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“Killian,” she admonished me, a sexy laugh following it. She lightly bit down on her lip and regarded me under her lowered lashes before laying her head on my shoulder, effectively hidingher face from me. She had to be thinking about the same chapters I was and I delighted in her bashfulness.
My low chuckle rumbled against her ear. “Are you getting shy on me, Tink?”
“No.” She and I both knew she was a mix of innocence and fire. “Besides, I highly doubt most of the things in the books happen in real life.”
“Is that right?” Her head snapped up at the challenge in my tone.
She may not have realized it, but I took her surprise as a dare. I wondered how I could get her to let me do something about it. If she ever gave me the chance to prove her wrong, I’d be sure to show her just how those actions did and could happen.
Now that I was thinking about what I could do with my tongue and fingers to make her scream, my dick decided he should get in on this. I forced myself to think about Beethoven’s 5th symphony, picturing its intricate rhythm and dynamic shifts to distract my mind from the thoughts that were causing a very physical reaction.
Maybe I should brush up on all the classics if I was going to need to use this as my defense against my attraction to Tris.
As we pulled up to the small, nondescript building in downtown Providence, Trissa gasped. “Wait, is this?—?”
I grinned. “Yep. The old Sonic Cellar. I call it ‘The Comeback’ now.”
“Oh, my God.” A beautiful smile lit up her face. “This was my absolute favorite place to watch you and Peter play. The atmosphere here was so much fun. The bar used to play ‘Closing Time’ when we had to leave.”
Something dark twisted in me at her mention of Peter.
So much for being over that. “Yeah, it was one of my favorites too,” I muttered, then cleared my throat. “I bought the place a few years back when it went up for sale.”
Trissa turned to me, her eyebrows so high they disappeared beneath her bangs. “Shut up! Why?”
I averted my gaze, suddenly feeling exposed and wondering why I felt the need to share that piece of information. “I don’t know. Nostalgia? I guess because they used to let us play here when we were starting out.”
Shit.
My brain shorted and I almost asked Tris if she heard the ringing in her ears too, but when she didn’t flinch, I realized it was just me.
How had I not figured out that there was more to why I purchased this club? Some part of me had to have remembered how much Tris loved the place. How happy she was when she watched us perform.
Fuck it all.
“Do you still play here?” she asked.
She had to repeat her question twice.
“Sometimes. Owning the place has privileges and we keep the guest list small any time I play or decide to show up. I hire extra bouncers and keep capacity at a minimum,” I said, knowing I didn’t hide my distraction well.
“You okay?” Her worried gaze shifted up and down my body.
“Never better,” I lied.
Max dropped us off, and Tris waved goodbye to him as I placed my hand at the small of her back. “Does he ever come in with you?”
“Sometimes.” Max did what he wanted when there was extra security at the club, like tonight.
“Mr. Hook,” the bouncer, Tuck, greeted me as he pulled the door open for us.
With a chin nod to him, I swept Trissa inside. The familiar scents of stale beer and decades-old cigarette smoke hit me with a tidal wave of memories. I had toyed with the idea of doinga complete overhaul of this place, but something had held me back. Maybe it was a subconscious wanting to let Tris see it one last time in its old, tired state.
Luke, Archer, and Jack were already at a table. A bucket of beers served as a centerpiece. We’d all hung out here back then, too. At the time, it was easy to get in and the drinks were cheap.
“Trissa, great to see you.” Luke stood up and gave her a hug. He was a professional actor so at least he sounded convincing but I knew better.
“Great to see you, too. Any big acting gigs in the works?” she asked, squeezing him back.