Page 24 of Snared

“Of course. Maybe a bit of a bruised ego, but I can take it,” he boasted.

I chuckled. “Glad to see I didn’t destroy you,” I teased.

He bumped his shoulder into mine and grinned. “Nah, I’m made of sterner stuff. And I get it. We’re friends though, right?”

“Definitely,” I said.

“Good. I won’t pressure you to change that to a more-than status, but you’ll definitely tell me if you change your mind, right?”

He was cocky, but it was all in good fun. My gut said he wouldn’t try to pursue anything else, which was exactly what I wanted.

I nudged him back. “You’ll be the first to hear.”

Then I looked up and my breath caught in my throat. If looks could kill, Savage Night would be down a bassist from the way Josh stared at Connor. What the fuck had crawled up his ass, and how long had he been sitting there? I hadn’t seen him return to our section since he’d awkwardly bolted an hour ago.

Connor noticed Josh and stood up. “I’m hitting the dance floor. Who’s with me?”

“I’m good for now,” I said, choosing to ignore Josh’s glare.

A few of Connor’s bandmates popped up, and they all headed down to the overcrowded dance floor.

“Need something, Josh?” I asked, not sure why I was acknowledging him since he looked pissed, and I was in no mood for his bullshit.

“A word to the wise. Steer clear of that kid,” Josh said.

“Excuse me?” I asked, my hackles on edge.

“Look, I’m only saying don’t hook up with a member of the opening band.”

Heat bloomed in my chest. “Are you seriously telling me who I can hook up with?” I hated that my voice raised a notch, but what the actual fuck was wrong with this man?

“What the fuck, man?” Tristan said.

“What’s going on?” Jax asked.

“Our manager just warned me not to fuck any of the Savage Night guys,” I said, glaring at Josh.

“Are you kidding, CH?” Jax all but growled. “I mean our Charlie could do a shit ton better, but her body, her choice, dipshit.”

“I’m not trying to be a dick,” Josh started.

“You sure about that?” Tristan said. “Because I didn’t see you warning the rest of us away from any hookups tonight.”

“To be clear, who I choose to hook up with is none of your fucking business, Josh,” I said, standing up from my seat. “Think I’ll go find a dance partner.”

“It’s my business since you signed on the dotted line last night,” he said.

I gasped. Was he fucking serious?

“What dotted line?” Bash asked, coming in closer.

“I cannot believe you would bring that up,” I bit out, not wanting to draw attention to our argument.

“What line?” Tristan asked this time.

“Uh, nothing,” Josh started, clearly trying to backpedal.

“Is there something you want to share with the class, CH?” Jax asked.

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