“So I saw you earlier, you’re friends with the band.”
“Yep.” Normally this was the kind of girl I sought out—easy, no strings, aware of where the night was going and what the morning was going to hold.
“So, do you maybe wanna get out of here, go somewhere quieter where we can … talk?”
My eyebrows shot up. When I was drunk maybe that sounded smoother, but now that I was sober it just seemed kind of sleazy and desperate. “Thanks, but I’m here with somebody.”
Her bright red mouth pulled into a frown and she took a step back. “Yeah I saw that, and I also saw that there is no way that she’s going to be with you for long.”
I was used to judgment, used to hearing that I wasn’t up to par or good enough for whatever reason, but coming from a boozed-up barfly who had just tried to talk me into taking her to bed made me reel back a little.
“Okay.” I didn’t know what else to say to that.
The girl snorted and flipped her overprocessed hair over her shoulder. “That girl has money and status written all over her, you have ink and nothing but a good time spelled out bright and clear all over you. How long do you think she’s going to think you’ve got more going on than that?”
I frowned, done with social courtesy. I physically moved her out of my way and called over my shoulder, “I don’t know, but I’d be an idiot not to stick around until she figures it out.”
Sweaty bodies got nudged and prodded until I got to the girls. Jet was right in front of them on both of his knees, his head was thrown back, his shirt was torn off and the massive angel of death I had tattooed across his torso was on full display. He was wailing like a true rock god and while Shaw looked fascinated, Ayden looked like she was about to melt into a pile of orgasmic goo. Looked like my buddy had turned the country mouse rock-and-roll for the night. I put a hand on Shaw’s hip and bent low to tell her, “I gotta get Nash out of here, he’s done for.”
She looked at me with big eyes and nodded with no argument. She leaned over to holler something at Ayden, who hollered something back. The brunette wiggled her fingers at me in a wave, and the next thing I knew, Shaw’s tiny frame was pulling me back through the crowd. Nash was now almost fully draped over the table and I didn’t miss the bouncer giving him the eye.
“What about Ayden? You said we needed to make sure she got home okay.”
“She promised to call when she was leaving. She said she would just get a cab.”
“She’ll be all right here by herself?”
“Yeah, she’s a big girl and can take care of herself, plus I think she danced most of the booze out. I think she’s sticking around to tell your friend how much she enjoyed the show.”
“Jet has that effect on women.”
“I can see why.”
I wrestled Nash up and marched him out of the bar with an arm around his waist. He was solid, and maneuvering his sturdy bulk was difficult.
“You gonna change your mind and drop me for a rock star?”
She snorted and took the keys I tossed her to get the cab doors open so that I could shove Nash sideways across the backseat. “You better not get sick in here, dude,” I warned.
There was no response, so I helped Shaw climb in and it occurred to me that she hadn’t even hesitated to leave with me. That made something in the center of my chest get all slippery and warm.
“I’m just saying that he’s pretty charismatic and even though I didn’t understand half of what he was singing, it was still pretty powerful. He had that entire bar eating out of the palm of his hand; that kind of draw is impressive.”
“Yeah, Jet was born to be a rock star. He just has a problem with the spotlight and recognition. He always has.”
“You’ve known him a long time?”
“We used to go see him play when we were kids, back when he was into punk. Nash, Jet, and Rowdy have been my inner circle for a long time. Rowdy we met later, when he started working at the shop, but we all kick it like we are brothers from other mothers.”
She settled in the leather seat and I adjusted the heat when I noticed she was rubbing goose bumps on her arms. “It must be nice to have a lot of good friends. I was never like that.”
I looked out of the corner of my eye at her. “What do you mean?”
“I’m shy and awkward. I never know how to just make friends like that. I was picked on a lot in high school. Remy was my only real friend and now only Ayden really. I have a hard time letting people in. I guess because I’ve seen how painful it is when the people who are the closest to you are the ones constantly disappointing you.”
“What about me and Rome?”
“What about you?”
Nash groaned from the back and I looked over my shoulder apprehensively. He didn’t sound good. “What about us? We were there, too. Weren’t we your friends?”
She made a little humming noise that immediately made vital parts of my anatomy take notice.
“Rome has always been like a big brother. He looks out for me, he picks on me, he tries to keep things that hurt me and cause pain at bay. You, well, you were always something else, not a friend, not a brother, just something else.”
“Is that bad, the something else?”
I felt rather than saw her shrug. “It has been, and then sometimes it’s not.” I didn’t know what to make of that so I let the subject drop. I drove the rest of the way, keeping one eye on the road and one eye on Nash, who was making increasingly loud noises of distress in the back. When we got to the apartment I looked across the cab at Shaw but she was bent over the back of the seat rubbing Nash’s bald head and uttering soothing words to him.
“Hey, I don’t know how long it’ll take to get him squared away, so you can just hang out and if you want me to run you home or whatever I will.”
She looked at me over her shoulder and raised a pale brow. “Rule, it’s fine. It’s not like I don’t know how you end up in the state you’re normally in on Sunday morning. Like I told you, I just have to be at work on Sunday around ten. As long as you make that happen, we’re good.”
At a loss for words I just stared at her for a moment before Nash’s gurgling made me move. “Have you always been this awesome?”
She shut all the doors behind us and helped me haul Nash up the steps. I noticed she didn’t answer my question, but she did get Nash a huge glass of water and fished around in my bathroom until she found some painkillers. She left both on the bathroom sink in the hall that Nash used and gave me a pointed look. “Come find me when you’re done.”
I swore in a long litany under my breath as I helped Nash battle his thermal and jeans off. I was contemplating shoving his ass in a cold shower when the tequila started to take its revenge. His tattooed head disappeared inside the toilet and I spent the next hour making sure he didn’t pass out and alternately cramming liquids down his throat and jumping out of the way as they came back up. When I was finally sure he wasn’t going to get sick anymore I hauled him to his bed and made sure he was facedown before I did a quick cleanup of the bathroom and myself and then went to find Shaw.
The door to my room was cracked open and she had my TV on. I wasn’t sure what I was going to find, the dirtier part of my imagination had all kinds of interesting scenarios laid out, but what awaited me wasn’t one of them. She had my California king stripped to the mattress pad and was making short work of changing all the bedding. Her crazy blue shoes were in the center of the floor looking totally out of place next to my discarded T-shirts and jeans, and as I propped myself up in the doorway all I could do was watch her. She seemed