Lance pulled up to the hotel and came around to open her door. Whip got out slowly and he took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers as they walked inside. Whip glanced up at him, still feeling his lips on hers and she looked away quickly, blushing. She had never in her life been kissed like that. She was still reeling from it, but yet all she wanted was for him to do it again. That was the part that scared her. They walked up to the elevators and Lance pushed the button for the car to come.
"Did you have fun tonight," he asked Whip.
"Yes," she replied, "I would have to say that I did. Okay, you were right." He smirked at her and Whip rolled her eyes. He was never going to let her live it down. The elevator doors opened and they got on. Lance pushed the button for their floor and they leaned against the back wall while they ascended the floors. When the doors opened again, Whip went through first and Lance followed, grabbing her hand up in his again. She was beginning to like the feel of that. His thumb stroked the back of her hand, sending tiny little pulses up through her arm. When they reached her room, Whip turned to Lance and looked up at him.
"Thank you for walking me here once again," she said, grinning, "I did have fun tonight and thank you for inviting me."
"You are very welcome on both accounts," Lance said, "I really hope we can do it again sometime." With that, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her again. It seemed all too soon that it was over. Lance placed a kiss on her forehead, told her goodnight and waited until she had locked the door behind her.
When he got back to his room, the guys were there, ready to pounce. They all started talking at once and Lance had to tell them to shut up. Joey was the first to have his say.
"I saw you two out there workin' it," he mimicked their dancing, giggling, "And that kiss....woooooooooo boy, that was some hot lip action there." Lance blushed, but that didn't stop them from continuing.
"Oh yeah," piped Chris, "You looked like you were ready to suck her lips off her face." Chris made sucking noises and the guys burst out with more laughter. JC saw how uncomfortable Lance was and shushed the other guys.
"If you like her, I think that's cool," JC said quietly, "Nothin wrong with it."
"Yeah, it's cool Lance," Justin put his arm around Lance's shoulder, "We were just raggin on ya. Ya know we gotta do that." Lance raised an eyebrow at Justin and went to sit on the bed.
"Look," he began, "Yeah, I like spending time with her and all, but I dunno if it's gonna go any further than that. Whip's fun to be around and I wanna get to know her a little better so don't scare her away." Chris started to protest, but Lance cut him off.
"I'm serious Chris, lay off. She's skittish as it is. I don't wanna hear about any of you guys teasing her about this. Got me?" All four of them nodded and swore they wouldn't tease Whip about the kiss or her seeing Lance. With the fun gone, they all decided to go to bed and said their goodnights to Lance.
~*~
4:27 a.m.
Whip stared at the clock on the table beside the bed and groaned. It was no use, she wasn't going to get any sleep tonight. Turning away from the glaring red numbers, she closed her eyes and tried to force herself to relax. It was no use though. Every time her eyes shut, she was back in the club, up against Lance, with his lips tasting hers. She was definitely enjoying being with Lance, but she couldn't help but wonder where it all would lead. Sure, they were on tour now and she'd be spending a LOT of time with him, but what would happen after it was over? For that matter, how far did he want to take this? These were the questions that plagued her thoughts and kept her from a much needed slumber. Sighing, she threw the covers off and sat up. She knew what would help.
As quietly as she could, Whip got into her bag and pulled out a tattered notebook. She sat at the small table, away from the beds and turned on the small light sitting in the center of it. She had to write. Putting her thoughts on paper always helped her clear her mind. As the night started brightening into a new day, Whip sat at that table, scribbling furiously. By the time she was done, she was spent. She put the notebook away and laid down again. This time, sleep came easily.
~*~
Lance rushed backstage and started stripping off his shirt. Whip handed him his next one and he yanked it over his head, quickly pulling it in place. He looked as tired as she felt and she wondered if he'd slept at all. She helped him with his pants and shoes so he could turn right around and take off for the stage again, but not before giving her one of his heart-warming smiles. As they started their next number, Whip gathered the clothes and put them in the bin to be washed and readied for the next city. She hummed along with the music and leaned against the wall, watching them. She was always in awe of the talent that these five men possessed. She wasn't just someone who worked for them, she was also a fan. Even more than that, she was proud of them. They'd always put so much into everything they'd done. Watching them now, she realized that they'd become five wonderful men who truly loved what they did. Lance had always been kind of shy with his dancing. He knew he wasn't the best of the group, but he always put one hundred percent into it. Now he was confident and Whip smiled to herself knowing that he had good reason to be.
When the show was over and everyone had returned to the hotel to wind down, Whip returned to her room, wanting to get a good night's sleep. First, she wanted to reread what she'd written the night before. She always went back the next day and reread anything she wrote down. Whip entered the room and got her notebook out of the bag again. She sat down at the same table and opened it to the last page she'd written on. Whe read through it quickly and then again, more slowly this time. It was probably the best thing she'd ever written. Taking the pen and making a few notes, she sat there staring out the window. Just then, a group of shouting, laughing and basically noisy people came barreling through the door. Whip looked up in annoyance, but had to smile. The guys were amongst the group, joking around. Lance made a beeline for Whip and she propped her chin on her hand, watching him glide across the room.
