Kelsey Martin

I can’t do this.

I stared at my phone and it read 6:50 P.M.

I’m not doing this.

I’d tried to talk myself out of going to the concert with Matt the second he’d walked out of the store. Nerves pooled in my stomach and intensified with each second that passed. He was Ethan’s best friend, and Ethan was Jenny’s fiancé. How would that work if something bad happened? We’d still have to pose for pictures and dance at the wedding.

Ugh! Why did he have to come into my store all hot and sexy and shit and demand I go out with him? More important, why the heck did I want to go through with it?

Maybe because the thought of his hands roaming your body causes your brain to short circuit, Kelsey?

I looked down at my standard concert attire—Levi’s, rock T-shirt (in this case an old Spinderellas gem I picked up at their last show), hair in a ponytail. It was practical, just like my life. I didn’t need much to get by and I certainly didn’t need Matt Stallworth to whisk me off into a fairy tale.

I stared at myself a few seconds longer in the mirror.

Surely he doesn’t find this attractive? I’ll just go on the date and afterward it’ll be obvious that we aren’t compatible—at all.

Three minutes.

Something told me Matt was a punctual guy and would be right on time. He seemed sure enough of himself that he could pull it off without appearing needy.

I shoved my phone in my back pocket and let my hair down. I tied it back up again.

If he makes a move you’re a goner.

I cursed my thoughts.

Doorbell.

I jolted backward and nearly fell into the wall.

No! It’s only 6:58.

The last two minutes were supposed to be reserved for talking myself out of answering the door. I inhaled a deep breath and walked over. My forehead pressed against the cold wood and my hand slid to the handle against my will.

I could practically feel his presence, and my thighs squeezed together. My heartbeat cranked to eleven. All that separated us was less than an inch of door. His strong hands and blue eyes were less than a foot away.

Pull yourself together, woman!

I exhaled and turned the doorknob.

The door creaked open. Turning back wasn’t an option.

Don’t gasp when you see him, Kelsey!

I tried to hold my breath, but my body didn’t want any part of it. It was like trying to stop a sneeze after the event was set in motion. I started to cough and choke. My eyes watered like crazy.

His gorgeous smile disappeared and a look of concern wafted over him. “You okay?”

I wanted to run and hide. How pitiful was I?

He put a hand on my shoulder and I shrugged it off. I didn’t want to be mean to him but it was the only way to get through this fiasco. Ethan was getting an ass-kicking later for facilitating this whole charade.

I belted out a couple more coughs into my fist. “I’m fine.”

Matt backed up a step and held his hands up. “Sorry. I didn’t mean…”

The butterflies raged in my stomach, but they weren’t the same as before. This was guilt.

I took a step toward him. “No, it’s okay. I’m sorry. Let’s just go.”

Matt smiled. “Okay.”

I looked out in the driveway for a giant truck or SUV. It’s what I envisioned men like Matt drove. Instead, my eyes found a silver hybrid Mercedes.

He cares about the environment. Just wonderful.

I realized I was searching for a flaw. I needed him to have at least one. More would be even better. If I could find a problem with him then I would have a reason to justify why we would never work. Convincing myself would be the key.

Matt walked beside me on the sidewalk toward his car. “You excited?”

“About?”

He chuckled.

I waited for him to get mad or upset, but he just kept smiling that beautiful goddamn smile of his.

He looked down at my breasts.

I started to speak and he cut me off, his stare roaming back and forth, down to the ladies then back to my face.

“The concert?”

“What do my boobs have to do with the concert?” The filter between my brain and mouth malfunctioned and the words came out before I could stop them.

Matt stopped walking and for some reason I followed suit and halted, as well.

“First off, your rack is amazing, but you’re wearing a Spinderellas shirt. I was nodding to the band name.” He smirked. “You’ll know when I stare at them.”

“Oh, so my boobs aren’t good enough—”

He cut me off midsentence. “Second, we’re going to have fun tonight whether you like it or not. Now, I’m going to open the door for you because my mom would beat my ass if I didn’t for a woman as beautiful as you.”

I began to say something else and the bastard cut me off again.

“Actually, she would beat my ass if I didn’t open the door for any woman, but I took the opportunity to mention how gorgeous you are. So deal with it.”

