Hooked by Love (Bellevue Bullies #3)

by Toni Aleo

  “Oh, true. You gonna be able to handle it?”

  “Yeah. I’ll figure it out.”

  “Cool,” he says as I look around. More people have shown up, and the place is pretty packed. That excites me. I want this to go well for Avery; I want her to succeed. Leaning back in my chair, my phones dings with a text message.

  Me: I got a job.

  Jude: Good.

  Jayden: Awesome. Where at?

  Leave it to Jayden to want to know where. Jude doesn’t care as long as I have a job.

  Me: The coffee shop. Chase Miller owns it.

  Jude: No shit. Cool.

  Jayden: So you’re a barista?

  Me: Yeah.

  Jayden: Man, are you sure? You have to think a lot when you do that.

  Jude: No shit, and we all know you don’t know how to think without your momma doing it for you.

  Me: Fuck off.

  Rolling my eyes, I turn my phone on silent just as another text comes through.

  Avery: Texting your girlfriend?

  I laugh.

  Me: Stalker.

  Avery: Oh…deflecting. Maybe I pegged you wrong. You are a player?

  Me: Ha, I’m single and ready to mingle.

  Me: But should I be on the lookout for your boyfriend? Don’t want to get into a fight for ogling while you’re onstage.

  “Why did you invite me if you are gonna text her the whole time when she’s behind that wall?” I look up to see Markus looking bored and little frustrated. “No girls are checking me out here.”

  “Aw, do you want a slice of crybaby pie to go along with that whine of yours?”

  When he flips me off, I grin and then my phone vibrates. Looking down, I see another text from Avery.

  Avery: Single also…which means one thing…

  Me: We can hook up as much as we want.

  Avery: Um. Well. Yeah, but I was going with the fact that I answer to no one.

  Me: That too, but the hooking up part is funner.

  Avery: Funner is not a word.

  Me: It is to me.

  Avery: Okay, well you have lots of funner and I’m gonna go put on a show.

  Me: Really? Cause I’m here to see some hot chick perform. Maybe you’ve heard of her.

  Avery: Shh…can’t swoon when I’m about to sing.

  Me: What if I flash you?

  Avery: I will cut you.

  Me: Show you my nipples, or maybe just one.

  Avery: Don’t you dare.

  Me: Can’t stop me.

  Avery: omg…

  Laughing, I look up as she walks out, and her face is bright red, matching her lips. Not meeting my gaze, she picks up her guitar and the shop lights lower as a spotlight comes on only her. Tapping her foot onto something, she starts to play without looking up or even introducing herself. But I guess it doesn’t matter because when she starts singing, everyone is watching.

  I made sure.

  And hell, I’m so impressed. Her voice is so smoky but also so mesmerizing, and her fingers move naturally along the strings of her guitar, the melody matching her voice perfectly. I think I know the song; it’s some stuff that Claire likes by that ginger dude. But I’m thinking Avery could outsing that dude any day of the week. When she starts to bang on the guitar, for drums, I guess, I’m completely imprisoned by her. Then her voice is playing in the background and she is singing, and crap, I feel like I’m spinning, she is so fantastic. Looking at Markus in amazement, I find him rocking out, singing along with her, and I can’t help but smile.

  “She’s crazy good, right?” I say and Markus nods in agreement, moving his fist with each note. He thinks he’s the best dancer since Michael Jackson. I try to tell him he isn’t, but he doesn’t listen. But then, I can’t blame him for getting down. I don’t dance, but she is making me want to.

  When she finishes with flair, I stand up, clapping loudly and hollering.

  Apparently I am the only one who got the memo to do that.

  My clap turns to a slow clap as I lower myself into my chair. Markus is laughing his ass off, and when I look up to Avery, she’s grinning, her cheeks still bright red.

  “All right, then. Pumped-up crowd tonight,” she says soulfully into the mic. “Well, for those who don’t know my name and are not trying to sleep with me, I’m Avery Rose and I’m here to entertain you. So let’s do this.”

