Page 75 of Hard To Leave

Brogan rocked back on his heels and laced his hands through his belt buckle. “So...” He was still staring at me in amazement. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been good.” My eyes darted across the room, looking for a way to stall this conversation. “It looks like life is treating you well.”

He grinned. “It has its perks.”

One of his bandmates approached, patting Brogan on the shoulder. “Yo, B, you going to introduce me to your friend?”

I recognized him from the set. He was the drummer. He had long, dark hair that stopped at his shoulders. His tattoos took up every available inch of his skin, and he had a smile that no doubt worked really well with the female fans. He was also a notorious bad boy who liked to sweet-talk the ladies and start fights just for the hell of it. He was a PR nightmare but he sure knew how to stay in the headlines.

“Not sure I should. You’re a little too smooth with the ladies for my liking.”

His friend barked out a laugh. “Aw, come on, man. You’re already off the market. Might as well let the rest of us have a little fun.”

Brogan’s jaw tightened. “She’s not a groupie, dipshit.” I wanted to intervene and speak for myself, but Brogan was instinctively protective over me. It made me think of times where I’d watch him at various bars, and he’d come to my defense when a guy from the crowd would try to make a move on me.

His friend Dennis, although everyone called him D, did a double take between the both of us. “What’s your problem, man?”

Brogan’s response was quick. “I’m not sure where the confusion is here, but she’s still off limits.”

His bandmate squinted his eyes with curiosity. I could see the wheels spinning in his head.

“My name is Chloe,” I offered, feeling shy suddenly. I wasn’t sure how much Brogan wanted people to know about our past, so I glossed over it. “Brogan and I went to college together.”

“College?” The guy drawled out, looking like he was slowly solving the riddle. His eyes grew wide. “Oh.” He pointed at me, his face twisted in distaste, as he looked me over. “She’s the one.”

“Drop it, D.” Brogan’s voice was hard, nothing like the one he used with me.

His friend shook his head then started to walk backward. “I hope you know what you’re doing, man.”

“We’re just friends,” I blurted out, trying to set the record straight before the rumors started circulating. “Besides, I have a boyfriend.”

“Yeah! Whatever you say, honey,” he muttered.

Brogan looked pissed. I needed to apologize. “I’m so sorry.”

He titled his head to the side, his jaw was still clenched. “What the hell are you sorry for?”

For everything I wanted to say, but couldn’t. “I’m sorry he got the wrong idea. The last thing you need is to get in trouble with your fiancée.”

Brogan straightened his back. “I’m not worried about it, and I really don’t want to talk about her. I want to talk about you. Where the hell have you been all these years? It’s like you dropped off the face of the earth.”

My throat went dry as I glanced around the room. His friends were gathered in the back corner clinking beers together and laughing loudly.

“Can we go somewhere and talk privately?”

He sighed, looking relieved. “I would love to.”

We were halfway across the room when a crew member stopped us by the door and held out a phone. “It’s Sienna; she wants to talk to you.”

Oh. The world-famous Sienna. She was so famous that she only required one name for people to know who you were talking about, like Cher, Whoopie, or Madonna. I felt a slight pinch in my nerves, but I refused to acknowledge it because I. Was. Not. Jealous. I had Jack.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I have to take this call. I’ll make it quick.”

I waved my hands and tried to act like it didn’t bother me that he was choosing to talk to her first, instead of me. “No worries. Take your time.”

He looked uneasy about taking the call. He could always see right through me. “You promise you won’t leave?”

“I’ll be here,” I replied and picked up my own phone to keep myself busy. I’ve never felt so out of place in my life.

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