Any Way You Want It. Kathy Love

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ From Washington, D.C.”

      He looked impressed. Then he tilted his head slightly as if he was studying her. The pose made his hair fall forward, framing his face.

      Maggie had never been crazy about long-haired men. She never thought about it either way, really, but there was something breathtakingly beautiful about the contrast of his long, silky hair and the masculine line of his jaw. Her fingers twitched as the sudden urge to touch the shiny length jolted through her.

      Oh yeah, the wine was still in her system. No doubt about it.

      The bartender appeared with a bottle of something. “Here you go,” she said with a wide smile, then bounded away to take another patron’s order.

      Ah, Maggie realized, he’d just been making small talk while he waited for his drink.

      “It’s loud in here,” he said as he leaned forward, reaching past her to grab the bottle. She could feel him as if he’d brushed against her. His body seemed to fill the space between them—even though he didn’t come close to touching her.

      She nodded, taking in a steadying breath. Why did this guy have her so shaken? He wasn’t flirting. He was just chatting. Why did she feel so flustered? Why couldn’t she play it cool like her friends did? After all, this guy was not feeling the same vibe she was. No way.

      “Maybe you’d want to—”

      The musician’s question was cut off as one of the other band members, a heavyset guy with very short hair and a black AC/DC T-shirt, came over and slapped him on the back. “Come on. Time to play, my friend.”

      He nodded, then turned back to Maggie. “Are you going to hang around for the next set?”

      She nodded, even as her lucid mind reminded her that she’d wanted to go back to the hotel minutes earlier. Somehow, her brain and body didn’t seem connected.

      He smiled again. He did have a great smile.

      “Good. I’ll talk to you after.”

      Again she nodded automatically.

      As soon as he headed back to the stage, Jo and Erika were at her side.

      “What did he say to you?” Jo asked.

      Maggie blinked, surprised they had even noticed the brief exchange. “He asked if we were staying for the next set.”

      “Hell, yeah, we are,” Erika stated, glancing over her shoulder at him. Maggie did too. He was positioning himself in front of the microphone, long finger curling around the stand. He was looking at her.

      Them. He must be looking at them. Probably realizing the cuties were her friends.

      Then he smiled, and his eyes were definitely on her. Heat burned over her cheeks.

      “Why does he want me to stay?” she pondered aloud.

      Jo made a noise very close to disgust. “Because you are lovely and he wants to talk to you.”

      Maggie cocked a dubious eyebrow. She knew she was smart and she knew she was passably pretty. She also knew she could be fun—even if it was hard to tell now, when she was overwhelmed by the general weirdness of this night. But she also knew she was not the type to attract a musician in a rock band.

      They went for…she watched as the drummer was dragged away from a gaggle of busty, beautiful women by one of the other band members.

      They were attracted to women like that.

      Especially a musician who looked like the one who’d talked to her. He really was gorgeous. That could be the wine and warm beer talking, but she didn’t think so.

      “He must say that to everyone,” she decided. He was probably just a friendly guy.

      “He didn’t say it to me,” Erika said.

      “Or me,” Jo added.

      Maggie frowned. “What do I do?”

      “You stay.” Jo nodded at her as if the suggestion was a done deal.

      And Maggie supposed it was. After all, she was too curious a person not to see why he wanted her to stay. Yeah, right, and that was the only reason.

      Chapter 4

      “What is he doing?” Erika asked, frowning at the stage.

      Maggie didn’t respond. She just watched as the musician, who she’d waited for like a groupie, fiddled with some of the sound equipment, oblivious to her, still seated at the bar. They’d finished playing nearly fifteen minutes ago, and he hadn’t approached her.

      “I think maybe we should go. I feel stupid just waiting here,” Maggie said, keeping her voice even, trying to hide her humiliation.

      What had she been thinking? That he’d really intended to talk to her again? After all, this was New Orleans. He’d probably had twenty conversations tonight just like the one they’d shared.

      She glanced around the dim, run-down barroom, looked at the thinning crowd. She was the only one who’d waited. Even the tipsy group of wild women who’d worked all night to get the band’s attention, especially his attention, had left after the band stopped playing.

      Maggie glanced at her friends. Both Jo and Erika looked pained and annoyed for her. Although she knew they meant well, their sympathetic expressions didn’t help. They just made her feel more pathetic.

      Maggie rose from her barstool, turning to check if she’d left anything behind, only to realize that all she had was her purse—and that was in her hand.

      She pulled in a deep breath, attempting to calm herself. She’d managed to stay composed through the band’s long set. There was no point to falling apart now.

      In fact, she decided, this was for the best. What did she really expect to happen anyway? That Erika’s prediction had come true, and whatever happened with the musician and the music was Marie Laveau’s doing? That a voodoo priestess had somehow led her here? It was time to go back to the hotel and crawl into bed, as she’d been longing to do all night long.

      She glanced back at the bar again, looking for what, she didn’t know. Darn, she was flustered.

      “Okay, let’s…” Her words faded as she turned back to her friends to find herself staring at a V of chest and dark hair. Both familiar.

      “Were you leaving?”

      Maggie hesitated. Something inside warned her she should just say yes and head back to the hotel. After all, she was out of her element with this man. He had probably just come over now because he realized that, silly person that she was, she had actually thought he meant what he’d said earlier. So, now he felt obligated to come speak to her.

      “It’s still loud in here. And hot,” he said, tugging at his shirt, which again drew her attention to his chest. He gestured to one of the side doors leading to the street. “Want to step outside with me?”

      Maggie СКАЧАТЬ