Rock-a-Bye, Baby

The house lights were down, but they’d also taken the stage lights back up a notch, so they weren’t blinding. I stepped closer to the edge of the stage and dropped to my haunches so I could take a few of the hands reaching out to me. As I was standing back up, I glanced all the way to my left and my eyes locked on a black-haired beauty standing just inside the VIP area.

My gaze was practically glued to her; I couldn’t seem to tear my eyes away. I wandered in her direction and when she realized I was staring at her, her perfectly plump lips opened in surprise. Her eyes widened, but it was still too dark for me to surmise the color.

My verse came to an end, and Brooklynn played an interlude. I knew I needed to get back to them, but I wasn’t ready to look away yet, so I backed up slowly until I had no choice but to pay attention to where I was going so that I didn’t trip and make an ass of myself.

It took everything in me to break the connection between us. However, when I closed my eyes as we started the chorus once again, it was her face I saw as I poured emotion into my performance.

My voice blended with Levi’s and Brooklynn’s; our harmonies tight until we all broke off into different melodies.

As the song came to an end, they faded out and it was just me singing about my hope to find a love like theirs. Something in me was whispering and despite the volume in the arena and the song streaming from my mouth, it was clear.

It was telling me I’d found it. Her.

The concert finally came to an end, and the normal after performance high was on a level I’d never felt before. I practically ran off stage but skidded to a stop when Brooklynn stepped in front of me, a giant smile plastered on her face.

“That was amazing, Griff!” She yelled as she threw her arms around me. I didn’t bother trying to hug her back because a second later, she was gone, and I would have looked like a complete idiot hugging air.

Levi had her tucked under his arm and tight to his side, and he was giving me a deadly glare. I grinned and winked at his wife, just to get under his skin. Normally, I would hang around and give him shit about being whipped, but I was on a fucking mission.

“You two were incredible,” I said as I started moving again. “I owe you.” I threw the last part over my shoulder and jogged to the stage door that emptied out into the VIP area. But I needed to stay out of sight while I looked for her or I would be mobbed. I opened the door as much as I dared and tried to study each face in the crowd, but I wasn’t able to spot her.

I was about to say fuck it and walk out into the slowly dwindling crowd when I heard Bex’s voice. “Hey, Griffith.” I felt a tug on my arm. I shook it off, intent on continuing my search. He repeated my name, and I turned my head to glare and snap at him, but he stood there with a raised eyebrow and his arms folded across his chest. “Meet and greet, man.”

“Son of bitch,” I cursed. I’d forgotten about the fan get-together. “Shit, shit, shit.” Bex’s brow rose to his hairline. I loved the fans and was usually the first to head out to meet them. This little party had even been my idea since it was our last night.

That was before I saw her.

I really wanted to say fuck it and ditch out to find the black-haired beauty who would haunt my dreams. But I couldn’t do that to my loyal fans. “What’s going on?” Bex asked.

I sighed and shook my head. Then, with one last longing look at the crush of people, I shut the door and reluctantly followed Bex to the lounge where everyone was waiting. When it was over, I was going to go through every ticket and every minute of security footage until I found out who she was. I’d even convince Drew, the hotel owner, to lend me his head of security to help. Drew would understand my instant obsession considering he’d felt that way about his wife when they met.

We neared the room and despite the sound of talking and laughter coming through the doors, I had a hard time drumming up any enthusiasm. Bex threw me another questioning glance, and I just shrugged. I plastered a fake smile on my face and sauntered into the room.

Cheers erupted, and my grin became a little more genuine. “That was an epic last show, Griffith!” Autumn, Drew’s wife, gushed as she threw her arms around me for a hug. Before I could reciprocate, I was left embracing air, and Autumn was tucked tightly under her husband’s arm while he glared daggers at me. I couldn’t help smiling cockily but took a respectful step back.