by Cindi Madsen
Audrey took the microphone, held it down, and then whispered. “Kiss her already. And don’t be a wuss about it.”
Wes turned to face her, and her pulse hammered through her ears. All these people. Watching them kiss. Don’t think about the weirdness or the fact that we suck at kissing. Just sell it for the audience. And at least he shaved so I won’t get whisker burn this time.
He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers. She was about to pull back, figuring they’d put on a good enough show, when he pulled her flush against him and parted her lips with his. Then she was gripping the sides of his waist, fire blazing a trail from her lips to her core as she kissed him back.
He dipped her slightly, his tongue ran across the top of her lip, and then he eased her back up. She wobbled, grabbing onto his arm to keep from falling over. It was just a result of wearing heels for so long, she told herself. And that kiss was all for show…
But that show had resulted in her tingling lips and the inability to catch her breath. Okay, not quite like last time.
Wes’s eyes were glued to hers. She glanced away, unable to deal with the confusing emotions swirling through her, and took a large step off the stage. People patted her shoulder and congratulated her as she passed.
Kathleen threw her arms around her, enveloping her in a hug so tight she could hardly breathe. “I’m so glad it was you,” she said.
Air. All this open space and there was no air. Her lungs were straining for it and her head was spinning. She smiled the best she could manage and then pushed out of the crowd as fast as she could without running.
The music swelled and conversations rose again. She stumbled over a stone and cursed her shoes. She braced herself against the closest tree and took a couple of deep breaths.
A moment later, she felt a hand on her arm and turned.
“My kiss was that bad, huh?” Wes said it like a joke, but it didn’t carry his usual cocky flare.
He was worried he was a sucky kisser, and right now she thought he was too good of one.
Since she wasn’t sure how to go there without leaving her heart exposed, in too much danger of being crushed, she paved over the statement with, “Your mom’s going to be so hurt when we tell her we broke up.” Dani bit her lip. “I know it’s not fair of me to ask for you to lie to your family forever, but please don’t tell her it was all fake.”
“I’ll tell her that we decided we were better off as friends,” he said. “She’ll be fine.”
Dani gave him a look to show him how much she doubted that.
“Okay, you’re right.” He ran a hand through his hair. “We really didn’t think this through. I should’ve known my mom would fall in love with you. You want to leave? I can make up an excuse.”
“I’m fine. I just needed some air. Not used to the crowd and the attention.” And the kissing. If you’d kissed me like that the first time, I never would’ve been with anyone else.
And suddenly she knew no matter who she met, who she kissed, she’d forever compare them to the kiss he’d given her tonight, after telling everyone he loved her.
Just like she knew, without a doubt, they’d all fall short.
Chapter Ten
Dani leaned against the deck railing and covered a yawn. The bride and groom had driven away in their streamer-covered car and all of the wedding and reception guests were gone. The sun had set a while ago and the night was the perfect temperature.
Days of setup—months of work, really—and an hour after the reception, there was only a beat-up lawn and giant bins full of trash to show for it. No more tables or chairs or decorations, just a couple of strings of twinkling white lights. She tried not to think about it, because it only reminded her that soon she’d be headed back to her real life, this night only a memory.
And that was where the kiss from Wes would be, too. A keepsake of a perfect night where they’d laughed, danced close, and shared one magical moment, even if she was the only one who’d felt the magic.
Wes came over, tie hanging loose and the top few buttons of his shirt undone. His wavy blond hair was slightly disheveled in a completely sexy way. “That took longer than I expected.” He glanced at his watch. “The rest of the band’s probably already setting up, wondering where I am. We’re going to have to rush to get to the show. I don’t think we even have time to change.”
Dani straightened. “This is what I always wear to concerts, anyway. I’m fancy like that.”
“Well, come on then, Miss Fancy Pants.” He put his hand on the small of her back and led her inside. When he passed by the dining room where his mom was sitting with Jill, a mess of centerpieces filling the table, he said, “Dani and I have to go.”
Kathleen got to her feet. “Are you sure? You know, both of you could stay here tonight. I could make up a room for Dani, and you could sleep in the—”
“Thanks, Mom,” Wes said. “But I’ve got a show and it’ll be late.” He glanced at Dani and mouthed, You owe me five bucks.
She didn’t admit it was the second time Kathleen had offered to have her stay. His mom hugged him, then turned to her and enveloped her in a hug, crushing her mother-of-the-bride corsage between them.
“I’m so happy you came, and I’ll be in touch to talk wedding details.” Kathleen dropped her arms but didn’t step away, just stared at her for a beat. “You two are going to have such beautiful children.”
“Mom,” Wes said, a warning in his voice.
“What? No pressure, but I’m just saying eventually—”
“Night, Mom.” Wes nodded at his sister. “Jill. Catch you later.”
They waved and exchanged a few more good-byes before getting out the door. A pang went through Dani when she realized she might be walking away from this house for the last time. A lump even formed in her throat.
Man, what’s with me today?
As an only child who’d lost her father so early in life, she’d always envied people with big families. Even though Steve had two brothers and they’d visited his parents a couple of times, his family had never taken her in and made her feel like part of them. In fact, she always felt temporary—and it turned out she was.