My inhibitions shot down the road and left me stranded, alone and unable to breathe. I looked down at my outfit and back up to him, curious as to what he found so special. Matt opened the door and stared at me like nobody had ever stared at me in my life—like he wanted to devour me.

Move. Speak. Do something. Maybe breathe?

I couldn’t.

His powerful gaze stole the air from my lungs. I just stared with my arms folded across my chest.

After a few beats I pulled myself together and walked over to take a seat in the car. On my way by I flashed him a grin and mumbled, “Mama’s boy.”

He closed the door and started around the front of the car. “Damn right I am.”

Jesus!

He walked around and climbed into the car that was far too small for his massive frame. Matt took the wheel with one hand and pushed the button to start the car. I caught myself ogling the fabric of his shirt as it stretched around his bulging biceps. He was definitely the exact opposite of the guys I usually dated.

“Isn’t this car kind of small for you?” I grinned, but at the same time guilt roiled around in my stomach. Being mean to him wasn’t fair. When I thought about the way he’d pulled Jenny out of her funk after her dad passed away the feelings intensified times a thousand. What I was doing wasn’t right.

But this could not happen. It’d be bad for everyone. Even if his mere presence sent chills down my spine.

“You don’t like my car?”

I gritted my teeth. “That wasn’t what I said.” I hated people putting words in my mouth. “It was just unexpected. That’s all.”

Matt scoffed and backed out of the driveway. The engine didn’t make a sound. “You thought I’d drive a big truck or something?”

Oh, don’t act like you can read my mind, Matt. Even if that was what I thought, I certainly wouldn’t tell you.

“No!”

He flashed me a side eye. A sexy, blue, wonderful side eye.

I looked away and shook my head. I may have grinned in the process.

“Not all athletes from Texas are rednecks that drive big trucks and hunt in the off-season, you know?”

God, he was making things so difficult. I liked my life in its current state—nice apartment, job I loved, one best friend. I’d started working full-time again after Jenny’s dad—who had been practically a father to me, as well—lost his battle with cancer. Matt was the kind of guy you stared at in magazines and fantasized about in the shower. Not the kind you actually dated and interacted with in real life. Now he seemed hell-bent on crashing his Mercedes hybrid right into my utopian life.

“I never said that.”

He exhaled loudly. “Yeah, but you thought it. Didn’t you?”

I needed to just be honest with the guy. “Look, okay—yeah, maybe I did. And the car was a pleasant surprise. Yes, I’ve enjoyed flirting with you a few times but it was just…”

His mouth quirked up into a smile. “Just what?”

“It was just fun—a fantasy, Matt. We’re completely different people. I never thought you’d ask me out, or that you’d be a music fan. So this is all just a little surreal for me. I’m trying to process it all.”

“So that’s why you’re being a dick?” He nudged me with his elbow and smiled.

I shook my head and bit the inside of my cheek, but I couldn’t help but grin back. There was something about the way he spoke, the way he delivered every line. It was so playful, but yet he held my interest. There was more to him than what I thought. I could sense it.

“Maybe it is. What are you gonna do about it, Stallworth?”

He glanced over from the road and raked his gaze up and down my body. I thought I might melt into the seat.

“Oh, just have a little fun. And I like the way you say my last name.”

He hammered the gas and it forced me back into the leather. Adrenaline pumped through my body. I gripped his forearm that rested on the center console.

“Just because I’m responsible doesn’t mean I don’t love some power, too.”

We pulled into a gravel parking lot and Matt paid an old man in a baseball cap ten bucks to park.

The old man peered inside the car. “Well, I’ll be damned. Good season last year, Matthew.”

“Thank you, Mr. Ryan.”

“Oh, hello.” The old man waved to me.

“Hi.” I smiled.

I quickly realized another thing I hadn’t thought about. Going on a date with Matt wouldn’t be like a regular date. Everyone—especially in this city—would know who he was. Could I get used to that?

I shook myself out of the silly daydream for a second. I wouldn’t need to because despite Matt’s charm, and big, strong arms and hands that could pin me down and do all kinds of naughty things to me, and his beautiful eyes, and the fact that he obviously loved his mother and had respect for women, and that he had good taste in music—yep, despite all of that, I still needed to shut this thing down after tonight.

