Bullet by Jade C. Jamison Read Free Book Online Page A

realized his voice was probably too loud.  “Yeah, yeah…I’ll introduce you to the guys, okay?”
    I started giggling and lost myself, wrapping him in a hug that I think made him blush.   And why he couldn’t get a clue, I didn’t know.  I knew he wasn’t gay, so what was the problem?  Maybe I would have to find a way to be more forward.
    But he gave in to my incessant demands to introduce me to “the guys.”  His roommate, Zane Carson, was the band’s bassist.  I didn’t say anything but wondered why he hadn’t introduced me to him long ago, even if it had been just as a roommate.  He and Ethan had gone to high school together and decided to give higher education “the good old college try,” Zane said.  Zane had chin-length black hair and striking blue eyes, made all the more astonishing because of his dark pupils.  His skin was an olive color and his dark eyebrows made his eyes somehow look more seductive.  He was tall and muscular but not bulky.  Damn, he was a gorgeous specimen of college man, but I was so hung up on Ethan, I hardly noticed.
    Unlike Ethan, though, Zane was quite talkative.  We were all hanging in the Student Center one afternoon, the second time I had a chance to chat with Ethan’s roommate, and he was talking about the band.  He liked to talk about the formation of their band, how—even though they’d known each other their entire lives—they’d become friends because of the desire to make music.  He talked about their town, high school, and their other two bandmates.  According to Zane, the other two still lived in their hometown and worked, waiting for whatever opportunities they had to get together and play.  Zane was…well, he was a truly beautiful guy.  The dark shoulder-length hair, baby blue eyes.  He and Ethan were about the same height and build.  Zane, though, was more carefree, a bit of a jokester, whereas Ethan hugged the dark side.  Just based on his words, I could tell that Zane was a loyal and sweet young man.  And, yeah…he was easy on the eyes.  Zane and I got along well, and I could tell from the short time we’d known each other that we could become good friends.
    And just a few days later, Ethan invited me to take a trip home with him the following weekend.  Then, he said, I’d be able to meet the other half of Bullet.
    Well, Bullet wasn’t going to last much longer.  The name, at any rate.  I found that out soon enough.  I should have been responsible and stayed in my dorm room, because it was the weekend before final exams.  I should have spent that time studying.  But this was Ethan asking, and I agreed without hesitation.  I did decide, though, to take my notes and textbooks so I could study when I had a few spare moments.
    Friday afternoon, Ethan drove Zane and me through a blustery snowstorm to their hometown.  I hoped my luggage stored in the back of his truck would survive the wind, snow, and ice.  We stopped at a convenience store where Ethan gassed up, and I got a coffee while the guys got sodas.  I wanted something hot because I was chilled to my bone.  Once we got back in the truck and on the road, I was tense because of the accumulating snow.  But it didn’t take me long to realize Ethan was just fine.  The snow on the roads didn’t bother him at all.  After a few minutes, he started talking.  He had a smirk on his face when he said, “So, Zane, Val completely fucking ruined our band.”
    Zane ’s brows furrowed but then he smiled.  “She did , did she?  And exactly what are we gonna have to do about that?”
    Ethan kept his eyes on the road, but he raised his right eyebrow and glanced over quickly.  “ Someday I think we might have to thank her.  For now, though, I’m gonna choose to be pissed at her for a while.”
    “Why?  What’d I do?”
    “Oh, yeah, acting like little Miss Innocent.  Fess up, Val.  Tell Zane what you did.”
    I was aghast.  I really had no idea what he was talking about ,