Drawn To You (Paloma's Edge) (10 page)

“Man, this morning Beth and I listened to this song on the way to work. There’s no way I could sneak her in if I got her a ride here
,” Pierce said.

“
I know,” I automatically said. And it went without saying that he didn’t want to see Cassidy.

After two songs,
Ari caught a bottle of water from an employee at La Floridita and chugged most of the liquid down. His mouth lifted up into a devious smile and he scanned the crowd with his midnight-blue eyes. Complying with the shouts to take his shirt off, he tore the shirt in the front, wiped off his sweat, and threw it into the crowd. One girl ripped the shirt in half, kept one piece, and flung other to the opposite side of the room.

“Although I’ve lived in
Georgia most of my life,” Ari started in his low voice, “Sage and I haven’t forgotten where we were born. Where my family’s been for generations.”

“Ari, baby!” some girl yelled.

Nodding, Ari’s smile widened. “So we called Emilio yesterday. Asked him if we could do a show where we first started, La Floridita, when other places wouldn’t give us the time of day. And we dedicate our last song to you all.”

***

The band signed some autographs and took a few pictures before they had to leave through a back exit because the front was mobbed with aggressive fans. When we made our way to back to the counter, Emilio put our drinks on the counter.

“That was just what I needed,” Pierce said.

Emilio gestured in agreement. “I promised Ari I wouldn’t say anything. He wasn’t sure if they’d make it here or not.”

Eyeing me curiously, Pierce dropped some cash on the counter and thanked Emilio for making his night better.

After Joel gulped down the cold beer Emilio had put on the counter for him, he rubbed his chin. “What’re you doing this weekend, Pierce?” he asked casually.

“I am laying low after work on Friday. I just work six hours this Saturday and then I am free.”

Rylan tapped my chest. “You?”

“It’s a surprise for Beth, but I am taking her to the Tainted Virtue concert in Miami on Saturday.”

Pierce squared his shoulders. “Is that right?”

***

Joel finished his beer and we talked with Gavin for a little bit at the door. Well, mostly Rylan and Gavin spoke. I didn’t need Pierce to tell me to wait up for him when I’d parked my car in the garage and he hadn’t. Pierce carried two folding chairs for us to sit on. He unfolded his chair and I did the same. He unbuttoned his shirt and threw it behind his chair. He was in his white wife-beater, his blond hair damp like mine from dancing at La Floridita.

“I’ve been holding off on the girls,” I started. “
But I like Beth.”

He gave a short laugh and
drove his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t think you’d like Beth, Chase.” He slid off the chair some and placed his elbows on his knees, studying me. “It’s not because she’s my cousin, if you’re wondering. Beth’s a great girl.” He combed back strands of his blond hair that fell in front of his face, narrowing his azure eyes. “When Darcy told me that nothing happened between you two, I thought she was pulling my leg.”

“Darcy wasn’t the thank
-you I was looking for because I drove Beth here.”

Pierce blew out breath. “Obviously not
, I see,” he said. “Understand that Beth isn’t some fast piece of ass.”

“
That’s not how I see her. We’ve been talking…and she likes me too.”

“Beth doesn’t deserve to be your yo-yo while you work on yourself.”

If any other dude talked to me so bluntly, I’d be hard pressed not to get in his face, but Pierce wasn’t trying to make me feel like shit. I’d question the kind of cousin he was to Beth if he hadn’t told me what he was thinking. In the short time that Pierce had been reunited with Beth, I could see that he loved her like she was his sister. Family came first to him. He knew that I didn’t want to be fucked up forever. I was making strides the only way I knew how, by trying to respect my body and not denying myself who I wanted to get to know: Beth.

“True
, but don’t discount that I am thinking with the right head. I am not gonna stop talking to her no matter how you feel about it.”

Pierce
shot me an intense look before we hauled ourselves from the chair and put them away.

***

Bethany

“Here’s your morir soñado,” Chase said with a half-grin as I accepted the tall glass of my favorite beverage.

Holding his own morir soñado in his hand, he walked inside my room and sat by the sofa in the corner of the room. At the precise moment that I changed from my nightgown into a shirt, a hoodie, and slim
-fitting sweats, I heard Chase announce that he was here from behind the door. I decided that he shouldn’t catch me in my sheer nightgown again. Around him, my body betrayed me at every turn. The more layers I wore to disguise that truth, the better.

An hour ago, he’d texted me and told me that he’d visit me. I’d been braiding Cassidy’s long hair for her. Uncle Anton and Aunt Deborah had come to my room to speak with Cassidy privately. She
hadn’t seemed worried about it at all.

The drink
tasted like it was made with fresh oranges with a trace of caramel in it.

“
Like it?” he asked confidently.

“I love it.”

He nodded and patted his thigh. “You’re too far away for my liking, Beth. Sit next to me,” he said coolly, and I closed the distance between us and felt the muscles in my stomach clench tightly.

“Thanks for bringing this to me. Did you make it?”

Chase brought his arm around me, bringing me closer to him. My skin prickled when I rested my head on the crook of his neck.

“Yeah, I did. I saw you drinking it at the Paloma. When you and Cassidy left, I asked
Nico what drink you had and he told me just how you like it. I added a little lime to mine to give mine more of a sour flavor.”

“This is really good.”
I looked at the telltale signs that he’d have a five o’clock shadow very soon.

“I was gonna make you a morir soñado during breakfast, but time was running out. Thought it best I make it for you when I had ample time.” I squirmed as he massaged my shoulder with his strong and big hand. He didn’t add too much pressure or dig into my skin with his fingers like I assumed he would. H
is touch was a combination of strength and gentleness. “This is now my favorite summer drink.”

I raised my head and gazed at him. “And what was your favorite drink before?”

