Tangled Web by Jade C. Jamison Read Free Book Online Page A

had been at least two
nights a week since the band went public. The friend side of her
accepted Johnny and his new “lifestyle,” but the part that was
falling in love with him just couldn’t take it.
    Katie stood alone by the drum kit
considering how to make a graceful, inconspicuous exit when Riley
sauntered up to her, leaving two whisper-thin girls pouting behind
him. He lowered his eyeglasses down the bridge of his nose to look
at Katie eye to eye. He draped his arm around her shoulders, and
she just let him. “So how’s it goin’, Katie?” His voice was almost
raspy sounding, as though he had screamed into the mike for too
long tonight.
    She liked the feel of his arm. It was warm,
weighty, and meaningful. But she was still looking over at Johnny
who was walking away with his harem in tow, one of his hands
squeezing the Asian girl’s buns. She steeled herself, willed back a
burning tear and forced herself to look Riley in the eye. Her voice
was low. “Good. How about you?”
    “Better now, I think.” He pushed the
unnecessary sunglasses back up his nose, fully masking his eyes. He
moved his lips to her ear. “I have something a little better than
birthday punch in my car if you feel like checking it out.”
    Katie allowed herself the opportunity to
look Johnny’s way one more time. He was sitting on a couch,
literally buried under the three girls. She could only tell that he
was there because of the pair of red Converse on his feet. She
couldn’t bear to look anymore. She looked back to Riley. “Yeah, I’m
game.”
    Katie had always been a good girl. She’d had
no reason not to be. She got along with her parents and had never
felt a need to rebel. She had never been to many wild parties, had
always hung out with Johnny and his friends, and had been
protected. But her heart stung tonight, and she thought being a
little bad might be what she needed. She wasn’t sure what was in
Riley’s car, but she knew it wasn’t something he wanted to share
with an entire crowd. And she didn’t care.
    “That’s the spirit.” As they wound their way
through the crowd, Riley interlaced his warm fingers through hers
as though leading her through an impossible maze until they hit the
cool night air. Her hand in his felt nice, reassuring. It was what
she needed right now. Outside, away from the stuffy, sweaty
basement room, it smelled like plum blossoms and felt new and
fresh. Katie drew in a deep breath as the air hit her cheeks. A
small tear escaped, but she doubted Riley would notice. They walked
a few doors down from the house that was packed with vehicles until
they reached Riley’s car. He opened the passenger door of his blue
Mustang for Katie and then walked over to the other side. He
reached under the driver’s seat and pulled out a bottle. “Want some
JD?” Katie supposed he’d managed to talk one of the bars where he’d
played into giving him a bottle. He was the frontman and got crazy
amounts of attention--Katie had seen that--and even grown adults
threw themselves all over him. It was crazy. But it was what it
was.
    “Sure.” Katie shrugged, as though she had a
shot every day with lunch. He opened the bottle and took a sip,
then handed it to her. She let the tiniest trickle into her mouth,
and as it flowed into her throat, she closed her eyes and lay her
head back against the headrest.
    “Good stuff, huh?” Riley screwed the lid
back on and didn’t waste any time leaning over to kiss Katie. She’d
never really been kissed before, at least not on the mouth, and she
was surprised at her body’s rapid response. Riley’s tongue was
inside her mouth before she could take her first breath, and his
hands gently urged her face towards his. Katie felt her whole body
tremble, but Riley didn’t notice. Her nipples hardened and as he
continued kissing her, she felt her panties grow wet. Her arms
wrapped around his head too, and for the moment she forgot about
Johnny What’s-His-Name.
    But she remembered