“Kiss me,” she told him when the song ended.
“What?” Now it was his turn to be shocked.
She nodded toward the crowd full of screaming fans. “Kiss me. That’s what they want, right? That’s all you care about—giving them a good show. So do it.”
He flinched back like she’d slapped him.
She hadn’t, but a part of her desperately wanted to. Hurt flashed in his eyes as if he could read her mind.
He didn’t kiss her, so she crushed her mouth to his.
Damn him to hell. Her anger and hurt poured out against his mouth. She bit down on his bottom lip hard enough to cause pain. She hoped it hurt.
Once the lights went out she jerked out of his arms. She knew his mic could possibly still be on so she didn’t say a word. She just stalked away from him without looking back.
TRACE BROUGHT his fingers to his mouth to check for blood. He didn’t see any on his hand but he could taste a faint hint of it on his tongue.
He’d put his heart out there in front of thousands of people and she’d stormed off. The tears in her eyes had confused the hell out of him.
At first he’d thought maybe they’d been tears of joy. But the harder she’d fought them, the more they’d looked like tears of pain. And her teeth sinking into his lip indicated they might’ve been tears of anger. Or rage.
Every single person in Encore Park seemed determined to get in his fucking way as he tried to find her backstage.
People congratulated him, some clapped him on the back, a few asked for pictures with him, but he just kept plowing through the crowd.
He caught Claire Ann’s elbow and told her he’d see her and Rae at the house in an hour or two. She nodded with a sympathetic expression, so he figured she’d seen Kylie bolt after his grand gesture.
She’d misunderstood. That had to be it. Maybe she thought he was just putting on a show and didn’t realize he was putting his heart out there for the whole world to see. He knew she still felt something for him.
He knew because he’d seen it in her eyes, in her smile. Without even consciously meaning to, he’d begun to study her—paying close attention to each small movement, each laugh. He didn’t miss the little things anymore, like the way she angled her body toward him when he came near and then forced herself to turn away. He would earn a damn degree in Kylie Ryans before this tour was over.
He caught a glimpse of her hair and gleaming dress over by the bus. He was just about to break into a run when he saw something that stopped him where he stood.
Steven Blythe was leaning up next to a magnolia tree and he had Mia Montgomery in his arms. Their mouths were damn near touching. They weren’t kissing, but it clearly wasn’t innocent either.
His blood felt like it had caught fire in his veins.
This motherfucker was really starting to piss him off. And if Kylie was going to choose her bullshit charade of a relationship with this dick over him, then he was at least going to confront the cheating bastard. With his fists.
He stalked over to where they stood and whirled Steven around by his shoulder. “Do you even give a damn about her at all, man? I mean, just how many women are you screwing behind her back?”
“Back off, Corbin,” Steven warned. “We’ve been through this. You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“Well, by my count, there’s the Tailgate Twin and now Mia. You planning on nailing her assistant next?”
“What’s he talking about, Steven? A Tailgate Twin?” Mia asked from behind him.
“Nothing, Mia. He’s just—”
Before Steven could finish, Trace’s fist shot out and struck him in the mouth.
Steven took a swing in return, but Trace ducked and wrapped him around the waist—driving his body back against the tree trunk.
Steven shoved him backwards. “Dammit, man. I warned you not to fucking hit me again.” He swung hard and connected with Trace’s right cheekbone. The two of them surged forward at the same time and wrestled in the dirt until two members of the security team broke it up.
Trace straightened and shrugged off the grip of a dark-skinned guy yanking him backwards.
He threw his hands up in the air. “I’m good. I’m done.”
Through his one good eye, he saw her.
Kylie stood there among the crowd, looking utterly horrified.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” she screamed at him. His mouth dropped open when she ran to play nurse on Steven’s busted lip.
“Me?” he shouted back. “Me? What the hell is wrong with me? Your boyfriend here screws everything that moves and you’re asking what’s wrong with me?”
He wiped his face and wasn’t surprised that this time, blood damn near covered his hand when it came into view. Trace clenched his fists at his sides as he watched Kylie wrap her arm around Steven’s waist while they both glared at him.