She was dimly aware of him unknotting her wrist and gathering her against his body. The air-conditioning was a welcome relief from the heat burning across her skin.
“I love singing for you, Kate.”
“You must have pulled some strings to get the candles in here.” Hotels had a ton of fire regulations. But Cid often had a cigarette in his hand too. Obviously the fine for smoking in the rooms didn’t worry him.
Kate trailed her fingers through Syon’s chest hair. He was toying with her breast.
“One of Cid’s more useful job components.”
She tried not to stiffen at the mention of the road manager, but he chuckled and sat up.
“When I write music, I like stuff turned off. It gets me in the zone. The candles set the mood.”
His expression had softened.
“Neat.”
He pressed a kiss against her lips. A slow, seductive kiss that made her sigh. “Stay right here.”
He rolled off the bed, and she rolled onto her side to watch him. He moved across the room and sat down in the corner. He picked up the guitar and slung the shoulder strap over his head, taking a moment to type something on the laptop that was nearby.
He looked up, his lips curving when he caught sight of her.
“Stay just like that.”
He started working the strings. His face became a tapestry of concentration, his fingers forcing his thoughts into notes. The tempo increased, and her heart accelerated. She was tapping the surface of the bed with the rhythm, feeling like she was part of the creation happening right in front of her.
When he pulled out the last note, he opened his eyes and grinned at her.
“Show me how you’d move to it.”
She rolled out of the bed and landed lightly on her feet. “Hold on.” Kate pulled a dress from the closet and shrugged into it. Her shoes were also unpacked, and she pushed her feet into a pair of black heels. One of her corset tops was there, with the latches, and she closed it right over the dress.
“Now I’m ready.”
The dress only fell to midthigh. Her lack of underwear didn’t bother her. Syon started again, this time turning up the volume. He made the guitar squeal, working the strings until she was gyrating with the rhythm.
“Yeah…fuck yeah…”
He was off the stool, bowed back as he worked the instrument and made it perform. There was a glint in his eyes and a sensuous set to his jaw. She was pulsing, moving with the music, letting it inspire her.
“That fucking rocks.” Ramsey was suddenly there, pushing his way toward Syon, his own guitar in hand. “Cue it up again.”
Ramsey peered at the laptop screen before setting his fingers on the strings. He looked up at her and licked his lower lip.
But a moment later, he joined in, switching his attention to the screen to read the music. Syon took the lead, but Ramsey kept pace with him like they were part of the same being.
They reached the end of the song, and there was suddenly a round of squealing from behind her.
“This is so hot!”
“I want to party!”
Ramsey actually scowled at the two girls chugging beer near the doorway. “We’re working. You both gotta go.”
Taz and Drake were suddenly there, pushing the girls toward the door, their expressions serious.
“Hey, how come we can’t stay?”
“Why is she staying?”
Taz put them through the door and closed it firmly. He flipped the lock and walked over to look at the laptop. He started nodding his head as Drake unrolled a thick mat that was an electronic set of drums.
“Cue it up.”
She felt like a third wheel, suddenly unsure if she belonged. Syon looked up. “Dance again, baby.”
“Yeah,” Ramsey agreed.
The music started again, and she let her doubts dissipate with the beat. It was time to live in the moment.
And it was a fucking epic moment.
* * *
“You’re a goddess, Kate.”
The ache in her neck was suddenly worth it. Her fingers were swollen, and she had pricked several of them, but Syon was standing in front of the mirror in new pants. He turned and looked at his backside as Ramsey came out of the back bedroom.
“A fucking leather goddess!” Syon added.
“I would have bet on the sausage hound doing a better fit, but you smoked his ass,” Ramsey said as he joined Syon. “Must be all her personal knowledge of your person.”
“Which I don’t have of you,” Kate said.
“Not my fault.” Ramsey sent her wink.
There was a rap on the door, and Cid strode in. He swept them both up and down quickly. “About time those got done.”
Kate bristled. The road manager missed it because he had eyes only for Syon and Ramsey.
“Got a reporter down the hall who wants an interview.”
Syon nodded and started toward the door, but Cid put out a hand to stop him.
“Let’s talk about image.”
Ramsey turned to eye the road manager.
“No steady girlfriends. It cost me a fortune to get those pictures of you kissing her pulled.”
“Wait…you paid to have them pulled?” Kate asked.
Cid didn’t even glance her way. But Syon did. Kate turned away, feeling like a knife was buried in her chest.
Google it? What the fuck was that worth if Cid was going around paying the paparazzi off?
“Let’s give the fans the dream life. It doesn’t include playing house. Okay? Great.”
Cid carried on as though she wasn’t in the room and pulled open the door. There was a frenzy of people out in the hallway. The air of excitement was tangible as concert time drew closer. Crew members and entourage folk were waiting to fawn over Syon and Ramsey. They had their tablets out and security headphones on. A makeup artist even had a mobile box hanging off her hip from a cross-body shoulder strap. She eyed Syon and reached into her box to pull out a blending square.
“Go blow her skirt up,” Cid added as the crowd seemed to pull Syon and Ramsey into it. He followed them out, never giving her a second look.
Kate busied herself with putting away her tools.
But she was pissed.
Liar.
Well, there was no way she was going to admit she was hurt.
Nope.
It still stung. She rolled up her tape measure and put it away, sweeping up some ends of thread from the surface of her worktable. Two more hides were set out, ones she’d decided would suit Drake and Taz well. But they didn’t call to her. She fiddled with her box of tools instead, trying to ignore what was chewing on her.
It was show night. The top floor of the hotel was teeming with an excitement that was tangible. The brigade of polo-shirt-wearing crew was in high gear as they set about making sure the next performance of Toxsin was spot-on.
She’d done her part, and it seemed that no one had any interest in her doing anything else. The hallways quieted down as more and more people left for the arena.
She twisted off the cap of a single-serve whiskey bottle from the minibar and realized she had never felt quite so lonely.
Or like Syon was so completely out of her reach.
She snorted at herself and tossed the contents of the bottle down the drain. New rule time, she decided. Rule number six. No pity parties. She nodded with satisfaction.
Now all she had to do was figure out how to stop breaking her own rules when it came to Syon.
* * *
“Brilliant again, mates!” Cid rolled into the backstage performers’ room, framed by two of his female employees. “All the chicks are tweeting about you. Ticket sales are popping as we speak.”
He extended his hand, and one of the girls laid his tablet into it. “Cid has more magic in store for the evening. First up is a club with an ice bar. I bet the manager you guys could raise the temperature.”
“I’m out,” Syon said, wiping away his makeup.