“Great idea.” The assistant had heart-eyes worthy of a whole row of emoticons, but I’d let them have their crush. I’d won the day without having to say a word.
“Thanks for declining the parkour-inspired pictures,” I said in a low voice as we returned to the hired car. Kate was a few feet ahead of us, talking on her phone, but I still kept my voice down.
“Hey, I’m all about making my friends’ jobs easier.” He offered me a toothy grin that legit made me scan the hallway for a convenient dark corner. No such luck.
“Ezra.” I made my voice as stern as I could in a whisper. “Stop making me think about kissing you.”
“Hey, I don’t control your brain.” He waggled a finger at me, and it took all my self-control to not capture his hand and toss him against the nearest wall.
“That’s probably for the best.” At least my laughter distracted me from how damn much I wanted Ezra, a feeling that continued to grow through the afternoon of media appearances and sound checks. But I was also busy with security business, going over plans with the venue personnel, checking into concerns, and it wasn’t until midway into the concert’s second set that I had a moment to stop rushing around and actually pay attention to the show.
And luckily, I was more or less alone in one of the backstage wings when Ezra introduced the next song.
“I bribed the band into this one,” he said to much laughter from the audience. “But I’ve had this oldie-but-goodie in my head for two solid days. Figured I’d inflict my earworm on the rest of you.”
My breath stopped cold in my lungs as he launched into an old folk song. The same one that had been playing in his St. Louis hotel room when I’d fucked him. Him remembering the song was sweet enough, but singing it to thousands simply to serenade me was maybe the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me. I tried to memorize every note, the way his voice wavered and held, the way he could draw out the most plaintive of notes and make me feel like he sang for me and me alone.
A tremble raced through me. I’d survived more than one warzone, but I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to survive Ezra Moon. And hell if I could pull back now. I’d never wanted something so potentially bad for me so damn much. I should have been running, not applauding along with the rest of the audience, and definitely not dreaming up how to thank him for the gesture later.
Chapter Eighteen
Duncan
As the show came to a close, I still hadn’t come up with the right way to say thank you to Ezra. Not that I had a ton of opportunities, what with him rushing through the VIP meet-and-greet and a fast clothing change and shower in the now-fixed dressing room.
“You didn’t have to do that song,” I said as he toweled off his hair. And okay, that was probably a pretty terrible intro to showing my gratitude. “But thank you.”
“Like I said, it’s been locked in my head the last two days.” He met my gaze, held it, and my pulse quickened.
“Mine too.” I glanced back at the open door in time to see Kate bustle in.
“Ezra. Tell me you’re well enough for the after-party.” Her tone was somewhere between pleading and codling. “A reporter I need you to make nice with is going to be there.”
Ezra’s eyes darted in my direction. I had no choice but to subtly nod. I wasn’t going to stop him from what he needed to get done, no matter how much I’d been looking forward to some alone time back in the hotel.
“Fine.” Ezra huffed a breath, then painted on his usual affable smile for Kate. “I suppose I can make a brief appearance. But then I want to get some sleep before the bus leaves in the morning.”
“Look at you all reasonable and concerned about your bedtime.” Kate laughed before clicking around on her phone.
I was also concerned about Ezra’s bedtime, but I couldn’t say a thing. Even nodding might give away too much, so I busied myself with collecting his bag and ensuring the security arrangements were set for the club. The popular place was packed when we arrived, with a roped-off line of hopefuls waiting to get into the club and multiple bar stations doing brisk business. The band got to skip the line, naturally, and we were ushered to a VIP lounge in the second story of the club. House music blasted, and a table had been set up with an assortment of appetizers. As usual, Kate made sure no one would go hungry, and the festive atmosphere was contagious, making me forget about how long the day had been.