by Kim Loraine
A pulse of sanity wormed its way into her head as his mouth covered one nipple. “What about the pact?” she bit out.
He groaned as she squirmed against him, pressing her hips into his. “Fuck the damned pact.” He pulled her panties down harshly.
Her hands floated over his skin, touching lightly as she relished the feel of his warmth. He growled in her ear when she finally ran her hands down his back and around to the waistband of his jeans. She brushed him with her fingertips, and he bucked at her touch.
“I never imagined it would feel like this,” he whispered before his lips brushed hers; once, twice, then he deepened the kiss.
Her heart skipped a beat at his words. She pushed him away, finding his eyes with hers. “What do you mean?”
He leaned down to kiss her again but she twisted out of his reach, apprehension tickling at the back of her mind.
“Didn’t we sleep together last night?” She watched the realization crash down on him as the question left her lips.
“What? You think I’d do that to you?”
Fighting the urge to look away, she bit her lip and shook her head. He sat back on his knees.
“We were drunk.” She couldn’t meet his eyes, already feeling like she’d ruined what was building between them.
“You really think I’d take advantage of you? That I’d sleep with you for the first time while you were so plastered you could barely stand?”
Flashes of his hands on her ran through her mind. “But, you kissed me, we . . . I remember that.”
“We kissed, it was amazing, then you took off your clothes and passed out.”
“Why were you in my bed?”
“To make sure you didn’t choke to death on your own vomit. Believe me, if we’d slept together I would have made sure you never forgot it.”
She felt like the world’s biggest idiot. He settled his gaze on her and his usual comfortably self-assured attitude slipped away, revealing unchecked anger.
“So, I’m guessing the only reason you were going to sleep with me now was because you thought it had already happened once?” His eyes blazed with heat, and not the good kind. “Better to remember something?”
God, he knew her well.
“I’m sorry, Garrett.”
“Save it.” He slipped his shirt over his head and ran a hand through his wayward curls, tucking them behind his ears.
She didn’t know what to say to make this better.
“I’ll see you tonight.” His pointed words pierced her heart.
Her chest ached as he slammed the door on his way out. What had she just done? She was about to go on tour with Garrett and Parker for the next six weeks. Almost two months in hotel rooms and a tour bus with nowhere to escape. How would it work when he couldn’t even look at her?
Chapter 2
Twelve years earlier
It was raining. Her first day of seventh grade at Golden Beach Middle School and it was starting off with torrential rain and wind. Heart racing, Angela surveyed the tall brick building. Another first day at a new school. Her parents had promised this was the last time. On reflex, she began chewing on her nails. She pulled the hood of her red and black plaid raincoat farther over her head as she tried to keep her hair from getting drenched. She stepped in a muddy puddle as she approached the main entrance and bit back a curse as water seeped in through the holes in the sides of her Converse tennis shoes.
Really? Why are those stupid holes there anyway?
Butterflies in her stomach made her clench her teeth when she pushed through the large doors. Looking around the common area of the school, she noticed it looked just like every school she’d been to over the last seven years. Grayish white tile floors reflected bad lighting and bland walls were papered with flyers and reminders to wash your hands, don’t use drugs, join the choir.
She made her way toward the main office, her shoes squeaking and squishing against the floor. A friendly faced woman with dark hair, deep brown eyes, and freckles greeted her as she approached the desk.
“Hello there, dear. You must be Angela Peters. I’m Mrs. Snow.” The woman’s voice was soft and held a hint of a foreign accent.
Angela nodded and slouched her backpack off her shoulders, digging around for her planner. “Yeah, I, uh, I don’t know where my first class is.”
“Oh, that’s all right. I’ll call down to your homeroom and have a student escort you. Wait a tick.”
Angela’s stomach clenched. She’d never been very good at making friends. They moved too often for it to be a skill she’d embraced. But now that her dad was planning to retire here, she knew she needed to find her tribe.
Her heart stuttered as she heard Mrs. Snow’s one-sided conversation. “Hello, Mr. Martin? I’ve got your new student down here at the office. Seems she’s gotten herself a wee bit lost. Could you send a student down to escort her? Lovely.”
The woman smiled and motioned for her to sit in one of the free chairs in the waiting area. “Mr. Martin said he’ll send Garrett down shortly. Just have a seat there, love.”
She stared down at her muddy shoes and started picking at the knee of her jeans while she waited for the student to come. Closing her eyes, she began humming her favorite song and tapping out the notes on an imaginary keyboard.
“Piano player, huh?” A boy’s voice, still holding onto the last bit of its childlike timbre, broke through her fantasy.
Her eyes popped open and she found herself staring into the most beautiful onyx irises she’d ever seen. His dark lashes and distinctive eyebrows made the color even more astonishing. When she didn’t say anything he grinned, causing his eyes to twinkle, and her cheeks to flame.
