by Aly Martinez
I humored her and focused my gaze at his feet, where a pair of black heels came into view. “Oh,” I breathed.
“Yeah. Oh,” she giggled.
Suddenly, a woman’s hand snaked out from in front of him and traveled down to his ass. Levee and I gasped in unison, our hands dramatically flying out to the sides to clutch each other.
“Oh my God, please tell me you saw that?” she exclaimed, tugging on my arm and pointing to where I was already looking.
Lifting a hand to my mouth, I attempted to stifle a laugh. “Holy virgin robot. Carter found another droid.”
Levee and I sank low in our chairs and commenced rolling in laughter. We couldn’t tear our eyes away as we watched Carter and his mystery woman going at it against the wall.
We gave each other the play-by-play as though we hadn’t been watching the same couple.
“I think he just kissed her!”
“Oh, he definitely just kissed her,” I confirmed.
“I wonder if he’s going to fuck her. I’m oddly aroused. I’ve never wanted to see Carter’s ass before.”
“His ass is fantastic. But what he needs to do is pull one of my equilibrium episodes and drag her to the ground. Much better leverage there.”
“This is Carter we’re talking about. I don’t imagine him being a dry-humper.”
I took my eyes off his back long enough to give her a teasing side-eye. “Why do you imagine him humping at all?”
She smirked. “Oh, I don’t know. How do you know his ass is fantastic?”
“Touché!”
We smiled at each other and went back to watching the best performance of the evening.
I was so enthralled by Carter’s make-out session that I was oblivious to the seat on the other side of me being filled.
A hand landed on my thigh, and a set of lips brushed against my cheek. “Hey, babe. Sorry I’m late. Traffic was a bitch,” his baritone rumbled in my ear.
“No biggie,” I replied absently. “Look.” I pointed to Carter.
The scruff on his jaw nuzzled against mine, and my lids fell to half-mast as the addictive high surged through my veins. Instantly relaxing, I sucked in a content breath as the world slowed.
“I’ve missed you so fucking much,” he whispered, grazing his teeth over the soft flesh below my ear.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and chills traveled up my spine—unfortunately awakening me from my fog.
“What the fuck?” I jumped, knocking the table with my knees and sloshing drinks everywhere.
With no one on stage to drown out my outburst, dozens of eyes landed on me—including Carter, who spun to face me.
And that’s when Levee and I exclaimed in unison, “What the fuck?”
My heart was racing, and my head was a spinning wheel of emotions. I couldn’t figure out where to focus first.
On Evan, who was sitting next to me in a sexy-as-sin black suit—his hand on my thigh and his lips teasing my ear.
Or on Robin, who was standing on the other side of Carter—her lipstick smeared over both of their mouths.
THE SURPRISE ON Henry’s face was priceless and well worth the drive to L.A. Though he would have been worth a drive to Zimbabwe.
I’d lied to him. Traffic hadn’t been bad. I’d actually been in L.A. since the day before, when I’d left my house about twelve seconds after Levee’s car had pulled out of my driveway. I hadn’t even packed a bag before I’d gotten on the road.
Levee had left my tickets and a card to Henry’s stylist on the countertop. Macy was a godsend. When I’d arrived at the hotel, she’d had a designer suit and a tailor waiting for me. By the next day, after a quick trip through the mall for some toiletries, I’d been ready to attend my very first celebrity affair with the one and only Henry Alexander.
I’d been more excited to see Henry Gilchrist though.
I’d actually been standing in the hall as Levee had confronted him in his dressing room. My heart had been in my throat, fire taking its place in my chest as I’d waited for him to deny her accusations of how he felt for me.
I never could have been prepared for the way his confirmation filled me. While he didn’t pour his heart out with professions of undying love, I was still reborn in his acceptance of it all.
Levee’s leaving was my cue to surprise him, but I bitched out.
Big time.
