Page 68 of Verses

“I was under the impression that I’d hurt you—and that’s the last thing I want to do to you, bird.”

“I’m fine.”

Mostly.

“I wanted to invite you to dinner Sunday night. I grill a mean steak.”

“Dinner?”

“Yeah. You still eat, don’t you?”

I laughed, suddenly disarmed by his charm. “Okay. What time do you want me to come over?”

“I’ll pick you up. Five sound okay?”

This felt like a date. Or maybe even more. He wanted to cook for me. He wanted to talk.

He wanted to spend time with me.

Alone.

I shouldn’t have let my soul be buoyed by his invitation, but it was. My body felt lighter, like I was positively floating.

Somehow I just knew this was a good sign, and I could hardly wait.

CHAPTER 19

The rest of the week, I felt like a new woman. Even my dealings with Kyle were civil.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that he was getting laid on a regular basis. I knew this because he wasn’t spending the night at the apartment anymore. He also had a renewed confidence, something I hadn’t seen in him since we’d first started our band, long before all the doubts—and drugs—had plagued us.

Getting ready for my not-date, I stood in front of the closet, trying to decide what to wear. If I wore something that showed off a lot of skin and put on darker makeup, it would be so obvious what I was up to—and that would ruin my time with Wolf before it even started.

I had to be subtle.

So I might have erred in the wrong direction, except for my shirt. I wore a pair of jeans with a rip above one knee and a pair of pink high top Converse knockoffs. But thecoup de grâcewas my t-shirt. It was cut in babydoll style, so it hugged my frame and highlighted my neck. I wore a necklace, something I didn’t do very often, but it was one of my rocker necklaces—a heavy silver chain with a big cross, and it dangled between my breasts.

Subtle enough.

By the time Wolf texted to say he was parked out front, I was ready. Grabbing my jean jacket, I slipped it on, grabbing my phone and keys and tucking both in a pocket before struggling with the door lock—still not fixed—and all but running down the stairs.

The sun had already set and it was growing dark, another reminder that winter was about to start in earnest. Already it had grown cold and all the leaves had fallen off the trees. The grass and plants adorning people’s yards had grown shades of brown and yellow and seemed to be waiting for a blanket of snow to dress up their appearance.

Wolf was standing next to his truck, leaning against the passenger door. I’d expected him to be idling on the street, but he’d literally parked.

And sweet Jesus, did he look good. He wore a black leather jacket and his beard seemed freshly trimmed, but it wasn’t any shorter. There was a twinkle in his eye, and I tried not to get excited but I’d done this to myself.

I’d beenthinkingof this as a real date…so I knew I was going to be sorely disappointed. But I couldn’t help myself—so much so that my mouth let something slip. “You look really good.”

His grin gave nothing away. “Thanks. You too.” He stood straight before turning to open the passenger door. “Your chariot awaits, milady.”

I started laughing. “Lady?That’s a new one.”

“That’s just because you mostly work with young guys who don’t have a clue how to treat a woman.” Immediately, my mind rushed back to the other night when Pedro was publicly manhandling his new girlfriend. “Maybe I can have a good influence on them in that regard too.”

I doubted he could. Our bandmates had come from homes where manners and how to treat someone—especially a woman—weren’t high on the agenda of teachable life lessons. EvenIhadn’t been taught people skills growing up. When you’re just surviving, those things fall low on the totem pole. You’re supposed to learn by watching—but it wasn’t like I’d had any good role models.

So I’d turned to music—and learned a lot, not just through their music but through who they were as human beings. Maria Brink was probably one of the nicest people on the planet but she could have easily used her past to be a bad person. Instead, she’d chosen love.

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