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Didn’t want to. She’d been burned plenty before. As a woman who considered herself wise and street savvy, it just did not make sense to behave in the same insane way that had led to Marco. She wasn’t going to use what had happened last night as a reason to wallow or to revisit the past. She’d had her itch-scratching sex, so booyah for her. Her partner had been far from a no-namer, but what she’d lost in anonymity, she’d gained in skill.
Lord, the boy had skills.
And that was neither here nor there when she had a rowdy bus of rockstars and assorted girlfriends, boyfriends, and such.
“Y’all wanna simmer down back there? Your driver has a headache,” she called in the general direction of the din behind her, one hand fisting her Mountain Dew as she gave the rearview a quick glance. That she’d bypassed her usual sun tea for her rarely dug-into stash of Mountain Dew said plenty. If she needed that kind of caffeine hit—and did she ever—shit had gotten real.
Half the members of Warning Sign and their assorted significant others were either not in her earshot or paid her no mind. The others, who happened to be closest to her, stared at her with something akin to shock.
Great. She was supposed to be acting as if she wasn’t wigged out by fucking Ryan. She was supposed to be as cool as an ice cube. Instead she was doing her best batshit bitch imitation.
“Are you okay?”
Denver glanced at the rearview mirror again as Lauren, West’s girlfriend, approached the front of the bus. She stopped a few feet back and glanced around her, probably for support in her fact-finding mission.
The closest people were Elle, one of Warning Sign’s guitarists, and the new guy she’d picked up in the city. Dirk? Kirk? Jer—nah, that was just Denver’s unreasonable feelings of annoyance kicking in. He was probably a lovely man, even if he’d hung around after a show like the ultimate groupie until Elle invited him aboard. He also tended to give Elle puppy-dog eyes when she was within his sight and tried to see down her bandmates’ shirts when she wasn’t.
But that was neither here nor there.
“I’m fine, Lo.” Denver tried to smile in Lauren’s general direction without meeting her gaze. Lo was entirely too perceptive, probably because she’d been a psychology student.
The last thing Denver wanted was anyone poking around in her gray matter.
“You just seem uber grouchy today. That’s not you. Could I suggest some medicinal sexual intercourse?” Lo lowered her voice a fraction and looked over her shoulder to where Elle and her male friend were about to take their medicine right in front of everyone on the bus. “I’ve found it works wonders, and others clearly agree.”
Rather than answer, Denver took a drink. She signaled to change lanes, flipping a casual middle finger at the sedan behind her who didn’t like her merging in front of him, and gave Lo an easy smile. “So how’s that working out for you? Haven’t been able to make it to any of the Scrabble games just recently at the apartment.”
That wasn’t entirely because Ryan had been more MIA than he’d been present and accounted for. Just mostly. Since Ryan and West shared an apartment, and Denver’s masochism didn’t extend to playing third wheel more often than once a month, she’d steered clear of any of the chummy game invites she’d received.
Lo and West were sweet, though an odd couple if she’d ever seen one. But somehow they fit. Their opposites had attracted, all right, and sometimes it was hard for a girl not to be jealous when surrounded by all those sparkly hearts shooting out of their eyes.
Not her, of course. Just…a girl. A random one who wasn’t currently wearing a White Stripes T-shirt, a hickey in the shape of Texas, and a scowl.
“We’ve missed you. It’s not as much fun with just two. Though we’ve moved on to naked Twister.” Lo wrapped her hand around the pole beside Denver and grinned as she swayed just enough to clue Denver into the direction of her thoughts.
Dirty central, admission for one. Okay, two, because Denver was living there too. And not by choice.
Memories kept flashing behind her eyes with every blink. Damn sun. Her glasses were barely cutting the glare.
“I’m sure you guys have been making do just fine.” Now to change the subject before Lo mentioned Ryan—
“Oh, we are, but we’ve been talking about pinning Ryan’s butt down and getting you to come over for dinner some night. Everyone knows he won’t stay put for a night if you’re not there.”
Denver’s breath clogged in her chest. Oh honey, if you only knew. “I’m sure that’s not the case. Besides, he has ot
her friends you could invite. I mean, if I happen to be busy,” she said quickly, catching a glimpse of the hurt that scrolled over Lauren’s face in the rearview mirror. “Not saying I would be. I’m usually free. Though I might not be when you and West have your shindig. So it’s probably better if you just ask someone else, so I don’t hold y’all back.”
Great. She was officially babbling and being rude to boot. And where had the southern phrasing come from?
She so needed to stop watching Honey Boo Boo reruns when she couldn’t sleep.
“You don’t have to let me down gently. I’m actually one of the people who prefers honesty, even if it hurts. You don’t want to spend time with us, no big deal.” Lo shrugged. “I can make other friends. Statistically, it takes me a lifetime and a half, but I can do it. I’m still young, right?”
Denver couldn’t help laughing. “Nah, I’m not letting you down gently. I don’t know how to do that. Just don’t want you guys waiting on me, when I have…stuff.”
Lo pursed her lips. “Stuff. Right. That’s the worst. Big stuff?”
“Huge stuff. Really enormous.”
