2. Raven #2
Hmmm… he’s hot. His piercing blue eyes go wide as saucers as he looks me over from head to toe. Clearly, he’s high or something. I’ve never seen this man in my life.
Before I can respond, his face splits into a wide grin as he nods.
“Straight-laced Sloane is slumming it and belting about dirtbags?” Turning to the guy beside him, he says, “Hmmm… I never thought I’d see the day.
Can you believe it? She must be sloshed.
” Darting his eyes from his friend to me, he asks, “Do you think she needs help? I’ve never seen her so… so casual.”
The guy beside him quickly glances around the bar, searching for something. When his eyes land on mine, he asks, “Where’s Jax?”
Clearly, they know my sister. Maybe I should play with them a little?
“He’s in Portland.”
His head tilts to the side, and his eyes narrow when they land on my drink.
But his friend says, “Mind if we hang with you? There’s not much seating left.”
Gesturing at the empty chairs around me, I shrug. “Not at all. Have you been in town long?” I wonder just how well they know Sloane. If I’m being her tonight, the more info on them, the better.
“We got in this morning. I managed to snag that cottage you told me about, but Finn’s shacking up at the Sandy Shore Inn until the end of the week when his place is ready.”
Okay, so she knows them well. This could be tricky.
Sighing heavily, the man now known as Finn says, “Jax offered to let me crash at his parents’, but I’m ready for some space between tours.”
“I don’t know about you, but I’m just glad we’re no longer on that tour bus and get to sleep in a real bed. It’ll be nice knowing where we are when I wake up for a while.”
“No kidding.” Finn chuckles and places his arms on the table in front of us. “Though this town could get small when we’re used to a different city each night.”
Damn, his arms are sexy. They’re long and muscular with a few tattoos peeking out from the sleeve of his black fitted t-shirt.
Is that a barbed-wire tat wrapping around his wrist?
It’s covered by a few silver bracelets, so it’s hard to tell.
When he flexes inadvertently, his veins morph into corded stone, like the statue of David.
Inadvertently, he lightly taps to the beat and when I look up, I find his piercing blue eyes staring into mine expectantly.
Aww shit. He caught me checking him out.
What the hell is wrong with me?
And when did I become a fan of arm porn?
Tearing my eyes away from his, I look over at his friend. “Seaside might be a tourist town, but if you stick around long enough, you’ll find out why the locals enjoy it.”
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 the dance 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’d love 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 are both in 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.
However, I don’t give him the satisfaction.
Turning to Ryker, I ask, “How long have you been touring with Jax?”
Ryker takes a swig of his beer, then slowly exhales.
Pointing to Finn, he says, “We’ve been with him from the start of his tour.
It was supposed to be just for the contestant tour from winning the contest. But when Jax kept topping the charts with his singles, we made it official and became his band last week. ”
Tonya arrives with their burgers and fries, interrupting our conversation, but the moment she leaves, Finn continues, “Thankfully, Jax was only obligated to his contract for one year after winning the contest at the festival. Now that it’s almost up, he can produce the songs we’ve been working on while on tour.
He’s still with the label, because let’s face it, Smash Waves Records would be fools to lose talent like him.
But thanks to his new kick-ass lawyer, he now has his own official band and more rights to how his songs are produced. ”
“Sloane mentioned something about him finally having more say in which musicians he worked with. I know he’s eager to write more of his own music,” I add.
“We all are,” Finn adds unexpectedly. “By no longer just being a set musician, we can all have a say in the direction our music goes.”
“Do you write as well?” Sloane never mentioned anything about Jax forming a band, so this is all news to me. I’ll admit I haven’t actually asked, so I can’t entirely blame her.
Ryker chimes in, “We all do. Thank fuck we’re fire once we get in a room together, or we wouldn’t even have made it here this summer. Traveling between cities with a new band can either make or break you. We’ve got a good thing going between us.”
Fascinating. I’m clueless about the music industry, though I’m eager to learn more. “You both obviously write, but do you sing as well?”
They both nod, but Ryker says on a smirk, “Sure, we do. Who do you think sings backup?” Shaking his head, his expression turns stoic. “Seriously, Jax was born to be the front man. He just didn’t know it until our girl Sloane wagered him into taking that risk.”
Grinning, I laugh at the memory. “She told you about that, did she?”
Ryker shakes his head and grins. “I’m not sure how I’d feel about meeting a woman who’d change my entire life’s trajectory on a tiny little wager, all because I wanted to spend more time with her.
But we wouldn’t be where we are today without that little ultimatum.
” Taking a deep breath, he looks to the ceiling before shrugging on a slow exhale.
“Though to be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw one of us take a song now and then, if vocals call for it.
” Looking to Finn, he smirks, and an unreadable expression passes between the two of them.
Clearly missing out on the inside story, “What?” rolls off my lips before I can think better of it.
“It’s nothing,” Finn quickly dismisses.
But Ryker must think otherwise because he adds, “Don’t let our boy Finn fool you. He’s equally talented as Jax. He’s a wicked wordsmith and has written a few well-known songs for other artists.”
Now my interest is piqued. “Would I know any?”
“You might. I’ve spent a few years working in Nashville and got to work with some amazing talent. But we’ve talked enough about work tonight.” Looking to Ryker, he adds, “I don’t know about you, but after touring steady for the last six months, I’m ready for a break.”
Okay. That was abrupt.
Before I can judge him too much, he turns to me and reaches out his hand. Tilting his head to the dance floor, he says, “What do you say I teach you some of those moves?”
“Wh… what?” I sputter, completely caught off guard.
Raising a brow, he stands with his hand expectedly outstretched. “What do you say, Raven ? Are you ready for that dance?”