Tamed (Torn #5)(9)

I was pulled back to earth when I noticed Chloe and Logan stand. I gave him a questioning look, but he just shook his head as he led Chloe onto the dance floor. He pulled her against him, and they began dancing to the slow melody of the song. I looked around to realize that several other couples were dancing together as well.

I turned my attention back to the band. My eyes fell on Drake first. He had a look of pure rage on his face as he watched something out on the dance floor. I had a good idea what, or rather whom, he was staring at. Sure enough, when I turned back to look, Chloe and Logan had stopped dancing, and they were now kissing.

I sighed. Those three were going to be the death of me. I could feel it.

“I want to thank all of you for coming out tonight. We hope you enjoyed the show,” Drake said once the song had ended. He looked anywhere but at Chloe and Logan.

Wait, what? They just started, I thought to myself before glancing down at my phone. Holy shit, it’s already ten. Had I really been staring at that guy for over an hour? There was no way.

My eyes snapped up when Chloe and Logan sat back down at our table. A few seconds later, the tiny drummer chick dropped down into the seat next to Chloe. I looked up to see the other three members of the band grabbing chairs from a neighboring table. We all scooted closer together to give them room to sit down. My breath caught when the guitarist with the Mohawk ended up in the chair next to me.

He was even more gorgeous up close. His eyes were the richest brown I’d ever seen. He had a strong jaw covered in dark stubble. He’d grabbed a shirt somewhere between the stage and our table. Despite that, I wanted to reach out and touch him more than I’d ever wanted anything else in my life.

“Guys, this is Chloe, Logan, Rachel, and Amber. These two idiots are Eric and Adam. Jade is the tiny chick,” Drake said, motioning to each of us as he called out our names.

Adam. I even loved his name.

I glanced over at him again, but he was looking away from me. He was in a deep conversation with Eric. I frowned. I wasn’t used to men ignoring me, especially when I was sitting right next to them.

I felt someone give me a hard kick under the table. I looked away from Adam to see Chloe watching me closely. Her eyes darted to Adam before returning to me. I shrugged my shoulders, and she rolled her eyes.

The table fell into easy conversations. Adam continued to ignore me as he talked to Drake and Eric. Chloe was focused on Jade. Logan didn’t talk to anyone. Instead, he kept his focus on Chloe. Rachel tried to keep my attention, but my eyes kept drifting back to Adam.

A few minutes later, three scantily dressed chicks surrounded the guys. Without breaking eye contact with Eric, Adam grabbed one of them and pulled her onto his lap. His hand cupped her ass and squeezed. My eyes widened.

Seriously? He had a girlfriend. I almost groaned out loud. No wonder he’d ignored me completely.

“I’m Stacey,” the girl said as her other two friends made themselves comfortable in Drake’s and Eric’s laps.

Eric looked uncomfortable, but Drake seemed at ease.

“I don’t need to know your name,” Adam said as he finally looked at her.

Hold the f*cking train. He doesn’t even know her?

I was so confused. What kind of * gropes a chick he doesn’t even know? Oh yeah, Alex had done that to me.

My eyes flashed back to the girl. She had a hungry look in her eyes. She was a f*cking groupie. That was all. She just wanted Adam to f*ck her.

Why the hell did that make me clench my hands into fists under the table? I was losing my damn mind.

I looked over at Chloe. She was staring at Drake’s hand, which was currently slipping up the skirt of the girl on his lap. Pain flashed across her face before she looked away. I glanced back at Drake and saw him watching Chloe’s every move. What was up with those two?

As the night wore on, Adam and the girl on his lap became even more annoying. I hated myself every time I glanced in their direction. I didn’t want anything more than this girl did. I had no right to feel jealous over the fact that she had decided to take a chance and came out the winner.

Jade, the drummer chick, started talking to Rachel. I joined in, desperate to distract myself from what was happening six inches away from me. It turned out that Jade was actually pretty nice. She asked about our classes and stupid things like that to keep the conversation flowing. She had the cutest Southern accent I’d ever heard.

When she asked about our favorite bands, we got into a huge debate. I declared Avenged Sevenfold as my favorite, and Jade said that Korn was way better. Rachel didn’t have a clue who we were even talking about.

I looked up when Chloe abruptly stood.

Logan quickly did the same and glanced over at Rachel and me. “You guys ready?”

I told Jade, “Good night,” before standing and following them to the exit. Unable to stop myself, I glanced back at Adam one more time, still struck by how drawn I was to him.

It was too bad he was a bigger * than even I could handle. I might be a little more open-minded than most women, but I sure as hell wasn’t a f*cking groupie.





Three Months Later—January

From Charleston to Morgantown, West Virginia

“I love you, too,” I said as I hugged my mom.

I waved once more before climbing in my car. I smiled as I watched my mom pull Chloe into a tight embrace. Chloe had spent most of our teenage years practically living with me. My parents considered her their second daughter.