The clueless friend says, “If the label has their way, we’ll spend most of our time in a studio. I, for one, am looking forward to some serious R&R.”
The band switches to “Counting Stars”, and our attention’s drawn to one of the few couples remaining on the dance floor. The moment the tempo of the song picks up, they light up thedance floor as if it’s their sole mission in life. I’ve never seen two people twist and turn in such a synchronized way. They take swing dancing to an entirely new level. He somehow pulls her in, dips her back, then spins her away, only to grab her hands from below and flip her like a rag doll.
“I’ve always wanted to do that,” I admit after picking up my jaw from the table when the man drops her to the floor, guiding her by only her neck. “How the hell does she not fall flat on her ass?”
“It’s not that difficult,” Finn says, drawing my attention to him with a shrug. “With a few simple moves, you can do most of what they’re doing.”
“Yeah, I’m with her on this, Finn. I’m certain I’d drop the girl if I ever tried that. I’ll stick to playing the music, thank you very much.” Suddenly, he stands, pointing toward the bar. “You want anything?”
“I’ll have any stout they have on tap,” Finn answers, then looks to me. “Want another one?”
“I’m good for now. But thanks.”
The moment the guy I have yet to learn his name leaves, Finn leans in close, and I take in his sexy scent. It’s a mixture of pure pheromones and spice. But shivers run up my spine when his deep voice asks so only I can hear, “Just how long are you planning on keeping up this charade?”
Pulling back to look him in the eye, I blink at his unexpected question. “What do you mean?”
“Certainly, you’re not Sloane Lancaster. I realized my mistake mere seconds after meeting you. In fact, I’ll bet the next slow dance that you’re her sister Raven.”
Interesting. Not many people who don’t know us well can recognize us so easily. Especially since he’s never even met me before. Now I’m even more intrigued by Finn and as much as I’dlove to see how this plays out, I feel a mischievous smile spread across my face. “So… what gave me away?”
He looks me over from head to toe as he slowly takes me in. “First, I’ve never seen Sloane drink anything but wine or margaritas.” His eyes continue roaming until they finally meet mine. As if he’s challenging me, I watch his tongue slide along his lower lip and chin, jutting in my direction.
My body heats as he appears to contemplate his next words.
A long minute passes between us, and a lump forms in my throat. Eventually, I manage to swallow and prompt, “And second…”
“Well, second…” He exhales slowly. “I’m sure as fuck, the only man Sloane Lancaster would ever look at like that… is her fiancé Jax.”
“What are you talking about?” I blurt out. I wasn’t looking at him any way special. Clearly, he doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about.
“Well, you looked at me as if I were a tall drink of water after a long set on stage.” He pauses for a moment, then quickly adds, “Nope. That’s not it. You looked at me as if you wanted to rip off my clothes and have your way with me. There’s no way in hell Sloane would ever look at anyone but Jax that way.”
He’s not wrong. He is hot, and I would have my way with him. But she wouldn’t. She’s only got eyes for Jax.
But in an effort to save face, I quickly ask, “Just how many drinks have you had tonight?”
His friend returns, and Finn nods a thanks in his direction before returning his attention to me. “This is my first for the night.”
“Hey, Ryker. Raven didn’t get a chance to correctly introduce herself before you left. Sloane and Jax arebothin Portland. I guess we’re hanging with her infamous twin sister Raven tonight.”
Infamous? What the hell has Sloane said about me?
Reaching his hand to shake mine, Ryker says, “Well, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Ryker Jones. I’m Jax’s bassist. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of each other if you stick around this summer.”
“Oh, I’ll be around. With Lanie’s wedding and all my sisters in town, I don’t have any plans of leaving soon.”
Ryker takes a long swig from his bottle of beer and grins. “Well, it’s a good thing we’ve run into you then. It’ll be nice to know a few faces at the wedding.”
Tonya halts all conversation by dropping off my food. Before flitting away to the next table, she quickly puts in an order for the guys.
Grabbing a fry from my plate, I look from Ryker to Finn. Finn’s thumb taps the rhythm with the band on the table between us. “If he’s the bassist, are you the drummer?”
Immediately, he stills. I don’t miss how he darts his eyes to his hands before landing on mine. His lips twitch as if he’s suppressing a smile, yet his eyes crinkle in the corners. “Yep. That’s me.”
That’s it. He doesn’t offer more.
Instead of elaborating, Finn leans back, crossing his arms over his chest. His eyes bore into mine. The longer he stares, the more I’m dying to know about him. When his eyes narrow, I can tell he’s waiting for my next question.
