Chapter Fifteen

As Jon took the stage, he propped himself up on the stool and adjusted the mic. He swung the black guitar over his knee and adjusted the strap. He could do this, he’d chosen a song to sing that show cased where he wanted to take the album he was planning on recording once he got home. Having already have penned a few songs, this seemed to show off the raw edgy emotion he was going to go with.

He looked up into the audience, the dance floor filled with people, but only one catching his eye. The flicks of gold against brown caught in the light as she swayed with the man, looking up grinning, laughing. Like only Colby could.

His fingers curled tighter around the frets as he watched her, spin her little web – and Daniel fall right into it. He half chuckled, but couldn’t pull his eyes away.

This is just a fling Jon. That’s all it ever was meant to be.

Then why in the holy hell was it, when he watched Daniels hand slide down her back and cup her ass – he wanted to leap off the stage and smack him one in the jaw. Fuck. He took a deep breath and forced himself to look away. It was just the connection, just the connection he missed – like he had with Dottie.

But this wasn’t about Dottie, was it?

It’s about the she-devil that’s come and turned your world upside down and all you can think about is her, as much as it pains you to admit that you fall for her spell every time.

It’s better to have that spell cast on him and not something else.
Dammit, just play the song asshole.

He stole her gaze, and she winked at him before turning her attention back to Daniel. Her hands linking around the back of his neck, and Jon felt his gut clench when her fingers teased the hair at his nape. That was his thing?

Wait? He had a thing now? Oh Christ.

The woman was a fucking conundrum. The end.

Fine, if she wanted to play this way. So could he.

He took a long slow strum, and the lights dimmed. It was show time.

~

She laughed and pressed her cheek against the side of Daniel’s head, resting her chin on his shoulder. As the lights dimmed across the room, her attention focused on the silhouette of the man she’d known for the past couple of weeks. He sat solo on a black stage stool with his guitar resting on his knee.

“Ah, this is a song that I’m planning on releasing on my upcoming solo album---“ he paused and Colby locked with his eyes. “Hope you enjoy it.”

He cleared his throat and his arm took one strong strum down the strings of the guitar.

A moody hollow drum beat took over the room, sexy – slow and mysterious.

The notes came from his fingers and the lyrics bled from his heart, her fingers loosened their grip from David, Daniel? She couldn’t remember his name. It didn’t matter anymore, what mattered was the man on the stage alone, spilling his guts out for all to hear. The pain wavered through his words, and she could feel the emotion, heavy on his soul.

This song was clearly written about something so close to his home and his heart. And she knew instantly that it was about his ex wife.

It amazed her to see him so lost in the song, steady and strong taking every note with precision, driving through the pain. He wasn’t that much different than her, in his zone. In that moment – nothing else mattered than that song.

She pulled back from the man she was dancing with, his voice had dropped into this low gravely delicious tone that was causing her skin to ripple.

It’s just me, it’s just me baby, it’s one more thing you should keep in your book of dreams.

“Colby?”

“Shh,” she waved off Daniel as she stood, now alone in the middle of the dance floor – feeling the pull of her feet to move closer to him, drawing her in, inch by inch. He was lost, lost on a journey in his art that she was oh so familiar with.

Except she couldn’t captivate every single person in the room, like on the level he was. The strains of moaning electric guitar took over from him as he stood, in his moment… eyes locked closed, hand gripped around the mic stand living the words that he was singing.

She had an urge, for the first time. Not to play with him, but to comfort him. She wanted to take whatever he was pouring out on that stage and make it better, not forever. The showmanship he displayed was just indescribable and flawless.

She was speechless, Colby Henderson was speechless.

The slow desperate croon of his voice was shattering her inside, piece by piece.

It’s just the song – that’s all. God, it’s just the sad song. No need to get overwhelmed now.

“Here,” she looked up and Daniel was holding a fresh glass of wine.

Yeah just what she needed, she smiled and took it as he stood back with her and watched Jon.

“He’s pretty amazing huh?” Daniel said taking a sip from his beer glass.

She nodded, “I’ve never seen him play. I mean I knew he was good – from, well I know his band’s songs…but I just didn’t expect this.” She tried to force the wine down, tried to use it to block what was coming off the stage. It was too real, too raw.

God, this man had loved – he had really loved and been burnt ridiculously for it. He had the capacity to love. To love her—

No – he didn’t and could never love her. Her belly bottomed out as she jammed her glass into Daniel’s hand. “Excuse me, I’ve got to go.” She shifted through the crowds, where in the blue hell was the ladies room here?

She trudged her way through the crowd and swung the ladies door open so it crashed against the wall.

“Shit, Thank Christ,” relieved there was no one else on the other side. She found a stall and fumbled with the lock.

