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As she bowed and waved at the audience, grateful for the outpouring of love and approval, she cast glances toward the wings. She’d sung for the man standing backstage. The lights blinded her and she couldn’t see past Trent and Savannah to where she assumed Kyle was standing in shadow.
Instincts told her to get to him as soon as possible, but she had an obligation to her fans as well. At long last, she could resist the pull no longer and made her way offstage. This time, instead of rushing to Hunter, she went past him, eyes darting around the people gathered to congratulate her.
First Savannah and then Trent hugged her. Their trio was joined by Nate and Mia, but when Melody looked around for Kyle, she didn’t see him.
With her heart crushed by disappointment, Melody fought back tears and tried to appear normal. She gave Mia a questioning look. “Was it okay that I played our song?”
“Okay?” Mia’s eyes were overly bright. “It was fantastic. As many times as I’ve heard my sister sing one of my songs, it was always spoiled by the fact that she was taking credit. You are the first artist to sing a Mia Navarro song. And you killed it.”
“I might’ve been the first, but I’m not going to be the last.”
As the group made their way back into the club for a celebratory drink, Melody slipped up beside Savannah and leaned close. “What happened to Kyle?”
“He said he had to make a call.” Savannah linked her arm through Melody’s. Her reassuring smile wasn’t having the right effect.
“He saw me with Hunter, didn’t he?”
“Yeah.” Savannah drew the word out, obviously reluctant to put a damper on the evening. “He didn’t look happy when he left.”
“I’ve screwed up again. What is wrong with me?” Despair flared as the full impact of her mistake flooded through her. “We’ve been over this and over this and I put myself into a situation.”
“Look, I’m sure he knows nothing is going on between you and Hunter.”
But it probably hadn’t looked that way. She had to explain what happened. “Any idea where he went?”
Savannah screwed up her face and looked everywhere but at Melody.
“What’s going on? Where did Kyle go?”
“He might have hustled Hunter outside when you went back on stage.”
“Which way?”
“Into the alley.”
And with a curse, Melody headed for the stage door.
Eleven
As soon as Melody headed back on stage, Kyle grabbed Hunter and propelled him in the opposite direction. Rage dominated his emotions and fueled his strength as he made a beeline for the stage door. The kiss between Melody and Hunter had brought every one of his fears to the surface.
She’d looked so damn happy in his arms. In those seconds before she’d shoved Hunter away, Kyle had been stripped down to the raw core of his psyche. In the instant that he’d watched another man swing a laughing, joyful Melody off her feet, every primitive elemental cell in his body had screamed for him to rip them apart and put his fist into Hunter’s nose. And then the bastard had kissed her.
Even though he knew Hunter was the one to blame, that Melody didn’t love him, something tore inside Kyle. He hadn’t done a good enough job loving her, hadn’t given her everything he was, the good and bad. While he no longer feared losing her to Hunter, he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to win her love if he couldn’t stop believing she’d leave him.
The heavy door gave beneath his onslaught, dumping the two men into the alley. A second later the door clanged shut, leaving them alone in the cool night air. At the far end of the alley a single light pierced the darkness, but where they sto
od it was as if the walls absorbed the light. The indistinct sounds of nearby traffic were barely audible over Kyle’s harsh breathing.
“Where the hell do you get off kissing Melody?” he bellowed, his voice reverberating off the alley’s walls. He shoved Hunter against the brick, venting every bit of rage and fury on the man.
“Screw you. You don’t own her.” Hunter’s arrogant, conceited grin flashed in the dim alley. “Let me go.”
“Why can’t you just leave her alone?”
“Because she doesn’t want me to.” Hunter shoved at Kyle and bought himself enough breathing room to tear free.
Fists clenched, Kyle growled. “You’re not going to get her back. She loves me. And that’s my baby she’s carrying. Plus, you don’t strike me as the sort of guy who wants to play daddy.”
