Tristan shook his head. “Horrible. People will wonder if we’re a bad porn movie or a group ofstrippers.”
“I know,” Aidan squealed, making four pairs of eyes zero in onhim.
“Dude, did you just scream like a little girl?” Duke teasedhim.
“Fuck you.” Aidan laughed. “Knight’s Edge would be perfect. A play with the wordsnightand Tristan’s name,Knight. Plus, and I don’t fucking believe I’m about to say this, Tristan’s a better guitarist than The Edge, so it’d befitting.”
Tristan guffawed at the suggestion, but his laughter died out when the others didn’t join him. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You guys likedthat?”
“The Edge is my personal guitar hero, man. If I say you’re better than him, I mean it. You’re a fucking genius,” Aidanexplained.
“I like the sound of it. Knight’s Edge.” Duke nodded, elongating the syllables as if savoring them. “It’s got a good ring toit.”
Noah smiled. “I love it. It’s settled. Ms. Izzie Anderson, I give you Knight’s Edge.” He bowed and indicated his band mates with a sweeping movement of hishand.
15
Izzie
Strollingalong Beira-Mar Norte boardwalk toward her hotel, fingers laced through Tristan’s, Izzie gazed out into the setting sun. Up until she came to Florianopolis, she considered LA’s dramatic sunsets to be unbeatable. She was wrong. The huge ball of fire descending into the turquoise swaying waters in front of her had to be the most fascinating sunset she had everwitnessed.
They slowed to a stop and she welcomed the warmth of Tristan’s body as he encircled her in a loose embrace, turning her body to face the horizon, and standing behind her. She leaned back, their bodies fitting like pieces of a puzzle, and rested her head on his chest. She wished they could fit together that perfectly again. Both had built their lives thousands of miles apart, both had family responsibilities they would never shy awayfrom.
As if reading her mind, Tristan whispered, “Life never gets easier, doesit?”
She shook her head, not trusting hervoice.
The sun hung on the horizon, its upper half reflected in the waves creating a hypnotic opticalillusion.
Tristan broke the comfortable silence again. “It’s like the song says, love. We’re not the same, but we can be like one. We’ll find away.”
Izzie’s heart flipped a couple of cartwheels at the endearment. It took her a moment to process the meaning of his words. She abandoned her contemplation and swirled inside hisarms.
“God, I missed this look,” she whispered, locking her fingers behind hisneck.
He hooked his fingers on her forearms. “This old thing? I’ve got this shirt for a bargain at themall.”
“Silly. I mean your eyes. I missed the way they twinkled when you looked atme.”
“I know what you mean. I missed you.Period.”
He dipped his head and she met his mouth halfway. Even though she would have gladly torn at his clothes and jumped his bones right there and then, Izzie was aware they stood in the middle of a busy boardwalk, on a balmy late summer afternoon. She didn’t want to land injail.
Sighing, she pulled away and held his stare. He smiled. “I’d better get you to that hotel room before I get usarrested.”
“My thoughts exactly.” She giggled, then yelped, when he scooped her up in his arms and jogged across the avenue before the pedestrian crossing light turned red. “You cave man, put medown.”
“Your legs are too short. I’m in ahurry.”
He could be stubborn, so she leaned her head on his shoulder and enjoyed the ride. The hotel marquis popped up a couple of yards ahead of them and she begged, “Put me down. I don’t want to cause ascene.”
His arms tightened around her, and she thought he would argue her point, but he settled her on the floor. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her behind him, “I wouldn’t make it easier for the paparazzi. I’m still in a hurry,though.”
“I hearyou.”
Izzie spotted a couple of photographers standing at the far corner of the hotel lobby, close to the restaurant entrance. Tristan’s huff signaled he had seen them too. Luckily, they didn’t have to wait for the elevator. They climbed inside the metal cage and Tristan pushed the penthouse button a couple of times before Izzie swiped the key card to authorize access to thatfloor.
She stood on her tip-toes kissed and kissed his cheek. “Don’t be so hard onyourself.”
