started pulling away.”
Unbelievable. “Whatever you have to say to live with yourself.” Blaming her because he couldn’t keep it in his pants?
When the door to the club opened, she could hear the intro to the next song. She quickly held it open to peer inside. The audience seemed to know this one because they started screaming, jumping up and down. She thought maybe some girls up front were crying.
Slater had his eyes closed, like the song brought up emotions too powerful to bear. And then his hand flexed on the mic, his mouth opened, and he keened. There was just no other word for it.
She blew out a breath, forcing her attention back on Alex. “Listen, Alex, I appreciate the apology, but I really should go.”
“Hey, listen. I’ve got a friend in a band out there. You should check him out.”
“I’ll definitely do that. Why don’t you text me the information?”
“Will do.”
She cut the connection and entered the club.
The whole world narrowed to the haunting sound of pure pain coming out of Slater Vaughn. And then he gasped for a breath, lifted the bottom of his T-shirt to swipe the perspiration off this forehead, and launched into the bridge.
Take it back, take it back,
You don’t get to say those words
Take it back, take it back,
They’re mine. You left. You lose
Tears streamed down the girls’ faces. How did he do that? She could feel her own eyes burning. And, really, she wasn’t even susceptible to rock stars. He was good.
A new chord progression started, and the song shifted again. Goodness, the crowd was having seizures. Slater fell to his knees.
Puncture me, again and again, I don’t mind
It’s the only way I know I’m here
Without the wounds you might never even see me,
So go ahead and puncture me
At least I know I’m alive
Her stomach churned with emotion as she watched Slater’s head tip back, his features twisted in agony, as he sang.
Puncture me
Leave a scar
You’ll never see me,
But I’ll always know you’re there
The song came to an abrupt end with a clash of instruments that sounded like a car crash. The audience screamed, stomped their feet, and clapped thunderously.
Slater smiled.
Good God.
Slater clutching a mic, voice soaked in emotion, wrung her heart out. But Slater smiling, his eyes sparkling with mischief, lit her up inside. Standing near the stage, all she could see were arms waving, thrashing, reaching. His voice, his energy, swept her away.
And when had she made it to the stage? She stood dead center, two rows back. Perspiration glistening on his skin, he held the gaze of first one, then another girl in the crowd. The corners of his mouth tipped up in a sexy smile, and it made her want to know what he was thinking, who he was—
His gaze hit hers. Adrenaline punched through her system, and energy sparked along her spine. He looked at her so intensely, like he knew her intimately. Like if she reached out to him, he’d grab her, yank her onto the stage, and pull her body up hard against his.
Oh.
Heat exploded in her core, radiating out in shimmery waves, making her legs go weak. And then he looked away, leaving her feeling limp and ragged.
Okay, what had just happened? Shaken, she wove through the sea of bodies toward the table with the Reserved sign on it and slumped in a chair to watch the rest of the show.
Body Electric? Who needed a checklist when she could just watch Slater perform and feel all the things she’d never felt before.
The man was
good
.
—
Slater stumbled out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. His head hurt, his throat burned, and his dick was hard enough to break through wallboard.
Standing in front of the toilet, he heard a splashing sound through the open window. They didn’t have someone to clean their pool, so . . . ? He stepped around the toilet and gazed outside. Vision still blurry from not nearly enough sleep, it took him a moment to make sense of what he saw.
Luscious pink nipples poked out of