Is hegrowling? I turn to him for the briefest glance and catch his expressionless gaze drop to my mouth before returning to my eyes. I suck in a breath and tap the back of his head, hoping he interprets it asknock it off.
“Yeah,” I squeak. “I can imagine. I’m a junior, but I’ve been taking the scenic route. I’m twenty-three. I’ll try to introduce you to my roommate, Annie, when she gets here. She’s close to your age. And you’ve got to meet Sam.” I nod toward the drums. “He’s cute … and single.”
Andnoisy, thank goodness. I can’t do this much longer.
Tabitha follows the sound until she finds the big guy, then pops her head back to me with wide eyes.
“Isn’t he pretty?” I give her a knowing smile. Daniel sits up straighter, tickling my side until I laugh. “I prefer long hair and tattoos, myself, but if Sam wanted to hold a puppy while shirtless, I’d let him be in my calendar.”
That earns me a hard squeeze on the sensitive spot just above my knee, and I squeal. I’m just being obnoxious to get a rise out of him, not that any lies have been told where the golden boy is concerned.
Sam’s adorable, but the only Sam I think of ashotis the fictional demon-fighting one on the showSupernatural. And ironically, DC looks a lot like …
I should probably salt and burn this whole train of thought.
I try to remind myself that I have—had?—a perfectly nice-looking fiancé, but he’d never let me get between him and any source of attention. Even when I thought things were good, he never missed a chance to chat up a waitress or old friends without acknowledging my presence. “You don’t get it,” he’d say. “I grew up around here. People respect my family, and I was a state champion in high school.” He was right about one thing: I don’t get it.
Nothing about Nathan feels like a relationship. He wants to keep tabs on me, but he doesn’t wantme. And let’s not forget he hung up on me when I needed his help.
Tabitha’s cracking up, watching us harass each other. I don’t suppose I need to hate her, as long as she directs her attention away from the no-fly zone.
Daniel’s breath puffs against my ear again, hair falling recklessly over his face. “It’s a good thing I know pretty’s not your type.”
Chills visibly erupt over my arms as I shrug the tingles from my ear and try to maintain some composure. I feel him laugh as he kisses my head, his trance apparently broken when he stands us both up, keeping an arm around me.
“Okay, that’s quite enough out of you, McSpicy. Tabitha, it was nice to meet you, but Lucy needs to save her voice and all this attitude. I hope you enjoy the music.”
He gives her a polite nod and reaches for the midnight-blue Fender P-bass he calls The Dark Knight. It’s gorgeous and a little mysterious. I don’t get to hear it much since it’s not really necessary for sing-alongs on the porch steps.
All the guys are excellent guitarists, but DC plays the bass like an extension of his personality. It’s the instrument I know the least about and have the most admiration for.
“Can I?” I ask.
“Sure.” He places it in my hands, and I’m surprised it’s only a little heavier than my six-string. I admire the moody ombre color up close for a minute before I catch him watching me. “I’ll teach you if you want to learn.”
“Oh, I’m sure you would.” I smirk, beyond pleased when his grin turns wry.
“I was referring to music, but whatever you have in mind.” He winks. “You can put it by the drums if you can handle being that close to Sam, Punk.”
“I’ll try but no promises. He’s, like,soooo hot.” I fan myself dramatically before I set his baby on the stand. He points two fingers at his narrowed eyes and back at me as he walks away.
“Sammyyy!” I yell in my gruffest Dean Winchester voice, and he grins his big, goofy smile when he spots me.
“Lu Lu!” he shouts, hopping off his stool and down one step to hug me with a bone-crushing grip that lifts me two feet off the ground.
DC’s around six-one and solid—significantly bigger than me—but Sam’s a giant lanky tower. The golden retriever is always so happy to see everyone, he nearly tramples us on sight.
We became instant family last fall, but when he was at Daniel and Jace’s house practicing over Christmas break, it snowed a few inches, so he stayed through New Year’s. Tennessee’s not well equipped for snow, so no one left. When their heat went out, we pooled our groceries, and I cooked for all of us while we alternated singing, playing board games, and watching TV at our place for three days. I kept waiting to feel smothered and annoyed, but we mostly got along fine. Some of us better than others, but as always, no lines were crossed.
Jace and Annie fell asleep early the first night, but Daniel, Sam, and I watched an entire season ofSupernatural. My slight obsession was exposed.
Now, when we see Sam, everyone has to yell “Sammy!” as if he’s in grave danger.
Okay, it’s just me.
The volume of the crowd steadily increases and so does my energy. I want to let everything go for a while. Tonight, my inner Dean is showing.
I think I’m adorable, and I’m ready to have some fun.
