Simon passed the small group of people at the door. They yelled his name, some even screeched out that they were Sirens. He had a part to play and he was fucking good at it, but he just couldn’t. Not now.

Not with that vanilla ice cream-cool voice in his head. And then it was over.

He’d do well to remember that. That it was well and truly over. No part of them had been more than a memory. A hazy bit of lust.

How many times had he had just the same moment with other women? Fleeting lust and once he’d gotten to the naked and sweaty stage, there was no other allure. Shitty but true. The semi-pretend moment between two bodies that fed off pleasure and the rush of endorphins.

Then it was over.

She’d been just like he was with so many other women. The taste of it was as bitter as the dregs of a cheap bottle of whiskey.

One of a thousand reasons why he was a vodka drinker.

Clarity to the bottom of the bottle.

It was never anything more than it looked. Just like him.

He was a face.

A body.

A voice.

Most of the time that was enough. He had his friends and he had fame that had snowballed with every passing month. The scent of honeysuckle made him a little stupid, that was all.

So he’d fill his head with something else. Something that he did understand. He turned back to the doorway and saw her there. Filtered sunlight backlighting her until she was just a mouthwateringly curvy shadow.

A shadowy memory—as she should be.

He stalked toward her. The surprise on her face almost made him change direction. Her fingers curled tighter on her case. He didn’t stop, didn’t even look at her as he breezed by her and out the door.

He planted his smile on his lips and studied the twenty women and one bouncer through amber lenses. “I’m sorry, Sirens. I had to go check in with the boss lady. We have a big party planned tonight.” He rubbed his hands together. “Who wants a special pass?”

The small crowd bleated out a chorus of “me”s and he opened his arms. “Phones. I need to see ‘em!” Smart phones were whipped out and he tipped his shades down. “Think you can take a video?”

A blond at the front of the pack squealed. “I’d make any video with you.”

“Now that is an offer I cannot refuse.” He took her hand and lifted the ropes. The crowd surged forward. “Uh-uh. Wait your turn. Each of you can get a two minute video with me. Post it to our page and the five of you with the most comments will be my guest tonight.”

He could feel the gaze on the back of his neck. It burned like hellfire. “Hello, boss.”

“Simon, we have a schedule to keep,” Lila said.

He hugged the pretty blond fan into his side. “I think we’ll be doing a few videos and then I will do everything on your To Do list. Let the guys know we’ll be doing ‘Kashmir’ as the cover tonight.”

The crowd behind him whooped and hollered. The bouncer crossed his arms and nodded.

Simon grinned at the crowd then down to the fan currently squeezing his ribcage. “Think I can channel a little Robert Plant tonight, sweetheart?”

“Who?”

“Oh, darlin’. We need to educate you on the finer songs of the past that have created the future.” He looked over his shoulder. “Someone find that shit on YouTube.”

The bouncer took out his cell. “I have it on my phone.”

Simon smiled, his lead singer veneer slipping. “That is why you are a cool cat. Turn it up.”

The epic song played in the background as he hauled girl after girl into his side and took the time to listen, to smile, to give them a moment. He remembered what it was like to love a band enough to stand out and wait for a show.

He’d even charmed his way inside on more than one penniless occasion. This was why he loved the fans. The skin-to-skin contact, the moments.

The crazy.

He glanced at the door and Lila was still there, but her face was thoughtful now and her iPad was out. Boss lady was on the job. She would play up the spin.

When everyone had their videos and Lila had collected names and usernames and numbers, they both walked back into the dark room.

“By all rights, I should skin you for being over an hour late at this point, but your sales of the album just surged with that little stunt. ‘Sugar Kiss’ just went from number four to number one on iTunes. Congrats, Kagan, you won’t be flayed today.”

“Ah, c’mon, Lila. I love when you roast me over the coals. It gets my nipples all tingly.”

“Keep you and your nipples to yourself. You have four interviews lined up and thanks to that rather delicious bit of social media prowess, we are very behind. And if you tell anyone I called it delicious, I’ll kneecap you.”

“Geez, kneecap me, put itching powder all over my manly bits...so evil, Dragon Lady.” He covered his lips. “I mean, Lila.”

“I know you morons call me Dragon Lady. Daenerys always got what she wanted. I’m okay with the moniker.”

“You were watching Games of Thrones with us in the studio.”

“I couldn’t help it. You played it at top volume.”

