Hiding in the Spotlight

by Karen Booth

  “Gary, these are incredible.” David took full survey as he crept around the room. “I can’t believe you have a Fender Duo Sonic.” He held out his hand to a shiny black electric in front of him.

  “1965,” Gary said. “You want to play it?”

  “Do I? Are you kidding? Hell yes.”

  Just as Alex was starting to bemoan how much time they were about to spend with Gary, she caught the glimmer in David’s eyes when the guitar was handed to him. He looked like a kid, his face full of excitement and unbridled joy. She smiled and took a seat on a barstool. They had all afternoon if they needed it.

  Two hours later, David had purchased three guitars and was considering a fourth. He told Alex he didn’t want to go too over the top, but she was fairly certain he would call Gary later and tell him to ship that one too. As David was handing Gary a check, Page chimed in from the other side of the room.

  “Hey, David,” he said. “Doesn’t my dad have this same kind of guitar?” He pointed at an acoustic tucked away in the corner.

  Alex stood and caught a glimpse of the guitar. Oh, shit.

  “He does. That’s a Martin. That is a super valuable and rare guitar. I’d love to have one of those some day.”

  Alex felt queasy, in sudden need of air. That’s the same guitar the film crew broke.

  “Why don’t you buy this one?” Page asked.

  Gary chuckled. “Sorry, Page. That’s my baby. I’m selling everything else, but that one will always stay with me. She’s just too special to let go.”

  “What if David paid you a lot of money for it?”

  Gary and David smiled at each other knowingly. Alex was positive she was about to puke.

  “Unfortunately,” Gary said, “there’s no amount of money in the world that would make me want to give up that guitar.”

  Alex maintained her composure in the car on the way to the restaurant David had booked for dinner, but she still wasn’t feeling great. She’d always known the Martin was important to Glenn. She just hadn’t realized it was important to every guy who ever liked guitars. One more reason to hope Glenn stays the fuck in Mexico. Telling David what had happened crossed her mind, but she didn’t want their weekend to end with him dying of mortification.

  After dinner, the boys wanted to go watch TV and relax in the room, but Alex pushed for a family stroll on the beach.

  “Mom, come on. I’m tired. Do we have to?” Page whined, as they stood in the hotel parking lot next to David’s car.

  “It’s our last night.” Alex threaded her arms into the cardigan she’d brought to the restaurant.

  “Walking on the beach in the dark is boring. Why don’t you and David go and I’ll watch Ty in the room?”

  “Why do you have to argue with me about everything?”

  David coughed loudly and reached into his back pocket. He cocked his eyebrow at Alex as he slid a room key from his wallet, handing it to Page. “Sounds reasonable to me. Everybody wins.”

  Alex now saw how dense she was being. “You guys be good and no getting into the minibar.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Alex and David escorted the boys to the elevator and made sure they were going to the correct floor before they ducked outside. The ocean was an inky black in the moonlight, edged in white foam at the crests of the waves. The sea inched onto the beach and retreated as the wind swirled in gusts. They took off their flip-flops and distanced themselves from the hotel, walking away from the twinkling lights of the boardwalk. Once they’d traveled a few hundred yards, David slipped his hand into Alex’s. She sagged against him as they strolled in the sand.

  “It’s so beautiful here,” she said. “I don’t want to leave tomorrow.” Their fingers twined, the skin of David’s hand smooth and warm.

  “Maybe we can come back in the fall. It’s nice here in the winter, too.”

  Fall. Winter. The months ahead held so much uncertainty, but one thing was sure. She couldn’t imagine any of it without him. “That would be fun. The boys would love it.”

  He slowed his steps and stopped, turning to her. “This weekend has been incredible.” His hand cupped the side of her face. “Every minute with you is incredible, but these few days have been really special.”

  Alex pressed against him, keenly aware of his pull on her. She gazed into his eyes, which were nearly black in the darkness. Their attraction was gravitational, magnetic.

