Take Me for Granted (Take Me #1)(65)

My mind was all clouded. I was going to agonize about this all night if I didn’t go and find Grant.

When I made it backstage, the room was even more packed than it had been before. The later shows were supposed to be completely full, and bands were getting their equipment together. On instinct, I returned to the spot where I’d seen Miller and McAvoy earlier, but they weren’t there.

Unfortunately, Donovan Jenkins was.

“You following me, beautiful?” he asked with a wink.

“Hardly. I was just looking for Grant.”

“Again?”

“Yes, again,” I said irritably.

“You should reconsider your seventeenth-century assumptions and keep a closer eye on him.”

Okay. I didn’t care how much I liked The Drift’s music. Donovan Jenkins was officially on my shitlist.

“I don’t need to keep a closer eye on him. Now, if you haven’t seen him, then I’m going to continue looking.”

He reached out and grabbed my arm as I started to walk away.

I stared down at it in disgust. “Don’t touch me.”

He slowly released me. “You’re not like most other girls.”

“I’ve heard that before.”

“Well, I haven’t seen your boy. He probably went off to celebrate.”

My stomach fluttered. This didn’t sound good. “Celebrate what?” I knew my voice sounded lighter than normal, but I couldn’t control it.

“ContraBand is opening for us. New Year’s Eve in New York City. They just signed the paperwork after the show. Are you going to be there, too?” He gave me his most dazzling smile.

And yeah, damn, he was attractive, but he wasn’t Grant.

Right now, that was all I could focus on. Grant was opening for The Drift in the city. I was happy for him. This was what he’d wanted, but still…the news scared me. It made my stomach twist, and I felt a bit nauseous.

Grant hadn’t told me about this. As far as I could tell, he hadn’t even come looking for me. And now, I didn’t know where he was, except for hearing Donovan’s vague notion of celebrating. That didn’t sit right with me either.

“Hey, Ari,” Miller said, walking up to us.

Sydney had finally reappeared after the blowout with Vin, and she was standing awfully close to Miller.

“Hey. Have you seen Grant?” I felt a sense of déjà vu wash over me at the question.

“Yeah. He went up to put his guitar away. He should be back any minute.”

I released the breath I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding. Just putting his guitar away. Totally normal. No reason for me to worry.

“Thanks,” I said appreciatively.

“Hey, Ari,” Donovan said.

Ugh, he knows my name now.

“Think about New Year’s.”

I rolled my eyes and kept walking. I couldn’t even dignify that with a response. If I was going to be in New York City for New Year’s, then I was going to be with Grant. Donovan Jenkins wasn’t even on my radar.

Jogging up the path to the rooms, I felt a burst of adrenaline rush through me. I’d been basically holding my breath since I walked out of the private room. I didn’t like fighting with Grant. We were both too stubborn and strong-willed for it. All it did was make me emotional and irritable.

Once I reached the door to his suite, I took a deep breath. I wasn’t looking forward to this conversation, but it was necessary. I pushed open the door and froze. My stomach lurched, and I felt all the air push out of my lungs. Grant was standing there, just outside of his bedroom, kissing a naked woman.

My gasp must have brought him out of his stupor, and he forcefully shoved the woman away from him. That was when I recognized her—Kristin.

My world spun, and I latched on to the doorframe. Grant turned abruptly, and our eyes met across the distance.

“Ari,” he whispered, his face aghast.

I thought I might be sick. Bile touched my throat, and I had to push it down to keep from throwing up. I’d never doubted him. I’d thought he had been sleeping with other women before we were serious, but even then, he’d claimed that he hadn’t. Even in a compromising position back in the private room, I’d never once suspected that he was cheating on me. And now…with the proof before my eyes, I just felt disgusted with him, with myself, with everything. How had I believed him?

“This isn’t what it looks like,” he said. His hands were splayed out in front of him.

“What does it look like, Grant?” My voice was shaking.

“Bad. It looks bad.”

“Oh, Aribel,” Kristin said sweetly. She didn’t even bother covering up. “Are you guys still together? Grant never said—”

“Shut your f**king mouth!” he roared. “Go put some f**king clothes on and get the f**k out of my room.”

“That’s not what you were saying earlier.”

“Are you out of your f**king mind?” he yelled.

Kristin jumped at his harsh tone and darted into the bathroom.

I just stood there, unable to move forward or to run away. There were so many things I wanted to say, but I just watched as Grant screamed at Kristin. She knew that we were together. Even if she had been in the room when we argued earlier, we hadn’t broken up.