True to form, he’s not looking at the people around him at all, leaving me wide open to gawk at him from our table here in the corner.
The female singer has mile-long legs in skin-tight leather pants and an equally tight red T-shirt stretched across her chest, cut to show off her pierced belly button. She’s gorgeous, strutting around on the tiny stage like a born rock star and shaking her waist-length white-blond hair. Skimming her hand up and down his arms and gyrating her hips against him as she belts out a popular Concrete Blonde song, she’s making a show of flirting with Evan, and it’s got me all in a jealous tizzy.
There’s a lot of arm touching going on in this room, and I wonder if that’s the universal I’m totally into you gesture.
“Piper? Are you listening to me?” Ditra grabs my hand, and I drop the French fry I was holding.
“Huh?” I tear my eyes away from the stage.
“You just completely spaced out on me.”
Phil leans into my shoulder and almost spills his beer in my lap. “She was overcome by how awesome I am. It happens a lot,” he jokes.
“Yeah, I’m sure that was it,” Ditra says, rolling her eyes.
“I was just checking out the band,” I say nonchalantly. “They’re really good.”
“They play here a lot,” Mitch informs us. “I’m friends with one of the bartenders who works weekends. He says that singer brings in a lot of customers. She’s hot as hell.”
Ditra glares daggers at him. “Not exactly the best thing to say right in front of me if you’re trying to get some of this.”
Shaking my head, I take a potato skin from the platter and place it on my plate. I can’t believe my best friend just referred to herself as some of this.
Mitch laughs and drapes his arm around her. “I can check her out and still have you, babe.”
She plays coy. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
It takes every ounce of will power I have, but I refuse to let myself look back at the stage for the next two hours. I had no idea Evan also played in local bars with a band. It’s quite possible he plays at a different bar every night of the week and in the park during the day. I’m ashamed of myself for knowing nothing about a man who had several inches of his body buried in mine and who also has been consuming my thoughts for weeks.
When the music stops Evan’s deep voice and laugh drift from the stage, audible even in the crowded room. I finally give in and look over to see the singer standing close to him, talking and laughing with him. A niggle of jealousy gnaws at me, and I wonder if he’s had his hands and his tongue piercing all over her, too. I wouldn’t blame him if he did because she’s beautiful and talented. And tall. She’s like a skyscraper compared to me.
As if he can feel me watching him, he suddenly looks away from her and searches the room until his eyes lock with mine. There’s a flash of surprise on his face, then a quick glance to Phil sitting next to me, before that sexy smirk of his makes an appearance. I quickly turn back to the table and take a gulp of my iced tea, smiling randomly at Mitch, Phil, and Ditra, who’s frowning at me with suspicion.
Within seconds, he’s standing next to me, wedging himself between Phil and me, and I’m afraid I suddenly have the words I totally screwed this guy stamped across my forehead. My mouth opens, but no words come out because, suddenly, his lips are on mine.
“Hey, babe,” he says casually after the kiss. “I didn’t know you’d be here tonight.”
Even a quick kiss from him brings on the dizzy and giddy feelings.
“Same here.”
The amusement in his eyes makes it all too obvious he’s enjoying my surprise and awkwardness. “I’m just here with some friends,” I say.
He turns his attention to the rest of the table, giving them a friendly nod. “Hey. I’m Blue, Piper’s boyfriend.”
Ditra’s eyes bug out. “Her boyfriend?” she repeats. “Since when?”
“It’s new,” I answer before he can spout anything else. “I didn’t really get a chance to tell you yet. It happened kind of fast.”
Fast and hard. Under a bridge.
“Apparently so. And you’re in the band?”
“No, I just play guitar with them if their usual guy can’t make it.”
I grab a chicken finger off the platter and offer it to him. “Have some chicken.”
Ditra can’t take her eyes off of him, which I’m starting to see is an effect he routinely has on women. “Do you want to join us?” she asks. “We can drag over a chair.”
He chews the piece of chicken I gave him and swallows before shaking his head. “I’d love to, but my dog is out back, so I need to get going.”
“Do you need a ride?” I ask. “Or did you come with friends?” I’m pretty sure he and Acorn walked here, but I don’t want my friends to know that.
“Yeah, I came with the drummer.”
Lies.
“I can give you a ride home,” I offer. “If you want.”
He reaches for my hand under the table and pulls it into his. “That’d be cool, if your friends don’t mind letting you go.”
“They don’t mind,” I reply, not giving Ditra a chance to say otherwise. I’m sure I’ll get an earful from her tomorrow, but for now, I’m much more interested in spending time with Evan than I am in sitting here next to a guy I have absolutely no interest in while Ditra and Mitch get drunk enough to have sex with each other.
Evan leans closer to me. “I just have to grab my stuff off the stage. I’ll meet you in the parking lot?”
I nod and place my linen napkin on the table. “Sounds good.”
Ditra pounces on me as soon as Evan is out of earshot. “Piper? What the hell? Why didn’t you tell me you were dating someone? Especially someone as smokin’ as him?”
“We only just started seeing each other.” I can’t believe Evan came over here and proclaimed himself my boyfriend without any thought of how it would make me look in front of my friends. What if I was on an actual date with Phil?
Ditra is still all over me from across the table, twirling her straw violently in her drink. “Is this why you’ve been so out of touch lately? Because you’ve got some majorly hot guy?”
“He looks like a dirt bag,” Mitch comments, tipping his stool back on two legs.
“Excuse me?” I practically snarl. “You don’t even fucking know him.”
Ditra’s jaw drops. “Ooh, wow. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Piper tell someone off before,” she says, smacking Mitch’s shoulder before she turns back to me. “You must really like this guy if he’s making you all savage over him.”
I jump down from the stool and grab my purse. “I’m not savage. I just don’t like judgmental people.” I pull twenty-five dollars out of my wallet and place it between the salt and pepper shakers on the table to cover my portion of the bill, then walk around the table to give Ditra a quick hug goodbye. “You’re not mad I’m leaving, are you?”
“Of course not. I’d leave with him in a heartbeat. But you better call me tomorrow and tell me all about this guy. And no holding anything back. I’ll be waiting.”
I pull from her embrace to smile at her. “I will. Have fun tonight, but be careful.”
Unlike me, who now makes it a habit of going off with random strangers.
“It was nice meeting you both,” I say to Mitch and Phil, and then I’m heading for the door, my heart beating erratically with nerves and excitement.