Until the End (Sea Breeze #9)(73)

He didn’t care what they said. Not once had he seemed tempted by them.

When I first met Krit, he had shared the apartment above mine with Green. Now I shared that apartment with him, and Green lived in my old apartment underneath. The band had become my family. So had Trisha, Rock, and their kids. I hadn’t had a real family before, so having people in my life who loved me was the most wonderful thing in the world.

I took my special corner and sat down on the seat Krit always had for me. He winked at me as he tugged off his shirt, showing his pierced ni**les and tattooed chest. His sexy ripples of muscle made me squirm in my seat. Soon he would be all sweaty onstage, and his hair would be even messier than it already was.

It was no wonder I let him take me out back or to the greenroom during intermission and have his way with me. Just listening to him was already a turn-on as it was, but seeing his sweaty, na**d chest and the way he moved onstage made me a puddle. I was always ready to get my hands on his slick body.

“Are you Krit’s girlfriend?”

I glanced over to see a blonde who reminded me of the angel on the top of the Christmas tree every year at the church. Her hair was long and golden and curled at the ends. She didn’t have on makeup, which was odd for groupies. They were normally all lacquered up. Granted, this girl didn’t need makeup. She had the kind of features that were timeless. I started imagining her as a heroine in my novel.

“Blythe, right?” she said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Uh, yeah.” I nodded, confused as to how she had gotten back here.

She grinned at me. It was a real smile. Genuine. “I’m Trinity, Matty’s cousin. I’m visiting him because my mom wants me to move close to Matty and go to South Alabama for college. I don’t think he’s real thrilled about it, though,” she finished, biting her lip nervously. “But he said that you’d be back here and that you were nice.”

Matty was the drummer for Jackdown. He also looked nothing like this girl, who was younger than me by a year or two maybe. Her accent was different. It had a twang to it that I didn’t recognize.

“Where do you live?” I asked as she pulled up a chair beside me.

“A little town in Texas you’ve never heard of.” She grinned again. Two dimples appeared. She reminded me of a doll. That was it. She had the face, hair, and dimples of a doll. “It’s called Berryville. If I leave, the population will go from 999 to 998. I don’t know how they’ll make it.” There was teasing in her tone. I liked her.

“Wow. Yeah, you might want to rethink that,” I replied.

She giggled, then pulled her legs up in the seat. “So, Matty says you live with Krit and are very important. I’m not to do or say anything that would offend you. I will admit I’m a little nervous about that. Krit seems scary.”

I glanced out to see Krit frowning as he looked over at us. He’d be over here in a minute. This was going to bug him.

“He’s scowling at me. Should I move?” she asked in a quiet voice.

I shook my head. “No. You’re fine. I swear. Krit is just intense. When he finds out you’re Matty’s cousin and not some groupie back here trying to upset me, he’ll chill out.

About that time Matty walked up to Krit, grabbed his shoulder, and said something in his ear. Krit nodded, then looked at me for reassurance.

I gave him a thumbs-up.

He relaxed and went back to warming up and checking the sound.

“Does that mean I get to stay?” she asked.

Laughing, I nodded.

Krit

The girl beside Blythe looked young and innocent. Matty said it was his cousin visiting from Texas. He swore she was nothing like him and that she and Blythe would get along great.

So far Blythe had been fine. Though the girl had kept talking to her and kept Blythe’s attention off me. I didn’t like that. I wanted all her attention. Yes, it was selfish, but f**k that.

During our first break I was at Blythe’s side before she could stand up. “Come here, love,” I said, pulling her up and into my arms. I was sweating, but she never recoiled or acted like it bothered her. She came to me willingly. I loved that.

“Krit, this is Trinity. Trinity, this is Krit,” Blythe said, introducing us.

“Nice to meet you, Trinity. But I’ve got to take my girl away for a bit, yeah?” I hooked my arm around her neck and led her backstage, away from Trinity and her chatty mouth.

“What was that about?” Blythe asked, staring up at me.

I didn’t meet her gaze. I was hiding my selfish behavior the best I could. She was damn near perfect and she loved me, this f**ked-up ass**le. I had to hide my worst traits the best I could.

“Krit Corbin, are you jealous of . . . a girl?” Blythe’s amusement was obvious.

I didn’t respond.

“Ohmygod, you are. Krit, seriously? I don’t swing that way at all. Granted, she’s a very beautiful girl, but I’m in love with you.”

I bent my head and kissed her temple. “Yeah, you are.”

She giggled and laid her head on my sweaty chest. “What am I going to do with you? You’re just getting worse.”

“Keep me. That’s what you’re going to do with me.”

She slid a hand up my chest and left it over my heart. “Yes, I am in fact going to keep you.”