“Yes, ma’am.” I bend to kiss her cheek and she pats me on the back.
“Nice meeting you,” Belle tells all of them with a level of sincerity my mom and sister don’t deserve. When we turn our backs on them and walk away, she whispers, “Well they seem nice enough.”
With a roaring laugh, I sling my arm around her neck. “I’m so fucking glad you’re here.”
In the privacy of the back hallway, I kiss her one last time before we part ways, savoring her taste and touch in hopes that they’ll give me added strength when I take the stage. I didn’t stutter in rehearsal, but I’m still counting on the sight of her to keep it away when I’m standing before a packed audience.
Belle kisses me back with a surprising force, the strokes of her tongue urgent as she grips my ass. Everything about the adult version of my girl leads me to believe she’ll be a total animal in the sack, but the reminder that other men would’ve taught her how to be that way all at once has me feeling livid. She hasn’t mentioned any other men since we’ve been reunited, but the way I caught her guitarist and other guys ogling her in Vinnie’s, it’s clear I’m not the only one to find her smoking hot. The idea of any other man touching her body makes me want to hunt them down and rip their balls off.
I know it’s not fucking fair for me to have those feelings since we were apart for so long, but if I’m talking about what’s fair, I still don’t know the reason why she ended things, and in all the time we were together she never told me that she loved me. I’m well aware she had her own shit to deal with, but I’m taking it on good faith that she even has the ability to love me back.
I’m ready to drag her back to the prep room when I swipe my finger over the warm spot between her legs and she releases a quiet whimper into my mouth. Instead I draw back, losing myself in her beautiful eyes.
“Everything I do on stage tonight—every fucking lyric I sing—it’s all for you, Belle.” I grip a handful of her long hair in my fist and breathe in her warm and spicy scent. “And as soon as I’m finished, I’m going to start making up for all the time we should’ve been together.”
The way she looks up at me—like she wants to believe me but her heart is still unsure—is all the fuel I need to prove to her that we belong together.
Chapter Seventeen
Isabelle
If Nicki weren’t standing beside me, I’d probably either hurl or run as far and fast as my legs would carry me. The excited vibe rippling through the stadium as Roman’s fans wait for his appearance has my stomach climbing into my throat. From where we stand, I’m able to see Roman’s mom, sister, and grandmother standing by a gate in the first section. They either haven’t spotted me yet, or they’re going out of their way to avoid eye contact. Either way’s good with me because our little run-in made it clear that Roman and I have more shit to work through than our past.
At least his father didn’t stop by. After everything that happened, I don’t know if I could find the courage to stand up to the son-of-a-bitch.
The lights go out, cloaking us in total darkness. The crowd responds with a loud roar of approval. Random red lights over the stage flicker to the beat of drumsticks licking a cymbal before the band’s name stretches in big bold letters across the screen that stretches the length of the stage. Their fans’ screams intensify, vibrating against my eardrums. With my heart in my throat, I grab Nicki’s wrist on instinct, the way I would with Mel.
My new friend giggles. “Hold on, girl. Your man’s about to rock the shit out of this place.”
Short, blunt chords rip from the speakers in sync with the flash of blinding lights over the crowd. The band's silhouettes stand out in the darkness, enough to see Roman has yet to take his place at the microphone. The crowd explodes with screams behind me, sending a ripple of excitement searing down to my core. The sizzling anticipation of seeing him take the stage is even more extreme than the feeling I'd get just before seeing him after a long year apart. The chords repeat, the hard beat rumbling inside my chest.
Then the lights flash once more and Roman appears, one hand wrapped around the microphone stand and his head arched back. With the sound of the crowd losing their fucking minds, a wide smile stretches over my lips and my eyes water with pride. He really did it.
Soon he’s lowering his head and his beautiful eyes hone in on me, as if I’m the only other person in the stadium. My heart thumps faster than the frantic beats of the drum as he belts out the lyrics over the chaos. The musicians rock along, hard and unapologetic. As the beautiful, tortured boy from camp begins to croon to the sea of intent fans, my heart swells with pride and aches for all the time we missed out on together. The rancid smell from the smoke machines adds to the excitement stirring in my belly.