Chapter 1
He looked at me with a broad smile, his expression full of pride. “So, what do you think, Wave? This is awesome, right?”
I looked around the bar. He was right, we’d never had crowds like this. The guys behind the bar were run off their feet, the air hot and heavy, sweaty bodies dancing and screaming to the music. The band was good, great even. If they got their start here, it would bring epic bragging rights. Declan promised they’d rock the house. He worked for a record company and Red Alert was the first band he’d managed as lead and not an assistant, and he was grinning from ear to ear.
“It’s their first actual show. It could be a fluke,” I tell him, schooling my expression.
“The fuck?” he turned my way. “They’re killing it.”
I struggled to maintain the nonchalance, but he saw right through me. He grabbed me around the waist and lifted me off the floor. I’d like to say it pissed me off when he threw me about, but I’d be lying. He tossed me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing and slapped my ass.
“Put me down, jerk,” I shrieked, slappinghisass, which was right within reach of where I dangled.
Declan laughed, his shoulders shaking, but he complied and lowered me to the floor. He didn’t let me go, pulling me close and lowering hisforehead to press against mine. I draped my arms around his neck and smiled as he pressed his lips to the corner of my mouth.
“God, what I wouldn’t give to drag you out of here right now,” he murmured.
I felt that voice right down to my core. As much as I wanted to take him up on it and drag him to a bathroom, we’re working and, mostly, professional. I groaned in frustration.
“Hold that thought, baby,” he told me, drawing back and swatting my ass again. “You’re gonna ride me long and hard tonight.”
“Is that right?” I stepped away, glancing at the crowds again. We’d both worked hard to get to this, and nothing would wipe the smile off my face tonight.
“Hell yeah, babe.” Declan kissed me and looked back at the band.
There were girls at the front, screaming at Nash like he could burn their panties off with one look. If only they knew he was madly in love with his childhood sweetheart and wouldn’t look twice at groupies. How long that would last if they hit the big time remained to be seen. Although I’d seen Nash with Riley, they had the kind of love people would kill for. I glanced back at Declan, watching as his head bobbed, his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, and a small smile played on my lips. Love? I wasn’t sure we were there yet, but we could be. We were pretty close to getting there.
“I need to get back to work, Dec. It looks like the guys are run off their feet.”
He reached his hand back for mine, pulled it to his lips, and planted a kiss on my knuckles. “Get Anna to close up tonight. We’re gonna have a private celebration.”
When I got to the bar, it was two people deep, the girls rushing to fill orders. Ben was washing glasses as fast as he could, steam blowing in his face. I stepped behind the bar to help.
“Hey pretty lady,” Ben smiled with his cocky grin. I’d known him for two years now and although he stopped hitting on me, he hadn’t stopped with the nickname. “You slumming it back here?”
I smiled. “Come on, these glasses aren’t gonna wash themselves.”
He shuffled over to allow me to load the empties into the crates for him. The band played for another forty minutes and if anything, we got busier, which was why I thought my imagination was playing tricks onme when I saw a familiar face in the crowd. I almost dropped a glass, but lost sight of him as more people moved on the dancefloor. It had been a long night. My feet hurt, hell my face hurt from all the smiling. My brother wouldn’t be here, hundreds of miles from home.
“You okay, hon?”
I glanced at Anna and gave her a smile, shaking away thoughts of my family. “Yeah, sorry.”
“Are you sure? I’ve been calling you for like five minutes.”
I apologised again, collecting more glasses, running them under the cold tap to cool before they were used. I handed them over to her so she could serve more customers. After another ten minutes, the madness slowed. I looked up at the side of the stage where Declan was talking to a couple of guys and a woman, all laughing. I’d seen the girl around before. I narrowed my eyes as she sidled close to Declan. He glanced at her with a smile but focused on the guy next to him. I snort laughed when the girl crossed her arms over her chest in a huff.
“Haven’t grown out of that habit, I see.” I whirled around at the voice by my ear, my heart in my mouth. “You always were so ladylike, Wave.”
My brother was leaning against the bar and people were looking over at him, some warily, some with interest. I got it. My brother was a good-looking guy, over six feet, with wavy dark brown hair swept back behind his ears. He looked older, more serious, with light missing from his eyes despite the joking tone to his voice. He wore his leathers, so he had ridden here. I couldn’t see it, but the motorcycle club name was printed across the back of his leather vest, or cut as it was known in the MC. He never left home without it.
“What are you doing here?”
“Is that any way to greet your big bro?” he picked up the beer that was put on the bar beside him and sipped from the bottle. “You look good, Wave,” he said in a softer voice. I stared into his chocolate brown eyes that mirrored my own.
“Little far from home, aren’t you?”
“Aren’tyou?” he asked.
