looking at some other dude like that. His temples throbbed as he reminded himself of why he’d emptied his place of all hard liquor.
Whoever was filming must’ve backed up, or zoomed out, and thank God they did. It allowed him to see that it was the black-haired friend from home she was grinning at. They were standing on the tailgate of a jacked up Chevy Silverado. The Taite girl was with them and they were dancing and singing along to one of his songs. His newest. Rock It on My Tailgate blared through his speakers, and he couldn’t help but shake his head. At least he knew she had to be thinking about him.
Once that song ended, the opening chords of Bryce Parker’s Baby Don’t Wait came on. The girls slowed to match the rhythm of the song. He was struck dumb for a second as Kylie’s hips swayed back and forth in a way that nearly undid him. He tried hard to swallow as blood rushed in his ears. Probably because his heart was pounding at the sight of her moving like that. He didn’t know if it was the glow of the bonfire in the background lighting her up or if his feelings for her made her shine the way she did, but good night alive . He had a feeling it wasn’t just him. Whoever was filming—probably Porsche boy—zoomed straight in on her . The other girls and the truck disappeared from the frame and the only person visible was Kylie. His Kylie , dammit. Brett911 was going to get his fucking face knocked in if Trace ever came across him. Even over the blare of the music he could hear her clear voice singing the lyrics.
So baby don’t wait. Don’t wait to call me, don’t hesitate to show up at my door. Whatever I’m doin’, wherever I’m goin’, I’d rather be with you more. So baby don’t wait.
For once, Bryce Parker got something right. Trace put his computer aside and grabbed his phone off the charger. He pulled up his recent calls and touched her name. This wasn’t a text message situation he was dealing with.
“Hullo?” Kylie’s sleepy voice answered.
“Hey, pretty girl. Did I wake you?” Yes you did, dumbass.
“Mmm, I don’t mind. Everything okay?”
No, everything was sure as hell not okay. He could picture her—that messy blond hair spread out on her pillows and her soft, warm, body tangled in the covers. Covers he could hear rustling over the phone. “Just missin’ you.”
Never in his life had he come straight out and said what he was feeling. Never. Until her.
“Miss you too, Trace.”
Oh good Lord, she was trying to kill him. His name on her lips was quite possibly the hottest thing he’d ever heard. Got him every time. “Have a good time tonight?” He clicked off his lamp and settled down into his own covers.
He could hear her smiling as she spoke. “Yeah, it got kinda crazy. But for the most part it was fun. It was good to see Lu.”
Who the fuck was Lu? Oh right, her friend from back home. The girl. But what the hell did she mean by kinda crazy? His grip on the phone tightened. “Yeah, I’m pretty jealous of Lu right now. And every other asshole who got to watch you up on that tailgate tonight.” Yes, I am stalking you.
Kylie groaned. “You saw the video then.”
He chuckled softly. “Yeah, it was, uh, doing things to me. Hence the phone call in the middle of the night.”
Suddenly her voice sounded much more alert. “Hmm, what kind of things , Mr. Corbin?”
Oh, the memories hearing her call him that brought back. Memories of when she hated him and refused to call him by his first name, making him desperate to fuck her hard and rough on every surface of the bus they shared for six torturous and glorious weeks. Not that he’d have been able to fuck the fight out of her. Or the stubbornness. There was always heat between them, at least as far as he was concerned. “Bad things, Kylie Lou. Things not appropriate for your pretty little ears.”
“I think my ears, as well as other parts of my body, might be capable of handling a lot more than you think.”
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