Chapter 1
TESSA
Jolted back to consciousness, I sat up in an unfamiliar bed and struggled to remember where I was.
My phone was on the nightstand, and my book bag and laptop were on the desk at the foot of the bed. Unclenching my fists, I felt the familiar fuzziness of my favorite blanket.
That’s right, I reminded myself. This is my room until graduation.
As I slowly exhaled a calming breath, a breeze from the open window cooled my heated skin. The moving air felt good against my sweat-slicked body.
Throwing off the covers, I hopped down from my bed. Since my room faced nothing but a dense line of trees, I didn’t bother closing the shade before I stripped out of my dampened clothes. The best thing after a bad dream was a run to clear my head.
Gorgeous weather, fresh air, and music blaring in my ears were what I needed to rid myself of the memories, or at least push them aside for a while. After donning a blue sports bra, cropped gray leggings, running shoes, and earbuds, I set off.
Forty minutes and thirty-seven seconds later, I turned the corner back onto my street. After double-checking my watch, I smiled when I saw the time I’d made. As I got closer to the small rental house that I’d be calling home for my last year of university, I slowed to a jog then walked.
As I came upon my next-door neighbor, an athletic guy from years of playing soccer, he kicked a soccer ball my way, calling out, “Tessaaaa!”
“Hey, Chuck,” I greeted as I stopped the ball with my foot. After kicking it up in the air for a few bobbling tricks, I shot it over to the guy who was with him, figuring they’d been playing together. It went right by him without even an attempted kick.
“Oh, I don’t play,” the tall guy said.
Feeling a little foolish for assuming, I said, “Oh…” At least my cheeks were likely already red from running. “Sorry!” I called to Chuck as he ran after the ball.
Looking back at Chuck’s friend, I locked eyes with him and froze. Oh. My. God. For a couple of long seconds, we held each other’s gazes as my brain stopped functioning.
His piercing eyes looked away first when Chuck dribbled up to us.
Kicking the ball up and balancing it on his forehead, Chuck commented, “When you and I were hanging out by the gym in high school, he was hanging out in the music wing.”
“Weren’t you hanging out in the music wing too?” asked the man, who also had quite the physique.
Letting the ball drop to the ground, Chuck conceded, “Good point. Oh, speaking of music, Tess, what’re you doing tomorrow night?”
“Uh…” He wasn’t about to ask me out on a date right in front of his hot-as-hell friend, was he? Throwing a nervous glance at the other guy, I noted he didn’t seem at all surprised. Ugh.
Chuck had seemed nice enough for the month I’d known him, and although not bad looking, with his bleached-blond hair with blue spiky tips and light-brown eyes, he wasn’t my type. Especially since I could look him straight in the eye barefoot. I liked guys who were taller than my above-average stature, a guy who I could wear heels with and he’d still be taller than me. A guy who was smokin’ hot, like his friend here.
“You should come to Smythie’s tomorrow night. My band’s playing. We play every Friday night.” Chuck pointed to his still nameless friend. “He’s in the band too.”
Drop-dead gorgeous guy is in a band? Yes, please.
Going for nonchalance, I shrugged. “Oh, yeah, sure.” Wincing, I asked, “But, uh, what’s Smythie’s?”
The two men exchanged a disbelieving glance, causing my cheeks to prick.
“You don’t know what Smythie’s is?”
Hot guy rolled his deep, ocean-blue eyes. “Not everyone goes to Smythie’s, Chuck.” Turning to me, smokin’ hot explained, “It’s a bar that turns into a nightclub Friday and Saturday nights. Eighteen to enter, since most college kids aren’t twenty-one yet. It’s about a fifteen-minute walk from here if you cut across campus.” Sticking out his hand, he introduced himself, “I’m Jax, by the way.”
I reached out and took his hand as Chuck said, “Oh, whoops. Sorry, I’m so used to Jax knowing everyone already. This is my best friend, Jax. Jax, this is Tess.”
Grateful that Chuck had remembered his manners, I had a moment to regain myself after being stunned into silence by the spark I felt when Jax’s skin came into contact with mine. Had he felt it too?
