I nod, laughing. I look out over the crowd and see Logan leaning against a post in the middle of the room. His arms are crossed over his chest, and his mouth is open slightly. I blow him a kiss and he shakes his head, smiling. Goodness, that boy is pretty. He gives me a thumbs up and walks away.

I wish I could share this with him, because this is the best feeling ever. The fans, the sound, the way I feel complete when I do this… there’s nothing that compares. I’m not scared. Not in the least bit. I love this. I love music. I love the guitar. And I’m afraid I’m a little bit in love with Logan.

Logan

I turn around to watch Kit as she plays. Her cheeks are all rosy, and she’s smiling. Every now and then, they give her a quick solo, and she strums the guitar, dancing around, her knees bending as she works it. By the way the crowd’s going crazy, I’d guess she’s really good at this.

I can feel the thump of the music in the floor and on the walls, and I stop and rest my hand on one of the speakers.

Kit’s hair is all wet, and her face is shining. She’s never looked more beautiful to me. This is obviously what she was born to do. And I can’t help but wonder why she’s busking in a subway for pennies rather than doing this full time. This is where her future lies. This is her passion.

I’m happy just watching her. And I have to keep reminding myself to keep an eye on the crowd, rather than both my eyes on her.

Someone chucks my shoulder and I look over to find Pete standing beside me grinning. “Damn, she’s good,” he says. He plays some air guitar, and I can’t help but laugh at him. He waves at me and says, “Hell, I’ll leave it to the pro.” He points a finger toward Kit. “Did you know she could do that?”

I shrug. I knew she could play. But they apparently think she’s really good. I motion to the crowd.

I watch as the lead singer walks toward Kit and says something in her ear. He’s shirtless and sweaty, and she brushes him away like he’s a pesky fly. He goes, but he’s laughing when he does it, and I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all. I stand up taller.

“He’s not worth it,” Pete says.

I know. But I still don’t like it.

“You got it bad for this one, don’t you?” he asks. He’s smiling, but his question is serious.

I nod. I don’t need to say more than that. I do have it bad for this girl.

The band breaks, and Kit wipes her hairline with her forearm. The lead singer walks toward her, but I go that direction and hop onto the stage before he can get to her. He nearly bumps into my back. But he stops and goes the other way.

“Oh my God!” she says, excitement in her eyes as she jumps in place in front of me. “Did you see that?” she asks.

Then she grabs my shoulders, jumps, and wraps her legs around my waist. She kisses me. She tastes like root beer and excitement as she licks into me. I hold her ass, and jerk her tighter against me. The owner of the club waves and I catch him out of the corner of my eye. He jerks his thumb toward the back of the club. I nod and carry Kit in that direction. But she’s all hyped up on nerves and attitude. And she hasn’t taken her lips from mine. I carry her with her legs still wrapped around my waist into the storage room, and back her up against the wall. She’s tangling her tongue with mine, and I don’t ever want her to stop.

She finally pulls back and looks at me, her hands clutching my face. “Did you see that?” she asks.

“See what?” I have lost all my wits in her kiss.

“Me playing. Did you see it?”

I nod, nuzzling my nose into her neck. “You were amazing.”

“I know! Wasn’t I? Oh my God, I want to go back out there.” She unclenches her legs from around my waist and drops her feet to the floor. She starts to pace back and forth across the room, chewing on her fingernail. I can’t see her lips moving at all, but I lean against the wall and smile at her. “What’s so funny?” she asks, stopping to look at me.

“Nothing,” I say. I walk to her and brush her sweaty hair from her neck. “You’re just so f**king beautiful.” She shivers as I blow across her neck.

Her hand comes up to cover mine where it lays on her shoulder, and I get more comfort from that little touch than I ever have from a girl I’ve been inside. “Thank you for bringing me here,” she says.

“Thank you for coming with me.”

“I haven’t had this much fun in a really long time,” she admits. She’s glowing.

I lean down and kiss her, because she’s that damn pretty. She hears something from the doorway, and turns to look that way. “I’ll be right there,” she says, holding up a finger. She looks up at me. “They’re ready to get started again.”

“I have to get back to work, anyway. The owner just sent us back here because he was afraid I was going to f**k you on the stage.”

She covers her mouth with her hand. “So, they think we’re having sex back here. Are you serious?” Her eyes are wide.

I can’t keep from grinning. “Probably.”

“Do you do that back here often?” she asks.

I freeze. I don’t want to answer her. Because I have done it. She doesn’t push for an answer. But she heaves a sigh and shoves herself away from me. I feel the loss of her immediately. “Don’t do that,” I say, taking her face in my hands. “I can’t change my past.”

She looks deep into my eyes and says, “I know. I didn’t ask you to. I just have to go back on stage.” She kisses me softly. “Can we come back to this later?” she asks, grinning. She’s nearly vibrating with excitement.