I watched him walk off the stage and disappear down the hallway. Fournier followed him, eager to talk to him some more.
I sat on the stage of the Paris Opera House, staring out into the empty audience chamber. Without much thought, I stood and put the guitar back then walked to center stage. Smirking, there was no helping what I was about to do, and it needed to be done.
Taking a deep breath, I let the Phantom out to sing in his own house.
Maddox
Istopped before the doors of the auditorium.
Aaron hadn’t left the stage. He was still there and though I couldn’t see him from where I was hiding, I couldhearhim.
His voice was overwhelming, powerful and clear as he beltedThe Music of the Nightout into the ether. Fournier stopped behind me and listened as well.
“He is your drummer, monsieur?” he asked quietly.
“He is.” I nodded, but held up my hand to stave off anymore questions until Aaron finished the song.
“I humbly suggest you put a mike on that man and let the world hear how amazing he is,” Fournier said. “Please wait here a moment, and I’ll be right back.”
The man was one hundred percent correct. We needed to mike up Aaron and let him sing. At least two songs, if not more. He blew my voice away, even if I had sort of held my own with the Bizet duet.
But I had to leave afterKilling. The way he played the song on that guitar. The way he’d clearly talked to Holland about the lyrics. The way he put that hatred and anger and freedom into each and every note. He knew the words, and we had never created a harmony line. Aaron had made one up on the fly, while we were sitting on the stage of the Palais Garnier, in a song I had never considered doing as a ballad on an acoustic.
I had to leave because the whole thing had turned me on. I had a half an erection by the end, and I couldn’t deal with it. I had to get out of there.
Standing here now, listening to the last notes of the song wasn’t helping that.
Goddamn it, was I attracted to aguy?
I was cishet. I was lucky. I never had a question in my head about what I liked in my bed. I hadn’t ever been about the wholewomen! women! women!thing while I was on the road, though I wasn’t an angel. Essie was good for me, because I had cheated on her just once at the start and it nearly destroyed me. I wasn’t someone who just dropped anchor in any port. Essie made me stay on the straight and narrow.
But it was always thestraightand narrow. I could certainly appreciate a hot male body, for sure. But I’d never felt an actual attraction to a guy.
Until just now.
What the hell was going on? Was it the music? Had that turned me on? I was certainly out of my element. The suggestion to sing on stage had been an impulse I didn’t think would work, and then--there we were singing Bizet’sThe Pearl Fishersduet. He playedKillingperfectly in a way I hadn’t thought of before. There was a lot to parse out there, and maybe the whole thing just turned me on.
But if that were true, I wouldn’t have had any further reaction when I heard him singing.
Would I have?
I had to admit Aaron was easy to get along with. We all agreed on that. He’d slotted in with us just as neat as you pleased. But I knew that we had a fast friendship—I liked hanging out with him, going places, doing things.
Last night, I could have been in bed with any of those gorgeous women who hugged me. It would have been a no brainer. After all Essie had called me on the damn tarmac and told me she was breaking up with me. I was free and clear to find a bed mate, to have a few hook ups and one night stands.
But I hadn’t. I hadn’t even been remotely interested. When Aaron said he wanted to go sightseeing, that sounded so much more appealing than waking up with a woman whose language I couldn’t speak and didn’t know how to ask her to leave.
Being here, with Aaron was just so much more fun to me. I knew we’d have fun, and see cool things and go places I might not have been, and I wanted to see how he reacted to things like the Louvre, or the Opera House, and the Eiffel Tower.
God, suddenlyAu Fond du Temple Sainthad a whole other level of meaning. Two men forsaking a woman to stay true to each other…was that what I did last night? Forsook a round of hot sex to stay true to Aaron?
Had I been attracted to himall along?
I was so messed up I was using words likeforsook.
I ran a hand over my hair, and shook my head. I didn’t know what to think. I really didn’t. I liked the guy. He was brilliant, honest, talented, and cute.
Cute.
