Page 77 of I Just Want to be Yours

Someone jumps into the booth next to me, and I look up to find Mya peering at me innocently as she rests her elbows on the table.

“How are you feeling? Drunk? Happy? Agreeable?”

My eyes narrow. “Why?”

Taking in a deep breath, she casually turns one of the empty shot glasses on the table in front of her. “There may be a girl at the bar who loves the band, and she may have asked me to introduce you.”

I look over my shoulder to find the girl at the bar already staring at me. I lift my drink to her before turning back to Mya. “I thought you were flirting with her.”

“Oh, I was. I’m hoping this will score me some points. Help a girl out.”

I let out a breath of laughter. “I’ll do my best.”

Mya pats me on the shoulder like I’ve passed some type of test. “Try not to scare her away before I get back from the bathroom.” She gets out of the booth, and I follow her lead.

“Better be quick.” Meeting fans is fun, but I usually like when we do it as a group. I’m not like Brady. I can’t make small talk the way he can.

By the time I get to my feet, Mya has already disappeared. The girl at the bar has long, blonde hair, and she’s wearing a black leather jacket. She’s pretty, and there’s an edge to her that makes it clear why she’d be Mya’s type. Gesturing toward the drink in her hand, I say, “That looks a lot like whiskey.”

She smiles and brings the glass to her lips. “Bourbon.”

“Good for you.” The only other girl I’ve known to drink dark liquor is Margot. She only did it at that house party we went to, and she might have only done it to spite me at the time, but I swear the whiskey somehow tasted sweeter knowing her lips had touched the bottle before mine.

She nods, looking pleased with herself before taking another sip. “Thanks for coming over here and meeting me. I’ve been a huge fan for a while. I actually came to the show tonight to see you guys more than Crooner Sins.”

It isn’t the first time someone told me something similar, but it still surprises me when I hear it. Crooner Sins feelslightyears ahead of us, but maybe it’s just because I didn’t join the band that long ago. To me, the work still feels the same. The cities and venues are different, the crowds are bigger, but we’re still the same group of guys playing the same songs each night. Half the time we aren’t even aware of people discovering our music until moments like this when we’re blind-sided by someone knowing who we are or knowing the words to one of our songs. “Yeah?” I ask, my eyebrows shooting up. “That means a lot. Thanks.”

The girl holds out her hand. “Tarah.”

“Jackson.”

When I shake her hand, she gives me a funny look. “I know.”

I crack a smile and take another sip of my drink. “Right.” Looking around her, I ask, “Did you come to the show alone?”

She shakes her head. “No. My friends are around here somewhere. But can I tell you something?” She wraps her fingers around my bicep, her thumb grazing over my skin. Leaning in close, she playfully whispers in my ear, “I’m kind of glad they wandered off.”

“Annoyed with them already?”

She cocks an eyebrow, and amusement flickers in her features. “No . . . I’m glad they aren’t here so I can talk to you alone.”

Red warning flags slowly raise in the back of my mind, and I look over my shoulder to see if Mya is coming back from the bathroom yet, but she’s nowhere in sight. Looking back at the girl, I say, “Weren’t you hitting it off with Mya? She’s great.” I sound fucking stupid, but I have no idea what else to say.

Her lips lift. “She is great, but I just met her tonight. I’ve had my eye on you for a very long time.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “Really? That’s uh . . . bold.” What the hell do I say to that? I’ve had fans flirt with me, but there was always some type of barrier. There was always a barricade,or a merch table. Hell, even Mya can be a great diversion when I need her.

I go to take another sip of my drink, but Tarah takes it from my hand and sets it on the bar behind me. She lets out a light laugh. “That’s not bold.” Her hands run from my chest to my abs. “But I can be.” She hooks her fingers into the front of my jeans and leans into me. “Say the word, and I’ll show you bold.”

46

margot

Openingthe front door to the office, I poke my head out and look around. “Braden, what are you doing here?” I half expected to see Matt and Rae with him. But it’s just him.

Raising the pizza box in his hands, he shrugs. “We ordered from Mimi’s and Matt sent me to pick it up. I remembered you work next door and thought you might be hungry.”

I blink. I’m starving. I’ve already eaten four of Derek’s cookies while I’ve been working, but the smell of the pizza has my stomach growling. “Aren’t Rae and Matt waiting for you to bring it back to the apartment?”

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