Page 6 of Everything In Between

She laughs, and I want to cover my ears with how shrill it is. “Only time will tell. It was lovely to see you.” She leans forward and air kisses either side of my face. Waving to the reporters and the paparazzi lingering nearby, she disappears as quickly as she came.

I watch her go and take a deep breath, trying not to let the obvious photo-op get to me. I can’t wait to be home in bed with some Oreos and a jar of peanut butter. This may be the last awards show I attend in person for a while. The games everyone plays is tiresome.

“Come on, your car is waiting,” Kelsey murmurs, placing her hand on my shoulder and steering me away.

I go willingly with her, but pause when again, the same awareness I felt up on stage tickles the back of my neck, urging me to turn around. Pausing, I scan the room. My breath catches when my gaze falls on a pair of amber eyes a few yards away from me.

Hayes Vogt.

I step toward him, urged by a magnetism I attribute to my brother’s request for an autograph.

Surely that’s all it is.

Kelsey grumbles in annoyance at the interruption, and she says to Bethany, “I hate these events.”

However, I ignore her mutterings, loving watching the way Hayes notices my focus on him and maneuvers around the people between us. A few people call his name, drawing his attention from me, but he doesn’t let them get in his way, saying a few words to them before turning his eyes back to mine.

“Jersey, come on. We’ve got to go,” Kelsey admonishes me directly.

My eyes are glued to the broad shoulders and determined stare of the man who’s making a valiant effort to get to me. An urging sensation deep in my bones forces me to stop.

“But—”

Kelsey’s arm around my shoulders steers me in the opposite direction of where I want to go. Against my better judgment—and I know I’ll be getting an earful about this later—I spin out of her grasp and take two wide strides until I’m standing in front of Hayes, meeting him halfway.

Earlier when I saw him on stage, I could tell he was tall, but now I’m struck by how much bigger he is compared to me.

Even in my tall, strappy heels, I have to crane my neck to stare at him.

We’re close—maybe too close—but I can’t seem to find the urgency to step back.

His aftershave, or his cologne, or something, tickles my nose with its spicy scent and I want to lean a little closer to pick up the notes hidden within the blend.

“Hi,” I whisper, breathless.

“Hi.” His voice is deep and raspy, and it sends a cascade of goosebumps down my arms.

Hayes has a strong jaw covered in light brown scruff but groomed neatly. The muscles in his face split into a wide grin as he regards me with kind eyes. Butterflies erupt in my belly in a way that makes me pause. It’s a strange sensation I haven’t experienced in what feels like a lifetime.

I encounter people all the time, but I never seem to have this kind of reaction on a first encounter. They’re always excited to meet Jersey Matthews, the pop star, but somehow, by the glint in his eye, I know this man is excited to meet me—Jersey Matthews, the woman.

What an intriguing phenomenon. I feel delightfully dizzy with that realization.

“I don’t have much time—” I hurry out, glancing over my shoulder to see Kelsey glaring at me with her hands on her hips.

My cheeks feel warm when I turn back to him and I press one palm against the side of my face, needing to cool down.

“This is so embarrassing, but my brother made me promise to get your autograph if I saw you tonight.”

Something unidentifiable crosses his face, and his lips curve up in the corners. He reaches into the pocket of his suit coat and pulls out a blue Post-it pad and a pen, which he uses to scribble his autograph.

“Here,” he says, pulling the top one off and handing it to me before scribbling on the next one and giving it to me, too.

When he hands me this second Post-it, our fingers brush and a buzzing sensation travels up my hand.

I jerk my hand away as if I’ve been burned and look down to see a series of numbers scrawled in almost illegible handwriting and his name.

“Autograph for your brother. My phone number for you. Text me when you’re free.

Which . . . is a long shot, but hopefully you’ll find a few minutes sometime. ”

I tilt my head up again, raising my eyebrows in surprise, wondering if this moment is real or if I’m dreaming.

I’m met with the intensity of his amber eyes, like warm sunlight or autumn honey.

As they flicker over every feature of my face, I find I can’t help but love being the subject of his attention.

He’s looking at me as if I’m the most valuable trophy he’s ever seen.

A subtle heat sizzles between us, threatening to rise if we linger too long.

Grasping the notes in my hand, I raise it and nod. “I’ll text you.”

A smile breaks out across his face, revealing perfectly straight white teeth. His whole face seems to light up with that one smile and another current of excitement travels through me. “I’ll be waiting.”