He scowled. "That motherfucker Larson stole my band and my music when I broke my leg. Just because I couldn't play for a few months, douchebag got another guitarist and started playing the music I composed and singing the lyrics I wrote."
"Wow. That's just wrong," Winter said, affronted. "I hope you confronted the asshole."
Nodding emphatically, he said, "Yeah I sicced my dad's lawyer on him and had a cease-and-desist letter sent saying if he played one more note of my goddamned music, he'd be paying me money until he was drawing social security. Heard he moved up by State to play the college scene."
"Good for you.” She nodded approvingly. “He kicked you while you were down. Inexcusable. Why didn't he just wait for you?"
"I know, right? Bastard." He started to say something else when two girls in tight shorts and plaid shirts unbuttoned and tied at their belly buttons came over to say hello to him.
"Adam!" the taller one cried. "I'd hoped you were here. We have a spot near the front. Want to come sit with us?" They looped their arms around each other's waists to make it clear it was a double-his-pleasure sort of invitation.
"You don't mind?" Adam turned back to Winter.
"Of course not. Have fun, and don't forget to wrap it up tonight," she joked, lowering her voice when she gave him her mock advice.
"Thanks, Mom," he said, leaning over to give her a quick peck before sliding in between the Doublemint twins.
"I haven't even kissed you tonight," I said with regret. "It seems wrong that Adam was the one to deliver your first kiss of the day."
"Is that right?" She pressed her lips together to hide a smile, but it crept out, turning up the corners of her mouth and making her look adorable and mischievous.
"I need to rectify that," I said softly. I bypassed her lips and bent my head to place my lips on her neck.
She inhaled in a rush, releasing a small shocked sound when I made contact. I sucked hard, knowing I would leave a mark and not caring. I hadn't left a hickey on a girl since I was a teenager, but I wasn't sucking hard because I wanted to leave my imprint on her skin. I was stuck on this spot because it lit her up.
At the heavy pressure of my mouth, her fingers clutched at my forearm. She strained against me until the only thing that made sense was to press her down to the ground. I braced myself over her, one forearm planted by her head and the other traveling down her side to the sweet curve of her hip.
"Finn, here?" she asked, but I answered by moving my mouth from her neck to her lips. Who cared if there were other people around? Half of the couples were probably making out anyway from the sheer boredom of listening to the band. My hand slid down her jean-clad leg, frustrated that I couldn't touch her flesh.
I broke away from her mouth and felt a flush of ego-stroking satisfaction when her lips clung to me as if she couldn't bear to part. "These bands are really terrible," I said. "We should go right now."
"What? You can't go. I want you to hear this guy sing." Adam dropped down beside us. I felt his heavy weight pull the blanket.
"You have terrible timing, man," I complained.
"Sorry, not sorry. You can't go now."
"I want to stay too," Winter chimed in.
I groaned and fell back onto the blanket and willed my hard-on to recede.
10
WINTER
"What happened to the twins?" I asked Adam, who was eying me speculatively. Finn had left to get us something to drink. He said he was thirsty, and I tried not to tense when he mentioned a beer to Adam, but I think he still noticed.
"They thought I was playing tonight, and when I told them no, they wandered off to find someone who was in a band."
"You don't sound broken up about it."
"That's the nature of these types of hookups. They don't involve feelings, so no one's nose gets out of joint if there's a better offer out there." He looked up at the darkening sky, his hands tucked behind his head. "Of course, there's no better offer than me, but I can't be casting my pearls before swine."
"Definitely not."
"Is Adam telling you his relationship philosophy?" Bo asked. I noticed he'd pulled his blanket closer to us, but as I looked around, I saw it was a necessity. The park was filling up.
"It's not a philosophy. That would assume I put thought into it. It's a lifestyle choice. Each day I live, I choose," Adam replied.