I had one shot to get him back. And, if I was going to put the few remaining pieces of my heart on the line for this man, I wanted to do it right. I figured calming my nerves so I didn’t throw up on him approximately ten minutes before he entertained thousands wasn’t a bad idea. So I tucked tail, headed to a bar in the VIP section, and tried to get my head together.
Carter retrieved me just before Henry went on. I hid in the shadows at the side of the stage to watch, and just like the first time I’d seen him perform, he captivated me completely. I feared at one point that he’d seen me, but when he breezed past me as he exited, I knew my secret was safe. I also knew that I didn’t want to waste another minute without him as a permanent fixture in my life.
Pride be damned, Henry was mine.
I knew it.
He knew it.
And, as he pushed to his feet with surprise covering every plane of his handsome face, the entire world would learn it too.
“What are you doing here?” he gasped, slinging his eyes from me to Carter, who was furiously striding toward us. “And what the fucking hell are you doing?” he snapped in his direction.
I glanced around the large venue at the numerous cameramen lining the gating to the VIP area—all cameras poised and aimed directly at us.
Clutching his hand, I gave him a tug. “Let’s take this somewhere else.”
His eyes bulged and he snatched his hand away. “Don’t touch me.”
My head snapped back at the rejection. I’d expected surprise, but the anxiety growing in his eyes pained me. I shifted in front of him in order to get a better read on the situation—and to prevent him from running again.
“Stop,” I urged.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” he barked, but it was aimed over my shoulder.
“Not here,” Carter growled under his breath as he marched past us like a man on a mission.
Robin’s tiny body sidled between us. “Cookie, stop. Everyone’s watching.”
And, upon further review, she wasn’t wrong. Our little reunion was currently being projected on the huge screens at either side of the stage.
Well, that is until Carter reached the man with the video camera and snatched it from his hands—along with the press credentials hanging around his neck. Levee’s head of security, Linc, joined him just in time to escort the guy from the building.
Okay. So. Not the best start to getting my man back.
Let’s try this again.
Stepping around Robin, I looped an arm around his hips and pulled his side to my front. “Let’s go somewhere and talk,” I ordered, touching my lips to his temple.
His face turned red, and I feared his head would explode as he scrambled away.
“Have you lost your mind?” he hissed, straightening his shirt and glancing around the arena. “Do you want the entire fucking world to see you kissing me? Christ, Evan.” He jutted his chin toward the row of cameras.
My dejection quickly morphed into what could only be described as elation as he scanned the crowd to see if anyone was watching.
They were.
But he was protecting me.
And, if that didn’t heal the scars covering my heart, nothing ever would.
Staring at that gorgeous man, I felt myself become whole again.
I dropped my voice and said, “I see your point.” And then, without a single second of hesitation, I palmed each side of his face and planted a deep, life-altering kiss to his lips.
Keeping my eyes open, I watched his flare wide before he lost the battle with my mouth and they fluttered shut. A second later, his body melted i
nto mine and his lips parted in an invitation I eagerly accepted. Our tongues tangled indecently, and I slid a hand up the back of his neck and into his hair, using it to hold him to my mouth.
His hands traveled up my lats, sliding under my arms until he was gripping the back of my shoulders impossibly tight.
I was vaguely aware of the wolf whistles and cheers in the backgrounds, but I couldn’t have cared less. It was Henry. Nothing else mattered.
“Ehm…” Levee cleared her throat. “You two should probably take this back to—”
I peeked open an eye to see why she’d stopped so abruptly when I saw Henry’s hand palming her face and gently pushing her away, all the while drawing me closer.
Chuckling, I broke the kiss. “She’s right.”
“No. She’d definitely wrong.” He groaned, reluctantly releasing me to scowl at her.
She smiled smugly and tossed me a wink.
My chuckle transformed into a full-blown belly laugh, which earned me a scowl as well.
“Fine. Let’s go.” He huffed, intertwining our fingers then dragging me toward the backstage entrance, smiling for the cameras like our public display of affection was the most natural thing in the world.
