Sidney giggles and nearly doubles over. Peter looks up at her. “Is she drunk?” Peter’s head snaps back toward Trystan with a pissed off glare and he could easily double as Sean in that moment.
Trystan is fanning Mel, trying to get her to wake up. “Don’t look at me. They’re the ones that swallowed.”
All of a sudden, Sidney starts laughing. It’s way too loud, and she realizes that no one else thought the line was dirty, so she slaps her hands over her mouth and cuts off the sound. Peter rubs the heels of his hands over his eyes and sighs.
I feel sheepish. “I’m sorry, Peter.”
“It’s not your fault.” He smiles up at his bride-to-be. “Come on, cupcake. Let’s take you home.”
Peter holds up a hand, and Sidney walks over to the edge of the stage. The way she looks at him is the perfect combination of lust and adoration. The emotion is so raw, so intense, that I avert my eyes and look at the floor. Peter’s wearing saddle shoes, black on brown, and vintage from the look of them. She sits next to me, and then Peter reaches up for her. She slips into his arms and he holds her like that, and walks to the door, whispering things that make Sidney giggle softly.
My head tilts to the side and I’m repressing the urge to say, awh.
There’s a sweet smile on my face as the rest of the people come into view. One guy is tall and built, with dark hair, and bright green eyes. There’s a wicked grin on his face as his eyes travel over my body. “Hey, stripper girl. I have some ones. Wanna have a fun time?” The guy that’s with him slaps Green Eyes in the back of the head. “What?”
“Sean will kill you.” As the man steps toward me, I see the resemblance. The dark Ferro hair and bright blue eyes, the lopsided grin, and perfectly smooth skin. He looks like a younger version of Sean. “I’m Jonathan Ferro. This asshole is my cousin, Bryan.” He jabs his thumb at him. There’s a girl behind him wearing a blazer and a blanket and not much else. She won’t meet my gaze.
“I’m Avery Stanz. I’m—”
“She’s my fiancée.” Sean’s voice booms from the back of the room. No one heard him come in, but everyone turns to look at him.
CHAPTER 9
I slip off the stage and rush at him, darting around empty chairs and tables. The strain on his face is horrible. I can’t imagine what he’s been through tonight, what horrors came flashing to the front of his mind. Without a word, I fling my arms around his neck while the others gasp and whisper.
I kiss his cheek and plaster my palms to the sides of his face, forcing him to turn his tired eyes on me. “Are you all right? What happened?”
There are dark circles under his eyes and the tension in his neck and shoulders makes his body feel like stone. Leaning in close to my ear, he whispers, “Not now.” I stay there like that for a second, and then peel myself off of him even though every urge I have says to hang on tight and never let go.
Sean walks past me and glares at his brother. “Well?”
Jon steps up to him. Damn they look alike, but Jonathan doesn’t have the fine lines etched into his face. “Sean, this isn’t your concern.”
“I see. So, you’re going to piss away your future. Good plan.”
Jonathan stiffens and gets in Sean’s face. “Since when do you care?”
Sean laughs, but it sounds more like Jonathan shoved a stake through his heart. Sean doesn’t reply this time. Instead, he shakes his head and turns away, taking me by the hand and leading me backstage. He yells over his shoulder, “Your decisions are as abysmal as the company you keep.”
Someone yells something back, but their words don’t carry. Sean’s jaw is locked tight and he’s barely breathing. Once we’re back in the dressing rooms, he sits me down in a chair, kneels in front of me, and looks me over. “Are you hurt?”
Placing my hands on his shoulders, I shake my head. “I’m fine. Are you all right? What happened? I was so worried about you.”
“Did they mistreat you?”
At first I’m not sure who he means, but then I guess he’s talking about Trystan, Jonathan, and Bryan. Touching his hand, I smile at him. “No, of course not. Trystan was actually very nice to me, so was your brother—both of them.”
“Pete was here?”
I nod. “So was Sidney. I’m fine, Sean. Mel’s fine, except for the passing out part.”
“Is she drunk?”
“Nah, she’s got the hots for Trystan.” I laugh once and smile at him, pushing a lock of dark hair away from his eyes. “He talked to her and she fainted.”