  “It’s been wonderful.” Her breath caught as she watched him focus on her. I love you. She thought it, but the words wouldn’t sound. I really do love you.

  Her hand skimmed over his chest as electricity prickled along her spine. He dipped his head closer to her cheek and pressed his lips against the tender skin beneath her ear. The sigh that escaped her was equal parts yearning and devotion.

  He pulled her into his strong embrace. Alex went up on tiptoes and wrapped her hands around his neck. She could hardly stand to breathe as he kissed her, their lips working against each other in dizzying fashion. Three days had heightened her need for their connection and it had apparently done the same to him. Alex ground her hip against his and the firm ridge in his pants bulged. He pressed his hands into the small of her back and tugged her closer. Heat built as their tongues tangled and she made the mistake of thinking about what would happen if they were alone at home. Clothes piled on the floor, flesh pressed to flesh, passion unleashed and frustration released. Damn.

  She pulled away, resting her head against his chest. “We’re making each other crazy. We need to stop or I won’t be able to.”

  David gripped her hips and nuzzled the top of her head. “I’m going to need a cold shower after that.”

  I could go snorkeling in Antarctica. “Sorry.”

  “It’s just as much my fault. If you weren’t so damn irresistible, I wouldn’t have this problem.” He chuckled softly, combing her hair with his fingers. “Could you do something about that?”

  “What’d you have in mind?” she mumbled, while breathing in his heady scent mixed with salt air.

  “No idea. You could wear a burlap bag and no make-up and I’d still want you all day, every day.”

  I love you. “You’re so sweet.” Alex felt the boil inside return as David’s hand slid under her top and caressed her back. “You’re killing me, David.”

  He withdrew his hand and smoothed her top into place. “Sorry. We should probably head back.”

  “Probably.”

  She took his hand, and they began the trek back to the hotel. In the distance, a couple approached along the water. At first, she thought nothing of it, until she noticed the woman’s blond hair and how tall the man was.

  “Fuck.” She dropped David’s hand. “It’s Charlotte and her fiancé.”

  David groaned as Alex distanced herself from him. “Alex, honey. Don’t worry about it. I want to keep this a secret too, but Charlotte’s a total sweetheart. Even if she suspects something, it’s not like she’s going to tell anyone.”

  Chapter Thirty

  The boys had been unenthused about their return to school the Tuesday after they returned from Santa Cruz, so Alex bribed them with a stop for donuts on the way to school. She planned to stop at the grocery store on the way home from her morning yoga class to stock up on milk and bread after their weekend away.

  David went for a run and took a shower before ten to be fully prepared for a phone interview with an online music magazine at eleven. It’d been years since he’d had to do one and he was grateful people cared about the band again enough for him to do it.

  David heard a soft tap at his office door before noon. Alex poked her head around the corner and he waved her into the office. She shrugged, pointing at her watch. He picked up a pen and scrawled on a legal pad: Ten minutes. Phone interview.

  Alex nodded and sat on the couch, flipping through a magazine. She swung her legs up on to the couch and leaned forward to tuck them under her butt, giving David a peek down the front of her dark blue knit top.

 
; “I’m sorry,” he said. “Can you repeat the question? Someone just came in my office.”

  “Sure,” the woman reporter said. “Can you tell me how the band feels about gaining a new generation of fans with Last Love?”

  Alex traced her fingers along her collarbone as she read, hypnotizing David.

  He did the math in his head. Ten more minutes will still give me two hours with Alex. “We love our new fans. We can’t wait to get out there and play for them.”

  Alex closed the magazine and tossed it on the table, raising her eyebrows at him.

  “I’ve heard rumors of a tour,” the reporter said. “But I’ve also heard that Glenn Halford is out of the country and no one has spoken to him.”

  Alex stood and eased around to the back of David’s desk, perching on the edge next to him. Her eyes smoldered when she peered down at him. She plucked the pen from his hand and scribbled on the pad of paper: Talk faster.