Even though Chuck had already given it to him, I told Jax my name, “Tess.” I hoped I hadn’t sounded as breathless to them as I did to myself. Maybe they’ll think it’s from the run, I thought to comfort myself. The run! Arg! Remembering I was all sweaty and gross, I made a hasty exit, pulling my hand away as soon as it was polite to do so. “Nice meeting you, Jax. Uh, yeah, I’ll try to make it out tomorrow night. Maybe I’ll see you guys there.”
I waved before turning and heading for my house.
After entering and shutting the front door, I leaned back against it, and slid down with my hands covering my open mouth. Chuck’s friend… He was… Phew. I had no words. Besides being tall with those defined muscles and the most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen, he wore a fitting black tee and tight black jeans. With small hoops in each ear, he definitely looked the part of a rock star, even if it was a local band. His styled sandy-brown locks reminded me of just-had-sex hair. It looked soft, and I wanted to run my fingers through it.
A spontaneous but not unwelcome image flashed in my mind of my hands tangled in his hair, holding his head between… “Oh Jesus,” I said out loud between huffing breaths. Holy cow, I’m panting.
For the first time in too long, I felt a tingle where I’d imagined Jax’s head. After so many years, a guy had finally caught my attention and awoken me.
Chapter 2
JAXON
I watched Chuck’s new neighbor until she disappeared into the house next door. Pivoting to my best friend, I asked, “She lives next to you?”
“Yeah, her and that girl, Tina Reynolds. I think you know her.” Chuck stopped playing with his ball and wiggled his eyebrows. “She’s pretty hot, huh?”
Pretty hot? She’s a fucking goddess! Ash-blonde hair in a high ponytail ripe for grabbing, twisting around my fist and pulling, and a perfect body accentuated by her tight workout clothes, topped off with a belly-button ring that might as well have been a cherry on top of a sundae. “Uh, yeah,” I agreed with Chuck, even though I knew I probably shouldn’t.
Following him through his front door, I tried to sound causal. “You said something to her about the gym?”
“She’s on the women’s soccer team.”
“She’s a freshman?” I asked in disbelief. A voice in the back of my head screamed, No fucking way that woman is a freshman! But, thanks to the bar, I thought I knew pretty much everyone. And I sure as hell would’ve remembered a face like hers.
Chuck’s expression made me feel like I said something dumb. “Nooooo… Does she look like she just graduated high school?”
Definitely not.
The look on my face must’ve conveyed my confusion because he elaborated, “She’s a senior.”
I let out an incredulous laugh. “A senior, seriously?” I’d never seen her once in the last three years, and this wasn’t a large campus.
“Yeah, she’s a transfer.”
“From where?” Why was I asking so many questions?
We made it to Chuck’s kitchen, where he dug around in his fridge. Pulling out a bottle of water, he said, “I don’t know. I only met her over the summer when the guys and girls’ soccer teams had joint practices. She mentioned she and her friend were trying to find a place together to rent. The house next door was available, so they took it.”
Chuck’s mom and stepdad owned most of the houses on this street, which was conveniently located next to campus. Renting to multiple college kids per house was more lucrative than to an individual family.
“So she’s living next to you?” I asked.
Chuck looked at me like I’d lost my ability for deduction. “Yeah, dude, that’s what I said. And you saw her go into the house next door.” He tilted his head. “What’s with the interrogation?”
That’s a great question. I have no idea, I lied to myself. Blowing out a breath, I shrugged. “It’s rare I come across a new face that isn’t a freshman. I don’t remember seeing her around at all. It’s unusual for someone to transfer for just senior year. Weird.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Based on her reaction when he’d asked her if she was free tomorrow night, it didn’t appear like Chuck actually had anything going on with her, but I didn’t ask since he was already getting suspicious of all my questions. One reason I liked Chuck was because he read me better than most, but given the way he was looking at me in that moment, I kind of wished he was a bit more illiterate when it came to me being an open book.
Changing the subject, I asked, “What time are the other guys getting here?”
