Someone slides by behind me, and I have no choice but to take a step toward Declan. His beachy, salty scent hits my nose. It takes everything in me to keep from following that smell right to his throat. He’s way too tall for that, anyway.
I’d basically have to climb him.
There are photographers and reporters back here. Someone would get a picture, and that’s a nightmare waiting to happen.
“Yeah, let me change.” I nod, taking off down the hallway.
Holy shit.
We are entirely too compatible for me to be close to him when my system is all out of whack. Apparently, the only acceptable thing to do in this situation is to run away.
Declan holds the door open for me as we exit into the hallway following my interview. It’ll be an online piece about up-and-coming bands in the rock genre, but with a focus on female lead singers. There aren’t exactly a ton of us, though I would love to see that change.
If I can inspire even one kid to follow their musical dreams, then I’ll be happy. Then again, the reality of touring has hit me harder than I expected when we first landed our contract. It’s gotten better now that I don’t feel so alone, but I’m still exhausted.
To get back to the side with our greenroom, Declan and I have to take the hallway just behind the stage. This venue is set up a little like an uppercase H, with the stage as the cross. The greenrooms line the bottom half, while the top parts of the hallways go past the cross, giving the fans space to wait for the bands to come offstage. At least, the ones with backstage access.
It’s easy to tell when Liminal finishes their performance. The screams of the lingering fans get exponentially louder.
We still have about twenty feet to make it to the hallway that cuts over to the side where we need to be, and rather thanhanging around offstage, Liminal must be making their way toward us.
There’s no other reason the crowd would be backing closer and closer. Man, I hate it when there’s not enough security to properly corral everyone.
I stop dead in my tracks as I try to determine if we can make it to the hallway we’re aiming for before the masses make it to us.
Declan comes to a stop at my side, sighing heavily. I’m not sure what kind of shape I would be in at this point if Damian and Ravvi’s dad hadn’t assigned me a bodyguard just for me. Ruined Records has solid tour security, but some of the venues are huge, and there have been a couple of hairy situations.
Declan wraps his arm around my waist. “Come on. Let’s see if we can beat the masses.” He takes long strides, guiding us forward. It gets so loud that my senses scream to speed up to try to bypass all those people. Some of the fans closest to us back down the hallway, not paying attention, but it gets so much worse so fast.
Declan uses the arm wrapped around me to shove a guy away before he can back into me, though there is still a crush of people headed straight for us.
“Mal, sign this!”
“Over here, Kincaid. I’m your biggest fan!”
“Riser, can I get a picture?”
So many different voices all screaming for their attention. Being on the outside looking in, it’s even crazier than being one of the ones they’re surrounding. There’s no way we’ll make it to the hallway to cut over. Not with everyone moving so fast as they converge on our location.
Declan curses under his breath, and his hand on my hip tightens. He pulls me in front of him and directs me toward the wall. My back lands against it as my eyes widen, but my headfails to connect with the brick solely because Declan palms my skull.
“Gonna have to ride it out,” he grunts, flattening against my front.
It’s pure chaos as the crowd starts passing us.
He’s being jostled around even worse than I am. There’s no way he’s not uncomfortable.
Some people become dicks when they spot their favorite celebrity. They lose touch with what’s going on around them and hyperfocus on getting what they want. It’s understandable, but frustrating.
Declan looms over me, and I can’t look away from his crystal blue eyes. His jaw clenches as he’s shoved into my front.
“Are you okay?” I ask, projecting my voice over the obnoxiously loud crowd.
He grunts, his hand tightening on the back of my head as he’s once again rammed into me. With so many bodies passing by, it should be impossible to pick out his beachy scent, but I swear it’s all my nose can pick up.
I wiggle a little closer, and a shiver runs through my entire body as I breathe him in. My thighs clench, and I groan at the unexpected wave of cramping that rips through my abdomen.
I face-plant into Declan’s chest, fighting back the whine that rises in my throat.
