Gabe usually attracts the problems, though, because of his reputation. He loves women, and women love him. They flock to him more than anyone, and he’s up for anything. He parties hard and fucks harder, but fights with such tenacity it’s a wonder he hasn’t been arrested more than twice. He doesn’t take shit from anyone and is the first to stand up for someone he cares about.

  Mike and I get our fair share of pussy, and it’s actually a good thing Gabe is such a magnet for chicks because he weeds out a lot of the crazy ones for us. Fun as some of those girls can be, the majority are psycho, so we stay far away.

  It was definitely different when we were in our early twenties. We all used to be like Gabe—except for Liam, of course—but as we’ve gotten older, we’ve settled down a bit. I find myself liking the quiet every once in a while, which is unusual for me.

  I don’t have anything on my mind tonight except getting a beer and maybe playing a game of pool, though. The unexpected night off is both a welcome relief and an annoyance. After I left Lee’s house earlier, I went to my parents’ and had a home-cooked meal.

  But now I’m ready for a beer.

  I walk up to the large wooden door at Kelly’s and bump fists with Pierce, Meara’s brother, who works as a bouncer on the weekends. “What’s up, man?” he greets me.

  “Nothin’. Just wanted to grab a beer.”

  “I heard about the fire at Stage 20. That sucks.”

  I sigh because it’s such a bummer. The owners are really nice people, so I hope they get everything fixed soon. “Yeah.”

  “How long are you guys in town for?”

  “We leave tomorrow morning. Show in Chicago tomorrow night. Ian scheduled us as local as he could around Meara’s due date.”

  “Cool. Congrats on being an uncle.”

  “Hey, you too, man. Melody’s gorgeous.”

  “Yeah, she is.”

  A group of giggling girls come up, and I lift my chin at Pierce as I start my way inside. “Later.”

  He gives me a two-finger salute as he takes the ID from the first in line.

  As soon as I pull the door open, the smell of old leather and pine hits me, and I can’t help but smile to myself. There’s something about home and the familiarity of everything. And there is nothing better than walking into Kelly’s Pub. No matter when I show up, I’ll know someone who won’t want anything from me but conversation.

  I sidle up to a stool, greeting the bartender Nik the same way I did Pierce with a fist bump. “Beer?” he asks.

  “Yeah, thanks.”

  They never charge the band or family for drinks, but we always shove cash into the jar they have beneath the counter for tips. As he pops the top off, I walk behind the bar and locate the jar, dropping a large bill in. Nik shakes his head and hands me my beer as I sit in a stool on the end.

  “How’ve you been?” I ask him.

  Nik is a close friend of the Kelly family. Specifically, he’s best friends with the oldest brother Declan. “Good, bro. You?”

  “Things have been good.”

  “Haven’t seen you in a while, not since Lee left, I don’t think. How’s the band with Kolby?”

  “It was rough at first, but we’re all good now.”

  “Glad to hear it. I listened to the acoustic set you guys did on satellite last week. Shit was sick.”

  I take a swallow and set my beer on a coaster. “You liked it?”

  “Yeah, man. Why? You don’t?”

  Recording that track was one of the strangest experiences we’ve had as a band. Even more so than when we were in the studio for the first time and didn’t really know what we were doing. “I do. It’s just the first single without Lee.”

  “If you’re worried it sounds different or something, I didn’t think it did. But I’m not musically inclined except to know when I like a jam, so take it for what it’s worth.”

  “That’s good. We didn’t want there to be a difference. Even though Gabe, Mike, and I hear those subtle nuances, we were hoping the fans wouldn’t be able to tell, ya know?”

  He shrugs. “Like I said, I thought it was sick. I’m sure you’ll always hear a difference without your brother, but the show must go on, right?”

  “Yeah. For sure.” We talk for a few minutes before he’s interrupted and heads to the other end of the bar.

  I sit back and glance around, then do a double take when I see her. The hot chick who spilled my coffee yesterday sits in a U-shaped booth with a man perched on the end of her table.

