After Alana freshened up, Mitch held her hand and led her from the bedroom. The conversation at the dining table softened. Even Leah, Kate, and Ryan’s wife, Julie, who had gathered in the kitchen, had turned from their gossip session to stare at them.

Alana squeezed his hand, and her nervousness made him smile. The atmosphere was different from any other time he’d had a woman behind the scenes with the band. Usually, they wouldn’t pay her attention or acknowledge the sleazy X-rated noises that would’ve been the back track to their conversation. This time, the room churned with two parts uncomfortable silence and eight parts suppressed laughter.

“There’s my dirty girl,” Kate called from the kitchen, raising her half-empty wine glass in salute.

Julie gasped, Leah took a sip from her glass to hide her smile, and his closest friends chuckled.

“See, I wasn’t the first person to highlight the latest prayer session.” Blake shot him a smirk. “I didn’t realize you were religious, bro.”

Mitch grinned back, undeterred. “I’ve definitely found heaven.”

Alana groaned. He glanced down to see her darkened cheeks and her gaze focused on the floor in front of them.

“I’m right beside you, if you hadn’t noticed,” she whispered, barely moving her lips.

“It’s a rite of passage, sweetheart. Just go with it.” He leaned down and placed a kiss below her ear. When he pulled back, she had one brow raised, and her shoulders were straight, ready to take the room head on.

“I don’t blame you, girlfriend,” Kate continued. “Now that you’ve finally experienced what the hype is about, I doubt you’ll continue with your celibacy.”

“Oh, Christ,” Alana murmured, dropping his hand. “I need a drink.” She stepped around him, her arms outstretched at her sides as she maneuvered and bumped around furniture.

Mitch stared at her retreating form, at the beautiful long hair cascading down her back, and the way her hips swayed in feminine beauty. A knot formed in his chest, and he fought the urge to rub his sternum. Kate was right. He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of it earlier…probably because his cock had taken over his life. Alana hadn’t experienced the pleasure sex provided before. He remembered what he’d been like as a teenager. Once he’d popped his cherry, he went around trying to pop everyone else’s. It was a new and exciting experience.

Something she would want to experiment with.

Something she wouldn’t want to wait around for.

Something Alana shouldn’t have to wait around for.

He exhaled slowly, hoping to alleviate the pressure under his ribcage. He couldn’t ask her to put her life on hold while he did the new album promo. Or the upcoming tour, for that matter.

Who was he kidding? His lifestyle didn’t come with a happily ever after package. Ryan and Julie were proof of that.

Mitch continued to watch as Alana took a glass of white wine from Leah and proceeded to gulp the contents. He ignored the slide of a chair against the tile floor and didn’t turn his gaze away from her until Blake nudged his shoulder.

“What’s wrong?”

Mitch glowered and shook his head. He didn’t want to talk about it. He didn’t even want to contemplate what would happen when they left tomorrow.

“Alana seems like a top chick. Have you made plans for what will happen once we leave?”

Blake read him like a book.

“We’re only having a bit of fun,” Mitch lied. It was more than fun. More than passion. More than addiction. Alana was under his skin, and he didn’t want to let her go.

Blake gave a derisive snort. “Oh, OK. So you won’t mind me trying to have a bit of fun with her too?”

Mitch turned to the smug expression on his friend’s face. Blake was trying to push him into admitting how he felt about Alana, but Mitch wasn’t that gullible. Not when the likelihood of them having a future was slim to none. He enjoyed humiliation as much as the next guy.

He turned away, focusing his attention back on Alana and the way she spoke softly with the other females in the kitchen.

“Tell her how you feel,” Blake murmured. “I’ve never seen you like this over a woman before. Don’t let her go. She seems like a keeper.”

Mitch smoothed his hands over his face, rubbing away the tension. Although his career didn’t allow for it, he felt the…yearning sounded too sissy, but something similar told him it was time to settle down. The thought of coming home from months on tour to a wife and family seemed like a fantasy always out of reach.

He could see himself with Alana. He’d never contemplated a future with anyone else before, yet it came easily with her. With vivid clarity, he pictured how stunning she would look in white, the gleam in her eyes as he carried her over the threshold, and the way she would nurse a child.

