Chapter 5

Stomach protesting its emptiness, Eric opened the small refrigerator and hunted for something edible. There was one good thing about losing their previous bus. All the suspicious-looking, past-their-expiration-date condiments had been replaced with new bottles. Unfortunately, Eric's secret stash of hot dogs had not. Neither had most of the beer. The stuff currently stocking the fridge looked suspiciously like vegetables and raw meat.

Eric leaned back and waved a hand at the refrigerator. "What's up with the food? Where are my hot dogs?"

Jace rose from the booth around the dining table and stood beside him, his brow crumpled with confusion. "Are those vegetables?"

"Looks like it."

Trey and Brian came to stand in their little huddle before the open refrigerator door. The four of them stood there staring into the fridge as if assessing a piece of modern art for

deeper meaning.

"Wait. Is that… cauliflower?" Brian asked, reaching in and poking the package of cauliflower as if he expected it to bite him.

"Sed!" Trey called to Sed, who was driving the bus in Dave's absence. They'd already decided they needed to hire a new driver as soon as possible, but this arrangement would work for now.

"What?" Sed called from the driver's seat.

"Do you know anything about the vegetables in the refrigerator?"

"Jessica says I need to eat better."

"So putting this stuff in the fridge makes her think you're actually going to eat it?" Trey asked.

"I guess."

"Did she forget that none of us can cook?"

"I can stir up some scrambled eggs," Eric said. It was the one thing he knew how to cook. And they could be flavored with just about anything. He enjoyed trying new spices. Perhaps nutmeg and sage this time.

Eric reached for the carton of eggs.

Jace karate chopped his wrist, and Eric's fingers went numb. "Step away from the eggs, Sticks."

Eric might have complained, but Rebekah giggled at his expense and his concentration shattered. He glanced at her sitting in one of the captain's chairs with her feet curled beneath her. Her mismatched socks barely showed from beneath the ginormous sweatshirt she was swimming in. The faded red garment must have once belonged to a four-hundred-pound linebacker. She'd insisted that she was cold when he'd teased her about wearing it earlier. She was already so goddamned adorable, and that huge garment made her seem even more petite. He suppressed the urge to sweep her into his arms and bury his face in her neck. And lose his hands inside that baggy sweatshirt to see if her pert nipples were hard again.

"Maybe there's a frozen pizza in there," Brian said, opening the freezer. He leaned in for a closer inspection. "Chicken? Why is there chicken in the freezer?"

"Jessica's idea," Sed called from the driver's seat.

"I thought she was supposed to be a smart chick," Trey said. "Does she really think we're going to eat this complicated stuff?"

"She is a smart chick. She's marrying me," Sed called.

Eric and the rest of the guys busted out laughing. "That proves she's dumb as a post."

Sed stomped the brakes, and his four bandmates ricocheted off each other like bowling pins. Eric sobered immediately; memories of wrenching metal, fear of death, and agonizing pain in his ankle took all the humor out of the situation. He'd limped for days after the bus accident, but all things considered, with the exception of Dave's injury, they'd been lucky.

Rebekah untangled her legs from beneath her sweatshirt and slipped between the guys to peer into the fridge. "I can probably throw something together."

Brian's head swiveled in her direction. "You know how to cook?"

"I've been in the kitchen a time or two." She smiled at them.

When her eyes fell on Trey, he turned and moved to the front of the bus. He leaned against the dashboard, crossed his arms over his chest, and struck up a conversation with Sed. Eric saw the pain in Rebekah's troubled eyes before she covered it with a bright smile. "Go sit down, guys. I'll make dinner."

Rebekah's eyes opened wide when Brian grabbed her in a crushing embrace. "Thank you." He planted a kiss on her temple and squeezed her enthusiastically, swaying side to side with glee.

Eric wedged an arm between Brian and Rebekah. "What about Myrna? Sheesh!"

Brian released Rebekah, looking puzzled. "What do you mean? It's all Myrna's fault in the first place. She's spoiled me so much with her cooking that I don't think I can make myself eat the usual crap we consume on the road."

So Brian was just thinking about keeping his stomach happy? Eric wasn't sure why Brian's hug and platonic kiss pressed all his jealousy buttons. Maybe because Rebekah looked so pleased about it. Did she have a thing for Brian too? Lots of chicks wanted the Brian/Trey combination. Maybe that's why she'd freaked out in the storage unit earlier. Maybe she'd wanted to be the filling in a Brian/Trey sandwich, and Eric had been the wrong kind of bread.

Eric's heart skipped a beat when she gripped his right hand in both of hers.

