His New Jam (6 page)

Chapter 6

T
he following morning, Hunter sat on the field, freezing his ass off, waiting for Sydney to show. As usual, she jogged from the parking lot at the last minute. She never came early, didn't stop to chat with people, just walked with her head down.

At least until she neared him. The look she shot him was both heated and pleading. He could almost hear the words
Please don't tell anyone we kissed
. He licked his lips and smiled. She ducked her head again. Instead of saying anything, he played part of “Have a Little Faith in Me,” hoping she'd recognize it.

Of course she didn't acknowledge him, but the set of her shoulders relaxed a bit. They only ran through the drill for an hour since it was so cold. Saturday would be the last game of the season. His last game as a member of the marching band. He'd miss it, but he was ready to move on.

As soon as they were released, he made his way to Sydney. He wanted to let her know what songs they'd practice tomorrow so she could prepare. “Hey, got a minute?”

She paused and turned to face him. Her cheeks were bright pink and she narrowed her eyes. “What?”

She had the act down pretty good, as long as he didn't actually look into her eyes. There, he saw amusement, not annoyance.

Before Hunter could say anything else, Daniel stood between them. “Oh, crap, Peters. Really? I thought you were better than to fall for his line of shit.”

Her face went from pink to red. Her mouth dropped open. “I didn't—”

Daniel cut her off. “I guess that makes you a Reed sucker, huh?” He smacked the arm of the drummer to his left. “Get it? His name is Reed.”

Hunter caught a glimpse of tears in Sydney's eyes before he turned on Daniel. Dropping his sax, he shoved Daniel with both arms. Caught off guard, Daniel stumbled back.

“What the fuck, Reed?”

“Where the fuck do you get off talking to a girl like that?”

“Defending your girlfriend now?”

Hunter didn't think about how it would look or what the consequences might be. His fist shot out and caught Daniel's jaw. His head snapped back. The sound of Daniel's teeth clanking together and the throb in his own hand offered a lot of satisfaction.

Hunter braced for a fight. The musicians around them huddled close, not wanting to miss anything. Two guys from the drum line grabbed Daniel and held his arms.

“It's not worth it, man. Our last game is Saturday. You don't want to get tossed out for fighting.”

The words hit home for Hunter. He could end up missing his last game.

Daniel sneered at him. “Learn to take a joke, asshole.”

Hunter ground his teeth together so he wouldn't respond. Daniel's friends led him away. A nudge at his arm pulled his attention. Mike stood there to hand him his sax.

“He's had that coming for a long time. I'm surprised you didn't get a round of applause for it.”

“Thanks.” He turned in a circle to find Sydney, but she was gone. No surprise, really. He took his sax from Mike and inspected it for damage. As the crowd dispersed, he scanned for Sydney's purple hair.

Emma came up beside him, pulling on thick gloves. “She left. She was really upset.”

“I figured.” He wanted to ask if Emma thought she'd answer her phone, but then he remembered he'd promised not to say anything to anyone, especially at band. “Check on her, okay?”

“I will.” She started to walk away, but then turned. “It's good that you stood up for her. But I hope it wasn't part of your usual procedure. She deserves better.”

“I have no idea what that was.” The simple truth struck him. He liked Sydney, but starting a fight over a girl had never been his style. Then he remembered the look of shock and hurt in her eyes at Daniel's words. He'd do it all over again even if it meant he got tossed off band.

He packed his saxophone and looked across the field. He wanted to go after Sydney, but he didn't know where she was. She wouldn't likely go to the practice rooms. He zipped up his jacket and went to the parking lot. He'd text her. That would give her space if she wanted, but also allow him to apologize.

He got to his minivan and pulled up short. Sydney was leaning against the sliding door, her bag at her feet while she rubbed her bare hands together.

“Hey,” he said.

Her eyes shot up. “ 'Bout time.”

She'd been waiting for him. His heart thumped a little, knowing she couldn't be too mad at him. He got closer and realized she was probably numb from standing in the cold. “Crap. Hold on.” He pressed the fob to unlock the doors. “Get in and warm up.”

Instead of walking around to the passenger door, she slid open the side door and climbed into the backseat. He climbed in after her, tossing his saxophone case over the seat and into the back. He closed the door and reached over the driver's seat and started the engine.

“We'll have heat in a minute.” He tugged off his gloves and offered them to her, but she shook her head. He dropped the gloves and held her hands between his. They were like ice. “How'd you know this was my car?”

She smiled. “How many guys drive minivans? Everyone makes fun of this thing. Don't you know that?”

“It hauls all the equipment every week, and it gets me where I need to go.” He kept rubbing her hands even after the blower starting sending warmth their way.

She tried to pull away, but he held her.

“I'm sorry about what happened. I wanted to give you the playlist for tomorrow night's practice so you could at least familiarize yourself with the songs. And I wanted to give you this.” He pulled a parking permit from his pocket. “I didn't think it would cause all that.”

“I know. Daniel's an asshole. He probably doesn't even really think anything is going on between us. He likes to make me miserable by giving me a hard time.”

“Is there something going on between us?” he asked quietly.

She bit the corner of her lip. “I wish there wasn't, but there's something. That kiss last night . . .”

“Was pretty fucking hot.”

She laughed then, loud, and her entire face opened up like he'd never seen. Totally unguarded. He definitely wanted more.

“It was, but I wasn't joking. I can't deal with more of what Daniel dished out.”

He scooted closer to her, reading between the lines. “So you're open to exploring what we have as long as no one finds out.”

She pressed her lips together and didn't answer. Hunter laid his hand on her thigh, which was still cold through her jeans. He leaned toward her ear. “I'm great at secrets. We only have one more practice and a game. I can guarantee no one will know.”