  The desire I have to go to her is so strong it makes my palms sweat. I’ve thought about her more times than I can count since yesterday. And for some reason, her face popped up when Meara said I needed to find a girl to make babies with.

  Seeing her again in the flesh makes me realize thoughts of her were damn near constant. I wanted to hang around the hospital yesterday to find the sexy nurse again, but Meara and Liam needed some time alone after so many visitors, and I’d just look like a lunatic pacing the halls in search of a woman I talked to for a whole minute.

  A woman whose name I didn’t know, yet I wanted to discover everything about her.

  The thoughts of coffee girl were never far from my mind, though. Not yesterday and not today.

  I’m surprised as shit to see her here. I’d almost convinced myself she was a figment of my imagination. Unsure if she’s with the guy or not, I casually ask Nik, “What’s up with her?” I’m hoping he says she’s not with the dude, but I have no clue how Nik would actually know. That’s like high school shit if I ask that.

  He wipes down the mahogany bar top but glances to where I’m looking. “Not sure. She came in over an hour ago and ordered a rum and Coke but hasn’t even touched it.”

  I want to go to her, but I shouldn’t. If I do, I’ll end up breaking the rules because I can’t let her walk away again. Not many women make me laugh or get in my face. Or make me think about them all day. But she did, and I liked it. Too much. So much that I know without a doubt she’s the game changer, but it doesn’t matter.

  We’re going on the road again, and things are jiving so well with Kolby. I don’t have the energy to put into anything other than whatever it takes to get me and whoever I’m fuckin’ off for the night.

  Besides, I need to follow the rules. Regardless of how much I want to talk to her again, I behave myself. No matter how badly I want to get lost in those earthy eyes, I admire her from a distance. As hard as it is to stay put, I do just that.

  For about a minute.

  Because then the guy slides into the booth next to her. He crowds her and puts his arm around her shoulders, and she stiffens. It’s just instinctual; I don’t think before I push through a bunch of tables to get to her, green tinting my vision over a woman I have no claim to.

  I don’t get jealous. I’m not possessive or territorial, and I barely know this girl, but I want to put my fist through his jaw for even looking at her and getting close enough to smell how sweet she is.

  It’s funny because not a day went by since Liam was with Meara that he didn’t growl at somebody who looked at her. I always gave him shit for being a caveman and laughed at him when he’d get all red in the face.

  But I’m not laughing now.

  No way. My reaction is so visceral and possessive I feel it all the way to the marrow of my bones.

  Her brown hair is down, unlike when I saw her the other morning, and I decide instantly I like it better like this. It’s wavy and shiny and long enough I could wrap it around my wrist. I can’t remember the last time I saw a woman wearing a turtleneck, but this chick makes me want to bite and lick and suck on her neck so she has to wear those ugly ass sweaters, and only I would know that she’s hiding my mark beneath the material.

  I don’t get a chance to think about how badly I want to see her out of her top because I arrive at the end of her table. “Wanna introduce me to your friend, Daisy?”

  Her head snaps up, and her mouth falls open, cherry lips forming an O that I’d like to thrust my cock between. I slide in the opposite side of the other guy and wrap my arm around her waist, palming the outside of her thigh and ass to pull her away from him and to me as if I have the right to claim her.

  “Dude, you’re—” I see the recognition on his face, and I cut him off. I don’t want to deal with fans right now. I don’t even want her to know who I am. Not Jamie, the rock star. I want her to know me, who I really am.

  “Donny, nice to meet you.” I stick my hand out for him, and he shakes it. Luckily, he takes the hint and grabs his drink.

  Slowly, he stands. “No. Aren’t you from—”

  “Spain? Yes.”

  The little cutie next to me snorts, and I raise a brow at the man who still stands in front of the table. “No. I meant the ban—”

  “And I meant it’s time you leave.” I level him with a challenged stare. “Now.”

  He mumbles something inaudible under his breath, and does the smart thing when he walks away without incident. I take that time to calm my shit.

