Take Me for Granted (Take Me #1)(64)

Another audition. Well, this one already seemed like a better opportunity than the show that Frank had shown up for. Hollis had said yet. That had sounded promising. I knew we’d rock out any show we performed, and this time, there was no mention of me ditching the band.

“So, are you in?”

“Definitely!” I said.

All the guys agreed.

Hollis handed us paperwork to fill out to confirm that we would be in attendance on New Year’s Eve. I scribbled down my information and then handed it off to Hollis.

“McDermott!” he called, stopping me at the door. “Are you going to be around the rest of the night? I’d love for you to introduce the rest of the band to The Drift.”

I smiled, feeling as light as air. “Yeah. Let me just put my guitar back in my room, and I’ll come back.”

“Perfect.”

I exited with the guys, and despite the high I was on, I could tell Miller and McAvoy wanted to say something. I wasn’t going to push them to initiate a conversation though. If they wanted to talk to me about hanging with the band, they could, but I’d helped get us this gig, so they couldn’t be pissed with me.

“I’ll meet you back here later,” I said.

Miller opened his mouth to say something but then shook his head. McAvoy nudged him, but Miller just grumbled something under his breath.

“Man, you going to talk to Ari?” McAvoy asked.

I was taken aback. “Why?”

“She just walked out of here pretty upset earlier,” Miller offered.

“She was crying,” McAvoy added.

Shit! I’d made her cry? I felt a part of me die. Yeah, f**k, I need to talk to her. But what the f**k am I supposed to say?

“I don’t know,” I finally said.

“Just remember what I said about her,” Miller said, giving me a knowing look.

How could I ever forget that Miller had said Ari had knocked humanity into me? What kind of person would I be at this point without her? I for sure would have f**ked one of those chicks in the back room, if not more than one. I would have pushed the limits. All right, I’d f**king talk to her when I got back.

I told them as much before walking out of the venue with my guitar strapped to my back, leaving the rest of the guys to hang out backstage.

It was f**king cold outside, and the temperatures sobered me up further. I’d been a dick to Ari. She’d been out of line, but I’d acted like…well, like me. I’d done what I always did. And she was better than that.

My thoughts were broken when I heard what sounded like someone falling behind me. I turned around and saw a girl sitting heavily on the ice. She was wincing and holding her hand against her chest.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Um…yeah. I just hit the ground pretty hard.”

“How’s your hand?”

She grimaced. “It’s bleeding a bit.”

“Need help getting back inside or anything?”

I wasn’t exactly chivalrous, but she was kind of pretty. I would feel like a dick just leaving her out here. After how I’d treated Ari this afternoon, I felt like maybe I owed it to this girl to be nice.

“Oh, no, thanks. My cabin is just ahead. I’ll just go clean it up there.” She struggled to her feet and started walking uneasily again.

“I’m this way, too.”

She finally looked up into my face, and I swore I’d seen her somewhere. Damn my bad memory!

She smiled, and we walked together in silence. Before Ari, I probably would have taken this girl up to my room for a quickie or something.

We reached the ski resort hotel, and she started rifling through the small purse in her hand. I nodded to her and started to walk in the opposite direction. I let the feeling of giving up easy game pass over me. I’d have Ari alone later, and I’d convince her to have pretty epic make-up sex.

“Hey!” the girl called, jogging up to me. “Sorry to bother you again, but, um…I don’t have my key. Do you think I could wash my hand in your place before braving the cold again?” She suggestively fluttered her eyelashes at me.

I wondered briefly if she was telling the truth or just trying to get a step closer to my bed.

I could have sent her back to the lodge. It wouldn’t be the worst thing I’d ever done to a chick before, but it wasn’t like it would really hurt anything. I was heading right back out anyway.

“Sure. I’m going back to the lodge after I put my guitar up. I’m Grant.”

She smiled a knowing, maybe even triumphant smile. “I’m Kristin.”

Chapter 38: Aribel

As much as I’d wanted to rush backstage to talk to Grant, I’d forced myself to chat with my friends for a few minutes. A knot formed in my stomach over what had happened, and I just wanted to scream.

How could he go from having sex with me to getting drunk with some girls to acting like a total jackass to serenading me onstage all in the span of an afternoon?

I didn’t care how wasted he was. I knew that I needed to talk to him. Grant was just being stupid and stubborn. I might have been in the wrong by going on the defensive when I’d found him backstage, but he would have flipped his shit if he had found me in a similar state. I wanted him to have his space to be the person he wanted to be, but I didn’t want that to jeopardize who he really was.