  Markus is still laughing, but I don’t care. She’s good! She taps her foot on the ground, and a beat drops and then she is doing this sick-ass cover of “Can’t Feel My Face.” She’s so animated, I mean, fully into the music, and it’s amazing to see. The things she does with the guitar and that thing she keeps hitting with her foot are the tools to her magic, and I’m lucky to be a witness to it.

  When her gaze meets mine, singing the chorus, I feel like she is singing just to me. Soon, my mouth is curving in the most sinful way.

  Because the lyrics are true.

  I can’t go without.

  Without her.

  When she finishes, again with a flair of her own, I, along with the crowd, erupt. She grins as she reaches for a bottle of water, taking a long pull from it. Putting it down, she moves her fingers along the strings as she comes back to the mic.

  “I’m new around these parts,” she says then. “I came all the way from New Jersey to be a part of one of the best music programs in the country, and I’m glad I did.” She pauses as some of the crowd cheers for her. Guess there are a lot of music department folks here, but I don’t notice because all I see is her. “Up north, there isn’t much country, but here, it’s everything. And I think I love it. So let’s change things up, shall we?” Someone in the crowd agrees, but I don’t look to see who it is. “This morning the guy in the front row who is hollering like a madman—” she pauses, sending me a grin, and I let out a whoop that has the crowd laughing “—anyway, he called me June Carter. And because of that, I am inspired to play this.”

  Avery then pushes her guitar behind her, taking ahold of the mic. The guitar looks so huge against her back. Some would look dumb, but she looks right at home. And when she hits the thing on the floor and a beat drops, the crowd is silent. Especially when she starts to rap “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash.

  No shit.

  I’m floored.

  I’ve never been so impressed in my life.

  All because of this small, gorgeous girl.

  Who will be mine.

  She just doesn’t know it yet.

  Why am I nervous?

  I’m never nervous.

  What the hell?

  Why am I even asking myself that? I know why. It starts and ends with Jace Sinclair. He’s sitting in the front row like he belongs there, and he is cheering me on in the most obnoxious way.

  Can I be honest?

  I fucking love it.

  Like hard-core.

  He’s watching me like I’m the only person in the room. Unlike everyone else in the café, he hasn’t looked at his phone, not even once. His gaze has been trained on me, moving his head to the beat and singing along to the songs he knows. It’s amazing and so damn sweet. I know he is here for me. I mean, I knew that before I got here, but I’ve never really had someone who was there for me. To cheer me on. But Jace, he’s that guy tonight, and it makes me feel some kind of way I’m trying to ignore. It’s just so damn hard.

  Especially when he stands at the end of every single one of my songs, hollering my name and clapping loudly. Some girls would think he’s just trying to get laid—and he might be—but I don’t want to think that. I want to think he is being genuine, that he is enjoying my music and me. By the looks of him, I truly believe it. But then, is that me being a naïve girl again? I’m unsure, but I don’t want to ruin this by overthinking it. I want to soak it in and enjoy the attention.

  It’s nice to feel important for once.

  Grinning like a fool, I look down at my loop pedal while I set it for the next song. My playlist for tonight isn’t what I usually play. T
his is only my fourth show, but tonight is different. I’m pretty upbeat, which I guess is good since it’s not typically how I roll. Usually, I sing sad, depressing music, but tonight, I feel good. I feel happy, excited, and I’m sure I owe that all to him.

  The whole day, he’s been a constant presence. Texting and calling me at every turn. I’ve never had someone come at me like he is. It’s kind of intimidating—but in a good way, if that makes sense. I don’t know. It’s never been like this with anyone I’ve dated or slept with. Well, I only dated Caleb and slept with a couple other guys, so I really don’t have a good basis for how this should go. But it just seems different. It’s crazy and I know I need to calm down, but it’s hard to when I look up and my eyes are pulled to him instantly.

  “Let’s slow it down,” I say then.

