Pieces of You Read Online Free Page A

up onto her shoulder. Flipping her hair away, she tucks her hand into her front pocket.
    "Hello to you, boss lady. What brings you to The Shake?" The crowd is getting thicker and the cute blonde from the line outside, walks past me smiling flirtatiously while bringing her small green straw to her lips. I nod politely and turn my attention back to Riley, who doesn't seem bothered in the slightest by the exchange.
    "It's been a long time since I've gone out, and I thought, what the hell? Go shake it up.” She shakes her head back and forth and bites her lip playfully causing me to chuckle. “But seriously, I heard there's a good band playing tonight, and I wanted to check them out. I love live music."
    "I suppose you don't have a chaperone do you?" She shakes her head.
    “Wasn't aware that I needed one.” She plays along and raises her eyebrow.
    "It's absolutely mandatory.” I grin behind my bottle. “You don't know what sharks are lurking in these waters.” I point to the hipster standing by the bar in his cheesy sweater and man-bun. His look is extremely serious as he speaks to a man in a suit. I can only assume it's about the best coffee shop in the city, or maybe it's global warming. Her eyes follow my finger, and she snickers.
    "I see what you mean. Could be dangerous to a single woman."
    I nod seriously. "Then you see exactly why I need you to allow me to be your chaperone tonight. This place can get a little crazy."
    "Is that so?" she asks and raises her eyebrow, once again causing my eyebrow arch envy.
    "It is."
    "Sounds like I don't have much of a choice here." She chuckles.
    "Not if you want to make it out alive." I tease.
    "You're not a shark dressed in sheep's clothing are you?" We both pause for a moment and laugh at the silly analogy. "That made no sense."
    "No, ma'am. I can promise you I'm genuinely a nice guy and definitely not a sheep."
    "I don't doubt that for a second." She grins and looks around the bar. "Sounds great ,Ty, thank you. It will be nice to hang out here with someone I kind of know."
    Turning around, I offer my elbow and lead her to the bar. I watch Tim as he notices Riley on my arm. To say his reaction was different from Sashas would be an understatement. Standing up straight, he turns his back on the new woman attempting to gain his attention while Sasha turns green with envy and storms away.
    "So tell me, Ty. Why exactly might I need a chaperone?"
    "You'll see in five, four, three..."
    "Hi. I'm Tim." I smirk at Riley and shrug.
    Leaning in, I whisper in her ear, "My count is a little off," causing her to laugh. I know my friend. He is the one that she needs to be protected from.
    "Hi, Tim, I'm Riley." She reaches out and offers her hand. Tim promptly lifts it to his mouth, trying to act suave. Leaning one elbow on the bar, he continues his best sleezy pick-up stare. He reminds me of a lecherous Tom Selleck, minus the mustache.
    The girl who was getting all of his attention, sadly walks away leaving me to shake my head. People are starting to surround us at the bar. Making Tim lean in even closer to her. Rolling my eyes, I get the bartender's attention. Holding up two fingers, I signal the bartender, who promptly nods and places two cold beers on the bar top before us.
    "Excuse me, Tim." I lean between Tim and Riley to claim the bottles. Ensuring my place between the two, I pass one of the bottles to Riley, who gladly accepts my offering, and I think a little thankful that I stepped beside her, protecting her from my best friend.
    "Shouldn't you be getting ready to play?" I ask Tim as I pull back slightly and offer him a sideways glance.
    Riley smiles and takes a sip of her cold beer. I watch as her tiny fingers wrap around the long neck causing the condensation to run down to the label. It becomes hard for me to swallow.
    "Shut up." Tim demands and walks away from the bar. Shifting my stance, I watch him as he heads to the stage where the other band members are beginning to meet