Page 26 of Malice and Surrender
I hadn’t been in a guy’s bedroom since Kai. I’d sat on his floor or spun around on his desk chair, but as an adult, this was new. I wasn’t a virgin—that had been stolen from me—but there’d been no one since.
Avro leaned against one of the supports for the windows, staring outside, and all my earlier fear returned. I felt like a child. At twenty-six, I’d only ever been kissed twice. Once when I was fifteen, and tonight. My pulse pounded in time with my hammering heart.
Avro was one of those people that made you do a double take on the street to make sure your eyes weren’t playing tricks on you. I glanced at my reflection and wondered what the hell he saw in me. Of all the elegant and beautiful people out there, why me? I was suspicious. What could Avro really want? Did I doubt he was my friend? No, but today was different. Sure, I’d fantasized about being with him. Kissing him and running my hands over his body, but I’d never let my mind travel off the trail of fantasy. Today at the beach confirmed that I wanted someone in my life, but I wasn’t even in the same league as Avro, let alone the same game. Fuck, I wasn’t even in the same sport.
“This is my favorite spot. I love this room and the view. I’ll be happier when it is officially all mine,” he said, breaking me out of my thoughts. “I know the guy that owns the place next door wants to sell and I’m thinking of making an offer and rent it out until I can afford to attach the two places together.”
“You should be proud of yourself,” I said, and I meant it from the bottom of my heart.
I’d done nothing useful with my life and hated who I’d been for so long. Seeing what Avro made of a bad situation only gave me more determination to make better choices. What did I want to do with my life? Did I want to be a bar manager forever? Did I want to own my spot one day?
Avro turned to stare at me.
“I didn’t get a chance to tell you, but Grimhead Crews’s agent decided to have them do a second performance tomorrow night. Well, I guess that is later tonight now. Anyway, Allen said that social media is going crazy, which has given him a few more ideas for PR.”
I rubbed my face, not sure how much more I wanted to be forced to hang around Jace Everly and his intense silver eyes that made my stomach toss and turn.
“Don’t get me wrong, we made a killing off having him there, but he’s just so full of himself, and….” I struggled to get out the right word.
“So, um…yeah, about Jace….” Avro started and then stopped when his doorbell rang. “Well, that was terrible or perfect timing,” he grumbled. “I may have invited Jace over, too,” he said, walking out of the room. My mouth fell to the floor.
“What? Why? What’s going on?” I followed him down the stairs as the bell rang again.
Avro looked out the peephole and swore under his breath before putting his hand on the door. “I’m so sorry, it was only supposed to be Jace,” he said, and opened the door.
Are you fucking kidding me?
There had to be at least twenty people outside. Members of the Grimhead Crew band walked in first, each with a pair of girls on their arms. DJ Club Chaos and his entire entourage were next, but the man at the back of the group had my earlier nerves bouncing around inside of me like a million hummingbirds. He seriously invited Jace Everly over? When? How? Why?
Jace stepped through the door like he owned the place, and it suddenly felt a whole lot smaller. Surprisingly, he didn’t have a girl on each arm. Why that made me more nervous instead of less was a mystery. As the door closed, Jace pushed the hood of his sweatshirt off his head and there he was in all his sexy, arrogant glory.
“Party area is that way.” Avro pointed toward the living room. “Feel free to wander and use any room except my bedroom. If I catch you in there, I’ll toss you out,” he said.
The group all seemed in agreement. At least they did now, but who knew what would happen once they had some drinks?
Jace stared at me as he walked by, and our eyes locked. My stomach flipped inside out at the memory of him in the storage room with me and the irrational feelings he caused. Unable to help myself, I rubbed my hands on my jeans like that would remove the feel of his chest from my memory.
There was something about Jace that sucked you in. My insides were a jittery mess, but I forced myself not to show any emotion. I lifted my brow in question as he continued to stare, silently asking what the fuck he wanted. Jace smirked and looked away. I was pretty sure I knew what he was doing, and it bothered the shit out of me.
As everyone fell into a comfortable groove talking or pouring drinks, I recognized the character flaw in myself. Socializing was something I rarely did, and I preferred it that way. Despite how much I loved my job, when the show was done and people were gone, I was happy to be alone. I couldn’t remember if, as a child, I felt comfortable plunking myself down in the middle of a group and talking. It didn’t matter what the topic was. I always felt uncomfortable in a group. The bar was easy. Something separated me from the crowd, and I knew what they wanted: alcohol. I didn’t have to make conversation. I could just pretend to be someone else.
Avro pulled a release on the wall, and everyone cheered as the bookcase pulled out to show off a secret compartment. It reminded me of those fold-up beds, except this was full of DJ equipment. In seconds, the quiet house had turned into a loud party.
Staying just outside the living room, I quickly turned toward the kitchen. I needed a drink, and I wasn’t walking in front of all those people to get to the alcohol.
I opened the fridge and stared at the perfectly arranged containers of food. They were labeled with the contents and the date it went into the container. Was Avro for real? This level of organization was intense. I mean, he kept his side of the bar looking immaculate, but I didn’t realize his obsession stretched over everything until now. The entire house was the same way, and I was secretly envious. I could only imagine what he thought when he walked into my tiny bird house of a home. Would he faint when he saw my bedroom and my clothes hanging off every available space?
Other than two large bottles of champagne, there wasn’t any alcohol in the fridge—just homemade fruit or vegetable juices. Closing the door, I stared at the stainless-steel appliance and wondered if I should stay or go. I wanted to spend time with Avro—the chemistry between us was there—but I was still waiting for him to jump up and yell, just joking. Like he would realize I was a walking mess and wouldn’t want anything to do with me.
“Here, I made you this,” Avro said, startling me as he stepped into the doorway. He looked sheepish as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, I should’ve given you a heads up about Jace, but I didn’t want you to back out, and I didn’t know about everyone else…shit, there’s no excuse. I should’ve told you he was coming.”
He’d removed the cat-eye contacts, yet I could still picture him purring as he begged forgiveness. I almost smirked as the CATS musical began to play in my mind.
“I may not have made the best decision, but you’re here now, and I want to spend time with you. We don’t have to go in there.” He smiled wide, and I couldn’t stay annoyed with him. “Forgive me?” he said and bit his lip. Was it hot in here?
“When did you and Jace become so close that you invited him over?” I took the drink, sniffing at what he’d made.
“Well, that’s the other thing I need to tell you.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I actually know him really well.”
