Snared(18)

Bex’s mouth dropped open. I usually only called her or Natalie on their shit.

Tanner grinned. “Ahhh, now I get it.”

“Get what?”

Tanner looked over at Bex. “Do you hear what I hear?”

She shrugged, evidently trying to downplay whatever was happening with me right now.

He was fucking pissing me off. My head started to spin, my thoughts rapidly taking over. Natalie appeared next to me. “Beau,” she whispered. “Let it the hell go. Why do you care what he does?” Lines formed in her forehead as she watched me with pain etched in her expression. Like it or not, Natalie had a thing for Tanner, and his escapades hurt her. Me bringing it up didn’t help her at all.

“You want her, don’t you?” Tanner continued. “I’ll be damned. I’ve never seen you want a girl, despite how much some of them have thrown themselves at you.”

“Shut up, Tanner,” Natalie spat.

“You do, don’t you? Do you want that sweet piece of ass? Her friend was a freak, man. I usually have a rule against going back for more, but I’d do that hottie again in a nanosecond.”

He was pushing my buttons, and he knew it. The problem was, he didn’t understand the repercussions to the buttons he pushed. I stood, and the chair I’d been sitting sitting in fell back and hit the ground. The second Bex saw me, she also stood and got in my face.

“Sit the hell down,” she said, her voice soft so only I could hear. Natalie appeared on the other side of her. “Do not let him do this to you. Why is what he’s saying getting to you now?”

Bex’s eyes left mine for just long enough to read something in Natalie’s face. When she turned her eyes back to me, softness covered her features. “I love you, Beau. Breathe.”

Silence overtook the room as Johnny and Tanner watched the two girls try to talk me down.

“Let’s get out of here and get this the fuck over with.” I ignored the entire situation and they followed behind me, all of us silent until we reached our destination.





April

I WATCHED BEAU from across the room. He was . . . smiling. His straight white teeth gleamed against the dark stubble of his beard. I’d only seen small glimpses of his smile over the past two days. He stood between his sister and Bex, and whatever they said to him made him appear euphoric.

I wanted to make him smile like that. The hundreds of people who’d come to the meet and greet were in different stages of stalking Jaded Regret. Some of them had been loud and wild, screaming and exuberant to meet the famous rockers. The band had handled it in stride, their security only having to be somewhat forceful with one girl who’d hung all over Johnny, despite his wife standing right next to him. Bex had been unusually calm. I’d expected her to punch the woman, but she’d only smirked as the woman screamed about wanting his babies. I guess she had nothing to worry about since Johnny hardly stopped touching her every time they were next to each other.

Some fans seemed too intimidated to go right up to them, content with just watching them from afar and taking in the greatness of their presence. I pretended to be one of them, but it was only so I could study Beau. I had no idea what made the man tick. He wasn’t like anyone I’d ever met before. I noticed he hadn’t strayed far from his sister and Bex during the entire time. When Bex and Johnny had gotten up and made a short speech to the crowd, he’d stayed next to them without saying a word. I’d watched several girls approach him, their clothing minimal and their bravery at an all time high. He’d shaken hands with a few of them, signed posters, shirts, and CD covers, but nothing more. Even the ones who’d draped themselves on him to take selfies or pictures taken by friends didn’t change his demeanor. If anything, he appeared to be uncomfortable with all the attention.

Camryn stayed close to Tanner, nursing a drink as she batted her eyelashes at him. Bella and her husband, Jeremy, were whispering next to me. Bella thought I was certifiable at this point. Maybe I was. I watched Beau’s fingers tap out an invisible beat on the cup he held. I wondered if he always had a song playing in his head.

“Talk to him,” Bella said in my ear. “What’s the worst that can happen? He’s leaving tomorrow.”

She was right. What was the worst that could happen? I straightened my back and walked across the room to the band. When Natalie saw me, a smile instantly lit her face. We’d hit it off quite well, and I liked her. The roadies had finished with the set in the corner of the room. I knew Jaded Regret was about to play a brand new song they’d never played before for our meet and greet fans. I couldn’t wait to hear it.