Chapter 6
Hunter
It killed me when Iz walked away after showing me back to the party.
Something about her drew me to her. Maybe it was because she seemed to be the only woman here without those weird-ass fake eyelashes.
Maybe it was because I’d always loved a full-figured woman—despite my present date.
Maybe it was because she wasn’t hiding the pain in her eyes as much as she no doubt thought.
The first time I looked in her doe eyes, the sight took my breath away.
I wanted to know why she was hurting. Maybe offer to kiss it and make it better.
Not that she’d ever give me the chance.
And not that I would’ve asked since I came here with Cheyenne. I might get urges and attraction to other women, but I knew how to keep it in my pants.
Unlike Cheyenne, apparently.
Somehow in the five minutes I’d been gone, she’d wormed her way so close to Ryker O’Keeffe she was all but sitting in his lap on the sofa. Which was awkward since Ryker was the Licks’ keyboardist.
AKA my new bandmember.
Awesome.
But then I saw the way he shifted on the couch, trying to put more distance between him and Cheyenne. He clearly didn’t want anything to do with her and was moments away from dumping her ass on the ground if she didn’t back off.
Perfect. Fuck me.
“Cheyenne!” I barked above and behind them.
She jumped like she’d been goosed and spun around to blink wide-eyed at me.
“Oh, hi, baby,” she purred like she hadn’t been all over someone else.
I turned to Ryker. “Sorry, man.”
He raised his palms in that universal signal of innocence. “Not looking for drama.”
“Ditto.” I sighed heavily before raising my eyebrows at my soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend.
“You got two choices here, Shy. You can either leave without a scene and call yourself a ride home or I’ll cart you out of here over my shoulder and dump you on the curb in front of your place.
” I bared my teeth in an ugly smile. “Dealer’s choice. ”
“Oh, we are so over,” she snarled before standing up and carefully adjusting her short skirt.
“Weird. I thought you already came to that conclusion considering you were crawling all over Ryker here. Without his consent, by the way.”
“Fuck off, Hunter. Everyone knows you’re a loser who’s not going anywhere. Just another wannabe drummer without a band. Should’ve scraped you off months ago.” Flicking her hair in my face with a twist of her hand, her lips curled in a snarl. “Fuck you very much. Loser.”
With another huff, she stomped away…well, as much as her spindly heels and rail thin legs would let her.
Groaning, I collapsed onto the couch next to Ryker. “Fuck. Sorry about that.”
“Eh, entertainment is always hard to come by at these things, so I guess I owe you a thank you.” He tried and failed to muffle his laughter with a cough.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m just glad you don’t have a girl here. Because I don’t think that would’ve stopped her. And I’d really hate to have to clean up blood at Beau’s house.” I groaned and scrubbed at my eyes. “What a shitty impression I’m making on all you all.”
“Sounds like I missed something because that was just a day that ends in y around here. Something you wanna tell me?”
I sat back against the sofa and considered my words carefully. “What’s going on with Beau’s daughter and his wife? I’ve seen some shit in my day, but I’ve never seen a stepmother be so outwardly hostile to her step-daughter. Is there some bad blood there or something?”
Ryker muttered a curse and rubbed his face. “Shit, I was worried about that. What happened?”
“I was too far away to hear it all, but I definitely heard her call Isabella fat. Which she’s not. I mean…” I sighed. “Let’s just say it wasn’t a pretty scene. And I might’ve sided with Isabella which pissed what’s-her-name off. What is her name again?”
“Phoebe. And she’s…a lot.” Ryker sighed again.
“Poor kid. First her mom and now she’s got to live with—” He raised his eyebrows and darted a quick look around for eavesdroppers.
“Yeah. So Beau never knew he had a daughter. They met just last week—at her mom’s funeral.
That’s why he missed your audition. He did a quickie paternity test then brought her back here.
She seems like a good kid. But she’s been through it, ya know? ”
I grunted in reply. That explained the naked pain in her eyes. She’d lost her entire world and then got dropped in this snake pit? Fuck. “And Beau’s fine with how his wife is acting?”
