An hour into the music, I was glad I had worn sneakers and a skirt; it was so hot in here. The music was great, the crowd was enjoying it, and all my flyers were safely in people’s purses or back pockets. Good result.
I was back at the side of the room, leaning against the shelf as I watched Mia dancing beside the stage. She was with a girl from one of her classes, and they were having fun. Wade started to play the intro to one of their best songs, and I pushed off the shelf to stand straight. I loved this one, it was called “Stars and Dusk,” and he said he wrote it one night after watching a film about six demons and a witch. I loved this song.
As I sang along to the chorus, I felt a body press up against me, and I stepped forward. The presence behind me steppedforward with me, and as I turned to glare at whoever it was to back off, my words died on my tongue as Jett stared down at me.
He would never hear my protestations over the music, so I stepped forward again and startled when an arm slipped around my waist, pulling me back into his hard body. Again, I looked over my shoulder at him, and he raised an eyebrow at me in question before turning his attention to the stage.
So that was it? Was I to just accept his manhandling of me? Staying as rigid as I could, I jumped when his breath caressed my ear.
“Loosen up, Uptight, anyone would think you hated me touching you.” I felt the nip at my ear, and I was glad he didn’t hear my reaction. “We both know you have no problem with my hands on you.” As he spoke, his hand slipped under my loose top, and his fingers stroked over my skin.
I felt him straighten, but his hand never moved, his thumb rubbing light circles over my skin, and along with it, my heart thumped in rhythm. Should I move? Would he let me?Will he let me leave? Seriously?I grumbled inwardly.
He doesn’townyou.
He doesn’t even like you!
Then why is he touching me?
To throw you off-balance, Ava.And newsflash, it’s working!
As the song ended, my hand covered Jett’s, and I tugged. The guy had strong hands. I mean, he’d been flinging balls through the air since he was three, but seriously, were they glue?
Alex started to sing the cover version of a Michael Ray song, and as his gravelly voice wrapped over us, I felt Jett at my ear again.
“You trying to get rid of me, Uptight?”
“Yes,” I ground out. “You don’t need to hold onto me.”
“I can’t hear you.”
Leaning back, I turned my head as far as I could so he could hear me. I saw the amusement in his eyes when my ass pressed into him, and when I tried to jerk free, he took a step back and turned us both before I was spun in his arms, looking up at him. The move was so sudden, I didn’t know how I was facing him. Two shadows moved and stood in front of Jett, shielding us, and I realized Ash and Gray were here too. Why? This wasn’t something they would normally be at.
I went to ask, but the hardness in Jett’s stare made me bite my tongue. “Every time I try to find an answer about Friday, you’re there.”
“I don’t understand.”
He said nothing, but swiftly he stepped away from me. I realized the music had stopped and Alex was telling the crowd they were having a ten-minute break.
“Ava, there you are!” Mia looked at me and then Jett, her eyes widening when she realized all three Santo guys were there. “You okay?” she asked me as she looked over Gray and Ash, who had just turned to face us.
“I’m fine,” I answered her as I maintained eye contact with Jett.
“Jett,” Gray said quietly in the loud bar, and Jett flicked his eyes away from mine to look at his brother. Wade was heading to the bar, and Jett coolly stepped away from me without a backward glance, Gray on his heels. Ash lingered, but his eyes were all for Mia.
“Don’t you need to run after him too?” I snapped at him. Mia’s eyes widened in surprise at my obvious animosity, but she said nothing as she looked at Ash.
Ash smiled; it was slow, and goddamn it was sexy. I was thankful that I wasn’t on the receiving end of it, or else I was sure I would have felt my knees weaken. But Mia? She looked completely unimpressed.
“Ash,” he told her.
“And?”
His smile was now a grin, and with a dip of his head to her, he walked past. I noticed his hand skimmed her arm as he passed her, and I don’t know if he would have felt the goose bumps that ran over her arm at his touch, but there was no denying he had affected her.
“Holy shit, what was that?” I whisper-hissed at her when he was far enough away.
“I was hoping you would tell me,” Mia said, giving me her whole attention. “What did Jett want?”