  I smile when I’m met with a suggestive “Yeah” from my front-row fan. I look at the next song, fully expecting to play it. Then, I have no clue why, but my fingers are playing a different song. A song I hadn’t planned on playing. I had wanted to play a cover of Taylor Swift, but that’s not what I’m doing. Still holding his gaze, I smile when he realizes what I’m playing. When I start to sing, the color of his eyes darkens, and it takes everything in me to remember the lyrics I wrote.

  The lyrics to his song.

  The song I have yet to admit is his, but I know the truth.

  So does he.

  Unable to tear my gaze from him, I play the song from my heart. The same place the song was written from. I love it. It’s probably my favorite song I’ve ever written and not just because it’s a lyrically great song but because of who it’s about. I’ll forever have this song as a reminder of him. Of the way he felt against me and beneath me. Nothing or no one can tear our night away from me because I have it in these lyrics. It’s special.

  When I finish the song, the crowd erupts and I’m blown away by that. “Wow, thank you. I wrote that this morning. Still fine-tuning it.”

  “It’s perfect,” Jace calls out to me as he claps loudly.

  Grinning, I look away bashfully. He’s really making it hard to do this without turning into a puddle of goo.

  “Well, thank you very much,” I say roughly into the mic which I notice makes him squirm in his seat. Good. I like that he’s squirming since I’ve been squirming all damn day.

  Looking down, I see that I only have time for one more song. It’s insane how quickly my time goes up here. What’s more insane is that a hell of a lot more people are here tonight. Makes me feel really awesome. Like I’m actually succeeding here. Back home, no one ever took the time to listen to me. But here…here, it seems like I have the attention of everyone. I look out into the crowd, and I smile as Jace’s applause comes to an end and he lowers himself back into his chair.

  “This is my last song—”

  “What? Seriously?” Jace exclaims, and I have to hold back my laughter as Markus smacks him.

  “Dude, shut up.”

  “Much to his dismay, this is my last song, and I want to thank everyone for taking the time to listen. I have some flyers up here, so if you have time, come get one and check me out. Follow me and all that stuff—”

  Before I can finish, though, Jace is up, reaching for the flyers I had made yesterday. Apparently not noticing that I’m looking at him like he is crazy, he begins to pass out flyers to everyone in the coffee shop. Even the people who work here.

  “Okay, wow,” I say and Markus laughs, shaking his head as Jace goes to each person. “All right, so thanks again, and I hope you enjoyed my show. I know I have. I thank you and this is my cover of ‘Coffee’ by Miguel.”

  I hear some cheer but not loudly. Not like Jace, who is still passing out flyers while fist-pumping to the beat I just hit. I love my loop pedal; this thing is awesome and it really does help make my music a thousand times better. Catching the beat, I start to play, and when I begin to sing, I look up, seeing everyone watching me, moving their heads to the beat and singing along. They seem to love what I’m doing, and I swear, I live for this. Yeah, it’s just a coffee shop on campus, but these people are my peers and they dig me. That’s freaking amazing.

  But then my eyes are drawn to his, and I find that he’s standing in the back, his hands in his pockets, free of flyers, with a huge grin on his face. Looking so damn beautiful and big, I have to close my eyes to remember the next verse.

  But I feel free.

  So damn free.

  I don’t know how this happened, how this dude just came barreling into my life like an angry defenseman and took over my heart in one day. One fucking day. Yes, I just used a hockey comparison, but really, he did! It’s mind-blowing and scary as hell. I’m unsure what is going to happen. I mean, it could all go to hell after we actually get to know each other. He could not like me as a person but like sex with me. To be honest, that could easily be the case, and I need to be ready for that.

  But that’s hard to think when I open my eyes, and again, they are locked with his. He looks at me like we’ve known each other for years and we are finally realizing we want more. But what the hell is more? Why am I even considering that? That’s the last thing I need or want. I can’t end up like I did last time. I have to take this slow. I have to think it through.

  It’s just…it’s hard when all I want to do is do what I’m singing.

  Wake up next to him and drink some coffee.

