“So, that kiss,” he said, watching my face carefully.
I nodded. “First one,” I admitted.
Linc’s grin got even bigger. “Tonight, Blythe. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
We were actually going to go on a date. “I live at Sea Winds Apartments,” I told him.
He stood up. “I know.”
His dad’s office door opened, and Linc took a step back and stuck his hands in his pockets.
“Linc, visiting again today. If I didn’t know better, I would think you were trying to bribe my secretary with all the sweets you bring her.”
Linc chuckled. “Yeah, well, maybe I am.”
His father shot him a frown before turning to me and smiling. It was forced, but he was still smiling. “I have to leave early for a dentist appointment. Can you lock up when you leave?”
“Yes, sir,” I replied.
Pastor Keenan turned his gaze back to Linc. “Walk me out, Son.”
Linc looked frustrated but nodded. He followed his dad out and then turned back to me, holding up seven fingers before disappearing through the door.
KRIT
I was sitting in my favorite chair, a beer in hand, glaring at the wall, when the apartment door opened and Green strolled in with a smirk on his face. He closed it behind him and looked pointedly at me. “You’re f**king stupid,” he said, then turned to head to the kitchen.
He’d been telling me I was stupid since I had brought back two blondes two weeks ago and held our after-show party here. He was the only person who knew just how much time I was spending with Blythe and why I had moved our parties. I didn’t tell him why. I just let him be pissed at me.
He stepped back into the living room with a bottle of beer in his hand and pointed toward the parking lot outside. “If you get up now, you can see Blythe dressed in a sexy little sundress and a pair of heels, getting into some preppy boy’s Honda Accord.”
What? I stared at him, letting his words sink in, then I jumped up and ran to the window. Sure enough, Blythe was walking across the parking lot. A guy about my height stood beside her, his hand settled on her lower back. Fuck that. Who was he? Blythe didn’t get out enough to know people. She was too damn shy.
“You should have seen the guy drooling over her as she stood there with him and introduced us. She was completely unaware that the guy wasn’t hearing a word she said. He didn’t give a shit who I was. He just wanted to get her alone. She even asked about you. Wanted to know if you were okay. I told her she was welcome to come up anytime, but her eyes went wide like she was terrified and she shook her head. How the f**k you went from hanging out with her and making her laugh to the idea of her seeing you scaring the shit out of her I don’t know.”
Blythe climbed into the car and the douchebag holding her door leaned down and . . . Did he kiss her? He stood up, jogged around the back of the car, and climbed in. Then they were gone.
I walked back over to my chair and sat down. I wasn’t talking about this with Green. He wouldn’t understand. Fuck, right now I didn’t understand. All I could think about was that guy kissing her. Touching her. My heart was pounding in my ears.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll have one or more hot babes to have a cheap f**k with tonight. Just like last night. No need to worry about the one girl you wanted to actually talk to and wasn’t a used groupie. You made sure to shut her out.”
Closing my eyes, I refused to listen to him. “She is just a nice girl I spent some time with. I made her feel welcome—that was it. Don’t give a shit who she dates,” I replied in a bored tone, then took another drink of my beer and picked up the remote control.
And that lasted about five minutes.
Throwing the remote down, I reached for my phone and sent a text to Blythe.
ME: WHO’S THE GUY?
I deleted it before I could send it. That wasn’t the right thing to send to her. It would give her the wrong idea. I wasn’t jealous. I just wanted to protect her, if no one else was going to f**king do it.
ME: THE BAND WILL BE PLAYING AT LIVE BAY TONIGHT. ABOUT TIME YOU CAME AND LISTENED.
I sent that one. And I waited. A minute later my phone lit up.
BLYTHE: I’M OUT WITH A FRIEND TONIGHT.
No shit.