Page 44 of Before Eve

West puts his hand over his heart. “It has a dream-like quality to it like it’s meant to settle someone’s soul.”

He hit it perfectly, and I love that.

He shifts then, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out an envelope. He hands it over as he steps around the equipment and sits down beside me.

“What’s this?”

“Since we’re on a year-long tour, I thought you might like to decorate your guitar case with stickers from all the places we’ve been.” He motions to the envelope. “You’ll find Nashville in there and New York. Chicago and Detroit. Every other place we’ve been as well. Plus here, Columbus.”

I open the envelope and stare inside at the colorful stickers. What an unbelievably cool idea and very kind gesture. “Thank you, West.”

He shrugs. “It’s not much—”

“They’re perfect.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely.”

“Cool,” he says, giving me a shy grin that has got to be the best one I’ve seen on him yet.

“Yeah, cool.”

He looks over at my guitar case. “Shall we do them now?”

“Sure.” I move the guitar off my lap and put it back inside its case. West pulls it closer, scooting in behind me as he does until our bodies are just a fraction from touching. The soundboard is behind us and the equipment is all around us, cocooning us in our own private world. I take in a nervous breath and hold it as he reaches around me and inside the envelope to pull out a sticker.

“Where do you want it?” he whispers, and I catch a hint of shakiness in his voice that tells me he’s also nervous.

But I don’t answer, because I’m not sure I can.

He shifts closer still, leaning in, and his lips graze my ear. “Breathe,” he murmurs, and I let out a shaky breath.

“K-kind of hard to do when you’re doing that,” I admit.

I feel his lips curl against my ear, and on instinct, I shift a little to give him better access. He moves down just a fraction to take an oh-so-gentle nibble. Wonderful warmth washes through me, and I soak it in.

Lightly, West rubs his nose up the side of my neck and back down. “Mmm, you smell delicious.”

“Dove soap,” I mumble and then realize what a stupid thing that is to say.

He slips my ball cap off, and I take and hold another breath.

“Breathe,” he reminds me again, pressing a kiss to my jaw.

I do, inhaling a raspy one. “West…”

He continues nuzzling. “Hmm?”

“I can’t think. I can’t breathe.”

“Do you want me to stop?”

Do I want him to stop?

“No.” I’m not ready for this to be over.

“Good, because I don’t want to, either.” Snaking his arm around my stomach, he turns me and pulls me sideways right up onto his lap. I death clench his bare arms and draw in a deep breath, temporarily mute.