Page 37 of When It Reins
“I need some air,” I blurt out before I push through them, walking through the hallway, past the kitchen and the office, and out the door into the fresh summer night air. I inhale strongly through my nose and place my hands on my hips, taking deep breaths.
All of this is overwhelming me, and I’m not sure exactly why. Do I really want him that badly that I am having panic attacks over it? Is that healthy?
I hear the door snap open behind me and because I’m paranoid, I spin around.
Mitch.
He’s watching me closely, but concerned, like I’m a scared little bird he wants to pick up and hold but doesn’t want to spook.
“You okay?” His first words have me taking my first real breath in minutes, and I nod my head, fighting back the overwhelming feelings I am having.
I am physically holding myself back from marching to him and demanding to know what he is thinking, if he is thinking ofme at all, if last night meant anything to him, or if he was just trying to do what his club told him to.
He is loyal to them. I can tell that even though he was basically forced to join them. He does care about them and work with them.
But does he care about me at all? Even a little bit as much as he cares about his club?
“I’m fine,” I say, taking another breath before he moves closer to me. His golden hazel eyes search my face, and I coil tight with need, with the feeling tingling through my fingertips to reach out and grab the man’s face and pull him to me.
But I don’t. Because as impulsive as I am feeling, as tempting as that is, I can’t do it.
“I should head in.” I move around him, half expecting him to grab my hand and spin me around, to tell me he is sorry he is such a slow mover, but that he wants me too, and we should go right now to his place and have wild, hot, amazing sex.
He doesn’t do that. I shake my head, wondering again what is happening to me and march into the bar, heading straight for a whiskey glass and pouring myself a finger before shooting it back.
Okay. I’m okay.
“You good?” Annmarie’s tone is soft to not draw attention, but she gives me a stern look.
I nod. “I’m fine. I just needed a minute.”
Annmarie’s eyes are shrewd, but she looks at me with concern. “You need to go home?”
I scrunch my brows, seeing Mitch over her shoulder as he resumes his post, stoic as usual. “No. I’m good.”
“Juniper!” I turn to find the voice and smile genuinely when I see Felicity there, waving me down. She sidles up to the bar, Jax right behind her, looking excited as well, and I scrunch my brows when they lean over the bar.
“We have news,” Felicity announces to me, her smile beaming brightly toward me, and my bad mood seems to leave me as I wait for her news. “So I may or may not have shared with my new label some of the things we’ve been working on.”
I lift a brow in surprise. “You never said you were going to show anyone anything.”
“I know.” She reaches across the bar and lays her hand on mine. I feel Annmarie waiting beside me for whatever news Felicity has. “Normally, I wouldn’t do that without talking to you first, but I told you that this new producer is super chill, remember? She works with that Denver band I told you about?”
“How could I forget?” I reply, thinking of who she is talking about. There is a local band in Denver called Heroes of Tomorrow who got launched by the label Felicity now works with. According to Jax, who told me privately, this label is way smaller than what Felicity would normally work with, but she was looking to have more meaningful music to put out, more say in what she made, and went with someone who she felt she could trust.
“Well, they’ve asked me to perform at this benefit concert in LA. Heroes will be there, and a lot of other acts, and I showed them your stuff and…” She draws the word out, her eyes alight with her excitement, and says, “They want you to open for me!”
I freeze, my heart slowing to a dull thud as nerves immediately take hold of my body. I hear Annmarie say something exciting, based on her tone, but can’t process the words and feel her nudge me with excitement.
“Juniper? You okay?” Felicity’s concerned look snaps me out of it, and I blink, shifting back to normal, and smile at her.
“They want me to open?” I hear the words I say, but there’s something holding me back from properly processing this news.
“Yes! It’s a huge concert too! There’s going to be so many people there, and I think this could be incredible for you.”
“Wow, that’s…” I lick my lips, shock making me slow to respond. For whatever reason, I turn to find Mitch’s eyes. His brows are creased in confusion, but he doesn’t move from his perch. “Amazing.”
“Right! We’ll need to work out some details, but we fly out Thursday!”
