“Cara…wow. I never expected to see you here.” Chase stopped inches from me before stepping closer and pulling me into an awkward hug.
“Don’t you mean you never expected to see me?” I’m not sure where the iciness in my voice came from. I stepped out of his embrace even though there was some comfort there I didn’t want to admit to.
“Hey, I’m not the one who refused to give you my number.” He stayed closer than he needed to.
I shrugged. “I’m surprised to see you too.”
“Did you know who I was?” A note of suspicion entered his voice. What nerve.
“No. She had no clue.” Jade jumped in. “You should have seen her face when she saw you up there. I thought she was going to pass out.”
Chase laughed. Why was his laugh so sexy? I was supposed to be angry at the insinuation that I was a groupie or something. “Oh yeah?” He held out a hand to Jade. “Chase Denton.”
“Jade Cambridge. I’m a big fan.”
“I’m guessing Cara isn’t.”
“I enjoyed the show.” I wasn’t going to just stand there and let them talk like I wasn’t there.
Chase’s eyes moved down to my chest and then back to my face. “I’m guessing you’re not just a Greek aficionado?”
“Oh. Yeah.” I remembered the tank top I was wearing. “My sorority.”
“Sorority, huh?” He seemed to ponder my words for a second. “I didn’t realize you were in college—let alone a sorority.”
“Well, I didn’t know you were in a band.”
Jade laughed. “Funny how much you can learn about someone after you’ve had sex.”
I glared at her, but Chase laughed. “Wait a second. Cara told you?”
I fought the urge to bury my face in my hands. This wasn’t the time to let embarrassment get the best of me.
He smiled. “Does that mean you cared enough about what happened to share the story with your friends?”
I was about to correct him since I’d only told Jade when I saw him, but I had told my roommates. “Maybe.”
“If it makes you feel better, I told my friends too.” Chase had this awkward cuteness about him that drew me in again.
“Well, nice to see you again.” I turned to leave, hoping Jade would get the hint.
“Wait.” The determined tone to Chase’s voice had me turning around. “You two should hang out with us.”
“We’d love that!” Jade answered for both of us before I’d even comprehended the thought of spending more time with him.
Chase looked between us. I’m sure I looked like I was going to kill my friend. “Awesome. I just need to find my bandmates and get a few things. Why don’t you wait—” Then he looked at me. “On second thought, why don’t you just come with me?”
“Don’t trust me?” I stared him head on.
“It’s more that I’m glad to have run into you again.” He held out a hand and then dropped it. I guess the situation was weird for both of us. He started moving toward the stage.
“How fast did you run away from him that night?” Jade hissed as we followed him backstage.
“I kissed him goodbye before he was dressed.”
“Cara!”
Jade’s response had Chase turning back to look at us.
I waited until he was a few feet ahead of us to respond. “What? I’ve never just hooked up with someone before. How was I supposed to know the proper protocol?” I smiled imagining an actual list of protocol on one night stands.
“Well, clearly you made an impression. He’s bringing us backstage.” Jade bounced up on her toes. I reminded myself that I was doing this for Jade. She’d be disappointed if she didn’t get a chance to meet the drummer. We walked around the backstage area until we reached the door to what I assumed was a VIP room. The rest of the band, as well as a handful of other people, were all crammed into the small space.
All eyes turned toward us when Chase pushed open the door. Hopefully Chase wasn’t serious about having told his bandmates about me. The song was bad enough.
“Already found some new friends?” the drummer asked without getting up from the couch.