Page 87 of Kiss Marry Kill
Megan stood, brushing the grass from her pants. “Yes, of course. Take all the time you need.” She began to walk away, but he reached for her hand and stopped her. He didn’t say anything at first but then whispered, “Thank you,” before sitting in the spot she’d just left.
* * *
“Where are we going?” she asked later that evening. She was exhausted from waking up early to drive to the Keys to visit his mother, driving back, paddleboarding, and then the cemetery. It had been a long, draining day. All she wanted was sleep, but he was so excited it made her want to play along.
“It’s a surprise.”
“No, please. No more surprises.”
“This is a big one. Hope you’re ready,” he said, parking his bike at the familiar empty lot.
“Robbie’s?” she asked, looking at her favorite dive bar.
“Did some research and TNT is playing tonight.”
She squealed, bouncing up and down. “I’ve been off the grid since Thursday! I totally forgot about TNT being in town.” She began to pull him inside, familiar sounds pouring out of the bar.
“One more thing . . .”
“What?” She looked back at him with a big smile on her face, but before he was able to say anything she heard from the stage, “Megan! Megan, you’ve been holding out on us, girl! Get your cute little tush on the stage.”
Her face completely paled. “Please tell me you didn’t.”
“Oh, but I totally did,” he said with a shit-eating grin, hustling her onto the stage.
“You don’t even know if I can sing.”
“You said you could.”
“I could be wrong!” she yelled, panicking.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special fan who’s going to join us for a song.” The crowd cheered at the lead singer, who he’d learned was named Tamara. She looked strung out and was slurring her words, but the crowd seemed too excited to care.
“This is Megan,” the drummer yelled and then thumped her sticks together and they began to play a song. He’d never heard of it, but apparently the entire packed bar knew it—and so did Megan, who shyly took the mic in her hand. Tamara began to sing, nudging Megan with her elbow.
Soft at first, Meg began singing, then once she became more comfortable, the words came out easier until she was belting out loudly and confidently.
Jax tuned out all the noise, his ears seeking her melodic voice, his eyes tracking the way she moved on the stage. She was made to perform.
The bouts of shyness he’d seen disappeared and a confident woman took their place.
He was completely smitten by Megan Cruz at that moment.
When she finished, the crowd roared and she jumped down from the stage.
“Baby! You can fucking sing!” he yelled over the crowd’s response. Her voice was sultry and raw and it completely took his breath away. She was made to sing, she glowed up and transformed up on that stage.
“That was . . .” She jumped up and down. “I can’t even describe the way it felt.”
“You need to do that. Promise me you’ll do that. Even if it’s just for fun, you have to sing. God, that was phenomenal, Megan. Listen to the crowd. They love you!”
* * *
In her simple cotton panties and one of his T-shirts, laying on her stomach, her feet moving up and down one at a time, she looked years younger. He pulled on a pair of gym shorts when he came out of the shower and slid in bed with her. “Did you have fun today?” he asked her as she turned over, resting her head on her palm. Had they really just met a few days ago? It felt as if she’d always been in his life, fitting in perfectly.
“The best time. You?”
“Watching you sing was unbelievable. The best part of the last few days.”
