Insider (Exodus End #1)(146)
Author: Olivia Cunning

“I mean it.”

He deepened their kiss, heightening her arousal, filling her thoughts with nothing but him.

Always.

Thirty-Nine

As Toni stepped onto Exodus End’s tour bus, her stomach took residence in her calf-hugging boots. She clutched the strap of her messenger bag and tried to swallow her queasiness. Would these guys ever accept her apology and let her close to them again? Or would she be forced to leave? The wall of muscle and mean that suddenly appeared in her path did nothing to put her at ease.

“No fans on the bus,” Butch said, his mustache twitching with disapproval.

“Then I guess I’d better leave,” she said.

“Is that Toni?” Max said from the back of the bus.

“Logan actually did something right for a change,” Steve said with a laugh.

“Toni’s back!” Reagan cried, nearly knocking Butch on his ass as she shoved him aside to grab Toni in a rib-crushing hug. “I’m so sorry I yelled at you. And that I pushed you. And I thought you were responsible. I should have known you weren’t a backstabbing whorebag. We’re going to get back at those bitches, aren’t we?”

Well, considering one of those bitches was her mother, probably not.

“Welcome home,” Dare said, his green-eyed gaze warm and inviting. Toni knew he reserved that look for people he trusted.

“It’s good to be back,” she said with a happy smile.

“What? No one cares that I’m back too?” Logan said, shifting sideways so Toni wasn’t blocking their view of him.

“Not really,” Reagan teased, but the guys smacked him around a little to let him know he’d been missed.

With the man she loved at her side and a bright future before her, Toni no longer had to reach for her stars. They were right there beside her.

June 2

Dear Journal,

It’s been a while since I wrote. I’ve been super busy. Today is the last day of Exodus End’s North American tour. We’re heading to the UK in two weeks for the Download Festival. I can’t wait to get that first stamp in my brand new passport. The band has the next two weeks off while their equipment ships overseas. Of course, I had to record footage of them loading the semis on the freighter, so Logan and I are currently down at the docks. Yes, it was cool to see the cranes lifting those big containers, knowing the tour was packed inside. Yes, this is all going into the book. I don’t know if I’ll ever completely finish gathering data for this book. I’ll probably need to break it into two volumes. Or maybe three.

Logan and I plan to spend the next few days in Key West—he insists I’ll love parasailing and sex in the ocean (sharks, anyone?)—before we head to his place in Southern California. Apparently he has a dirt bike track on his property, and he wants to teach me to ride. Not sure how I feel about that one, but he already ordered a bike for me, so I have to at least try it out. We’re going to California because I’m his date for Sed Lionheart’s wedding next weekend. Jessica will be such a beautiful bride—even if she has packed on a few pounds (don’t tell her I noticed)—and I’ll get to see Sinners in tuxedos! It should be a blast. Then Logan and I are heading north to spend the rest of our vacation time with my family.

Birdie can’t wait to show Logan her new horse. Mom is probably rethinking her decision to read her Black Beauty now! She says Birdie has even more energy since her pacemaker was implanted. I can’t imagine how that’s possible. I miss her to pieces, but since we’ve been using Skype to talk almost every night, at least I get to see her smiling face on a regular basis.

Things with Logan are wonderful. He’s shoved me out of my comfort zone so many times, I’m not sure I even have a comfort zone anymore. I’ll just hang on for the ride and see where he takes me. The rest of the guys in the band are doing well. I’m worried about Reagan, though. She hasn’t been herself since that first tabloid article was published. Reporters hound her and Trey constantly. Trey’s good about brushing them off, but they’re really wearing Reagan down. I wish she’d stop reading those damned articles. Each time a new one comes out, she sinks a little lower. Steve still wants to confront Susan about starting this shitstorm. Unfortunately, the bitch disappeared as soon as Mom announced she was planning to sell the company. I still don’t get why Susan thought she could follow Exodus End on tour to get dirt on them. Did she really think Steve wouldn’t recognize her? She lost a lot of weight since he knew her, but she was his sister-in-law for five years; he’s not that clueless. Hopefully she’ll turn up one day. I’d really like to hear Steve cut her down to size. And if Reagan ever runs into her, I don’t think Susan will survive the confrontation.

I have to go now. Logan is waving me toward the sailboat he just rented. Sex on a boat—just a typical day in the life of Logan Schmidt. But for me, it’s another adventure of a lifetime.

I’m-in-love-with-a-rock-star,

Toni