“Your job is important of course. Thanks for coming over.”

He moved to her, not liking how nonchalant she sounded. “I’ll be back. What are you doing tomorrow?”

“I can’t. I’m working with Adrian for the next few days. He’s been out of town and we need to lay down some stuff for his new CD.”

He realized as he stood there how much he wanted her. Not just for sex, but Christ, he liked her. Had liked her before but was too cowardly to really admit it. Todd wanted to know her and wanted her to want that too.

“Okay, when you’re done, why don’t you come to my place? Do you paint at all? I could use a hot assistant to help me paint my living room.”

“All right. I can do that. But you have to feed me and I like Popsicles too. Painting is hot work, you know. I need sustenance.”

“It’s a date then.” He handed her a card. “My home and cell numbers are on the back. Call me when you’re done with Adrian or when you know you’ll be free. I’ll save the work until then.”

She put the card in a colored glass bowl and then reached into his pocket to grab his cell. Quickly, she punched in a series of numbers and handed it back to him. “My numbers are in there.”

“I enjoyed tonight.” He banded her waist with his arm, hauling her to him, liking the way her breath caught and her pupils swallowed the irises of her eyes. He captured her breathless sigh as he swooped in for a kiss and she merely held on to his shoulders, letting him sample her mouth.

Breaking away, he rested his forehead on hers a moment.

“I’ll see you soon, Erin.”

He didn’t stop smiling until he finally fell into sleep many hours later.

8

“You’re distracted.” Adrian put a bottle of water in front of her and sat back down.

“Huh? No, just busy. Between the café and here, I’m running around a lot.”

He peered at her, suspicion in his gaze. “Everything okay?”

“I’m fine. I promise.” After she took a swig of water, she picked the guitar back up and ran through the end of the song. “How’s that?”

He hummed a moment, finding his voice, and began to sing as she played along. Adrian’s voice was a thing of beauty. He could growl better than Chris Cornell and hit the high notes too. It didn’t hurt that he was handsome either. It had made him very marketable, even when Erin had stopped touring and Adrian went solo. Their drummer still went out on tour and did studio work, so really, in all the important ways, she hadn’t lost a whole lot when she’d “retired” from the band.

She paused a moment, making a note, and then went back to it and they picked up where they’d left off. She and Adrian had made music together since she’d been fourteen to his eleven. They’d started Mud Bay when she was seventeen. A long time. He knew her better than most anyone on the planet, which she found comforting most of the time.

“Goddamn, you did it again.” Adrian sat back and lit a smoke.

She waved a hand in front of her face and moved back a bit. “You’re going to ruin your voice with that shit.”

“I only do it so you’ll correct my lax morals,” he said dryly. “So tell me what’s going on in your life. Are you really okay? You need something more than this and pulling lattes. You’re meant for more, Erin.”

She looked at her baby brother with a smile. “Aww, thanks. I think. Anyway, yes, I’m okay. I’m actually . . . I think I’m dating someone. Seeing him. Something like that.”

“Really? Who? Why didn’t you tell me?” He leaned in, stubbing out his cigarette like she’d known he would.

She snorted a laugh. “You remember that cop who used to live next door? Todd?”

“I thought he moved back east. Didn’t you dump him? Do I need to send goons over to kick his ass? Now that I’m a star and stuff, I have people for that.” He winked.

“Yes, I broke up with him, and yes, he moved to Boston. He’s back in Seattle for good and we had a date. We’ve been talking on the phone and e-mailing every day of the past week. He’s not that guy anymore, or not the part I dumped him over.”

Adrian narrowed his eyes. “You’re not that girl anymore either.”

She choked back her emotion. No, she wasn’t. “No. But he makes me smile and he’s a nice diversion.”

“Just a diversion?”

“Good lord, it’s been a week! I don’t want to marry him or anything.”

“You were gonzo for him back then. He rang your bell in a major way. You sulked for months. Then again, I suppose I have him to thank for pretty much every song on our first CD, huh?”

She shrugged. “He listens to country music. He has no idea.” It amused her that he didn’t know how big they’d made it. At least she knew he wasn’t a starfucker. He liked her for Erin, not because Mud Bay had dominated MTV for four years nonstop and Adrian still did.

Adrian snorted. “Like, good country or . . .”

“Or, I think. I’m going to his house day after tomorrow to help him paint. He’s promised me Thai food and good beer as payment. Oh, and Drumsticks. Chocolate and vanilla. I’ll check his CDs then. Maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

“This guy totally has your number with the Drumsticks. Lemme know about whether he needs a beat-down. Don’t let him get too fresh.”