Say You're Mine - Layla Hagen Page 0,7
violin and a number of other instruments. They were all thirty and had met at a party at NYU. Brayden, Lars, and Thomas were among the most sought out bachelors in the country. Thomas had been too, right until he got married. It wasn’t just their fame though. They were all gorgeous. Lars was tall, with deep blue eyes and jet-black hair. Harvey had piercing dark eyes and light blond hair. Thomas was the shortest of the group, but he still towered over me. All of them were tall, and it was clear they worked out often.
Brayden and I sat at a booth a bit farther away from the rest of the group.
“What do you like most about this life?” I asked.
He answered without hesitation. “The music. I’d cut out everything else if I could. I don’t like public appearances.”
“How about concerts?”
“I like performing, but the concert tours themselves are insanely intense. It requires a lot of focus. I have zero time for any distractions during that time.”
“Sounds grueling.” I was committing every detail to memory. I didn’t want to write it all down—it would make this look far too formal .
“It is, but it comes with the territory. What made you become a counselor?”
Even though this was business and not about me, I thought it might put him at ease if I answered, keeping this more informal and comfortable so I could learn more about him and the band.
“No idea. I just always knew that’s what I wanted to do, ever since I was a kid. I always played the family’s counselor, trying to gauge what my siblings were up to based on body language and so on.” It was true. Dylan and Ian used to get mad at me for trying to interfere between them and our parents when they were fighting—I typically only made things worse. My brothers were quite cunning at getting out of trouble, and I accidentally ruined their plans on more than one occasion. I had to smile at the memories.
“How many do you have?”
“Three. Two brothers and one sister. My sister came to New York when I was still in middle school, and the boys stuck together even more after that. But I was determined to get in on their games and schemes. Do you have siblings?”
I hadn’t found much information about his family, but given his fame, it was to be expected. There weren’t any personal details to find on any of the band members.
“I’m an only child, but the guys are like my brothers.”
I laughed. “I can see that. And you’ve got the big brother role? Keeping everyone in check?”
“You could say that.”
“Has it always been like this? This strong camaraderie?”
“I think so.” He didn’t expand on that, which I thought meant he was avoiding me until I realized he was glancing over my shoulder at the game. “It’s my turn. Want to cheer me on?”
He hopped out of the booth, and we walked over toward the others.
“Yes. Make sure you win. Can’t have the guys thinking I bring bad luck.”
“I always win,” he said, and that boyish charm appeared once again. “The secret to it all is in the moves. The positioning is important. You know...”
I tuned out the rest, because my mind was already wandering down Dirty Lane, imagining all sorts of positions that had nothing to do with bowling.
“Focus on cheering, Isabelle,” he whispered in my ear, sounding amused. Had he guessed where my mind just went?
“I’m trying.”
“Are you?”
“Yes. Let’s see what you can do.”
He failed spectacularly. The ball veered all the way to the right, bypassing all pins.
Sasha gave us a thumbs-up, smiling good-naturedly. Brayden was smiling too, but there was something sexy about it. Tendrils of heat coiled around my body. I looked away, unable to keep eye contact for too long.
Brayden focused on the game after that, and I didn’t press him with more questions. He did ask me to cheer for him again when it was his turn. Gutter balls. He lost again.
I headed to one of the benches, needing a time-out. The testosterone was getting to me.
To my surprise, Lars sat next to me.
“Inviting you here was Brayden’s best idea,” he declared, grinning.
It made me suspicious, and I had to ask, “Why are you so happy?”
“Because this is the first time Brayden’s losing, and I have you to thank for that. He’s been bragging for years about being unbeatable. I’m going to remind him about this evening every time he starts again.”
“You’re cruel,