“Uh, yeah. How’d you know?”
He gestured to her hands. “I’m a musician, too. I’m always playing even when I don’t have an instrument.”
Her heart squeezed at the thought that they might have something in common.
“I’m Angela.” She stood to her full height, which put her about an inch taller than him.
“Garrett.” He flashed a bright smile. “Come on. Let’s go. You want to show me your schedule? Maybe we have some classes together.”
She prayed they did. She could already tell he was kind and the fact that he was so cute made it even better.
As it turned out, they did have classes together. She grinned as he compared her schedule with his and they realized that half of their day was exactly the same.
After English, which she had with Garrett, and Algebra, which she did not, she was surprised to find him standing outside her classroom. Ready for lunch.
“So, where are you from?” Garrett asked as he led her to the cafeteria.
“San Diego. Bremerton, Washington before that.”
“Your dad in the Navy?”
“Yeah. This is his last tour, though. He’s retiring in two years.”
“So . . . you’re staying here?”
She shrugged, feeling indifferent until her eyes met his. The expression on his face made her heart leap with all the possibility she saw hidden there.
“That’s what my parents are talking about. My mom wants to have another baby and she likes it here.”
He laughed as she rolled her eyes. “How many brothers and sisters do you have?”
“One older sister, two little brothers.”
“Wow! And she wants more?”
Angela couldn’t hold back her giggle. “Yeah, she’s crazy.”
After they’d made it through the lunch line, she stood awkwardly, staring across the sea of unfamiliar faces and wondering if this was as far as she and Garrett went together or if he’d invite her to sit with him at lunch. She heaved a sigh of relief when he motioned for her to come with him and directed them to a table where a skinny
blond boy sat accompanied by a few female admirers.
“Parker, man, this is Angie. She’s new.” Garrett’s rapid adoption of her nickname set her at ease. She hadn’t told him to use it, but the fact that he was comfortable enough was a good sign.
Parker ran a hand through his shaggy locks and jutted his chin out at her. “What’s up?”
“You can sit with us if you want,” Garrett offered, taking a seat and scooting over to give her room. He cocked an eyebrow at his friend across the table. “Angie’s a musician.”
“No shit? What do you play?”
“Uh, piano mostly . . . and a little guitar.”
“What kind of music do you like?” Parker continued the interrogation.
“Classic rock.”
“Hmm.” She watched Parker as he stroked his chin and pondered her answer. She hoped desperately that she’d passed his test.
“Want to be in our band?”
She choked on her milk. “What?”
“We need a singer. Can you sing? You’re hot enough.”
She couldn’t believe this boy was talking to her like this.
“Parker, I think you’re scaring her.” Garrett put a hand on her arm and electricity raced through her at the feel of his skin on hers. “What are you doing today after school?”
It took a second to realize he was talking to her.
Trying to play it cool, she shrugged. “Nothing. Unpacking probably.”
“Want to come watch a practice? Maybe jam with us? Then you can see what we’re all about.”
She thought for a moment. She’d spent so many hours locked in her room, writing songs, scribbling lyrics, practicing until her fingers ached.
“Sure. Uh, I’ll have to check with my mom first.” Her cheeks flamed at the sound of her words.
I have to check with my mom? God, I’m such a baby.
“Awesome.” Garrett offered her that wide grin again and her heart fluttered as the bell rang and everyone packed up, ready for their next classes.
Chapter 3
“What’s with you today?” Parker Sheffield sat at the old upright piano in the small house he and Garrett shared, playing a simple melody with two fingers.
Garrett didn’t want to get into it with Parker, not now, not while the hurt was still so raw. “Nothing, man. A lot on my mind.”
Parker smirked. “How’s Angie feeling this morning? She was wasted last night. What got into her?”
Nothing, that’s the problem. Shoving his anger back, he avoided his friend’s gaze as the nasty thought crossed his mind. He wasn’t mad that they hadn’t had sex. He had a raging case of blue balls, that was for sure, but the fact that he’d almost thrown away twelve years of work for a moment of passion with her made him furious with himself. Of course he wanted her—she was hot. It had been tough over the last decade to control his attraction, but he’d almost always been able to push it aside and focus on their goals. A sharp pain jolted through his finger as he pinched it in the closure of his bass drum case.
“Fuck!”
Dropping the case with a loud crash, he blew out a harsh breath and took a step back from his gear. He had to get his head right before they hit the road. Six weeks on a tour bus with Angela was going to be misery if he couldn’t pull it together.
“You all right, man?” Parker glanced over the top of the piano, his eyes clouded with concern.
Garrett raked a hand through his hair and sighed, trudging back to finish packing away his drums.
His friend huffed out a breath when he got no answer. “You don’t want to talk. This is gonna be awesome. Six weeks with you like this, brooding, just what I wanted to do.”
“I’m not fucking brooding.”
Parker arched an eyebrow at him, clearly calling bullshit.
