Which the idea of it was kind of hysterical considering I’d sworn to myself I’d never date a musician.
And there I was. The girl hoping to catch the drummer’s eye, but not for any of the reasons that Richard might have assumed.
“It’s really great to meet you, too, Richard.”
Leif pointed at the burly guy who’d just been tossing me around. “And this one here is Rhys. Our bassist. You’d do best to ignore him,” he said, razzing his friend.
Rhys held up his hands in disbelief, his arms completely covered in gorgeous ink, swirls of words and dancing notes and brilliant, majestic landscapes.
It seemed completely at odds with the fact he screamed that he was one-hundred percent a country boy.
All the way to the bones and the scuffed-up boots he wore on his feet.
“Hold the reins. Ignore me? And how is this girl gonna ignore all this? Come now, Leif. Let’s not talk nonsense. And here you pretend to be the smart one.”
He gestured to himself.
A slight giggle slipped out.
He was a big, huge goofball with an easy smile and a gruff voice.
He swung his attention to me. “Your boy here is just jealous he’s in the background bangin’ away at those drums and no one pays him a lick of attention. Except, it seems he went off and found himself a little attention, now, didn’t he?”
He wagged his brows.
Leif’s chuckle was free and warm, and he cleared his throat. The arm around me twitched, his fingers gliding under the back of my jacket and brushing across the satiny material.
Like he needed the connection.
And there went my train of thought.
Dipping right into his hands.
Drifting toward his gorgeous body.
“Mia is Lyrik West’s younger sister.”
Silence descended, a rumble of shock and eyebrows darting for the sky.
Lyrik West had that effect.
At least Richard could rest assured that I wasn’t a starfucker.
The man roughed a hand through his hair and gave Leif the side eye.
Like maybe he thought he was crazy.
Chasing down a death wish.
My brother came with a reputation.
No doubt about that.
Cracking up, Rhys wagged a finger at me, but he was smirking at Leif as the ramble began to pour out, “You really did go and find yourself a rock ‘n’ princess, didn’t you? Royalty, baby.” His gaze shot my way. “Your brother is a motherfuckin’ superstar. Someone stop me if I fangirl.”
Richard smacked him on the back of the head. “Dude.” He angled his head and repeated it with emphasis. “Dude.”
I didn’t know if he was telling him to play it cool or reminding him that he was, in fact, a dude.
Rhys hiked his shoulders to his ears. “What? We’re talkin’ about the Lyrik West. And this is his baby sister. With Leif.”
There I went with that blush again.
Emily shoved Rhys in the shoulder. “Like Leif said, you’d do best to ignore this one.”
Rhys shook his head. “Can a man get no love?”
She patted his chest. “Not if it’s you.”
I tried to hide my laughter, and Leif curled me closer, muttered my direction, “I probably should have warned you.”
Amusement played across my mouth. “You do realize who I have to hang out with all the time? This is nothing.”
Rhys pointed again, eyes wide as he looked between Leif and the rest of the band. “See. Is anyone else pickin’ up on this shit-fire craziness? She is talking about Sunder right now. Fangirl down.”
The guy toppled back onto the pitted pavement.
Putting on a show.
Richard rubbed his forehead and started back toward the theater, glancing once at me. “Hey, Sunder Princess, we need a new bassist. You know anyone?”
Rhys popped up. “I’m comin’, asshole. Don’t make me take you down.”
He ran up behind him and curled an arm around his neck. Richard tossed him off, laughing, and Rhys punched him in the shoulder.
“Don’t mind my wild boys, Mia,” Emily said. She reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m really glad you’re gonna be here tonight. We’ve been missin’ Leif like crazy, so we figured we’d better make the trip up here to see what he’s been up to. I’m glad he’s been up to something good.”
“Emily,” Leif said, part warning, part exasperation.
“I’m just welcoming your friend, Leif. Southern hospitality and all.” She winked at me and twisted her skirt with an exaggerated curtsy before she turned and headed after Rhys and Richard who were already climbing the back steps.
The door flung open right before they got there and a girl came rushing out, her brown ponytail swinging around her shoulders.
“Mells-Bells,” Rhys shouted. “Where the hell have you been all my life?”
She rolled her eyes and tossed a thumb over her shoulder. “Working. Like you should be. Asses backstage. Soundcheck. Do I have to chase ya’ll down every damn time?”
They fumbled in, mumbling apologies and hiding their smiles.
Leif hugged me closer. “So, that’s Carolina George. Melanie is our assistant and Emily’s best friend. Four of them make up the only family I have.”
And I knew he was giving me a little more.
A piece of him.
I peeked at his gorgeous face. Heart manic. Excitement buzzing in my chest, affection riding in right behind it. “I can’t wait to hear you play, Leif. So badly I can hardly stand it. Can’t wait to see you in your element.”
And maybe that was the most dangerous thing of all.
Twenty-Six
Mia
“How am I supposed to watch out for you if you’re down on the floor?” His voice was a rumble of possessiveness.
“And how am I supposed to appreciate your talent from way back here?” I returned. “I want to see you up on the stage, Leif. Experience it. I am rock ‘n’ roll royalty, after all. I think I’m a pretty good judge.” I let the tease wind into the air.
A temptation and a dare.
Okay, I didn’t have a musical bone in my body.
But I was pretty sure I’d become adept at appreciating what he had to offer.
On a low chuckle, he curled his big hand around my hip and tugged me closer. “You might be wearin’ a crown, but I’m thinking it’s the angel kind.”
A rush of dizziness spun through my head, all supplied by the need woven in his tone and the bottle of champagne I’d shared with Emily and Melanie right before it was time for them to go on.
He inched forward. His big body eclipsed mine where he nudged me into the shadows backstage.
I wanted to swoon and sing.
I brushed my fingertips across his sharp, sharp jaw. “Leif.”
A plea I didn’t quite understand.
He dropped his forehead to mine. “How’s it possible it feels like this?”
“What does it feel like?” I barely managed to force out around the need that had grown thick in my throat.
He squeezed his eyes shut. “Right.”
He jerked himself back and stepped away, roughing an anxious hand through his hair.
Too close.
Too exposed.