AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dawson responded by shaking his head.
I heard the ping of the elevator, and I knew it was Van.
I began to shift my balance from one foot to the other, rocking back and forth. If I had room in the hallway to pace, I would’ve done so, like I did before a performance when my nerves hit.
Then I saw Van step into view, and my belly fluttered like the first time I’d ever graced the stage.
Instead of his usual denim outfit, Van wore a slim-cut navy-blue suit.
It fit him to perfection: simple, classic, timeless.
Instead of a button-down, he’d worn it with a white tank top underneath and his necklace, of course. I nearly swallowed my tongue as he drew near. My heart raced so fast that my ears buzzed, and my vision narrowed.
I watched his powerful stride, sure and confident. Fuck, he was gorgeous.
But then I noticed his eyes; they were bloodshot, with dark circles underneath. That nagging guilt crept up on me again, but I pushed it aside for the moment.
“Looking hot, Van,” Holloway yelled out and nudged my shoulder.
I smacked my bandmate upside the head, messing his hair.
“Not the hair, man, that’s sacred,” he quipped.
He went to smack me in return, but Dawson caught his wrist and stopped him.
“Careful now, they’re insured,” Holloway joked, and Dawson dropped his arm like he’d been burned.
“Grow the fuck up,” I heard Dawson whisper.
“Excuse me?” Holloway replied and got up in Dawson’s face.
Okay, not his face. He only came up to Dawson’s chest.
“You heard me,” Dawson snapped back, his face as red as his hair.
“Look, you have no—”
“That’s enough,” Regan interrupted, and everyone shut up. “We need to get a move on.”
She nodded at Dawson and the other security personnel, then motioned for us to follow her.
Van drew close, moving in step beside me like always.
“You look amazing,” he whispered in my ear, so low I almost didn’t catch it.
I glanced over and noticed his eyes locked on my mouth.
Straight men didn’t look at me that way. That I knew for damn sure.
But Van was wrong. He was the amazing one.
His smell alone, God, it was heady. Leather, musk, and amber. It was delicious.
I wanted to grab him by the lapels of his suit, shove him against the nearest wall, and show him just how talented my mouth really was.
Singing was the least of it, and PR obligations be damned.
Ignoring my body’s instinct, I took a deep breath and tried to calm down.