Mr. Ryan looked at me and then winked at Matt. “Nice job, son.”

Matt slowly turned to me with a big, cheesy smile. “Thank you, Mr. Ryan.”

God, he had me smiling like an idiot again.

Ass!

“Well, it’s good to see you, son. Don’t be a stranger.”

“I won’t, sir. Promise.” Matt pulled into a lot and found a spot back in a corner.

Once he put the car in park he turned to me. “Sorry, we go way back. I’ve parked in this lot since I could drive.”

Interesting. Matt was a man of habit. I’d heard about athletes being superstitious but I thought it was just like before their games or whatever. “Always in this lot?”

“Every single time. I’m a creature of routine.” He shrugged.

I glanced to another lot down the street. “So, if I ever brought you to a concert and parked down at that one”—I pointed—“it might throw you off your game a little?”

He flashed me a stern look but I could tell he was hiding a smile behind it. “Don’t even joke like that.”

He opened his door and started around the front of the car. When I went for the door handle loud footsteps pounded the ground. I leaned at the same time the door came open and nearly fell out of the car. Fear shot through me but I managed to catch myself. I glared up at Matt.

His eyes were wide and he kneeled down in front of me. “Are you okay?”

I gritted my teeth for a second while coming to grips with what just occurred. After realizing he was just trying to open the door for me and the fact that I hadn’t face-planted into the ground, I chuckled. “I’m fine. How in the world did you get to my door so fast?”

He stood and quirked up an eyebrow at me like is she serious? “I have to umm, be fast.”

I stared blankly.

“For my job?”

I burst into laughter and then slowly nodded. “Right.” I drew out the syllable and tapped an index finger on my temple. “Pro baseball. Sorry for being a little slow. I don’t usually date athletes.”

Jesus.

I wanted to clasp my hand over my mouth when I heard the words come out of it. It hadn’t totally sunk in until I heard them uttered aloud. Were we dating? I mean, I was on a date with him. He picked me up at my house and opened doors for me and—

Oh my God, you’re dating him!

I should’ve stayed at home. I shouldn’t have answered the damn door. I should’ve pretended to be sick.

My sweaty palm nearly slipped off the frame of the door as I pulled myself out of the car. Matt held out a hand and I took it without thinking. Gross! It was disgustingly sweaty, too. We hadn’t even made it into the venue yet and I’d already slimed him like an episode of Double Dare.

It didn’t faze him at all.

“It’s a little chilly out here. I think I have a jacket in the back if you want?” Matt pointed with a thumb back to the Mercedes.

“No, I’m good. I like the fall weather.” It wasn’t a lie. Fall in Texas was perfection and the leaves had already started to change colors. The crisp air felt new and held a distinct smell.

“So do I. Though I’m partial to spring.” He flashed me a look like I should know what he was talking about again.

Damn it.

I hated not catching on. My dad always said it was because I developed later as a toddler and would get frustrated when I couldn’t do things. He’d said it followed me the rest of my life even though I’d eventually caught up to everyone else.

But part of me seemed to really enjoy that about Matt. He was new and exciting and unlike anyone else I’d known. That was the part I needed to ignore. New things grew old in a hurry. Matt was sushi. It was cool and hip and fun when I first tried it and then it was just okay. But there was no way Matt was pizza or a cheeseburger—something I couldn’t live without the rest of my life. I would’ve already found pizza or a cheeseburger if it was out there.

“Why spring?” I finally asked.

He looked at me a little funny. “Sorry. You really don’t do much sportsing, do you?”

I chuckled at his made-up word and shook my head. “I’m sorry. I just never got into it.”

I looked down and noticed it took me two steps to match each one of Matt’s strides. God, he was tall, too. Even taller than I’d remembered.

He shrugged. “It’s okay. It’s kind of nice, actually.”

Well, damn. There went one way to chase him off.

“Really? I’d think you’d want to go out with someone who had that in common with you. It’s such a big part of your life and everything.”

Why wasn’t I having to walk faster? I looked down again and noticed that Matt was strolling along and walking super-slow to accommodate my normal, human-size steps. I smiled. I wasn’t really sure why, but I found it incredibly sweet that he slowed his walking down just for me. I tried to rid myself of my girly thoughts—unsuccessfully. Maybe he did it for everyone, but right now it was for me.

