Page 85 of Down Beat
Her lips twist up on one side as the duffle falls from her hand. It hits the floor with a thud. “No. I just didn’t want you drawing any unnecessary attention.”
She takes a tentative step toward me, most likely still on edge after the way I blew up at her earlier. I reach out and take her hand, tugging her against me. She falls against my leg, her feet either side of mine as she straddles me where I lean against the sofa.
“I think I drew enough attention when I forced a show to be canceled and disappeared.”
“And then you reappear at an airport halfway across the country with the girl who opened your surprise show last week.” She lifts a slender finger to trace my lips. “How do you think that would look?”
I nip the tip of her digit, holding it hostage for a moment before answering. “I guess it would look like that girl meant something to me.”
“Yeah?” She sets her hand on my shoulder, gaze on my mouth. “What kind of something?”
“The sort of something that makes a man do crazy things like walk out on a sold-out show to be with her.”
She says no more, simply smiling. I lean down to close the gap between us, my lips getting the barest tease of hers before that pain in the ass friend of kitty’s ruins the moment.
“Seriously?”
Tabby pulls back as though Kendall jolted her in the ass with a cattle prod, stepping away with a flush in her cheeks. “Sorry.”
“Why?” I snap, throwing my shoulders up. “Why are you sorry?”
The look I get from Café Girl is nothing short of killer.
“I didn’t realize she was in here,” Tabby murmurs, hands running nervously over the ass of her jeans.
“So what if she fucking is?” I push off the sofa, throwing a hand out toward Kendall.
“Maybe I don’t fancy seeing you stick your tongue down my best friend’s throat?”
“Jealous?” Yeah, I’m an ass.
Kendall’s eyes narrow as she slowly shakes her head. “Questioning your motives, actually.”
I cock an eyebrow at her, Tabby quiet between us as she stares at the floor.
“You’ve known Tab for a week,” Kendall explains. “Ten fucking days to be exact, Rey. Makes me wonder why you want her with you, truthfully. Is she just another bed warmer? Another person you can use up and toss aside when the thrill of the tour is over?”
“You’re fucked, woman.” If she’d bothered to do any research on me, looked up anything at all, she’d see that I spend most of my time alone.
“Am I?” The bitch rounds the counter, placing herself possessively beside Tabby.
That shit doesn’t sit right me with one fucking bit.
“If you want me to let her out that door,” Kendall levels, “then you better give me one damn good reason why I should let you have her.”
“Babe,” Tabby whispers to her friend.
“No, Tab. I want to hear it. What’s his fucking reason for coming in here and expecting you to drop everything to jump on his schedule?”
I swallow hard, pissed that she’s put me on the spot like this. I’m full-on when I’m invested in someone. It’s all in or nothing at all, and I kind of wanted to hide that from Tabby for a bit longer before I freaked her out with my intensity.
“If I leave here without her,” I explain, “then there is no tour.”
“Blackmail.” Kendall stares at me, head bobbing with her lips in a firm line. “That’s low, Rey.”
“You didn’t let me finish.” My fists curl at my sides. I seek out Tabby, holding her gaze as I drop the weight of it on her. “If I leave here without you, kitty, there’s no more tour because there’s no more me. I meant it when I said I was done. I need you. I don’t know why, I just know that nothing gives me reason to look forward to tomorrow like you do.”
Kendall slams a hand to her face in my periphery, yet I stay fixed on the only person who matters. Yeah, it sounded cheesy as shit, but it’s also true. I couldn’t get Tabby out of my head from the moment she stormed that theater, and at first it confused me. I mean, why was this literal stranger in my every waking thought? Why did I care whether her concert was ruined or not? What fucks did I have to give where she went, or what she did after she walked out of that auditorium?