We let our fingers intertwine as he leads me to it, knowing Stevie is too busy flirting—or not flirting, I’m not totally sure what is happening there—to notice.
The door closes behind us and we walk down a hallway and into a small room I’ve been in before. It houses an ancient pool table that one too many people have set their beers on, its slight slant favorable or disastrous depending on where you’re shooting from.
“Can’t believe Bessie’s still around,” I say as Ren sets my coat on a chair by the door.I rest my back against the edge of the table.
“You haven’t been gone that long,” he says as he comes over, runs his hands down my sides to my hips, thumbs just tucking into the waistband of my jeans. “She’s still got some life left in her.”
I raise an eyebrow as he lifts me in one quick move onto the table, steps between my legs. I hook two fingers in the belt loops of his dark jeans. “I don’t know about that, with what you have in mind.”
“I can’t imagine what you’re talking about,” Ren says, lips curving against where he’s dropped them to my neck. “I’m just saying hi to an old friend.”
“You greet all your friends like this?” I ask, the same ache I’ve felt so many times over the last four months settling deep in me when he tilts my hips closer to him.
He shakes his head, pulls away to look at me. “Just you,” he says. “Only ever you.”
I tip my face up to his, smile just before he kisses me.
By the time the sounds of a guitar drift through the walls, Ren’s flannel is pushed off his shoulders, the hem of his T-shirt raised up so I can explore the contours of his abdomen. His hands are warm under my sweater, one at my waist, the other working over the lacy fabric of my bra until I can’t breathe, something in me arching me closer, seeking more friction, more pressure, more him.
“Mmm,” he hums against my mouth as a drumbeat kicks in. “I’ve got to do sound check.”
“We’re not at Sublimity,” I say as he slowly drags himself away from me. I’m not ready for this to stop. It’s been months of waiting, of talking on the phone late into the night, always dancing around the topic of what we mean to each other now. “We’re somewhere far away, just the two of us, no responsibilities.”
“I’d love to take that trip with you,” Ren says as he turns to adjust himself, then shrugs his flannel back on, his palms coming to rest on my thighs. I fold his collar down. “Maybe whatever wedding we go to next.”
But my only real fantasy at the moment is being alone with him. “No. No weddings. Just you and me and nothing to do but each other.”
Ren’s eyes sparkle as his hands slide up and settle on my waist. “Are you saying you won’t be my plus-one anymore? Is our tradition dead?”
I pretend to think, squinting over his shoulder. “I could be talked into it,” I say. “No one’s a better dancer than you.”
“It is what I’m known for,” Ren says.
I kiss him one more time, long and hard, before hopping off the table. “Come on, slacker,” I say, tugging my sweater back down. “You’ve got a job to do.”
* * *
In the open booth at the back of the room, Ren performs sound check, adjusting volume levels while I sit on a stool next to him.
“Bass is good,” he says from his own stool, nodding toward the stage. I flash a thumbs-up at Leo, my small contribution so I can continue being close to Ren. I can’t seem to leave his side. “Mic two.” I hold up two fingers and Leo shifts over onstage. “You’re a natural,” Ren says, bumping his shoulder against mine.
Eventually, Stevie wanders over from the bar, eyes stuck on the stage.
“Hey,” she calls over the repeatedtap tap tapof the drums. “Any chance Joni could crash with you tonight, Ren?”
Ren doesn’t look away from the stage, just swivels on his stool the tiniest bit so his knee nudges mine, something silent passing between us. My chest lifts at an excuse to spend more time with him.The schedule is packed with wedding prep and family time starting tomorrow.
“Of course she can,” he says, his knee pressing closer in the booth, out of Stevie’s line of sight.
“Why do I need to stay with Ren tonight, Stevie?” I ask, smirking.
She rolls her eyes skyward in ayou know whymove. “You can get your things out of my car if you need to.”
“Oh, I’m sure I can just borrow one of Ren’s T-shirts to sleep in,” I say. I turn back to him, pat his shoulder as I sit up straight. “Can’t I, friend?”
His cheeks have gone a little pink, jaw flickering like he’s trying to suppress a smile. He scrubs a hand over the top of my head. “Of course you can, Joni.”
I grin at Stevie. “You and Leo have a great night.”