She looked up at him, a twinkle in her blue eyes. "You're going to help me, right, Eric?"

"Help you?"

"Yeah. You can cut vegetables and stuff, right?"

Not exactly. He grinned regardless. He doubted he was capable of telling this woman no. "Sure."

Rebekah rummaged around in the refrigerator to take inventory.

Eric couldn't take his eyes off her ass as she bent at the waist and sorted through ingredients. He stood directly behind her, imagining his cock buried in her warm, slick depths. Her smooth, naked skin beneath his fingertips as she allowed his exploration. His possession. Her warmth against his thighs as he thrust deep. Deep. So deep that his balls pressed against her. He clenched his hands into fists at his sides to prevent himself from grabbing her and showing her the effect that little wiggle of her hips was having on his thoughts and his fly. It was probably a good thing she had that baggy sweatshirt on. If he could actually see her slim thighs and the division between them, his fist-clenching would have done little to keep his hands off her. She backed up unexpectedly, and her luscious little ass bumped into his thighs. He didn't have the mental faculties to take a step back. Instead, his arms slid around her hips and pulled her closer. She stood upright.

"Sorry about that," she said.

Even though she had to feel how hard he was against her lower back, she didn't move away. She tilted her head back to look at him. "I should probably take off this baggy sweatshirt. It's kind of a fire hazard."

As far as Eric was concerned, her body was a much greater fire hazard. He was definitely about to burst into flames. The sweatshirt brushed over his face as she lifted her arms and pulled it over her head. Her scent bombarded his senses. He bit his lip to keep from moaning aloud. Dear lord, he wanted her. Even more so when his gaze settled on the twin bumps of her nipples straining against her tank top. It took every shred of his willpower not to stroke them with his thumbs.

"It is chilly in here," she murmured, taking a deep breath that made her cleavage swell above the neckline of her top.

"Fuckin' A," he groaned and lifted his hands with the intention of cupping those two succulent globes of flesh. Of rubbing those erect nipples between his thumbs and forefingers until she begged him to suck them into his mouth and flick his tongue against them. Rebekah stepped away before he could claim his prize package.

"How does roast sound?" she asked Brian.

"Oh God, yes," Brian murmured.

Eric had forgotten the guys were even present. He glanced over his shoulder self-consciously. Had they noticed him pressing against their little cock tease of a soundboard operator? And enjoying it immensely? Her coyness might piss off Trey, but it had Eric entirely spellbound. His cheeks pink, Jace offered Eric a knowing grin. That would be one in the "totally noticed it" column. Brian seemed more interested in the lean roast Rebekah set on the counter.

The consistent hum of the bus engine lowered several pitches as Sed directed the bus off the road and into a rest area. Eric braced himself as they drew to a halt and reached for Rebekah to steady her. She smiled her gratitude at him and he grinned like a giddy fool.

"Eric," she said, "you wash and cut these red potatoes into large chunks."

He wasn't sure if he could hold a knife in his trembling hand, but he couldn't help but be happy that Rebekah had chosen him to help her cook. Not Trey. Eric stifled the urge to stick his tongue out at Sir Fucks-a-lot, who was still chatting with Sed at the front of the bus. Sed stood from the driver's seat, stretched his arms over his head, and nodded at Trey.

Rebekah tumbled half a bag of potatoes into the sink and left Eric to figure out how to wash and cut them on his own. She heated some oil in a pan and unwrapped the roast. Spellbound, Eric watched her massage spices into the meat, imagining her tiny hands digging into his ass as he gyrated his hips to fuck her deep. And hard. Would she like it hard? Eric was accustomed to having intensely sensual thoughts frequently. His mind had always been the center of his sexuality, but he didn't usually get this turned on by every thing a woman did. When she tossed the meat into the hot grease and it sizzled loudly, Eric finally snapped back to his senses. He didn't want that to happen to his ass, thank you very much.

She glanced at him. "You have no idea what you're doing, do you?"

He hated to admit it, but he didn't. He didn't want her to get exasperated and shoo him out of the kitchen. He wanted to help her. To be close to her. Special to her. "Show me."

She washed a potato, moved it to the cutting board built into the countertop, and cut it into several large pieces. "Do you think you can handle that?" She looked at him from beneath her thick lashes.

Handle what? "Yeah."

"That smells fantastic already," Brian crooned from the dining area.

"It won't be ready for a couple hours."

Brian covered his belly with both hands when it rumbled with hunger. "I think my stomach will digest itself by then."

"We used to go days without a decent meal. Myrna has spoiled you," Jace said and chuckled.

Brian smiled at him. "And not just with her cooking."

