The Marked Men Series Books 1–6: Rule, Jet, Rome, Nash, Rowdy, Asa. Jay Crownover
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us chatted and had a couple more rounds while we all suffered through the first and second band. The second one would have been all right if the lead singer had focused more on trying to sing than looking a part, but mostly they just hollered and jumped around for an hour until Ayden was ready to jump onstage and wrestle the microphone from the poor girl. I was surprised how fun it was to just hang out. Ayden was funny and sarcastic and she and Nash bounced barbs back and forth like they had been friends for years. By the time Enmity was setting up, the Patrón was gone and the two of them were loaded.
Shaw was quieter and was watching everyone and everything around her. She asked questions and responded when engaged in conversation, but for the most part she just kept an eye on what was going on rather than fully participating in it. At one point I almost started a brawl. I had gone to the bathroom and Nash had slipped out to smoke. We were only gone for a minute, but by the time I got back to the table some sweaty metal head was trying to press up on Shaw.
I wasn’t the type that got jealous. I mean I’d lived my entire life not being as good as my twin, so I couldn’t understand the murderous rage that was suddenly flowing through me, the sudden need to claim something, to announce to the world that she was mine. Luckily, Nash got to the table first and sent the guy on his way in no uncertain terms, because chances are I would have pulverized him and ended up spending the night in jail. Still, when I got back to the table I yanked Shaw up to the tips of her fancy-ass blue shoes and planted a kiss on her pretty, pink mouth hard enough that my lip ring stung. I thought maybe she would pull back, maybe give me crap for acting like an idiot, but she just gripped my shirt in her tiny hands and let me do what I had to do. When I finally set her back down her eyes looked glassy and she was flushed. She slicked her tongue over her bottom lip and settled back into my side.
“Gotta tell you, Rule, I’m a fan of kissing with all that metal in your face. I never thought that was something I would be into, but you sure make it work.”
Oh man, that was the hottest thing I had ever heard, ever. I hooked an arm around her shoulder.
I chuckled at her dry remark but didn’t bother to deny what the overt action had been about. We continued to chat and have a great time, but by the time the house lights went down and Jet was ready to hit the stage, I had had enough of friend time and wanted alone time with just her. Unfortunately, Jet knew how to put on a good show and even though Ayden claimed that the racket the band was making could in no way be called music, it only took two songs to have her dragging Shaw up to the front of the stage with her.
The band was loud and aggressive and blazed from song to song, but Jet was a good-looking guy and knew how to work a crowd, so it didn’t surprise me that when the girls ran off there had been a drunkenly interested gleam in Ayden’s eyes. Unfortunately, it also left me alone to deal with my plastered best friend.
“You gonna make it?”
Nash’s violet eyes were at half-mast and I was pretty sure that if the table wasn’t available to hold him up he would be face-first down on the floor. This is what I normally looked like after a night of hard drinking, and it was slightly startling to see it from the other side.
“Huh?” His words were mumbled and unfocused and I saw visions of sexy time going up in smoke and replaced with the reality that I was going to have to manhandle him back to the apartment and get him in a bathroom, like, right now.
“Bro, you better not yak in my truck. Let me go find the girls and let them know we have to go.”
“Smhhh …” Okay, it was mission critical to get him out of here before the tequila came back up. I sighed and started toward the stage only to be intercepted before I got there by the blonde from earlier. Now that Shaw was here and my head—not what was in my pants—was in control I could clearly see there was no comparison between the two. Shaw was flawless and pretty in a way that didn’t require five pounds of makeup and clothes that exposed more than they covered. She was also charmingly unaware of the effect she had on the opposite sex, where this girl was here to be seen and appreciated. She put a finger on the center of my chest and blinked heavily lashed eyes at me.
“Hey.”
“Uh … hi.” I would have just stepped around her, but the bar was packed and the band was making the crowd go crazy. People were jumping up and down and banging their heads all around, so unless I walked right over her I wasn’t going to be able to get by. Because I was so tall I had a clear sight of one dark head and one light bouncing along to the music right up front. While I was stoked that Shaw seemed to be having fun, I was also bummed she was practically impossible to get to.
“So I saw you earlier, you’re friends with the band.”
“Yep.” Normally this was the kind of girl I sought out—easy, no strings, aware of where the night was going and what the morning was going to hold.
“So, do you maybe wanna get out of here, go somewhere quieter where we can … talk?”
My eyebrows shot up. When I was drunk maybe that sounded smoother, but now that I was sober it just seemed kind of sleazy and desperate. “Thanks, but I’m here with somebody.”
Her bright red mouth pulled into a frown and she took a step back. “Yeah I saw that, and I also saw that there is no way that she’s going to be with you for long.”
I was used to judgment, used to hearing that I wasn’t up to par or good enough for whatever reason, but coming from a boozed-up barfly who had just tried to talk me into taking her to bed made me reel back a little.
“Okay.” I didn’t know what else to say to that.
The girl snorted and flipped her overprocessed hair over her shoulder. “That girl has money and status written all over her, you have ink and nothing but a good time spelled out bright and clear all over you. How long do you think she’s going to think you’ve got more going on than that?”
I frowned, done with social courtesy. I physically moved her out of my way and called over my shoulder, “I don’t know, but I’d be an idiot not to stick around until she figures it out.”
Sweaty bodies got nudged and prodded until I got to the girls. Jet was right in front of them on both of his knees, his head was thrown back, his shirt was torn off and the massive angel of death I had tattooed across his torso was on full display. He was wailing like a true rock god and while Shaw looked fascinated, Ayden looked like she was about to melt into a pile of orgasmic goo. Looked like my buddy had turned the country mouse rock-and-roll for the night. I put a hand on Shaw’s hip and bent low to tell her, “I gotta get Nash out of here, he’s done for.”
She looked at me with big eyes and nodded with no argument. She leaned over to holler something at Ayden, who hollered something back. The brunette wiggled her fingers at me in a wave, and the next thing I knew, Shaw’s tiny frame was pulling me back through the crowd. Nash was now almost fully draped over the table and I didn’t miss the bouncer giving him the eye.
“What about Ayden? You said we needed to make sure she got home okay.”
“She promised to call when she was leaving. She said she would just get a cab.”
“She’ll be all right here by herself?”
“Yeah, she’s a big girl and can take care of herself, plus I think she danced most of the booze out. I think she’s sticking around to tell your friend how much she enjoyed the show.”
“Jet has that effect on women.”
“I can see why.”
I wrestled Nash up and marched him out of the bar with an arm around his waist. He was solid, and maneuvering his sturdy bulk was difficult.
“You gonna change your mind and drop me for a rock star?”
She snorted and took the keys I tossed her to get the cab doors open so that I could shove Nash sideways across the backseat. “You better not get sick in here, dude,” I warned.
There was no response, so I helped Shaw climb in and it occurred to me that she hadn’t