Max: I don’t want to wait any longer than I have to. The club closes at nine. Meet me here.
His words send hot tingles of nerves and arousal rushing to my center.
Hanna: It’s a date.
I’m still grinning at my phone when I hear Lizzy whistle. “Damn, girl.”
“I know, right? Who knew I could look like this?”
She frowns. “You were sexy before you lost the weight. I was referring to the way you’re glowing.”
“Oh.” I press my phone to my chest. “I hope I didn’t screw things up. Max is… He’s amazing.”
She rolls her eyes. “I’m sure there’s a perfectly logical explanation for all of this. Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
When we walk into Asher’s, Maggie greets us at the door in a white sundress and bare feet. “You made it! I’m so glad!”
“We’re on a mission.” I grin and nod toward Lizzy. “My twin would like to seduce your musician friend.”
“You’re going to seduce Nate?” Maggie asks, skepticism all over her face.
“Unless you’re planning on sharing Asher.”
Maggie snorts. “As if. But Nate? Really? The guy sitting in my basement in a Spider-Man shirt?”
Lizzy scoffs. “Have you heard that voice? God concentrated sexiness and gave it to the world through Nate Crane’s voice. The boy could melt the panties off a nun.”
Maggie rolls her eyes. “I think we all know you’re no nun. Come on. Everyone’s in the basement.”
She leads the way into the house and to the stairs, where she stops and points at a small table. “House rules, no phones or other distracting electronics with the music.” She digs her own out of her pocket and tosses it in the basket with the others. Lizzy and I follow suit then head down the stairs to where everyone is milling in the music room. Asher doesn’t have big parties. In fact, his parties
might better be described as “get-togethers” with most of the attendees being members of my immediate family. Tonight, there are more guests than normal—maybe a dozen total—probably due to his musician friend who’s in town.
I look to the stage, where Asher is playing acoustic guitar and singing into a mic connected to a small amp. My gaze shifts to the man sitting next to him and I stop breathing.
“Asher’s hot too,” Lizzy’s assuring Maggie, “but Nate could do whatever he wanted to me and I’d thank him in the morning.”
Nate Crane. Dark, shaggy hair, deep voice, intense gaze. And no doubt a Hulk tattoo hidden beneath his right sleeve of his Spider-Man T-shirt. “Holy shit.”
“He’s got a nice voice, doesn’t he?” Maggie says.
I nod dumbly. A nice voice that whispered sweet nothings in my ear last night. Hot and dirty sweet nothings.
“You can’t go being all star-struck when you’re used to Asher hanging around.” Maggie nudges me with her elbow. “You’ve met Nate. You two really hit it off.”
“We hit it off? Why would you say that?” It comes out way too defensive, and I have to take a breath and force my shoulders away from my ears.
“He’s a friend of Asher’s. You kept me company when I went to see Asher and Nate perform in St. Louis a few months ago. God, that must be so weird, not remembering anything.”
The guys transition into “Unbreak Me,” a song Asher wrote for Maggie.
She bites her lip.
“Go on up there,” Liz says. “You don’t need to babysit us.”
“Thanks.” Maggie walks to the front of their makeshift stage and sinks to her haunches.
“Want something to drink?” Liz asks. “Because I’m at least three drinks short of the courage I need to approach that beautiful man up there.”