I nodded slowly, not sure why she seemed surprised. “I told you that before, sweetheart.”
“You did, but I couldn't help wondering if you’d still feel that way if a golden opportunity presented itself. You’d really choose me over fame and fortune?”
Maybe I should have felt hurt that she hadn’t trusted me. However, my heart softened, and I gently cupped her face. She was asking in all honesty because she didn’t recognize her own value. I promised myself that I would spend the rest of my life convincing her that she was worth it. That I would do anything, give up anything, be anyone, if that was what it took to keep her by my side. “Of course. It didn’t even cross my mind to accept his offer, sweetheart. The one thing I know without a doubt is that I belong wherever you are.”
Tears welled in her eyes, and she sniffed, but her blinding smile told me that I didn’t need to worry over her tears. That didn’t mean I liked to see her cry, though. “Don’t cry, Anna,” I begged as I used my thumbs to wipe away the moisture leaking from her green orbs.
“Happy tears,” she assured me with a laugh.
I frowned. “You’re still crying, and I don’t like it.”
She laughed and gave me a quick hug, then patted my ass and winked at me. “Get going, Mr. Storm. You’ve got a show to do, and then you need to take me home and spend the night making love to me.”
I snapped my feet together and gave her a quick salute. “Yes, ma’am!” I grabbed her hand and dragged her with me to the door that opened into my private box with a perfect view of the stage, muttering, “Let’s get this over with.” She laughed again, and the musical sound soothed my soul, filling it with joy.
After the final encore, the curtain fell, and I eagerly accepted the towel a stagehand had trotted out to give me. The last couple of tricks took a lot of strength and balance; it was one of the reasons I kept myself in such good shape.
I saw Anna waiting for me in the wings with a giant smile, and it lit me up from the inside. Before I reached her, the production manager jogged over and handed me a cell phone. “Knox,” she explained when I gave her a questioning look. I took the phone and winked at Anna as I held up a finger to let her know I’d just be a minute.
“Knox,” I greeted.
“Get to the security office,” he demanded. “Don’t bring Anna.”
I scoffed, “How exactly do you expect me to keep her from coming with?”
Knox let out a long, overly dramatic sigh. “Do I have to do everything for you people? Griffith Thorne’s show just ended. They haven’t met yet, so I’ll send my sister to take Anna backstage.”
My expression twisted into a scowl. I didn’t like the idea of Anna hanging out with the “ruggedly handsome”—or so I was told—rockstar. It didn’t matter that he was happily married.
“Just get your ass down here, Storm,” he growled. “You’ll thank me later.”
“What the fuck is going on?”
He hung up, and I stared at the phone with an irritated frown.
“Is everything alright?” Anna’s sweet voice drifted to my ears as she approached, making me smile.
I put my arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. “Absolutely, sweetheart. I just have to run over and see Knox, then we can get out of here.”
“Why?”
I scrambled to come up with an answer that would satisfy her so she wouldn’t insist on accompanying me, without sending her off to meet Griffith. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to come up with something fast enough before Belle, Thorne’s wife, came strolling down the hall.
“Anna!” she called with a grin. “I want you to meet my husband. I’m sure you’ll be working on PR for him soon enough.”
Anna looked at me uncertainly, clearly torn between wanting to meet the famous singer and sticking with me so we could leave as soon as possible. “Well, I have pla—”
“Go, sweetheart,” I encouraged her with a short kiss. “I’ll see Knox and meet you at the arena.”
She shrugged and grinned. “Okay!” Belle reached us and slipped her arm through Anna’s.
“Fabulous! Do you need to grab anything before we go?”
I waved Anna off when she glanced toward my dressing room. “I have it. I’ll see you soon.”
She blew me a kiss before letting Belle guide her away, both of them whispering to each other before they burst into laughter. I shook my head, smiling at how fucking adorable she was.
Five minutes later, I was changed and had both Anna’s and my stuff packed into one duffel. I slung it over my shoulder, locked my dressing room, and hurried to the security office.
Knox was sitting behind his desk with his feet up and his hands behind his head, staring at one of the monitors on the wall. He usually turned off the security feeds when someone entered his office, so I was surprised to see him leave it on. His head turned in my direction, but he just lifted his chin toward the screen and didn’t say anything.