Tempting (Inked Hearts 1)

Even though Pete is fully dressed, Jim is horrified. He takes a step backwards. "You're on in ten minutes."

Ethan motions pay up to Joel.

Joel pulls out his wallet and makes a show of handing Ethan five twenties. "So when you and Kit were double teaming chicks which of you took that position?"

"What!!!" A woman's voice interrupts.

That's Piper.

Ethan shoots Joel a death glare.

She steps forward. "I go to the bathroom for five minutes and I come back to this?" She looks at me. "Tell me you didn't—"

"Tell her nothing." Ethan looks at his sister. "You don't want to hear about this."

She stares at me with horror.

Joel laughs. He stage whispers to Piper. "Don't worry. I'll give you the dirt later." He shifts back to his normal voice. "Your hair looks different. You weren't blond before, were you?"

She shakes her head. "It's new." She runs her fingers through her now dark blond hair. "You like it?"

Joel nods. "It's cute." He flips his dirty blond hair. "We almost match."

"Yeah. Excuse me, Joel. I can't let this go." She looks from me to Ethan. "Did you two really—"

"We're not having this conversation," Ethan says.

"Yes, I know. I'm a nice girl and nice girls can't hear about those kinds of things." She just stops herself from rolling her eyes.

"Nice to see you, Piper, but I got to head out." Joel nods goodbye. "I'll be bugging Ethan and Mal soon, so I'm sure I'll see you around."

"Where you going?" she asks.

Joel smiles. He leans in to whisper.

She blushes.

He plants a kiss on her cheek then moves down the hall. He stops at the Sinful Serenade dressing room to yell something to the happy couple. Then he's gone.

Ethan turns towards his sister. "Your drive okay?"

"All twenty minutes of it," she teases.

"You catch the entire set?" he asks.

"Yeah, you were great." She rises to her tip toes to hug Ethan. "Mal was just okay though."

"He's not close enough to hear you mock him." Ethan smiles.

"You're right. He was great too." She looks to me. "And you too, though it's a bit harder for a person with no musical talent to judge a bassist's skills."

"He was great." Ethan winks at me. "Don't let it go to your head."

Piper gives me a long once-over. It's not like I have famous written on my forehead. It's not quite like I'm a piece of meat either—though I wouldn't complain about Piper looking at me like she's thinking of—

Fuck.

I can't be going there.