Page 105 of Sweet Distraction

He finally looks like he’s where he belongs.

With his bandmates. With his daughter. And heading to do what he loves.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Willow

The floor of the arena shakes beneath my feet.

The bass coming through the speakers thunders through my chest.

The lasers and lights spin crazily through the darkness.

And the crowd? They’re absolutely feral.

Tens of thousands of people packed into this giant arena are screaming and singing and moving like one big wave that surges up over and over again.

And in the middle of it all, standing center stage, owning what feels like the universe, is BENT.

Hawkin may be singing, but it’s Rocket my eyes are trained on. Shirt drenched with sweat. Hair wild and damp. A complicated array of keyboards and synths constructed around him that he moves fluidly from one to another as needed.

His hips move with the beat. His mouth curls into a smirk when he joins in with the other guys and growls out the chorus. God help me. The man knows exactly what he’s doing up there.

It’s not just music.

It’s foreplay.

Or at least that’s how my mind’s spinning it.

“Hello, Atlanta. How we doing tonight?” Hawkin asks when the song’s done. The crowd works itself into a frenzy replying.

“I don’t think they’re ready for us,” Vince says.

“No one ever is,” Gizmo joins in as he taps his drumsticks a few times.

“But we’re ready for you,” Rocket says. “Let’s get loud tonight, yeah?”

The crowd roars.

My stomach flips.

Rocket knows precisely where the camera crew is and winks directly into the lens, so it’s shown on the giant video screens that flank both sides of the stage.

A small part of me swears it’s at me.

Yes, I’ve fallen under Rocket’s charm.

I’m toast.

Beside me, Poppy bounces with her pink headphones snug over her ears. She looks absolutely adorable and strangely, as if she was meant to be here. She’s clutching her little rabbit and smiling so hard her cheeks might break.

I tap her on the shoulder and give her a thumbs-up sign.

She nods fast, curls bouncing, eyes wide, and grin growing. My heart squeezes at the sight.

We dance sillily as the song plays on, and with my eyes trained on Rocket.

This whole tour life? It’s absolute chaos. The different hotels and tour bus miles and different cities, but this right here, right now? It’s magic.