“You’re gonna have to try a lot harder if you want to get rid of me.” He kept smiling and looked down at me from the corner of his eye.

My blood heated right back up with a healthy dose of irritation—maybe just the slightest hint of infatuation, too.

Cheeseburgers. Pizza.

For some reason I couldn’t rid myself of the delicious food metaphor thoughts I’d cooked up earlier, and then it dawned on me that I hadn’t eaten dinner.

“You want to grab something to eat later?” Matt rubbed a hand on his stomach over his shirt. “I didn’t eat earlier.”

Get out of my head, Matt! You don’t know my life!

“I don’t know. It’ll be pretty late.” I faked a yawn. For what reason, I wasn’t sure. It wasn’t even eight yet.

He gave me another side eye. Matt seemed to enjoy side-eyeing me. Or perhaps it was because I was purposely saying things that warranted a side eye.

Maybe this was a good chance to test him. “Maybe we can just pick something up for in the car on the way home?”

“Sure, if you want.” He kept his slow pace without missing a beat.

Well, just—fine, Matt!

If he’d been a neat freak I could’ve pointed out how much I hated to clean. But no, he had to be all blasé about ordering fast food in his hybrid Mercedes that probably cost more money than I’d made in the past four years.

I stared up at the sky as the concert hall came into view down the oak tree-lined street with older lampposts evenly spaced between them.

Matt laughed to himself.

“What?”

“You like the Spinderellas, right?”

I scoffed. “Don’t ask ridiculous questions like that.”

He stopped walking and loomed over me. “Well, stop trying to find a reason you shouldn’t be here with me and just enjoy the music.”

I folded my arms over my chest and lied through my teeth. “I’m not.” Guilt hammered my stomach again. What if we did become something more and I was already lying to him on the first date.

Matt stared at me like I was a pane of glass he could see right through.

“Fine. I will stop looking for your faults and I will enjoy the music. Happy?”

Matt smiled. “Thank you.”

His smile was so freaking addictive. He was one of those guys who could smile and you’d swear you could see a hint of their twelve-year-old boyish self. Fun. That was Matt. A fun guy.

I couldn’t help but grin back even though I fought it with any ounce of self-control I could muster. “You’re welcome.”

Once we’d made it the rest of the way up the block we stood out in front of Bizzell Dance Hall. Once upon a time it was a ballroom that hosted all types of Western swing music acts. In the seventies an investor came along and totally remodeled the whole thing into a music venue for all genres, yet kept a lot of the history intact.

I’d have been lying if I said it didn’t take my breath away each of the hundreds of times I’d been inside. I turned my gaze across the plain-looking warehouse’s exterior and up to the large steel block letters that read BIZZELL high above the double doors at the entrance.

“This place is pretty awesome, isn’t it?”

I shook myself out of my nostalgic thoughts and glanced over to Matt. He stared at the building the same way I imagined I probably looked when I basked in its musical glory.

You’d think it would’ve been the way he stared at me or the opening doors or the way he seemed to be able to read my mind that would’ve been the very things that would’ve unwound me. I quickly realized that the difficulty of this situation had just increased a thousandfold. This building was a part of my soul, and when I glanced over at Matt staring at it, I could tell it was part of his, too.

“Yeah.” I nodded and smiled at him. “It sure is.”

We started up the steps, and my feet grew heavier by the second. Outside was safe territory. I had control when we were outside. But you could lose yourself in a good concert. Through the two large doors lay uncertainty, especially when I’d be in there with Matt Stallworth.

Footsteps.

Loud ones, almost like a rumbling.

Oh shit!

I nearly fell down the set of steps that led up to the doors as two women about my age rammed into my shoulders and shoved past me to get to Matt. Saying they wore clothes was a debate in itself. Okay, maybe they had outfits on, but there was definitely minimal fabric.

“Oh my God! Oh my God!”

They both stood in front of Matt, shaking uncontrollably. I clenched my hands into fists at my sides.

“Excuse me.” My words came out more like a growl.

They both had bleach-blond hair and looked like they lived in a tanning bed. What made it worse was that they didn’t even acknowledge my presence or that I’d said anything. I was pretty sure they didn’t even know I existed.