Her breath hitched as his nose brushed the shell of her ear. From the corner of his eye, he saw her lick her lips. Just the tip of her pink tongue darted out. His mimicked the motion against the spot below her earlobe. There, her skin was warm.

“Stop.”

The strangled word made him freeze. He eased back and looked into her eyes. There he saw a hint of fear mixed with lust. What had made her so afraid?

She swallowed hard. “I can't explore with you right now.”

But she was willing. His dick got hard thinking about it. “Soon?”

She nodded. “Until then, it's like you don't even know me.”

“Won't people get suspicious if I don't at least try to flirt with you? I've been doing it for months.”

A slow smile crept back. “I can't stop you if you play a song, but don't expect a reaction from me.”

“We'll see.”

She slid away from him and yanked the handle on the opposite door. A blast of cold air swept in, but she turned back to him. She moved in quickly and kissed his cheek. “Thanks for standing up to Daniel.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask if no one had ever stood up for her, but he knew she wouldn't answer. So he went back to comfortable ground. “How soon are we talking?”

“Very.” Then she slipped out the door and slammed it behind her.

Sydney definitely knew how to get to him. He shifted and waited for the hard-on to go away.

He turned off the car and ran to class, barely making it on time, but he couldn't stop thinking about Sydney and the idea of having her soon.

As soon as class let out, he texted her.
Free for dinner?

Her response was quick.
I'm not dating you.

Damn. The girl wasn't kidding when she'd said soon.
Send me the address and I'll be there.

He didn't have another class until the afternoon, so he went to meet Free for lunch. It had still been dark out when Free had called him to ask to meet, which meant only one thing: girl trouble. Knowing Free, he didn't get any sleep and when he discovered he couldn't solve his problem on his own, he called Hunter.

Of the three of them, Free had always been the shyest. He'd been geeky, even more than Adam, which said something. The whole acting thing helped him come out of his shell, but it never extended past the stage unless he wore a costume. Hunter had no idea how he planned to work for his dad where he'd need to deal with clients.

Hunter drove to the sub shop in their childhood neighborhood. Hot lunch might've been a better choice, but a sub in the middle of the day was guy food. It was where they'd gone every time they cut class or snuck out when they were grounded.

Free's car was already in the lot, engine still running. Hunter parked and tapped on Free's window as he walked by. He didn't wait for his friend because it was too damn cold. Inside, he unzipped his leather jacket and waited. Free came in a minute later, with a goofy hat on his head, pom-pom and all.

Hunter pointed at it. “Didn't we outgrow that stuff about fifteen years ago?”

Free shrugged. “It's warm.”

“So what's wrong?”

“Who said anything was wrong?”

“You called me at five thirty this morning to make lunch plans. What's her name?”

Tugging off his hat, Free blew out a hard breath, puffing his cheeks like a trumpet player. “Let's order first.”

“I knew it.”

They placed their orders for foot-long Italian subs, extra dressing. They grabbed a booth and as they unrolled their sandwiches, Hunter said, “Shoot.”

Without looking up from his food, Free said, “There's this girl, Samantha.”

“Knew it,” Hunter said around a mouthful of bread and meat.

“I met her at the coffee shop near the gym where I meet Cary.”

“Have you talked to her yet?” With most guys, if they said they'd met a girl, he wouldn't have to ask, but with Free,
meeting
could just as easily mean he'd seen her and made eye contact.

“Yeah. A couple of times.” He bit into his sandwich.

Hunter waited, shoving more food into his mouth.

“I even bought her a cup of coffee.”

“Wait a minute. You said you met her after the gym?”

Free nodded.

“So you were wearing one of your crazy costumes.”

“That's just it. Every time I've seen her, I've been coming from the gym. She's only seen me in costume.”

“Hmm . . . I don't know if it's a positive or a negative. She's seen you at your craziest: plus. If she's not weirded out by it: minus.” Hunter knew Free's motivation behind wearing the costumes was to help his brother while he worked out to lose weight, but to strangers, Free just looked crazy.

Free shrugged. “I think she likes it. Even before I talked to her, I saw her watching me, like waiting to see how I'd be dressed. The last couple of times, she asked to take my picture.”

“Are you sure she's not a crazy?”

“She seems normal. She's studying to be a social worker, so she's in the area every day for volunteer work at some shelter.”

“What's the problem?”

“She's only seen me in costume at the coffee shop. How do I move past that?”

“That's your problem? Easy—ask her out.”

“Easy for you, maybe.” Free picked at the lettuce on his sandwich.

Hunter set down his half-eaten sub and wiped his hands on a napkin. “Are you seeing her today?”

“Hopefully.”

“So today, when you sit down to drink your coffee, tell her that although you like your brief meetings, you'd like to extend your time with her. Ask her if she's free for dinner.” He felt sorry for Free. He couldn't imagine being so afraid of women. Hunter had been a natural flirt his whole life. Free had always been unsure of himself.

“Just like that? Tell her I want to go out with her?”

“Yeah. Did you think there was some magic to it? I just ask. She has no way of knowing how you feel unless you tell her. Maybe she's thinking you're a strange guy who likes to chat over coffee. I've seen you flirt. You can't throw out a line to save your life. You need the direct approach.” He picked up his sandwich again. “The worst that happens is that she says no.”

“Then what?”

Hunter thought of Sydney. “If you really want her, you try again. Some women appreciate persistence.”

“And some would call you a stalker.”

Hunter laughed. “Hopefully, you get the hint before that point.”

As they finished their meal, they talked about plans for the New Year's Eve party, Hunter effectively shutting down Free's annual idea of having a costume party. The guy needed to get comfortable in his own skin. His dad wouldn't let him play dress-up at work. Getting used to life without costumes would be Free's resolution.