He gestured toward the backyard. “Ashton’s here already. Ryan can’t make it because of work, and Randy will probably be here soon. I gotta take a leak. I’ll meet you out there.”
I nodded and pushed the back door open. Walking across a patch of asphalt between the house and detached garage, I glanced at the house to my right. Mentally scolding myself, I looked forward again at our makeshift studio and forced myself to forget about the blonde beauty within that house’s walls.
Chapter 3
TESSA
As I stepped onto the cold tile floor, I wrapped myself in a towel. Hearing the front door, I called out, “Tina?”
I rolled my eyes at myself. As if it’d be anyone else.
“Yeah,” my bestie yelled back, “I got food!”
“Awesome! I’ll be right out.”
After drying off, I slipped on a pair of black leggings and a blue tank then headed for the kitchen. The statuesque beauty with a dark pixie cut was leaning against the counter in our cramped kitchen, munching on some buffalo chicken pizza.
I grabbed a slice of the gooey deliciousness. “Hey, you just get back from Jamar’s?” I asked, referring to her boyfriend of the last three years.
While I took a bite, she responded, “Yup. You had practice?”
I swallowed. “Yeah, short practice earlier, so I went for a run. No practice tomorrow or Saturday for move-in weekend.”
After finishing off my slice of surprisingly spicy pizza, I turned to get a glass out of the cabinet and spotted Chuck’s friend, Jax, exiting the garage behind his house. I only saw him for a moment before he quickly disappeared inside the house, but it was enough to make my heart skip a beat. Forgetting my need for a drink, I stayed focused on the back door, waiting to see if he’d reemerge.
“Earth to Tessa Givens!” I jumped and spun at the sound of Tina’s loud voice.
Like a child caught doing something naughty, I sputtered, “Huh? What? Sorry!”
On her toes, trying to peek out the window over my shoulder, she asked, “What are you looking at over there?”
“Oh, nothing. I thought I saw something, but it was nothing. What were you saying?”
“I asked what you were looking at.”
I nodded as I finally reached into the cabinet for a glass. We ate and drank in silence for a few minutes, Tina distracted by her phone while I gathered my courage.
Although I knew I was about to dive headfirst into a rabbit hole, I asked, “So, have you heard of Smythie’s?”
Tina snorted. “Who hasn’t? Everyone on campus knows Smythie’s.” She cocked an eyebrow at me. “Well, almost everyone. Why are you asking about Smythie’s all the sudden? I must’ve asked you a hundred times last year to go with me, but you never did.”
“Oh, it was that place?” I did have some vague recollection of her asking me to go somewhere, but she’d given up after I kept saying no.
Trying to come across as indifferent, I reached over for another slice of pizza. “That Chuck guy is in a band, and they play there on Fridays. He invited me out.”
Tina’s mouth dropped open mid-chew.
Throwing a bunched-up napkin at her, I squeaked, “Eww, Tina! I don’t wanna see your food!”
She stuck her tongue out, and we cracked up. Thankfully, she didn’t choke.
“Sorry.” After swallowing, she asked, “Did Chuck ask you on a date or something?”
Waving frantically, I shook my head. “No, nothing like that! Nice guy and all, but not my type.”
Tina smirked. “I don’t know about that. Maybe you’ll change your mind after you see the band. He’s the bass player but also the backup vocalist. He’s pretty good. I know you have a weakness for guys who can sing.”
I pretended to be shocked, but Tina knew me well. When we were kids, the only celebrities I’d daydreamed about were the boy-band types. Growing up, although I couldn’t sing, I joined the chorus until high school year, for the boys. By then, I only had eyes for—
I took a cleansing breath before continuing. Bracing myself and avoiding eye contact, I mentioned, “I did come across a guy… He was pretty good-looking.”
Nothing. No response. Not until I heard a thud. Looking over, I noted the thud must’ve been Tina’s pizza hitting the floor. She’d actually dropped it, her hand still in midair. Bending over, I picked it up and chucked it into the trash can.
In a whisper, she asked, “You met a guy? Who? Did you exchange numbers?” Her voice was full of surprised excitement with a touch of hope.