After what seemed like an hour of shaking and gawking—that was probably no more than two seconds—one of them said, “Can we have your autograph?”

I could put up with a lot of different things, but rude wasn’t one of them. Not to mention everyone knew you played the shit cool when you met a celebrity. At least that was going to be my rule while Matt and I were dating.

For the night, Kelsey! You’re only dating until the date ends. Then the dating is finito! Done! Finished!

My jaw flexed as I readied myself to lay into the fangirl twinsies. I couldn’t tell if my anger was because they were rude or because they stole Matt’s attention from me, especially during a moment of musical appreciation between two purists. I’d have to save that debate for another time, even though I was pretty sure I knew the answer to it.

“Are you okay?” Matt sidestepped his way between the two girls to check on me.

I may or may not have glanced around him and relished in the two girls pouting while he tended to me. “I’m fine. You should sign for them or whatever.”

“Are you sure?”

My blood heated up, but I nodded. Maybe this could be Matt’s fault. Not being able to read my mind on this one because I really wanted him to turn around and tell them both to fuck right off.

He put a hand on my shoulder. “I’m only doing this because you said you’re okay with it, and because the club encourages us to keep up good relations with fans we encounter. But they’re going to apologize to you.”

He started to turn and I grabbed him by the arm.

Oh my God.

His T-shirt definitely showed off his arms well, but it failed to prepare me for the first time I actually grabbed one of them. Holy hell. He was a hundred percent solid muscle.

“Wait.”

He turned back to me and glanced to my hand on his arm. I wasn’t sure I knew how to let go of it. I wanted to just keep it and take it home with me, maybe. I couldn’t be sure because my brain still sputtered like a car about to run out of gas. Matt seemed to turn my brain to mush quite a bit.

“What’s up?”

“Don’t make them apologize. Just sign the stuff and let’s go, okay?”

He eyed me intently. “You sure?”

I folded my arms across my chest and nodded.

He turned around and I watched the girls bat their eyelashes and push their chests out at Matt. His eyes stayed locked on me the whole time and his hand was a blur. I was pretty sure he didn’t spell his name correctly, because he didn’t even look when he wrote. But then again, he probably had this happen everywhere he went.

Everywhere, Kelsey. This is what dating Matt Stallworth looks like on a day-to-day basis. This is why you do not get involved.

Finally, my brain had returned and was making sense again.

I kicked at a couple of rocks in front of the steps, trying to do anything to take my mind off two half-naked blonde girls fawning all over him before he made his way back to me.

“We good to go?” I didn’t mean for it to sound bitchy, but I worried it might have.

Matt’s eyes narrowed a little at my tone but then he smiled. “Yep.”

His hand pressed into the small of my back just as we passed through the doors, my favorite part of the Bizzell experience. His touch magnified the electricity coursing through my veins by a thousand. Jesus, his presence did things to me. Bass from the speakers pounded in my chest and thumped in my ears. Matt guided me through the crowd of people in the entryway.

We pushed past the will-call window and the ticket booth.

“Don’t you need to grab the tickets?” I hollered, trying to raise my voice above the music.

“Huh?” He held his free hand to his ear.

One of the reasons I loved music so much was the fact that people usually didn’t talk when it was turned up loud. It was a fantastic thing, but at the moment it proved counterproductive.

Oh well. Matt seemed to know what he was doing so I just went with it. As we passed through the sea of faces all of them seemed to turn toward us. I started to pity Matt. I’d never really thought about it much, but I’m sure this was what every day looked like for him. Sure, it was pretty cool to be recognized every once in a while, but how did he do anything? How did he escape a shitty day? Did he have to just stay at home?

We worked our way to a security line and Matt took his hand off my back. I fought the urge to reach out and put it right back where it belonged, but I didn’t.

It was a good thing, too, because he walked around my side and grabbed me by the hand without missing a beat. He pulled me toward a security guy who was even taller than Matt and built about the same. The music pounded in my ears the closer we got to the main concert hall and my inhibitions faded fast. Between the sounds and the ambience of my favorite place on earth and Matt’s hand on mine, it was almost euphoric.

Christ, he’s going to get to me.

