I keep my head down as I walk over to the bar, hoping to grab one more drink before I have to play the charming lead singer of Sleeping Dogs. All the people pleasing and press shit is getting out of hand. And this event is being photographed candidly. I’ll need at least one more drink to make it through this. I walk over to the bar and see that the whiskey isn’t there.
“What the fuck? Where’s the fucking whiskey?” I scan the room quickly to see where the whiskey got to. “You guys don’t even drink whiskey, and it’s not like I’ve had enough for you to hide the bottles on me now. Don’t tell me this meet and greet is some kind of bullshit intervention.”
“Oh shit, I’m so sorry,” A voice comes from somewhere to my right as a whiskey bottle is thrust in my direction. “I was nervous, and I needed to consume many drinks. Um, here you go.”
I reach out and grab the whiskey bottle, my fingers brushing against the fingers holding it out to me, and I feel a charge, like tingly electricity shooting through my body, completely disorienting me. What the hell was that?
I look up into the face of the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. My body jolts into the present and it feels like I’ve come home.
“Alex?”
Chapter 14
Alex - I’m Totally Normal and Sane and He’s Wearing my Shirt
“Oh shit, I’m so sorry,” I say to Connor, coming up to him on his right side. I push the whiskey bottle toward his hand. “I was nervous, and I needed to consume many drinks. Um, here you go.”
Connor reaches out to grab the bottle before he even looks up. His fingers brush mine and I feel a tingling sensation that starts at my fingers and quickly travels throughout my entire body. He looks up into my eyes, and I feel like my soul slams back into my body. And here I didn’t even know it was missing. Like I was lost and I’m finally where I’m meant to be.
“Alex?” Connor looks at me like he’s seen a ghost. I wonder if that’s what I looked like in the crowd tonight when I first saw him. Before I ran away, that is. Fuck, he’s so much hotter than I remember.
“Um, so yeah. This is weird, right? I guess you go by Connor Ashley? Instead of Ferguson, I mean. I’m here with my friend Becca, that’s her over there, the photographer.” I gesture toward Becca as she points the camera at us, but I just can’t stop talking. The words just keep bubbling up and jumping out of my mouth. “Becca said you go by Connor Ashley now, and you don’t use Ferguson at all. That’s probably why I’ve never been able to find you online. Not that I’ve done that much creeping. Just like, a totally normal amount of creeping. Like the amount of creeping that a completely sane, totally normal person would do. Which I am. A totally normal, sane person, I mean. I’m sorry. I’m talking so much, I am a little drunk right now. How are you?” I don’t let him answer before I reach out and lift the front of his shirt, bringing my face down to inspect it more closely. “Is that my shirt?” Shit. I do not sound like a totally normal, sane person right now. I sound completely insane. Fucking bonkers, actually. And also, I’m smelling his shirt now like a crazy person. But Connor is smiling at me, so I can’t be that bad, can I?
“Aaaand, that’s enough talking for you, Alex.” Becca finally comes to my rescue. “I need you to go into my bag and grab a new SD card, please. And take a second to calm the fuck down; you sound like a lunatic.” She whispers that last part to me.
“I am aware that I sound like a lunatic, thank you. Why didn’t you stop me sooner? I smelled his shirt. God, he smells amazing. Shit. He’s probably going to get Devon to throw me out of here for being such a weirdo.” I feel like I’m whispering back to her, but, sadly, it is ‘drunk girl’ whispering. Whispering that is louder than a sober person’s regular speaking voice. From the looks I’m getting from everyone else in the room, I can tell they all heard me, too.
I stumble to Becca’s bag and quickly find the new SD card she wanted, pausing to take a couple of deep breaths before bringing it to her. I can feel Connor’s eyes tracking me the entire time, like he’s afraid to look away or something.