“Things just . . . they got out of hand with Angie.”
Parker threw his hands up in the air and stood, his face taking on a frustrated and angry expression.
“You can’t possibly be angry with me.”
“Garrett, damn it, you two have danced around this for twelve years and never done a damn thing. Why did you wait until the night before we launch our album? What about the pact? We are going on tour with Violet Hour, Violet Hour for fuck sake! The biggest band in the freaking world.”
“Nothing is happening. Nothing happened. She was wasted, she didn’t know what she was doing. We kissed, that’s it. It’s fine.”
Parker’s lips pressed together in a thin line. “Then why are you acting like such a pissy bitch? That’s my job.”
“Well, you’ve been so happy all the time lately, someone had to take over.”
A smile brightened Parker’s features. “Yeah, who knew I’d meet the love of my life because of all this?”
“What’s Jason say about you leaving for six weeks?”
Parker dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. “He’s not worried. He knows where we stand. I’m the marrying kind, not the cheating kind. He’d be an idiot to let me get away.”
Garrett couldn’t fight the smirk that turned up his lips at Parker’s self-assured attitude. “He’s not an idiot.”
“Nope, definitely not.”
Garrett returned to the task of packing up the last of his suitcase and gear and tried to fight away the memories of Angela. Her hands sliding under his shirt, tickling the sensitive skin at his hips as her fingers feathered over the waistband of his jeans. He stifled a groan as the ghost of her scent came to him and caused his pants to tighten uncomfortably. Zipping his luggage closed, he all but threw it at the entryway and wrenched the front door open.
“I’m all set. Think I need some air. You need anything, man?” he called to Parker as he made a beeline for the door and the bracing chill of the January air. The door slammed behind him as he realized he hadn’t even given Parker a chance to answer.
“So, let me get this straight. Garrett is mad at you because you don’t remember something that didn’t happen?”
Donovan Miller placed his feet on the beat up coffee table at the firehouse. Angela shrugged and picked at the exposed threads at the knee of her jeans.
“That’s fucking ridiculous,” he muttered.
This was why Donovan was one of her best friends. He didn’t mince words.
“I don’t know. I mean, there’s been this . . . thing between us since we were teenagers. We’ve always agreed not to act on it.”
“Did you say something strange while you were wasted?”
“I don’t think so.” She worked her memory, trying to pry apart the fuzzy bits from the coherent. “I don’t know.”
“You must’ve been hammered.”
She fought back the queasy feeling at the thought of her New Year’s Eve. It seemed so long ago, when in reality it sat a mere twelve hours away.
“I’m just glad you and Valerie weren’t there to see it.”
“Oh, I heard enough about it from Klipper. What possessed you to drink like that? It’s not like you.”
She grimaced at the question. What had it been? Pressure? Loneliness? She wasn’t ready to dig deep enough to figure it out.
“What am I going to do? Six weeks of awkward is a long time.”
“Only if you make it that way. Haven’t you guys slipped up before?”
She shrugged. “Once. A long time ago.”
“Seems like you’ve made it work pretty damn well since then.”
She paused. He was right. She didn’t need to make things tense. All she needed to do was act naturally and they could go right back to where they’d been.
The harsh and jarring sound of an emergency call coming in halted their conversation and Donovan shot her a roguish wink. “We’ll miss you while you’re gone.”
“Take good care of my sister,” she called as he raced toward his waiting bunker gear.
“Oh, I plan to. Believe me.” His words made her heart swell. He deserved happiness. The fact that he’d found it with her sister made it all the more wonderful.
Angela sighed and brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face as she checked the clock—again. Her bags were packed and sitting by the door next to her guitar and lucky leather jacket. She needed to calm herself, stop thinking about Garrett, but the angry glint in his eyes when he’d left still haunted her. Reminding herself not to make a big deal of it, she tried to push away the memory of his hands on her. Her chest tightened as she recalled the moment he’d realized she didn’t remember. A wall had slammed down between them.
The hours ticked by slowly as she sat on her old, squishy couch—waiting. Waiting for him to call. Waiting for him to pop his head in the door unannounced, just like he did every day.
Day faded into a frigid, inky darkness without a word from him. She checked her phone one more time to make sure it was working, and grabbed her stuff. She had to drop her car off at her parent’s house for some free long-term storage and Valerie was going to drive her to meet up with the guys.
Her sister was waiting at the family home. In fact, her whole family stood outside in the frozen tundra their world had become since night fell.
“It’s below zero out here. What are you doing?” she asked, unable to hide her smile.
“We’re so proud of you, baby.” Her mom was grinning from ear to ear as she wrapped her in a tight hug.
“Thanks.”
“Okay, let’s get this show on the road. Angie’s already late. I’ll be back for my car in a bit, then we can all start the party.” Valerie shot Angela a sidelong glance and a teasing smirk.