Shaking my head vigorously, I said, “No, we didn’t exchange numbers or anything!” Chewing on my lower lip, I debated with how much I should reveal. Deciding I needed to give her a little more, I admitted, “He’s supposed to be at Smythie’s tomorrow night.”
Tina looked away, her lips twisting. I was staring at her so intensely, trying to figure out what she was thinking, that I jumped when her eyes snapped back to mine and narrowed.
“Does he have a name?”
Not wanting to tell her yet—after all, I’d feel like a fool if I admitted to liking a guy who might’ve been a jerk or something—I quipped, “Obviously.”
“What? You aren’t going to tell me who it is? I know a lot of people ‘round here, especially if they hang out at Smythie’s. I might be able to tell you more about him if you told me his name.”
I tapped my lip in fake contemplation. “I only met him for a minute. I don’t think I caught his name,” I lied.
She didn’t buy it. Crossing her arms, she asked, “What does he look like?”
I looked away, trying to fight the smile that wanted to form as I imagined his appearance. “Hot. Really, really hot. And tall. From the looks of it, he works out but wasn’t overly built or anything.”
“You know what they say—beauty’s in the eye of the beholder. So your description doesn’t help me at all.”
I shrugged then took a drink, not wanting to tell her anything else. Thankfully, she dropped it. Tina knew I would tell her when I was ready. After all, admitting I liked a guy after so long was a big step. She wasn’t going to rush me.
After finishing her third slice, she looked at me with a glint in her eyes.
Almost afraid to ask, I did anyway, “What?”
Smirking mischievously, she instructed me, “Get your purse, girl. We’re going shopping.”
“Why?” I whined. I hated shopping.
Tina put her hands on her hips and gave me a look that said, “You aren’t getting out of this.” What she actually said was, “Because I’ve seen your closet, and you have nothing to wear, especially if you’re trying to impress a guy. I’ll find you something that will bring the man, whoever he is, to his knees.”
Chapter 4
TESSA
Around nine-thirty Friday night, Tina and I were at the bar, waiting for our drinks. Disappointed, I scanned the vast space for the guy who’d caught my eye the day before.
Leaning in so Tina could hear me over the booming music, I asked, “I thought you said this was the place to be on Friday nights? There’s hardly anyone here.”
Before she could respond, the bartender, a woman in her late twenties or so with turquoise hair, lots of piercings, and tattoos from the neck down, delivered our drinks.
Tina handed her a credit card. “Keep the tab open.”
After nodding, the bartender walked away. Tina handed me my drink. Clinking our glasses, she toasted, “To the start of our final year of school!”
Tentatively, I took a sip of my cocktail. The sweet drink was perfect. A place like this, I figured it’d be terrible or have no alcohol in it, but this was dangerously good. I’d have to pace myself.
I smiled at Tina. “Let me know how much I owe you. I’ll give you the money tomorrow.”
“Girl, no way!” Tina shouted. “This is the first time I’ve been able to drag your ass out since you finally decided to join me on the West Coast. Besides, it’s Jamar’s treat tonight.” Tina winked.
“Speaking of, is he coming? Haven’t seen him since May.”
Tina nodded as she sucked on her straw. “He’ll be here soon.”
Going back to the question she hadn’t answered, I asked again, “Is it normal for this place to be dead? Will it fill up later?”
“It gets really busy during the school year. But since campus move-in doesn’t actually start until tomorrow, there aren’t many students around yet. Trust me, next week it’ll definitely be packed, especially since it’s the first weekend back. I think tonight is kind of like a practice run for the band. They don’t perform during the summer, so I think this is probably their first show in a couple of months. If something goes wrong or there are any kinks to work out, better it happens when there isn’t much of a crowd, right?”
“Makes sense.” I took a sip. “Hmm.”
“What?”
“You seem to know a lot about the band.”
Tina shrugged. “I’ve been watching them for a couple of years now. I know three of the guys and have even had a couple of classes with the singer over the years. We’ve chatted, and he’s told me about the band.”
Averting my eyes, I looked down at my drink. So she may very well know Jax.
I jumped when Tina exclaimed, “My boo!”