“It’s ok Alex, I won’t throw you out yet.” Devon yells from across the room. “You convinced me earlier that you’re a totally normal, completely sane person. Plus, I can’t take the risk that you’d come after me with an umbrella. I have a delicate heinie.” And now Devon and Becca are both laughing at me again. Assholes. Can’t they see I’m having a crisis here.
“Alex.” Connor has moved closer and practically breathes my name. His gorgeous chocolate brown eyes are staring directly into my soul. Is it weird that I just want to run my hands through his hair right now? Oh yeah, it’s weird. Pay attention, Alex.
Connor leans in, reaching up with his hand to tuck away a strand of hair that’s escaped from the loose bun I’ve tied on the top of my head. He leaves his hand where it is, cupping the side of my face, his thumb brushing my cheek, and I find myself leaning into his hand. He brushes his lips against mine as he brings his mouth to my ear and whispers, “I can’t believe you’re actually here. Did you like the show?”
Oh, holy hell. Talk about tingles. I can feel that right down in the lady parts.
I’m stunned stupid for a moment, unable to speak with him this close. I catch myself turning into his neck and inhaling his scent, right from the source this time. Fuck, he smells so good, like cedar and spices and sexy boy. But then I remember we are in a room full of people and pull myself away.
“Oh yeah, what I saw and heard was great. But, um, I may have run away a little bit? When I saw it was you onstage.” What the fuck, Alex, why did you say that? I am kicking my ass in my head. I need to get it together. But of course, instead of getting it together, I start spewing more unneeded information. “I was on the floor waiting for you guys to come out, but I didn’t know it was actuallyyou, you know? And then I got chased right to the front by some fuckboy who wouldn’t get the hint that I wasn’t interested. I was stuck with a bunch of slutty looking chicks up there at the fence when I saw it was you. And then it seemed like you looked right at me and I panicked. So I turned, and I ran. I didn’t want you to see me and think I was a crazy, stalker groupie.”
“You know what? I actually did look at you, but then you were gone so fast I thought I was imagining you. And yet here you are, backstage, telling me how not crazy you are.”
He looks like he might be poking fun at me. It’s hard to tell because I’m pretty drunk and completely freaked out, so I look to Becca for confirmation. Yup, he’s fucking with me, thank god.
“Yup.” I nod enthusiastically, glad he finally understands. “Crazy stalker is one thing. Groupie is another animal entirely. I don’t fuck dudes just because they’re famous.” Shit, that was another dumb thing to say. Come on Alex, you’re better than this.
Becca barks out a laugh. Looks like Devon is getting a chuckle out of it, too. And I hear more laughter from the other side of the room, as well. It’s probably the rest of the band, but I’m not risking looking over there. I’m sure the alcohol and embarrassment have combined to turn me a lovely shade of red.
“Well, that’s good to know, Alex. I guess I can introduce you to my friends after all, then,” Connor tells me with a wink. He’s so handsome I practically swoon right there. “Let me get this meet and greet over with and then we can talk more. I think I need to know a little more about this umbrella story that Devon was talking about. Oh, and yes, this is your shirt.”
Connor reaches over his head and pulls the shirt off in one smooth motion, handing it to me with a wink. He grabs a Sleeping Dogs shirt from a table full of of merch and puts it on before heading over to join the rest of the band. I didn’t have much time to stare at his naked chest and back, but I know I need to see more. I’m not sure what exactly he does, but I can tell for sure that Connor works out.
“Becca, what do I do now?” I whisper when I finally get my voice back. “Did you see that? How is he that hot? Shouldn’t that be illegal? Is spontaneous combustion real? Because I’m pretty sure that’s what seeing him shirtless just now has done to me.”
Becca laughs at my rant. That’s not helpful, at all. Some best friend she is. Here I am, probably about to burst into flames, and she’s laughing at me. That bitch. Good thing I love her.
“Just hang out for a bit. It sounds like they just want me taking some candid shots to help speed this along. And it seems Connor wants to ‘talk’ to you after this is all over.” She gives me air quotes and a little smirk when she says ‘talk’.
