Page 28

CHAPTER 28

Zeb

It’s impossible to not feel the star power of Geo Graves in a room of thirty thousand screaming fans.

Even when we played for crowds of one hundred, he’d always had this way of connecting with an audience.

Making the performance feel personal, even though it was more or less part of his job.

His act.

He was always magnetic, warm, and inspiring, but watching him perform It’s Always Been You was an out of body experience.

Watching him fall to his knees, hand clutched to his chest, hearing the power in his voice, the love .

.

.

And then he looks at me.

In a sea of people, he looks at me.

And then he stands up, saunters his perfectly fine ass across the stage, and I can barely breathe.

Katy tugs at my hand, pulling me out of a tear-filled stupor.

“Must’ve been some kiss,” she whisper shouts in my ear.

She looks up at me with watery eyes, the glitter on her face lighting up from her smile.

Debbie pulls my attention from her daughter.

I wipe my wet eyes, noticing hers are teary, too.

We all are.

She reaches out, her fingers smoothing my vintage tee.

“He’s quite a gift, isn’t he?” she says, biting her lip.

“Yeah, he is,” I respond as she smoothes her fingertips over my frayed collar.

Her nails tickle my neck as she sighs.

“And all this time, I thought it was going to be Katy.” She laughs.

Katy laughs, too, and I can’t help but cry and laugh, too.

Joel hugs his daughter, shaking his head.

“What are you still doing here? Go! He’s waiting for you!” he orders, and I don’t have to be told twice.

I make my way through the crowd, heading for the side of the stage.

I flash my VIP pass, but the security guard doesn’t seem to buy it.

“He’s with me,” a deep voice echoes, and I look up to see the ominous Mateo Starr, decked out in black leather, hands slipped into his pockets with that stoic steely gaze.

He steps out from the shadows, nodding at the security guard.

“Of course, Mr. Starr,” the guard replies, and Mateo nods for me to follow him.

We stop just behind the stage, and I know he’s going to have to go on soon, and I need to find my boyfriend?—

“I’m only going to say this once, so listen close, Zebulon.”

I stare him down as he lets out a deep breath.

“Be good to him. He’s one of the fucking good ones.”

Before I can say anything, he holds his hand up.

“If you break his heart, I will come for you.”

His threat is not without levity.

The way Mateo Starr speaks, I totally believe he’d kill me.

And something about that is comforting.

Like a big brother protecting their younger sibling, and I think I understand now.

He took care of Geo for ten years.

He was a source of comfort and friendship, and all at once, I feel thankful for the lumbering man in front of me.

“Noted.” I offer him my hand.

“Thanks.”

He shakes it, his grip firm.

“Room seventeen,” he says, dropping his hand.

He slides his lanyard off and hands it to me.

I hold it in my hand, understanding befalling me.

My lips twist into a grin.

“Thanks, Matty.”

Mateo growls, flipping me off as he turns around.

“It’s Mateo to you!”

When I find room seventeen, I have to take a deep breath of my own.

My heart races, my pulse heated as I slide the card and open the door.

Geo stands in the center of the room, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

His gaze captures mine, and I shut the door, the mechanism whirring to tell me it’s locked.

It’s just us.

Now, and forever.

I walk up to him slowly and he makes no point to move.

“You were amazing up there,” I tell him as I lean in and kiss him.

I can taste his sweat and tears on his lips, and it’s a sweetness I never thought I’d know.

“You really think so?” he asks, innocently, as if he has no idea how powerful he is.

How utterly perfect he is.

He’s a fucking miracle.

“Yeah, baby,” I reply as I run my hands through his hair.

“How’d you get back here?” He leans his forehead against mine.

“Mateo let me in.” I smile.

I don’t miss the way his lips turn up into a grin.

“Oh, so you two have had your coming to Jesus moment?”

“Something like that.” I kiss him again.

“Are we good now?” he asks softly.

“I mean, I know I owed you for the Gardens, and then meeting my friends, and taking advantage of you—” His sarcasm is as sweet as it is sexy.

I kiss him with all that I am.

His lips move against mine slowly, and he opens his mouth, letting me in to caress his smooth, warm tongue as I hold him close.

“So fucking good,” I whisper against his mouth.

His hand slides in my hair, and I can feel the tungsten steel of his birthday promise ring cool against my neck.

When we break apart, he leaves me standing, heading for the fridge.

He brings a bottle of champagne out, his grin sexy and wicked.

“Thought you couldn’t drink champagne,” I tease as he pops the cork.

“Well, technically, we wouldn’t even be here had I not had champagne.” He shrugs.

“Seems appropriate.”

“Well, in that case,” I respond as he takes a swig.

His dark eyes are full of fire as he passes me the bottle.

“To champagne,” I say as I take my swig.

Geo sets his arm around my waist as I clutch the bottle to my chest.

“To champagne,” he whispers.