Page 85 of Hard Rock Desires

“Yeah, I know,” he said.

“You’re not just my friend,” I continued. “You’re my brother.”

His face turned red.

“Where the hell is this coming from?” he asked. “Are you high?”

I laughed and put him in a headlock. He grumbled and jammed an elbow into my ribs.

“Get off,” he grunted.

I snickered and let him go. He gave me a sour look, but there was a faint smile on his lips.

“You know nothing can come between us, right?” I asked.

He made a big show of rolling his eyes.

“Don’t get all fucking sappy on me,” he said. “This is what happens when you go and get yourself a girlfriend.”

“Girlfr— Wha—” I choked on my tongue.

He slapped me heavily on the back, nearly knocking me over.

“Don’t go losing your head over a girl, okay?” Finn said.

“I’m not,” I insisted. “I just want you to know how much you mean to me.”

“Fuck, I can’t stand here and listen to any more of this,” Finn said. “I’m going to go bother Micah. At least that emotionless robot won’t start crying on me.”

“I love you, man!” I called out.

Finn threw me two middle fingers without turning around. I chuckled behind his back.

Maybe there was a little bit of jealousy there, but that was okay. He’d come around.

He’d see that me being with Grace wouldn’t change anything between us.

Twenty-Seven

Grace

There was no way for me to get out of it. I couldn’t back down in front of all of Zain’s friends. Not when they’d been so nice to invite me to join in on the fun. I didn’t want to be a spoilsport.

Still, the thought of singing karaoke in front of a bunch of rock stars was nerve-wracking, to say the least.

“Don’t you want to choose something a little more modern?” Kaylee asked as I told her my selection. “I’m not saying you have to do a current hit, but wouldn’t you have more fun singing something from the last decade, at least?”

“What’s wrong with These Boots Are Made for Walkin’?” I asked.

“Nothing at all,” Kaylee said. “It’s a classic. I just didn’t peg you as a retro fan, that’s all.”

“Since when is Jessica Simpson retro?” I asked.

“Jessica Simpson…?” Kaylee slowly craned her neck around to pin me down with a stare. “You do know her version is a cover, right?” she asked. “It was originally sung by Nancy Sinatra.”

“Nancy who?” I asked.

Kaylee’s expression went from disbelief to horror, her face turning purple.