He bends down until his eyes meet mine. As if my focus is on anything but him. “Trying to make you realize you still have feelings for me. That there’s still a connection between us.”
Damn him. He’s making this harder than it needs to be. The attraction and feelings toward him have never changed. It’s why I left Asheville to begin with. “That was never the issue, and you know it.”
“I know,” he leans closer to me. His lips are inches away from mine and I can feel myself leaning toward him. Closing the distance and feeling wanted like I’ve seldom felt in my entire life. He shifts until his mouth brushes my ear. “But we can change that this time around. We can do it right.”
It takes everything in me to keep from leaning into him. To saying fuck it and realize I deserve happiness despite how it will make others feel. In the end, I can’t fight it. Can’t fight the pull he has on my heart. I turn and our lips brush.
He pulls me toward him and deepens the kiss. His fingers curling into my hair to keep me close. I’ve missed this so much, and it feels like coming home. The way his mouth moves over mine, claiming me and letting me know I’m his. As much as we shouldn’t be doing this, it’s good to know he still has this reaction to me.
The door opens. “Hey Lisa, Carlos wants to know…” The words die on Eric’s lips.
I jump away from Devin, reality slamming down on me. “This,” I wave my hands between us, “can’t happen again.”
Mortification reddens my cheeks. Dropping the shirt on the floor, I rush toward the door. Before I walk out, I stop beside Eric. “Not a word to anyone.”
I hope like hell he can keep his mouth shut. What happened back there is why I can’t be left alone with Devin. All my old feelings come rushing back, and I make choices that could ruin my friendship with Delilah. I can’t chance that happening again.
8
Devin
Just fucking great.I was finally getting through to her. Well, my lips were anyway, and we were interrupted. There’s no way in hell she’s going to give me the time of day now. She’s scared and when that happens, she shuts down. I’ll be lucky if she doesn’t skip town again despite what she’s told my sister.
I grab the shirt off the floor and pull it over my head, wincing when the fabric brushes against my nose. That kiss also took my mind off the fact she hit me in the face with a door. The pain is still worth the progress I made even though that’s a moot point now.
With the shirt in place, I turn for the door, but it’s blocked by Eric. He’s glaring at me, and I’m itching for him to say something. He needs to know whatever crush he has on Lisa will never amount to anything else.
He takes a step forward and points in my direction. “I don’t know what happened between the two of you in the past, but it needs to stop.”
It’s a good thing Lisa isn’t here. She would be fuming. “Exactly, you don’t know. But what I do know is she wouldn’t want you sticking up for her. She’s perfectly capable of handling her own battles.”
The people who think they know a person never really do. Eric doesn’t even fit the bill for knowing her. He wasn’t here the last time she worked here. He didn’t start working here until a month after she left. When she destroyed my heart by not even allowing me the chance to defend my reasons.
“I can tell,” Eric says breaking me from my thoughts. He shakes his head, “Except you seem to be her blind spot. Every time I see the two of you together her body language shifts.”
“You know she’s never going to date you, right?” Is it shitty thing for me to say? Probably. But I need to get his anger off of me, and find out what his motivations are about Lisa.
“Of course, that’s what you’d come back with.” He turns back toward the door. “I know she won’t date me. She’s made that perfectly clear, and honestly, I was flirting with her that night because that’s what I do with everyone. But everyone who works at this bar is like family to me, despite when they work here. I always protect my family.”
With that threat looming in the air, he walks out. This wasn’t supposed to be turned into a pissing contest, even though that’s my fault. I also admire that he’s protective over everyone here because that includes my sister. It’s good to know she’s got someone watching her back. The sad thing is, in this instance it’s also from me.
Fuck. I really screwed things up today. Too bad I can’t focus on that right now. I have a show to play. I grab the rag I was using earlier to staunch the bleeding and head to the bathroom. Getting cleaned up is the first priority. Then I need to join my band mates on the stage. They are probably wondering where I am.
The crowd from the bar is getting louder, and I know the people in front of the stage are getting restless. They came for a show and they’ll get one.
A quick glance in the mirror and I’m taken aback. She wasn’t lying when’s she said there was blood everywhere. It’s streaked down my chin. I run the rag under water, pump some soap into it, and start scrubbing. I don’t have long, but I can’t go out there like this.
We closed down the bar. Mostly because I was late coming on stage, but also because we were having a great time. I love playing with Cash and Trey. They take away any nerves I feel when I’m on stage, and they know how to hype a crowd better than I ever could. I have charisma, but nothing compared to them.
“Dude, we killed it out there. Even with your busted up nose changing your voice.” Trey is loading up his guitar in the case. His ball cap is gone because he threw it in the crowd. It’s weird seeing him without it. I actually don’t think I ever have.
“Hell yeah,” Cash adds. “Are we playing every weekend?”
“Yeah,” I nod while putting the equipment away. “As long as that’s okay with you. Angie said we can do both nights or just one night. Also, leave my nose out of the equation, Trey. It’s not my fault I got hit in the face. It’s a good thing I had y’all with me to mask my voice because if I was solo tonight, I’m not sure it would have gone as well.”
“That’s so awesome.” Trey closes his case and starts wrapping cords. “I’m down for every weekend.”
“Well, it’s not forever. Just until they get some other acts booked.” They may know some more people. “Speaking of, have y’all seen any acts looking for a place to play? The way I see it, if we have more bands playing here then more people will come aside from people that live in the area.”
