7. Stasi #2
Settling into a buzz, I touch my fingertips to my cheeks. They still ache from how much he made me smile earlier.
After we’d finished baking, I hadn’t been mentally prepared for him to reappear from his shower in a backwards hat, a crisp white t-shirt that clung to his chest and arms, artfully ripped up jeans, and a pair of worn leather boots.
My open-mouthed gaping earned a few laughs from him as I contemplated how an edgy rock artist could transform into a country boy so effortlessly.
So, I’m definitely attracted to both versions of Beau.
Over the course of the night, that little stripe of white hair has snuck out over the snaps of his hat. I kind of want to curl it around my finger .
Socially awkward Stasi wins out though, and I force my gaze up to the sky. It’s a velvety blue tonight. Not a star in sight, which makes me a little sad.
Lonely, too.
I shouldn’t feel this way when I’m surrounded by people. I have to remember, everyone here has some sort of connection tying them to music. I’m not being left out. I just have different interests.
I don’t regret my choice to pursue a career in the medical field. I love what I do. I love witnessing the progress my patients make after experiencing life-altering injuries or suffering at the vicious hands of disorders or neurodegenerative diseases.
But I hate the winding path I took to get here. I hate that I lost years of my life that I could have spent building relationships like these or treating more patients had I buckled down in my early twenties instead of spiraling out the moment I was free from my parents.
I’m going to hate it when Hail’s back on tour, and then Liam and I don’t have a reason to interact outside the gym. We’ll go months without talking again. Years even.
Our childhood friendship was always doomed to unravel.
My hand tightens around my beer. Maybe I should get drunk tonight. Hail would give me a ride home. I’d fall asleep without thinking about the quiet or the darkness of my apartment.
“Cheers, chica.” Maria clacks her beer bottle against mine. She’s got her eyelids shaded a sparkly black and her lips painted a bold red few people can pull off.
For all her bravado on stage, she’s a bigger sweetheart than my twin brother. Hail was more than happy to let her step in for him on lead vocals. It gave him the opportunity to focus more on side projects with his boyfriend .
Whom I have yet to meet in real life.
“You gonna come hang?” Maria asks, waving toward the fire.
Despite my hunger for conversation, I’m not really sure how to mesh with the others.
“I’m okay right here, but thanks.” I smile.
I watch Maria’s petite form cross the grass, hips and dreadlocks swishing.
More drinking it is.
Too soon, my bottle’s empty. Balancing it on the railing, I twist my hair back up into a bun to keep it from sticking to my neck. Then I leap down to my feet and sneak into the kitchen for another drink.
Knowing I’m gonna regret it in the morning, I fill a red solo cup with whatever blue concoction Malek brought in a sealed pitcher.
I’m about to head back to my roost when Beau appears, a half-eaten chocolate chip cookie in hand.
“Sweetheart, these are criminal,” he says around a mouthful.
I laugh. “Well, you get to take most of the credit.”
“Nope. All you.” The other half of the cookie disappears in one bite, his eyes never leaving me. “What are you drinking?”
I sniff at the liquid in my cup and wince as the scent burns the inside of my nose. Testing a small sip, I shudder at the potency of alcohol steamrolling through me. “Oh, god. I’m not sure it’s safe for consumption.”
He reaches for the fridge handle. “Bottle of water is the safer bet then.”
I expect him to wander back to his previous conversation, but he leans against the counter beside me, elbow and thigh lined up against mine, bringing tingles of awareness to my skin.
A little confused by his actions, I glance up in time to catch his Adam’s apple bobbing as he drains his water in a couple gulps .
I get the sense that Beau doesn’t hold back in life, but I could be making assumptions. I’ve only known him for a couple of hours.
Which is why I’m questioning how he can wreak such havoc on me. I don’t normally have this kind of reaction to others. I was convinced I was wired wrong. Even in my exploratory years in college, I never felt a rush of nerves or experienced an attraction like this.
Not with anyone but Liam.
Beau leans closer to peek into my cup. “Fuck. That smells horrible.”
“Oh, it tastes horrible. Like fruity household chemicals.”
“How do you know what that tastes like?”
He’s smiling so big, I don’t have to give him more than a playful eye roll to get him to laugh.
Our heads pop up in unison as the back door slides all the way open to let in a massive body of muscle and ink.
My heart forgets what it’s supposed to do. It was hot outside, but now it’s hot in the house, too. Or is that the toxic sludge burning through my DNA?
