Gauge: Rockstar Romance (The ProVokaTiv Series Book 1) by Cara Nelson Page B

plum-colored sleeveless top and some chunky necklaces.
    “And you look amazing, Jessie,” I said, taking in her sincere smile and sparkling green eyes.
    “Let the party begin!” Trinity said. 
    “I like the way she talks,” Hunter shouted out, adding a “woo!”
    Trinity waved someone over. A waiter, who’d been standing in the corner, came over with a tray of champagne.  Trinity took a glass and handed it to me, and then grabbed one for herself.  We toasted and I fumbled with a few heartfelt words.  I was so overwhelmed.
     
    The music flowed freely, and the drinks, even more freely.  I was so excited to talk with Jessie and Trinity, who I found out would be staying with me—excellent!  Much of what I wanted to talk about would have to wait for a more private time, though, because while Gauge kept space between us, I knew he could hear what I was saying. I’d be remiss if I didn’t admit that a healthy dose of liquid courage was starting to take over, though.
    “What you doing back here?” I asked Gauge.  I took a sip of champagne, hooked on its crispness and loving how it made me feel.
    “Just giving you some time to talk with your friends.  You haven’t seen them for awhile.”
    “You were pretty sneaky, you know.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I know you know what I mean,” I said, laughing.  “I’m just glad you didn’t take me up here to push me off the roof from that review.”
    “No need to dwell on that.  I’ve chosen to forget it,” Gauge said.  He folded his arms, and there was no smile on his face.
    “You know, now that I know you better, you still seem friendly when you’re making sure you don’t smile.  It’s familiar.  Who would have thought that I was more suspicious of a happy you? This you, not so much.”I took a step back and felt my body sway just a bit.  “It’s getting breezy up here.”
    “No, not really,” Gauge said.
    “The building must have a slight sway to it then.  Do they get earthquakes here?”
    “I suppose they can, but I don’t think it’s the building.”
    My body started to shake as I tried to hold back my laughter, but I couldn’t any longer.  “I’m definitely enjoying my champagne then, I guess.”
    “I guess.  Excuse me; I’ll be back in a bit.”
    I watched Gauge walk off. The second he was out of the small, private party area, Trinity and Jessie were by me, each on one side.
    “Let’s sit down and chat.  There are some things I’m very curious about,” Trinity said.
    “Me too,” I replied.  “You seem to be the only person I’ve met so far that can compete with Hunter sentence for sentence.”
    “You know me, love a good challenge,” Trinity said.
    “Come on, let’s sit down and get you a bit of food,” Jessie offered, starting to walk with me over to the couch.
    “Am I getting that bad?” I whispered.
    “No,” Jessie said.  I could tell she just didn’t want me to panic.  Trinity and I definitely weren’t as sweet as she was.  We would have said, “You’re gone.”
    After I was sitting down, Mama Bear Jessie hustled off to get me a plate of food and a bottle of water.  “You’ll thank me for it later.”
    “So, what’s going on with you and Gauge?  You two have some sort of strange chemistry happening,” Trinity said, leaning in.
    “He’s nice.  We’re just friends,” I said.
    “Even I can see that’s not the way it is,” Jessie said.  “It’s okay to like him, isn’t it?”
    “Did you two…”  Trinity was curious.
    I cut her off, not wanting her colorful description of what I’d thought might happen that night.  “No, I thought we might, but we didn’t.”
    “So, you’re close,” Jessie said.  “Nothing wrong with taking time.  I bet he has women hitting on him all the time.  He’s a rock star, after all.”
    “Oddly enough, not so much.  He keeps his distance.  Hunter is the one who really is out there, the ‘come and get it’ guy.  Gauge is kind of