Page 42 of Music City Diaries

“His name’s Damon, and he works at Wild Horse as a bartender. He’s kind of on the loner side, though. I don’t see him around too much. His brother is the lead singer of the band.”

“Ah, well, he sounds kind of like a douche, then.”

“Hey, it’s your type. I just tell it how it is.”

“Fine. You might also have a point. Okay, I’m going in.”

Using everything I’d learned, I walked over, feeling confident. “Hi, I’m Darcie.”

He glanced up, running his eyes over my body, and then took a drink, looking at me. “Not interested.” After that, he turned and walked off. I stood there for a solid minute, trying to figure out what had just happened.

“Um, what?”

Another guy walked up, placing his arm around me. “Don’t worry about him. He’s an ass to everyone. I’m the much nicer and cooler brother. I’m Stefan,” he said, peering down at me.

“Wait, like the Salvatore brothers?” I asked, looking into his eyes.

He rolled them but nodded. “Yep. Our mother was a huge fan of the books before they became a TV show. And like the characters, I’m the nice and friendly one.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Stefan. I’m Darcie.”

“Well, it’s my lucky day because the prettiest girl here is talking to me.”

“Okay, sweet talker, got anything to back up those words?” I raised my eyebrow, and I realized I was flirting with him. It had come naturally, and I knew I’d been right. I was ready for this.

“As a matter of fact,” he leaned in, boldly kissing me, taking me by surprise. It wasn’t a horrible kiss, so I leaned into it, rising up on my toes. When he pulled back, he grinned.

“Care to be my date for the day, Darcie?”

“Sounds fun.”

And it was. I hung out with the band and Stefan until they had to perform. Damon stayed clear of us, keeping to himself as he read a book in a corner. Candi seemed to have met twin brothers, and I wasn’t sure which one she liked more or if she cared.

That time of night was coming when I knew he would ask me to hook up, and I was ready.

“So, Darcie, would you like to go to the afterparty with me?”

“I’d love to.”

“Cool. Let’s go.” He grinned wide, pulling me along, his hand in mine. I felt like every other girl in the world who’d met a guy and was going to go home with him. I could do this. This was normal. When we got to his truck, he pressed me up against the side of it, kissing me again.

If I didn’t think about him, I could enjoy it. It felt good, and I liked the way his hands traveled my body. He just wasn’t someone I wanted to spend more time with outside this moment.

“Second thought, what if we head to the RV and skip the party?” he asked, his voice taking on a husky quality.

“Okay. Um, do you have a condom?” I asked.

“Yeah, yeah, we’re good.”

He pulled me along to a different section where RVs and campers had parked, weaving his way through them with ease.

“So, do you do this often? Hook up with girls at shows?” I asked.

“Sometimes. Kind of a perk, I guess.” He shrugged, throwing me his million-dollar smile.

“Yeah, sure.”

He opened up the door and motioned for me to enter. The space was clean, and I felt better about my decision. Stefan pulled me to the back and locked the door. Immediately, he started kissing me again, and I closed my eyes to get back to the place we’d been.

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