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“I’ll do my best.” Abel smiles, offering me the briefest glimpse of his dimple before he turns to walk away.
——
By the time Abel finisheshis first set, I’m as good as gone. If I wasn’t ready to admit my ever-growing desire for him, there’s no denying it now. Not when I’ve spent the last forty-five minutes practically drooling over the man. I can’t help it. When he took the stage, I became transfixed by his incredible voice and the way his fingers move so effortlessly along the strings of his guitar.
Where this isn’t the first time I’ve seen him play, it is the first time I’ve seen him on stage since getting to know him a little. Knowing him only intensifies how incredible I think his talent is. Because now it’s not some stranger up on stage. It’s a man who has consumed my thoughts for days on end. A man that I can’t seem to shake no matter how hard I try.
Every song he sang I imagined he was singing directly to me. Every time his eyes swept to me, I felt like it was intentional. As if he was trying to portray something to me in the song. Of course, it’s probably all in my head, but damn if it didn’t feel good to pretend it was all true.
I don’t know if it’s my attraction to him winning out or the nice buzz of alcohol swimming in my veins, but suddenly I feel less concerned with protecting my heart and more concerned with making this man mine.
Abel hops off the stage and makes a bee line to where we’re standing, huddled against the far wall a few feet from the stage. My eyes trace his broad shoulders and the width of his chest before coming back up to his face. I have to bite down on my bottom lip to keep myself from moaning.
Maybe that’s a sign that I’ve been kicking back my Long Island ice teas a little too quickly tonight, but I’m past the point of really caring.
I didn’t come here intending to drink much. In fact, I rarely drink past a slight buzz, but the instant I saw Abel I knew I was going to need something strong tonight.
He puts me so on edge that I feel almost nauseous from the knots sitting in my stomach like heavy rocks. He makes me nervous, so off kilter. So much so that when he stops directly in front of us and his eyes come to mine, my knees wobble beneath me.
“You are so amazing,” Henna coos over Abel, clearly feeling her alcohol as well.
“Thank you.” He offers her an easy smile. “I’m going to go get a drink. Does anyone need anything?”
I look down at my near empty drink. “I do. I’ll come with you.”
“Okay.” He nods once. “Anyone else?”
“I’m good.” Henna leans into Aaron.
“I wouldn’t mind another beer if you’re going that way.” Aaron holds up his empty bottle.
“You got it.” Abel cocks his head, gesturing for me to follow him.
“Be right back,” I tell Henna before quickly setting off after Abel.
Instead of getting in the line at the bar that’s at least twenty people deep, Abel heads around to the side and flags down one of the bartenders who immediately heads in our direction.
“Two Bud Lights and...” he pauses, turning to point at my drink.
“Long Island,” I semi-shout over the crowd.
The bartender nods in acknowledgment before walking away to retrieve our drinks.
“Hitting the hard stuff tonight, I see,” Abel observes, pointing at my glass.
“Needed something to take the edge off,” I explain, sucking the remaining liquid through the straw before setting the empty glass on the bar behind Abel.
“Is it working?” He cocks a brow.
“Maybe a little,” I admit, feeling calmer around him than I normally do.
“Are you having fun?”
“Surprisingly, yes.” I giggle at my bluntness.
“Surprisingly?” he questions.
“I wasn’t sure how I would feel with those two.” I point in the vicinity of where I know Aaron and Henna are. “Third wheel and all.”
