Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
WEST
I growled low and pulled Blue into the SUV, closing the door behind us with a little more force than necessary.
It wasn’t unusual for my brothers to give me shit.
In fact, I was usually the first one they targeted.
But something about them ragging on my outfit had me thinking about the look in Blue’s eyes when I changed in front of her.
The way they flicked up and down, fast, but not subtle.
Like she hadn’t meant to look, but couldn’t help it either.
Nor was she apologetic.
Meanwhile, she looked like she’d just stepped off the cover of Country Weekly with her tight jeans and a top that was technically legal but absolutely lethal. I was instantly rethinking my entire existence when she’d opened that bathroom door.
Nothing mattered. Not the rules. Not the arrangement.
Not the fact that all of this was temporary.
Because even with all that, Blue and I were in the middle of a dangerous gravitational pull.
Which was fine as long as it was just looking and not touching.
But touching was more necessary than I thought it would be.
She bounced next to me in the backseat, her whole body alive with energy. Her eyes were wide, taking in the town like she was on her first field trip.
“Have you met Loxley yet?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer. I just needed something to say. Silence wasn’t safe. Silence let my brain do things I didn’t want it doing, like imagining her moaning my name.
“Not yet. She never came into Fiddlers. Miles only showed up when I needed help dealing with the Murphy brothers.”
“Have they tried to come back?” I kept my voice casual.
She shook her head, turning to face me with a smug little smile. “I think you scared them off for good.”
I nodded, but I didn’t believe it. Guys like that didn’t disappear, they regrouped. But if they ever came back, I’d already made arrangements for it to be handled. Even if I wasn’t there. Especially if I wasn’t there.
Our caravan pulled into the amphitheater, weaving past long lines of cars waiting to park.
A few people honked when they saw us, and it took me a second to realize they probably thought Loxley was inside.
The thought made me twitch. The spotlight that followed Miles and Loxley now was intense. Uncomfortable.
The car stopped, and we climbed out to find Miles already waving us forward. We slipped in through a back entrance and were handed VIP passes on lanyards.
“Gets you front row seats and backstage access,” Miles explained. “Or you can just hang out back here if the crowd’s too much.”
We followed him down a long hallway. Blue’s fingers brushed mine but I didn’t take her hand. I didn’t pull away either. I wanted the small contact.
“Oh my God,” I heard the gasp from ahead of us and looked up to see a woman carrying a clipboard and a headset. “Are you West Brooks?”
I didn’t answer, but I didn’t need to before she started talking again, loud and animatedly.
“I read about your project in the New York Times. I knew you were Miles’s brother, but seeing you in person? Wild. You are so much more handsome than the pictures, too.”
I gave a stiff nod, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. I was going to fire my publicist the second I got home. He thought articles in the Times would help push McConnell into signing off on my project. Instead, I was getting recognized in a town I’d never stepped foot in before.
I tried to think of something polite to say, but all I could focus on was how I could feel Blue’s presence next to me like static.
“West,” Blue murmured, sliding closer. She slipped her arm around mine like it was second nature, her body brushing up against mine. “Let’s catch up with everyone, they left without us.”
I glanced down at her. Her eyes were locked on the woman, and for a second, the possessiveness in them didn’t look fake at all. But this was what we agreed on. It was nothing more than public affection, a united front. She was just a damn good actress.
Still, I was grateful.
The woman backed off slightly, suddenly realizing that the woman next to me was more than just a friend, she was mine.
“They went that way,” she said, pointing down the hall. “Right at the end, then through the door with Loxley’s name on it. I’ve gotta finish setting up.”
Blue tugged me along and we walked together, hand in hand, even though we didn’t need to. Even though no one was around to see.
“You get that a lot?” she asked as we walked.
“No,” I muttered. “Not unless they’re confusing me with someone actually famous.”
“Good,” she said quickly. “Not sure I’m the type of girl who’d enjoy other women batting their lashes at my husband.”
She bumped her shoulder into me, and I smiled. It was an actual, real smile that felt like it had been waiting behind my ribs.
“It’s a good thing you were there,” I said. “Especially since that whole interaction was your fault.”
“My fault?”
“My suit is like my cape. Without it, I lose all my powers.”
She laughed and the sound of it hit me in the chest like a sucker punch. I loved making her laugh. I loved seeing her relax into something good, even if it was short-lived. Even if it would all come crashing down.
