Page 39 of Where Happiness Begins

“All right then,” he says in that gruff voice of his that always finds a way to crawl under my skin. “See you at home.”

“Wait.” I grab his arm, then realize we might not be at the stage of casual touching yet when his muscles tense under me. I let him go. “Stay.” I’m not sure what pushes me to say it except that it seems like we’ve just gotten to a good place and I don’t want him to feel like he has to run away because I’m there.

He glances around the room. “Not really my scene.”

“Just a few minutes.”

His gaze flits to me, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “Five.”

“Ten.”

“No.”

“Twenty, and that’s my last offer.” I wink, then lead him to where the band is sitting before he can change his mind.

“You’re unbelievable,” he says, following.

“Why, thank you,” I say with a dumb smile. “Now sit down and have fun.” I lean closer to him so I can whisper, “I think you might need it.”

“I can’t believe you thought they wouldn’t find out about it,” Emmett says thirty minutes later with a dumbfounded expression.

Everyone laughs at that comment because really, Bongshouldhave expected it.

“I don’t know, man, I’m not good at that kind of stuff,” Bong says, letting his head hang back.

“Good at not dating two girls who are related at the same time?” I say with a chuckle at the same time Carter deadpans, “You’re a dumbass.”

The laughter that comes out of Emmett is so high pitched, it makes the whole situation even funnier.

The room is full of maybe twenty people who are either chatting in different corners with a drink in their hands or playing a game of poker on a table at the far back. Music is playing loud enough to create a warm ambiance but low enough that we can speak without it being a cacophony. I’m sitting next to Joe, with Carter leaned against the armrest next to me, arms crossed, his bicep brushing the top of my head with each of his movements. Everyone seems pretty buzzed, except for Carter and me. While I ordered a cocktail that was “as light as you can make it,” Carter got himself a soda.When I raised an eyebrow at him after ordering, he said, “I don’t drink.” And that was that.

Admittedly, I haven’t attended a lot, but tonight’s my favorite after-party of the tour. The energy is palpable in the air, like everyone is still reeling from the adrenaline rush of the show. Even Carter seems to have gotten more relaxed, which should probably earn me a trophy.

“Can I join you for a minute?”

We all turn to a man who must be in his early forties, with black gelled hair and thick-framed glasses, wearing a dress shirt and jeans that are a little too skinny for my taste.

“Vince, hey,” Ethan says, lifting his beer at him.

“Great show tonight, guys,” Vince says, making eye contact with each member of the band. “Looking promising for the rest of the tour.”

“And hopefully the sales will follow,” Bong says.

“Cheers to that,” Ethan says, once again lifting his drink to all of us. When his eyes meet mine, he stands. “Oh, Vince, this is Lil. She’s the one I was telling you about. Lil, this is our agent, Vince.”

Vince turns to me. “Right. You’re the one who’s been putting Crash & Burn on the map.”

I stand to meet his extended hand and shake it. “Nice to meet you. And I haven’t been doing much.” Which is pretty much the truth. Except for posting here and there and attending shows to gather content, I haven’t done anything, only showcasing their talent.

Heat builds behind me as a heavy arm falls onto my shoulders, fingers tickling my arm. I don’t need to look to know whose arm it belongs to. I recognize his smell—bergamot and something spicy. I recognize his presence too, like something my body is attuned to.

“Carter,” Vince greets, voice solemn.

The grump doesn’t say anything, probably only giving him one of his usual nods. Goose bumps rise on my arms as the tips of Carter’s fingers trace my arm, the movement so careless, so small, yet it feels like my entire nervous system redirects to this patch of skin, like I consist of only this.

“Your girl’s somewhat of a big thing, apparently,” Vince says.

Carter’s body moves even closer to me, the heat of his skin making me burn as his free hand falls onto my hip and carefully squeezes.

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