She wanted to ask how he knew her and then realized it was the Booseys shirt she was wearing. She managed a tentative smile and nodded. “Nice to meet you.”
“Let me guess. Texas, right?”
“I never knew I had such an obvious accent.” She pushed her hair behind her ear. She wished she didn’t have a Texas accent. She would rather have lived her life with Gran. Perfectly content with a Tennessee one.
“You’re a sweet one. But don’t worry, hun. I don’t bite.” The twinkle in his eyes had her blushing. He squeezed her hand in reassurance, like he knew she needed it. “You have any trouble at all, just hunt me or Mick up. Got a feeling it’s gonna be busier than usual.”
“Thanks, Dooley.” She turned and walked into the bar.
She glanced at the stage and stopped. The band setting up appeared to be anything but country. The singer was huge, sported black, mussed, spiky hair and tattoos that covered both arms from shoulder to wrist. He wore nothing but black, the gauges in his ears and a lip ring.
The rest of the band didn’t seem very country either. The drummer wore a black cap on backwards, with gauges. The other two looked normal. Sort of. One wore rumpled clothes and had messy sandy blond hair—like he just rolled out of bed. The other had shaggy hair that hid his face. She glanced at the crowd full of cowboy hats and saw more than one scowl directed toward band.
She understood their confusion.
She spotted Lila waving at her, strode to the bar and picked up an apron.
Lila introduced Cassie, the girl standing next to her. She was stunning with long honeyed locks and a tall, curvy body. The girls were huddled together and the stark difference in their looks had heads turning their way.
The band, Cassie informed her, was called DirtSlap—Ethan, the lead singer, Zak, the bassist, Ryan, the guitarist and Thrand, the drummer. Country with a little dirt, she was told.
“You know a lot about the band,” Shelby said to Cassie.
Lila sniggered. “She would. She’s banging the drummer.”
Cassie rolled her eyes and a blush hit her cheeks.
“You work here?” Shelby asked.
“Yeah, but I’m taking pictures tonight.” She patted her camera bag. “Lila is the best. If you have any questions let her know.”
“Thanks. I will.”
Cassie walked to the stage, knelt in front of Ethan and snapped a picture.
Shelby tied off her apron and paused, fascinated by Ethan. He wasn’t cute really—just different. Used to private schools, people who reeked of money and dressed the part, she was unaccustomed to people who looked like him—they didn’t exist in her world. He wouldn’t even be accepted in her circle. But very few people she’d met this week would.
She’d seen her fair share of boots and hats, she was from Texas after all, but it was all country club scene. Not the rough and tumble type who worked hard enough to get dirt on their jeans. She worried her lower lip. Her perspective was shifting. Was her life in Houston even real?
Shelby got to work filling orders. It was comparable to the college crowd on a Saturday night, until DirtSlap started playing. Until Ethan started singing.
Struck dumb, she stopped what she was doing and stared at him. Goosebumps spread over her skin. His voice was smooth, yet edgy. A Georgian accent with a hard rock vibe. Country with a little dirt. A very apt way of describing them.
He held a mic, stood feet planted wide and dominated the small stage. The crowd went silent. The band started their gig with popular country songs. They sounded nothing like the originals…DirtSlap made them their own.
She forced herself to get back to the task at hand, which was delivering drinks. It wasn’t like she was a music junkie. She’d only been to a handful of concerts in her entire life. All of which were country, in the strictest sense of the word, but seeing a guy who looked like Ethan croon a George Strait song was hypnotic.
It took all of about five songs before the place was so packed, she could barely move. She wasn’t claustrophobic but even she was overwhelmed.
“Welcome to Booseys, ya’ll,” Ethan said into the mic. He pointed to each band member. “This is Ryan on guitar, Zak on bass, and the man behind the madness, Thrand on drums. I’m Ethan and we are DirtSlap.” He grinned when some very girly screams echoed throughout the bar. “Be patient with the staff, ya’ll. We weren’t expecting this kind of crowd. But thanks for coming. Hope you like this next one. It’s an original.”
Shelby didn’t realize she stared until an arm curled around hers. She looked down to see Lila’s smiling face. “Told you. Amazing aren’t they?”
Shelby nodded and wondered which one of the guys Lila was in love, or lust, with…whichever the case may be. By the look on her face, the girl crushed on at least one of them.
Although heavier than the covers, their original song still sounded country. The lyrics told a story about dirt roads and pick-up trucks, but it really showcased Ethan’s voice as he let a little screamo escape now and then.
Lila sighed. “Guess we better get this crowd handled.”
With only four waitresses working the floor, they were undermanned and outnumbered, but Shelby did her best she to keep up with demand. She served a group of guys in the corner of the bar and ignored their taunts and rude comments. By the second time she passed them, one of the guys snagged her arm.
“Why don’t you sit here and keep me company, sweet thing.”
She looked up into his glassy eyes and shook her head. “Working, sorry.”
The group of four laughed when she tried to pull away from the guy’s grasp.
“You need to let me go,” she demanded. Yelling wouldn’t do any good in this madness.
He tugged so she had no choice but to fall against him. “See? I knew you wanted it.”
She attempted to jerk free, but the drunken guy clamped his arm firmly around her waist. Frantic, she looked for Mick, but he was on the other side of the crowded room and couldn’t see her.
“Let me go!” She elbowed the guy in the ribs hard enough she almost got loose, but not quite. The other guys laughed again and egged him on. Her throat constricted when his hand squeezed her ass.
A strong arm fell over her shoulder and pulled her to her feet. Pressed firmly against a very large, firm body, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Mick.
She craned her neck up.
It wasn’t Mick.
Ethan was bigger up close. His dark shades hung in the neck of his sleeveless tee revealing his eyes. Bottomless black pools, accentuated by black eyeliner stared into hers. He gave her a wink a moment before his mouth landed on hers.
His lip ring was a hard contrast to her warm lips. Stunned, all she could do was gasp. His tongue swept against hers, and she shivered at the shocking metal bar of his tongue piercing. The tray she’d been holding like a weapon fell heedlessly to the floor.
He was sweaty, hot and for some unholy reason, she answered his kiss. Every shred of decency that had been force-fed into her was gone. A tiny part knew she should shove him away, but that part was lost in the uniqueness of being kissed by a man who obviously knew exactly what he was doing. His arm tightened and his hand angled her head so he could delve deeper.
The noise and the crowd faded into nothing. Nothing but a burn that spread all the way to her toes. And there was nothing she could do but cling to him so she wouldn’t melt into a puddle at his feet.
He lifted his head, breaking the kiss, and reality smacked her in the face. The crowd roared in approval and she sucked in a breath. He turned his attention to the guys who had been harassing her and smiled at them—or more accurately, bared his teeth.
Ashlynn Pearce
Were it not for Hope, the Heart would Break…
Once upon a time…You ain’t gonna believe this shit!
(I always wanted to start a bio like that!) But seriously—scrap that, I’m not serious, but I do love to write. Create characters. Give them hope that there is something
better around the corner. It’s my passion. I live and breathe stories. When I’m not arguing with the characters in my head (yes, I do that, you can ask my hubby who thinks I’m nuts btw), I’m taking care of said hubby, my two kids and a melee of furbabies. I’m Okie born and bred and, yes, we get a lot of twisters and, no, there aren’t any teepees around that I’ve seen.
Come on over, say hi and see what I’m up to!
www.AshlynnPearce.com
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Twitter: @Ashlynn_Pearce
FUEL (DirtSlap Series Book 1) Page 14