  The little minx tries to scoot away, but I tsk her and apply pressure to her luscious behind as I take a swallow of my beer, leaving the neck to dangle between my fingertips. She feels too good to let go.

  I angle my head at her untouched drink. “It’s not gonna drink itself.”

  “I know.”

  “Is it nasty?”

  “No.” She swirls the liquid, clear on top from the melted ice with the darker rum and soda on the bottom, making the entire glass amber colored. “I just didn’t feel like it once I got it.” She sighs and lifts her head so she’s looking up at me. For a second, I’m afraid she’s going to pull away, but she doesn’t. In fact, she settles into me. God, she’s pretty. She raises an annoyed brow. “Daisy? Really?”

  “Yeah. Isn’t it obvious?”

  “This ought to be good.” She crosses her arms, pushing her perfect breasts up higher in her black sweater. “Why?”

  “Because I picked you.”

  Her insanely beautiful whiskey eyes shine. “You’re such a player.”

  “Hate the game, baby.” I wink, and she rolls her eyes. “So aside from being sexy, what do you do at the hospital?”

  She pulls her head back, then her lips split into a huge smile, and somehow, she becomes even more gorgeous. “You’re good. Not as good as the guy you chased off, though.”

  My temperature heats with envy, and that irritates the shit out of me. I shouldn’t care. I’m never fucking jealous; the amount of ass I get makes other guys jealous, and I like it that way. It’s not supposed to be like this. And definitely not over one woman I don’t even know. “How so?”

  “Do you have a name?”

  “Yeah, Donny.” I smirk. Gotta give her credit for thinking on her toes yesterday morning.

  “No. That was his line. Do you have name, or can I call you mine?”

  I smile behind my beer. “No shit?”

  “Yeah. Totally lame. At least you have some…” She waves her hand in my general direction. “Charisma.”

  I blink. Then do it again slowly. Once more. Her nose scrunches adorably when my lids open and close rapidly. “Are you okay?”

  “I dunno.” I squint. “There must be something wrong with my eyes because I can’t seem to take them off you.”

  She throws her head back laughing, and her neck elongates, and I finally see a sexy map of smooth skin I’d like to explore every inch of. “Oh my God. Is that what you said to that girl to make her giggle like that yesterday?”

  “What girl?”

  “The one who you ever so horribly were trying to pick up by telling the barista to get a coffee that was sweet like her?”

  If she only knew. That woman was a fan who was driving me nuts. We’re usually always really respectful to them and have no problems signing autographs or anything, which is what I wrote on the envelope she handed to me. We get recognized often enough, and even more since social media really blew up the past couple of years, but when we’re home, it happens all the time. “No clue who you’re talking about.”

  “Come on.” She exasperates.

  “The only woman I remember from the other day is a pretty nurse in blue scrubs.”

  Her lips twitch. “Okay, I don’t know if you’re drunk or stupid.”

  “I’m not drunk, but I am intoxicated by you.”

  Without missing a beat, she replies, “So you’re admitting you’re stupid, then?”

  “Oh, Daisy…”

  “My name isn’t Daisy,” she grinds out.

  “That’s right. It’s Gillette.” She drops her forehead to the table, and I chuckle when I land the punchline. “’Cause you’re the best a man can get.”

  She lifts her head. “What’s your name? For real, though? I wanna know what to scream tonight.”

  “Okay, my little firecracker. You wanna play?” I reluctantly remove my arm and turn in the booth. “Is your name Summer? Because you’re hot as hell.” She rolls her eyes again. “Winter? ’Cause you’ll be coming soon.”

  “Do you know the human body has two hundred and six bones?”

  I sit back, waiting for it.

  “Wanna give me another one?” Her lips press together while she tries not to laugh.

  “That’s good.” Blatantly, I check her out as best as I can from where we are in the booth. I really fuckin’ like what I see, and even though I know it’s a matter of time before I break the rules, I’m having fun with our little game. “Tell me, baby. What’s a nice girl like you doing in a dirty mind like mine?”