Turning, I caught the tail end of Tina hurling herself into Jamar’s open arms. They immediately locked lips as if they hadn’t seen each other in a month, not a day. Pretending I wasn’t third-wheeling it, I took the opportunity to get a better look at my surroundings since I’d been too preoccupied with trying to get a glimpse of Jax before.
Smythie’s was an old converted firehouse. The gray metal bar counter ran along the right wall from the entrance. With my back leaning against it, a stage equipped with instruments and microphones was to my right, opposite the entrance. The front wall, on my left, still had the old firehouse garage doors, but I doubted they opened anymore.
A DJ booth occupied the back corner, left of the stage. There was a hallway with a neon sign indicating the bathrooms between the booth and stage. A large dance floor was in the center of the room. Flashing, moving, and changing lights hung from the ceiling. Hulking speakers were dispersed throughout the spacious area. It was dark, but not so much that it was impossible to see across the space.
When I’d stepped into the bar, I’d noticed a roped-off spiral metal staircase near the front with a bouncer standing guard. Tina explained it led to a loft area that was no longer available for use. It was visible from the dance floor, but not my current vantage point, as it was located above the bar. An old brass fireman’s pole was next to the spiral stairs, although a railing surrounding it prevented patrons from trying out their skills at pole dancing, or so I assumed.
After Tina had showed me the bathrooms earlier, I’d noticed a second staircase in the back corner, opposite the DJ booth. Like the front stairs, it was roped off with a bouncer in front of it.
I could see why the vibe would be appealing to college students. The pulsing music was meant to get people out on the dance floor. Although there weren’t any dancers at the moment, if the bar got as crowded as Tina claimed, I had no doubt there’d be a swarm of partying college kids gyrating around the floor in the coming weeks.
My preoccupation was interrupted by Jamar. “Hey, Tess.”
Smiling at him, I lifted my glass. “Hey! Nice to see you. Thanks for the drink.”
Jamar had the friendliest smile I’d ever seen, and he blessed me with it then. “You’re welcome! What number are we on, ladies?”
Tina threw her glass back and finished her drink in two gulps, then declared, “I’m ready for my second!”
Jamar laughed and waved the bartender over. Noticing my barely touched drink, Tina frowned.
Holding up a finger, I started drinking. After finishing half my cocktail, I took a break to say, “My max is two tonight, so don’t rush me too much.”
Tina smirked as if to say, “Yeah, sure.”
While Jamar ordered the next round, I headed to the restrooms. The hallway that led to them seemed never-ending, and the further I walked, the quieter the music got.
As I was rinsing the soap off my hands, the club music faded out. Pulling open the bathroom door, the band started. I recognized their first song immediately. It was a song about a desperate love and a relationship filled with issues, yet they would never give up on it.
The singer had an amazing voice with the perfect edge a rock singer needed. Without having even set my eyes on him, I could feel the emotion in his voice from the lyrics he sang. The power of it reverberated through my body and pierced right into my soul. Impatient to see who could sing in a way that affected me so much, I hurried my pace.
Stepping into the main room, Tina spotted me and waved furiously from the middle of a crowd that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. I glanced up at the stage but as the singer’s back was to me, I couldn’t see who it was. As I squeezed between moving bodies, I felt eyes on me. Reflexively, I turned my head in the direction I felt them from. My step faltered as my eyes locked with the singer’s, the same magnetic eyes that had caught my attention a day ago.
Jax is the singer? Oh my God, Jax is the singer!
He was looking right at me, but after a second he released me from his gaze as his eyes wandered around the crowd. Turning away, I continued through the crowd until I reached Tina and Jamar. When I arrived, Tina handed me my second cocktail. I took it, and she clinked our glasses again. After taking a sip, she turned her attention back to the stage and began moving to the beat, which was a little surprising. Tina was more into R&B than rock. She and I had a lot of things in common, but music was not one of them. Still, she was enjoying the show.
Swallowing a gulp of the pale pinkish liquid, I faced the stage. Gazing up, I caught Jax’s eyes moving away from my direction. Had he been looking at me again?
