Chapter 16

Kate looked around the club, amazed to see Elena and Richie still steeped in one another. Even with the entire room now jamming to Southside they’d ignored the change in atmosphere. Watching her friend wind herself around a guy was a new occurrence. Elena was usually the one that would tease and tantalize, leaving him hanging. This was a whole new Elena.

Jon followed her gaze. Surprised that Richie hadn’t even noticed their song being played, he just shook his head. The fact that Richie ignored the call of the stage in favor of a girl spoke volumes. He just hoped he wasn’t getting in over his head. Now wasn’t the time to get stupid over a woman. They’d worked so hard to get themselves to where they were.

His eyes drifted down to the packed curves of the woman beside him. He supposed he could see how a woman could get under his skin. The one in front of him was a contradiction. She had this way of keeping him off balance that he found he liked. Even just a few years into his career and he was quickly growing tired of the groupie set. He’d never been the type to fuck just for fucking’s sake. It was rare for him to get naked with a woman unless she interested him. Kinda like the one next to him he thought and reached out a hand. "Wanna get a drink or bust up the gruesome twosome over there?"

"Let them suck face a little longer," she said and hesitantly took his hand. Unwilling to own up to the flash that still zipped through her system at his touch she followed him to the bar. "A beer is definitely in order," she said with a laugh.

Jon walked with her to the bar and nodded the bartender over. Ordering a couple of beers he handed her one as they slid across the bar. Leaving a ten on the bar top he leaned into her so she could hear him. "So what got you into medicine?"

Swallowing against the shiver of attraction she forced herself to settle. "It was my mom's fault. She made it look so glamorous and easy." She sipped at the longneck. "By the time I was halfway through school I was enamored with the science and the problem solving aspect to it that I fell in love with it too. The only thing I learned too late was that medicine’s more of a commitment than even marriage. I used to blame my dad for their breakup--” As soon as the words left her mouth, she wanted to snatch them back as she didn't usually give out so much detail. She picked at the label on her beer before taking a fortifying sip.

The surprise on her face was telling. He had a feeling that Kate kept a lot of things close to the vest. He understood the need to control everything, including emotions. He was learning, the hard way, that emotions didn’t have anyplace in the business end of music. He left that for the writing. "I know you'll call me stupid, but in some ways we're a lot alike. You heal people…” he trailed off when her eyebrow quirked. “I make them feel good. Both of us spend long hours away from home, usually alone."

She sipped at her beer contemplatively. There was an element of truth in that statement. Even her background in music could justify what he said. Music healed as much as it was enjoyed. It also held a lot of pain. "I suppose you're right," she said slowly. "But there's a world of difference to your brand of medicine and mine, Sugar. At least you can get off the stage in a few hours. My day usually ends around hour thirty-six."

He chuckled softly. "You've never been on stage or on tour for that matter."

She hid a smile behind her bottle. Maybe not the tour part, she thought. "All my grace is handling the body just right," she said with a quirk of a brow and a slow grin.

An overzealous pair of men crowded into the bar, shoving him into her space. Her breasts brushed his chest leaving his mouth suddenly dry as she grinned up at him. Even in the dim light of the bar, her green eyes sparkled with a bit of the buzz of alcohol. "I just bet you do,” he murmured breathing in her spicy cinnamon scent.

With the boldness of the beer swimming in her veins she leaned forward until there wasn’t much more than a breath between them. "I've been known to give a very," she changed the angle, riding on the attraction she hadn’t felt in too many months to count. "Thorough exam," she said a whisper away from his mouth.

His body tightened, angling toward her, his mouth opening to catch a taste of the lips that had been driving him mad all night. "I'll have to remember that."

Richie clapped a hand on Jon's shoulder, laughing at his quick and guilty jolt of surprise. "So, you guys are going to seal the bet without help?"

Elena couldn’t hide the surprise at seeing Katy and Moptop a second away from a clinch. "Enquiring minds wanna know." She couldn’t remember the last time her roommate had even shown an interest in a guy.

Kate drew back quickly, cursing inwardly. Mercy, that had been way too close. What the hell are you thinking, Kate? "Of course not,” she laughed and lifted the bottle back to her lips. “We're just playing with you guys.” She turned and leaned against the bar elbowing for a space that was a few inches away from Jon. She threw Elena and Richie a sly grin, “Figured it was the only way to get your attention considering you and Richie have been sharing the same oxygen source for a good forty minutes.”

Elena cleared her throat and slid her arm through Richie’s, grinning up at him. “He’s got a lot of hot air.”

Jon snorted and signaled for another beer. “You ain’t kiddin’, babe.”

“Well, since you're so perfectly on time, I think it's time to hit the ladies room." She waggled the beer bottle. "You left me alone with way too many of these."

Elena had the good grace to blush slightly, "Sure thing, Katydid."

