Because the Night (The Night Songs Collection) by Kristen Strassel Page A

me, I’m going to think there’s something you don’t want me to know.”
    This wasn’t the time to question him about his involvement with the band. “I knew that you’d hate the whole thing.”
    “I’m not going to lie, I do.”
    “See?”
    “I hate that out of all people in this city, it had to be him. I hate that I totally didn’t see this coming.”
    I tried to move closer but Blade didn’t welcome me. I deserved that. I figured I’d give him the opportunity to tell me about his role with the band himself. “Why do you hate him so much?”
    “Because he’s an asshole. The band embodies everything that is wrong with this city. The greed, the soullessness, the total disrespect for people. I’ve watched this happen with so many girls. It can’t happen to you.”
    So many girls, huh? “It’s not like that, Blade. He is just my friend.”
    “Am I your friend?” Something in his face changed when he asked me this.
    “Well yeah, of course.” I swallowed hard.
    “Am I just your friend?” He crawled in closer to me, his face so close to mine. His anger had melted away into something else. Need.
    Instantly I was lost in his blue eyes. “No.”
    I didn’t have a chance to say any more. His lips were on mine, and I didn’t have to explain anything else. I leaned backwards, between the couch and the coffee table, and he followed. As he continued to kiss me, with his mouth moving down to my neck, he ran his hand from my hip up under my shirt and stroked high on my ribcage, just below my bra.
    “Are you okay with this?” He stopped just enough to ask, with his face over mine, his hand still moving on my ribcage. I nodded.
    He leaned down to kiss me again, and I wound my hands around his neck, pulling him in closer. He slid his arms under my back and picked me up off the floor, stood up, and carried me into his bedroom.
    **
    The warmth of the sunshine streaming in the window woke me up the next morning. I snuggled in the tangle of sheets with Blade; I wasn’t ready to move yet. I felt like a cat waking up from a nap.
    I couldn’t go back to sleep. I stretched my back and looked over at Blade. He was already awake and looking up at the ceiling. He didn’t seem to notice I was awake.
    “Hey,” I said to get his attention, my voice still a little raspy from sleep.
    “Hey,” He sounded like his mind was with whatever he was studying up above. He turned in towards me, finally meeting my eyes. “I need to talk to you.”
    “Of course.”
    “About Tristan.”
    “Blade,” I started quickly then stopped. I wanted to reassure him he had nothing to worry about. This was our first official morning waking up together. And the night before had been beyond my expectations. Why did he have to ruin it?
    I owed Blade the truth, even though I wasn’t entirely sure what was true anymore. I had told Tristan that I’d come to Vegas for him and it wasn’t a lie. But Blade was what kept me here.
    What could to say to him that would be completely honest without hurting him?
    “Callie, I’ve watched all the other girls running around this city after these guys.”
    I took a deep breath, trying to let Blade say what he needed to stay without getting argumentative. I wanted to keep this ugliness to a minimum, since this conversation was bound to be messy and hurtful for both of us.
    “Usually, if anything, these guys will just chew these girls up and spit them out. I’ve seen it time and time again. And if that was the case, I could almost stand back and watch it all play out and wait for the whole nightmare to be over. But I care too much about you to let Tristan play his tricks on you.”
    “It’s not like that.”
    “Then stay away from him.”
    If only it were that easy. “He needs me.” I said a little too quickly. I drew away from Blade a bit. I didn’t want him to feel my heart pounding at the thought of never seeing Tristan again. Not that it would ever be that easy. Not with his face plastered all