Over the past few days, she’d almost felt like she was part of Wes’s family, and she didn’t want to let it go. She cast one last glance over her shoulder, taking a moment to remember the beautiful stone archway, flowerbeds, and perfectly sculpted shrubs and trees. She held the image of when Wes first walked her inside and there were people everywhere and his niece and nephew ran up to him. Just for a second, she let herself imagine it was all real—that she was engaged to the perfect guy and was about to be married into the family she’d grown to love in such a short amount of time.
Then she took a deep breath, let the image cloud over, and blew it away until only a wisp of the memories and the yearning in her body remained.
Wes opened the car door for her. Her eyes ran across his chest and up to his face. She wanted to run her hand down his cheek again—hell, she wanted to feel his lips against hers again. Earlier he’d promised they’d always have each other, and he obviously meant it as friends. So even if she couldn’t have the rest—his family and his heart—she’d hold on to that.
And hope to God that Sophie would accept her so that it could be true.
…
The streetlights flashed across Dani’s face, lighting it up one moment and leaving it in darkness the next.
Traffic got heavier as they headed out of his parents’ neighborhood. “Sorry about my mom and that whole kids thing.”
Dani ran her fingers along the bottom of the passenger door window. “It’s okay.”
He was tempted to say, For the record, our kids would be beautiful, but he’d obviously freaked her out with that kiss already.
That kiss was… He didn’t even know what to call it. He hadn’t meant to do more than give her a peck, but then his lips were against hers and he’d stopped thinking and just gone for it. It had almost been better when he
didn’t know what it was like to really kiss her.
At least he didn’t remember the drunken kiss. The one tonight was going to be seared into his mind forever. His gaze went to those lips again.
She tensed. “Wes, the light’s red.”
He glanced up and hit the brakes, managing to stop them from barreling into the intersection, but damn that was close.
Dani was holding onto the bar over the door. “I know you’re used to flying in the open air, but when we drive on the roads, there are things like stoplights.”
“Yeah, for the tight-asses who follow rules like that,” he said, attempting a joke even though his stomach had relocated to his throat. The light turned green and he eased through the intersection, hands gripping the steering wheel and eyes fixed on the road. He had to readjust his thinking back to Dani being his friend and nothing more.
A few more minutes and he was pulling up behind the bar. Light spilled out of the back door, and he could see the outline of the guys already unloading the equipment. He parked next to the van, got out, and grabbed his guitar from the trunk. He frowned down at his clothes. “I don’t look very rock and roll.”
Dani pursed her lips as she ran her eyes over him. She ducked inside the car and brought out his aviator shades. “Will it be too dark to play in these?”
“I think I can manage.” He put them on while she undid his tie and slid it off. Then she reached up and tousled his hair, her body bumping against his. He took a deep breath of whatever intoxicating perfume she was wearing, suppressing a groan at the feel of her fingers in his hair.
Her hand slid down, resting on his chest, and he wondered if she could feel his rapid heartbeat. “You look good. With or without the shades.”
He meant to say thanks but his mouth wasn’t working.
“Wes? You coming or what?”
Wes glanced at Rob and Paul, standing by the door. “Yeah. Just having my stylist fix my wardrobe.” He was about to reach for Dani’s hand when he remembered they weren’t pretending to be engaged anymore. He settled for putting his hand on her back and leading her over to the guys.
“You met Paul already, and this is Rob. Rob, Dani.”
Wes didn’t like the way Paul was staring at her, his mouth practically hanging open. “Hi again,” he said.
Wes stepped between her and the guys. “Anything else we need to do to set up?”
“Nah, you got here just in time,” Rob said.
They went to the miniscule back room where the band could lounge—if lounging included sitting on a smoky-smelling couch and a couple of recliners that no longer reclined. He’d always liked the room, though. Something about it got him in the mindset to go onstage and get lost in the music and the energy from the audience, even if there were only fifty or so people in the bar and only half of them were paying attention.
He flipped open his guitar case and took out his Gibson Firebird. He strummed a few chords, then looked up, figuring he’d chat with Dani or try to make her laugh.
Instead, she was talking to Paul. He had her hand in his, and a toxic, burning sensation traveled through Wes’s veins. He took off his sunglasses so he could see better, then sort of wished he hadn’t.
“That’s my ring, you know,” Paul said. “Guess that makes you engaged to me now.” He laughed like it was a hilarious joke, and Dani smiled at him.
“Well, I go wherever the ring takes me. Not because I’m a gold digger or anything; it’s more of a Lord of the Rings thing. This ring gives me powers. Though I’m totally going to lose it when my hair falls out and I start calling it ‘my precious.’”
Paul got a big kick out of that.
The burning sensation spread. Wes tried to calm down—tried to tell himself that in all honesty, he wanted her to find a good guy, and Paul was a good guy.
But he was still happy when he realized it didn’t really matter. Dani was leaving tomorrow, so she and Paul would never work.
Of course, that meant neither would he and Dani.
Someone in Arkansas would be taking her out, making her laugh. Kissing her.
