“Oh yeah? What word would you use?”
He grinned. “I’m not concise enough to capture it in one word.”
He shifted me to the couch and grabbed his guitar.
His grin turned slightly sheepish for a second, but then he closed his eyes and started to sing.
It wasn’t like most of the songs I’d heard him perform. It was slow and sexy and captured the yearning and impossible intensity of first love.
I’ll be dreamin’ of you for the rest of my days.
You’re my first.
My last.
My always.
I had no interest in grand romantic gestures and being serenaded was high on my list of horrifying experiences I hoped to avoid.
But this wasn’t that.
He wasn’t singing for attention and he looked uncomfortable now that he’d finished.
He was feeling something. The same something I was. And the only way he knew how to express it was to put the words on paper and let the melody carry it out.
I kissed the man I’d fallen hopelessly in love with, pretending for just a moment that we could live in the fantasy we’d created in these stolen months.
He’s not for you, Maia.
22
ZANE
Now
* * *
“Did we just kidnap an escort?” Kelly hadn’t said much with words since coming back with Maia’s passport, but he said it with skeptical looks and concerned glances in my direction.
We’d been at altitude for a while, and I expected the tension to ease once I knew she couldn’t run away again, but new knots twisted in my shoulders. I’d been so determined to make sure she stayed, I hadn’t stopped to think about what her staying would mean. I wasn’t willing to open myself back up to that kind of pain again.
Kelly snapped his fingers because I was staring blankly instead of answering him. “You’re freakin me out, man.Did wejust kidnap an escort?”
I tried not to laugh at how genuinely worried he looked. It wasn’t funny, but the whole situation was just so ridiculous. “Kidnap is a strong word…”
He jerked forward on his seat. “Bro, I trust you with my life, so I did what you asked and didn’t say a fucking word. But I need to know if she’s okay with this.”
“It’ll be fine. She said she’d spend the weekend with me. We just didn’t have a chance to get into the specifics of where. She might be a little pissed at first, but she’ll get over it.”
He was still looking at me like I’d lost my marbles. “You seem awfully sure about the reaction of someone you just met.”
“We’ve met before,” I admitted, knowing there’d be no hiding it once she woke up. “It was a long time ago, but I know she won’t do anything you need to worry about.”
He came to sit next to me. “You’ve been…different lately. Are you sure you’re good to start the tour?”
I held my breath for two seconds, then couldn’t hold it anymore. “Fuck no, I’m not good, but now isn’t the moment to back out. Think of all the people’s jobs on the line, all the millions of tickets sold, our reputation with our fans, all of it.”
He took my hand without looking at me, something he hadn’t done in a long time. “None of it matters if you’re not okay.”
