One
My pulse roared loudly in my ears and chest to the beat of the rap song that vibrated the entire building known as The Lounge.
The name made me laugh because it was far from a lounge. I mean, who would go to a loud ass bar filled with loud ass music and bodies plastered together to relax? Isn't that what the word lounge meant?
Lord knows I wouldn't.
But I found myself perched on a bar stool, tapping my newly painted Hellacious Red nails against the rustic wooden bar top as I waited for the bartender to bring my bourbon and Coke.
"Here you go, miss." The older man with graying hair smiled just enough to deepen the wrinkle lines around his eyes.
"Thank you." I slid a five across the bar for his tip and he nodded.
The overly loud rap song came to a close as the smooth sounds of an acoustic guitar played across the speakers. I was a sucker for live music. It soothed my very being. If someone could close out the world and pour their heart and soul into a song while actually sounding good, I was a goner.
I'd always wanted to do that myself. But the chance to learn how to play any instrument had never happened for me, so I stuck with random karaoke nights as my guilty pleasure.
I spun my stool to the right enough to rest my arm on the bar and watch whoever was about to play.
When my eyes landed on the tall, dark-haired man on stage, my heart skipped a beat.
Literally. Skipped. A. Beat.
He was wearing dark wash jeans that were worn down the front—most likely purchased that way—with a chain running from his back pocket to a front belt loop, and a deep crimson shirt with the slogan Rock n Rebels in white rustic script stretched across his chest, fitting him in all the right places.
I took a steady breath and sat back against the wooden back of the bar stool, sipping my bourbon and Coke as I awaited his voice to fill the room. Without any introduction, he began to sing. The smooth, yet husky tone sang about drinking and meeting someone in a bar. It reminded me of a country song I’d heard many times on the radio, but was also different in a sense. It was most likely a song that wasn’t well known, or one he had written himself. The thought of him being the one who had written those lyrics hooked my interest even more than his good looks and unbelievable voice.
He tapped the toe of his boot against the hardwood floor to keep the time of the song and I watched in astonishment as his eyes roamed the room before connecting with mine. My heart skipped like a giddy school girl who'd finally caught the attention of her crush, except I didn’t know this guy from Adam. I swallowed before taking another large gulp of my drink which emptied the glass. The guy’s eyes were still fixated on me when the bartender asked if I wanted another. I nodded without breaking eye contact. I wasn’t going to be the one to look away.
His hand heavily strummed his guitar as the tempo of the song picked up a bit, turning into something sexy yet angry. His gruff voice boomed through the bar and a group of girls sashayed their way onto the dance floor. They stopped before him to sway to the sexy sounds of the song he was playing. I exhaled when two of the girls blocked me from his line of sight and finally blinked.
“He’s good, isn’t he?” The bartender sat my second round on the bar and leaned across just enough for me to hear him.
“Yeah.” I looked back at the guy playing to find him smirking at one of the girls who was trying her damndest to keep his attention on her. “He’s really good.”
“Colin Banks.”
“What?” I turned my attention to the bartender.
“His name’s Colin Banks.”
“He’s from around here?” There’s no way he was from my hometown. I’d lived in Jonesborough all of my life and had never ran across him, let alone heard his name before.
“Colin’s a travelling musician. Here for a few weeks to see if the area will embrace him. From the looks of it, he’ll be back.”
Of course he’d be rolling into town when I’m rolling out. Nothing in Jonesborough was for me anymore. Both of my parents were deceased, most of my so-called friends were far from actual friends, and being an only child was kind of shitty when there was pretty much no one there for you. So a few months back I decided to throw a dart at a map to see where my adventure for a new life would take me, and to my surprise it landed on Indianapolis, Indiana.
“Too bad I’m leaving town tomorrow. I could get used to listening to him on the weekends.” As well as looking at him…
“Where ya headed?” the bartender asked as he wiped down the bar where a couple had just left.
“Indiana. It’s time for me to move on with my life. Jonesborough’s not for me anymore.”
“Starting fresh somewhere new might be what you need. Then again, it might be a temporary fix. I’ve ran from my own demons for years.” He gnawed on a fresh toothpick he’d slipped between his teeth.
“No demons to run from for me. Just looking for a new life outside of this town full of drama and not enough population.”
“Ah, a Big City girl.”
“I’m gonna be.” I smiled at the thought of the new life ahead of me.
