“Yep. Brandon texted that he’s on his way. He should be here soon.” Kayla and her boyfriend were meeting us at the club.
I waited while Hailey grabbed her coat and purse, then we headed down in the elevator to the main floor. The easygoing feeling that used to be between us had shifted. Now an odd tension blanketed us. Hailey stood several feet from me in the empty elevator, but that did nothing when it came to her sweet vanilla scent. Even in the stale air, her scent made it impossible to pretend she wasn’t there.
Brandon’s truck was waiting for us outside the building when we stepped out of the lobby. I opened the passenger door and waved for Hailey to get in. But given what she was wearing, it was nearly impossible for her to climb in without flashing her ass. And while I might have appreciated seeing her sweet ass and panties any other time, I didn’t want anyone else to witness the view. Plus, seeing her this way would only make things more difficult for me. I was already in a shitload of trouble as far as Hailey was concerned, and I didn’t need to make things worse.
I gripped her waist with both hands and hoisted her onto the seat. A faint blush swept across her cheeks, and I did my best not to chuckle at her response. Instead, I focused on the way Brandon was checking her out, and I frowned. Hailey’s skirt had hiked up her thighs when she scooted over, leaving only a thin strip of skin covered.
Before I could say something we would all regret, Brandon turned his head to look out the driver’s window. Smart move, douchebag. I wasn’t sure if Brandon knew how I felt about her, but he’d never shown any interest in her before. But who was I kidding? Who wouldn’t be interested in Hailey? She was too sweet and too hot for her own good.
Hailey readjusted her skirt, wiggling it down her thighs as I climbed in next to her. My leg pressed against hers, and I silently lamented wearing jeans, which prevented me from feeling her soft skin.
“Remember, if you see the guy,” I said, “let me know. All right?” Brandon knew the real reason we were going to the club tonight, as did Kayla. While I trusted Brandon to be cool, I wasn’t too thrilled that Kayla knew why we were there. She was just as protective of Hailey as I was. I was worried about what she would do if she saw the asshat. But I didn’t have a choice. As soon as Hailey had told her what we were up to, Kayla insisted—correction, Kayla demanded—we take her with us.
“I will,” Hailey said.
“And don’t for any reason go off on your own. If you want to go somewhere, Brandon or I will go with you.”
Hailey smirked. “And which of you fine gentlemen plans to accompany me to the bathroom?”
“That honor goes to Nolan, thanks.” Brandon’s smirk matched Hailey’s.
“Don’t girls usually travel to the bathroom in packs?” Either way, I’d be waiting outside until she came out.
The nightclub was busy when we arrived, with people milling around outside. The bouncer checked my ID, which said Nolan Kincaid instead of Tyler Erickson, and didn’t give me a second glance. Either he didn’t recognize me or he just didn’t care.
Because I didn’t want to draw an unnecessary crowd, I was wearing my baseball cap. I tugged it low enough so I wasn’t as easy to recognize, unless you were really looking, but not low enough to prevent me from keeping an eye on everyone.
Half pretending to search for Kayla and her boyfriend, Hailey walked around the nightclub, scanning the crowd for the guy. All she could tell me was that he was maybe five foot eleven, medium build, with short brown hair. Which described quite a few guys here.
She surveyed the crowd, the light a mix of bright spotlights flashing in time to the beat and dark shadows. The contrast highlighted some faces while others remained easily hidden. I kept my eyes open for anyone fitting the description and whose gaze was fixated on her. I couldn’t fault guys for checking her out, but there was a big difference between checking her out and studying her every move.
We found Kayla and her boyfriend on the other side of the bar.
“Is he here yet?” she asked Hailey.
Hailey shook her head.
“Do you remember anything from the last time you were here?” I held on to a sliver of hope that being here would trigger a memory for Hailey.
Again she shook her head, and the sliver crumbled away in the perfume-filled air.
“Tyler.” Kayla overemphasized my name, as if to remind herself to use my stage name around anyone who didn’t know who I really was—and that included her boyfriend. I’d been adamant about it. I didn’t know him, which meant I didn’t trust him. “This is my boyfriend, Dylan.”
The guy held out his hand. “Good to meet you, man. I thought Kayla was shitting me when she said she knew you.”
We chatted for a few minutes while I answered a multitude of questions about the band and what it was like touring. Kayla had never mentioned how big a fan he was. She’d only mentioned he liked my music.