I shake my head. “Sorry.”
“No worries.” She rises from the barstool, scooping up a half-filled wine glass from the counter. “I’m Ava. I used to know your mother and father back when they lived in Wyoming. I was out here visiting and heard your father had a club, so I thought I’d stop by.”
The name doesn’t ring a bell, but my parents rarely talk about the people they knew back in Wyoming.
“That’s cool. You should track my dad down and say hi.” I scan the bar then the hallway that leads to my dad’s office. “He’s around here somewhere, more than likely in his office, but he wanders out here during performances.”
“Lyric!” Sage hollers from the backstage area with his hands cupped around his mouth. “Time to get your ass up here!”
I roll my eyes at him. “Sorry. I guess I have to go. But, seriously, go say hi to my father. I’m sure he’ll want to chat with you about the good ol’ days or whatever.”
She offers me a small smile when I wave, and then I hurry through the crowd. My heavy boots clunk against the steps as I dash up the stairway to the backstage.
“Dude, Sage, my bro, my friend, what are you thinking, screaming across the stage like that?” I ask as I duck behind the curtain. “My dad’s not going to be happy with you acting like a spastic mad man.”
Sage gives me an innocent look. “I tried to text, but you didn’t answer.”
I check my phone and realize the battery is now dead. “Has Ayden texted you yet?”
Sage shakes his head. “And I’ve texted him like fifty times.”
As I grow even more worried, I open my mouth to tell Sage to hand me his phone so I can call Lila and Ethan, but then the door to our right swings open.
Ayden rushes inside with his guitar case in hand. “Sorry, I’m late. My car was being a pain in the ass and wouldn’t start.” His hair is dripping wet, water beads his skin, and his soaked grey shirt clings to his body.
I gawk at him like a pervert.
If you want to see perfection,
Just look right in front of you.
So gorgeous and flawless
With dark, haunted eyes,
Lips that taste so intoxicating,
A body that . . .
Good God, that body.
I want touch it, run my hands all over him.
“Lyric, did you hear what I said?” Ayden interrupts my lustful thoughts.
I rip my eyes off his body. “Nope, not a damn word.”
He inquisitively glances down at his shirt then back at me. “You okay?”
“Yep, I’m great. I was just”—I shrug—“checking your sexy body out.”
Astonishingly, he doesn’t blush as our gazes meld. It’s been a week since we got caught in his bedroom, and we’ve been trying to behave ourselves, but behaving has increased the sexual tense to about an . . . oh, eleven hundred.
Sage clears his throat and shatters the moment into oblivion.
Even though he seems fine with Ayden and me being together, sometimes, when we show a little PDA, he gets annoyed.
“Why didn’t you answer your texts?” Sage asks Ayden as he stuffs his drumsticks into the back pocket of his jeans.
Ayden blinks his attention away from me. “You texted me?” When Sage nods, he pats his pockets. “Shit, I must have left my phone at the therapist’s office.”
“You scared us,” I tell Ayden. “Or at least me. I think Sage was more worried we wouldn’t have a guitarist.”
“Hey, I was kind of worried,” Sage gripes. “I’m not that big of a douche.”
“Fine, we were all worried.” I lower my voice and lean in toward Ayden. “I thought something bad happened.”
“It wasn’t anything like that. Just car trouble, like I said. Everything’s fine, though. The detective following me around helped me jumpstart it.” He shakes his head, showering me with water.
“Gee, thanks for the shower,” I tease, raising my hand to wipe the water off my face. “Is he still keeping an eye on you?”
“Yeah. Lila says it’ll only be for a bit longer since nothing has happened in the last few weeks.” He steps forward and gently brushes his fingers across my cheeks and lips. “I need you not to worry about me so much. I don’t want you to panic every time I’m late.” He places a featherlight kiss on my mouth. “I hate thinking that I stressed you out.”
He tastes minty and smells like rain. I breathe in the scent and taste, softly sighing against his mouth like a lovesick girl.
“I can’t stop worrying about you.” My eyelashes flutter as he tangles his fingers through my hair. “It’s part of the job title as your best friend.”
A soft groan slips from Ayden’s lips as his hands travel down my back.
Sage clears his throat again. “Get a room, would you? Jesus, it’s like one step away from watching porn.”
Ayden shakes his head at Sage. “So, what did I miss?” he asks me as he sets his guitar case on the floor.
“Well, we go on in, like, thirty,” I tell him then shoot Sage a conniving smile. “And Sage has been pissing his pants that you weren’t going to show up.”
Sage glares at me. “Yeah, right. You’re the one freaking out, and not just about Ayden.”
“What else are you freaking out about?” Ayden asks me with concern.
I give a shrug. “I already told you that I still get nervous every time we’re about to perform.”