3 Seconds (Time for Love 6)

I thought I’d found the perfect way to repay him, which was why I was waiting for him when he pulled his bike to the curb in front of his place, grinning like a fool.

I could see his grin as he pulled off his helmet, and my stomach dipped in anticipation and pleasure.

“Hey, Freckles, I didn’t expect to see you so soon,” he said as he swung his leg over the side of his bike.

We’d both just come from the school, where it had taken all of the willpower in my possession not to attack him in the middle of the class and throw him on his station … or, at the very least, hint that I had a surprise for him.

“You still don’t have any plans for tonight, right?” I asked coyly, suddenly worried that since we hadn’t had any, he might have made some with one of his brothers or something.

“Nope, I’m all yours if you want,” he replied, stopping next to me and pulling me in for a very satisfying kiss.

“I want,” I responded, licking my lips and savoring the taste of him. “I’ve got a surprise for you … You have ten minutes to get ready, then I’m stealing you away.”

“Hmmm,” he replied, leaning down to run his tongue over the spot mine had just been. “I can’t wait.”

Ten minutes later, we were in my car and on our way.

I smiled over at Brendan, who was watching me sing along to the radio, his hand warm on my thigh as I drove.

I loved that he was dressed in jeans, a band T-shirt, and a pair of worn boots. He had no idea what the surprise was, but it really didn’t matter. Brendan was Brendan, and he was comfortable in his own skin.

It just so happened, he was dressed perfectly for where we were going.

“So,” I began, unable to keep my mouth shut any longer. “Since getting Staind tickets was impossible, I got tickets for a different concert, that I’m hoping you’ll like just as much…”

His face softened, and the look of tenderness there caused my manic excitement to roll into a feeling of fluttery happiness.

“You’re taking me to a concert?” he asked, his gruff tone betraying the fact that he was touched by my gesture.

“Thirty Seconds to Mars,” I whispered, mesmerized by the way his eyes were looking over me. Like a caress.

I tore my eyes away from him, not only because watching the road was imperative to our survival, but because I was seconds away from becoming weepy.

I sensed him leaning toward me, so I wasn’t surprised when his thumb caressed my cheek, but when his lips followed, I practically melted from the sweetness.

“Thank you,” he whispered, before returning to his side of the car.

We were both silent, each of us dealing with the emotion surrounding us in our own way.

I’d hoped he’d be excited by my gift, but his reaction made me wonder if anyone, any woman, had ever done anything like this for him before … Something that was offered with the sole purpose of making him happy.

By the time we arrived at the venue, the mood of the car had shifted once again, and we were both brimming with excitement about the show.

Once we were settled in our seats and the first band was on stage, Brendan said he’d go grab us some drinks and be right back. When he came back with not only the plastic cups of beer, but Thirty Seconds to Mars T-shirts for both of us, I stood up to greet him with a smile. When he whipped off the shirt he was wearing, much to the delight of me and every lady surrounding us, I laughed out loud. He looked so cute, his face beaming as he tucked his discarded shirt into his back pocket.

“I’ll be right back,” I said, unwilling to change in the crowd and opting instead to go to the nearest bathroom to switch out my cute tank top for the fitted woman’s T.

When I got back to our seats, I gave him a long, slow kiss to show my appreciation for his gift, then settled in next to him.

We were close enough to see Jared Leto clearly, and Brendan elbowed me in the side playfully when I let out a not at all quiet sigh. “Oh. My. God.”

Yes, I’d bought the tickets for Brendan, but that didn’t mean that getting an up-close glimpse of the man I’d been crushing on since I first watched My So Called Life as a pre-teen, wasn’t an added bonus.

Holy shit, he looked good!

Brendan gave me a little shake, nudging me out of my hormone-driven stupor, and laughed when I turned to him and clapped my hands excitedly.

“I can’t believe we’re here!”