Page 10 of Slow Ride

“Then, yes, there’s one other thing.”She tried to remember her manners, but they were rusty.Hopefully Gavyn or Quinn wouldn’t mind her momentary lapse in professionalism.“Would you autograph something for me quick before you go?”

“So youdoknow who I am?”he asked, his smile curving up on one edge.She wished it made him seem conceited or smarmy instead of so damn sexy.

There was no denying it anyway.

“You were my boyfriend’s favorite singer.”Wren sounded like she’d chewed on that broken beer bottle from the night she’d danced with Johnny to Kason’s song when she admitted it.

“Let me guess, because of the gap between my last album and now, he found someone else to sing along with on the radio?”Kason’s smile morphed into a grimace.Then he joked, as if his ego could withstand the blow, “It’s not Taylor Swift, is it?”

“Actually, no.He’s dead.”Way to be weird and abrasive, Wren.

It was just that anything more than that was still too hard to even say out loud.

Devra gasped from somewhere in the back of the room, making Wren aware that they had an audience.Where Devra was, her two guys wouldn’t be far behind.Ollie was probably there too, witnessing this shitshow.Maybe even Gavyn had poked his head out from the stock room to see who had come in.

Great, that was going to force another conversation she wasn’t sure she was quite ready to have.Definitely not while in the presence of Johnny’s idol.So it would be wise if she scared him off.The sooner, the better.

“Ah, shit.Sorry.Again.”Kason winced, sliding his sunglasses lower so that she could see the earnestness in his gaze.“I wasn’t trying to be an asshole.It comes naturally.As you’ve seen, twice now.”

At least he owned it.Besides, there was no way he could have known he was wandering into a minefield when he’d attempted to flirt with her.

Ollie—yep, there he was—cleared his throat and stepped closer.It had been a hell of a long time since Wren had a man to protect her.Even then she hadn’t needed one.Still, it felt kind of nice to have his support anyway.

Wren wouldn’t have thought it possible, but she laughed a little despite the conflicting emotions threatening to rip her apart.Five years was long enough to be too sad to appreciate all the things she did have even if it meant smiling through her pain.“You couldn’t have known.It’s been years.Anyway…If it’s not too weird, would you mind signing something to him?”

“I’d be honored.”Kason smiled then, a genuine thing that warmed his whole face and did curious things to her inside.This time in the vicinity of her heart.Huh.“I have an idea.”

He looked over his shoulder at the man who was obviously his bodyguard.The dude hadn’t moved an inch since he’d come inside, but he’d positioned himself between the door and his client, ready to swing into action if necessary.“Hey, Van, hand me some of those backstage passes the promoter gave us earlier, would you?”

The serious guy, who still hadn’t said a single word, reached into an inside pocket of his leather jacket and withdrew a rectangular clump of cardstock, rubber-banded together.

Kason must have noticed her eying the man.“That’s Van.He makes sure none of the hillbillies get too rowdy and shoot me when I sing off-key or some shit.”

Wren jerked.She imagined his face splattered with crimson like she’d seen Johnny’s so often in her nightmares, blood bubbling out of his neck.She clutched the counter to keep herself upright.

“Bad joke.Sorry.”Kason accepted a wad of tickets from Van and put them on the counter.He signed one, then scooted the entire pile toward her.“Despite the fact that I seem to say all the wrong things around you, it would be great to see you there.I’ll try to stick to my lyrics, which I actually put a lot of thought into, instead of running my fool mouth.If you don’t already have plans, and it’s not too…difficult…” Of course Kason had to be sensitive to write and sing those romantic songs.Damn him.“I’d really like it if you’d come to my show in Middletown on Friday night.”

“She’d love to,” Devra said over Wren’s shoulder with a friendly smile that belied the solid jab she delivered to Wren’s spine out of Kason’s view.

“Bring your friends backstage with you.”Kason looked to Devra, Ollie, and the rest of the small crowd that had gathered.“There will be an after party, too.It’ll be fun.I promise.”

“I’ll think about it.”Wren swallowed down her bile and terror long enough to let Kason’s easy smile settle her.She was off balance.Her emotions running wild.And she didn’t care for that one fucking bit.

Not after she’d spent so long getting them under control.

Kason Cox had waltzed into Hot Rides and erased five years of mourning in an instant.He’d turned her on, scared her, reminded her of good times, insulted her, and made her want to hug him in the span of a few minutes.How the hell could that be possible?

He was trouble, and she’d be wise to rip up every one of those tickets the moment he was out of sight.All of them except for Johnny’s, of course.

They sat there on the counter, tempting her.

“Fair enough.”He tipped his head, making her think of old westerns.Though he wasn’t wearing a fancy hat, he had the makings of a cowboy—a honed body, denim and leather, classic maleness, chivalry, and sex appeal for days.“Either way, I’ll see you when I pick up my bike.I appreciate you giving me a tight turnaround on the proposal since we’re only in town until the end of the week, and I’ve heard you guys know what you’re doing.”

“Of course.”Wren wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad thing that he’d be coming back.She’d make sure to note when his appointment was so she could take a sick day if needed.

It wasn’t like her to hide.

Then again, she hadn’t met a man who did what he did since that afternoon when she’d fallen in love at first sight with a man humming one of Kason Cox’s songs.

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