“Ah, yes. I remember you talking about your sister a few times. It's nice to meet you.” He shook her hand, but quickly returned his focus to me. I had to admit that it felt pretty good to be his center of attention, even if it made me nervous. “Katherine and I knew each other very well at one time.” He said it to Amy, but he was looking at me, completing his statement with a bounce of his eyebrows.
“So I've heard.” Amy had a far too flirtatious tone to her voice. Between that and the crying comment, I wanted to smack her.
“We need to catch up,” he said. “The next show is in Boston, but we're not leaving until noon tomorrow. Come to my hotel and have a late dinner with me.”
It was just like him to state his intention rather than ask a question—probably because he knew it would leave me with virtually no reason to decline.
“Yes. That is agreatidea.” Amy hitched her purse on her shoulder like she was ready to bolt. Who knew she was such an eager wingman? “You two catch up. I'll head home.”
But I knew exactly where dinner and a hotel led…straight into his bed. As tempting as the idea was, as much as the women standing behind me, who were now clearly eavesdropping, would probably kill for the same opportunity, it wasn't a good choice. A night with Eamon would punch a gaping hole in my psyche. It would leave me longing for a life that wasn't wedged firmly enough in reality. “That would be really nice, but Amy and I are having Girls' Night. And I have a big day at the office tomorrow.”
Amy swatted my thigh with the back of her hand.
He nodded, breaking me down with nothing more than a look. There was a softness in his eyes that made it feel like my legs were asleep. “Coffee then? In the morning.”
His determination made me feel so damn good. It made me tingle. My body hummed. “I seem to remember you don't like to get up in the morning.”
“I don't. I hate it. But I will for you.” He reached for my hand, taking my fingers and wrapping them up in a familiar, calloused warmth. “It's true. I'll give up the little sleep I get for you. I owe you that much.”
Damn him. That was about the sweetest thing he could've possibly said. “Eamon. You don't owe me anything.”
A smile played at the corner of his lips. “Now you've done it. You said my name. You have to come to coffee tomorrow. I won't take no for an answer.”
My face flushed with an odd mix of accomplishment and embarrassment. “Okay. Fine. Coffee. There's a diner not far from my office.”
“I’m sure it makes me sound like a bloody spanner, but too many people.”
Oh, right. Rock star.“It's pretty easy to be anonymous in New York.”
“I know. But I want to talk. I want to hear your voice. I don't want to deal with interruptions.”
Interruptions? What would we be doing that could possibly be interrupted?
“My hotel," he continued. "I'll have everything waiting when you arrive. Does eight work? Should give us enough time.” He gave my hand a gentle squeeze.
I nodded in agreement, but that last thing he said was going to keep me up all night. Enough time for what? “Sure. Okay.”
“Perfect.” He pulled his cellphone out of his back pocket. “Give me your number. I'll text you the hotel info.”
I rattled off the digits, probably a bit too eagerly. “I’ll wait to hear from you.”
“I’ll send it when I'm done chatting and signing autographs.” He still had my hand, and he used it to pull me close one more time, although he didn't have to try hard. He softly kissed my cheek. His stubble scratched my skin. It was the most glorious feeling.
“See you tomorrow.”
“Nice to meet you, Eamon.” Amy did that eye-bugging thing at me, and we high-tailed it out of there, back through the theater lobby and out onto the street.
The night air was bone cold, the sort of evening where you can't help but walk with your shoulders up around your ears. Amy put on her coat right away, but I decided I'd wait for a block or two. I needed to sober up and cool down.
“That was pretty intense, Kat.”
“Which part?”
“The whole thing. The show. Meeting him. The revelation that my sister who tells me everything had a thing with an actual rock star.”
A breathy laugh crossed my lips as we stopped at the corner for the signal. “See how stupid that sounds? That's why I didn't tell you.”
“I will always believe you. You know that.”