Richie watched the girls head to the back of the bar where a flash of neon blazed, “Restroom.” He held up a hand to the bartender for a beer and nosed his way into Kate’s spot next to Jon. "Soo,” he grinned down at Jon. “Making time with the Redhead finally? I knew you had it in you." Turning for his beer, he saluted the bartender when he waved away his money. “Thanks, man.”

Jon frowned. How come he hadn’t gotten a free beer? He gave him a sidelong look. "Well, she quit blasting me with that pretty fucking amazing mouth long enough for me to get a word in or two."

"Since when did you need words to shut up a woman?”

“You two had my mouth otherwise occupied, asshole. If I have to kiss one more ditz tonight, I'll beat you.” Jon took a long pull trying to get rid of the dryness in his mouth though he was pretty sure only a taste of Kate was going to cure that.

“True that,” he grinned. Draining half of his own bottle he tried to cool off. Having near sex on the dance floor wasn’t any good for his piece of mind. He was so hot for that woman, he couldn’t even focus. His gaze drifted back to the bathrooms before he forced his gaze back to Jon. “And don't think I didn't catch you sneaking up on stage without me, bro."

Jon choked on his beer, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "You were a little busy, man." He nodded toward the dance floor. “I didn’t even see you come up for air when I started to sing.”

"Because I’m learning to ignore you finally.” At Jon’s snort of response he eased back against the bar again. “For once, a pair of lips was even more interesting than the stage. Didn't think I'd ever say that in my life," he said ruefully.

Jon's eyes widened. "Who are you and what have you done with Richie?"

“It’s true.” He finished his beer and waved for another, flipping a five at the bartender. Richie didn’t take advantage of a kindness. The free beer probably had come out of his tips. "She makes me itch to get outta here and get her under me.” He swallowed against the need to high tail it to the back of the bar and drag her out of there. “Just not sure she's ready for that."

Enjoying his friend’s obvious discomfort Jon asked, "want me to ask her for ya, Bro?"

Richie laughed against the rim of his beer. "Hell no, you just got in their good graces you shit.” He elbowed Jon. “Besides…the day I need your help is the day I hang up my axe."

Jon drained another beer and set it on the bar. Waving a no at the eager bartender, he resumed his watch on the bar. He just got Kate to talk to him, no need to get wasted and catch her wrath again. Enjoying a pleasant buzz he watched Southside jam.
He never thought he'd see the day Sambora would be spinning in the wind over a chick. Though he never thought the curvy Miss Kate could twist him up like she did. Life was looking interesting indeed. "Well I sure hope you don’t have to hang up the axe, we kinda need it."

"I won't if you keep your mouth shut for once." Richie spotted the two of them heading back their way. Elena’s easy grace looked dainty next to the lush curves of Kate’s black and denim outfit. The lights made Elena’s skin shimmer nearly as much as her pale silver shirt each time she stepped beneath one. He couldn’t remember wanting anything as much as he wanted her.

~

"What?" Kate huffed. "Stop looking at me like that." The entire time they’d been in the overcrowded restroom, Elena had been giving her weird looks.

Elena laughed softly. "Something’s goin’ on with you. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were ready to burst, sister friend.” Ignoring Kate’s snort she pressed on. “Wanna let me in on the joke?"

Choosing to ignore the obvious, she changed her tone. Elena was a bit of a terrier when it came to getting what she wanted, so she’d have to distract her. "He really is famous,” she said conversationally. “You know that song you keep singing...You give love a bad name ....I play my part and you play your game ....blah, blah.”

Trying not to laugh at her flat rendition Elena nodded, “Yeah, what about it?”

"Your Lip-lock Boy and Jon are part of that band.”

"Naah,” she bumped her hip, “you’re shitting me. Richie’s just a cute guy." Images of Richie’s rather nice car swam into her head. It was impossible.

"Yeah, a cute guy that makes a living playing a guitar if I don't miss my guess. Jon sings.” Kate bumped her back. “You were just a little too busy to notice him up there on the stage.” When Elena just shrugged, she rolled her eyes. “If that wasn't enough to clue me in, girls have fawned all over Jon everywhere we turned around."

Elena giggled. "He probably paid them to do it.” Moptop was pretty adamant about getting in Kate’s pants so she wouldn’t put it past him. “Seems like he's the type to go all the way to get what he wants." She studied Richie a moment, swallowing against the burn in her belly as his long fingers set his bottle on the bar and headed to the dance floor. Where the heck was he going? "Gotta admit that his hands are gorgeous enough to play a guitar, though.” She caught Kate’s serious eyes, “But eh, you know me…seein's believin’."

Kate pointed to the stage as Richie slid a guitar strap over his head. "Looks like you won't have long to wait for a bit of that proof."

Elena turned to the stage, her brow arching as she watched. "Good lord, I hope he doesn’t embarrass himself."