I glanced down at Matt’s hand wrapped around mine. That was the toughest part of all of this. He didn’t hold my hand like a boyfriend held his girlfriend’s hand. It wasn’t a friendly little hand-holding game. He held it like he was my protector among all of these people. And his grip said, “She’s with me. So back the fuck off.”

I didn’t need a protector and I damn sure didn’t need someone declaring I belonged to them, but Jesus, I never wanted him to let go of it, mainly because I did indeed feel protected and I most certainly felt like I was his.

It’s just biology, endorphins. You’re wired to feel this way, but you can’t act on it, Kelsey. Think about the big picture.

The worst part about it was that Matt wasn’t a dickhead or overbearing about it. He was a genuinely nice guy who was just in control. He had a way of being all manly without being a complete douchebag—a perfect blend of sweet, gentleman, and caveman all rolled into one. It was no wonder that chemicals were firing off left and right through my body, and my legs wanted to give out constantly.

“You can come through the back, you know!”

For the first time I actually made out someone’s words and it was the security guard hollering in Matt’s ear. Matt said something back and they both nodded and then we went through—bypassing the lines, ticket booth, and everything.

It seemed Matt Stallworth might just be good for things other than holding my hand perfectly and walking slower so I don’t have to run to keep up.

We went through a small corridor and through the open entrance. The opening band’s drummer was pounding a fast rhythm that told me their set was ending soon. Usually, I didn’t enjoy the set-up time between bands. I had to actually talk to people and they’d usually play shitty pop music in the background.

Okay, I didn’t hate all pop music, only ninety-nine percent of it. This time I didn’t mind it much, though.

You want to talk to him. You miss hearing his voice already. Don’t you, Kelsey?

Was this what good first dates were supposed to be like? I’d never been so scattered and all over the place in my life.

Fucking Ethan. Stupid Jenny. Damn them!

I glanced up and Matt was chuckling at me and then looked away really fast.

What the hell?

The drummer finally ended his wannabe John Bonham finale and wrapped up the set. The lights came back on and house music fired up at a much lower volume over the speakers.

“What were you laughing at?” I cocked out a hip like I had in the record store.

“Nothing. Nothing at all.” Matt grinned.

“Don’t be a pussy, Stallworth. Go on and say what you have to say.” I showed him a hint of a smile so he’d know I was halfway giving him shit.

Growing up with Brian Jackson—Jenny’s dad—as a second father meant Jenny and I tended to curse like sailors and shit-talk with the boys when needed.

“Fine, it was because you were having a conversation with yourself.”

I gasped and tapped my foot faster. “Was not.”

I’m pretty sure what he said happened, but I wasn’t going to admit it. Truth be told, I had conversations with myself all the time. It’s how I worked through things mentally. But I didn’t want him asking what I was talking to myself about.

His eyebrows lowered and he gave me a fake-stern look. “So was it good?”

“Was what good?”

“The conversation?”

I looked away and shook my head, attempting to hide my playful smile. Denying it again was my first thought, but he’d seen right through everything I threw at him from the get-go and I promised I’d have fun. “Actually, it was very good.”

“Do tell.”

A tingling sensation rushed between my legs, and a lump formed in my throat. The bastard didn’t even mean to flirt and somehow everything about him still turned me on.

“Hit me with the juicy details.”

To hell with it. I’m going to let myself go and have fun like I said.

I arched my back a little and puffed my chest up at him like one of the blonde groupies outside that I wasn’t jealous of for commanding his attention. To Matt’s credit he did his best to stay focused on my face, but his eyes glanced down to my chest for a split second and then back up to me.

“I was just arguing with myself over whether or not I wanted the music to stop.”

His eyes roamed to the Spinderellas letters on my shirt and this time he wasn’t fooling me with that whole I-was-checking-out-the-band-name nonsense. He subtly licked his lips and practically undressed me with his eyes.

I shouldn’t have been flirting with him, but every physical part of me outside my mind loved every second of it.

“Why would you want the music to stop?”

I motioned for him to lean down with my index finger, and he bent down. He was so tall I still had to get up on my tiptoes to get my mouth next to his ear. My boobs were right in front of his face so I lingered a moment longer than needed to give him a better view.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

I dropped down back to the balls of my feet and watched his eyes never leave me as he straightened back up. One of my eyebrows rose after I finished my question.

