I bit down on my bottom lip, almost surprised by the laughter I could feel bubbling up from inside.
I felt . . . good.
Better than good.
Amazing.
Free.
As if a little bit of myself had been unchained tonight.
Immediately, my attention was dragged to the wings of the stage.
Drawn.
Compelled.
As if I could sense the power of the potent, decadent gaze. But I guessed that I really could. Because Royce was there, barely concealed by the curtains, staring back at me.
Our gazes met in a tangle of confusion and need.
My heart stammered a reckless beat.
I wanted to refuse to believe his presence had any bearing on my holding it together during tonight’s show. Wanted to dispute the idea that I’d somehow found the peace I’d been missing with the knowledge that he was standing nearby.
Watching.
Protecting.
But I didn’t have time to contemplate all of that right then, so I handed my guitar to one of the stagehands and headed toward the wings with the intent to put him fully out of my mind.
Wishful thinking.
Every step that I took got slower and slower the closer I came to where he was standing, caught up in the gripping energy that pulsed and shivered and shook me to the core.
God, this was crazy.
Crazy that a single man could evoke this reaction in me.
Our shoulders touched as I passed.
A bolt of electricity streaked through my body.
I sucked in a staggered breath, my pulse thudding out of sync.
Oh God, what was he doin’ to me?
Melanie was instantly at my side, and I ducked my head, trying to tear myself from the magnetism that pulled me in the opposite direction.
“Girl, you killed it tonight,” Melanie gushed. “You are back on top, right where you belong. Goodness, the entire place was going mad over you. That last song . . . you are ridiculous.” She waved her hand emphatically. “It shouldn’t be legal to be able to sing like that.”
She didn’t even pause before she shifted gears, right back to business. “Let’s get you to the green room. You have ten minutes before VIP ticket holders will start to be let in. Grab some water, pee if you need to, shine up your nose. Maybe wipe that ridiculous grin off your face.”
With the last, she knocked her hip into mine, and I found myself giggling.
It felt so right.
“You want me to stop smilin’ now?” I asked as we jostled through the chaos happening backstage.
“Hell, no. It’s the first time I’ve seen you this happy in ages. I was getting worried about you.”
“I told you I was fine.”
Only now it actually felt like it might be true.
We ducked into the green room, and I went right for the bucket filled with ice and waters, cracked the lid off one and guzzled the entire thing.
Richard, Rhys, and Leif piled in behind us.
Rhys threw a fist in the air. “Yeah, baby girl, you killed it tonight! Did you feel that? Holy shit, energy was out of control. Our girl is unstoppable!”
Redness flushed my cheeks, and there was nothing I could do to stop my grin, hope brimming wide. Threatening to overflow. “I don’t think I couldn’t have felt that,” I admitted with a disbelieving shake of my head. “I don’t think there was a person out there tonight immune to it.”
“That’s because it was fuckin’ brilliant. Off the hizzle. Hittin’ ’em hard with the sizzle.”
Yeah, Rhys actually rapped it, sliding his hands like he was skipping a record.
Leif shook his head. “Melanie was right. We’re leaving you at the next city.”
Richard chuckled a little, roughing a hand over his sweaty face, his attention sliding to me, casting me in a warm glance.
Affection.
Relief.
I knew my brother was as thankful as I was that I’d somehow managed to find my groove.
“Five minutes,” Melanie called.
The guys were grabbing waters, so I popped into the small dressing room that really wasn’t more than a closet and dug my phone out of my bag so I could snag my own pics with fans.
It was something that had always meant something to me, the scrapbooks I made with the pictures I took with fans. I loved capturing these moments of the band. Our faces and expressions after a show. The encounters with the people who supported us most.
Phone in hand, I dipped back out. Leif and Richard were standing face-to-face, two of them enthralled in a conversation, Leif gesturing wildly. Richard nodded emphatically.
Clearly, they were discussing one of Leif’s epiphanies. The guy was so creative. Hit with ideas that flowed from him like a handwritten story.
On the other side of the room, Rhys had Melanie tossed over a shoulder, throwing her around in some kind of celebration that I was pretty sure she was gonna make him pay for later.
I’d put down money that Rhys didn’t mind paying the price.
I grinned at the scene.