  Her mouth is open with a reply, but just then, Nik comes by with another beer for me and a fresh drink for her. “Thanks, man.”

  “Excuse me?” She sits up.

  “Yeah?” Nik answers.

  “Do you have a napkin?”

  He shakes his head. “No. I’ll grab one, though. Be right back.”

  She’s smirking and avoids looking at me, so I know she’s up to something. It’s been fifteen minutes, but it feels like that many years since I’ve known her. And all I want to do is have that be longer. I want to take her home and bring her with me on the road. Tuck her away so she’s just mine, and I can have her whenever I want to.

  When Nik comes back a few seconds later, she takes the napkin from him. “Thank you.”

  “No problem,” he hollers over his shoulder.

  I know she’s waiting for me to ask since she’s just sitting here, staring at me with mischievous eyes and an amused and sexy as fuck smirk. “Why do you need a napkin?”

  “’Cause you’re making me wet.” She can barely contain her laughter and ends up snorting, which makes her laugh even harder.

  My shoulders shake, and I stare at the ceiling. I can’t remember the last time I laughed this hard with a woman. Don’t get me wrong, we make noise, and usually a lot of noise since that’s how I like it. If I’m fucking a woman, I want to hear what I do to her, and I have no problem communicating that to get us both there. But as soon as we’re done, so am I. I’ve never had the desire to hang around and banter with one of them either before or after.

  But her, Daisy, all I want to do is be close to her. I can tell she would keep me on my toes, and the idea doesn’t scare the shit outta me. In fact, the thought of not having her around scares me more. Not knowing everything about this woman freaks me out. Righting myself, I find her with a defiant brow raised. “Hey, sweet thing?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’d tell you a joke about my dick, but it’s too long.”

  I’ve never seen someone look so bored, and I have a hard time keeping a straight face. “So are you going to sleep with me, or do I have to lie to my diary?”

  That’s a new one. I rack my brain and dig through my pocket to pull out a quarter, then hold it up between us. “What are the chances when I flip this, I’ll get head?”

  “I lost my teddy bear. Can I sleep with you tonight?”

  “Smile if you wanna have sex with me.” She tries not to, but it proves fruitless when her lips tilt up. I like this game, but I’ve had enough. I want it to be over so she can be under me. I reach up and run my thumb across her lips. “You’re so fuckin’ pretty. Your smile is beautiful,” I whisper, all joking aside.

  Her cheeks flush, and I cup her face in my hand. She swallows. “I bet it would look better if it was the only thing I was wearing.”

  “Nah, that shirt is becoming on you… but then again, if I was on you, I’d be coming, too.” I end on a whisper but with only centimeters between us.

  “I… um…” She stutters.

  “I need you to get up and walk your tight little ass out of here.”

  Disappointment flashes in her eyes. “Why?”

  “Trust me. I just need you to do it.”

  “Why would I trust you? I don’t even know you.”

  I sink my hand in her hair, and damn, it’s smooth like silk. Pulling her to me, she gasps, and I cover her mouth with mine. Soft and gentle, the exact opposite of what I feel. I want to ravage her. I want to tear her apart and put her back together again so I can make her mine.

  My dick twitches at just the faintest touch of her sweet tongue. Yeah, I’ve gotta have her. Pulling back, her hooded eyes are confused and full of lust. “That’s why. Now trust me. You need to leave before I do something I’ll regret.”

  Mercy

  My legs are shaky as I stumble to my car. At first, it was because of how turned on I was, but now it’s because I’m pissed. I refuse to take it personally. I won’t cry over some stupid, arrogant asshole who was so disgusted by me he essentially kicked me out… shooed me away like I was a dog.

  And why did I even listen to him? Why did I leave? It’s not like it’s his bar. He doesn’t own it.

  Ugh. I wore my flats as a deterrent, but the bottoms are hard, and they click loudly as I stomp toward my car. This week couldn’t get any freaking worse. This night couldn’t get any worse.

 

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