“Th-thanks everyone.” His voice had deepened, and white-hot desire shot through me, remembering how it had reverberated against my throat the time we’d made love. “We’re Neverstorm, and we hope you enjoyed tonight’s performance. Find our music on all the streaming platforms. We look forward to playing here again. Keep up with what we’re doing and where we’re going on our website.”
The silky white curtain fell, dropping a barrier between the stage and the crowd.
I sagged with relief. So many foreign emotions swirled through me that for a moment, I wanted to text Lana, who’d stayed home to study for a midterm exam, and tell her everything.
Viktor leaned toward me. “Still feeling unwell?”
“Yeah,” I muttered, angry at myself for not being able to shut the memories and emotions away.
“Didn’t like their music?” His eyebrows drew together, but I couldn’t see his eyes since he still wore the sunglasses.
“Hatedit,” I said through clenched teeth.
He snorted. “Really? I thought they were rather good. That singer’s got a lot of potential if he can manage to keep himself clean. Seemed a bit too relaxed, in my opinion.”
I shrugged, not wanting to discuss Paxton and his band any longer, desperate for a change in subject.
The silhouette of a person through the curtain saved me from responding. They stood behind the drumset and raised their hands, crossing their drumsticks. With a quick, graceful drop, the curtain came down and Kyle, his smile wide, tore into his set, beginning the Macabre Maniacs’ most well-known song as the other members strutted on stage.
I enjoyed the concert, despite the taint Paxton had thrown over the night because I was determined to push him from my mind.
Kyle, always energetic, established the beat for each song, sometimes flashing his pierced tongue as he hammered away, sometimes standing and throwing a drumstick to the crowd.
After thirty minutes or so, the keyboardist played a solo.
Kyle swigged a bottle of water, then rushed across the stage and leaped down to the empty aisle separating the audience from the stage, where security and photographers worked.
He sauntered down the walkway, his eyes searching the front row. When they landed on me, he grinned, then threw a hand around my neck and planted a kiss on my lips.
In shock, I could only stand there for a second. He’d never been so bold before, not in public, and I fought the instinct to pull away.
I opened my eyes, wondering how many people could see.
Up above me, standing to the inside of the stage, half visible behind the curtain, stood Paxton, his stare zeroed in on mine.
Something petty and ugly rose within me, and I wrapped my hands around Kyle’s neck, pulling him closer, opening my mouth and letting him take whatever he wanted, my gaze still locked to Paxton’s.
His fist clenched and his lips tightened, then he pivoted away, stalking into the darkness of backstage.
Good. I hope you got the message, asshole. I’m so over you.
I closed my eyes and tried to focus on Kyle’s warm lips, but for some reason, my triumph didn’t feel triumphant.
Deep inside my chest, where I should’ve felt a spark of passion or excitement, only a deep ache throbbed, as if it remembered what I’d lost all over again.
Blinking away a tear, I pulled my lips from Kyle’s and pressed my face into his neck, hating the fact I still thought about the boy who broke my heart while being held by another man.
Chapter twenty-five
Paxton Ross
Evenwithmydulledsenses, a burst of adrenaline hammered my heart as I stood there, hiding on the stage, watching Cotton Candy as she caressed Kyle’s neck with a long kiss.
That couldhave been me if I hadn’t sold my soul for a dream.
Everything faded away, the screaming crowd, the bright lights, even the cooler temperature against my sweat-soaked skin. The only bright thing standing out was the girl—now a gorgeous woman—standing thirty feet away in a yellow dress, her hair wild and frizzy, her deep, soulful eyes locked onto mine.
“Hey, come on, Paxton.” Katrina tugged on my elbow from behind. “Let’s go back to the bus. We need to head out soon to make it to Flagstaff for our next gig.”