Safety. Away from it, away from the voice… that haunting… love hurt voice.

She popped the lid down, and sunk down on the top, burying her hands in her face.

Calm down, just calm down. Nothing’s wrong here, He doesn’t love you. He just thinks he does.

No one could love her – in that way. It just wasn’t possible. She was fun, she was exciting – she wasn’t there just to be loved.

But god, the emotion that man had astonished her. For someone so jaded on the outside at times, he could smash a knife through a heart with his voice. Then it hit her.

Acting, he was just acting – that was all. This wasn’t about her, at all. She stood up and straightened herself up. She was being utterly ridiculous. Jesus. He was singing a song, playing a part – based on his feelings from his marriage.

The way he looked at her from across the room would haunt her, but he had to be playing games. That’s what they did – they played games.

By the time she’d readjusted herself and walked back into the room, the applause was over and Jon wasn’t on the stage anymore. Good, devastating singing man – over.

Daniel was leaning against the bar and smiled her way so she headed over, and took a deep breath to relax.

“Hey, sorry – I thought I ate something that didn’t agree with me, but turns out I was ok,” she grinned patting her stomach.

“You missed the end of the show, brilliant song. Now I’m interested more about this new album.” He turned to face her. “But enough about that, let’s talk about you.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

He was attractive, hell he was more than attractive – but something deep inside her gut twisted in knots. She was no longer in the mood to tease and play, and when her gaze fell on the man walking across the room she couldn’t help but smile.

She wanted to play and tease, just not with Daniel. Daniel had been snagged by someone else that was started to talk business with him, so it left her and Jon seconds apart.

“Hey,” she moved into him, her fingers finding the lapels of his jacket and dragging him close to her.

“Hey, yourself,” their noses bumped as he linked his arms around her waist and held her. “Enjoy the show?” he asked, the small knowing smirk sitting right on his lips.

Her eyes narrowed and she smiled into the kiss as she leaned forward. “It wasn’t bad.”

His chuckle vibrated against her mouth as he returned the kiss, “is that so? Or you were too wrapped up in Daniel to notice it?”

She caught the hint of sarcasm as his voice fell flat. “Well, he’s a nice enough guy, kinda cute.” She raised her brow. She was pushing him, but hell come on. She lived these days for pushing this man’s buttons. She just didn’t realize it yet.

She slipped her hands under his coat and cupped his ass, “and he’s not got a bad ass.”

He groaned and kissed her again. “Maybe you should be going home with him then?” His grip tightened around her, normally she’d be turned on how possessive and arrogant he was being. She loved that Jon – her job was to make that Jon come out and play.

But this had started the alarm bells to ring inside her head.

“Maybe I will.”

His mouth smashed against hers, taking any breath she had left as he wrapped himself around her. Their tongues wrestled as she poured everything into that kiss, her confused emotions were being sucked out of her as the kiss grew rougher.

“I need you Colby.”

Just the song, it was just the song. It’s made him weak. Like an actor that played an emotional scene, that’s all it is.

She was so living in denialsville. He couldn’t be falling for her – he just couldn’t be. This wasn’t part of the deal. This didn’t happen. Ok, that wasn’t always true. Sure guys had fallen for her in the past – and she’d been able to discard them to the side and move on.

This one, she wasn’t so sure if she could do it.

“Jon,” she whispered as he pulled away and nuzzled against the side of her neck.

“Colby – I want you.”

She moaned when his thumb brushed against her nipple, causing it to pebble under the silk of her dress. She closed her eyes, and for one minute lost herself in the idea of him, her fingers raking up into his hair as he continued to tease parts of her body.

“I could take you right now, in front of all these suits, and I wouldn’t care Colby. I wouldn’t fucking care.” He growled low in her ear, this was bad – he wanted to mark her now, brand her like his own in front of the rest of the pack.

No, she couldn’t – he couldn’t go there.

It was just the damn song. She kept saying it in her head, over and over hoping she would believe it sooner or later.

“That would be good for business now, would it stud?”

“I’m done, let’s go home.” He looked back up, his eyes dead serious. “I want to take you home.”

She dusted his shoulders and took a step back, “well – I’m all for getting out of this place – but let’s go somewhere first – to spice up the mood.” She was resorting to this, but she had to get him around other woman, to distract his mind of her and onto them. Especially half naked women.

His eyebrow cocked, “I’ve already nailed you in a bar Colby – come on, we’ll go back to my hotel room, it’s got porn if that’s what you want.”

She choked on her laugh, “trust me on this… you’ll like it.” She curled her finger around his tie, “unless of course you are scared and can’t handle it.”

This time his eyes narrowed, “I can take anything you give me.”

She dragged him towards the coat check and smiled, “Famous last words rock star.”