My heart fluttered at the thought. Something bubbled to the surface that I hadn’t allowed to happen in years: excitement over a guy. And of course, Jax was the singer. Did I really expect anything less from myself? It was like I had a sixth sense for my type.
Throughout the band’s first set, my eyes met the sexy singer’s multiple times. At first, I looked away shyly. It’d been forever since I’d had eyes for someone, and my cheeks heated at the thought that maybe this guy had noticed me too. Why else would he be making so much eye contact?
Grateful for the cold drink in my hand, I continued sipping at it as my body loosened and swayed. Then I sang along to the music, familiar with nearly all the songs the band played.
Thanks to the liquid courage I consumed, I stopped looking away from the intense eyes up on stage. When my glass was empty, I decided one more drink wouldn’t hurt. After all, tonight was about having fun. I got Tina and Jamar’s orders before heading to the bar. On the way, my eyes met another woman’s. She looked away quickly, and in my tipsy state I thought, She shouldn’t look so sour. She’s too pretty for resting bitch face.
As expeditiously as I could, I returned to Jamar and Tina with drinks in hand. Feeling more relaxed with each passing minute, I got swept up in the band. More specifically, the singer.
Jax took control of the mood in the room with his performance. He was mesmerizing to watch. Although the crowd was apparently small, it didn’t effect the band at all. Their energy was unreal. Jax sang with incredible passion, like the lyrics were his own words and he meant every single one that left his lips. His lips… What I want those lips to do to me…
Regardless of my attraction, his performance would’ve still captivated me. As the band wrapped up their first set, with the help of the alcohol coursing through my veins, I made a plan. I’d see if an interaction with Chuck could turn into an interaction with Jax, so I thought of something related to soccer as an excuse to talk to him.
As the crowd dispersed, the club music started up again. Over it, I told Tina, “I’ll be right back.”
She raised her brows in a question, but I ignored it. Taking a deep breath, I took a step toward the stage. But what I saw stopped me. My lungs deflated in a whoosh as my stomach sank. Jax had jumped down from the stage and right into the arms of that pretty girl with the miserable scowl.
The petite redhead slung her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth down to hers, kissing him passionately.
Dammit!
Chapter 5
TESSA
A knocking sound roused me from my alcohol-induced slumber. At first, I didn’t know if it was the banging inside my head or knuckles against wood.
“Tess?” Tina called out from beyond the closed door.
A real knock…ugh!
Allowing myself a brief pity party, I tried ignoring her, but Tina being Tina would not let me off the hook, which was one thing I loved about her. If your friends didn’t give you shit for messing up, who would?
Fed up with my lack of a response, she announced, “I’m coming in!”
I groaned.
When she got to my bed, she asked, “You okay, girl?”
“No. Go away,” I grumbled.
She snickered. “Drink a little too much last night?”
That’s an understatement. My only audible response was another groan.
“Whatever happened to sticking with two drinks?” she teased.
I kept mum, especially since I couldn’t recall how many drinks I’d ended up having.
Poking me, she said, “Come on. Go shower and I’ll buy you brunch.”
Brunch? “What time is it?”
“Eleven.”
“Seriously?” It was very unlike me to sleep in. But then again it wasn’t like me to drink to excess either. And it sure as hell wasn’t like me to embarrass myself by ogling some guy.
Forcing my body to move, I rolled out of bed. After blinking a few times, my eyes focused, and I trudged toward the bathroom.
Following a step behind, Tina assumed, “So that guy never showed up at the bar, huh?”
Muttering, I said, “No, he was there, but his tongue was occupied inside some petite redhead’s mouth.”
Several seconds passed without a response, so I looked over my shoulder. Tina’s mouth was slightly open and eyes wide. Finally, she whispered, “Oh my God…it’s Jax?”
I didn’t answer, as there was no need to.
Tina’s features transformed into concern. “Sorry, Tess, but Jax has a girlfriend. They’ve been together for a couple of years. I’m pretty sure they even live together.”
After seeing Jax and his girlfriend’s game of tongue twister, I didn’t think it was possible to be more disappointed, but I was wrong. Knowing they were a serious item squashed all hope for me. If she had been a fling, maybe I would’ve had a chance, but having a live-in girlfriend meant I was shit out of luck.
