Bayou Stix Series: Bayou Stix Limited Edition Box Set (125 page)

Gloriana –
[Kissed You] Good Night

Joe Nichols –
Yeah

Big & Rich –
Look at You

Lee Brice –
I Don’t Dance

Florida Georgia Line –
Dayum, Baby

Bruno Mars –
Treasure

Saving Abel –
Addicted

Shinedown –
Second Chance

Lee Brice –
Hard To Love

Doves –
Catch the Sun

Kenny Chesney –
Come Over

Jason Derulo –
Talk Dirty
(feat. 2 Chainz)

Book 5 Bayou Stix

By
SKYE TURNER

This book is dedicated to everyone who’s ever had someone look down on them.

YOU define YOU. The only way others can is if you give them the power.

Dream big. Be true to you.

Define yourself!

Thank you to my amazeballs Beta readers: Betsy Whitley,
Cover to Cover Book Blog,
Joely Bogan, Kristin Blay, Lindsey Lawson, Noelle Riviere, Stephanie Dillander, Thomas Noble, and Tiffany Tyler,
Reading in Black and White.

Thank you Kari Ayasha of
Cover to Cover Designs
for once more giving me EXACTLY what I wanted! You are a rock star babe!

Thank you to Michael Meadows of
Michael Meadows Studios
for the awesome cover photography.

THANK YOU to my awesome readers and Street Team, Bayou Belle’s and Beau’s! Love y’all for loving me and my characters!

For my other amazingly supportive bestie author/blogger friends, thanks for being awesome. Ma Boo-TH Snyder, JM Witt, LL Collins, Kathy Coopmans, Joanne Schwehm, Gabbie Duran, SK Hartley, AD Justice, Jamie Whitley, and so, so many more.

And finally, but most importantly…
Thank you to my awesome, sexy, supportive husband, James, and the two perfect little hellions we created together. Writing is my job and my passion, but you three are my WORLD.

Cruz

“A
re you going to see Tifanie tonight?”

I sigh as I look around Java and Sweeties and I try to avoid Jude’s question. It’s packed today. There isn’t an empty table, chair, or couch in the entire place. Luckily, since Jude is married to the owner of the most popular coffee shop/bakery in Baton Rouge, we never have to worry about having a place to sit here. We kind of have a “reserved” table in the corner by the huge windows.

A kick under the table alerts me to the fact that I am not going to be able to ignore the question. I look up into the grinning face of Jessie. “So, are you seeing the hot paramedic tonight, Cruz?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. We don’t typically make plans to hang out in advance.”

I don’t like talking about this. Tifanie and I have been hanging out for a couple of months now. We’re friends and we have good conversation and laughs together. She’s sexy as hell but I just don’t… we’re friends.

A throat clears and I look into Dade’s curious brown eyes as he stares at me. “You seem to hang out a lot lately.”

I shrug again. “Yeah, she’s pretty fun.”

Jessie chuckles. “She’s fun?! No, she’s
fine.
With a capital ‘F.’ Have you tapped that yet?”

I glare at him and grip the table top to stop from punching my friend in the face. Jude smacks him in the back of the head and mutters, “Don’t be a crude ass, Jessie!”

Jessie rubs the back of his head and smirks. “I wasn’t. I was just trying to get a rise out of him.” He nods in my direction and I can see Dade smile. “He just seems to be spending an awful lot of time with
fun
Tifanie lately.”

“Why do you need to get a rise out of me?” I ask.

Jessie laughs. “Because dude, she’s
FINE
and she wants you. Yet, you don’t seem to be willing to make a move!”

I mutter under my breath, “Yeah, well…”

He needs to mind his own business.

Liam nods at me. “What’s the deal, Cruz?”

Why are they so damn curious about my life?! It’s not like that with Tifanie and me.

“It’s not even like that. We’re just friends. We hang out and have fun. Stop making it more than it is. We’re just friends.”

Jessie laughs. “Right.” He drags the word out. “So, who are you trying to convince of that, man?”

“Screw you. It’s not like that!”

Dammit… it’s
not
like that. We’re
just
friends. It’s all we can be. Tifanie is sexy and sweet; she doesn’t press me and we have a good time. She’s easy to talk to and I enjoy her company, but I can’t… no, I
won’t
go there with her.

Even though she fills out a pair of jeans like a dream. Dammit, stop thinking about her ass in her jeans, Cruz! She’s your friend. You’re her friend. That’s it. That’s all it is. Friends. Even though she seems to occupy a little too much of your mind lately.

No, fuck that. We’re friends. It’s all we can be.

Dade is being Dade and watching my face. He sees I notice and he winks at me. I mutter under my breath and look away.

He laughs out loud.

Jude diverts everyone’s attention from me by leaning forward and asking about Clove, Liam’s wife and Dade’s baby sister. “How’s she doing with the bed rest? Lexi says she’s miserable being confined to a bed.” He seems really interested in the answer.

Liam grimaces. “Yeah, it’s not fun. She hates being on bed rest. All she can do is stay in bed except when she has to go to the bathroom, but we have to keep him in there for a bit longer. They say if we can make it another few weeks, we’ll be good.”

