Page 61 of A Wish for Us

Cromwell

“This is gonna be fucking lit!” Easton bounced around on the seat of my truck. I eyed him, wondering what the hell had gotten into him.

“Easton.” Bonnie put her hand on his arm. “Calm down.”

“Calm down? My boy is playing at Chandelier, and you’re telling me to calm down? No way, Bonn. The Barn is one thing, but seeing Cromwell spin tonight at a real venue is gonna be sick. You know how many people are coming to see him? A few thousand at least!”

I drove us toward Charleston, listening to Easton losing his mind over tonight. Easton hadn’t even been concerned about why his sister was coming. I thought he’d give me shit. He’d been asking about Bonnie and me the past week. I thought he suspected something, but ever since we’d got up this morning, he’d been all over the place, high as a damn kite. The daft bugger had even woken me up at four a.m. asking me to go for food. I’d only gone to bed half an hour before. I’d created a mix just for tonight.

I couldn’t wait to play it.

It took just under an hour to get to the venue. The security at Chandelier told me to pull my truck around back. A couple of guys tried to take my new laptop from me. Not a chance. No one ever touched my laptop. Easton walked on one side of me. Bonnie was on the other. I’d lost my mind, I must have, because I wanted to reach out and hold her hand.

And I couldn’t get last night from my head. Couldn’t get the taste of her lips off my tongue. But more than that, I couldn’t get my head around the fact that she said we couldn’t happen.

I didn’t do girlfriends. Never had. I was a use-them-and-move-on kindof guy. But from day one Bonnie Farraday had gotten under my skin. And Sod’s Law, the one girl I was chasing as more than a quick shag wasn’t having any of it.

I had no idea why. We’d both been into it last night. I’d felt her against me. Her hands hadn’t left me. Even afterward, she’d clung to my hand like she never wanted to let go.

But I was learning Bonnie Farraday was a complex girl.

Even though she’d pushed me away, I couldn’t let her go. I’d wanted her here tonight. I didn’t know why, but I needed her here. I wanted her to see me in a real setting. I wanted her to hear my new mixes.

One I’d made just for her.

The manager was up my arse the second I walked in the place. Apparently it was a sellout. I’d go on at midnight. It wasn’t far off.

“I’m gonna get shots,” Easton said, flashing his fake ID at Bonnie and me before leaving us alone in the ridiculous-size dressing room. Couches, a TV—even a bed sat in the corner. It was a good venue. I didn’t feel nervous about playing; I never did. But I was nervous about having Bonnie beside me on the podium.

Nervous about what she’d think of the new mix I’d made for her.

Bonnie sat down on the couch and rubbed her hand over her face. She was pale. But she looked good. She was wearing black flowery high-waisted trousers and a white long-sleeved top that showed off every inch of her curves. Her hair was in a high ponytail, and I wanted nothing more than to wrap it around my hand and pull her to my mouth.

I was making sure I had everything lined up on my laptop. The sound of the opening DJs came from outside. Colors, as always, danced before my eyes. But I blocked them out and concentrated on my own set.

“You ready?” Bonnie said eventually. We’d had no time alone since we’d got in the truck.

“Always.” I stared at her. Her hands were fidgeting in her lap. She looked so damn cute. “Farraday.” She looked over. “Get your arse over here.”

Bonnie looked as if she’d refuse, but then she got up off the couch and came to my seat. I shifted over, making enough room for her to sit down too. She hesitated. I groaned and pulled her down by her arm. “For Christ’s sake,Farraday, I had my tongue down your throat twenty-four hours ago. I think you can sit down beside me. It’s not like there isn’t room. You must weigh all of eight stone.”

“What?” she asked, brown eyebrows pulled down. “Eight stone?”

I threaded my arm around her waist, making her yelp. “It means you weigh nothing. Now.” I shifted her close enough that she was pressed against me and my hand could still use my laptop.

“Cromwell.” She sighed. “This isn’t wise.”

“No one ever said I was.” I pointed to my laptop. “My set,” I said. Bonnie’s love for music overrode any complaint she had about being next to me. She stared at the program.

“So these are your tracks?” I nodded. “Then how do you mix them?”

I shrugged. “I judge the crowd. Decide when I’m up there what to play next. See how far I can push them.” I tried to picture the crowd in my mind. “I just do what feels right.”

“You follow the emotion,” she said knowingly. “What you told me last night.”

“Yeah.” I closed my laptop and looked up at Bonnie. Her eyes were already on me. Then they dropped to my lips. “Farraday.” I inched closer and pressed my forehead to hers. “If you don’t want me to take your mouth right now, I’d stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” she whispered, cheeks flushed.