They stopped in front of the bouncer, and even over the music that had started playing overhead, Tanner could hear the grunt of the bouncer as he mumbled something deep and incoherent. Zoe held up the backstage passes, and the bouncer moved aside and pushed the door open. Zoe looked back at her with wide eyes and an “Oh shit” look covering her face.
“This is it, Tanner.” Zoe tightened her hand on hers.
“Zoe, they are just the same old guys we used to hang out with, eat cold pizza with, and sometimes drink warm ass beer with.” But even after she said that Tanner knew that wasn’t the truth. They weren’t the same guys at all.
They walked through the door, Zoe in front of her and leading the way. Zoe hadn’t responded, but she could tell her friend was nervous as hell. Tanner’s palms started to sweat as she got closer to the lounge where she knew the guys were. She couldn’t see them yet, but she could hear the deep sounds of their voices, and the occasional laugh from Jacks that had her heart racing. But right before they rounded the corner and stopping in front of another bouncer, Zoe grabbed her arm and turned her so they faced each other.
“What? What’s wrong?”
There was this sudden wariness that covered Zoe’s face. “It’s been a long time, Tanner.”
She nodded and offered Zoe a smile. “Yeah, but I’m sure when we see them, and not in the whole concert setting, it’ll be just like old times.” Tanner said that mainly for Zoe’s benefit, because honestly she was feeling freaked out, too.
Zoe nodded, looked over at the bouncer, and nodded once more. “You’re right, I’m sure.” Zoe smiled, closed her eyes for a second, and breathed out. Then she turned around, and they moved past the bouncer and into the lounge where Twisted Feather, the most sought after, and one of the most talented bands to hit the world, were sitting.
2
Tanner stopped when she saw Jacks, Beats, Marcus, and Matty all sitting around the back lounge. Cases of beer were scattered around the floor, but it looked like Rosco, the owner of the bar, had brought in a portable bar for the guys. It sat in the corner, and a young man with white and black attire stood behind it.
Jacks and Matty were on the couch, which put their backs toward them. Marcus was sitting on a leather chair with a girl in his lap that had her boobs nearly hanging out of her top, and Beats was twirling a drumstick in his hand as he pressed his phone to his ear with the other one.
“Holy fuckin’ shit,” Marcus said, and when he went to stand the blonde that had been perched on his lap nearly fell right on her ass from the sudden motion. Marcus tipped back his beer bottle until he had consumed all of it, and then handed it to some guy with a pass hanging from his neck.
The other guys had since turned in their seats to look at them, and Tanner locked eyes with Jacks. He stared at her over his shoulder, and although he kept his expression stoic for several seconds, she saw something flicker in his eyes.
And then he stood, followed by Matty and Beats. They all walked over to them, but she and Zoe hadn’t moved. There was this strange atmosphere that had suddenly filled the space around them.
“You guys look exactly the same.” Marcus grinned, and his bottom lip ring glinted.
She would have said the same, but honestly they didn’t look the same, yet at the same time they did. There was this clear confidence that surrounded the guys. It wasn’t arrogance, but it was thick, heady, and mixed with something else. Tanner’s whole body became heated, and she cleared her throat when Jacks took a step closer.
Now he was standing right beside Marcus, with the other two guys behind him. And then as if that string that was pulled taut between them snapped, Marcus embraced Zoe. There was a flurry of loud voices, laughter, and movement from the other guys.
But Jacks still stood in front of her, only a few feet away. His shirt was still damp from sweating up on stage, and if she had thought the material had outlined his chest when he had been performing she hadn’t seen anything until this moment.
The ink on both of his arms was bright, with artistic designs, swooping lines, and abstract shapes. But, thanks to the damp fabric of his shirt, she could see that he had ink on his pecs as well.
The tattoos that covered his upper chest also snaked up his neck. Tanner had never been one that thought tattoos were especially attractive, but seeing them on Jacks made that change drastically.
“Hey.” His voice was so deep and low, so heated and powerful.
She snapped her eyes up from his chest to his face, and instantly felt her cheeks heat in embarrassment. She replayed that one word he had just said over and over again, and dammit she actually felt herself grow pliant for him. The way he grinned at her, with those straight white teeth, told her that he knew she had been checking him out. And honestly, that had been what she was doing.
“Hi.” She was so nervous, but this was just Jacks—kind of—one of the four guys she and Zoe had grown up around. There was nothing to be nervous about, she told herself repeatedly. She smiled and pushed away the awkwardness that Tanner was sure she was the only one feeling. She moved closer to Jacks so she could wrap her arms around him, and pressed her chest to his.
Instantly she smelled his clean sweat and the saltiness that seemed to come from it. There was also the scent of his spicy cologne, and Tanner actually found herself closing her eyes and inhaling deeply.
“Are you smelling me?” There was amusement in Jacks’ voice.
She snapped her eyes open and tried to pull back, feeling humiliated all over again, but Jacks wrapped his arms around her waist, held her tightly against him, and actually buried his head in the crook of her neck.
“Don’t move.” His hands were at the small of her back, and with her arms up and over his neck, the edge of her shirt had risen up. The scorching intensity of his fingers touching her bare flesh had every part of her clenching uncomfortably. But it wasn’t a discomfort from distaste, but from this sudden arousal that had slammed into her. “You smell exactly the same.” He whispered against the side of her throat, and the feel of his warm, humid breath along her bare flesh had a shiver racing up her spine. He pulled back and looked down at her, his expression guarded.
She had to tilt her head back to look at his face, not just because he was so tall, but because they were still so close together. But before either could say anything else, Marcus had her in his arms and lifted her off the ground as he gave her a big bear hug.
“Damn girl, you’ve gotten curvy.” He set her down, held her hands as he took a step back, and lifted her arms out to the side so he could blatantly check her out. He whistled under his breath. “Yeah, Tanner, you really got curvy.”
She pulled her hands away and lightly smacked him on the chest. “God, Marcus. I see you still don’t have a filter,” she said through a smile.
“Five has a mouth that rivals a horny sailor that has been out to sea for the last five years,” Beats said with a grin.
“Five,” She tested his known nickname out.
“Said a little slower and with more of a moan.” Marcus grinned, but winced as soon as Jacks punched him in the arm.
“Watch your mouth. These two aren’t groupies for your amusement,” Jacks said with a bite in his voice.