Shaking his head, he ground his teeth together. She might be the perfect image for his future, but the timing couldn’t be worse. Her life had just begun. She still wouldn’t be able to fully grasp the opportunities the world had to offer—or the men who would eagerly fall at her feet.

“It isn’t that simple.” He wished it were. God, how he wished. If he had a normal life and a normal career, things might work out. But he didn’t. His life was on the road, over numerous countries, and in and out of recording studios and rehearsal sessions.

“Love never is.” Blake patted him on the shoulder and walked away, heading for the ladies in the kitchen. Mitch followed, ignoring the bite of jealousy when his friend spoke to Alana and brought a beaming smile to her face.

No. Things between them would be too complicated. Exactly the type of scenario both of them didn’t need right now. The best he could hope for was a little more time spent with her in his arms and an amicable farewell.

* * *

Two hours later, Alana sat on the balcony of the hotel suite with another glass of wine in her hand. She couldn’t remember how many she’d had, but her cheeks flushed with intoxication and her heart now beat in a slow waltz instead of the thunderous staccato she’d experienced for the last few days.

Since leaving the bedroom, she’d only spoken a few words to Mitchell, and her mind enjoyed the relief from the constant barrage of lust and love-filled thoughts. She’d also given up on trying to talk herself out of loving him. It took too much strength. They fit together too well. They meshed perfectly.

“Is everything all right between you and Mitch?”

Alana lifted her gaze from the glass in her hand to Leah’s darkened face. The woman’s voice held a hint of concern. “Yeah…I guess so. Why?”

Leah looked away. “No real reason, I suppose. He just seems down.”

Alana watched the glint of a wine glass raise to Leah’s lips before it descended again.

“Earlier, when you both…ah…came out of the bedroom, he was happy. More happy and carefree than normal. But over the last few hours, every time I go into the kitchen, he’s sullen and detached.”

Alana took a sip of her drink and squinted toward the side of Leah’s face, trying to sharpen the darkened image. The inability to read people’s expressions drove her crazy. She’d had to learn to concentrate more closely on the emotion in their voice.

“Do you want me to speak to him?” She felt stupid asking the question to someone who knew Mitchell better than she did.

“No.” Leah shook her head. “It’s probably nothing. I just get edgy when the guys aren’t themselves, especially when we’re about to go on the road.”

Ryan’s wife, Julie, let out a burst of laughter, and they both turned in her direction. Kate’s soft chuckle came next from further along the balcony.

“Wow,” Leah whispered. “I can’t remember the last time she laughed. Hell, I can’t remember the last time she smiled.”

“Really?” Julie had been quiet since their two-second introduction. They hadn’t even shared a conversation. Apart from the clouded outline of a tall, slim woman with blonde hair, Alana knew nothing about the rhythm guitarist’s wife. “I assumed she must be upset about Ryan leaving to go on the promo tour.”

Leah laughed without humor. “No. She prefers when he’s away. Over the last year, they’ve done nothing but fight.”

“Oh.” Alana had nothing else to say. Ryan seemed like a nice guy. A damn attractive, wealthy, and talented nice guy.

“Come on.” Leah rose from her chair and held out a hand in front of Alana’s face. “Let’s go inside and chat it up with my boys. Maybe Mitch will cheer up when you’re around.”

The staccato flutter came back to life under her ribs. The mere thought of being near him sent her blood racing. “Sounds good.” She gripped her now empty wine glass in one hand and allowed Leah to help her up with the other.

Half an hour later, she understood what Leah had meant about Mitchell. Alana didn’t need her sight to notice the difference in him. He was distant even though they now sat side by side on the sofa. He still touched her, still kissed her cheek with affection, and spoke to her often, yet each time he did, he lacked his usual enthusiasm, as if his heart was no longer fully involved.

Maybe the mood change stemmed from the pressure of their upcoming album release and the nights he would spend away on the promo tour. She didn’t know him well enough to judge. She wished she did, though, because every time he exhaled a heavy breath, it felt like she was one step closer to losing him forever.

“What are you doing before you leave tomorrow?” She nestled her head into his shoulder and snuggled close. They hadn’t discussed anything beyond tonight, and her heart grew more demanding, needing to determine if they would spend more time together before he left.

“I’ve got promotional obligations for most of the day.”