“Kinda thought you figured that part out by now, considering how your last band imploded.” Ryker’s lips quirked. “You don’t ever fuck with a bandmate’s wife.” Ryker delivered the line deadpanned but laughter lit up his eyes.
“Fuck off.” I sat back on the sofa in a bounce, only mildly pissed off. “For the record, I wasn’t the one fucking with her. That was all Gabe. Fucker has a god complex.”
“Yeah, that’s kind of a thing with lead singers.” His head bobbed as his fingers tapped out notes on his knee only he could hear.
The question about my new lead singer burned my tongue, but I didn’t ask it. I didn’t want to ruffle any feathers and talking shit about our bandmates was a definite asshole move. I was already walking a thin line with what I’d said about Beau so far. I didn’t want to rock the boat.
“So who’s all wifed up?” I finally asked. “I know Beau is, but is anyone else? You got a girl?”
Ryker moved his shoulders. “Well, you probably know about Mal’s wife, Saylor. It was all over the news when she got kidnapped at the airport a couple months ago.”
I nodded. Yeah, that had made national news. Eloping with a rock star and then an ex holding you hostage at an international airport was huge news. “She’s okay, though, right? I mean, that was so fucked up.”
“She is. Mal was fucking rocked by it, but they’re doing better now.”
“That’s good.”
Ryker grunted as he shifted on the couch. “Beau’s married, obviously.” He nodded to where Phoebe was currently holding court near the buffet, although Beau was nowhere to be seen. “Leif’s never been married. He’s had a few long-term girls but never gone down the aisle.”
“And you?”
He shifted his shoulders. “Divorced. Once. And once was enough for me.”
“Right.” It was a common sentiment among my friends. Once burned and all that.
“And you?” He raised his eyebrows at me.
I laughed. “I would’ve thought meeting Cheyenne was a little more memorable than that. I mean, you almost dumped her on the floor and all. Now I’m single as a Pringle.”
He laughed with me. “Obviously I remember her. I meant have you ever taken the plunge?”
I shook my head. “Nope. Not really keen on the institution.”
“Eh, you’re young. You’ve got time. Just make sure you pick a good one.”
I laughed lightly. “You all talk like I’m a kid. Leif was doing it during my audition—I’m in my thirties for Chrissake.”
“Aww, you’ve just guaranteed your nickname for life, kid.” Ryker grinned at me like it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard.
“Fuck,” I muttered.
“What’s wrong, kid?” Leif asked as he collapsed on the sofa between me and Ryker.
That just made Ryker laugh harder.
“Fuck me,” I grumbled, shaking my head.
“What’s so funny?” Leif asked, frowning. “What’d I miss?”
That shit-eating grin was never gonna leave Ryker’s face. “Just giving the kid the lay of the land. He was asking about Isabella. I guess Phoebe’s been giving her a hard time.”
“Shit.” Leif took a sip of his old-fashioned glass. “That’s not good. Poor kid.”
“See now that makes sense.” I pointed a finger over my beer at them. “She’s twenty-ish years younger than all you. So she’s a kid to you guys. But I’m only—”
The rest of my argument was drowned out by the guys’ groans.
“Come on!”
“Give it up already.”
“Sounds like I’m missing the real party over here.
” Mal suddenly appeared, pulling a dining chair in his wake with wife in tow.
He set the chair down in front of the couch opposite us.
After collapsing on it in a display of loose-limbed grace, a beat later he pulled his wife down onto his lap, careful not to jostle either of their drinks. “What’d we miss?”
“The kid here doesn’t want to be called kid.” Leif gestured to me with his drink, his expression all smug and condescending.
Fucking lead singers, man.
I shook my head. “It’s…whatever. Call me whatever you want. I don’t care.”
The guys all hooted.
“Try telling your face that!” Ryker laughed.