I mean, it was to us. But they didn’t know that. But I fucking loved that they were finding out. We’d probably be trending on social media by the morning. And then the whole world would know once and for all that Henry was off the market and one hundred percent mine. Now, if only I could get him on the same page.
“Did you drive here?” he asked when we passed through security.
“No. Levee sent a car for me. I’m parked at the hotel.”
“Of course she did,” he mumbled.
I laughed and released his hand but only so I could drape my arm around his waist. “Complaining?”
His arm followed suit and wrapped around my hips as we continued to walk down the long hallway toward his dressing room. “I don’t know yet. I’ll let you know when I get you back to the hotel and naked.”
I abruptly stilled, pulling him up short with me. Arching an eyebrow, I asked, “Am I to assume that means you’re okay with me being bisexual now?”
His full lips hardened in a grimace. “I…”
I went back to walking, pulling him with me, and said, “Then you won’t be getting anyone naked.”
Though it was a fan-fucking-tastic idea, I wasn’t risking him flipping out on me and taking off again until we’d talked. And I mean really talked, not the kind of talking Henry and I did best—with our bodies.
He released a suffering sigh and dropped his head back to stare at the ceiling. “And…now I’m complaining.”
I stopped again and turned to face him, backing him against the wall. “Oh yeah? Well, I’m officially complaining too. Mainly because we could have spent the last week naked, but instead, I’ve spent it alone, trying to forget about…” Our noses brushed as I leaned in toward his face, caging him in with my hands on either side of his head, and breathed softly, “You.”
His blue eyes darkened in an odd combination of guilt and arousal as he stood frozen against the wall. Another act had taken the stage, and the music poured in from the mouth of the hallway. But I heard him loud and clear as he timidly whispered, “Did you figure out how?”
My lips twitched when his cheeks stained pink and his eyes flashed down the hall to avoid contact.
“Nope.” I popped the P in his ear and then swept my lips down to his neck.
His breath hitched, and his hands came up to my hips, pulling me close. It took every bit of willpower I possessed not to roll my hips against his. If I had to feel his cock thickening against my own, Henry was going to get his wish of naked but we weren’t going to make it back to the hotel. I pivoted, resting my thigh between his legs, and his hands fell to clutch my ass.
“We’re talking about jerking off, right?” he asked, turning his head to offer me better access.
“Nope,” I breathed, trailing my tongue down his neck. “We’re talking about a week of tortured pining and self-loathing over a devastating rejection from the man I’m falling in love with.”
He had already been pinned against the wall, but before the word love had even cleared my mouth, his entire body turned rock solid.
I smiled, knowing I’d hit my mark. Now, all I had to do was wait and see what he was going to do with it. The hallway wasn’t the ideal place for this conversation, but maybe catching him off guard would be worth the gamble.
“Evan…” he breathed just the way that he knew lit me ablaze.
But, with the last week still separating us, it felt more like a knife trailing fire across my heart.
With a growl, I fisted the back of his neck and turned his head so our mouths were close but agonizingly out of reach. “Don’t you dare taint my name like that.”
His eyes searched mine as he replied in a shaky voice, “I…I don’t know what to say.”
“I’m sorry,” I prompted. “Say it.”
“I’m sorry,” he repeated, but it was the moisture that pooled in his eyes that issued his real apology.
Now, that I could accept.
“We need to talk, but I want your word that you will stop with the games and actually listen to me.”
He agreed immediately. “Okay.”
“I’m serious, Henry. The chase is over, and that bullshit over me being bisexual is done too. We both have bigger mountains here than our sexuality.” I roughly gripped his hard-on as I declared, “You want me.” Then I removed one of his hands from my ass and brought it to rest over my pounding heart. “And I want you.”
He bit his bottom lip and turned his head to look away, unable to lie anymore.
“I have a fuck-ton of issues I need to work through, and I know you do too. So I’m proposing that we both stop trying to escape and face them head on.” I cupped his jaw and forced his gaze back to mine. “Together.”
