Page 99 of Jude

Later, when the band bowed out after two encores, flowers, confetti, and even a few pieces of lace underwear rained on stage.

Amused by the unadulterated passion of the fans and charged up by the show, I went along with Mason and Nari into the green room.

I found Jude packing away his gear while holding court with suit-clad label executives, followed by a quick Parisian press interview and a flurry of album signings.

I stood aside, witnessing the whirlwind around him with awe.

When he finally turned to grab his flight case, his green eyes locked onto mine.

He extended a calloused hand toward me, his gaze cutting through the crowded room.

I approached him with a shy smile, stepping close.

‘You were magnificent.’

‘First time you’ve seen me live onstage, babe?’

I nodded, still taking in the electric atmosphere, his gravitas, the huge production, and the press swarm hanging on his every breath.

He slid a muscled arm around my waist and hauled me flush to his side, burying his face in my hair as his lips pressed hard on my temple.

‘Too much?’

I glanced up into his intense gaze and shook my head. ‘No. Just perfect.’

‘Shall we roll, and escape it all?’ he growled, his thumb tracing the curve of my hip through my clothes.

My pulse spiked as he took my hand in an iron grip.

He maneuvered us past his security detail and out through a private side entrance, shielding me.

Back at our hotel, we ordered Baileys and espresso affogatos to be sent to the suite.

We took them out onto the stone terrace as the sprawling beauty of Paris unfolded before us under the moonlight.

With my glass chalice in hand, I leaned on the wrought-iron railing, studying him.

The adrenaline from the show still radiated off him in waves.

I set aside the decadent dessert and stepped closer, emboldened by the romance of the city, and reached up to rest my hand on the hard muscle of his upper arm.

‘I meant it, Jude. You own that stage.’

Jude’s eyes gleamed, turning to liquid fire.

He set his cup down on the stone ledge with a clink and stepped close, towering over me until the night air vanished between us.

His hand slid up the nape of my neck, his calloused fingers tangling in my hair, tilting my face up to his.

‘I don’t give a damn about owning the stage, Sofia,’ he rasped, his hot breath sweeping over my mouth, making my knees go weak. ‘The only thing I care about is if you enjoyed it.’

‘I more than did.’

He bent his head, his mouth coming down with a fierce, possessive intent that made my breath catch in my throat.

I parted my lips, waiting for the bruising claim of his kiss.

At the last second, his restraint won the war.