Breasts swelling against her bra, Kit fought off a responsive shiver as her battered heart begged her to stand firm on one beat… and to give in on the next.
Be with me.
Schoolboy Choir’s afternoon performance went off with a bang. Dressed in rock-appropriate knee-high boots and a strapless dress in glittering gold that barely covered her butt and had caused Noah to suck in an audible breath when she walked out of the bedroom, Kit had just as much fun this time around as she’d had the night before.
Beside her, Molly cried when Fox sang the song he’d written for her, the one with which he’d proposed onstage during the tour.
Kit couldn’t help but feel a stab of envy.
Molly and Thea were so lucky. Their guys were theirs—no questions or doubt. Totally devoted. Fox saw no one else when Molly was in the room, and David’s face just lit up when he found Thea in the crowd.
Kit wanted that for herself. And she wanted it with the gorgeous man onstage who wanted to be with her… without being with her.
“Hey.” Molly, her curvy body clad in a sexy halter-neck dress, wrapped an arm around Kit’s back as the band segued into another song. “What’s the matter?” Gentle words, a tone that held infinite care. “The situation with Noah?”
Kit nodded and left it at that. The rest was too painful, too private, to share. “Noah said there was going to be a party tonight.”
“Yeah.” Molly spoke against her ear to be heard over the thumping pulse of the music. “Plan is to party with the crowd a bit, then move on back to the marquee.”
That was exactly what they did when night fell. Kit laughed and danced with the concertgoers and her friends… and Noah, his hands possessively on her hips as he danced behind her. Heart in her throat and skin so sensitive the tiniest brush of his arm against her own made her inner muscles clench, Kit was barely aware of Butch and Casey’s watchful presence.
When their group did finally make it to the backstage marquee, the party continued on.
“Oh, shit.”
Noah’s quiet but vehement exclamation had her looking up at him. They were standing against one “wall” of the marquee, her back to his chest and his arm around her waist as she nibbled on the hot, salty fries she hadn’t been able to resist—dancing was exercise, right?—and he drank a beer.
“What is it?”
A nod. “Sarah.”
Her eyes widened. The only Sarah she knew who’d get that kind of a reaction from Noah was Abe’s ex-wife. From whom Abe had parted in a very, very messy divorce. She’d come after him with the kind of anger a woman only showed when she was either a vindictive money-grubbing bitch or she’d been terribly hurt.
Kit’s bet was on the latter. Because while Sarah had always been a little standoffish, Kit had also seen the other woman looking at Abe with a hopeless, painful longing in her eyes. That didn’t explain why she’d hooked up with some other guy only months after their separation. To hurt Abe? Or maybe to try to get over a man Kit would bet Sarah hadn’t truly wanted to divorce. Then again, you never knew what went on inside another couple’s relationship.
Following Noah’s line of sight, she spotted the tall woman with lush brown skin speaking to Esteban. Of mixed Puerto Rican and African American descent with a Japanese ancestor thrown into the mix, Sarah had highly distinctive features. Kit had always found her to be one of the most beautiful women she’d ever seen—it wasn’t cookie-cutter beauty, but striking. You remembered Sarah.
Her hair was all wicked curls that Kit loved, but Sarah often wore it straightened, as it was tonight. As for her body, it was a knockout. She had both serious curves and serious tone to her. In modeling terms, she’d be a plus size. In real-world terms, she was the kind of woman who, in another time, would’ve been a pinup.
The last photo Kit had seen of Sarah had featured her with a baby belly, but then had come the sad news of a stillbirth. Hurting for her, Kit had sent a condolence card and flowers. She hadn’t been sure Sarah would welcome a visit since they’d never been as close as Kit already was to Molly, despite the fact she’d known Molly for a shorter period. It was as if Sarah had always had a wall around her, a cool, remote distance that made getting to know her difficult.
“Where’s Abe?” she asked, putting the rest of her fries aside on a nearby table.
Noah swept the room with his eyes. “On the other side.” He looked down at her.
She nodded. “You go make sure he stays there, and I’ll talk to Sarah.” She would’ve gone over to say hello anyway, but now she’d be running double duty. No one wanted Abe and Sarah to meet up. The last time that had happened, it had been in divorce court, and from what she’d heard, the atmosphere had been both volcanic and glacial.