Shhhhh.
She nodded.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on,” he said quietly, his gaze serious as he looked at her. “You sing like a whiskey-tinged angel. And you’re a smart fucking business person. And I spend nearly every minute of the day thinking about how much I want to kiss you. That you’re trying hard to be sensible about it just makes that hotter, I promise.”
She swayed against him, wanting to wrap her arms around his neck and pull their mouths together again. But the blind spot in the corner of the couch wasn’t big enough for that, and the chances of getting caught were too high. Instead she patted him on the chest and smiled as he shifted away from her.
But he didn’t go far. He caught her wrist as he slide over, and he held her hand between them long enough for the warmth of his body to dance through her fingers and up her arm, filling her with a bright, light heat.
Like maybe holding hands was even better than kissing.
Then he looked at her mouth and the heat twisted inside her, the flames licking higher. Okay, maybe not. But damn…both were pretty incredible.
Sensible.
Sure. They could pretend that they would be sensible about this.
Chapter Sixteen
DEAN thoughthe’d like the outdoor festival, but like the concert in Washington, it was jam-packed full of other performers, and unlike Washington, they were all arriving and leaving at different times. Liana almost got hit by a tour bus tearing out of the parking lot, and even before they got backstage, he was on edge.
Their crew had gone ahead, setting up in the prep area just behind the mainstage. There wasn’t a green room or dressing area, so Brad radioed to one of her roadies and they got the heads up when it was time to head to the stage—which all sounded good in theory, but it meant that Liana was majorly stressed by the time she was five minutes out from performing.
Dean wanted to pull her aside and give her a hug. Wrap her in his arms and shut out the noise. Well, he couldn’t hug and kiss her, but he could physically block it out. He hooked his fingers gently around her upper arm and turned her around, tucking her into the shadow behind a stack of speakers. With him standing in front of her, she was essentially alone for at least the moment.
“Close your eyes,” he said quietly.
“Visualize my success?” she asked, her lips turning up slightly at the corners. He tried not to think about other, more effective ways of making her smile. Sigh. Moan.
“Exactly.” The word was rougher than his first instruction, and she blinked up at him.
“Close them.”
“But that sounded like you might be thinking about something dirty.”
“Shush.”
“Tell me later?”
“Definitely. Now think about that crowd. They’re totally into your song. You own them.” He pictured himself as he watched her, and his voice got lower, rougher, more raw. “You hold them in thrall. You’re a queen.”
She inhaled, more deeply this time, and held it for a second. A slow exhale followed, and then again, in and out, twice more. When she fluttered her eyes open, she was smiling with her entire face.
She wiggled to a beat that only she could hear and he stepped back.
“Good to go.”
“Uh huh.” She looked him up and down. “In thrall?”
She was going to use that against him later. He couldn’t wait. He tucked his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans and winked at her. “Definitely.”
That got him a secret smile and a whispered thanks as she slipped by.
— —
Liana grabbedher water bottle from where she’d set it on the speaker and gave Jackie anall’s goodthumbs up. It wasn’t, really. After two good shows, she was suddenly wound tight again.
Plus now she had the worry about tensions flaring in other directions as well.
