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“He loves you too,” Halo said, grinning. “As a matter of fact, he loves you so much he wanted to play for you on his birthday.”
Oh Jesus, no way.
I started to turn away, but Viper grabbed my arm and forced me back toward the audience.
“Where ya goin, my man?”
I looked between Viper and Halo and shook my head. “Fuck you both.”
“Such a mouth on this guy,” Viper said. “You know, we looked all over for a special birthday hat for Kill to wear while we sing to him, and it wasn’t easy, but…”
“We figured since we’re here in Australia and there are no sombreros, an Akubra would have to do,” Jagger said, walking up from behind and placing something on my head.
“What the fuck is in my face?” I said, reaching up to remove the hat, or whatever an Akubra was, but Viper and Jagger weren’t having that. Strings hung down in front of my face every few inches with what looked like a cork on the end of each one.
Was it mandated somewhere that you had to look ridiculous on your birthday? In front of a crowd of tens of thousands?
I glared at Jagger. “I expected better from you.”
“Why? I think you look very striking. I can hardly see your face.” When Jagger gave me a brilliant white smile, I responded with a finger.
The fans were obviously enjoying my pain, laughter ringing out through the stadium, as well as whoops and cheers. I suspected they approved of the guys’ choice of apparel, which, as Halo soon explained, was an Australian hat usually worn in the bush to keep the flies out of your face.
Pity it didn’t work on humans.
As Slade joined the rest of us at the front of the stage, he said, “On the count of three, we want you to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ as loud as you can to this motherfucker.”
Viper shoved me forward, singling me out center stage as the rest of the guys spread out, counted down, and then began to lead the crowd in the loudest rendition of “Happy Birthday” I’d ever heard in my life.
I looked out—past the hanging corks—at the people singing along all over the sold-out stadium, and couldn’t help but smile. Many of the fans had their cell phones lifted high, the flashlights turned on so it looked like the stadium was full of stars. About halfway through the song, I felt someone come up beside me, and when I turned, I realized it was Levi…holding a birthday cake covered in candles.
The flames illuminated his gorgeous eyes that, for once, weren’t glaring my way. As the song came to a close, Levi lifted the cake up slightly, and it didn’t take me long to think of my wish.
With my eyes on Levi, I smirked and then blew out the candles as the audience cheered.
“So? Did you make a wish?” Levi said, his voice barely audible over the crowd.
“I did. Feel like making it come true?”
That glower I was getting so familiar with returned. Grinning, I swiped some icing off the side of the cake and sucked it off my pointer finger suggestively, causing Levi to turn on his heel and march offstage before I even swallowed.
So much for having my cake and eating it too.
As Slade and Jagger took up their positions at their instruments, I tore off the hat and flung it like a Frisbee out into the crowd.
“Happy birthday, man,” Viper said, slapping me on the back, and then he leaned in to whisper, “Hope your liver’s ready for the afterparty.”
I groaned, already imagining the epic hangover I’d have come morning. But they were usually worth it, and since tonight would be all about me, maybe my wish would come true after all.
As long as I didn’t have to wear that damn cork hat.
Ten
Levi
THE PARTY WAS in full swing by the time I made my way to the casino across the street from our hotel, where Killian’s birthday party was taking place in one of the clubs. I’d purposely waited until things were well underway, busying myself with making sure everything was wrapped up here for the Melbourne portion of the tour before we headed to Sydney tomorrow. It would be much easier to make an appearance at the party if Killian’s attention was already divided between a packed room of guests, and that was exactly what I faced when I entered the private club through velvet curtains.
“Where the fuck have you been?”
Before my eyes could even adjust to the dizzying array of colored lights flashing through the dark room, Viper was by my side, thrusting a shot into my hand.
I hadn’t planned on drinking anything tonight, but now that I was here, maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to relieve some of the stress. I threw the shot back, and Viper raised his brow.
