AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her eyes met his and he was lost. Her voice poured out over the audience and wrapped around his heart. She’d given his flowers to a fan and distributed the giant box of Red Vines among the band and crew, never once acknowledging they were from him. He’d handed her the music to the song he’d been working on and been met with a blank expression and a curt “I’ll take a look at it.”
But he didn’t let it get to him. If anything, it was starting to make sense.
Being alone with him was too risky. She wanted him and, damn, he wanted her. With no one else around, she was worried about what would happen. But in front of people, a few thousand of them preferably, she had no problem letting it all out.
He took her hand in his, the chorus rising up from the audience as they slipped from their stools and stood, face-to-face, to share her mic. He didn’t bother pretending he wasn’t staring. He was. And he loved what he saw. Her skin dewy with sweat. Eyes huge. Excited smile. Red lips—she was chewing her lower lip now. And the hitch in her breath, the tightening of her hand in his.
He leaned forward, so close their foreheads touched.
“Love isn’t love when the flames burn it down. There’s no hiding or forgiveness from the damage that it’s done. When the smoke clears away, you’ll still find me searching here. Searching for the ashes of my heart.”
The crowd was deafening when the lights went dim.
Not that he noticed.
She was kissing him. Arms around his neck, fingers tangled in his hair. Desperate. He couldn’t think, he was grabbing on, kissing her back—pressing her tight against him.
Just as quickly, she was pushing him away and running from the stage, almost falling. He stood there, like an idiot, wondering what the hell to do now. Go after her? Make her talk to him?
Now was not the time.
The lights were about to come up and he couldn’t be standing there, so he did what he always did at this point of the show—went and watched from the wings of the stage. Only this time, he was getting looks. There was just enough light for anyone watching the stage to see what had happened. Most of the crew had a job to do, too busy to notice. But the crew weren’t the only people onstage.
“Please tell me I didn’t see what I just saw.” A vein in Luke’s forehead was bulging.
“You might need to get that looked at.” He pointed at his manager’s forehead. “That can’t be normal.”
“You’re hilarious.” Luke wasn’t smiling. “We’ve been over this before—”
“We have.” Jace nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ll refresh your memory this time. You handle my career. Period.” For a minute, he worried Luke would lose his cool. He liked the guy enough, respected his dedication to the job…but his personal life was his business. Even when a celebrity was kissing him on a concert stage in front of a live audience.
Luke snorted. “This isn’t going away.”
Jace didn’t say a thing.
“Someone probably got a picture.” Luke sighed. “Or video.”
Which was probably true. The lights came up and the Three Kings were onstage. He’d seen the show a dozen times already but it never got old. The three of them were master performers. And Krystal? Hell, he could watch her sing all day.
“You like her that much?” Luke asked.
“Are you going to lose it if I say yes?” He faced his manager.
And realized Hank King was standing not two feet away, listening to the entire conversation. “Don’t mind me. I figured I’d wait around to hear your answer, too.”
Jace felt like a son of a bitch then. He’d earned his contract through Next Top American Voice, sure, but Hank King had given him this—all of this. Hank might respect his talent, but did he respect him as a man? A
man for his daughter? “Yes, sir.” He cleared his throat, knowing there was only one answer. The truth. “Very much.”
Hank smiled, nodded, and clapped Luke on the shoulder. “Well, there you go.”
Luke’s attempt at a smile was more than pathetic.
“Don’t you worry, son,” Hank assured him. “It’ll all come out right in the wash.”
Confusion descended on Luke’s face, but he still nodded, as if he understood exactly what Hank was talking about.
“City folk,” Hank said, shaking his head before he walked around a drop-down wall and out of sight.