Clove is a good friend. We’ve been friends since we were kids and now she’s married to one of my best friends and band mates. They are great together, but I am worried about her. Not because she’s married to Liam; he adores her. But, she’s had a rough couple of months with her pregnancy.

Jude sighs. “We’re all hoping for that and I’m hoping we don’t have to deal with bed rest with our own baby, though that morning sickness shit is no joke either.” He shrugs sheepishly and looks at Liam. “No offense, dude.”

Liam chuckles. “None taken. I hope Lexi has smooth sailing.”

Jessie interrupts, “Yeah well, can we stop all the baby talk?” He rubs the back of his neck and pulls his lip ring into his mouth. He always does that when he’s antsy. He mutters, “I’m not ready to deal with all that yet. Don’t give me the water you two are drinking!”

I laugh at him. “Jessie, I don’t think the world is ready for any little Jessies right now anyway!”

A laugh at the tableside draws everyone’s attention. We look up into the sparkling eyes of Blue, Jessie’s fiancée. “Yes, no babies yet! My man-child is all I can handle right now.” She fakes a shudder. “God, don’t curse me with another one of him.”

Jessie mutters, “Hey, woman! I’m fucking amazing. But, yeah, when we make babies, I want a mini-Blue so I can kick some boys’ asses when she gets older! For now though, we can keep practicing. Three to four times a day!”

We all laugh as Blue grabs his face and kisses him.

Coffees are delivered to the table and our publicist, Bradi, sits down. “Ok, boys. Let’s get down to business. Enough baby talk since Micah and I don’t have any… yet!” She laughs, but then gets right to it and we go over the schedule for the arena tour we’ll be starting in about eight weeks.

We’re wrapping up the meeting when my cell buzzes with a new text.

“Tifanie:

Pizza and beer tonight at Walk-Ons to watch the LSU game?”

I look up and see Jessie laughing at me. “So, having
fun
with legs tonight?”

Blue glares at him. “Why exactly are you noticing Tifanie’s legs?”

He blows her a kiss. “Because they are long and shapely.” She frowns. “Simmer down, woman! I prefer your legs. They
are
attached to that fabulous ass I’m so fond of.”

She laughs and presses a quick kiss to his neck as she squirms out of his lap. “You are incorrigible, Jessie Adams!”

He grins and pops her ass as she stands up. “Yup. You love it!” He wiggles his eyebrows and pulls on his lip ring.

She rolls her eyes as she walks away. “True story!” She wiggles her fingers at us as she disappears into the kitchen.

Bradi stands up and calls over her shoulder as she also heads toward the kitchen. “Y’all behave.” She winks at me and smirks. “And Cruz, have fun with Tifanie tonight!”

What the hell?! Everyone is out to get me. They all have the wrong idea about Tifanie and me. Way wrong. We’re just going to watch the game. That’s it!

I sigh as I text her back to tell her I’m in. I see everyone smirking at me as I type. I flip them off.

Tifanie

G
od, what a long twenty-four hours it’s been! Is there a full moon tonight? We’ve dealt with nothing but crazy people today.

Luckily, a gorgeous man kept me sane. Well, not him, but thinking about him and his haunted blue eyes did.

Ha, you’re an idiot, Tifanie. Cruz has never so much as made a move on you.

He’s interested. I can see he’s interested, but he won’t make a move. Why not?

We hang out all the time. We spend a lot of time together, yet, he’s never even kissed me.

There’s something that’s holding him back, but damned if I know what it is. I’m just being patient and biding my time. He’ll act on it. He has to… right?!

Because I am aching with the need to kiss him.

Good lord, I’m an idiot. I’m twenty-five years old and mooning over a man who is scared of me. Yet, something pulls me to him; so I wait… I’ll wait.

Ty, my partner, breaks me out of my musings as I stare sightlessly at the TV in the station. “Earth to Tif.” He snaps his fingers in my face and I shake my head to clear it as I look at him. “Yo, wake up. Only a few more hours to go. You thinking about the brooding drummer?”

I frown at his description of Cruz. “I’m awake. And he’s not brooding, but yes, busted. I was thinking about him.”

Ty smiles slightly at me. “Ok. Perhaps brooding is the wrong word. Wounded, maybe?!”

I grimace. There’s truth to that statement. “That one might work…”

He chuckles. “So, what’s the latest?”

I click my tongue as I think about how to answer him. “Well, there is no latest. It’s pretty much the same. Nothing new to report.”

He stares at me and arches a brow. “Nothing new to report? You’ve been spending time with him for almost two months and there’s nothing to report?!” He looks at me incredulously. “Are you kidding me?” He mumbles, but I catch it. “He’s an idiot.”

I shrug. “Yeah, nothing new. We hang out. We do things together, but we’re just friends. He doesn’t seem to want to change the equation.” I smile, though it bothers me. “What can I say? Maybe he’s just not that into me. At least as anything other than a buddy.”

Ty laughs. “Yeah, ok. I’m calling bullshit on that one. Have you seen you? No straight man wants to be just friends with you, Tif. Is he gay?”

That makes me laugh.
Is Cruz gay? Um, no. I’ve seen the hungry look in his eyes when he thinks I’m not paying attention. He’s not gay. He’s interested, but why won’t he act on it? What’s the deal?