Page 10 of Big & Burly Rockstar

“I never said that. I said I hated you because my sister was obsessed with you guys. But I love music.”

“Do you play?”

Pain flashes over her face, but she quickly masks it. “I used to play guitar and sing. But not anymore.”

“Why not?”

“It’s… complicated.”

I roll my eyes. “Don’t give me such a bullshit answer.” I raise my hand and poke her right in the sternum with my forefinger. “You will play again. Mark my words.”

She laughs, the lingering sadness vanishing from her eyes. “Yes, master.”

The sound of her laugh makes my chest tighten, and I reach for her hand instinctively. “Good girl. Now let’s celebrate.”

Still laughing, she lets me drag her into our dressing room, the guys following behind us.

“So, do you still hate us?” Jake asks Elli, handing her a beer.

She takes a large sip, eyes twinkling with mischief. “Obviously.”

Jake groans. “Why is your girlfriend so mean, Dev?”

“I think it’s just in her nature. Poor thing can’t help herself.”

“Probably,” Elli says. “You think that’s why God is punishing me with you?”

The corners of my mouth pull upward. “I guess we deserve each other.”

Our gazes lock. A soft blush creeps up Elli’s cheeks, but she doesn’t look away.

“I guess we do,” she says softly.

I couldn’t look away if I wanted to. There’s something about Elli that pulls me in. It’s right there in her eyes. Something about her calls to me. There’s some sort of kinship between us. A familiarity that’s beyond words. It’s absurd, obviously. We just met yesterday, for fuck’s sake. And it’s not like we’ve been getting along great. But irrational or not, I feel like I know her. And she knows me.

“Are you guys done staring into each other’s eyes like fucking weirdos or d’you want us to leave?” Jake drawls.

“Oh, fuck off,” I grunt, while Elli gives her head a little shake, as if trying to clear it. I can’t say I blame her. I blink, feeling like I’m just returning to reality. Because, just for a moment, the entire world consisted of a dark-haired woman with beautiful grey eyes.

Elli

“And then he had to climb out of the window stark naked.” Jake’s loud laughter cuts through the din of the dive bar. Some of the other patrons turn their heads, looking at our table. I wonder if it bothers the guys that they’re stared at like zoo animals wherever they go. I certainly don’t like the feeling.

Still, I snort, imagining a seventeen-year-old Devon fleeing from his girlfriend’s father. “Did you ever see her again?” I ask him.

“No,” he says, grinning. “She said she couldn’t see me anymore. I think her father threatened to not pay for her college if she continued to date me. It broke my poor little heart.”

“I’m sure you found another woman to ease your heartbreak.”

“Actually, he found two, if memory serves,” Finn mumbles, his lips curved in a smile.

Devon shrugs. “I was in agony. One woman just wasn’t enough to soothe my pain.”

“So you were a womanizer before you were a rockstar?” I ask.

He vaguely gestures at his broad frame and handsome face. “Princess, I don’t need to be a musician to have success with women.”

It takes everything in me to keep the smile on my face. The thought of him being with so many women… “There’s no accounting for taste, I guess,” I say, a little too sharply.

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