Jade groaned and shook her head. “Sorry about that. She’s not exactly subtle.” And like she wanted to change the subject, she quickly said, “They loved your music too. And don’t worry, I promise I didn’t say anything,” she whispered.
He leaned closer, and he could see her pulse pounding in her neck. Thoughts of trailing his tongue along it filled his mind, but he pushed them aside. “About me being Hannah Montana?”
Biting her bottom lip, she giggled. “I should feel bad about that.” The laughter on her face showed no sign of being sorry.
“I can’t believe you compared me to some Disney character.” But she hadn’t been completely wrong. He was like the male version of the singer, only with better songs.
“Well, you weren’t exactly nice to me.”
“I thought you were a—”
“Groupie. Yes, I know. But I’m not.”
And he liked that about her. “So, if you weren’t backstage chasing musicians, why were you stalking the corridors?”
“Like I told you that night, I was looking for my cousin and I got lost.”
“I hear a lot of stories about getting lost. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. I assume you found your cousin?”
“Yes, thank goodness. Just in time too. She was making plans to fly to Vegas and elope with your drummer.”
That startled a laugh from him. “Elope? As in getting married?”
“Yes. And if I hadn’t stopped them, she would have made the biggest mistake of her life. He would only have left her.”
“Although I doubt any marriage would work under those circumstances, Mike gets crazy ideas sometimes and has eloped twice already. He wasn’t thinking with the brain in his head but with the one in his pants. It was bound to fall apart,” he said.
“Even if they were deeply in love, this one wouldn’t work because she’s—” Her lips slammed shut.
“She’s what?” he urged.
“It’s getting late. I should go.” She slid off the barstool, looking like she was about to bolt.
He held on to her wrist, stopping her from leaving. “Why wouldn’t it have worked? What’s wrong with your cousin?” Already married? Really a man? A dozen crazy reasons ran through his head. Who did Mike almost marry?
She blew a strand of hair from her eyes, and when it only fell back on her face, she pulled her wrist from his grip, reached into her pocket, and pulled out a hair tie. Twisting it into some kind of bun, she secured it on top of her head, exposing the smooth skin of her neck.
“If I tell you, you’ll think I’m crazy.”
“Why would I think you’re crazy? Trust me, I’ve heard a lot of wild shit. What you tell me can’t be that bad. Does your cousin have webbed feet or something?”
She rolled her eyes. “No. It’s nothing like that.”
Sliding back on the barstool, she arranged her skirt over her legs. Damn, he wished she hadn’t covered them.
“If I tell you, promise me you won’t laugh,” she said.
Making the sign of a cross over his chest, he nodded. “Promise.”
She took a deep breath and said, “She’s cursed. Well, my whole family is.”
What the… “Your family is cursed?”
“Yes.”
“What does that mean, and how does this affect your cousin eloping?” This was weirder than if she’d told him she had webbed feet.
She narrowed her eyes and searched his face like she was deciding if she could tell him or not. Then she drew in a deep breath. “Over a hundred years ago, a witch in Ireland put a curse on my family. And since then, the men who get involved with Brennan women—that’s my family name—leave. It’s usually before they get married, but it can happen after too.”
