This One Moment (Pushing Limits, #1)(26)

Hailey smirked. “And which of you fine gentlemen plans to accompany me to the bathroom?”

“That honor goes to Nolan, thanks.” Brandon’s smirk matched Hailey’s.

“Don’t girls usually travel to the bathroom in packs?” Either way, I’d be waiting outside until she came out.

The nightclub was busy when we arrived, with people milling around outside. The bouncer checked my ID, which said Nolan Kincaid instead of Tyler Erickson, and didn’t give me a second glance. Either he didn’t recognize me or he just didn’t care.

Because I didn’t want to draw an unnecessary crowd, I was wearing my baseball cap. I tugged it low enough so I wasn’t as easy to recognize, unless you were really looking, but not low enough to prevent me from keeping an eye on everyone.

Half pretending to search for Kayla and her boyfriend, Hailey walked around the nightclub, scanning the crowd for the guy. All she could tell me was that he was maybe five foot eleven, medium build, with short brown hair. Which described quite a few guys here.

She surveyed the crowd, the light a mix of bright spotlights flashing in time to the beat and dark shadows. The contrast highlighted some faces while others remained easily hidden. I kept my eyes open for anyone fitting the description and whose gaze was fixated on her. I couldn’t fault guys for checking her out, but there was a big difference between checking her out and studying her every move.

We found Kayla and her boyfriend on the other side of the bar.

“Is he here yet?” she asked Hailey.

Hailey shook her head.

“Do you remember anything from the last time you were here?” I held on to a sliver of hope that being here would trigger a memory for Hailey.

Again she shook her head, and the sliver crumbled away in the perfume-filled air.

“Tyler.” Kayla overemphasized my name, as if to remind herself to use my stage name around anyone who didn’t know who I really was—and that included her boyfriend. I’d been adamant about it. I didn’t know him, which meant I didn’t trust him. “This is my boyfriend, Dylan.”

The guy held out his hand. “Good to meet you, man. I thought Kayla was shitting me when she said she knew you.”

We chatted for a few minutes while I answered a multitude of questions about the band and what it was like touring. Kayla had never mentioned how big a fan he was. She’d only mentioned he liked my music.

“C’mon,” I said to Hailey after Dylan paused his questioning long enough to take a sip of beer. “Let’s get a drink and check out the rest of the place.” I excused us.

Not far from us, a girl headed up the staircase tucked in the corner. A guy followed her, his hand on her lower back. Hailey started walking toward the bar. I grabbed her arm and gestured with my chin toward the stairs. “Where do those go?”

“The club’s private party rooms.”

My insides clenched at what she meant and at the possibility she’d used the rooms herself. That wasn’t to say I hadn’t been in a few, which was why I knew what could happen there. “Can you see the dance club from up there?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never been up there.” My insides partly unclenched.

I turned back to Kayla and Dylan. “Do you guys know if you can see the dance club from the private rooms upstairs?”

They both shrugged.

“Okay,” I said to Hailey, “let’s go.” I nodded toward the bar.

We squeezed past the growing crowd. I kept my head down to avoid having anyone recognize me, which would make searching the nightclub impossible. Once we were at the bar, I asked her again if she’d seen him. She shook her head, disappointment sitting heavily on her shoulders. She wanted to find him tonight as much as I did, maybe even more.

I ordered our drinks. When the bartender returned with them, I asked him about the private rooms.

“The music from the club is piped into the rooms, but there are no windows in any of them. Other than the doors, they’re cut off from the club.” He quickly added, “But there’s a bouncer at the top of the stairs to make sure nothing bad goes down.” I wondered if he figured I was an undercover cop making sure no one could be sexually assaulted there. I nodded my thanks and turned back to Hailey.

“At least we now know if he’s here, he can’t watch you from upstairs. If he shows up, we’ll see him.”

We returned to our friends. Keeping an eye on the area, I joined the conversation until the girls decided to dance. Since I didn’t intend to let Hailey out of my sight, never mind letting her dance with another guy, I grabbed her hand and led her to the floor.

Figuring I’d be safe from people approaching me while I danced—the Tyler me, that is—I removed my hat. Hailey ran her fingers through my hair. Her fingertips stroked against my scalp. The skin tingled at her touch, and for several seconds I could only stare into her warm brown eyes, mesmerized by the gold flecks in them.

Her fingers remained in my hair and her lips parted. Around us, people moved to the fast beat, but we just stood there, uncertain what to do next. I felt myself lean down, my lips drawn to hers, craving her, the way it had been since our first kiss.

I paused inches from her lips. I barely heard the fast rock music pounding through the space. I barely noticed the people around us. All I could see was Hailey.