“Well, good luck on the new adventure. Give me a wave when you want another round, the next one’s on me.”
I nodded.
I always said I wouldn’t be one of those people who poured their hearts out to a hairstylist, bank teller, or bartender, but I’d done just that without getting his name. How crappy was I?
A few songs passed when a tall man in a plaid button-up shirt and tight denim jeans took a seat beside me. He looked like someone straight out of a cowboy movie, large belt buckle, off-white cowboy hat, and a bottom lip plump with a chew of dip most likely stuck behind it. I smiled nicely at the man, and he tipped his hat like any southern gentleman would do. But there was something off by the look in his eyes as those icy blue orbs trailed down my exposed chest before making the trip back up to land on my face.
“Here alone?” His southern drawl was thicker than most people who lived in Jonesborough; he had to be in town for the rodeo.
I smiled, not wanting to actually answer the guy.
Cowboy hooked his arm around the back of my stool and leaned over closer to me. “A girl like you shouldn’t be in a bar like this alone.” If he was meaning for his words to come across as sexy he failed miserably, because the only thing I was feeling was extremely creeped the hell out.
“Who said I was alone?” I countered.
“I’ve been here for half an hour and you’ve been sittin’ here alone the entire time.”
“Um…” I fumbled with what to say.
“There you are, beautiful.” My eyes connected with whiskey-colored ones just above Cowboy's shoulder. I hadn’t expected anyone to come to my rescue, even though I knew more than a handful of people in the bar. But I especially didn’t think he would come to my rescue.
“Here I am.” I sounded like a fool as I giggled my less-than-convincing reply.
“How ‘bout we go over here?” Colin motioned toward an empty table closer to the stage. “More room for us to talk.” A lopsided grin showed a hint of his pearly whites as he extended his hand to me.
“She your girl?” the cowboy asked, but Colin didn’t respond.
I slipped from my seat and maneuvered my way in front of Colin without taking his hand. But as soon as I started to walk, he pressed his palm against the small of my back as he followed behind me to the table.
“Thanks.” I smiled nervously as we both took a seat.
“I know guys like him.” He motioned his head toward the cowboy. “See them all the time in bars like this. He wasn’t going to take no for an answer. You know that, right?”
“How’d you know I was going to tell him no?”
Colin rolled his bottom lip into his mouth and dragged his teeth across it before letting go. “He’s not your type.”
My eyebrows rose and a goofy grin spread across my face. “How would you know what my type is?”
He scooted his chair around the table and turned mine to face his new position. His hand wrapped around the seat of the chair between my legs as he pulled me closer to him. Colin’s hand brushed against my jean-clad thigh as he brought it up to gently push my heavy hair over my shoulder. “What’s your name?” His eyes were like the bourbon in my glass, which I’d left at the bar. Dammit.
“Arbor.”
“Arbor,” he repeated. “I like that.”
And I like the way my name sounds coming from your lips.
“Well, Arbor, you strike me as a girl who likes her man's jeans to be looser than her own.” Colin chuckled. “And his were not.”
I playfully narrowed my eyes. “I don’t know…I was starting to dig those nut huggers of his.”
“Were ya now?”
“Yep.”
Colin leaned close to the shell of my ear. “Maybe I need to wear tighter jeans then.”
Those words shouldn’t have come across that sexy in any form, but surprisingly they did.
He leaned back in his chair as I cleared my throat.
“It’s hot in here.” I fanned myself with my hand and licked my lips, wishing I had that bourbon and coke I’d left behind.
“It’s the lights.” He pointed toward the multi-colored stage lights that were partially aimed toward our table. “It’s like you're performing in the pit of hell under those things.” A laugh passed his lips and my heart skipped yet again. His laugh was throaty, and somehow even more baritone that his voice. I instantly craved to hear it again.
“Oh, that must suck.”
There was that laugh again.
“Part of the job.” He smiled. “Can I get you a drink?”
“You don’t have to. I can get my own.”
“I know I don’t have to. I want to.”
I smiled and nodded.
“What are you drinking?”
“Bourbon and Coke.”
A grin spread across his face. “A girl after my own heart. Any particular bourbon?”
