Sweet Forty-Two(6)

Just before I got sucked into another “get the hell out of here” conversation with Lissa, CJ burst ceremoniously through the door and walked straight toward me. To onlookers, he might be intimidating. He was probably 6’3” but his shoulders were so wide it made him look like a brick wall. His dark hair was shaggier than it used to be, but it looked good on him.

“Hey, gorgeous, do you ... wanna wear some clothes behind that bar?” He lifted his pierced eyebrow as he tossed his drumsticks on the bar.

“Are you suggesting I put on more clothes?” I leaned back and grabbed the Jack Daniels, mixing CJ’s drink before he ordered. It was always the same, and, sometimes, same was nice.

He looked up and pensively ran the barbell in his tongue across his lips. “No. What was I thinking?” He stuck out his tongue and I smacked his shoulder. Sex addict.

“Do not stick your tongue out at me, Ceej. Lord knows where that thing’s been since we last saw each other.” I slid his drink to him. “So ... where the hell are your friends?”

CJ looked over his shoulder, and as if choreographed for film, Regan strolled through the door with a violin case slung over his shoulder with a red strap. His loose jeans were tattered at the knees and pockets. I couldn’t tell if that was from a lot of wear, or if he’d spent too much money and purchased them that way. He was wearing a white long-sleeved button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Black converse sneakers and his hair tied back away from his neck in a messy ponytail completed his homage to carelessness.

Regan nodded to me and CJ as his long legs carried him to the bar. Before I could say hi, he was followed in by a god and goddess.

I shit you not.

The guy was a couple of inches over six-feet with thick hair as black as Lissa’s. It was styled to look messy but he didn’t look like he tried very hard. I was annoyed already. He held hands with what was easily the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. Her long auburn hair had beach waves I just knew she was born with, and I felt my shoulders stretching back and my spine lengthening, as I stood straighter. I hated her. The effortless perfection of others got under my skin. Like God was mocking me.

“Thanks for waiting for us, Ceej.” The girl rolled her eyes and she and the guy set down heavy-looking guitar cases I’d totally missed them carrying in, what with all the good-looking air hovering around them.

“I’ll always wait for you, sweets.” CJ stuck out that goddamn tongue ring, and she flipped him off as Regan and the other guy laughed.

It seemed she was well acquainted with CJ, and thankfully for her, hadn’t slept with him. I cleared my throat and shot a snooty look to CJ, encouraging his social skills to make an appearance.

CJ whipped his head around. “Sorry, G. You met Regan earlier today...”

Regan nodded but would barely meet my eyes. He must have still been uncomfortable from staring at my breasts earlier. Given I had a hell of a lot more than cleavage showing tonight, I doubted he’d be able to look at me at all.

“Hi Regan,” I teased. Sometimes it was so easy to make a man blush. He murmured his hello and then grumbled something about heading backstage or outside to tune. As if E’s had a backstage.

CJ ignored the awkward exchange and gestured to the dynamic duo of attraction. “And, these are my friends who live up in Mission Bay. Bo and November.”

Naturally, they smiled in unison. Bo took my hand, and I was instantly filled with the need to make his mouth mine. Given he seemed pretty tight with CJ, though, I decided against it.

“Nice to meet you, Georgia. CJ told us a lot about you on the way over here.” The way his voice wrapped itself around my guts told me he was a singer.

I forced a smile. “Good to meet you.”

On habit I snapped my gum, then immediately cursed myself for the classless noise. The urge to fit in with them was overwhelming. I snapped my gum one more time to remind myself that those feelings could f*ck right off in the direction from where they came.

I held my hand out to the girl. “November?”

She smiled all the way to her Cheshire cat green eyes. “You can call me Ember.”

Of course I can...

“Nice to meet you, November.”

But I won’t.

“Oh for f*ck’s sake, Regan, don’t get your panties in a wad,” CJ groaned as I forced myself to break my gaze from Ember. She looked familiar, but I couldn’t place from where.

“Problem, boys?” I took a deep breath and leaned my elbows onto the bar.

“Prince Prodigy here needs to know where we can put our stuff.” CJ threw some air-quotes around the end to accent his juvenile state.

I stared at Regan until he looked me straight in the eyes. The hazel eyes I remembered from earlier in the afternoon had taken on more of a yellow edge. Fierce. Humming with agitation of some sort. I decided not to play any more games with him for the time being.

“We don’t really have a separate backstage area, but you guys can head over there and set up whatever you need to. You’re on in ten, okay?”

“Thanks, G.” CJ swallowed the rest of his Jack and Coke in one gulp and picked up his sticks as he slid from the stool.

Bo, Ember, and Regan had already made their way to the stage.

“Hey,” I stopped CJ just before he left the bar, “what’s wrong with your cousin? Did he sit on one of your drumsticks or something?