He swallowed hard. “I’m not sure how.”
“Then I’ll help. But, Goddammit, Henry, you have to give me a fucking chance. I can make you feel loved. I can do it—I swear on my life I can. You are my exception. Never in my entire life have I been so sure about something.” I paused then corrected myself. “Someone.” Dropping my forehead to his, I whispered, “I’ll be the best damn King Kong you’ve ever seen.”
A strangled laugh escaped his throat even as the tear rolled down his cheek.
Using my thumb to wipe it away, I pleaded, “Just let me try.”
His eyes drifted back to mine, and the slightest of smiles pulled at the side of his mouth. “Okay.”
“Okay,” I repeated, relief washing over me.
“I see Levee’s been running her mouth. But that was a good speech.”
I grinned proudly. “It was, wasn’t it?”
His upturned lips brushed across mine. “It would have been better naked.”
“Obviously.” I winked, and his entire face lit.
“OH, HELL NO!” I said as Carter attempted to close the door to my limo after he had escorted Evan and me out the back door of the arena. “You’re riding back here this time, big man. We have shit to discuss.”
His lips pursed, but that was the only objection he gave before unbuttoning his suit coat and folding inside. He slid around the L until he was adjacent to Evan and me. Then he threw an arm up on the back of the seat and turned his full attention my way.
And I pounced. “What exactly are your intentions with my daughter?”
I can’t lie—I had been shocked and upset when I’d discovered that Robin was what made his little robot heart swell. But it was Carter—I trusted him implicitly. I was predominantly worried about Robin. She was fresh off a relapse. The last thing she needed was to jump into bed with someone. Even if it was a good guy like Carter. Hell, maybe especially because it was a good guy like him.
He pinned me with a disgruntled glare. Then he shook his head and peered out the window as the limo eased away from the mass of paparazzi
snapping pictures through the glass.
“It shouldn’t have happened again,” he grumbled.
“Again?” I exclaimed in shock and confusion.
Evan’s hand landed on my thigh, shooting sparks that collected two hundred dollars as they passed my groin before traveling up my spine. Covering his hand, I turned to see if he’d heard the same thing, and clearly, he had, because his face was turning red as he attempted to fight back a great deal of mirth.
“King Kong doesn’t laugh,” I snapped.
Apparently, he did though, because that was when Evan lost it.
“I’m sorry,” he laughed. “I just can’t believe you didn’t realize this. I’ve met them once and I knew something was up.”
If he hadn’t been so fucking sexy while losing himself in humor—even if it was aimed at me—I would have been pissed. As it stood, he was unbelievably sexy, so I was just mildly annoyed as I refocused on Carter.
“Again? How long have you two been…” I would have finished if the words hadn’t made me want to dry-heave.
He uncomfortably scrubbed his palms over his knees and then asked frankly, “Do I need to be job-hunting?”
I jerked my chin in surprise. “What? No!”
“Give me your fucking word,” he pressed.
I curled my lip. “Seriously? You know I’ll just lie.”
Evan cut in. “Excuse me?”
“Oh, no. Not to you, honey.” I drew an X over my heart then flashed him a teasing grin.
He pinched the inside of my thigh, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw his lips twitch.
So. Fucking. Sexy.
Doing my best to focus on the situation at hand and not climb into Evan’s lap, I impatiently tilted my head at Carter.
He grumbled. “She was eighteen the first time.”
“Eighteen!” I shouted, and Evan’s hand spasmed.
“It’s not what you think,” he defended.
“Says every pedophile ever arrested! You’re, like, forty!”
He suddenly sat forward, his bodying appearing to grow as he loomed menacingly.
It would have been intimidating if Carter hadn’t given me way scarier looks over the years. Like the time I’d bought him a lap dance at the fully-nude male strip club. I was only trying to be generous because I was making him work so late on a Saturday night. But the look on that man’s face as he came storming out of the back room with baby oil spread over his pants had me braving the paparazzi and escorting myself out to my car.
