“You didn’t mean anything by it,” I said, hoping he wasn’t about to go into self-flagellation mode. “And what do you mean of course there is?”
“Honey, please. You act like no one remembers how sad you were after he moved away.” Jasper glanced over at Owen, noticed him still watching us and took a step back. Now it was my turn to gape at him. He giggled and shook his head. “Yes, you tool. We all knew you were hopelessly in love with him.”
“But you didn’t say anything? Do you know how much easier life would have been if I hadn’t been alone?”
“Are you forgetting what this town is like? I mean, I know it’s getting better, but even now it’s not a great place to be out and proud.” Jasper’s eyebrows pinched together. I felt bad for him; it was much easier for someone like me than for him. There was no denying he was gay, with his sparkly eye shadow, perfectly manicured brows, and glittery nail polish. And yet, he didn’t try to conform to what others thought he should be. “Now, get your ass over there and tell him I’m not trying to steal his man. If he tries to kick my ass, I’m pretty sure we all know who’s going to win.”
“He’ll be fine,” I reassured Jasper.
“Okay, so then get your sweet ass over there and stake your claim before someone else does. I want to see if the two of you kissing is as hot as I’m imagining it’ll be.”
I rolled my eyes. Jasper was impossible sometimes. But he’d been a good friend to me, too. I wished like hell there was a way to make Harmony Grove the town everyone like us needed.
Even though it wasn’t necessary, I listened to my friend. I ducked under the plywood planks, weaving my way across the dance floor to the sound board. “Hey. Jas said I needed to get over here before you tried beating him up for touching me.”
“Jas?” Owen’s jaw dropped as he squinted to see Jasper and Billy standing by the beer trailers, both watching us a bit too intently. “Holy crap, that’s Jasper?”
“Yeah. And he thinks you’re going to kick his ass.” It was impossible having a conversation this close to the stage. I shifted behind Owen and rested my hands on his shoulders. Staking my claim, as Jasper put it.
Yes, Owen was my man, and no one was going to make me feel bad about touching him in public. I bent down so he could hear me over the thumping bass and screeching guitar riffs. “I want you to come home with me tonight.”
Owen visibly shuddered. His heart raced under my palm when I slid my hand to his chest. He laced his fingers with mine, never taking his eyes off the band. “That’s a big step, Ty.”
“I’m ready to leap if you are,” I promised. “We don’t have time to talk now, but I want you to know I’m all-in if you are. Tonight doesn’t have to be the end.”
“I’m glad you finally came to your senses,” Owen teased. The song ended and Owen released me to fiddle with the sound board. I backed away, promising myself that in just a couple hours, there’d be nothing to distract us.
CHAPTERNINE
OWEN
“Listen up!I don’t know about anyone else, but I’d rather not have to come back down here at the asscrack of dawn tomorrow!”
Fuck. Listening to Tyler get all bossy on the small, but loyal, crew of volunteers who’d helped pull off the festival shouldn’t have been as sexy as it was.
Despite the fact he wasn’t talking to me, I picked up my pace. There was nothing to say I couldn’t finish loading my gear and then help his crew break down the bar and get everything back to the maintenance shed. I had a very vested interest in him not having to come back here first thing in the morning.
“Hey, Owen. Great job as always,” the lead singer, whose name I couldn’t remember, said as I passed. “You heading down to the bar for the after party tonight?”
“Nah, I’m skipping this round. Met up with an old friend, so we’re going to catch up before I have to hit the road.” I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to explain myself to him, other than wanting it very clear I wouldn’t be swayed into partying.
“Cool, man. Well, I’m sure we’ll see you again before the end of the year.” He held out a hand, slipping a few bills into my palm as we shook. It wasn’t expected that the bands tipped me, but a lot of them believed in showing their appreciation for making them sound good. “Hopefully, you and this buddy can get some quality time before you both pass out.”
There was a knowing glint in his eye. That wasn’t surprising since Tyler kept coming over to check on me tonight, and every time he did, he couldn’t resist whispering some dirty fantasy or another into my ear.
“Thanks. I’ll see you around.”
It seemed Tyler’s crew had been motivated by him pointing out the more they got done tonight, the less they’d have to come back to do in the morning. I’d have hustled, too, if I’d run around as much as most of them had this weekend. There weren’t many of them, but the loyal ones were here almost as much as we were.
A little after one in the morning, the only remnants of the festival were the tents and beer trailers. Everything else had been loaded up and stowed until next year. I climbed into my SUV and drove around to the gate where Tyler waited for me.
It was peaceful standing near the shore of the lake, now that everyone else had gone home. I wrapped my arms around Tyler’s waist from behind and rested my head on his shoulder. “How does it feel to have your first festival behind you?”
“Ask me when I’m not running on fumes.” He tipped his head back and closed his eyes. “I never realized how much work went into this thing. And honestly, if we can’t get more help, I’m not sure how many more years we’ll be able to keep putting it on.”
“Don’t think about that while everything’s still raw. Let the dust settle, and then I’m confident you’ll find a way to get more volunteers.” From the sounds of it, he’d walked into an absolutely shit show. A lot of people wouldn’t have been able to accomplish half of what he had. “Now, did you mean all those filthy suggestions tonight or were you just taunting me?”
Tyler pressed his ass against my groin, sliding our joined hands to his semi-erect cock. “What do you think?”