Liam prowls over to us, crowding Beau as he opens the fridge and grabs another Coke. Unperturbed, Beau swings those deep blue eyes back to me. I have to commend him for his bravery.
“So, do you play any instruments?” Beau asks.
And now two men are staring at me expectantly. Swallowing, I shake my head. “No talent for it.”
“She’s a neurologic physical therapist,” Liam answers.
Beau’s brows raise. “No shit?”
Heat rushes to my cheeks. “Ah, yeah. The title feels a bit much…”
Pride was as absent as my parents when I walked across that final graduation stage. Koval kids don’t earn attention by failing half a dozen college classes and graduating late .
“Fuck that. Don’t downplay your accomplishments.” Beau’s tone is surprisingly firm, earning a look of approval from Liam before he strides out the back door, leaving me to blink up at Beau in awe.
“See something you like, sweetheart?”
I purse my lips, and his eyes drop to them with a glint of lust. My heartbeat pulses low in my core.
Oh, this is definitely a crush.
“You’ve got something to say. Don’t hold it in.”
Buzzing from Malek’s drink, I give in. “Seriously. Where did you come from?”
With a slow smile, he shrugs. “Middle of nowhere.”
I narrow my eyes at him, but he’s unfazed, so I pop his hat off and rest it on my head. He quickly runs a hand through his poof of frizzy, dark brown hair. “Don’t look. It’s unruly. Unnatural. An eldritch horror.”
As I burst into a fit of giggles, his arms lazily encircle my waist. I rest my cheek on his chest, enjoying the solid beat of his heart.
“You’re real fucking cute, Stasi. Liam’s lucky to have you.”
“Oh, we’re not…we haven’t…”
Beau eases back to look at me. “But you want to.”
My stomach swoops. “God, could you imagine?”
His gem blue eyes light up. “Mmm, I can. And I am. You know, we could get his attention.”
He must be casting some kind of spell on me because the word slips out before I have time to think. “How?”
Beau offers me his hand. “Play along.”
A hard thud comes from the organ in my chest. Slipping my hand into his, I let him guide me past the back door. I could be imagining dark eyes watching us, but I don’t allow myself to look as Beau leads me down the hallway and up the stairs .
“You think someone stole all of his stuff?” I joke.
Earning laughs from Beau is becoming my newest addiction.
“I think he’s got serious commitment issues, but you probably know that already.”
My brows furrow as he pulls me through the only open door on the second floor.
It looks like Liam hired the same designer for the room as he did for his studio.
The vibes are minimalist, with earthy tones and wood honeycomb soundproofing on one wall above an antique desk and record player.
Two small leather couches face each other, one of which is occupied by people I don’t recognize.
We sit down on the other couch, and someone holds out a fist to bump against Beau’s. “Hey, what’s up, man? Haven’t seen you in a minute.”
As they fall into conversation, my nerves creep out like spiders. What am I still doing here?
Just as I’m about to push up to my feet, a strong presence makes itself known. I look toward the doorway to see Liam walking into the room.
When he drops into the small space on the couch on my other side, I fall into the dip his body creates. Heartbeat skipping, I do my best to wiggle out of his personal space, but he stops me with a heavy hand on my bare thigh.
“Relax. I won’t bite.”
A breathy, flustered laugh slips out of me. Liam cocks a brow. “Sorry, you’ve just got that whole vampire lord thing going on.”
“A vampire lord, hmm?” Those sharp teeth come out to play, sinking into one side of his bottom lip to hold back a grin.
I want to tell him not to rob me of it. I’ve spent half a lifetime looking at this man. Dreaming of him. Searching for someone who could live up to him because I was convinced he would never look back at me .
Liam’s thumb moves over my skin in a teasing pattern. “These are a sad excuse for shorts.”
Indulging, I let my gaze run down the thick column of his neck to the wide cut out where his sleeve should be. “Well, you’re not really wearing a shirt, so I won’t accept judgement from you.”
His rumbly laugh zips through me like a hot sizzle of electricity. I grin. I did that. I made him laugh. I could probably count on one hand how many times I’ve heard that wonderful sound from him.
Beau leans back fully on the couch. I’m not sure when his buddy vanished from the room, but now the three of us are alone, snugly fit together.
Swallowing, I fight the urge to move from between these two men. Should I excuse myself for the night? I hadn’t planned on staying late, anyway.
But then Beau leans closer, his warm breath fanning against my neck. “Should we keep playing, sweetheart?”
I shiver, lured back under his spell. I’m not sure what game we’re playing. All I know is I can’t find the desire to say no.