Page 28 of Don't Fall For A Rockstar

“What’s with that dopey smile on your face?” Otis asked with a grin, knowing full well how I felt about Tommy.

Might as well fess up to all my friends.

I sighed and ran a hand through my messy hair. “I’m meeting up with Tommy when we’re back in Nashville. I guess you could say we’re dating.”

Dating seemed like too tame a word for what was going on between me and Tommy. That sounded like we were in fucking high school or something. Was he my boyfriend now? I’d never had one, so what the hell did I know?

“This started on Halloween, right?” Xander asked.

Me, Otis, and Heath all turned to look at him.

“What?” Xander looked at them. “Nate left the club that night—an afterparty with the biggest rock band in the world—for some guy, and the next day, he’s acting distracted. It was suss. Doesn’t take a genius to figure out who he was with, given what he’s just told us.”

I nodded and finished my coffee. “I thought it was a one-time thing. But, I was wrong. So wrong.”

“You sure you wanna start something now?” Heath added. “I mean, I like the guy. But our music career is just taking off. You’re gonna be on the road a lot. And he’s already there.”

“I know that, but we’re not touring every month. And who says we can’t do long distance?”

Heath nodded. “So, you really like him?”

I’m sure my smile said it all.

“I haven’t been with anyone else since we met.”

There was complete silence around the table. A first.

“Shit, after that shocking news, we need whiskey to go with our coffee,” Heath quipped.

“Y’all can tease me forever if you want. I don’t care. I’m already gone over this man and I’m really fucking happy.”

Heath smiled and tapped my hand. “Then I’m happy for you.”

“Me too.” Otis nodded.

“Same,” Xander whispered. “But if he hurts you, it’s on.”

My friend was quiet, but protective as hell. And I loved him for it.

“Okay, enough emo talk, boys.” Otis clapped his hands. “What do you guys want to do first now that we’re in Chicago?”

“Deep-dish pizza and beer,” Heath replied.

With one appetite sated, I was down for that.

Tommy,the next day

I’d never been so restless after a job.

Usually, the day after a concert, exhaustion hit me. Today, though, I woke up and my mind and body were still running at full speed.

After two iced coffees, I got busy doing the inventory at the warehouse. With the band in the studio for the next month, there’d be no hauling shit for a while. Sometimes they’d do an impromptu local show, but that didn’t require all the equipment, the lights, and the staging.

But my conversation with Brodie yesterday had me thinking. I had a lot of vacation days accrued, so I booked five days off, instead of two. Just in case Nate’s plans were delayed or extended. I’d need at least a day to get my condo cleaned and ready for his arrival. Fuck, I was so looking forward to having him at my place.

A hotel would be fun and sexy, but it was impersonal.

Having Nate in my home, in my bed, was a whole other level of intimacy that I was now really excited about. Never thought I’d long for the day when my lover stayed overnight, but I also never thought I’d want a repeat. With anyone.

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