Simon bumped her arm. “You love it. Power, sex, kingdoms, and decapitations. It’s all bloody good fun. You’d rock the queen status.”

“Damn right.” She tapped on her tablet.

He grinned. Lila Shawcross liked to pretend she was a badass, but the band had grown on her. Mostly like a fungus he was sure, but they’d grown on her nonetheless.

He looped his arm around her hip. “So, how many interviewers do I need to slay?”

She unhooked his arm and he heard the whoosh of an email being sent from her tablet. “I just sent you an updated list of people. Now bring your A-game to the party, Simon. You have work to do.”

“I’m always playing the game, darlin’.”

“That’s the truth,” she said under her breath. She pointed to a leather booth on the far side of the room under cherry lights. “First up is Music Life. Kim and her crew will be filming all night so I figured a bookend of interviews would be best. The rest of the band has already done their work.”

“Save the best for last, baby.”

She merely gave him a side eye. “Then rehearsal and more interviews.”

“Good thing I warmed up in the shower.”

She hugged her ever present iPad to her chest. “Oh, and thanks for being sober. I didn’t want to have to kill you. There are far too many interviews to reschedule.”

Her deadpan deliveries always tickled him. Enough that he’d made it his mission in life to break her. “I had to protect my junk, right?”

Lila just shook her head and headed over to the stage. Simon waved to Deacon and a very pregnant Harper on the stage. He was doting on her as usual. She was sitting on one of the trunks with a bottle of water in her hand as her husband checked over the equipment.

No matter how many minions and roadies they had these days, Deacon still needed to approve the layout. And in a club setting Simon appreciated Deacon’s Boy Scout nature. No matter how swanky—and this place was swanky—there was always quirks to a venue. This place was more suited to a DJ, so he imagined the acoustics were going to be a bit of a challenge.

He dragged his fingers over the leather covered frames of the wide U-shaped booths. The perky and delicious Kim Forrester was sitting in the far booth with her camera crew scattered around her. A roving cameraman was following Jazz as she waddled around the bar and took over the space. Probably making a virgin version of some drink from the mixing book that she’d stolen from Harper’s stash of recipe books.

Jazz was forever making juice concoctions and putting umbrellas in them. Their Pink Princess had never been a big drinker to begin with, but since she’d grown more pregnant, she was obsessed with frilly drinks.

Simon waved to Kim, the interviewer, and stopped off at the bar. He slapped the counter. “Bartender, I need a drink.”

Jazz slid over to him. “Finally decided to join us?”

Simon waggled his eyebrows. “Miss me?”

“Like a rash.”

“Aww.” He crossed his hands over his chest. “You wound me, Pix.”

She rubbed the side of her belly. “What can the kiddo and I make you, Lush?”

“Make me two pretty drinks with vodka.”

“Of course.”

“Of course,” he said with a sly grin. “I have to go entertain Miss Forrester.”

“Well then.” She pulled out two martini glasses. A worker bee at the end of the bar started to come their way, but Simon held up a hand.

The guy balled his fingers into a fist and stayed still. Jazz Edwards knew her way around a bar. All of them had spent so much time in bars that bartending was second nature—and often a second job—for most of them.

Simon preferred drinking to building a drink, but he’d done a few stints as busboy over the years. He usually ended up in the backroom with a patron, but he started off the night working well enough.

Jazz poured cranberry juice and vodka into a shaker over ice and did a little shimmy. Her wild violet and green sparkly dress moved over her bursting curves.

“Pregnant or not, Pix, you are a picture.” He leaned on the bar. “A damn sexy one.”

“Put it back in your pants, buddy.”

He looked down at his leathers. For the first time that day, all was well and under control. “Look at that, everyone’s behaving today.”

Jazz rolled her eyes but her lips were twitching. She poured the bright raspberry drink into the glasses and splashed lime into each before tucking little curls of lime rind along the lip. She found two umbrellas under the counter and speared one in each. “There.”

He leaned across the counter and made to kiss Jazz but she lifted the vodka bottle in front of him first. He laughed and kissed the bottle for the camera and sauntered off with a glass in each hand.

“Mz. Kimberly Forrester. It’s been awhile, sweetheart. I brought you libations.”

“Oh, Simon. You are not getting me drunk again.”

He slid into the booth and set hers down in front of her. “Are the cameras on?”

“Always.”

“I’ll behave then.” Simon grinned and lifted the glass to her. “A little.”

