Page 15 of Midnight Dissonance

Because he didn’t sodding do commitment. He’d tried it once and been burned to a bloody crisp in the offing. It was an experience that didn’t bear repeating.

But that didn’t mean he didn’t want her. Because feckin’ shite, he wanted her. That kiss had ignited a craving in him. And now he had all manner of wicked fantasies he wanted to enact on her curvaceous form.

By the time Lexi and her band, The Celestials, hit the stage, he had convinced himself he hadn’t felt the Ryan click.

Yet he wasn’t prepared to watch her rocking out up on stage. The woman was a natural, like she had been born to it. She had this electrifying presence on stage. It was one he recognized. Because it was an innate quality that meant the difference between someone who was a singer and someone who was a superstar. Or at least someone who was bound for superstardom because they dominated the stage. Her energy spilled over into the crowd as much as the music did.

Josh barely sipped his beer. Far too entranced by the vision she created on stage to do more than stare damn near slack-jawed. She was beyond talented with the voice of a bloody angel. And he wasn’t the only one. Every man in the club, and a few of the women too, were all imagining what it would be like to be with her as she commanded their attention.

He had a million questions for her. Starting with why she was playing in such a dump. She should be playing in better clubs. They should be playing sold-out stadiums. Her voice should be crooning through his stereo and on the radio.

He whipped his phone out and texted Gabe.

Josh: I need you to hire Lexi’s band to play at Eternal Eros.

Gabe: She’s banned from the club for a month. Well, three weeks now. Or do you not remember?

Josh: I remember. But will you?

Gabe: Sophia is in charge of all club events.

Josh: Ask her as a favor to me. Her band The Celestials is damn good. And they would be a crowd pleaser.

Gabe: Why the change of heart?

How to answer and not sound like a total wanker. He considered his response before he typed it.

Josh: Because her band is playing at the Jukebox. And while she might have offended me, I don’t want anything bad to happen to her. And the manager here is a douchebag. He had her cornered against the wall and would have done something to her if I hadn’t come along.

Gabe: I see your point. I’ll talk to Sophia and have her contact Lexi to set it up. Wait, you’re there? At the Jukebox? And you’re watching Lexi’s band?

Shite! He stepped right into that one, hadn’t he? His cousin would never let him hear the end of it. And he wasn’t in the position to go into it tonight. Not with what happened with the whole click deal.

Josh: My battery is almost dead. Talk later.

He lied. And then switched his phone off. He didn’t want to answer his cousin. Mainly because the bloody bastard was damn near always right. And he liked to meddle in people’s lives. Especially when it came to the family.

He would deny it, of course.

But Josh couldn’t answer the question of why he decided to come here. Especially when Lexi was right. He wasn’t her boyfriend or her Dom. He had no reason to look out for her.

Except, after witnessing the way the owner of this joint manhandled her, now he had every reason. They might not be a couple. But he wouldn’t allow her to be harmed by that fecker—or anyone, for that matter.

It’s why he stayed through the end of their set. And it’s why he stayed until they broke down their equipment and the bartenders announced last call.

And it’s why he found himself in the hall by the band entrance, waiting for her to emerge from what served as the dressing room in this hovel.

“What are you still doing here?”

“Driving you home.”

“What? No. I have a ride.”

Visions of her with the club owner swam in his mind, and her protest fell on deaf ears. “You’re riding with me. Don’t argue. I’m not above tossing you over my shoulder and carrying you to my car. In a neighborhood like this, no one will say boo about it.”

Lexi grimaced as she studied him warily before she rolled her eyes, clearly exasperated. But she also didn’t fight him. She called to someone named Cliff in the room she’d just exited and shouted that she had a ride home.

She held her guitar case. He reached for it, but she clutched it against her chest defensively. He lifted his hands, trying to impart he meant her and her guitar no harm. But he wouldn’t fight her over the guitar, not when she acted like it was her baby. With good reason, because she was a phenomenal player.

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