Page 17 of Stolen Voices

Eli rubs his jaw, deep in thought. He stands abruptly, confusing me with his erratic behavior. “I’ll let you finish getting ready. You know where to find me.”

I nod, finding myself locked into a staring game with him again. We watch each other with careful eyes for a beat before Eli breaks eye contact and stands. With the move, his rich sea water and woodsy scent infiltrates my nose, and fills my head with all kinds of inappropriate thoughts.

As casually as I can, I lean away and hold my breath, refusing to let myself sniff him like a dog in heat. I can’t go down that road again. That road leads to fantasies of Eli pressing his hard body into mine as he fills me so completely with his thick, hard cock.

My cheeks heat, and the temptation to press the cold pack to my forehead is strong. I turn away and toss the compress on the vanity.

Eli grabs his jacket and heads for the door. He cracks it open and turns back. His eyes catch mine in the mirror. “Earlier, when I was in the bathroom listening…”

“Yeah?”

His eyes bore into mine, penetrating me down to my soul, and for the first time, Eli shocks the hell out of me with a compliment. “You sounded beautiful. You should sing like that more often.”

Before I can respond, he’s out the door, sucking all the air from the room and my lungs with him.

“You sounded beautiful.”

As his parting words replay in my head, I’m knocked off balance and left breathless. But my insides? Those are turned into molten lava. His words having affected me more than his hand on my hip ever did.

five

Eli

Ohfuck.

The music starts and Callie bends over. She shakes her ass and then touches the ground with her palms before dropping into what I can only describe as a come-fuck-me squat. One at a time, her knees pop wide open to the beat, and my dick jerks to life.

Why the fuck is she wearing nothing but nude leggings and a fucking sparkly leotard?

I rip my eyes away and take a few deep breaths. As casually as I can, I button my suit jacket and adjust my slacks, alleviating the tightness that seems to grow with every second of this dance rehearsal.

For the past week, it has been impossible to accomplish any work. I’m going to kill Hudson for forcing me to sit through this torture. I can feel my control slowly slipping away with each day I’m here.

Hell, my control almost snapped when I watched Callie that day in her dressing room, as she lay on the couch singing. Her angelic voice hits me like a fist through the ribs, reaching in and gripping my heart with a squeeze. When the tear slipped down her cheek, it took everything in me not to pull her into my arms and hold her.

There’s this deep-seated need in me to learn everything about her. I’m desperate to crack her head open to find out what made her so sad and fix it. I’ve never heard someone singSomewhere over the Rainbowwith such pain and sadness before. I thought it was a hopeful song, but now I’m not so sure.

It’s been days, and her beautiful voice still rings in my ears like a singing little bluebird on my shoulder. I knew she was talented, but experiencing the sound of her raw, emotion-fueled voice in person stirred something inside me. I’d be a liar if I said it was the song, but it wasn’t. It was her.

I could kick myself for telling her she sounded beautiful and should sing like that more often. The way her eyes popped out of her head in surprise made my stomach ache with regret. Have I really been that much of a dick to her all these years?

Yes,my inner asshole declares.

The music stops, and I watch as the choreographer calls Callie over, instructing her on a certain move. One of the backup dancers approaches and places his hand on her lower back, dangerously close to her ass. Unexplainable, one-hundred-percent unwelcomed anger bubbles in my chest, and the urge to rip that guy’s fucking hand off consumes me.

My phone rings, and I answer the call without looking, “What?” I bark.

“Don’t shout at me, fucker,” Mason growls on the other line. “You’re the one who asked for my help.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose and take another deep breath. My feelings are all over the place, and my dickishness is showing. “Sorry, Mase. I-I… Never mind. Is everything set?”

“Yep. My contact at the security company says everything is online. His crew finished last night, and he sent me the link for the camera feeds. I’ll send it to you now. Can I ask why you need surveillance at the rehearsal space?”

“No.” Something about the way Callie looked off into space when I asked about the accident with her shoe had me digging. I only got more suspicious when the shoe that broke mysteriously disappeared.

I also investigated the incident where Callie got locked in the changing closet under the stage. According to the stagehand I talked to, the temperatures below the stage are dangerously hot. With all the lights and equipment above creating heat, the air conditioner can’t do its job. If Hud hadn’t been keeping a close eye on Callie, there’s no telling how long she would have stayed missing and… I don’t even want to think about what could have happened to her in that hot closet.

Mason sighs, but he respects my need for discretion and doesn’t push for more information. He trusts I’ll talk to him when it’s necessary. “It’s ten cameras, and since it’s temporary, he said you only have to pay for the labor and, of course, any damages that might occur.”