Jet (Marked Men, #2)(56)

“All of them. Well, all of them except the big brother. I’ve only met him once, and I could tell he was way too uptight and totally not into that kind of thing. Rule has the most hardware, Rowdy has the second most, and Jet and Nash have the same amount. And let me tell you, it is no easy feat to shove a metal needle through the privates of dudes you consider your best friends. I thought Rowdy was going to faint, and Nash took a swing at me.”

I had to fan myself a little with a cocktail napkin. Not too long ago, the idea of being with someone who had tattoos all over and jewelry in their privates would have made me laugh. Now I knew how hot it was, knew that no one would ever be able to do what Jet could do. There was no going back to boring and plain, and I saw by the dreamy look on Shaw’s face that it was the same for her.

I tossed back the Patrón and lifted the tiny glass in a salute to Cora. “Well, on behalf of the female population of Denver, I salute you and offer you our undying gratitude. Good work, Cora.”

That made them laugh, but Shaw nodded her agreement. “Yep, thanks.”

“You ladies are very welcome. You know, I had to do something to help those idiots out. It’s not like they would ever find good chicks with their personalities alone. They’re awful.”

Shaw snorted because it was no secret that Rule could be a real ass when he put his mind to it, but I just shook my head.

“Jet doesn’t need it. His personality is fine. He’s wonderful.”

That had both their heads swiveling in my direction and had I been sober I would have never opened that door for them. Shaw turned her bright eyes in my direction.

“So, what’s the deal with all that anyway?”

I wish I knew. “No deal. We’re friends, we like to hang out, and I care about him, a lot. We’re just being together, nothing more, nothing less.”

Only that was a big fat lie. There was entirely more. Jet had been moodier and more withdrawn since his trip to lockup. I knew part of it was his struggle to come to terms with his mom, but something else was going on that had him acting secretive and shady. Every time I walked in the room and he was on the phone, he hung up. He was spending a ton of time at the studio, and it seemed like the band was demanding way more of his time than it had since I met him. From what I could piece together, it sounded like he was planning on going back on the road and I couldn’t figure out why he didn’t just tell me that. It wasn’t like I had any place to weigh in on it, but still, it would be nice to know how long he was planning on being gone. As much as I hated to admit it, the idea of sleeping alone while he was on the road made me feel sick to my stomach.

He also hadn’t mentioned a thing about court. He had hired a lawyer and they had pushed the court date back a couple of weeks. I knew he was worried about how the judge’s ruling would affect his time, but he didn’t seem too concerned about the actual sentencing. I guess he figured he would get a slap on the wrist and some community service, but it concerned me that he never brought it up, or that he didn’t once mention his mom and dad in the scenario. I knew he was grappling with some pretty heavy stuff and I wanted to be there for him, but he didn’t seem inclined to let me.

“Did he talk to you about why he got arrested?”

I nodded. I knew Rule had the ins and outs of the real reason, but Jet was telling most people he got into a fight, so I didn’t feel like it was my place to explain his family dynamics to her.

“He did. It wasn’t his fault.”

She shook her head and her white-blond hair cascaded around her, drawing the attention of the guys at the table across the bar. They had been casting questioning looks our way the entire night. I normally wasn’t above using a well-placed smile to score a free round or two, but now, with a certain rocker in the picture, that just didn’t seem right.

“It’s never their fault, believe me. I’ve heard Rule say that over and over again.”

Cora rolled her expressive eyes and leaned back in her chair. “That’s because those boys scream sex and sin and a whole lot of fun, and no one ever holds them responsible for being a bunch of jackasses most of the time.”

“This time the jackassary really wasn’t Jet’s fault. He was a victim of circumstance.”

She turned to look at me and I tried really hard not to squirm.

“I can hear him sing to you at night, you know.”

I felt heat flood into my face. I really wanted to change the subject, but I knew that probably wasn’t going to be an option. I tried to shrug nonchalantly.

“He has a beautiful voice.”

“Yes, he does, but he never used it like that before you started sleeping in his room.”

I rested a hand on my throat and refused to meet her gaze. “You know, one of these days you’re going to stumble into a guy who’s going to knock you sideways, and it’s going to be our turn to be all up in your face with the annoying and obvious.”

Shaw lifted both her eyebrows and nodded. “Oh boy, I so can’t wait for that.”

Cora fluttered one of her small hands in the air in front of her. “You won’t have to point anything out to me because I’m holding out for perfection.”

Shaw and I shared a look and then both of us gaped at her. Shaw was the one who sputtered, “You have to be kidding me.”

Cora shook her head. “No, I’m not.”