“Club soda with lime.” Chase didn’t strike me as the kind of person who would allow himself to get tipsy, even if he was with his friends.

“You’re not gonna believe who I saw perform live tonight.” Moving back a little, he eyed me with a slight smile.

“Here?”

He nodded and sipped his drink.
“Tainted Virtue did a surprise performance at La Floridita.”

I’d been listening to them
when Cassidy had come in and asked me to comb and braid her hair for her. Mariska and I loved all of their songs, and they were my therapy when Gregory and I had parted ways.

“Ahh, man.” I paced around the room and then I sat back down next to Chase, whose face creased with a grin. “They were awesome, weren’t they?”

“Beth, I am taking you to one of the shows they’re having in Miami on Saturday. I was gonna surprise you, but after they performed, I remembered the Tainted Virtue bookmark on your desk and didn’t want you to feel like you missed out because you weren’t there tonight. You’ll get to see them live too.”

I jumped on his lap and as I was about to resume my spot next to him, his hands landed on my hips, stilling me. Honestly, I wanted to stay. His legs were muscular and strong, yet it felt better than this stiff
, frilly sofa. “Chase,” I murmured. “The tickets had to be on the expensive side.”

My impression was that Chase was in a ti
ght financial situation like me. I mean, why would he work for and live with his friend’s family for the summer if he could’ve lived with his own family and work wherever he came from? While everything Chase wore looked delectable on his powerfully built body, I could tell that the only name-brand items he wore were his sneakers and his shoes for work. Splurging could really hurt him and I didn’t want him to think that he had to buy my friendship. And I also knew that when guys got things for girls, most of them had expectations. At least, all of the guys Cindy had dated had. Although I liked Chase, I wasn’t going to hook up with him because he got me tickets for a Tainted Virtue concert. I loved that band, but my fan love had its limits.

“Hey,” he said. “Beth, I can afford the tickets.
What’s going on?”

“I,
uh, I am not gonna sleep with you with because you bought me tickets, Chase.” I blurted it out, but I had to let him know. If it ended the start of our friendship, then it was for the best. I wasn’t cool feeling indebted to a guy or becoming another notch under his belt.

Chase set me down next to him. “I don’t want you to do anything you don’t wan
na to do. I’ve been looking for deals for their upcoming tours.” He reached for his glass from the floor and gulped the rest down and then took a deep breath. “I don’t have to entice girls to sleep with me. I never had to. Do I wanna sleep with you? Hell yeah, I do. I’d be lying if I said otherwise. But that’s not my goal right now.” He set the empty glass back down on the floor and cupped my chin with his hand. The coolness of his fingertips made me shiver a little. “I want us to do something that we both enjoy: listen to a great band.”

I
was parched, and Chase must have known because he handed my drink to me. Concern filled his eyes. “I had to say where I stand.” I sounded as if I had the wind knocked out of me and I didn’t want to come across as meek. Glancing down, I tried to force a smile, and he brought me back into the warmth of his wide arm. He traced a circle on the front of my hand and I felt calmer. He didn’t look annoyed like I thought he’d be.

“
You can tell me anything.” He returned to rubbing my shoulder.

Silence descended on us for a while and we remained on the sofa. When I tipped my head up, I watched as his eyes
boldly roved over me, the spark of pleasure that he elicited throughout my body heightened when he placed me on his lap again.

“Did Pierce have a good time?”

He sighed. “Tainted Virtue’s performance made his night.” He furrowed his eyebrows. “Rylan, Joel, and I talked to him a little before the show and I could already see him collecting himself.”

“You help Pierce to relax,” I told him.

He ran his fingers from my shoulders and dug them into my scalp, which felt really good. His natural masculine scent couldn’t compare to the soap he used. As I was about to move in even closer to his chest, he brought my legs over his thighs. I had the urge to run my fingers underneath his shirt and over his chest.

“Joel and Rylan keep him grounded. They’ve been his boys for years,” he said. “I am his friend from college.
There’s that difference, you know?”

“Pierce values your friendship just as much as he does with Rylan and Joel.”

“Yeah, Pierce and I are tight. I am just saying that those two can give him perspective when he’s pissed off. It makes sense since they’ve known Pierce forever.” He sounded so sensible, yet I still thought that he was trivializing how much he affected Pierce’s life. The brief conversation I’d had with Pierce about his friendship with Chase wasn’t the only reason I felt this way. It was also because of how I observed them interacting.

“Pierce can talk to you. And I don’t think he confides with Rylan and Joel more than you
, or as much.”

I
raised my hand to his corded shoulder and he heaved in a deep breath.

“Do you trust anyone other than your best friends Mariska and Jake?” he queried several minutes later.

“I trust Pierce. I trust Uncle Anton, Aunt Deborah, and Cassidy. I am on your lap. So there’s some trust here.”

He
motioned with his head. “And you trust all of us to various degrees?”

“
Yes,” I responded. “Who do you go to when you need someone to talk to?” I wondered.

“I go to Pierce,” he answered coolly. “And I can come to you, right?”

“Duh,” I said, and I hit his chest, aware that he hadn’t included Rylan or Joel as people he could trust. It looked like he thought he’d be bumming off Pierce’s friends if he included them in his life more. I hadn’t conversed with such a conscientious guy in my life. It was like he thought about things too much like I did. But I thought it was selfless of him. He didn’t want to step on their toes. 

I definitely wanted to be someone he could open up with freely, fully, without limits. But being in his arms was all
the trust I needed from him now. The way his eyes locked with mine made me feel like he was strumming my nub with his fingers. My breath caught in my throat. Leaning his face toward mine, the bridge of his strong nose almost brushed mine. He trailed his thumb up and down the pulse at my throat.