Page 45 of The Devil's Tattoo
“Shrugging is such a noncommittalgesture.”
“I wanted a noncommittal answer,” I retorted and hauled my hard case out of the room before he could berate me any further. I wasn’t ready for that conversation. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure I everwouldbe.
* * *
For a small town,the gig that night was packed. It was just The Stabs and us, but it was more than enough to keep the locals happy. It was wild, and before long, the room was as hot as a furnace as two hundred sweaty humans jumped around having the time of their lives. Afterward, most of the people stayed behind, raking in a fortune for bigfoot behindthebar.
When he saw me waiting to be served, he pulled a bottle of Bulmers out of the fridge, popped the top off, and gave it to me. “On the house,” he said with a wink. It was nice of him to remember what I had ordered, let alone give me one free. He really must have been swimming in piles of moneytonight.
Before I could turn around and melt back into the crowd, a guy tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Great showtonight.”
I looked him up and down, and he seemed harmless enough. “Thanks.”
He offered his hand. “I’mMatt.”
“Zoe.” I shook it to bepolite.
“I’d offer to buy you a drink, but I see you alreadyhaveone.”
“Sorry.” I shrugged, a littleuncomfortable.
As he started talking to me about something inane, I tried to think of a polite way to discourage him. He seemed to edge closer into my personal space, and I knew he was trying to pick me up.Wasn’t going tohappen.
“Sorry, Matt, but I’m notinterested.”
“Oh, come on.” He reached over and ran a finger down the back ofmyhand.
“Sorry, but I’m—” I began more firmly but was interrupted as a tattooed arm came down on the bar between us. I recognized the panther that crawled down his skinimmediately.Will.
“She said she wasn’t interested, mate.” His voice was strained, and I knew he was epicallypissedoff.
“Will,” I said in his ear. “Dropit.”
He didn’t move, eyeing the guy with a dark look that said he would thump him one if he didn’tgoaway.
Hoping it would snap him out of it, I slid my hand along the waistband of his jeans and grazed my thumb across the bare skin of his back. It had the desired effect all right. Immediately, his hand dropped from the bar, and he stepped backagainstme.
Pulling my hand away, I shoved him hard. Offering the poor guy an apology, my hand fisted into Will’s shirt, and I yanked him outside onto the desertedveranda.
“What the hell?” I hissedathim.
“Zo,” he said, and I could see the apology clear inhiseyes.
I stiffened and gave him a look. For some reason, it was a bit too close for comfort. Him callingmeZo.
“What? We can’t be friends? I can’t look out for you? If not, then what have we beendoing?”
Ishrugged.
“You’re in a successful band,Zo. People are going to want a piece of you. That includes idiots like that guy. They wanna hear what you have to say, and they’re gonna make up stuff that’s not nice, and they will want to feel you up.” Was hedrunk?
“Fuckinghell,Will.”
He let out a tortured moan that scared the hell out of me. “I wanna know you. I’ve tried so hard. Why won’t youletme?”
I should have come back withbecause I’m trying to fight the overwhelming attraction I have for you before it destroys my carefully placed facade, but instead, I came out with, “What about that guy you almost punched? Whatabouthim?”
“He wasbotheringyou.”