Her chest clenched, and she nodded to distract herself from the disappointment.

He slid his arm around her shoulder and pulled her a little closer. “Late morning, we’re doing a pre-recording for an interview on the Daybreak Breakfast Show. Mason refuses to arrive at anything before eleven, so we have to tape it tomorrow for the following day’s show.”

She turned her head to look at him and raised a brow. “Nothing before eleven? Really?”

“When you’ve got as much money and pulling-power as the all-famous Mason Lynch, you can kinda make whatever demands you want.” He shrugged. “Then in the afternoon we’ll visit the local drug and alcohol rehab center.”

“Really?” Every day, almost every hour, he had her in awe at how different he was from her mother’s portrayal of men. Pride melted her heart.

“It’s something we try to do often. Especially since the near miss with the fan OD’ing. We like to show our support and reiterate that Reckless Beat doesn’t condone the misuse of alcohol or the use of illegal drugs.”

No, this man definitely wasn’t what her mother described.

“Don’t look at me like that.” He chuckled.

She focused on the bright white of his smile and frowned. He read her so well already.

“It’s mainly about exposure and to get the haters off our backs. The ones who think we encourage kids to take drugs.” The smile faded, and the shadows from the light behind him made it hard for her to read his expression. “I enjoy it, though. It puts things into perspective. And if spending a few hours with people who are doing it tough is all it takes to ease the shit in their life, even for a little while, then I’m happy to do it.”

“You’re a wonderful man, Mitchell.” She turned further into him and placed a kiss on his cheek.

He grasped the back of her head and held her close, their lips barely an inch apart. “I love how you say my name.”

“And I love saying it.” She kissed him again, this time on the lips. “You’ve opened my eyes and changed my life, in only a few days. I can’t thank you enough for that. I can only imagine what you do for others.”

He didn’t respond with his usual passion. The burst of lust didn’t hit. Instead, he stroked a hand through her hair and let out a heavy sigh. “You’re special, Allie.”

Her stomach dropped, not at his words, but at the resigned tone.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” she pleaded, framing his cheek with her palm.

“Nothing, sweetheart.” He tilted his head into her hand. “Just tired, I suppose.”

It was more than lack of sleep. He was shutting her out, and she didn’t know why.

“Do you want me to go? Kate and I can call a cab.”

“No.”

She inhaled slowly. Deeply. At least his tone held a comforting fortitude. If it wasn’t for his somber mood, she might actually believe him.

“What are your plans for tomorrow?”

She frowned at the change in subject, but let it slide. “I need to go back to the optometrist for a check-up.”

“Shit. I completely forgot.”

“It’s OK. My sight is getting better, and Kate has the day off work, so I’ll be fine to get there.” She rubbed his chest to soothe the tension radiating from him. “I also want to determine if living in Richmond for a few months is feasible…and I plan on calling the Bowens and meeting up with them again. My mom has been the only family I’ve ever known, and I need to find out if I really am related to these people. I wouldn’t forgive myself if I walked away not truly knowing if they were telling the truth.”

His posture stiffened. “When do you plan on seeing them? You shouldn’t go alone.”

“I’ll be fine. Truly. I’m not going to do anything stupid.”

The tension in his body relaxed slightly, and she continued to soothe him with light strokes of her fingers down his chest.

“Plan it around lunchtime. I’ll try and get out of the breakfast show gig as soon as possible and come with you.”

Her hand paused, emotion freezing her movements. His sincerity and concern touched her more than she thought a man’s interest ever would. “You don’t need to do that.”

“Please, Allie.” He squeezed her tight. “Let me do this one last thing for you before I leave.”

The reminder of his departure dried her throat to the point of pain. She cringed at the things he could learn about her from the meeting with the Bowens. Although she hadn’t hidden anything from him, she didn’t like announcing to the world that her life was forged from heinous adversity.

“Promise me you won’t go without me.” He lifted her chin and peered down at her.

She nodded, swallowed.

“OK.” He brushed his lips against hers. “Let’s go to bed. I want to make love to you this time.” He ran his fingers through her hair and held her in place. “I want to take my time. I want to taste you, savor you, and have you fall asleep in my arms.”

Alana blinked away the burn of forming tears. Although he hadn’t said it, she still heard for the last time at the end of his declaration.