The toxic burn grew with a vengeance.
…
The first few songs were nice and mellow—perfect sit back and have a drink at a bar music. But it gave Dani way too much time to stare at Wes, no fear of him catching her. The way his face scrunched up in concentration when the faster part of the song came. How the muscles in his forearms stood out as he played his guitar.
How a mixture of burning lust and icy fear wound through her, leaving her hot and cold and confused as hell.
Or maybe the problem was that she wasn’t confused. His kiss had made things all too clear. She wanted him to kiss her again.
But then what?
She would go back home. He would get back with his ex. At least one of them would get to be with whom they wanted.
All she had to do was tell him about Sophie.
And she would.
Eventually.
The song ended, and applause went through the crowd. Dani put her fingers in her mouth and whistled, earning her dirty looks from the girls close by.
Wes glanced at her and grinned, so she could care less about the dirty looks. He stepped forward and whispered something to Rob, then took the microphone and looked her way, a mischievous expression on his face.
Her stomach clenched.
Wes’s mischievous grin widened, and she knew she wasn’t going to like what came out of his mouth. “Tonight we have a special guest, and she’s agreed to sing for us.”
Surely he doesn’t mean me. He’d have to be—
“Dani, why don’t you come up onstage?”
She crossed her arms and shook her head.
A spotlight swung toward where she stood, practically blinding her. People cheered, yelling for her to get onstage.
Cursing Wes and definitely not feeling the lust anymore, she strode to the front. Wes reached out a hand and helped her up. She tugged down her skirt as she stared at the audience. The place was half full, but with all eyes on her, it felt like a sold-out arena.
She glared at Wes.
He leaned down, his breath hitting her neck. “I know, I know. You’re going to kill me.” He straightened and lifted the mic. “I’m just giving her a hard time. I wanted you all to see that I’m here with the hottest girl in the room.”
She stared at him, wondering why he was doing this. Yes, he was all about being charming and the center of attention, but calling her the hottest girl in the room? It felt like he was toying with her emotions.
“I won’t make her sing, but I wanted you all to meet her. This girl is one of the coolest people I know. She’s been my best friend since college, and I just…” He took her hand and lowered the mic, leaving them alone in a room full of people. “I don’t know where I’d be without you. I’m going to miss you like crazy.”
The air shifted, too thin and too heavy at the same time. She hugged him tightly, choking back the tears crawling up her throat.
There was only one thing to do now.
Go out on a high note. Literally.
She took the mic from him and his eyebrows shot up. “You boys know ‘My Life Would Suck Without You’ by Kelly Clarkson?” she asked. Of course she knew Wes did, but she wasn’t sure if he’d let his band mates in on his Kelly obsession. Both that and the title made it the perfect pick for her.
Paul and Rob glanced at each other and nodded. Wes gave her one last look—she wasn’t sure if he thought she was crazy or he was worried she was about to send their set crashing and burning. In all honesty, she wasn’t sure, either.
She hadn’t sung for anyone since high school. But she’d practiced plenty, dancing and singing around her apartment when she was alone. Her throat tightened and the blood rushed through her head so fast it made her dizzy.
The music started and she tried not to think about all the people currently staring at her. The first few words came out shaky, with not nearly enough volume, but then she le
t the music take over and belted out the lyrics. Once she felt in control, she moved over to Wes, leaning against him as she sang, like the pop stars did at their concerts.
When the song ended, people cheered, and her Rock Star For a Night dream was fulfilled. She handed the mic back to Wes.
“I guess the joke’s on me,” he said, his words barely discernible through all the cheering. “I didn’t know you could sing.”
She leaned in so that she was pressed against him. “There are a lot of things you don’t know about me,” she said in her most seductive voice.
He looked down at her and swallowed. If they kissed again right now, would it be real? Or would it still be for show?
Did it matter if it destroyed everything?
Wes ran his fingers down her arm and took her hand. Her skin hummed underneath his touch, and she wasn’t sure she was breathing anymore.
“Thanks to Dani for helping out,” Rob said, his loud voice making her jump. “We’ve got time for one more song, and then we’ll leave you guys till next week.”
In other words, Dani get off the stage so we can finish.
She smiled at Wes, though it wasn’t easy to pull off, and jumped from the stage. The sudden heat in the place was stifling. For the second time that night, she needed air. Leaving the swelling noise of the last song behind, she pushed out the front door. The cool breeze drifted across her clammy skin, a welcome change. But it snapped her thoughts into focus, too.
Kissing him again would’ve been a mistake.
Right?
Part of her wanted to stay in Charlotte forever, but another part of her was glad she was leaving tomorrow, because she couldn’t take her yo-yo-ing emotions anymore. She needed to focus on the future. What was real. She had responsibilities. A job with a promotion on the line that could help ease her and her family’s financial burdens. Her life wasn’t here. Not anymore.
Probably not ever again.
If only that thought didn’t give her a choking sense of desperation.
…
Wes packed up his guitar, flipping the case closed with a satisfying click. Paul was still over talking to Dani, like he had been since they’d gotten offstage. He was still praising her singing.
