Without thinking about what I was doing, I reached out and caught Lucy’s hand, linking our fingers together. It startled her and she jumped a little. Dark eyes turned black with emotion locked with mine and after the slightest of hesitations she graced me with a smile that seemed to brighten the room.
The sight of that smile made my stomach bottom out and my jeans tighten in a way that scared the living hell out of me. Fuck. One smile from this girl and my body responded in a way it hadn’t since I was sixteen and had lost my damn virginity. My dick went from zero to sixty in two-point-three seconds flat.
To say I was surprised would be a lie. I wasn’t surprised in the least that I was attracted to Lucy. She was perhaps the most beautiful female I’d ever laid eyes on. And her fierce and feisty personality was sexy in a way that some guys wouldn’t ever be able to handle, but I craved. What scared me—fuck scared, I was terrified—was that I loved her as a friend and this sudden, intense attraction I felt for her could destroy that.
Even as I thought that, a voice in the back of my head was taunting me. You love her as more than a friend, dumbass. It’s always been as more than a friend. You just needed time for her to grow up. Why else haven’t you been serious with anyone before? That girl is your soul mate.
On stage, Kin’s song was coming to an end, people were shouting her name, screaming and clapping for her. The club was going crazy for her music. And I just sat there, freaking the hell out because I was scared shitless I would do something stupid to lose Lucy all over again. Only this time it would be a million times worse.
With her guitar still in one hand, Kin jumped down from the stage and Lucy hopped up to meet her halfway. I sat there, watching the two girls hugging and laughing. This was a big deal for Kin, and Lucy was doing what Lucy did best—supporting someone she loved.
My heart was pounding, my gut twisting and I thought for sure I was going to be seriously sick right then and there. No, I mentally yelled at myself. No way, man. You—I—fuck! I can’t love her as more.
Too late, you dumb fuck.
I raked my hands through my hair and glanced around for the closest waitress. I needed a drink, something a hell of a l
ot stronger than the beer I’d been sipping on all evening.
I was in love with my best friend.
“Dude, you look like shit,” Jace muttered next to me. “You’re all sweaty and you’ve got some wild eyes going on. What’s the matter with you?”
I sucked in a deep breath and turned my gaze back to look for the damned waitress. “Yeah. Just tired and I need to get back to the office and handle things.” I spotted Nina and waved her over.
The long-legged blonde gave me a coy smile that I ignored. Blondes weren’t my type but even if they were I would never hook up with Nina. She worked for me and there was no way I was going to get involved with an employee. First Bass was my dream and I wasn’t going to screw that up by sleeping with anyone who worked here. “What can I get for you, boss?”
“Bourbon,” I bit out. “Bring it back to the office for me. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
She nodded and rushed off to do as I’d asked, shooting me a hungry glance over her shoulder as she left. I didn’t have the time or the energy to deal with the waitresses crush. I needed to tell Lucy goodnight and get as far away from her as quick as possible until I could find a way to control whatever it was that was frying my brain.
Still laughing, Lucy and Kin returned to the table. I really must have looked bad because Lucy’s smile dimmed and she gave a concerned frown. “Are you getting sick?” Her fingers were long, graceful and slightly cool when she placed them to my forehead. “You feel hot and you look flushed.”
I caught her fingers and gave them a gentle squeeze. “I’m good, Lu. But I have to get back to work.” As badly as I needed to get away from her and find a way to contain whatever the hell I was feeling, I wanted to see her again. Soon. “Call me, okay? Even if it’s at three in the morning because you can’t sleep.” Her lips lifted in a small, sad smile and I bent my head to press a kiss on top of her deliciously scented hair. “And come back anytime you want to. Your name will always be on the list.”
I glanced over my shoulder at Marcus and lifted my chin in respect at the bodyguard before turning back to her. “As long as you’re upstairs my security team will make sure you are safe, but I’m glad you have the gorilla to watch out for you.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” She bit her bottom lip and I nearly groaned. Oh damn. I wanted to kiss that lip more than I wanted my heart to beat. “At least call Dallas and ask her what she might think is wrong with you. You might need meds or something.”
I shook my head. I didn’t need Dallas Cage, the wife of OtherWorld’s lead singer and a registered nurse, to tell me what was wrong with me. I already knew.
I. Loved. Lucy. Thornton.
Fucking hell.
Chapter 7
Lucy
If I thought it would be hard to be around Harris with the way I felt about him, I was both right and wrong. It was hard to be around him so much because of the attraction I felt for him, but the love part kind of made it easier. It felt like old times, hanging out with him. Harris Cutter could make me laugh like no one else on the planet.
It felt good to laugh.
September faded into October. Halloween was spent at First Bass. There was a costume party and I actually dressed up for the first time since I was nine. That year I’d gone as zombie-fied Jane Austin. This time I decided on something a little more daring and was somehow able to get out of the house without my dad realizing I was a sexy cop, something that both Kin and I were going as. The night had turned out great and I spent more time with Harris than I had hoped I would. Well, for me anyway. Kin ended up pissed at Jace for some reason or another that she refused to discuss with me.
Before I knew it, November was almost over. During that time I spent almost as much time with Harris as I did with Kin, and Kin only won simply because we saw each other at school. We developed an almost set in stone routine. On Tuesdays he picked me up at home and we had dinner before he went to work. Wednesdays I went with Kin to First Bass were she sometimes performed one of her songs, or we just sat and listened to whoever had the guts to get up there and show their talent. Harris always came out and spent an hour or two with me, catching up on whatever we hadn’t talked about via texts or emails throughout the day.
Thursdays were a little trickier. Sometimes Kin went with me, sometimes she didn’t. I understood completely why she didn’t like going. Tainted Knights performed all evening on Thursdays and the way the girls all threw themselves at the band, especially Jace, was hard for her to watch. If Kin decided to go with me, Harris came out to have a drink with us and then he went back to his office to handle work. If she didn’t go then Harris would watch Tainted Knights performance with me and then I would go back to his office with him and keep him company while he handled paperwork and returned phone calls.