With a long exhale, I try to pull myself together.
“It’s so much more than I ever imagined,” I finally manage to say.
Talon’s face breaks into his stunning smile, and I throw my arms around his neck. I’m on my toes because I can’t reach otherwise, and in my very own movie moment, Talon wraps his arms around my waist, lifts me into the air, and spins me around.
“I’m so fucking happy you’re here,” he whispers against my lips.
“I’m so fucking happy to be here…withyou,” I tell him truthfully. “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he says without hesitation, and God help me, I believe him.
He sets me back down on my feet and takes my hand again.
“Come on, we don’t want to be late.”
I rely on Talon to guide me the rest of the way because my head is whipping from side to side, digesting the sights before me.
Upon our arrival at the theater, there’s a long line of patrons down the sidewalk, stomping their feet to stay warm as they wait for the doors to open.
I’m prepared to wait patiently; it’s all part of the experience.
But Talon has other plans.
He leads me to the front doors, where two men in suits are standing guard. Upon seeing Talon, they both offer handshakes before pulling the doors open.
“Enjoy your night, Mr. Devereaux.”
“Thank you, Dominic,” Talon replies to the man on the left, offering the man on the right a smile and a nod as he places his hand at the small of my back, guiding me through the door.
“Friends of yours?” I ask, recognizing the jealousy in my voice, too late. I’ve never been jealous before. Never had someone I cared about enough to be concerned that someone else might take them from me.
Tugging lightly on the tie at his throat, Talon says, “They, uh, work for me.”
“What? You meanhere?”
“Um…” he stalls, looking uncomfortable. “Yeah.”
My brain connects the dots quickly.
“You own a theater on Broadway?!” I manage to keep my voice down, but it still comes out as a shriek.
Talon nods. “I told you I loved theater the day we met.”
“You remember that?” I ask, totally bewildered.
“Of course. I also remember right after that, you accused me of being a gym bro,” he adds, planting a kiss below my ear and sending shivers down my spine.
Sliding my hand to his pec, I give it a light squeeze.
“You can see how I might’ve arrived at that conclusion.”
“Talon! I heard through the grapevine you’d be here tonight,” a feminine voice rings through the air, making me drop my hand and try to step back, putting a respectable distance between Talon and me.
He traps me against him before I can move, however, andhe laces his fingers together at my lower back, embracing me in a hug, my torso pressed against his.
“Sounds like I’ll have to prune the grapevine,” he mutters to me before addressing the woman in front of us. “Hello, Dahlia.”
Oh boy.
