A few seconds later she heard them, the voices of his bandmates growing more distinct as they drew closer to the bus. She felt the suspension shift and settle as they boarded.
‘We should stop now,’ she said.
‘Bugger that.’ Xane wrapped his arms tight around her bottom. ‘I’m not letting them spoil this. I don’t care if they stand and watch.’ Unlike her, he lacked any self-consciousness about his body. Xane was happy to pose naked and, she suspected, got a kick out of being caught having sex.
Dani threw a desperate look towards the curtains to make sure they were still shut. Below the bottom edge she glimpsed a pair of feet. They paused in the doorway.
‘Oh, God!’
‘Do you need a minute?’ Spook Mortensen asked.
Dani frantically scrambled out of Xane’s hold, turned herself about and attempted to dive under the covers. The latter proved impossible with Xane’s weight holding the duvet in place.
‘Or five,’ Xane replied.
Spook sniffed. ‘You’re sure I can’t lie down? I’ll close my eyes and stick my fingers in my ears.’
Dani fretfully shook her head.
‘The lady’s a bit shy.’
‘Right.’ Spook retreated a pace, only to jerk forward again immediately, accompanied by another body. ‘Sorry,’ he apologised, as he was coaxed further into the room by the arrival of yet another person.
Dani covered her mouth with the back of her hand, starting to see the funny side.
‘I thought you wanted to sleep,’ Ash muttered. ‘What are you standing in the doorway for?’
‘I thought you and Iain were having a few more beers together,’ Spook replied.
‘We decided to choose beds first. Didn’t want to be left with last dibs. You know how much I loathe being stuck on the bottom.’
‘I’ll take it,’ Spook volunteered. ‘It makes no odds to me. A bunk’s a bunk.’
‘This one.’ Ash slapped his hand against the middle bunk above where Dani and Xane were lying.
‘Like fuck it is,’ Xane barked, rising slightly. ‘That one’s mine. Think again, Ashley.’
‘If that one’s yours, then why are you in the bottom one?’
‘Because I’m fucking my girlfriend, dummy. In her bunk.’
‘You’re doing it awful quietly.’
Xane rolled his eyes. ‘You interrupted.’ He stuck his head out of the curtains to see what was going on and better address them. ‘Apologise.’
‘Sorry, Dani,’ they chorused as one.
‘Do you want some peace?’ Ash asked, having claimed the other middle bunk.
‘That’d be lovely.’
‘Five minutes?’
‘Ten,’ Xane insisted. The moment they’d all vacated the room, he ripped back the curtains and rolled into the aisle. ‘Come here, you.’ He grabbed hold of her legs, tugged her to the edge of the bed and sat her there.
‘Xane,’ Dani protested. They might have all gone, but the door was still ajar and they might come back at any moment, and she was naked.
Xane rose onto his knees between her thighs. ‘Ash will give us exactly ten minutes, not a second more. Don’t think for a minute that he won’t get a kick out of walking in on us. He’ll probably bring popcorn, and Spook will bring his camera.’
Even more reason for them to save this for another time. Except of course that he was hard and hot and she was pretty eager for another round herself, God help her. If they did walk in she’d be absolutely mortified.
‘OK, do it,’ she said, spreading her legs a little wider. ‘Fast and hard.’
He kissed the inside of her wrist. ‘As you command.’
Xane drove into her. It was fast and furious. Her body shook with the exertion. Her muscles protested, but … oh, yeah … it was good.
His thumb found her clit and he held it there, letting the rhythmic movement of their bodies do the work. It felt as if they were shaking the entire bus. She could imagine the rest of the band sitting downstairs looking up at the ceiling, all of them listening, none of them speaking, and maybe with a cushion or two clasped across their laps.
‘Fuck, Dani!’ He was staring at her, mouth open, a sheen of sweat shimmering on his skin.
‘Yeah,’ she agreed.
‘Those bastards are going to have to give us some regular privacy, or else we’re going to be making a lot of pit-stops. I want to do this with you a lot.’
He’d hear no arguments from her on that score. ‘Xane, I’m …’ She was getting close. The combo of his body slamming tight against hers and his expressed need for her had set her alight. Her insides felt electrified. As though she’d been caught outside in a storm and a bolt of lightning was zapping through her.
He wiggled his thumb, bestowing an extra bit of pressure on her clit.
It was enough. She came in long shudders, her body clamping fast to his as he raced to join her.
His cries soon echoed her own. In fact, it was only because he was so voluble about it that she realised how loud her own groans had become. Embarrassed, she shoved her head into the groove between his shoulder and his pecs.
‘I like hearing you yell my name,’ he whispered against her hair. ‘And it’s not like they didn’t know what we were doing.’
She suspected everyone left in the area knew what they’d been doing, and maybe she didn’t mind all that much.
‘Are you all right?’
‘Sure, but can I get covered up before they all come back?’ She didn’t want to face the looks or the barrage of questions that’d result if any of them saw those rows of silvery scars.
He nodded. Fished around for an item of clothing and failed to lay his hands on any. ‘Let’s climb into my bunk.’ He lifted her up there, before climbing in alongside and closing the drapes. ‘I don’t know where your stuff’s been put, but whatever you need I’ll find for you in the morning.’
‘And if I need a wee during the night?’
He leaned over the edge of the bunk to reach into a cupboard at the foot end, and drew out a black man-sized T-shirt and a pair of his figure-hugging Calvin Kleins. He tucked them under the pillows. ‘There, problem sorted. Now come here and hug me.’
They cozied up.
‘I might wear those tomorrow regardless,’ she said, knowing he liked seeing her in his clothes.
‘Consider anything in my cupboard fair game. I like having my things on you.’
‘And in me.’
Xane pressed his head against hers. ‘Definitely that.’
He fell asleep in her arms, apparently temporarily at peace with the world.
The following morning, Dani woke to find most of the bunks already vacated. Only the top two still had the curtains drawn across. Xane had left her a note pointing her towards some free cupboard space, and, better still, her suitcase had materialised so she had fresh clothes and undies. She skipped putting on Xane’s shorts, but did wear his T-shirt. Even freshly laundered it seemed to retain his scent.