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Chapter Six
Sawyer did his best human trash can impression by demolishing a three-foot barbecue chicken pan pizza and a family-size portion of blueberry pie all on his own.
Meanwhile, I listened attentively as he filled me in between mouthfuls on the missing pieces of what I thought I knew about him.
"I'm a full-time musician and have been for almost nine years now. I disappointed my dad, who wanted me to follow in the family firm, but he's in finance and that's as boring as fuck."
"Where do you play?"
"All over. We finished a five-week tour of the West Coast the week before I met you last year, and we've done two more tours since then. We're headed out to hit up a few places again a week from Monday." My heart reacted oddly and sank the moment I heard he was leaving. I reminded myself nothing could come of us anyway.
"Which states?" I asked. I tried to shake the dull feeling that had settled in my gut.
"Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas. I'll be gone for about a month. Will you miss me?" he teased.
"Considering I've survived the last ten months, I think I'll live."
Reaching across the table, he lifted my hand and cupped it between both of his. His touch immediately warmed me from the inside out and tiny sparks of desire shot through me. "Ah, so you did miss me. You've been counting, huh?"
He'd been joking but I snickered because he had no idea how much I had clung to the memory of what had happened the last time I'd seen him.
"You wish," I offered as a throwaway denial. "You'll be plenty busy once you're on the road having fun," I said, gesturing my coffee cup toward him before taking a sip. The dull ache I mentioned deepened with the thought that he'd be out there in some other state, meeting girls.
"You should come," he replied, smiling. My coffee sprayed out of my mouth when I burst out laughing.
"Ha!" I chuckled. "I can't even envision that, me hanging around a rock band full of hot guys like a groupie."
"You wouldn't be. I'm the only good-looking one. The others get laid because they're with me,"I knew his cocky reply was a joke. "No, seriously, you shouldn't think like that. Not all musicians are groupie chasers."
"No?"
"I'm not. I have standards. And the stereotypical opinion of musicians in bands isn't always our reality. You wouldn't believe the shit I go through to bring our music to people. Being cooped up with three other guys you work with is downright hard. The shit I put up with is only tolerable because we're a good fit on the stage. It gets tiresome hearing people air their opinions about us when it's their attitudes they need to address."
"So the press has it all wrong with the stories they share about wrecked hotel rooms and a girl on each arm?"
"Mostly. I'm not saying I'm a saint, and sometimes we need to let off some steam."
"By wrecking hotel rooms and sleeping with a bunch of groupies?"
"As I said, that's not me. I'm not saying it never happens, but it doesn't happen to me."
"I'm sitting here looking at you. How…" I stopped talking because I found it hard to explain what I saw.
"How what?" he asked, frowning.
"Looking how you do and …"
"How do I look?" he asked, frowning. When I didn't reply he prompted me again, "Come on, you started this. Don't stop now."
"I was about to say you look so masculine, hot, sexy, charming and dangerous, dressed in your cool, casual clothing, with testosterone oozing from every pore," I finished, looking at him, blinking and not believing I'd said all of that out loud.
"Wow, good to know you like what you see. I turn you on?" he asked with a cheeky wink.
"You don't," I snapped quickly, and the speed of my delivery told him I'd lied.
Sawyer shook his head, a small smile on his lips. "You said, sexy. I heard you, but here's the deal. You need a little attitude adjustment, Billie. You're an amazingly attractive woman, but you've had a rough time and, because of that, you can only see the negatives of someone like me having an interest in you."
"Now, I didn't say I felt negative about you, I meant how what you do for a living looks from my perspective."
