Absolutely Drive You Wild
Jem wasa dream. Jem was a vision. Jem was the romantic ideal of a man, all wrapped up in pretty paper River had chosen—funny and judgy and bitchy and kind and passionate in perfect proportion.
River’s friends were going to laugh at him for the rest of his life because his manager bought him a kindergarten teacher for a babysitter and River went and fell in love with him on the first date. But River didn’t care because he’d spent the whole week writing music about thingshewas passionate about.
Currently Jem was at the top of the list, but River didn’t think he could be blamed.
“My nutritionist dragged me out of the music room at ten o’clock one night because I missed a meeting by an hour.” Oops. “I was dialed in. Didn’t even hear my tummy rumbling.”
Jem grinned. “That’s great. I know you were having a hard time with it.” Then he frowned. “Less good that you forget to eat, though. I cannot relate to that. I love food.”
“Food is fine. But sometimes it’s distracting.” And when River was really focusing on something, he could tune out just about any distraction. His mother used to worry he’d keep playing guitar while the smoke alarm was wailing and the house burned down around him. “My nutritionist calls me River the Flat-Assed.”
Jem cleared his throat. “It’s notthatbad.”
“I mean, it’s pretty bad. I considered getting those underwear with the butt implants to wear under the dress.”
“I didn’t know that was a thing.”
River clutched at his chest. “What’s this? I know a thing about fashion that Jem Anderson does not?”
Jem gave him a judgmental look, then leveled that look at his own backside. “In my defense, I’vedefinitelynever needed them.”
“Yes, you are delightfully round back there. But could you bounce a quarter off it?”
Jem rolled his eyes, but he flushed too. “Maybe you’ll find out.”
Maybe he would. “Turnabout’s fair play. What did you do all week?”
“Ugh.” Jem flopped back against the seat. “Boring teacher things. It’s report card season. So, like, drank too much coffee and swore a lot.”
“What do you even put on kindergarteners’ report cards? ‘Asked to use bathroom when necessary’?”
Jem steepled his fingers under his chin and put on a bland customer service voice. “Tanya needs to learn to respect her friends’ boundaries. Abbott does a good job sharing toys butshould remember that food is for lunchtime and recess. Leo is learning how to use his inside voice.” His eyes glazed over as he spoke.
River shuddered in revulsion. “And that actually means?”
“Tanya pantsed a kid the other day, Abbott will try to trade toys for snacks, and Leo only screams at the top of his lungs, like, once a day now.”
“A budding rock star.”
“Do not give that child a guitar. Or a drum kit. At least not until he graduates kindergarten.”
“Or what? You’re gonna make me sleep on the couch?”
Jem snorted. “Are you kidding? I’ll put you in time-out. Something tells me denying you attention is the only punishment that’ll actually work.”
River clutched his heart. “You do know how to hit where it hurts.” He couldn’t think of many worse things than Jem ignoring him. “Promise I’ll behave.”
Jem’s expression said he was skeptical but amused. “Like you, I know my audience.”
It was a throwaway comment, but it was somehow true, despite the fact that they’d only known each other two weeks. Jem understood what made River tick. Not that River thought he was a particularly complicated guy, but it meant something that Jem was putting the effort in.
“All right, smartypants,” River said. “Let’s see how you do with a different crowd.”
The car pulled to a stop and they got out at the producer’s house—a typical Hollywood white stucco ranch with a circular driveway and a fountain and tasteful outdoor lighting. Loud music spilled out into the courtyard, some pop tune River would have stuck in his head for a week. When he slid his hand into Jem’s, the metal of the watch brushed his wrist, warm now withJem’s body heat. River pushed aside his reaction to deal with later.
“Jeez,” Jem murmured as they breezed inside. There was no one at the door; no one had to be, since they had a gate attendant working tonight. “Did everyone change? There’s a whole new set of fashion crimes.”
