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ROWLEY
*
SHOUT AT HER AND MAKE her cry just before she takes the stage. What an asshole thing to do. If the hypnosis hadn't killed every last nice thought she'd had about me, shouting at her just before she went on stage certainly had.
I watched her take a sharp right away from her ex, furiously swiping away the tears I'd caused. I couldn't blame the bastard for showing up here, trying everything to get her back. Wouldn't I do the same in his place?
I unloaded the drums, expecting to see her, wanting to apologize, but she'd managed to disappear, probably to avoid me.
***
THE ACCIDENTAL DOLLS were the opening act. Harper came out on stage and my heart started pounding. Hands down she was the sexiest piece of work I'd ever seen in her torn pants, and lacy shirt, with her silky red hair worn in a sex kitten style. I thought of her sassy smile, those deep, adorable dimples, sweet Jesus. But she certainly wasn't smiling now, was she?
I watched Newton in the crowd pointing her out on stage to his group of admirers. He didn’t seem to care that his groupies might not care for the fact that he was in love with the drummer.
I should feel pity for him, instead I was just angry that he had more right to take pride in her than I had. They had a history. What did we have? Fuck all.
Now she didn't even want my protection. That instinct to shield her had kicked in the moment I'd met her, when she was little better than an orphan. Her parents had never given a good goddamn about her or her brother's welfare.
Now that need to protect her was stronger than ever and it had combined with some seriously hardcore jealousy.
Harper hadn’t taken her seat behind the drums yet. She seemed to be scanning the audience.
Who the hell was she searching for? Maybe she was considering her friend's suggestion that she go back to Newton and ride along with his coming success. Money, fame, it was a huge draw. Why settle for a fire captain's salary when you could be richer than fuck?
Where the hell did that come from? My mind was making huge leaps from being a big brother (or ex big brother if she had her way) to husband, no stops along the way like a normal relationship.
She was a young divorcée, too young. The last thing a flighty girl like that needed was a new husband. No, I thought, that was exactly what she needed. But the right husband. Holy shit, I was losing my mind.
She finally took a seat and the band started playing. They were damned loud. But I had to admit they were good.
They stopped playing suddenly. The singer held a hand above her eyes. “God bless, would someone please turn down the fucking lights.”
The lights turned off and then turned on again, but they were aimed outward now to the sides of the stage, leaving the band in shadow mostly.
Someone fired up a fog machine. Harper and her bandmates were suddenly enveloped in fog. What a shit crew they’d assembled to run this thing.
The fog was still obscuring the stage when their set ended. I lost track of Harper.
An enterprising guy was pulling a large ice chest on wheels. I headed over and he lifted the lid. Tall cans were swimming in melting ice. I plucked a beer out and paid him. I cracked it open as I returned to the low brick wall and waited for Harper to come out from backstage. I was hoping to convince her to leave early.
The iciness of the beer almost made up for the cheap brand.
Nearby, two scrawny dudes started scuffling in the dirt. Shit, it was amateur hour with flyweights. Now there was a third guy in. Didn't look like he could fight either. He was so drunk I doubted he knew which guy he was helping. The assholes were getting dust on my boots. I moved further down the wall.
A desert rat approached. His jean jacket was plastered with band patches, and his greasy hair was tied back with a piece of string. He nodded toward my can of beer.
"Looking for anything stronger?" He didn't bother to remove the cigarette dangling from his mouth as he spoke.
I took another slug of beer.
"Not into the hard stuff? How about some trees? It's fire, bro."
"Fuck off."
He held up his hands and backed away. "My bad. Just enjoy your beer there, boss."
When I finally caught sight of Harper, she was standing near the makeshift booths that sold t-shirts, but she was staring out toward the audience. She'd borrowed a sweatshirt from someone and despite having zipped it up she was rubbing her arms against the chill. Her gaze swept over the crowd.
She stood on tiptoes and craned her neck. She seemed agitated. She scanned right past me. Well, shit, did you think she'd be looking for you, chump, after you yelled at her?
There was a screech of feedback from an amp onstage, then the lights flashed on. And there was the rock god himself standing in the center of the stage. He'd borrowed Lili's turquoise guitar.
The crowd whistled and shouted their appreciation.
He flipped his long black hair over his shoulder. "Just one song," he said. "Something I wrote for my girl."
I stayed seated and took a long pull on the beer, trying to cool my blood.
Harper twisted around and stared toward the stage.
Newton leaned into the microphone. "You'd better be out there, love, 'cause otherwise I'm making a complete ass of myself."
Laughter rippled through the crowd.
Had to hand it to him. The man was a master manipulator, serenading her to win her over. In front of an audience no less. What woman wouldn't be moved by that sort of display?
Fucking great, I had a front row seat to watch her reunite with her ex. There wasn't enough whiskey in the world to forget this night.
