A Filthy Christmas (Filthy Line #6) - Jaxson Kidman Page 0,39

away from me.

“Hey, Lita,” Blaze said. “Heard you singing.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Same as always.”

“Where’s your whores?” Lita asked.

“I’m solo tonight,” Blaze said. “But always looking.”

I caught Bonk from the corner of my eye.

I looked at him.

He gave me the nod of approval.

I stepped up next to Lita and looked at her. “You can hate me for this, but I promise, this is for me.”

“Shane…”

“Listen, dude,” Blaze started to say.

I swung my right fist and sent his jaw in a different direction from the rest of his body.

“Shane!” Lita yelled.

I flexed my hand. “He’s like rubber.” I touched Lita’s face. “I was falling in love with you, beauty. But you still love him. Do what you have to do, Lita. Just know your heart deserves so much more than this shit.”

I kissed her forehead and walked out of the bar.

Blaze didn’t even have the balls to take the punch and come back at me.

I got into my car and drove off. Wishing I had a bottle of whiskey to drink on the ride home.

When I did get home, I went to find a bottle of whiskey.

I took that first sip and found myself staring at the Christmas tree.

I reached up, grabbed the star and pulled it toward me.

The tree started to fall and I tossed it to the floor.

Fuck Christmas.

Fuck falling in love.

I went outside on the balcony to keep drinking and to have a smoke.

Then I made a few phone calls, making sure I would have some gigs and studio work after I was done with Filthy Line.

And I swore to myself I wasn’t going to think about Lita at all.

20

LITA

Blaze hung over a table.

I grabbed for his arm and turned him around.

His jaw was red and swollen.

“Shit,” I said. “Come here.”

I dragged him to the bar and the guy Shane knew had a bag of ice all ready to go for Blaze’s jaw.

“You calling the cops on him?” Blaze asked.

“Do you want me to?” the bartender asked.

“Yeah, maybe I do,” Blaze asked. “He sucker-punched me.”

“Looked like you knew it was coming.”

“Fuck you,” Blaze said. “Cover up for your friend. Asshole.”

The bartender nodded and reached under the bar.

He picked up a black baseball bat. “This is the silencer. This breaks up fights. And it breaks the heads of anyone that calls me an asshole.”

“We’re leaving,” I said.

I grabbed Blaze’s arm again and dragged him out of the bar.

Once we were outside, I looked around, realizing I had no ride.

Shane was my ride.

“Well, I hope that was worth it,” Blaze said to me.

I looked at him. “What?”

“That punch,” he said. “That guy was into you. Big time. But he’s not me, right?”

Blaze smiled and winked.

I just stared at him.

This was my chance to punch the other side of his jaw.

But I didn’t do that.

Instead…

“Blaze, want to go get a drink?”

He drove.

And he listened to shitty, rock-pop music.

“This is the new sound, Lita,” he said. “This is what I’m going for. I can keep my look, but this stuff gets people moving. You know?”

“Sure.”

“I’m serious,” he said. “This is what they call a crossover. I’ll get a lot more people listening. I’ve got a manager now too. Paulie. Great guy. He knows his shit. He was in Nashville for a while. He launched a bunch of those country-pop artists. Those guys are releasing a few singles a year and making millions on it. I told him I would never go country. That’s not me. I won’t sell out.”

I swallowed hard.

Blaze was the forever dreamer kind of guy.

That had been part of his charm.

Never giving up. Never backing down.

A part of me felt like tucking and rolling out of the car.

No. Not tonight, Lita. No running tonight.

Blaze parked the car and I hurried to get out.

I crossed the street without him.

That made him run to catch up to me.

He spun me around and grabbed my arms.

“What the fuck is this about?” he asked. “You asked me to get a drink. Did you not?”

“Yeah,” I said.

“Lita, what’s done is done. Okay? Why do you think I showed up there alone? I was looking for you. I’ve been thinking about you. A lot. I haven’t been happy in a long time. Not since you and I split. I’ve never been serious with anyone but you. Everyone else has been a distraction. I need you, Lita. I miss you. I… I love you…”

The words went through me.

I just stared and blinked at Blaze.

I had been begging for this moment from the second we broke up.

It