Zayn turned and searched the crowd around himself, inevitably looking for me a few times. He dismissed me once. Then twice. The last thing I was sure he thought he’d see me in was a bright blue wig. But on his third time through, just as he was about to turn his attention back toward the stage, his gaze found mine in the sea of faces.
Slowly, he raised his head, and a weird tension formed in the air between us. I clenched the drink in my hand, about to start making my way over to him when I saw him curl his arm around the stunning blonde woman beside him. She snuggled closer, oblivious to the show he was suddenly putting on for me. He kissed her on the top of her head and pulled her into his side, all the while making eye contact with me. He used the extra ticket not for a friend, but for adate.
Awkward.
Okay, Gina. Give me all the strength you’ve got.
16
Liam
Iforgot the lyrics to my own fucking song. As soon as I spotted that blue-haired—and completely off-limits—goddess in my crowd, my damn mouth dried up, and my head went blank.
Lexie had told me Avery was going to bring the entire place onto their knees when they saw her, but I hadn’t thought she meant me.
I acted quick, holding the microphone out in front of the crowd with a half-smile, making a group of girls at the front wail a high-pitched scream. It was loud, even with my earpieces in. But not as loud as Avery with blue hair.
I twirled the black rose around, taking methodical steps across the stage. Hundreds of hands thrust in the air, blocking my view of Avery, which was a welcome distraction. My lungs took in a big breath of air, and then I sang the next verse, running the rose up and down my abdomen, as I had done a few dozen times. Women all over the venue screamed some versions ofpick meand other profanities that made me chuckle.
As I neared the edge of the stage, I spotted the hot brunette with the red dress exactly where Nikko had told me she’d be before I started the song. He’d described her perfectly. Nikko was very careful about who I kissed during “Nice Girls,” as he didn’t want me to end up making out with a minor or a girl who wasn’t interested. He would make his rounds outside before the show, talking with girls and checking their IDs. He used to make some cash back in the day, creating fake IDs, so he could spot the real ones from the fake. I thought the fans had started to catch on to what he was doing because after a while, the ones I gave the flower to always seemed to expect it. And the brunette was staring me down like she was ready to fuck me onstage.
But as I tilted my head, I had a direct line to Avery again, and my sights narrowed in on her and only her.
She wasn’t watching us play though. She was staring into the crowd with her guard up. Her hand gripped her beer bottle so tightly that I thought it might shatter. My eyes traveled up, over the swells of her breasts, seeing her shoulders tense and her face pale. Someone in the crowd was bothering her, and I was about to make it my problem.
I followed her eyes, trying to find the source of her pain, only to land on her asshole ex-boyfriend groping some chick right in front of her. My eyes darted back to Avery as I jumped off the front of the stage, making my way toward the back of the room. I ran my fingers through the waiting hands I could reach, my bodyguards doing their job as best they could, fighting off my beautiful and ambitious fans trying to claw their way to me. I nodded at the brunette in the red dress as I passed her by, and she pouted.
There was a moment, right before I reached Avery, that I came to my senses. But her body was like a magnet to mine. I couldn’t resist her pull. Not now. I’d come too far, and I was at the point of no return.
Danny’s sister. Danny’s sister.
Avery looked up, her soft and gentle blue eyes captivating me. My willpower shattered the moment she parted her lips.
“Fuck it.”
With two hands cradling the sides of her face, I silenced my thoughts and curiosity once and for all. I finally got to do what I’d thought about doing since she’d sewn me up last week—hell, I’d thought about it long before that. I got to feel her lips against mine, and it wasn’t anything like I’d imagined. It was better. So goddamn better. And I didn’t just kiss her perfect lips; I claimed them like they belonged to me and only me.
It was strange, kissing someone who didn’t know they were being kissed. Avery’s entire body froze at the initial contact. And then she pushed and pushed on my chest until her hand slowly twisted in my shirt and pulled me closer.
I could feel Zayn’s eyes on us, but I wasn’t just doing this for him. Avery was off-limits. This was the only thing I thought would break the tension between us—something to satiate my growing hunger. Screwing random girls wasn’t distracting enough anymore. All I wanted was to have her. Just once, so I could get it out of the way and move on with my life.
I knew I only had mere seconds, so I made the best of it, eagerly moving my lips against hers. A moan, lost in the chaos around us, vibrated against my mouth. The voracious need to hear what her moan sounded like made my hands grip the back of her neck tighter.
Then, she took me by surprise, dancing her tongue along the entrance of my mouth. I let her in and slid my tongue around hers in labored strokes, reveling in the warmth and sweetness.
It took a second for me to notice Danny was nearing the end of his solo, the sound permeating the storm of desire, and I realized I needed to break away to finish the song. I let my teeth drag over her bottom lip as I pulled away and brought the microphone up between us, leaving her lips wet and swollen.
“Yeah, nice girls don’t kiss like that,”I sang, touching my forehead to hers.
Avery’s heavy breaths echoed into the mic, and I shot Zayn a sideways glance, knowing he was watching. He looked broken and pathetic, just as expected, and I didn’t have an ounce of sympathy for him. The guy deserved it.
The guards with me were having trouble with the growing mob, so one tapped me on the shoulder, signaling for us to go. I released Avery and hurried through the crowd, immediately feeling the ache of her absence. Her taste. Her touch. Her scent.
I pointed Zayn out to one of the guards before he boosted me back up onto the safety of the stage, telling him to escort him out. With panic in my chest, I shot Danny a side-glance, but to my relief, he hadn’t noticed I just had my tongue down his sister’s throat. Too absorbed in his solo to look, I guessed.
Tic was oblivious to anyone but the music when he was playing, so I knew he was none the wiser.
Oh, but Lexie had seen. It was written all over her wide, obnoxious grin. I ignored her, finishing the song off stronger than ever.