  When I finish the set, Jace loses his crap, and everyone joins in, clapping and whistling for me. Pushing my guitar behind me, I feel my face burn as his cheers get louder. I grin, waving before thanking the crowd one more time. The spotlight goes off and the lights turn up. As I bend down to put my guitar in its case, someone says, “Really great set, Avery. Do you have some of your stuff on iTunes?”

  Looking up, I see it’s one of the girls in my music theory class. “Hey! Thanks. No, not yet.”

  “You should for real put them up. I’d buy ’em.”

  When a few people behind her nod, I smile. “Yeah, I’ll do that.”

  “When’s your next show?”

  Standing up, I run my hands down my thighs. “Not sure yet, gotta talk to Chase. I’ll post it on Facebook.”

  “Awesome. Thanks.”

  I smile as I wave to them, thanking them again, and then I go back to cleaning up.

  “Put me to work, rock star. Let me be your roadie.”

  Man, his voice gives me the chills. I look up, and his grin hits me straight in the gut as I shake my head. “Are you qualified?”

  He shrugs. “I take direction well.”

  I give him a smile that he returns with a suggestive wag of his brows and I’m laughing, shaking my head. “You were positively obnoxious.”

  He feigns surprise. “Who, me?”

  “Yes, you!” I stand up and smack his arm. “You almost made me forget what I was singing.”

  He winks. “That was my plan. I should have flashed you, but my pants are kinda tight.”

  Dissolving into laughter, I shake my head in disbelief as I point to my loop pedal. “Can you pack that up?” I ask around my laughs.

  But his eyes stay locked with mine. “First, let me mess that lipstick up.”

  My brows rise. “I might if you do a good job.”

  His eyes narrow as I bend down to get a cord to wrap up. “Fine,” he says and then he walks past me, his eyes dancing with mischief. When his hand slides down my ass and between my legs, I squeal, jumping about a foot away from him while he just laughs.

  Gasping, I say, “Jace Sinclair!”

  “What? What did I do?” he asks innocently as he picks up my pedal and puts it in my backpack. “What is this thing?”

  My heart is basically in my throat as I shake my head. “I can record and save beats on it.”

  “Cool.”

  “Hey, Avery.”

  Looking to where my name is being called, I see Todd coming toward me and up the stairs. He performed before me tonight. We have a bunch of the same classes, and he’s
a cool dude, I guess. “Hey, Todd. I thought you left.”

  “Nope, stayed for your set. Great job.”

  “Thanks.”

  “We should work on some stuff together, merge our sets together. It would be awesome.”

  “For sure.” He does have a great voice and I could definitely grow from working with him.

  “So you wanna go out tonight? Drink it up?”

  I feel Jace’s gaze on me; it’s like he is staring a hole in the side of my head and I know why. His comment from earlier about me being his girl still has the hairs on my arms standing at attention. Apparently, he wasn’t joking around. Not that I thought he was anyway. He doesn’t seem like one of those guys who just says stuff. He usually means it. I have no intention of blowing him off, though, but I’m not blowing off this opportunity either. “I actually have plans tonight. So, let me get with him, and then I can see you later.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know you had a boyfriend,” he says and I quirk my brow.

  “I don’t,” I say even though Jace is still staring at me. I mean, he isn’t my boyfriend, so I don’t know why I feel awkward for saying that. It’s the truth. I don’t even want a boyfriend.

  Right?

  “Oh. Cool.”

  “Yeah, see ya, Todd.” I wave as he walks away before I go back to packing up.

  “So I have competition? Cool.”

  Glancing over at Jace, my lips curve. “What in the hell are you talking about?”

  His eyes are playful. “Your fan there, he clearly wants you.”

  Laughing, I roll my eyes. “Please, be real.”

  “One hundred percent real, right here.”

  “Whatever.” I wave him off before I stand.

  “Don’t believe me, it’s cool. But I’m not backing down to that dude.”

  Narrowing my eyes, I shake my head. “You have nothing to worry about.” He eyes me suspiciously and I roll my eyes again.

  “But I’m not your boyfriend,” he supplies, his eyes burning into mine and I nod.