Matt’s eyes moved up to mine and he showed me that goddamn smirk of his again. “Pretty sure I already do know.”

Cocky asshat.

“Mmm-hmm, I bet.”

He nodded. “It’d be a good bet on your part.” He winked.

Even his wink was hot. Winking was lame and wasn’t supposed to be sexy. Winking wasn’t sexy! But when Matt Stallworth winked it sure as shit was.

I yanked my phone out of the back pocket of my jeans to text Jenny.

Me: You and Ethan are in trouble!

I started to shove the phone back into my pocket when it vibrated.

Jenny: What did we do now?

I tapped the screen rapidly with both of my thumbs and noticed Matt looking down at me. I turned away so he couldn’t see the screen.

Me: You know what for! Who told him where I work?

The three little dots immediately started bouncing around.

Jenny: Who? I don’t know what you’re talking about. Seriously.

Fucking Ethan Mason!

I glanced to Matt. “Your friend Ethan is in trouble.”

Matt watched the guys up on stage and didn’t look at me. I assumed it was because I flipped around so he couldn’t see the screen. Maybe he was being polite about it? Giving me personal space?

“Check one, check, check.” The sound echoed through the speakers and reverberated off the walls of Bizzell.

“What for?” asked Matt.

“Don’t give me that. He’s the one who told you where I worked.”

“I was sworn to secrecy.”

“Yeah, sure whatever—”

“You want something to drink?” He cut me off midsentence.

“What? Don’t change the subject.”

“I’m thirsty. Let’s grab a drink before they come on.”

“What? Who?”

Matt stared at me like I was a three-headed monster. “Spinderellas.” He laughed again.

“Oh, right.” I looked down at the floor.

I couldn’t remember ever being at a concert and forgetting the band was the reason I was there. Hell, even when I’d dated musicians I think I’d been more excited about the music than the guy.

“Yeah, let’s grab a drink.” I’d get him to rat Ethan out. It had just become priority number one.

We walked over to the concession line. Female heads turned everywhere we went. I couldn’t tell if it was because of Matt’s height or because they’d recognized him. Either way, I received a different kind of stare from each of them once they’d finished ogling him.

I glanced up at Matt and he was focused on where he was walking and paid no attention to them. Could I get used to this? It was what it’d be like if I went on more dates with Matt. What would happen during baseball season when he had to be away on road trips? As much as I prided myself on not being a typical girly-girl, I still had my vices. I regularly frequented the website TMZ and read gossip about celebrities.

Those guys pretty much followed people like Matt around and snapped unflattering photos to cause controversy, especially when the famous people were dating. Would camera guys show up at my apartment? Why was I still entertaining the idea of dating Matt Stallworth?

I let out a long exhale of breath when we made it up to the bar top in the corner.

Matt’s hand moved to my lower back again and jolted me into the present. I leaned back into his hand before my brain could tell me it was a bad idea.

God, what would his hands feel like on my breasts? Or gripping my hips while he took me from behind? I shuddered at his touch and a shiver crept up my spine.

Matt’s eyes roved down to my back pressing into his hand and a devious smile crept across his lips. “What do you like to drink?”

His mouth moved but the words barely registered. His touch had a way of unraveling every thread that was my body.

“Huh?” I stepped away from his hand and pressed up against the counter. “Beer is fine.”

He held up two fingers at the bartender and she scurried off before opening a clear refrigerator door and snagging two bottles.

“Nice.” He nodded.

“What is?”

“Beer. I’m glad you ordered a beer.”

“Do your dates usually order something else?”

He didn’t miss a beat and went right past my little phishing question. “My sister-in-law orders wine because she knows it irritates me.”

He comes to concerts with his sister. Isn’t that just adorable?

I grinned like an idiot until I caught him smiling at the idiotic face I was surely making.

I started to defend my adoring grin when he cut me off.

“She’s the only other girl I’ve ever brought here.”

Say what?

“Huh?” I stood there, dumbfounded. “I thought you said you liked music?”

“Love it.”

“Why would you not bring other dates here?”

“They’re not you.” He grabbed the two beers with one of his giant bear paws and snagged my hand with the other. I followed where he walked with a ridiculous smile plastered onto my face.

I was so screwed.