Newton strummed a few chords and then stopped. "I'd sure appreciate it if you'd point her in my direction. She's the beautiful redhead who just took out her frustrations on the drums." He was hedging his bets, getting the audience to put additional pressure on her.
The crowd pushed forward and I could no longer see her. I needed to get out of here. I downed the last of the beer, set the can on the wall, and started walking.
I heard Harper shouting my name. It took me a moment to spot her. She'd pulled the sweatshirt hood up over her head, hiding her hair. She was squeezing her way through the crowd. Once she'd gotten clear, she ran full out, kicking up a cloud of dust. I opened my arms as she neared and she hurled herself against my chest.
She said something which I couldn't hear. "What?" I bent my neck.
She lifted her head and peered up at me, her small hands scrunching my shirt. "I thought you'd gone." She sounded breathless and more than a little upset. "I couldn't find your truck."
"I had to move it from the stage area."
"I can't bear having you angry at me." Newton was singing his heart out on stage and she was worried that she’d upset me.
"Why are you getting so emotional? Thought I was just any old guy to you now."
She heaved a big, shuddery sigh. "All lies. The therapy was completely worthless."
Thank fucking God.
She tugged on my t-shirt. "Take me home."
"You want to come home with me?"
"Yes, please."
"Where's your friend?"
"Lili's going home with the guy from the synth band."
I swung her up so that she was eye level with me. She pressed her lips to mine in a chaste kiss and then, instantly shy, she tucked her face into the crook of my neck.
I maneuvered around the edges of the concert where the stragglers hung out, more interested in getting high than in actually listening to the music.
As she bounced along in my arms, her hood slipped down. I gave her bottom a squeeze. "Cover your hair again or we're going to have a mob of angry fans after us." She removed one hand from my neck and yanked the hood back into place before gripping me again.
At the truck, I peeled her hands from my neck and set her down, her heavy boots landing her firmly, like anchors.
I opened the passenger door, scooped her up and popped her onto the seat.
I could feel her staring at me as I drove out of the makeshift parking lot. I was fucking grateful for whoever had had the foresight to use cones to delineate the rows or we would have been stuck there until the damned thing ended.
She turned her face to glance out the rear window. "Wasn't the freeway that direction?"
I pulled off the two lane highway and onto the shoulder, threw the truck into park, and turned off the ignition. We were sitting in the middle of nowhere; the concert was now a distant nightmare.
I glanced over at her, she looked so small and vulnerable, but she could break a man's heart in two. I couldn't help feeling some kinship with her ex. Yeah, she'd chosen me over him tonight, but my days were numbered from the get go. I had to prepare myself for that going in. This beautiful babe was going to let me fuck her until she got tired of me.
I needed air. I pushed open the door and stepped outside. The bright moonlight made the night feel surreal.
She followed me out of the truck. "Are you okay?"
I rubbed the back of my neck. "Tell me again why you married him."
She was watching me carefully, nervously nibbling her full bottom lip. "For the wrong reason," she said, as though that were explanation enough.
She put her hands on her hips. "You're judging me. You've never even made that sort of commitment to anyone."
"Yeah, baby, that's it exactly. Marriage is a commitment. You don't say the vows unless you're prepared to commit yourself...all the fucking way."
Her eyes widened and her lips trembled. "Not sure why you're so angry. I'm the first to admit I'm too impulsive."
"Because seeing it play out in living color, frankly, scared the hell out of me. Shit, your ex had a stage, a guitar, a song he wrote just for you. That'll be me in a month or so, but without the talent."
"I chose you over him. Would you rather I hadn't? Do you want me to get back with him?"
"Brat, you're asking for a good, hard spanking."
She thrust her chin out stubbornly.
"What I want, babygirl, is to not end up like him."
Instead of reassuring me that it would be different with me, she stomped back to the truck and hauled herself up.
She refused to look at me as I climbed into the driver's side. She was sitting stiffly, staring straight ahead out the windshield.
I pulled back onto the road. We drove about a mile in silence.
"I want you to fuck me," she said in a breathy whisper.
This petite bombshell with the sass mouth was bringing me to my knees.
"Why even worry about a month from now?" she asked, pretty as you please. "A one nightstand would be fine with me."
"Would it now?" My erection was getting stiffer and my attitude was getting a whole lot meaner.
"I can tell you're judging me again. Just so you know I was a virgin when I got married. I haven't been with anybody else."
Unless her ex was okay with infidelity, which I very much doubted, Harper was closing the door for good on that relationship. I considered pointing that out to her. I glanced over at her beautiful profile. Hell, if I was any kind of fool. It was every man for himself.
"How about I pull off right here and we do it in the front seat. That work for you, darlin'?"
She turned and stared at me, her eyes glittering with unshed tears. "That would be perfect."