what?
Before Greg has a chance to answer, her gaze lands on a huge black and brass trunk resting on the floor at the foot of the couch. She rushes over and squats down. With two crisp snaps, she flips open the locks. “Perfect!”
“I’ll be back to check on you later,” Greg promises, throwing me another dirty scowl.
“Yup,” Shelby mutters, barely acknowledging Greg’s departure as she tosses clothes out of the trunk and onto the couch.
Awkward isn’t something I’m used to experiencing or ever allow to dictate my actions. But now that we’re alone again, a distance between us that I’m not sure how to close creeps into the room.
“Do you want me to go, Shelby?” I offer, even though it’s the last thing I want to do. “I don’t want to be in your way. Or make you nervous.”
She stops her frantic searching and peers up at me. “Not at all.” The corner of her mouth twists downward. “Are you bored, though? Do you want to hang—”
“No. I’m just happy being around you. Do your thing. I’ll keep my big ass out of the way.”
“You don’t have a big ass.” A bit of tension melts from her expression. She lifts her chin. “Is that a bathroom behind you?”
I reach over and tug the door open. “Looks like it.”
Her nose wrinkles. “Is it clean?”
“Mostly.”
She growls this cute little annoyed noise as she hurries past me with an armful of clothes.
“You know I’ve seen you naked, right?” I call after her.
She pauses outside the bathroom. “Trust me, I remember.” She nods to the door leading to the concert venue. “But I never know who’s going to pop in to check up on me.”
“I can always stand guard.”
“Nah.” She leaves the bathroom door open, and naturally, I can’t help watching her strip her sweatshirt off and shimmy out of her jeans. “I hope Heidi doesn’t mind me keeping this for later,” she says, tossing the sweatshirt my way.
“Doubt it.” I catch the sweatshirt in my outstretched hand and can’t resist a quick, furtive sniff of Shelby’s scent. Fuck, this woman’s reduced me to a damn foxhound.
I glance at the clock above the door. “Do you need me to grab you something to eat or drink?”
She returns, dressed in tight little yoga shorts and a tank top. “I can’t eat before a show. Or after.”
“You need to eat sometime.”
“I ate breakfast.” Her lashes flutter as she peers up at me. “I’m really happy you’re here. Sorry if I’m all over the place.”
“Shelby.” I curl my hand over her hip—almost forgot how perfectly she fits in my grip. “I get how important all of this is. Told you, I don’t want to be in your way or make you lose focus.”
“You’re not. I usually hang out by myself for as long as I can. I’ll meditate. Do some stretches. A few vocal exercises. Hair and makeup. When there’s a meet and greet set up, I do that. Right before I go onstage, I slip into my dress of the night and huddle with the band.”
Her lips quirk as she casts a look over her shoulder at the trunk. “I’m not big enough for costume changes yet. So, I try to make the one dress count.”
Laughing, I push a stray piece of hair off her face. “You don’t need costume changes. You’re already stunning.”
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“‘Big Lies’ sounded good.”
Both eyebrows crawl up her forehead. “You recognized it?”
“Hell yeah. I told you, they’ve been playing it on the radio constantly. And every time I’ve been to Southwest Steakhouse lately it’s been on.”
She narrows her eyes. “How often do you go there?”
I shrug, not getting the change in her demeanor. “We’ve been using it as a meeting point between the two clubs. Told you we had Heidi’s graduation party there too.”
“So, you’re not stopping by to pick up pretty waitresses?” Soft laughter follows her question, but the tense lines around her mouth remain.
That’s what she’s worried about? How adorable. The club has plenty of girls prowling around on a nightly basis. No need to troll for waitresses if I want female company.
Saying that out loud probably won’t take this conversation in a pleasant direction. And I don’t want to do anything to upset her before she goes onstage tonight. “No waitresses, Shelby.”
She flicks a bit of hair out of her eyes. “I’m just messing with you.”
Sure she is. Her spark of jealousy sends an inexplicable thrill singing in my veins and eases the awkwardness between us.
She moves