She lifted her brow, and I cocked my head in Ireland’s direction. After receiving her answering nod, I kissed my girl on the crown of her head and whispered. “Stay put for a few minutes, baby.”
I left Ireland in Wendy’s care—Scout had made damn sure she could take care of herself—and helped the other girls load their van while keeping an eye out for my brothers. I knew Scott and his buddies would wait for me to leave with Ireland before they made their move.
Just as I loaded the last amp, the ground hummed, and the rumble of motorcycles reached my ears. Spinning on my heel, I walked back into the bar and sent a sinister smile to the trio of idiots. It’s on, motherfuckers.
4
Ireland
After my run-in with Scott between sets, I’d been dreading the end of the night. I knew deep down in my gut that the bouncer was going to push hard to get me to agree to a date. But then Sebastian had changed everything—and kissed me senseless while he was at it. I’d almost messed up several chords during our last set, something I hadn’t done during a live performance in years. The sexy biker’s kisses were lethal...and addictive. I was already looking forward to the possibility of another one when we said our goodbyes tonight.
Turning on my stool to grin at Wendy, I fanned myself with a smile. “I think I’ll take you up on that offer from earlier.”
“Yeah, I think that’s a great idea.” She pulled out a bottle of coconut rum. “But a Campari and soda isn’t going to cut it. You definitely need something stronger tonight.”
I thought about how it had felt to be in Sebastian’s arms and had to agree. “You’re right. This is definitely a situation where liquid courage would be a big help.”
She poured the rum over ice, adding cranberry juice, a wedge of lime, and a straw before sliding the glass my way. “Most people order this with pineapple instead, but I think coconut rum is way better paired with cranberry.”
“You’re the expert, so I’ll definitely take your word for it.” I took a tentative sip of the drink and was surprised by how delicious it was. “I’ve never had rum before, and I can barely taste it. There’s just the faintest hint of coconut to let me know it’s in there.”
She tossed the bottle into the air with a bit of flair before putting it back. “Get ready for lots of new experiences now that you’ve grabbed Breaker’s eye.”
I’d always gotten along well with Wendy when we played at McClaren’s and considered her a friend. But her talking as though she knew Breaker well didn’t leave me feeling very cordial toward her. I wanted to know what their connection was and how close they were, but I didn’t want to come across as a jealous witch over a guy I’d just met. So I stuck with a safer question along the lines of regular girl talk and less like me grilling her for information. “He said he doesn’t really date?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him with a woman, but I know how those guys can be.” She rolled her eyes. “But guys like Breaker move fast when they find the right woman, so brace yourself for warp speed.”
I took another sip of my drink, relaxing a little at how comfortable she sounded with the idea of Sebastian and me dating. “Is that the voice of experience speaking?”
“Not hardly.” She laughed and shook her head. “My older brother takes overprotectiveness to a whole new level. He almost blew a gasket when I took the bartending job here instead of working for a place owned by the Silver Saints.”
Any lingering concern I had about her and Sebastian melted away as I realized what their connection was. “That’s how you know Breaker? Through your brother?”
She nodded as she wiped the bar top down. “Yup, Scout is the VP of the Silver Saints MC.”
A loud crash to my right interrupted our conversation. When I swiveled on my stool, I saw Scott and two of the other bouncers facing off against Sebastian. Several other men stalked into the bar, and I assumed they were all members of his motorcycle club based on their leather vests. “What in the heck is going on? And where did all of them come from?”
“A bar fight, and that’s Breaker’s backup.” Wendy sighed and shook her head before she jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “Which means you’d better get your butt back here. Breaker would be pissed as all get-out if you accidentally got caught up in the brawl.”
“Holy crap,” I whispered as I jumped off my stool and raced around the bar to stand next to Wendy. In all the time I had spent performing in bars, the only fights I’d seen had been minor scuffles with drunk customers that the bouncers had quickly taken care of. I could hardly believe they were the ones who were getting ready to start the fight now. And over me of all things.