Heart Shaped Spotlight

He grinned. "Somebody has to do it. It might as well be me. And of course, it's easier for me to politely correct someone when I have several people standing behind me. Usually their own band turns around and agrees with me."

"So, you toured a lot?" I asked.

He shrugged. It was almost distracting how much wider his shoulders were. "Just North America. Usually three or four week tours, nothing major yet. With the new band and this new promo push from the contest, we'll probably do a longer tour in a few months."

His eyes locked on mine. "You did it again. Diverted the conversation away from you and onto me." His laugh was deeper. Sexier. "I'm going to have to pay more attention and re-learn your tricky ways."

I shrugged, flashing him a little smile.

Nate's entire face softened. "Damn, I missed that," he practically whispered. "The way your nose crinkles when you smile." He leaned in, his lips barely brushing mine.

It was too hard to think when he was touching me. I knew that if we started things up again, all of the old problems would be hugely amplified from his new star status. That wasn't something I thought I could handle.

No matter what, it was definitely just a matter of time before somebody discovered that he’d found me. People loved gossip, and that whole media system seemed to get worse every day. Nate would keep his blinders on, as he always did, but it wouldn’t help. I could only hope that we weren’t discovered for at least a few months, until we could figure out what was going on between us.

Then my hands wrapped around his neck, my fingers twisting into the back of his thick brown hair. He began kissing me hard, deep, and my brain shut off completely.

Chapter Ten ~ Nate

* Taking a Breath *

In another universe, I could quit every project I was working on and simply kiss Trisha for the rest of my days. Even though I had been fantasizing about this moment for years, I was practically paralyzed from the intensity of it.

She was in my arms, where she belonged. She hadn't gone off and gotten married, or completely changed to the point where I didn't recognize her. She had definitely grown, and changed, but she was still my sweet beautiful girl. Her warm, soft lips against mine felt blissfully perfect.

Trisha pulled away again, her hand on my chest. Her adorable smile was so easy for me to read. “After all this time, I can't believe that this connection we've always had is still right here," she said softly.

Her fingers were twitching slightly, and she was definitely overwhelmed. Sitting up straight, I put a little space between us, just holding her hand. She knew precisely what I was doing.

We each took a big breath in, then blew it out slowly.

When I was writing my paper on dealing with fear, it was the first thing that every doctor recommended. But when we took a slow breath together, it was so much more. I wanted her to know that it was my way of showing her that she could completely be herself around me. It didn't matter that she was shy or nervous. She could always take as much time as she needed.

It was also more intimate than that. I studied breathing during my vocal lessons, and it was always about listening to my own body. Timing a breath with Trisha was a bit more tricky. I had to read her body language. Plus, it always made her grin from ear to ear.

"I can't believe you're really here," I said, giving her hand a squeeze. "I've waited for this moment for so long." Instead of smiling, she looked tense, biting her lip slightly. "Did I say something wrong?"

Trisha shook her head, her long, dark hair swishing around her shoulders. "No, not wrong. Just… There's so much to think about." She looked at me very seriously. "We can't just pick up where we left off."

I nodded. "I know. Not really. But, since we're not dating anyone else, shouldn't we at least give it a shot?"

She shook her head again, uncertain. "There are a lot of things that make me a bit… Nervous isn't quite the right word. Concerned, maybe.”

"Okay. I'm listening." I smiled at her gently while giving her hand a little shake. She knew that I would wait as long as it took for her to collect her thoughts. So I was a bit surprised when she spoke immediately.

"It sounds like your band was really successful, and you were probably surrounded by girls all the time. Even in high school, they were just throwing themselves at you. All kinds of girls. Athletic, gorgeous, fashionable, popular. You can have your pick of absolutely anyone you wanted. So for you to still be interested in me is kind of strange, I guess."

"Wow." My lungs stretched as I took a deep breath. "It's true, a lot of women have hit on me. And I'll admit, I took a glance now and then. When I had no idea whether or not I would ever find you, I tried to get to know a few women, to see if we clicked. We didn't."

Pulling her against my chest, she sighed softly as I held her, stroking her hair. "Trisha, maybe you've spoiled me for all other women. Or maybe I have a very specific type. I don't have any idea how this whole romance thing works. All I know is that I want to be with you, and that we feel right together."

She nodded, her chin burrowing into my shoulder. “It's still overwhelming," she whispered.

"I know.”

My arms tightened around her, not wanting to let her go, ever. Kissing the top of her head, I had to do what was right for my sweet girl, and not let her become overwhelmed completely.

“I’m going to walk you down and put you in a car, so that you can get home safely and have a good night’s sleep, alright?”