Eventually, we made it to the lounge where the rest of the family had gathered. Leather couches, snacks on a table, the hum of excitement in the air. Loxley practically launched herself off the arm of the couch, where she was sitting next to Miles, to hug me.
“I can’t believe you made it to a show!”
When she pulled back, she turned to Blue and opened her arms. “I’m so glad to finally meet you.”
“Are you, though?” Miles called from behind her, grinning.
“Of course I am.” Loxley shot him a death glare.
“Nice to meet you,” Blue said with a smile, though I caught the way Miles’s teasing hung in the air a little too long.
“There’s room on the couch,” Loxley said. “I get to hang with y’all until showtime.”
There wasn’t much space, though, so I motioned for Blue to take the seat next to Miles, before something inside me recoiled. I didn’t like the idea of her sitting beside him. Didn’t care that he was madly in love with Loxley. Didn’t care that it didn’t make sense.
It still bothered me.
So I sat down next to Miles and pulled Blue into my lap like she belonged there. She settled easily into me, arms curling around mine, and I wrapped myself around her without even thinking.
Loxley talked about how the tour had gotten easier since she’d met Miles, but how excited she was to go home.
“Please tell me you’re writing more music,” Jesse bounced in her seat next to Easton. It was no secret that Jesse was a big Loxley Adams fan.
“A little,” Loxley said, then stood and pulled two sticks and a ball of yarn from her bag. “But I’ve been working on this too!”
“Hairy sushi?” I asked.
“I can knit more than a chain necklace now,” she said proudly.
“She stays up watching YouTube tutorials,” Miles added. “All your Christmas gifts will be homemade.”
“I’m working on a scarf,” Loxley said. “It’ll take me ‘til Christmas to finish, so y’all all may have to share it. But I’m determined to finish it.”
The room exploded in laughter, and I found myself watching Blue more than anyone else. She fit here. She belonged. She made them laugh, told stories about her dad and the bar, even talked about how I’d shocked her behind the bar on Friday night.
They adored her. And for the first time in a long time, I wasn’t the center of attention. And I didn’t want to be.
Eventually, we made our way to the stage. The sun had dipped low, the lights kicked on, and the crowd buzzed with anticipation.
When Loxley stepped out onto the stage, guitar slung across her chest, the entire venue roared. She launched into her first song without hesitation, and I had to admit, she was electric. It was giving me an adrenaline rush that I hadn’t expected.
Which was probably why when a slow song started and the crowd started to sway, I reached for Blue and spoke into her ear so she could hear over the music. “Dance with me.”
She blinked, surprised, but nodded. I took her hand and pulled her into the open space near our section. Gramps and Grams were already swaying and Jesse was wrapped around Easton.
We moved slowly, our bodies close but not too close. My hands slid around her bare waist, and her skin broke out in goosebumps. She was warm, soft, and easy to hold. Too easy.
The song wasn’t just beautiful, it was meaningful. And I suddenly understood why Loxley’s voice had the power it did.
When it ended, I pulled Blue in tighter, spinning her slowly to face the stage as a faster beat kicked up. But instead of stepping away, she leaned back. Her hips pressed into mine.
And there was no hiding how turned on I was.
Her breath caught, realizing what she was feeling as she pressed harder into me. I should have moved, I should have been a little more embarrassed, but instead, I dipped down to her ear, voice low. “I’m only human.”
She shivered and it made me want more.
“And don’t act innocent, Mrs. Brooks. I bet you’re just as human as I am.”
Even with the music and the crowd, I heard her gasp and I smiled in satisfaction.
Maybe it was against the rules, maybe it would make life harder, but I wasn’t about to lie about something so real.
Blue drew me in the moment I saw her swinging on one of the Murphy guys.
She made me make immediate impulse decisions and although I never regretted them, I knew that I was suddenly in dangerous territory.
“Do you two need a room?” Miles bumped my shoulder with a grin.
I stepped back, but I didn’t let go. “Not my fault I married the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
And that wasn’t a line. That was the damn truth.
Miles lifted his hands in surrender. “Okay, but Grams and Gramps are right there. And married or not, if you’re not careful, they’ll start passing out condoms again.”
I barked a laugh. “Noted.”
I grabbed Blue’s waist and moved us a little farther away, but I could feel Miles watching in amusement. No one had ever seen me like this, because I’d never let anyone in long enough to try. He was probably just as mind boggled as I was.
The rest of the concert passed in a haze. We held hands. We swayed. We stole quiet glances.
It felt natural. Like we’d been together for years. And for just one night, I let myself pretend it was all okay.