Page 45 of Burning Bridges Duet

Liv

Don’t worry, I’ll be down in a minute. Excited to see you!

My heart flutters at her message, and I smile. I know I’m falling for her, but I don’t give a single fuck. I want her, bad. I’ve wanted her since the first time I saw her and her sassy mouth. Women don’t intrigue me. I haven’t slept with anyone since our high school sweetheart broke my heart. I thought I was done with love and would pursue a career to support my family, mainly Ryder. Who knows where that dickhead will end up. Then she came around.

Just at that moment, she comes out of the building, and I jump out of the car and walk towards her, trying hard not to run and look like an idiot. As she lifts her head and sees me, her whole face lights up, and I know I’m fucked.

River looks good tonight. He’s wearing black jeans and a light blue shirt with black buttons that complements his eyes, and his sleeves are rolled up, revealing his toned forearms. Why are forearms such a turn-on? His hair is styled perfectly, and he flashes his charming smile at me. I can feel myself blushing as I approach him.

“Hey,” I say softly, returning his smile.

“Hey, beautiful,” he responds, pulling me into a warm embrace. His hand rests on the small of my back, while the other gently runs through my hair. I can feel his strong chest against my cheek, and for a moment, I just want to stay here forever, inhaling his intoxicating clean clothes and peppermint scent. I love it.

“Ready to go?” he asks, letting go of me.

“Ready when you are,” I reply, and he chuckles.

“That’s normally Ryder’s answer, but you can use it too, I guess.”

I stick out my tongue at him, and his eyes heat up a bit. Oh, that’s new.

As we reach the car, he opens the passenger door for me, and I take a seat inside.

“Sorry, let me just…” he says, leaning over me to secure the lap belt around my waist. I smile at him when he comes around the car and sits in the driver’s seat.

“Is this your car? It’s cool,” I say, and River chuckles.

“Nah, it’s Ryder’s. I don’t have one, since I always ride with him or Jaxon.”

“Figures. It’s not really your type of car,” I comment, and he looks at me with his hand on the steering wheel.

“What is my type of car, then?” he asks, cocking a brow, and I think for a moment.

“I guess I could see you in a silver Volvo or Mercedes—something classic, elegant, and secure.”

“You have me all figured out, don’t you?” he asks with a laugh.

“I don’t, but I’m looking forward to getting to know you better,” I say with a smile. Blushing, he looks at his lap before starting the car.

“Same, Liv,” he says before driving out of the parking lot.

We arrive at the bar, which is already packed. My anxiety starts to rise, so I take a deep breath. When I glance down at Liv, I see that she’s wringing her hands and looking at the crowd nervously. She doesn’t like this kind of setting either, does she?

I tell myself to get a grip, at least for her sake, and take her hand. Walking in front of her, I hold her hand behind my back so that she’s right behind me and I can shield her with my body. Thankfully, Ryder has reserved a table for us in the front. It’s a private booth to the right of the stage near a window, with the wall on our backs. He knows me too well, and I send him a silent thank you as he turns to see if we’ve arrived yet. Liv waves at him excitedly and gives him a thumbs-up. Ryder laughs and shakes his head, and I can’t help but chuckle at how cute she is.

I let Liv get into the booth first, then scoot in behind her. I sit down with a bit of space between us, but she scoots over to me and leans into my side.

“Thank you for earlier,” she whispers into my ear. “I don’t enjoy being around so many people.” I take a chance and put my arm around her shoulder, and she relaxes even more against me.

“Don’t worry, I know the feeling,” I say against her temple. “That’s why Ryder made sure we have a table just for us with enough space and a good view.”

Liv nods, and we watch as Ryder steps up to the microphone.

As I watch my brother and Liv in the booth together, I can’t help but feel grateful for her. I haven’t seen River this happy and relaxed in years. It always seems like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders, but when he’s with her, he’s carefree, happy, excited, and brave. I could kiss her, and not just for that. Honestly, I haven’t stopped thinking about our kiss from yesterday.

Liv looks gorgeous tonight, and I think she tried to adapt her style a bit for the evening. Maybe she thought the establishment would be more of a rock bar, but it’s just a regular one, and everyone is dressed nicely but casually. Her long brown hair is loose, with waves falling down her back. She’s wearing ripped black skinny jeans and black boots with a long-sleeved black crop top that shows her cleavage and the lace of her bra. A sliver of her toned stomach is showing, and God, she’s sexy with those big green eyes accentuated with a smoky eye shadow.

I start the show by introducing the band and myself. The owner of the bar wanted some light covers, so we start with “Save Tonight” by Eagle-Eye Cherry. At first, Liv is sitting on the edge of the bench, looking at me with stars in her eyes. When she looks at me like that, like I’m worth something, I want to give her the world in return. After the first chorus, she sits back, and River wraps his arms around her again, kissing her temple. I watch her close her eyes with the contact, hoping she’s open to giving what’s between us a chance.