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Levi rubbed a hand over his face and groaned. When he dropped his arm, he said, “Forget the interviews. Let’s just get you inside before the show realizes they need to censor any possible acceptance speeches.”
Not for the first time tonight, I thought, Poor Levi. I definitely wouldn’t want the job of having to manage a bunch of assholes who went off script all the time.
As we made our way into the theater, Viper reached for my hand, like the walk down the red carpet had been torture and he couldn’t wait another second to touch me.
“I missed you too,” I murmured, interlacing our fingers as we followed the rest of the band straight to the bar. The line was long, full of all the other musicians who had the same idea we did, and after waiting for ten minutes without moving, Viper brought our hands up to his mouth and pressed a kiss to my fingers.
“Be right back. Gonna hit the men’s.”
“You want me to order for you?”
Viper looked at the line and then smirked. “If you’ve moved an inch before I get back, I’ll be fuckin’ shocked.”
Thirty-One
Viper
I WAS WASHING my hands in one of the semi-private restrooms when Trent finally made his appearance. I’d known it was coming at some point tonight, but I’d been hoping to at least get a drink in my hand before it happened.
I caught his eyes in the mirror where he stood behind me, and then I reached for a paper towel to dry my hands as I turned to face him.
It’d been over a year since I’d seen him, and though he looked the same, something about him was different. I let my gaze roam over him, trying to pinpoint exactly what it was. His hair was a bit longer, and he’d gone casual like he always did, wearing a pair of black jeans, a printed black T-shirt, and an open suit jacket.
“Viper,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “It’s been a long time.”
An awkward silence descended as I balled up the paper towel and tossed it in the trash. “What do you want, Trent?”
“I thought we could talk.”
My eyes moved to the tall, built guy standing a little behind him. He had to be at least six-five, with muscles like tires, and tattooed from the neck down, at least from what I could see. His ice-blond hair was slicked back, the light strands melting into dark, and he wore an immaculate fitted navy suit and vest, a total contradiction of his looks.
I nodded toward him. “Your bodyguard?”
Trent gave the man a look and then inclined his head toward me. “Shaw, this is Viper. Viper, this is my boyfriend, Shaw.”
“Boyfriend?” I said, my eyebrows shooting up, unable to hide my surprise. “Really? And you brought him out in public. Things have changed.”
“A lot’s changed since the last time I saw you. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about—”
“And you thought following me into the men’s room was the place to do that?”
Trent looked around the empty restroom and shrugged. “I wanted some privacy. No one’s listening or taking pictures in here.”
I leaned back against the sink and crossed my arms. “Okay. Speak.”
“You’re defensive. I get it. You’re upset I walked out on you guys, and I’m sorry. I should’ve sat you all down and told you how unhappy I was—”
“Unhappy? We were on top of the fuckin’ world—”
“And I had no say in that, did I? You and Kill ran TBD, and any input I gave was tossed out. You said some pretty fucked-up shit to me, V. You know as well as I do that you made my life hell those last few months.”
“So you just bailed? You left us all to rot and die, because you were too selfish to have a hard conversation.”
“You know what? Fuck you,” Trent said, stepping forward, but Shaw held him back.
“Feel free to call off your watchdog. I don’t mind knocking your head clean off your goddamn shoulders.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time.”
“Yeah, and who always won?” I smirked. “Wouldn’t want to mess up that pretty-boy face before the show, would we?”
“Jesus Christ.” Trent ran his hand through his hair and gripped the ends. “Still an asshole.”
“Why fix what’s not broken?”
“And here I thought maybe an angel would temper your foul fuckin’ mood.”
With the mention of Halo, it was my turn to move. I jerked up off the sink and started forward, but there again was Shaw stepping in between us. If he wasn’t so damn massive, I would’ve shoved him aside, but I had a feeling he didn’t get those muscles just from the gym.
“Leave him the fuck out of this,” I said.
“I wasn’t saying that to be a dick, V. And it’s not like I’ve been hiding under a rock, either. I know how you feel about each other, and I know how good he’s been for the band.”
