Kylee's lips curled, half-defiant, half-daring. “Then I guess I did my job.”
Rio stopped just a breath away. Close enough to smell her perfume. Close enough to see the flicker of nerves behind her cool exterior.
“You’ve got something about you,” he murmured. “I don’t know what it is yet. But I want to.”
Kelly cleared her throat dramatically from behind. “I’ll just... get a drink or something.”
Rio didn’t even glance away from Kylee.
Kylee swallowed hard, fingers still wrapped around the guitar pick in her pocket. She felt heat rising in her chest, in her core, but she didn’t flinch. She didn’t shrink. For once, she stood tall and let herself burn.
Rio stepped even closer, and for a long moment, neither of them spoke. The tension between them was almost physical, electric, heavy, and crackling like static.
Kylee’s pulse was everywhere. He leaned in just slightly, he smelled like weed and whiskey. “You got a name, mystery girl?”
“Kylee.”
His lips curved into a half-smile. “Kylee,” he repeated, like he was tasting it. “Fits. You don’t look like someone who belongs behind a white picket fence.”
She raised a brow, keeping her cool. “And what do I look like?”
“Like trouble,” he said. “The kind that makes a man forget his own name.”
Her mouth quivered, but she said nothing. He didn’t need encouragement. Rio Riot had never needed permission to flirt like a wildfire.
He took a step back, eyes dragging down her body again. “You liked the show?”
“Hard not to,” she said, steady. “You made a lot of noise up there.”
“And you made it very easy to lose focus,” he said, tapping two fingers over his chest. “That little look you gave me duringSaints and Gasoline? Yeah. Almost missed a cue.”
Behind them, Kelly had found a cooler full of champagne and was leaning against the wall, sipping like she’d been here a hundred times before.
Rio looked past Kylee for the first time, noticing Kelly leaning casually against the wall with a champagne flute in hand. His brow lifted with interest.
“Who’s your friend?” he asked, eyes dancing with mischief.
Kylee turned slightly. “That’s my sister, Kelly.”
Rio grinned wide. “Ah. The sister.” He took a long sip from his beer and glanced toward the other side of the room where a few band members lounged. “Well, that explains a lot. My drummer hasn’t shut up about the girl in the red outfit since we walked off stage.”
Kelly raised her brows. “Is that so?”
“Yup. Said, and I quote,‘She looks like she bites and I’d probably let her.’” Rio smirked and looked back at Kylee. “He’s got a type.”
Kelly laughed into her glass. “Tell your drummer I only bite on weekends.”
Rio chuckled, clearly enjoying himself. “Tonight is technically Friday.”
Rio leaned in slightly, his voice low and smooth. “I want you to come to our after party. I’ll send a driver to pick you and Kelly up. Yall are rolling out in style tonight.”
Kylee blinked, trying to process. “Wait … you mean, Like a limo?”
He grinned, that trademark half-smile tugging at his lips. “Yeah, nothing but the best for a smoking hot lady like you.”
Kelly elbowed Kylee playfully. “This is insane. I can’t believe we’re actually here, with him, like this.”
Kylee laughed nervously, still feeling like she was living someone else’s dream. “I know. One minute, I’m just a mom from Idaho, and the next I’m backstage with the lead singer of my favorite band.”
