Page 109 of Angel

‘Your heart is in your eyes, babe,’ Sofia whispered, squeezing my hand tight. ‘You two adore each other, that’s clear, and I hope you’ve made it through the fire.’

I hope so too, I thought, as Angel threw his head back as the last chord of the current song reverberated through the room to a deafening standing ovation.

We sat back down for one of the band’s ballads, and as the Six Sinners tore up the hearts of everyone in the room, sensation prickled against the back of my neck.

I turned my head left toward the front row tables.

A pair of intense eyes locked onto mine from across the vast room.

Senna Zavros sat at a front row table, draped in a tailored purple velvet blazer over an unbuttoned silk shirt that exposed his silver chains.

His floor-length dreadlocks fell over his broad shoulders.

A septum ring caught the ceiling lights as he raised his glass in my direction with a slow smirk.

Holy shit, my teenage guitar hero is staring right at me, I thought, my heart thumping in a wave of sudden disbelief.

However, the man wasn’t the same rock god I’d worshipped when I was younger.

This version of Senna was older, Botoxed and leery, and a flash of disappointment went through me at how much he’d changed.

Sofia must have registered Senna’s attention too, and she nudged my elbow, leaning close to my ear so her voice carried over the roar of Levi’s violin solo.

‘I can’t believe you’re being ogled by one of the world’s sexiest rockstars when your husband is on stage,’ Sofia whispered, blinking in shock.

‘Once was sexy, mind you; the plastic surgery and Botox are not working for him,’ I murmured back.

‘Girl, he’s hunting you down with his eyes.’

On cue, Senna crooked a finger, his gaze still fixed on me.

A mountain-sized bodyguard approached him and bent to listen to Senna, who was gesturing toward me.

The security man straightened, nodded, and prowled to us.

‘Is he coming this way? Sofia whispered.

‘Seems so. What does Senna want?’

The burly sentinel man came to a stop before our table and cleared his throat, his shadow blocking out the light of the crystal chandelier above us.

‘Mr Zavros would like to invite you two ladies to sit with him for the rest of the set,’ the massive hulk murmured.

Nearby actors and fashionistas turned their heads, whispering behind raised programs as the interaction caught the room’s attention.

‘Damn, if we refuse now, every camera in this room will document the snub,’ I whispered to Sofia through gritted teeth, my annoyance flaring at the unwanted attention. ‘I’ve got to go.’

‘Fine, but I’m coming with. We’ll play polite and move back as soon as we can,’ Sofia muttered, as she rose beside me.

‘I appreciate it, honey, but Senna surely won’t try anything with our men on stage right in front of him, will he?’

‘Trust me, the audacity of some of these entitled rockers is legendary, so watch yourself.’

Setting aside our napkins, with our clutches in hand, we followed the bodyguard down the carpeted aisle.

All the way to Senna’s table, feeling every pair of eyes in the venue tracking our steps.

Senna grinned as we approached.