  “We’re definitely discussing the idea of hitting the road again. And we’ll have the whole band together for that.”

  Alex slipped behind him and began rubbing his shoulders. Every rub of her thumbs told him this wasn’t a massage. It was seduction.

  “Would you tour the whole country? Just like the old days?” the reporter asked.

  David felt Alex’s hands inch down his chest to his stomach and her fingers curled under the hem of his T-shirt, pulling upwards. He arched his back and craned his neck to look at Alex, her long hair hanging around her face. “Uh, Megan? It’s Megan, right? Is it okay if I put you on speaker phone?”

  “Sure,” she answered.

  David pushed the button on the phone and set down the receiver. Alex had his shirt off in a flash.

  He swiveled his chair to face her and she dropped to her knees, one at a time. Oh, shit. He swelled in his pants and he slid his hips forward to lessen the pressure. “Can you hear me all right, Megan?” he called out.

  “You sound perfect,” Megan answered, in a singsong.

  Alex rolled her eyes and lifted her top over her head, grinning at David as her hair swished to the side.

  So hot. He was now the proud owner of an erection confined to the tight quarters of his jeans. “We’ll likely focus on playing the West Coast at first,” he said, shifting in his seat. “Just to see how things go.”

  Alex traced her finger along the lacy edge of the black bra and bit her lower lip. She slipped one strap off her shoulder.

  David was on the brink of passing out—blood drained from his brain, rushing to his groin. “Uh, Megan, I only have a few more minutes here.”

  Alex walked her fingers up his legs, sending ripples of heat through his thighs. He blinked erratically and struggled to concentrate.

  “I’m sure you’re really busy these days,” Megan said.

  Alex unbuttoned his jeans and slowly slid the metal zipper pull. Her tongue grazed her lower lip as she gently folded back the corners of his fly. “Mmm,” she whispered. She rubbed her thumb across his tip, still trapped inside his boxer briefs.

  “Oh, wow.” He coughed. “I mean, yes, busy, I have, uh, plans for lunch.”

  Alex pursed her lips. A tiny giggle leaked out.

  “Okay, well, I wanted to go back to Last Love one more time,” Megan started. “Your fans assume that you wrote the song about your ex-wife, Julia, but you’ve never confirmed or denied it. Now that there’s new focus on the song, I’m wondering if you’ll finally share the story.”

  He cleared his throat. “Interesting question.”

  Alex furrowed her brow and rested her elbows on David’s thighs, circling her finger in his chest hair, her mouth in frustrating proximity to his crotch.

  “I’d love a good answer,” Megan said.

  He looked at Alex and thought of the day he’d written the lyrics—they’d spilled out of him, a wealth of longing. He thought about the years of wanting her, how things had changed and become a tangled mess, and yet out of the complications, they had found each other.

  “I didn’t write the song about Julia.” He swallowed, hard, finding it difficult to get past his own throat. “I wrote it about someone I fell in love with years before I met Julia.”

  Alex dropped her head to the side and her eyes searched his face, scanning back and forth. She leaned forward and picked up the pen, drawing a question mark on the pad.

  “I’m listening,” Megan said.

  David rubbed Alex’s shoulder and silently pressed his lips against her forehead. His fingers raked her silky hair. “It’s complicated, but I can tell you that this person is still in my life and we’re very close.” He took the pen and wrote: It’s you. He underlined his words.

  Alex’s eyes welled with tears. He hoped like hell that meant she was happy about this revelation, that it might help her understand the depth of his love.

  She stood and put her arms around his neck, nestling his face between her breasts.

  “Actually, I don’t know if we could be any closer,” he mumbled, turning his head to the side.

  Alex let go, took the pen and scrawled: Say goodbye. She gazed at him, her icy blue eyes watery and clear. She rubbed his cheek with the back of her hand.

