That Blue Gibson

CH 72

"I didn't ask your name!" he yelled over the din at the bar, so close to her that she could feel his breath blow back her hair.

"It's Nikki," she replied, forcing herself to hold his gaze before the bartender stole his attention. She frowned when he looked away, wondering in her drunken haze what in the hell had possessed her to give him that name.

She didn't have time to fully consider it as he handed her an overflowing pint of lager and a shot of what appeared to be whiskey. "I'm Colin. You look like the kind of girl that appreciates a good pint," he said, tapping his own glass against hers.

She put the glass to her lips as a small part of her brain screamed bloody murder. What are you fucking doing? Politely drink your beer and then get the hell away from him! The other half of her brain was practically swooning at the way Colin's biceps flexed under his black shirt and Liz caught herself before he noticed her staring. Dave was in some dressing room with several half-naked women, why couldn't she enjoy a beer with a fully dressed man? It's just a coincidence that he's exactly her type and just happens to be a drummer...  Fuck, the Brits make a good lager, she thought, drowning both of the tiny voices in her head with the shot of whiskey. "Oh Colin, you have no idea," she smiled up at him.

His grin brightened as he watched her melt into her sip. "So what brings an American bird like you to the UK?"

Liz held her beer to her chest as the crowd around them surged. Was he fucking with her? Did he really not recognize her? "I'm here for work," she said simply.

Colin leaned close to her, trying to hear her over the mass of people before giving up and putting his arm around her. "Sorry, it's so bloody fucking loud! Let's go somewhere quiet, eh?"

She nodded and let him lead her away, looking back at the stage to see if she could spot Ally and Taylor on the sides, but found it empty.

"So Nikki, what is it that you do for work?" he leaned against the narrow hallway backstage and offered her a cigarette, but she shook her head.

"I'm in the entertainment industry," she hedged.

His eyebrow shot up as he sparked his lighter. "Dancer?"

She snorted into her beer and wiped her bottom lip, keenly aware of his eyes on her mouth. "No, actress." She consciously chose to take his inference that she was a stripper as a compliment. "Films, specifically."

He nodded, now scanning her face. "Been in anything I've seen?"

"I suppose that depends on how much porn you watch."

Colin's eyes popped wide and his jaw dropped, almost sending his lit cigarette onto his shirt before Liz laughed. "I'm kidding."

He relaxed again and his smile returned, "So what would I have seen you in, then?"

Liz shrugged, a little concerned at how drunk she was now feeling. "Do you watch many historical dramas?"

Colin shook his head almost apologetically and Liz smiled. "Then probably not much of anything." If he didn't recognize her from Pirates, he wouldn't recognize her at all and the thought made her giddy with excitement.

"So you're a drummer..." she internally rolled her eyes at how stupid she sounded. Of course he was, you moron.

"Yeah," he grinned, seeing an in with her. "My band is headlining tonight."

"Right!" Liz shook her head, completely embarrassed. "I guess I knew that." Why did she always turn into a bumbling idiot it when came to meeting new people? Was meeting Dave not bad enough? ... oh, fuck Dave. The tiny voice she had drowned earlier suddenly came back as a roar. Get away from him! Quit acting like a complete slut and go find your boyfriend! "Hey, thanks for the drinks, but I should really let you get back to your band..."

Colin shoved away from the wall, putting himself just inches from her. "Do you want to watch from the side?" his urgency revealed his long game, he had invested some drinks in her and wanted to keep her around at least until the after party.

Liz held his gaze, once again finding the confidence that had been hidden away by her tequila intake. "Well... you found me backstage so it's safe to assume that was already in the plans."

The door down the hallway flew open and an older man with a long white beard and hair topped with a black hat yelled down to them. "Five minutes, Colin!"

Liz distinctly saw disappointment cross Colin's face before he turned back to her. "Maybe I'll see you after?"

She shrugged and pushed away from the wall, forcing him to back up. "Maybe! Have a great show," she smiled sweetly and began to walk away, forcing herself not to look back.

*

Liz found a spot next to the stage where she wouldn't be in the way of the techs and watched the band take the stage. She spotted Taylor and Ally on the other side of the stage, but by then it was too late to join them so she stayed put, sipping her warm beer and nodding along when the music started. The band was halfway through the first song when she noticed Colin frequently shooting glances at her and she gave a weak wave. Sorry, dude. You're really nice and ridiculously hot, but I'm not going home with you.

She jumped a little when she felt Dave's hands on her hips, then his chest pressed into her back and she leaned into him, smiling when his fingers curled tightly around her hip bones. He whispered against her ear, grinning when a shiver ran up her back, "He wants you."

She turned her face to him and grazed her lips across his cheek, wondering how long he had been watching them. "He bought me a couple drinks," she said smoothly and held up her warm beer, though she noticed his eyes never left Colin.

His grin faded and a possessive arm wrapped around her waist, holding her tightly against him as he whispered just behind her ear, "Let's get out of here."

She shook her head, fighting back her smile and began to move her hips in time with Colin's kick drum. "They're really good," she said, this time keeping her eyes on the drum kit. "I want to stay and watch."

Colin looked over at that exact moment and flashed her a smile, seemingly unaware that Dave was wrapped around her like a winter coat. She was careful not to smile back, pretending as if she didn't even notice his eyes on her as she finished her beer. Dave took her glass and set it somewhere she couldn't see, then began to softly kiss her shoulder where her loose neck shirt exposed her skin. She waited until his lips touched the base of her neck then shrugged him off, catching the surprised look on his face out of the corner of her eye. The song ended and Colin once again looked over at her but this time she smiled back before she spoke to Dave.

"I'm gonna get another drink. You want anything?" 

He shook his head, staring hard at her as she spun on her toes and took off down the stage ramp. She was directly behind the stage riser, just feet from Colin's back when Dave grabbed her arm and spun her around. His lips crashed into hers and she could taste the alcohol on his tongue, knowing he could taste hers as well. Apparently, there had been Jaeger and Jack in the dressing room where Liz had been slumming it at the bar with cheap whiskey, lager, and tequila. She told herself to stop being immature, to stop acting like it wasn't her choice to stay at the bar and not join him in the dressing room, but those three women in the communal bikini and everything Ally had said had struck a nerve and she couldn't help but feel jealous. It was a complete high school head game she was playing, but hell if it wasn't working and eliciting great results. 

He was intense and possessive, his hands and mouth all over her like he didn't care who saw. She gave him a few moments then pushed away again, standing at arm's length to catch her breath. Another song had started and the noise made it too loud to talk, but the look on his face told her everything. She was scaring him. 

Liz made a split second decision and grabbed his arm, making sure no one saw when she pulled him under the stage with her.