"Hey beautiful," Lance murmured as he leaned down to place a kiss on her cheek, "You wanna come join us?"
"Where are you going," Whip asked.
"Down to the lounge," he replied, "They've got a buffet set up for everyone and we're just going to go down, chill out, and eat." Whip wanted to go, but she knew if she did, she'd end up wanting to stay up all night again. Regretfully, she told him no.
"How come," he asked, openly disappointed.
"I think I'm just gonna stay here," she told him, "I wanna relax, maybe take a hot bath and get some sleep."
"Hey Lance," Joey shouted above everyone, " You comin, man?"
"Go on," Lance yelled back, "I'll catch up." Joey saluted and everyone started down the hallway. Whip could hear them until the got on the elevators. She turned back to find Lance gazing at her and she blushed again. Why did this man always make her blush with by just looking at her?
"So, what's this," he asked, indicating her notebook. Whip quicky shut it, looking away.
"It's nothing," she answered.
"Oh come on," Lance pleaded, "Lemme see."
"No," Whip pulled the notebook close to her and Lance grinned mischieviously. "Lance," Whip warned, "Don't even think about it." He just smiled at her again and leaned down to kiss her. His lips danced over hers, making her take in a quick, shallow breath. At her surprise, his tongue tentatively traced her bottom lip and into the sweetness of her mouth. He teased her own tongue with his, asking her to return the favor. Whip let her own tongue flutter along his, making him moan in the back of his throat. He deepened the kiss, tracing the line of her teeth and flicking the roof of her mouth. Whip ran her hands up his neck and into his hair, pulling him even closer, if that was possible. Lance gave her lips a few more nibbles before pulling back and winking at her. Whip looked at him in confusion until she noticed he had her notebook in his hand.
"Thanks sweetie," he giggled.
"LANCE," Whip's voice raised in surprise, "Oh you little shit, give that back!" He shook his head no and jumped over the bed, opening the book and looking for the page she'd been reading. Whip tried to catch him, but he always stayed one step ahead of her. She could tell when he'd finally found the page because his face became serious as he read the first few lines. He looked up at her, his eyes wide, then looked back at the book. Whip was dying inside. He couldn't read that, he just couldn't. She made another dive and this time she tackled him, both of them rolling across the bed. When they stopped, Whip was on top of him and she snatched the notebook out of his hands. He didn't say a word as she closed it again and stuffed it down in her bag. God, she thought, nearly in tears, he's going to think I'm a complete moron. I swear, if he laughs I'm going to deck him. But he didn't laugh. In fact, he was so quiet, Whip glanced over her shoulder to see if he was still there.
Lance was sitting on the edge of the bed just staring at the floor. She couldn't see his face so she had no idea what was going on in his mind. It was driving her insane that he wasn't saying anything. Whip couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed her bag and started getting clothes out so she could take her bath. Yanking them out, she threw them on the table, seething at his silence.
"That's about me, isn't it," Lance asked quietly. Whip almost didn't hear him, but she stopped. Her back was toward Lance and she couldn't bring herself to look at him. She just nodded and went back to emptying her bag. She heard the bedsprings squeak and she figured he was leaving so she worked faster. A pair of shoes appeared in front of her and she stopped again. Lance knelt down in front of her and took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, tipping it up so she would look him in the eye. He could see the tears glimmering there and he felt like an ass for what he'd done. He ran his thumb slowly across her cheek and leaned in to place a kiss on her forehead, before taking her into his arms. Whip went willingly, hanging onto him tightly. Lance nestled her head into his neck and his hand moved up and down her back, rubbing lightly.
"Can I please read the rest of it," he asked her softly. Whip pulled back from him, her brows furrowed with indecision.
"Why," her voice rasped.
"Because you've captured exactly how I feel," Lance answered, his eyes never leaving hers, "And because I really liked it." Whip just sat there. She didn't know what to say. He felt the same way she did? That was not a reaction she'd expected. Shakily, she reached into the bag and pulled out the notebook again. Whip held it in her hands for a few seconds before nodding and handing it back to Lance. He took it from her gently and pulled her into his lap so they could read it together. Whip sat there, nestled in his arms, listening to the deep timber of his voice as he read her words. By the time he was finished, she was asleep in his arms. Lance put the book aside and woke Whip up enough to get her to the bed. He took off her shoes and covered her with the bedspread before climbing in behind her and stretching out. Lance turned toward her back and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to him. Whip snuggled deeper into his embrace and Lance laid his head on the pillow, falling asleep almost as quickly as she did.