[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.The man she loved and wanted to spend the rest of her life with.“You’ve got it bad for him too,” Starla observed.She cleared her throat and straightened in her chair.“He probably said something already, but I wanted to tell you myself that I’m sorry I roped him into taking me to the bar the night you were there.It was nothing.He’s been helping me through a rough spot with my man.Brian’s a great friend, and the whole time we were there, all he did was pine for you, really.”“He did?”“He was in a funk all night at work.I’m telling you, the man is strung out over you.” Starla gave her a look then that led Candace to believe she knew more than she was letting on.“Don’t play with his head,okay?” she finished gently.“That’s the last thing I want to do.I… There are some things I’m having to work through right now.”“Let him help,” Kara offered.“Don’t shut him out.”“I feel like he deserves someone who isn’t this soul-sucking emotional burden on him.”“Honey, all he deserves is someone who loves him for who he is.If there’s a soul-sucking emotionalburden to bear, then so be it.Bear it together.”The three pairs of eyes watching her were kind but inquisitive, as if they were trying to decipher hertrue intentions with their friend.She could understand.It warmed her heart that he had people who cared about him so much.She’d always considered him sort of a loner type, only to find he had a greater support network than she did.Kara leaned across the table, her exotic, darkly lined and shadowed eyes intense.“It’s worth it in theend.I promise you.Once you wade through all the bullshit and the two of you are all that’s left, you’ll be glad you took a chance.If you love him.”Oh, God, she was going to cry again.Panicked, she took a long pull at her beer and struggled tostomach the flavor.122www.samhainpublishing.comRock MeKara had mercy on her and flashed her a wicked grin.“And you have me to thank for talking him intohis apadravya.FYI, I accept gifts of chocolate and fine wine.”“Girl, you’d better buy her some Cheval Blanc or something,” Janelle muttered under her breath.“I’ve never had the experience, but I’ve heard those things are…” She trailed off to give a full-bodyshudder.“It hits all the right spots,” Kara supplied.“And hits them over and over and over…” Starla grasped the table edge and tossed her head back inmock ecstasy.Candace felt her cheeks flaring red as the other girls laughed.Kara’s smile dimmed as she noticed Candace hiding behind her beer again.“You like it, don’t you?”Starla interrupted her pretend orgasm to stare at Candace with great interest.“We, um… I wouldn’t know, actually.But I’m sure I will.”“Whoa.I’ll be waiting for the phone call to thank me, then.And for the Godiva and Cheval Blanc, ofcourse.”“Did you actually do his piercing?”“I did.I am a complete professional, don’t worry.Hell, ordinarily I wouldn’t have even brought it up,but I figured you two were going at it like bunny rabbits already.”Candace startled when the door opened and Brian walked in with a platter of burgers, only to pausewhen the other three girls dissolved into fits of laughter.“Oh, hell,” he said.“I can only imagine what I’ve interrupted.”Kara had no shame.“We were just discussing the joys of the apadravya.Why don’t you enlighten uswith the male opinion, Bri?”He gave a sheepish grin and walked over to the counter.“I’m a good boy and a gentleman.I don’tdiscuss those matters.”“What ever.” Kara laughed.“Marco said you had plenty to discuss after you put it to use for the first time.You called him raving.”“I have to know,” Candace cut in, not particularly wanting to hear about that.“How did he take itwhen you pierced him?”“He screamed like a little girl,” Kara said.“The hell I did!”She sent Candace a wink.“Just kidding.He was one of my silent, stoic ones.Got a pretty good flinchout of him and that was about it.Now tell us how it really felt.”He laughed.“Shit.I wanted to scream like a little girl.If I hadn’t already had the PA part done, Iprobably would have screamed, curled up in the corner and cried for my mommy.”“You, sir, are a good man,” Janelle said, lifting her drink in his direction.“If only more of you werewilling to torture yourselves in the name of getting us off.”www.samhainpublishing.com123Cherrie Lynn“Don’t paint me as too much of an altruist,” he said, his gaze lingering on Candace.She drew a deepbreath, meeting his gaze directly, unflinching.Too often its intensity had chased her own downward.Nomore.There was nowhere else she needed to look but at him.For a moment, he seemed to lose his train of thought, and she felt a rush of pure feminine triumph.“I get plenty of benefits myself.”In their hometown, among their families, Brian was the offbeat.Here, in this breathtaking crush ofcolorful bodies, it was her.As they’d entered the main gates and she’d stopped to stare in astonishment, he had chuckled and said, “Welcome to my world.”She’d never seen anything like it before in her life.She was sore, she was sweating, she was exhausted, she was nearly deaf, and she was having the timeof her life.She’d seen every kind of tattoo conceivable (but when she’d made that remark to Brian, he’d replied, “Uh, no.You haven’t.”).Every hair color that could possibly be imagined and some that couldn’t.She’d watched fights break out.She’d witnessed security pile on top of troublemakers, wrestle them to the ground and escort them out.She’d helped someone crowd surf over the top of her head and she thought her finger was broken from the experience.She’d seen two girls making out.Later, one of them had tried topass her a joint, but Brian had promptly waved it away.Always, he hovered protectively at her side, shoving moshers away from her, sending threateninglooks to the guys who ogled her or—God forbid—tried to lay a hand on her.The bands were amazing.She didn’t know who half of them were, but electricity filled the air witheach new stage set-up as fans anticipated the next set.Music rumbled and thundered over the speakers even between sets as the crowd thinned and loosened a bit, people leaving to get more drinks or food.But when the first bone-rattling riffs of the next band split the air, the crush was back, tightening, frenzied, feverish.There was nothing to do but go with the never-ending flow of bodies as she was pushed and pulled by thecrowd.She would’ve thought something like this would make her panic.It might have, if not for one startlingrevelation: she belonged here.In this sea of people, she felt actual acceptance.They were all here for one thing: to forget their problems for a while, to let the music become their world.No one knew her or where she’d come from or what she’d done.They were just like her.And all the while, Brian was with her,watching out for her.Every time she looked at him, he was looking back, a little grin lingering on his lips.Darkness fell.By now, the wedding was over and her family was cursing her name.Once, she’d seenBrian check his cell phone, and her heart had leapt into her throat.What if they called him? Naturally, after last night, they would check with him if she went missing, wouldn’t they? Especially Michelle; she surely still had his number [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]