“I’m so sorry.” Anna sat beside her. “I didn’t mean to go off on your dad like that. I just ... I couldn’t stand the way he was talking to you, and I lost it for a second, but it totally wasn’t my place to say anything.”
“Don’t apologize,” Eden said quietly. “You were ... amazing. Really.”
She was staring at Anna now, and there was an intensity in her gaze that Anna didn’t dare name, but it knocked the air from her lungs inan audible whoosh. Eden’s pupils were wide, and she was breathing so fast, andoh God, what was happening right now?
Adrenaline. It was just adrenaline from the scene with her parents.Don’t be silly, Anna. She’s told you she’s straight!
Eden leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, and now they were sitting way too close. Anna could see a bluish makeup smudge beside Eden’s left eye, and she fought the urge to reach out and smooth it away. For a moment, neither of them moved, their gazes locked as powerfully as the spotlight that had lit them on the stage earlier that night.
Abruptly, Eden looked down at her hands, which were shaking. And she was still so pale, alarmingly pale.
Anna straightened. “Eden?”
“I’m okay, just an adrenaline crash and probably low blood sugar. I didn’t eat dinner ... too nervous.” She gave Anna a wry smile before she bent forward and fished a protein bar out of her bag.
Anna, you idiot, while you were fantasizing about kissing her, she was sitting here trying not to pass out.She tapped Eden’s wrist in gentle reproach. “And you were out there givingmea pep talk before the show. You didn’t tell me you were nervous too.”
“I did, actually,” Eden said as she tore open the wrapper. “I told you I still get nervous before every show. I didn’t tell you that opening night hits me hardest, because that didn’t seem helpful right before you went onstage, or that I was feeling the pressure of my first show after the worst year of my career, but you already heard it from my parents, so ...”
“I’m sorry.” Anna had been so caught up in her own nerves, she’d never stopped to think about how Eden was feeling. She’d just assumed Eden was as cool and calm as she always seemed to be. But they’d never discussed the recent bumps in Eden’s career either.
“It is what it is.” Eden took a bite of the protein bar. She chewed and swallowed, then darted a glance at Anna. “And my parents are ...well, we’re mostly estranged. I see them once a year or so, and it usually goes about like that.”
“They were so condescending. I just ... gah! How can they not realize how amazing you are?”
Eden smiled around another bite of the protein bar. “No one will ever convince them I know how to manage my own career, but I did enjoy watching you try.” She popped the last bite of the bar into her mouth and stood. “Anyway, I need to change, and then we both need to go home.”
“Yes,” Anna agreed, casting one last glance over Eden’s shimmery gold dress. God, she was beyond hot tonight, and Anna really,reallyhad to put a lid on this attraction before it boiled over and ruined everything.
Eden gave her a soft smile that set Anna’s heart racing, and then she went into the bathroom, pulling the door shut behind herself.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Anyone gambling today?” Paris looked up from her plate, sweeping her gaze around the table.
“Not me.” Eden reached for her tea. They were a week into the tour now, and it had been a whirlwind so far. The beginning of a tour always involved enough press to make her head spin, in addition to the performances themselves and readjusting to life on the road. Today, they were in Las Vegas. She, Paris, Anna, and Kyrie had gathered for lunch in Eden’s suite.
For the first time since opening night, Eden didn’t have any press obligations this afternoon. She planned to curl up in bed with her Kindle and spend the afternoon reading and drinking a lot of tea with honey. She’d done entirely too much talking—and singing—this week, and she’d been performing long enough to know she needed to stay ahead of the inevitable strain to her vocal cords.
“I’d like to,” Kyrie piped up. “I’ve never been to Vegas before, and I’d love to go put a few quarters in the slot machines. Want to, Anna?”
Anna pursed her lips, looking thoughtful. “Tempting, but I’m kind of tired. I think I’m going to take it easy until showtime.”
“Probably a good idea,” Kyrie agreed.
“But you should totally go if you want,” Anna said. “I don’t need you for anything this afternoon.”
“Same for you, Paris,” Eden chimed in. “You two should go see some of Vegas.”
“Really?” Paris asked. “You’re sure you don’t need me?”
“Positive,” Eden told her. “I’m not planning to leave my suite.”
Paris looked at Kyrie. “Want to?”
“Yes,” Kyrie agreed, and they began making plans as they cleared the remainders of lunch from the table. Paris was explaining that slot machines didn’t actually take quarters anymore. It was all digital now. She was an endless source of random information.
Eden sipped her tea, staring into its amber depths. Her mood had been ... off ever since the tour began, and she wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t sadness or even exhaustion. She felt vaguely unsettled, like none of her routines were bringing their usual sense of comfort.
