Page 12 of The Devil's Tattoo
Will Strickland stood right next to me, and it was his arm jammed next to mine in the tight space. The sudden awareness of my reignited crush tingled down my bare arm, and I jerked away like I’d beenshocked.
He turned at the abrupt movement, and his gaze met mine. It was too dark to see the color of his eyes, but I was stuck all the same. Up close, he was even more fuckable than he was on stage. His hair, his tattoos, his stubble…just his presence had me trapped in his badboyweb.
I stared at him for what felt like an age, and a sly grin began to pull at his lips—a grin that said he was the wolf who’d caught the lambunawares.
“Hey,” he said, making my insides squirm and juice up with that one little word. His voice was husky and deep, and I wanted tohearmore.
“Hey,” I said, almost choking when Dee grabbed my arm and yankedmeaway.
“Not on my watch,” he said, glaring backatWill.
“What the hell are you doing?” I was almost shouting at him, devastated he’d broken thespell.
Dee pouted.He actually pouted. “He’s not rightforyou.”
“Who died and made youmydad?”
“Zoe.” He ran a hand over his face. “I just got you back. A guy like that will just use you and chuck you back just as broken as before. I can’t see you like thatagain.”
“You’re the one who worked so hard to get me to move on,” I said and gestured around us. “And look where we are. Hewantedto talk to me.” And before, he wouldn’t have. He didn’t want to approach me at the gig…but nowhedid.
“Yeah, I want you to move on, but not to anotheridiot.”
I knew Dee’s heart was in the right place, but I couldn’t say I wasn’t annoyed. I knewexactlywho Will Strickland was. How could I forget with Dee around toremindme?
“Who said I wanted to fuck him?”Ispat.
“I know dudes, Zo, and he had the ‘I wanna fuck that’ look onhisface.”
I sighed sharply and glanced back at the bar, but there was no sign of Will. I guess my chance had flown right out of thewindownow.
“Okay,” I said just to appease him so I could go on crushing on Will Strickland in secret where he was harmless, and his dick was safely in his pants where it couldn’t go and break my heart. “From now on, I’ll let you screen all my dates.If I actuallygetone.”
He knew I was having him on, and his face softened. “I expect a resume,youknow.”
I couldn’t help laughing, and I shook my head. Chris appeared beside us then and had a girl trailing behind him. She was quite pretty. Blonde, friendly face, and dressed in black jeans, boots, and a fitted Ramones T-shirt.
“This is my friend Simone,” Chris said, nodding atthegirl.
“Hi.” She held out her hand, and I shook it with a small smile before she moved on to shake Dee’s hand. “You were great upthere.”
“Thanks,” I said with ashrug.
“Wanna get a drink?” sheaskedme.
I glanced at Dee, and he nudged me with his shoulder. “Um,sure.”
Simone and I moved toward the bar, and I couldn’t help but warm to her when she linked her arm through mine like we were already best buddies. She smiled at the bartender, and she was pretty enough that he let it slide when she jumped thequeue.
She handed me a bottled cider a moment later with a grin. “I noticed you had one onstage.”
Wow. “Thanks. So what do you do?” I asked, attempting some sort ofconversation.
“I study Music Management at Victoria University,” she replied. “I have no musical talent, not like you. I wish, though. I want to manage a band or a venue one day. I reckon it’d be the bestjobever.”
“Oh, that’s cool.” She seemed outgoing enough to be able to do it, and I wondered if that was why she was hanging out with me and buying me drinks. We’d played one gig, and she wanted to be my friend. Or perhaps she just wanted to get to know me. I had to get over my ownhang-ups.
“Hey,” she exclaimed. “Has anyone ever told you that you look like Alison Mosshart? You know, the lead singer from TheKills?”
I blinked hard in surprise. I think I liked this girlalready.
