Page 28 of Open Road (Tattooed Hearts Duet 3)

“It’s the alarm. I set it to go off 15 minutes before we needed to leave. I guess it’s time to get out.”

“Best. Pool. Party. Ever,” Peach said, smiling widely.

We all climbed out and dried off, getting redressed if needed. As we gathered our things, I looked out into the city, knowing it would forever hold a special meaning to me now.

ChapterFourteen

LENNOX

The music groupon stage finished their last number, and I clapped along with the crowd, rising to give them a standing ovation. Something in me had come alive watching them perform, and I wasn’t quite sure what it was.

Actually, if I thought about it, things started to change in me the moment we’d set out on our adventure. And now, this need in me was beginning to burn like an inferno, no longer willing to be caged.

“What did you think, Peach?” Slade asked, draping his arm around me. Beaming up at him, I couldn’t help but let my face do the talking.

“It was amazing. I was kind of jealous, actually.”

As he began to steer me toward the exit, his eyebrow arched up in question. Simon and Zane followed behind us, their excitement occasionally reaching us as they talked about the show.

Today had been filled with a lot of new experiences. We’d started it off with waffles and pancakes at one of the many pancake houses, then did an ATV tour of the Ozark Mountains. I’d decided that being in the mountains was becoming one of my favorite places to be. I'd once thought the hills and valleys of Kentucky were my favorite, but even Kentucky bluegrass couldn’t compete with the mountains.

After the tour, we went to the Titanic museum and the World’s largest toy museum. We’d had a quick rest before we hit the dinner show. It had been a full day, but I’d loved every second of it.

“You tired, Peach?” Slade asked once we made it out onto the street.

“No, I’m kind of wired. I don’t know what it was about their show, but I feel like I have all this energy coursing through me.”

“We should check out the karaoke bar Esther suggested,” Simon offered, giving me a look. In fact, all three guys were looking at me, waiting for my answer.

“That sounds perfect, actually.” They all beamed at me, relaxing, and I wasn’t sure what they were so tense about.

“I think it’s close by,” Zane stated, already on his phone. “Follow me.”

Simon grabbed my hand as Slade moved up next to his brother, and we made our four-person caravan for the trip to the bar. Walking into the place, I was instantly in love. It was filled with bright lights, neon of every color, and looked like a throwback to the ‘80s. The walls were lined with pinball machines and soft couches, while giant bean bags were in the center in lieu of chairs.

“Okay, this is my new favorite bar.”

There was a stage up front where a girl was singing a bad rendition of a Britney Spears song.

“I’ll hit her to stop,” Zane mumbled, making us all laugh.

“Violence is never the answer,” I stated, knowing he’d been making a play off the lyric and not actually intending to hit her, but I didn’t want to condone it either way.

“You’re right. That was in bad taste. I’ll pay her to stop?” he asked.

“Better.” Giggling, I pulled him close and kissed him, letting him know I wasn’t upset. When he pulled back, his eyes were hooded, a smirk filling his face.

“I changed my mind. Karaoke is a horrible idea,” he said, making me laugh.

“Nope. If I’m here, then we’re all doing it.” We walked over to a table that had just been cleared, sitting on the soft cushions. There was a QR code on the hardwood surface, so I pulled out my phone and scanned it. It brought up the bar’s app, where we could place drink and food orders, and put in our karaoke songs.

“Genius!” I exclaimed, already submitting a few drink and food orders. The guys laughed at me, but my biggest pet peeve was never getting service. The guys were hot; so, they didn’t understand that a girl my size and with a quirky sense of style was often overlooked when it came to fast service.

Scrolling through the songs, I leaned over to Slade, who was talking with Simon on his other side and pointed to one. He lifted his eyebrow in question, waiting for me to spell it out.

“Sing with me? I’m sure there’s a guitar you could borrow.”

Slade stared into my eyes for a long while, and I was about to tell him to forget it when he let out a breath and nodded. I knew he hated being the center of attention as much as I did, so maybe if we did it together, it wouldn’t be as bad. Kissing his cheek, I entered my information just as a round of drinks were set down on the table.

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