Page 40 of Chasing After You
“So, House of Rock, two years ago.”
“Wait, House of Rock, as in the same House of Rock where Knox and I met?” Kenley’s eyes widen, both intrigued and delighted.
“One and the same,” Jason confirms.
“Huh. And it’s how Arizona met Winston. It’s like that place is lucky for love or something.”
Knox eyes her, grinning. “Cooking up some new story for a romance novel over there?”
She shrugs, trying to look coy. “Maybe.” Then she points at Jason. “Let’s see what sort of material I’m working with first.”
“As I was saying,” Jason chuckles, getting back to his story, “we’d just finished unloading and setting up the stage. Everything was all ready for soundcheck. At least, for me and Cass. Knox was still fussing with his guitars. Light guys were still running around, and obviously, Matti wasn’t out there yet, though I don’t know what he was doing.” He waves his hand like it doesn’t matter one way or the other. “Anyway, Cass and I had been doing this dance for months, like we both knew things had shifted between us. For the first time in all the years we’d known each other, we were finally both single at the same time, but neither one of us had the balls to make a move.”
Cass scoffs. Then rolls her eyes, as if conceding to his assessment of their shared cowardice.
“So, there we were,” Jason goes on, gaze locking in on his woman, the same fervent look in his eyes he always gets when they’re cast on her. Provided they’re not in the middle of shouting at each other. Though even that doesn’t always stop him. “She was wearing this sexy leather corset in electric blue with tight black jeans and those crazy stilettos no one should be able to walk in let alone play the drums in, and I had that moment, you know,” he turns away from her to face me andKnox, “where you realize you’re going to lose your mind if you don’t make a fucking move and make her yours?”
Knox smiles slyly, arm stretching out behind Kenley as she turns to meet his gaze. “I’m familiar.”
Her face flushes red in an instant.
“I’m pretty sure I have a memory of such a moment,” I agree.
“Well, that’s where I was that night.” Jason goes back to staring at Cass. Her cheeks are filled with the same shade of pink Kenley’s still wearing on her face, and I can’t help wondering if this conversation would have triggered the same reaction in Ness. Would it still make her blush, knowing I wanted her this way, this intensely, right from the start? That I still do now?
“I was all set to drag her off into some private corner and just lay it all out, totally confess my feelings and take a chance, but then – ” he holds up his finger, “Cass came sauntering over to where I was standing by the stage, busy trying to work up my nerve. And she said, ‘I think something bit me on the mouth. Do my lips look swollen to you?’”
“What?” I gape at Cass, shaking my head.
Meanwhile, Knox is working up to a roar with his laughter.
Jason just finishes his tale, every bit as smug as he started it. “And that’s when I took her hand and ran to the first place with a door I could find – in this case, the beer cooler - and kissed her.”
“What is wrong with you guys?” Cass demands, clearly appalled by our reactions. “I thought a freaking spider bit me and his reaction was to drag me off into an ice box to cram his tongue down my throat. I don’t know why you’re all acting like I somehow initiated that!”
“Because you totally did!” Knox says, still laughing at her.
“No, I didn’t!” she insists, cheeks turning crimson now, burning through the soft blush they were before.
“Yes, you did,” I counter back. “And you stole Nessa’s line to do it.” I chuckle, still caught off guard hearing she used thatline. “That’s exactly how Ness coaxed me into kissing her when we were teenagers. First, she claimed something bit her mouth, then she wanted me to check it out for swelling. Next, she asked me to touch it to see if it felt puffy or hot. And, well, I think we all know where things went from there.”
Cass crosses her arms. Her nose twitches. Her mouth presses together tightly. “I didn’t realize you all knew that story.”
“It’smystory!” I laugh.
“I forgot where I heard it, okay? But fine,” she sighs, surrendering at last. She even smiles again by the time she’s looking at Jason. “I made a move on you first.”
He reaches across the table to take her hand. “Trust me, you only beat me to it by a minute or two.”
Talk of minutes draws my eyes to the time. “Oh, shit.” I scramble up from my chair to get away from the table. “I signed up for some introductory barn orientation thing. Vale texted me last night to tell me they were all going this morning and to get my name on the list.” I look around the table. “I reserved three spots in case anyone else is interested?”
NESSA
“Everyone ready to head out?” Vale calls into the kitchen where most of us are still sucking down breakfast in some form or another.
“Just about.” I tap the side of the coffee maker as if that will somehow make it brew faster. I was late getting to it this morning and missed my chance at the first pot.
“Is that the only cup you’re going to use now? Like, the whole time we’re here. Every time you have coffee?” Roni remarks snidely from the fridge where she’s busy putting away the last of the bagel toppings she spread out on the table as her contribution to breakfast this morning.
