Page 27 of Reckless
“Oh yeah? That’s really nice.” Nice?
He grinned. “I have ulterior motives, I’ll admit. I wouldn’t mind touring with a group from my hometown.”
“Really.”
“You sound shocked.”
I shook my head. “I guess I thought you wanted as little to do with New Hope as possible.” He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. The silence stretched on for a minute. “If you’re lucky, the band might recognize you and ask you to sing with them,” I said to fill the awkwardness.
His eyebrows shot up. “Nowaymy first show for you is going to be here. I can set that up, for you to see the band play.”
The offer struck me like a punch. I hadn’t ever seen him play live on a big stage, or with his present band. For someone who used to be my entire world, that wasn’t right, even if we were no longer together romantically. I should’ve gone to a concert of his at least, just to support him. He was once very important to me. I didn’t even know how I’d allowed myself to totally push that down into oblivion when five minutes sitting across from him brought it back in full bloom.
I forced my lips to curl into a smile, relaxing into his company. “I’m sorry that I’ve never come. I should have.”
His eyes searched mine, and he said in a low voice, “It’s okay. I’m sorry too, that I didn’t come stand by you that day. I should have. Instead, I sat in the back, played it lowkey. What an ass I was.”
“Yeah, the worst.” It was a game we used to play, calling each other the exact opposite of what we meant. We’d never said the L word, it had seemed too serious, too grown up.
“I still hate you,” he said.
My heart pulsed, the opposite words making my eyes fill. His dazzling grin struck a chord deep inside, rendering me speechless for a couple of seconds. I remained silent, staring up at him, probably the way his adoring fans did. I used to spend every moment of my life with this man, knew him like I knew myself. He was telling me he was still in love with me. A bubbly, fizzy feeling traveled all the way from my chest to my toes.
I have no chance of surviving this.
Before I could think of a response other thanI hate you too, Gage lit the candle that was on our table and announced he was going to get us drinks. The scent of warm all-American cherry pie burned my nostrils, a welcoming smell that I inhaled deeply.
The table sat near the window, the glow of the sunset streaming in, but instead of admiring the outside view, I watched him. Gage leaned over the bar, immediately grabbing the attention of the woman working. He’d always possessed an intense charisma. Even back in high school, it had seemed a no-brainer that he could one day be super famous, he just had thatitfactor, the thing that drew people to him. He filled a room just by standing in it, never needing to try to create a buzz.
That buzz consumed me too. It ran deep, shooting through my veins and straight to my panties. I crossed my legs to tame my pulsing desire for him.
It didn’t work.
I’d experienced it at the hospital, but now, in this more relaxed environment, I couldn’t stop the cravings from racing free.
Everything we once shared flooded me, blending with this newness. His hair was longer, shaggier to fit with his rock star image. His shoulders were broader too, he obviously spent a lot of time working out. I wondered what it’d be like to run my hands over those muscular shoulders, to slowly slide them down his arms, grazing my fingers across what must be a rock-hard torso. The image left me breathless, wild. It made me feel reckless. Made my pulse race.
A wild shriek jolted me out of my Gage-induced trance. For a moment I thought I’d orgasmed, maybe even screamed it out loud.
Jealousy nearly knocked me over when I realized a group of girls who’d tried to disguise their young age with short dresses and too much makeup were plastered to Gage’s side.
“Oh, my god!” wailed one girl, bending at the knees like she might go down. “Look who it is!”
“That’s Gage Strickland!” said another.
A lot of hair flipping and intense giggling commenced, followed by mind numbing squeals of, “You’re really him, aren’t you?” and “Weloveyou, we have all the Gaged albums.”
“Are you still dating the girl from that pop group, Dark Mist?”
Gage didn’t even wince as the questions flung at him like rapid-fire bullets. He gave them his dazzling smile, and when they pulled their cell phones out to grab the ever-coveted selfie, he posed and smiled in each one.
“What are you doing here anyway?” the most lively of the group asked. “Is this why some of the tour dates have been canceled? We saw it on the news.”
I almost jumped up to help him deflect the girls. Gage probably didn’t want to discuss his mother with strangers, but he simply avoided the question.
“I’m just here enjoying the amazing beer at Independence Pub. It’s world famous.”
“I might have to get that on a plaque for the wall,” the bartender joined in. “Especially coming fromGage Strickland.” She gave a rapid lash blink and rolled her eyes. “Now, you girls need to get out of here since none of you are over eighteen.”