  “Megan, it’s been great. But I really have to go.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Once again, something David had said sent Alex’s mind racing through the last decade and a half. It’s the most beautiful song he’s ever written, the band’s biggest hit. She thought about the lyrics. You are my first love. I hope you’ll be my last love, too.

  “Are you serious? You wrote it about me?”

  His deep brown eyes had a sweet look of resignation, as though unburdening himself of long-held secrets was a normal part of his day now. “I did. I’ve never told anyone.”

  Her heart pinged in her chest at the thought. “I love you, David.” She couldn’t contain her smile. Her hand brushed his cheek again. “I should’ve told you in Santa Cruz. I should’ve told you weeks ago. I really love you.”

  His face became lit from within, like a smoldering fire leaping into full flame. “Really? You mean it?”

  “Yes. I really do.”

  “I love you, too.” He leaned forward and dug his hands into her hair, lifting her face to his. “I love you.”

  He kissed her and Alex was overcome with feelings unlike any she’d ever had before. The realization they needed each other like air and water was an awakening, every sense suddenly heightened, everything about them, together, felt perfect.

  “We have two hours until the boys get back,” she murmured as she pulled him to standing.

  He clutched his unzipped jeans by the waistband. “I can accomplish a lot in two hours.”

  “Can you even walk all the way to your room?” she asked, smiling as she gently cupped the bulge in his pants.

  “I’ll manage.”

  Alex snatched her top from the floor, not wanting the boys to come across any evidence of an interlude with David. His hand wrapped her waist as he ushered her out of his office, past the wall of French doors leading to the pool and down the hall to his room. Her whole body felt bubbly and alive—the anticipation was of a different scope now that she’d finally been able to say the words.

  David dropped his jeans to the floor and stepped out of them before pulling her close and brushing his lips against her neck while unhooking her bra. “I might have to change my attitude about doing phone interviews. That was seriously hot.”

  Alex grinned as she shrugged the straps over her shoulders and the bra dropped to the floor. She’d surprised even herself with her little act of seduction in the office, but something about him made her do such things. “It drove me crazy to be around you all weekend and not touch you.” Her fingers spread across the expanse of his chest. “All I could think about was getting you out of your clothes.”

  “Now you know how I feel every day.”

  She clutched his hand and paced backwards before climbing atop the mattress. Her hands wove into his hai
r as he stretched out next to her. His tender lips skimmed her collarbone, slowly moving south. Every touch sent a prickle of electricity through her. She arched her back, her eyes closed, and she languished in every heavenly sensation. It would’ve been so easy to lie there and let him work his magic, but it wasn’t what she wanted, not today. She wanted him to know in every way possible that she loved him.

  She wriggled out of her jeans and panties and he rolled to his back, folding his arms behind his head and smiling with a look of deep satisfaction. Her hands spread across his broad chest and she dotted his torso with kisses, taking her time, inhaling his musky smell and savoring the brush of skin against skin. Long tendrils of her hair drifted over her shoulder and she peeled away his boxer briefs. Their eyes connected and it felt as though he knew everything inside her, that there was nothing left to hide.

  “I love you.” She kissed his lower belly patiently.

  David shifted and groaned with appreciation. “You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that. I love you, too.”

  She gently reached between his legs and heard him suck in his breath as she wrapped her fingers around him. If his erection was any indication of how much he’d meant what he’d said, she was an impossibly lucky woman. She moistened her lips, with a deep hunger for him. “All I want to do is make you happy.” She slipped his satiny skin into her mouth and she felt him surrender to her, sinking back down into the bed. Taking long strokes, her lips gripped him and her tongue swirled with every pass.

  He moaned. “I’m happy.”

  Warmth spread throughout her body and the need for him became more immediate, like an itch that had to be scratched. She bristled with anticipation, now sitting up and grabbing a condom from the bedside table. She stretched out alongside him and smoothed her hand across his stomach. “Make love to me.” Her voice came out in a husky tone.