Lucian. Fucker.
    “Do you think…” Lucy drifts off.
    Sera shrugs. “She’s an adult and Lucian’s really hot. Those eyes alone are enough to turn nipples into razor blades.”
    Lucy laughs.
    “Did someone say nipples?” Xander asks, boarding the bus.
    “He’s got radar for that shit,” Kennedy states from the sofa where he’s strumming his guitar.
    “Fuck yeah,” Xander says, taking a seat next to Lucy. He reaches over and rubs the babies. Lucy’s resigned herself to the fact that we’re all going to touch her belly as much as we want to and she can’t stop us. At first she was shocked, then she got irritated, now she finds it ‘sweet’.
    “Nipples. Tits. Pussy. Ass. Those are my keywords right there,” Xan announces.
    “Don’t forget fuck, sex, cock…” I trail off, already heading toward the swear jar.
    “Yeah, can’t forget those. Mmm,” he murmurs.
    “You owe the jar, asswipe,” Kennedy tells Xan.
    “Shit. I said the F word?” he asks.
    “Yep,” I reply.
    “They just slip out and I don’t even realize I’m saying it. This no F word stuff is fu- freaking difficult as hell,” Xander says.
    “You’re telling me,” Jesse says, walking onto the bus. “And I could hear you all talking about nipples and cock. You shouldn’t be saying shit like that around the babies.”
    “Please,” Sera says, rolling her eyes. “You talk dirtier than that when you’re fucking.” Sera reaches into her pocket and grins. “A very necessary F word.”
    “She’s right,” Lucy admits.
    “I can’t help it. When you’re naked and we—” Jesse starts.
    “Gah. Stop,” Sera says, holding up her hands. “There are some places we just shouldn’t go together and that’s one of them.
    “Even though we hear them,” Kennedy mutters.
    “Even though,” I agree with a nod.
    I know Coley’s pretty innocent. I don’t know if she fucked before or not, but even if she did, she hasn’t screwed randomly like we all have.
    “What if she screwed Lucian last night?” Lucy questions, asking the question I don’t want the answer to.
    “Then she did, babe. She’s a grown woman and Lucian… Well, as much as I hate to say it, he’s changed. Cage was right,” Jesse admits.
    “Of course he was,” Sera says. “He doesn’t bullshit.