“Hey, you know you have twenty missed calls? Popular girl.” He was typing in both our phones then passed mine back.
Twenty missed calls? I squinted as I glanced at the number. Logan. Shit. My phone lit up again, and his number flashed. Fuck. I quickly clicked it to silent and put it in my purse.
Ethan’s brows rose. “Not into talking, I take it.”
“Nope. Not … to him.” I leaned closer and bit my lower lip. I felt daring, bolder now. I was pissed, both in the angered way and in the drunk way. What is he doing calling twenty times? I’d normally be in bed sleeping by now. Why the hell was he calling so late? Why hadn’t he called me earlier?
Kat pushed back her chair and came to her feet, swaying a little. She had her phone to her ear and was yelling at someone. When her eyes darted to me I knew who it was.
“God, Sculpt, she’s fine. What’s the big deal? And if she doesn’t answer her phone, she doesn’t have to. How the hell did you get my number anyway?” Silence. “Fuckin’ Ream.” Kat shook her head, pulled the phone away from her ear, and pressed End. “You get that, Emily?”
I nodded.
Kat glanced at Ethan then back to me. “Think we should go. Washroom first.” Kat snagged Georgie’s hand. None of them ever went to the washroom alone—ever.
“What was that about?” Ethan shifted his chair closer. He reached forward and ran his finger across my chin. A soft, feathery touch that should’ve sent goose bumps waltzing across my skin … instead, the caress sent nothing.
Ethan was rock star hot—tattoos, lean, tall, sexy as hell on stage with his raspy voice and sweet roll of his hips. Exactly what I promised to stay away from, and yet, tonight I felt like taking chances. I needed to prove to myself that I had control.
I leaned closer into his touch as did he. His finger stopped caressing my chin, and he cupped the nape of my neck, pulling me closer. We were a breath away and I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted him to erase the stamp of Logan.
“You’re sweet, Emily. Real sweet, I’m guessing. And I’d like you to come back to my place tonight.” Ethan’s hand tightened, and I suddenly felt a tremor run through me, and it wasn’t a good tremor.
“Emily.”
I jolted back as Matt came up beside me holding his phone. “It’s Sculpt.” Then he turned to Ethan. “Hands off, Ethan.”
Tonight was Forget Logan night, and I was doing a fine good job of it. Cosmos and Ethan.
“He’s worried about you. I told him you’re good, but he wants to hear your voice. What do you want me to tell him?”
“Give me the phone.” Logan had no right calling Kat and now Matt trying to get to me. God, what was his problem? Why was he being like this?
“I don’t think—”
“Matt. It’s fine.”
Matt placed the phone in my hand, but kept hold. “You sure?”
“Let go, Matt.” He hesitated a few seconds then released his phone.
Ethan still held me, his hand having slid down to my waist.
“You want this gig, take your hands off before I make you,” Matt said, glaring at Ethan. “She’s drunk, man.”
I put the phone to my ear as Ethan put both hands up and sat back.
“Stop calling.” It was said in a mumbled slur.
“You’re drunk.”
This is why I knew I shouldn’t talk to him. It was like his voice curled me into him—tight. All this work trying to drink him out of my mind and he plowed back full force with a few words.
“Emily. It’s two in the morning.”
“I’m … stamping you … out.”
“Excuse me?”
“The stamp. I have to get rid of it.” I knew my words were mumbled with the cosmos at full effect.
“Is Kat with you?”
I looked around. “Nope. Just Ethan.”
Silence.
“Ethan? From Strikeback?”
I turned to Ethan. “You from Shrrikeback?” My words came out very slurred, but it sounded like he understood me.
“Yeah, Princess. My band.” He smiled and winked.
“He says yep.”
“Did I just here him call you Princess?”
Ummm.
“Give him the phone. Now.” Oh, he sounded angry. What I needed was another drink. I passed Ethan Matt’s phone. “He wants to talk to you.” I stood then stumbled to where Brett was cleaning off the bar. It took me three tries to get onto the bar stool.
Brett nodded toward Ethan chuckling. “I can hear Sculpt shouting from here. He just told Ethan he’s going to kick his ass when he gets back.”
“Oh God, no. He … he can’t do that.” I didn’t want Logan fighting anyone. I knew he hated it and … Logan had gone to Mexico to fight for his father—to save me.
I nearly fell onto my ass when I went scrambling back to Ethan and grabbed the phone from him. Logan was still shouting something about his woman.
“Logan. Logan … Stop yelling.”
He went quiet then, “Eme.” He sighed. “I’m glad you’re out with your girls. But … you need to go home. I need you to be safe, baby.” I heard him swear as something crashed. Someone yelled in the background, maybe Ream or Crisis.
“Logan?”
“If anything happened to you … I just—damn it, I need you to be safe.”
God, he sounded so worried. I didn’t understand what the big deal was and right now my head was pounding and I couldn’t think straight.
I sank into the chair, my head in my hands. “I can’t erase you. I tried, but I can’t.”
“You can’t erase what’s engraved.”
“Yeah,” I mumbled.
“Give the phone to Matt, baby.”
“Okay.” I passed it to Matt, and he kissed my brow before striding away, phone to his ear.
Kat was walking toward me, her brows raised at something over my left shoulder. She looked surprised and a little worried. I spun around, well I stumbled around, and had to grab the chair for balance.
“Oh look, trouble just walked in and is sucking the fun right out from between my legs,” Georgie said as she followed Kat’s gaze.