“Surprise me.” I was grinning like a fool as I watched him stand and make his way back to the bar.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t notice how his jeans seemed to be tailored perfectly for his backside, or the way his broad shoulders filled the red shirt he was wearing. My eyes roamed his body as he leaned against the bar and ordered. The man oozed sex appeal, and as badly as I wanted to tell my ovaries to calm the hell down, my mind was asking how bad it would be to have a one-night stand just before I headed out of town. I’d never been one to sleep around, nor have one-night stands for that matter, but doing it once doesn’t count, right? That’s if he was on board.
I chuckled, knowing the line of bullshit I was trying to conjure up to convince myself that the thoughts I was having were okay. Colin turned his head and his eyes connected with mine over his bicep. That one smoldering look short-circuited my brain. All I could think about was how badly I wanted to feel his hands on me and to see those whiskey eyes above me as I cried out his name. I wasn’t one to believe in love at first sight, but what I was feeling definitely wasn’t love…it was lust.
“Here you go.” He sat the drink on the table in front of me.
“Thanks.” I kept my eyes on the plastic cup as I took a drink.
Colin slipped back into his seat. “You staying ‘til close?” His eyes roamed mine as he awaited my reply.
“Definitely.” I nibbled my bottom lip to try and suppress my grin.
He lifted his drink and took a large gulp before sitting it back on the table and leaning closer toward me. “Good. I have to start the next set in a second or people might get angry. You can stay up here so Cowboy doesn’t try anything else.”
A bellowing laugh escaped me.
“Unless you want him to try something.” Colin’s eyebrows dipped in the center. He was unsure how to take my laughter.
“I think I’ll pass on Cowboy. I’m fine right here.”
“Good.” He watched me above the rim of his cup as he emptied it.
My entire body felt like a fiery inferno. I could only imagine how hot I’d have been if I’d worn the sweater dress I had initially put on. But something deep down told me to slut it up. Well, slutting it up for me was a low-cut sequined black tank top and some skinny jeans with red pumps. My last night in Jonesborough had to be spent looking good, right?
“What brought you to Jonesborough?” I took a sip of my drink and savored the smooth burn as it went down.
“Nashville is where I call home. Well, just outside of it to be exact. I’ve wanted to expand where I play, so about six months ago I decided to take a road trip north to book shows all the way to Illinois. Jonesborough seemed like a nice little stop along the way.”
“Well, I hope everything turns out how you want it. You have an amazing voice and from what I’ve seen so far tonight, you can keep people’s attention. That means a lot in itself.”
Colin dipped his head and grinned. I was surprised to find that he wasn’t one to easily take compliments. “I appreciate that.”
“I mean it.”
A mega-watt smile spread across his face as he stood from his seat. “I better get back up there. We’ll chat more on the next break.”
“Go get’em, tiger.”
He walked away, shaking his head while chuckling.
My heart flopped in my chest as I watched him take a seat on the stool and drape the guitar strap over his shoulder. The smooth melody of a slow song filled the bar, followed shortly by his voice. Goose bumps rose on my skin and I leaned back in the chair in awe of him.
Trouble had to be his middle name.
Colin wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. “Tell me something about yourself.
“Well,” I nibbled on my bottom lip as I tried to think what to tell him that wouldn’t sound as pathetic as my life had been. “I’m moving out of this Godforsaken town tomorrow,” I blurted out and grinned when I realized what I’d said.
His eyebrows dipped for a brief moment before a smile graced his lips again. “I take it moving is a good thing.”
I laughed. “To say the least. I have an interview next week for a marketing firm, and I really hope I land the job.”
“They’d be fools not to hire you.” His lopsided grin had me smiling wider than I had in a really long time.
I shook my head, still smiling. “You don’t even know me.”
“I’d like to.” Colin covered my hand with his, and a spark of heat shot through my body. “But since I’m only in town a couple days and you’re leaving tomorrow, looks like we’d only have tonight to get to know one another.”
His words bounced around in my head. Is he asking me for a one-night stand?
I lifted my cup with my free hand to my lips and downed the remainder. “One night it is then.” My leg bounced beneath the table with the anticipation of how the night could unfold.
“Another?” Colin motioned toward my empty cup as he removed his hand from mine.
I shook my head. “This rounds on me.” We both stood.
“I have to start my last set, but if you want to hang around I heard a local guy was playing for a few hours after I finish up.”
I nodded. “Sounds perfect.” My cheeks hurt from smiling like a fool as I dropped my eyes to the floor and turned to grab us another round of drinks.
Before the end of the night, Colin Banks would be the death of me. I could feel it deep in my bones.