No, no he wasn’t, but there was more. I couldn’t tell her what he made me do. I wanted to, but she would’ve blamed herself about that, too. “He wasn’t a good man, was he?”

“No. No, he wasn’t.” She pulled her hand free to tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear. Lingering there, she patted my cheek. “You and Braden both got his stubbornness and his love of music. He used to manage a band, did you know that?”

I shook my head. “I didn’t.”

“He did. With Luke’s dad. They were best friends.”

The next question should’ve been what happened next. A normal child would’ve had more questions about the father who abandoned her, but not me. I knew what happened next. I was a part of it, and Emerson was right. I had to tell Luke. He had to know. It was time. With the decision made, I headed for Rowdy’s later that evening. I felt like puking the whole night, but it needed to be done.

After our gig, Braden cornered me when I was coming out of the bathroom and informed me that Luke wanted to talk after we played.

I couldn’t stall anymore, but when I went back to find him, Luke was talking to a woman. She was tall, over six feet with blonde hair styled to cascade down her back. Her hair must’ve cost a couple hundred to get that sultry and sophisticated look perfect. With a small pout on her lips, she tilted her head to the side and gestured outside. Her hand rested on Luke’s arm, and I expected him to brush her off.

He didn’t.

Instead, a man came through the crowd and joined them. He looked like the Ken to her Barbie. Seconds later, all three of them went outside together.

“Look at that,” Emerson murmured into my ear, coming from behind me.

I gritted my teeth, letting my war-mask slip into place. “What do you want, Emerson?”

He was looking at where they had gone. “Don’t take it personal. He was bound to move on from you. It was only a matter of time, and that woman,” he wolf whistled, “is an upgrade. I’d do her, too.”

“She had a date.”

“Bri. Come on.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Can we say swinger?”

“Get out of here. Luke’s not a swinger.”

He laughed, but there was a bite to it. “I’m kidding. I bet that guy was her brother. Didn’t you see how they looked alike? Don’t you have Twin Radar?”

“Now, you’re pissing me off.” I started to edge around him. Kelly was waving for help behind the bar. “I don’t have Twin Radar, but I do have Bullshit Radar. Whatever you’re doing, just stop. It makes you look like the bad guy.”

He followed right behind me. A soft, taunting laugh teased in my ear. “Now, you really need to wake up. I am the bad guy. I’m always the bad guy.”

A large group planted themselves in front of the bar. I went around them and looked back over my shoulder. Emerson was disappearing out the door. Maybe he was right, and that couple was twins.

“Bri!” Kelly was waving again.

Either way, I couldn’t go and find out. I shoved through the last of the group and slipped behind the bar. I tried to keep an eye out for him, but the crowd was too large. We were busy all the way until closing and even an hour afterward. When I entered Luke’s house, I saw him sitting on the couch in the living room, hunched over his guitar. A half-empty bottle of bourbon was on the floor next to his feet, and he had sheet music spread all over the coffee table. Shirtless, his guitar in his lap, and his hair sticking up like he’d been running his hand through it the entire night, I almost forgot why I was there. A vision of myself straddling him flashed in my mind.

I pulled at my shirt. The room got hot all of a sudden.

His words stopped everything. “Did you come down here to tell me what Emerson was talking about?”

Ice went through my veins. “I want to.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Who was that woman you left the bar with earlier?”

A corner of his mouth lifted. “That’s not an answer either.”

“How about…” I took the guitar from him and placed it onto the floor. He leaned back in his chair, his hands coming to rest on my hips. I felt them grasp my sides and closed my eyes, feeling his fingers graze my skin. Bending forward to rest my forehead to his, I murmured, “We enjoy tonight.”

One night. Then the truth. I needed him.

“Tonight.” His hand skimmed down my leg. His pulled me onto his lap, and my legs parted, already knowing I would feel him soon. My arms around him felt heavy, like I had melted, and I shivered, feeling my body come alive as he traced a finger up my spine. His hands snaked inside my jeans after he undid the button, pulling me closer.

I gasped, but pressed down. No more thoughts. Just the feel of us.

He was right there. I rocked against him, feeling him harden and grow under me. Shit. I couldn’t get enough of him. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to my chest. My heart skipped a beat. I was nervous and giddy at the same time, my stomach fluttering. I was addicted. His touch enthralled me. I kissed the side of his face, moving in a slow line closer and closer to his lips. I felt his heart race as I lingered at the corner of his mouth. I was enjoying the power I had over him. I licked his bottom lip—just a dab. He tugged me tighter to him, and a low growl formed in the base of his throat.

Luke stood, carrying me with him as his lips fused with mine. I sighed at the feel of them. Home. I didn’t register that we were in the bedroom until I felt the covers beneath me. I gasped as his tongue slipped inside. He tasted me while his demanding fingers ran the length of my back and lifted my shirt in the next instant. I was heated, needing more of his touch. As soon as my shirt was gone, my breasts were crushed against his chest. His jeans were a rough barrier between my legs, and I shoved at them. I wanted him inside me.