Page 35 of Rising Star

“Yes, it is,” I confirmed.

Madison crashed her lips on mine. My head turned. Her touch jolted my heart back to life. Fireworks, butterflies, sparks, all that shit filled my stomach. I clutched her waist, pulling her closer to me, wanting to feel every inch of her pressed against every inch of me one last time. Before I could deepen the kiss, she leaned back.

“Sam, be honest. Every time we touch, your heart rate picks up.” She positioned a hand over my chest. “Don’t go to bed thinking it was a mistake. I feel it too.” She grabbed my hand and splayed it over her left breast. “See.” We stared at each other for a few beats. After a minute, she pushed me away, using both hands. “Go.”

“Good night, Maddie,” I said, kissing her one last time, branding my mouth to hers.

With my heart swelling in my chest, so full it could burst any second, I turned on my heels, leaving her behind, and climbed the stairs leading to my room.

“Night, Sam,” Madison whispered in the dark before turning the light off. Her bedroom door clicked as she closed it. And the sound sank my spirit.

How would I ever be able to resist her now that I tasted what should be mine?

11

MADISON

“Do we have everything ready for tonight?” Sam asked, listing the items he noted on his phone. “Bouncing house. Check. Endless supply of hot dogs. Check. Ice cream. Check. Music. Check. Decorations. Check. Makeup for the kids. Check. Drinks for the adults. Check. We’re good to go.” He put his phone away, pushing the buggy toward the checkout counter, Justine and Mikaella perched at the other end, giggling.

His fingers brushed my lower back as I helped him put everything on the conveyor belt, and I shivered. We were leaving in a week, and since the night we had sex, despite our best resolve, we hadn’t been able to keep our hands to ourselves so far for long periods of time. Not completely at least. A touch here. A caress there. A kiss on my temple. Grazing of our fingers. Those were insignificant details for any onlooker, but to me, they meant a lot.

Each time we faced each other, my body hummed, begging to be abandoned to his expert hands. This dance had become our reality, and our nightmare, tied together with a giant bow of blazing lust.

Tonight, we were having that party Sam talked about when I first started working at his house. The one to celebrate us going on tour. Friends of the girls were coming over. Some of Sam’s friends and neighbors, Emily, my sister, and her friends too. People we loved and would miss while we were away.

Back home, I put excited little girls down for a nap before helping Sam to finish the last details. We made plans to sleep on the bus tonight. For the second night in a row. Last night was a bit chaotic. The girls stayed awake past their bedtime, unable to calm down. And I barely slept on my bunk. Just the thought of Sam lying behind the wall had my body and mind going haywire. How many times did I picture myself joining him in his room or wake up with a start, thinking the noise I heard belonged to him as he climbed into my bed?

As the party raged outside and the guys ran the grill, I retreated inside, making sure nobody missed anything. Devon came to me.

“I was wondering where you went. How are you doing?” she asked, bringing her drink to her mouth. “Is everything all right?”

I pasted a smile on my lips. “Sure. I just felt like escaping the madness for a few minutes.”

She leaned against the countertop next to me, her eyes following my line of sight through the window.

“Have you talked about it?” she asked after a beat.

“About what?” I asked, not understanding the path of our conversation.

“Those feelings you two have for each other.”

I coughed behind my fist and sipped on my drink, trying hard to look unaffected. “Not sure what you’re talking about.”

With her eyes still trained outside, she continued, “It’s easy to see, Maddie. Only fools wouldn’t be able to grasp the intensity of your chemistry.”

As if he sensed my attention on him, Sam’s eyes found mine through the glass, and he aimed that irresistible smile in my direction—the one I couldn’t resist—and waved.

A lone tear leaked from my eye, and I wiped it off. “It doesn’t matter. We won’t be doing anything about it.” I shrugged.

“Why not?” Devon asked, her gaze now locked on me.

“Because. The girls. The tour. The risks. The complications. Nothing plays in our favor. We’ll wait until after the tour and see. Anyway, I’m on his payroll. I’m just an employee, so it would be weird.”

Devon gripped my upper arms and turned me so we faced each other. “You’re not. You’re the woman who stands beside him as he tries to give his dreams another shot. You’re the woman his kids are head over heels in love with. And he is too, in case you were wondering. Sam can’t stop talking about you when you’re not around. Maddie this. Maddie that. He adores you. You changed him. For the better.”

“It’s the music.”

“Nah. It is, in part, but it’s mainly due to you. You put his heart back in his chest.”