Unrequited(27)

Just us. No other people.

"Haven't you come to the Concert in the Park series before?" I asked, surprised.

"Nope. I've always meant to come but was busy."

Translation: she'd been cleaning up her sister's messes.

Wrapping my arms around her, I gently maneuvered her so she was surrounded by my knees and resting against my chest. She hesitated at first but then relaxed. And I relaxed with her.

"The good bands come later." The softness of her body actually helped ease my tension more than anything. I should have tried this before. When I’d picked her up at Atra, I should have pulled her into my arms and just held her for like ten minutes until the stress of the multi-million dollar construction project drained away. "The shitty bands play first, which is part of the payment for getting a decent spot on the grass. The better bands play later. Or at least we all think they're better, but it could be we're too high or drunk to notice their shittiness."

"What about the sober people?" She laughed, and I relaxed further. She was like a walking Zoloft. I needed her around me in regular doses. Take four hours of Winter Donovan before you go to bed and call me in the morning should be my prescription.

"They leave after the first couple of hours, having decided that getting bit by mosquitos and having drunk people spill beer on them isn't half as fun as it sounded when their friends invited them out earlier in the day."

The music improved, and so did the company. AnnMarie and Winter discovered they had a few mutual acquaintances through Central College, where AnnMarie attended and Winter had planned on going until she changed her mind suddenly and went to the local community college. After the third band exited the stage, Adam dropped onto the edge of the blanket.

"The lead singer in this next band is pretty tight," he said with an excited gleam in his eye. "His band is shit, though. The drummer plays like he's got only one stick that works, and the guitarist knows only three chords." He rubbed his hands together.

"Why is that a good thing?" Winter asked from the cocoon of my arms.

"Because I want him for myself."

"Adam's had different bands his whole life," I explained at Winter's raised eyebrows. "But members of it keep drifting away. He's been on the lookout for the perfect crew for the last year."

He scowled. "That motherfucker Larson stole my band and my music when I broke my leg. Just because I couldn't play for a few months, douchebag got another guitarist and started playing the music I composed and singing the lyrics I wrote."

"Wow. That's just wrong," Winter said, affronted. "I hope you confronted the asshole."

Nodding emphatically, he said, "Yeah I sicced my dad's lawyer on him and had a cease-and-desist letter sent saying if he played one more note of my goddamned music, he'd be paying me money until he was drawing social security. Heard he moved up by State to play the college scene."

"Good for you.” She nodded approvingly. “He kicked you while you were down. Inexcusable. Why didn't he just wait for you?"

"I know, right? Bastard." He started to say something else when two girls in tight shorts and plaid shirts unbuttoned and tied at their belly buttons came over to say hello to him.

"Adam!" the taller one cried. "I'd hoped you were here. We have a spot near the front. Want to come sit with us?" They looped their arms around each other's waists to make it clear it was a double-his-pleasure sort of invitation.

"You don't mind?" Adam turned back to Winter.

"Of course not. Have fun, and don't forget to wrap it up tonight," she joked, lowering her voice when she gave him her mock advice.

"Thanks, Mom," he said, leaning over to give her a quick peck before sliding in between the Doublemint twins.

"I haven't even kissed you tonight," I said with regret. "It seems wrong that Adam was the one to deliver your first kiss of the day."

"Is that right?" She pressed her lips together to hide a smile, but it crept out, turning up the corners of her mouth and making her look adorable and mischievous.

"I need to rectify that," I said softly. I bypassed her lips and bent my head to place my lips on her neck.

She inhaled in a rush, releasing a small shocked sound when I made contact. I sucked hard, knowing I would leave a mark and not caring. I hadn't left a hickey on a girl since I was a teenager, but I wasn't sucking hard because I wanted to leave my imprint on her skin. I was stuck on this spot because it lit her up.

At the heavy pressure of my mouth, her fingers clutched at my forearm. She strained against me until the only thing that made sense was to press her down to the ground. I braced myself over her, one forearm planted by her head and the other traveling down her side to the sweet curve of her hip.