I just sighed and took another pull of my beer. I’d be damned before I fed into this bullshit anymore.
But I couldn’t deny that I liked the camaraderie we were building. I’d missed this the last few months on the road with my old band. The cracks had started to show months before, and it’d only been a matter of time before we’d imploded.
For a minute I’d worried I’d never have this again. It felt so fucking good.
But tenuous.
“Hey, no one mentioned a band meeting,” Beau rumbled behind me.
A few seconds later, he was pulling up another chair and expanding our little circle.
“Phee is going to kill me for hogging all the stars here tonight, but fuck it.” Beau groaned as he collapsed onto his chair. “I’m tired of being ‘on.’ Ya know?”
The other guys nodded, but I just listened. No one here knew who I was. Being the drummer in a one hit wonder band didn’t get me much recognition. Or any, really.
“Speaking of on…” Leif smirked and jerked his head my way. “Have you two even met?”
Beau blinked in my direction. “Yeah, Danny introduced him earlier. Hunter, right?”
I nodded, tipping my beer toward him.
Leif’s lip curled like that wasn’t the reaction he’d been hoping for. “Fine, fine. So I take it all the paperwork has been signed? Everyone has signed?”
All the guys in our circle nodded.
“Good. I guess all that’s left is practicing.” Leif narrowed his eyes like he was deep in thought.
“We can use my place,” Mal offered. “Since we want to keep things on the downlow for now. No one’s gonna notice who’s coming and going there since you all are regulars—well except for the kid.”
I slow blinked, determined not to react to their cute nickname for me.
“I got no issues with that,” Ryker agreed.
Leif shrugged. “Me neither.”
Beau scrubbed at his face, muffling his groan. “I just don’t know when I’m going to find time to spend with Izzy. Fuck, if it’s not one thing, it’s another.”
“We’re not saying we’re gonna move in with him,” Ryker pointed out. “It’s only a couple of hours a day.”
“Six, tops,” Leif put in.
Beau didn’t look relieved. If anything, his scowl drew deeper. “Yeah, but Phee has a whole schedule planned out for the next month. I mean, obviously I’ll make practice time work, but I don’t know how I’m going to fit in Izzy, too.”
“That’s tough, man.” Mal snuggled into Saylor’s breasts.
The guys all muttered their agreement, but no one offered a tangible solution.
Prioritize your daughter?
Bring her with you?
No one came up with anything.
Unable to let it go, I finally spoke up. “Do you have a practice room here?”
Beau shrugged. “We’ve never hung out here, really.”
“What about your library?” Leif leaned forward, bracing his arms on his knees.
“That could work.” Beau nodded.
I shrugged. “You’ll have more time with Isabella if you’re not stuck in traffic two plus hours a day.”
“You all wouldn’t mind?” Beau looked around the circle. “I know you were wanting to spend more time with Saylor, Mal. Is this okay with you two?”
Saylor hitched a shoulder. “It’s fine with me. I’ll be busy myself anyways. I, uh, got an internship with Russo Designs. Mal hooked me up.”
Leif grinned. “Congrats.”
“That’s great,” Ryker said.
Saylor blushed, her shoulders coming up almost even with her ears. “It’s whatever. Nepotism, really. But I’m excited. The next school year doesn’t start for months, and I want to do…something. But yeah, don’t worry about me. I’ll have plenty to keep me occupied over the next few weeks.”
Mal jostled her in his lap before murmuring something in her ear that made her whole body flush red. After kissing her temple, he turned back to the group. “I’m down with practicing here.”
“Great.” Beau looked around the circle at each of us. “You guys will have to bring your own instruments. I only have guitars and bass guitars. And a harmonica.”
“Not a problem.” I shrugged. “I’d rather play on my own kit anyhow.”
“Ditto.” Ryker lifted his chin.
“Great,” Beau repeated. “This’ll definitely help me out. Thanks, kid.”
I groaned and closed my eyes while the rest of the guys jeered around me.
Beau laughed. “What’d I miss?”