As I turned on the shower and waited for it to get hot, I guessed, “So you saw them making out too?”
“No, but him and Brooke, his girlfriend, are kind of known for—how should I put this?—their public displays of affection.” Lowering her voice as if there was someone else around who might hear, she said, “There’s even rumors they’ve had sex at the bar…more than once.”
I snapped my mouth shut after realizing it was hanging open. Digesting the gossip, although shocking, there was a part of me, a deeply buried part, that thought that was kind of hot. Not them in particular, but to have such a passionate relationship that you couldn’t keep your hands off each other? A twinge of jealousy toward that Brooke girl needled me.
Testing the shower spray, I tried to brush it off. “It’s not like I really liked him or anything. I thought he was hot, but I know nothing about him, so it doesn’t matter.”
“Really?” I could hear the amusement in her voice. She knew he was my type. Tall, hot, nice body, rock band boy, and a singer.
“Um hmm.” I hoped she’d let it go.
Thankfully, she did and left me to shower in peace.
* * *
We slid into our cracked-pleather booth at a diner near campus, and Tina called to someone behind me, “Hey, Ashton! How’s it going?”
Twisting around, I looked over my shoulder to see who Tina was talking to, and came face-to-face with him. Jax was sitting directly behind me. Only the seat back separated us. Knowing I couldn’t like him anymore, I forced my gaze away and focused on the person sitting across from him. It was one of the guitarists from the night before. He was somewhere between Chuck and Jax’s height and quite good-looking, with deep-set dark-chocolate eyes, a huge smile, closely cropped hair, and bulging muscles. Jax and his friend appeared to be by themselves, no redhead or other band members in sight.
The guy named Ashton smiled. “Hey, Tina. All good, all good. How ‘bout you?”
I looked back at Tina while she answered, “Same here. Hi, Jax. Great show last night, guys. You all set for next week?”
Even with my back turned to him, I recognized Jax’s voice when he responded, “Thanks. Yeah, we’re good to go.” Not wanting to come across as rude, I turned back while he spoke. Our eyes met again briefly before he looked past me at Tina. “More people there last night than we expected.”
“It seemed like a small crowd came in right when you guys were about to start. That must’ve been nice. Oh, sorry! This is my best friend and roommate, Tess. Jax and Ashton are the singer and one of the guitarists from the band.”
I could’ve kissed Tina for pretending she didn’t know I’d already met Jax. Since I had no chance with him, I didn’t want him knowing I had spoken about him to Tina at all.
Giving a little wave, I greeted them, “Hey.”
Jax gave me the sexiest half-smile I’d ever seen. “Nice to see you again, Tess.” To Tina, he said, “Chuck actually introduced us on Thursday.”
Giving me a wide smile, Ashton said, “Nice to meet you.”
“You too,” I muttered, even though my throat was still dry from Jax’s panty-dropping smile.
While Tina and Ashton had a side conversation, Jax asked me, “Did you like the show last night?”
Feigning ignorance but unable to keep eye contact, I asked, “Oh, you saw me there?”
When I glanced back at him, his brows were slightly raised while a glint shone in his eyes, and a corner of his mouth was tugging up. He knew that I knew he had, but Jax played along. “Yeah, I noticed when you entered with Tina and were around during our set. When I’m on stage, the bar keeps the lights up enough so I can usually see at least most of the crowd. More fun that way.”
My heart skipped. I tried sucking in some air as I searched my mind for something casual to talk about with a stranger, but neither my lungs nor my brain were working very well. Thankfully, the delivery of Jax and Ashton’s food ended our conversations.
Cheerfully, I said, “Enjoy your meal!”
When I turned back to Tina, she eyed me suspiciously. Had she noticed how my chest was rising and falling quicker than normal? Had he?
Ignoring her, I picked up my menu, trying to appear calm. For my sake, I truly hoped that I wouldn’t cross paths with Jax much over the next few months, so I could forget about him and the way he made me feel as soon as possible.