A Is for Abstinence Read Online Free PDF Page B

to Shane’s den. There was a pool table, a minibar, and a killer entertainment system. I smirked as I eyed the room. Should have gone with the pinball machine after all.
    “Now this is more like it,” I said, falling to the leather sofa.
    Shane cracked open another beer and handed it to me.
    “Hey, does that door lock?” I asked. “I really have to stay hidden. Your wife’s trying to set me up again. Jolly Rancher or Snickers or something.”
    “Candy.” Shane shuddered. “Run while you can, dude. That one is crazy.”
    A comfortable silence settled between us as we each sipped our beers.
    “So, how’s the married life treating you?” I asked.
    Shane let out a breath and bobbed his head. “It’s good. Not a lot different than the last three years we’ve been living together, but Cara seems happier.”
    I had to agree. “She did have a certain glow about her tonight.”
    Shane smiled. “The woman loves to entertain.”
    I finished my scope of the man cave and noticed that the far corner of the room was all devoted to Shane’s music. Framed photos hung on the walls with some of our band’s awards, and his instruments all stood on their stands, polished and shiny.
    I emptied the last of my beer, then wandered over and picked up a bass guitar. My voice was my main instrument, but I played a little piano and could get by on bass, electric, and acoustic guitars.
    My fingers curled around the neck of the guitar. I hadn’t picked one up in months, but plucking at the strings was instinctive.
    “Hey, remember this?” I asked, laughing a little to myself. I plugged the guitar into an amp and ripped out the bass line to Metallica’s “Orion.”
    Shane laughed. He plugged his guitar in too and nodded at me. Before we knew it, we were jamming the way we used to back in high school. One song became two, became three. Metallica, Pink Floyd, The Beatles. Hell, we even got some Chili Peppers in there.
    Then, suddenly, for no reason, I wailed out the intro to “Cryin’ Shame.” Shane didn’t question me; he just followed along and I fell into a zone. When I opened my mouth, the words came out impassioned—filled with confusion, anger, and even desperation. I sang my heart out as I hadn’t done in years.
    She’s smokin’ hearts with a burnin’ flame
    She’s got a wild side without a name
    And when she’s riled it’s a cryin’ shame
    Yeay! Yeah! Yeah! I’ve got it bad
    Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! I’m goin’ mad
    ’Cause in your head you’ve got it right
    Won’t go to bed without a fight
    You think you’re wise, you think it shows
    So show me wise without those clothes
    She’s playin hardball and it’s nothin’ new
    Short skirts so enjoy the view
    She’s a cold blooded tease baby through and through
    Yeay! Yeah! Yeah! I’ve got it bad
    Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! I’m goin’ mad
    ’Cause in your head you’ve got it right
    Won’t go to bed without a fight
    You think you’re wise, you think it shows
    So show me wise without those clothes
    Come on legs don’t go to waste
    I could be your only savin’ grace
    Put those morals on the backburner
    Something tells me you’re a fast fast learner
    Yeay! Yeah! Yeah! I’ve got it bad
    Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! I’m goin’ mad
    ’Cause in your head you’ve got it right
    Won’t go to bed without a fight
    You think you’re wise, you think it shows
    So show me wise without those clothes
    When it was over, I stood there: chest heaving, heart pounding, hands shaking. I wasn’t sure where that had come from or why it chose that moment to burst out of me, but it had been a release I’d desperately needed.
    “Feel better?”
    Shane was watching me with a curious look.
    I took a deep breath and attempted to pull myself back together. “A little,” I admitted as I set the guitar back on its stand. “I don’t know why that song haunts me so much.”
    “It’s not the song that haunts you,” said a soft voice, startling both Shane and me.
    We whirled around at the intrusion