Rebekah turned the meat to sear its other side and searched the fridge for vegetables. Eric almost cut his thumb off as he watched her wriggling backside, which was no longer hidden by her sweatshirt.

"Mercy, woman," he growled.

She glanced at him, her eyebrows raised in question.

"You have one seriously fine ass." Eric bit his lip. Sometimes things popped out of his mouth before he had a chance to edit them. Well, they always did, actually.

Instead of chastising him, she grinned and gyrated her hips. "You think so?"

The pain of the knife slicing through the pad of his thumb barely registered.

"Way to go, lover boy. Now you're bleeding all over our fucking dinner," Trey said. He nudged Rebekah aside and found a bag of apples in the refrigerator. He tossed one to Brian and claimed one for himself.

"Oh dear." Rebekah yanked the knife out of Eric's hand and tossed it in the sink. She grabbed his wrist and kept his hand elevated as she tugged him into the bathroom. She searched frantically through the medicine cabinet. "Don't you guys have anything but pain relievers in here?"

"We tend to nurse a lot of hangovers." Eric's chest constricted over her concern. No one gave a shit about him. Ever. "There should be a first-aid kit under the sink."

Blood was now dripping down the side of his hand, but the wound didn't hurt much. She located the kit and wrenched it open. She grabbed a can of antiseptic spray, popped the lid off, and sprayed his wound as if she was an '80s hairdresser with a can of Aqua Net. Stinging pain shot up his arm.

"Ow! Fuck!" Eric tucked his hand against his chest to protect it from her overzealous disinfection.

"Hold still." She turned on the water and forced his hand beneath the flow. "Let me see it."

"Um, Rebekah!" Sed called from outside the bathroom. "I think the roast is burning."

"Just turn off the burner!" she bellowed. "Eric is more important."

Eric is more important? Did she really feel that way?

Rebekah inspected his thumb and sucked a breath through her teeth. "It's not all that deep, but you practically filleted it."

"If someone hadn't distracted me with her seriously fine ass…"

She stiffened and lifted her guilty gaze. "I'm sorry. I'll go put my sweatshirt back on."

He shifted her back against the sink counter so they were facing each other and pinned her there with his body. "I'd rather you didn't."

He brushed her platinum and cobalt hair behind one ear, his uninjured thumb brushing over her high cheekbone. The tension drained from her body and she watched him, her lips slightly parted. She was close enough that he could feel her heart thudding in her chest and recognized that his was thudding just as hard. He lowered his head, closing the distance between their lips.

"I finished cutting the potatoes," Jace said and pushed the door open. "Are you okay, Eric?"

Rebekah squirmed from between the counter and Eric's body. "I think it just needs a bandage," she said. "What do you think?"

Jace and Rebekah inspected the cut on Eric's thumb while Eric tried to get his raging hard-on under control. Damn, this woman had him turned every which way but right side up.

"I don't think it needs stitches either," Jace was saying.

Another painful spray of disinfectant and a rather large bandage later, Eric followed Jace and Rebekah out of the bathroom. Eric watched her add water to the roast and set it to simmering. She refused to let Eric help her this time, but Jace, the little bastard, somehow weaseled himself into her assistant's role. Jace didn't need help figuring out how to peel and cut carrots. It was almost as if he'd cooked before.

"You've been holding out on us," Brian accused as he watched Jace cut onions like a master chef.

Jace glanced over his shoulder, flushed, and changed his technique to awkwardly cutting the onions into uneven chunks.

"You can cook, and you let us starve?" Trey hit Jace in the middle of the back with his apple core.

"I'm not any good," Jace insisted quietly.

"Better than Eric," Brian said. "You haven't cut off your thumb yet."

Eric laughed. "Fuck you, Sinclair."

"Sorry, Sticks. I save it all for Myrna."

With an indulgent grin on his face, Sed shoved Brian's shoulder. "Is she pregnant yet?"

Brian shrugged. "Don't know. If not, it's not from a lack of trying."

Eric averted his gaze. He never thought he'd see the day when one of Sinners would talk about having kids. He caught sight of Rebekah staring at Brian as if someone had ripped her heart out. She noticed that Eric was staring at her again and turned back to the stove. She added the vegetables to the roast, covered the Dutch oven with a lid, and closed herself in the bathroom. Eric wondered what was bothering her.

"Slow down, buddy," Trey said. It took Eric a moment to realize he was talking to him.

"Huh?"

"If you really want her, slow down."

"What? You mean Rebekah?"

"Is there any other her on the bus? Just play it cool."

"But she wants you."

Trey winked at him. "And I'm still planning to use that fact to its fullest."