She clinked hers against it. “Congrats on the new album. I’ve heard the numbers are awesome.”

“Gotta love iTunes. We did that preorder party last week and had a bunch of fun.”

Kim turned her game face on. “Yes, you did. In fact, the whole album streamed and actually leaked out into the world. Did that kill sales?”

Simon relaxed back against the cool leather. “You know how it goes. People like to find stuff online and listen. I was a poor kid too, so I know how it goes. That’s why we kept the album cheap. Our label understands that getting it out there is more important.”

Kim being Kim, latched onto the poor kid sound bite. He knew these questions by rote. He gave charming stories about his childhood. Lies. Lies were so much easier to believe.

They didn’t want to know that his father beat him black and blue most nights. They wanted the Disney version. That he scraped and saved and got out. That music saved him.

At least that part was true.

Music had saved him. Nick and Snake had saved him. The scarred and broken cement parking lots on the fringes of Los Angeles that they’d escaped to with their skateboards and bottles of stolen beer.

And eventually the winding, graffiti-strewn benches of Ventura Boulevard and the beach saturated with people that loved street musicians had saved him. Playing until he was too drunk to care about going home saved him.

Singing saved him.

But she didn’t care about that.

No one cared about that but him. So he smiled and told colorful stories about the Blue Rhino and all the dive clubs they’d begged to play in. And when their twenty minutes was up, he had finished another drink—a purple one this time.

Warm with the alcohol and Kim’s easy flirting, he went still as Margo’s sad violin soared into the huge room. All eyes trained on the stage as Nick and Gray played on either side of her. The familiar strings of the opening from “Kashmir” surged the warmth into an epic heat.

His cock stirred immediately and he downed the last drops of the drink. “Looks like that’s my cue. Time to rehearse.”

“Thanks for sitting with us, Simon. It’s always a pleasure to talk to you.” She brushed a kiss against his cheek. The sensory memory kicked in. Her classy flowers-and-spice scent had followed them into a small closet at their Los Angeles apartment during the celebration of their first EP.

Funny how scent always struck the chords of memory that were so often softened with booze. But he remembered that night. And how Kim had wanted a hookup without sex.

She’d gotten off on the party and being seen. They both had. The beginning of his career. The first wrong turn that could have been the end of friendships he cherished more than he would ever say.

A little mutual groping that night. Hell, he hadn’t even let her touch him. She’d been too high on the night. He’d fed on that high and had fun with a pretty woman in the closet.

That had been more than enough after Margo had hulled him out and left him to crash and burn. That’s exactly what he needed to do tonight.

Have fun.

“I’ll see you after the rehearsals for the band interview.”

“Looking forward to it.” Her bluebell eyes sparkled.

Simon hauled himself out of the booth and crossed the room. Margo pulled her searingly purple violin away from her chin, her gaze warily following him as he climbed the stairs. “Violin Girl had a good idea with Zep, huh?”

Nick stuck his pick onto the sticky strip along his microphone stand. “Always like to get my Jimmy Page on.”

Gray grinned. “I know everyone and their mother knows this song, but damn, it’s good to play it on stage.”

“Yeah, you’d be surprised.” Simon rolled up his shirtsleeve to his elbow and shook out his bracelets. “This hot twenty-year-old outside had no idea who I was talking about.”

“Yeah, I heard you were stealing my video thunder out there, Super Slut,” Jazz yelled from behind her kit.

“What can I say? They all wanted a piece of me.” He moved to his mic stand. He always had two on the stage. One back by Jazz’s drums with a regular mic on it and his retro box microphone from their club days. When he was on stage, he needed it cupped in his hand. The age of it added a little distortion to his voice that was part of his sound at this point.

He’d had the damn thing rewired three times since the last tour. Hank, his tech guy, was pretty much the only one who could fix it. And it was pure perfection right now.

He cupped his hands around the cool metal. “Start from the top.”

Margo lifted her violin and the notes soared. He closed his eyes and let the song take him. The lyrics filled his head and spilled out effortlessly. He usually downplayed his voice during rehearsal—saving the real deal for the crowds.

But they were doing an abbreviated set so he didn’t have to worry about it. The idle chitchat and scrape of dishes and glasses faded to the background as the song rolled him under.

He paced the stage and unearthed slinky Robert Plant memories. Margo’s violin elevated the song. Gray and Nick played back-to-back and Deacon was doing his metronome sway.

Jazz twirled glowing green sticks as she kept the beat, watching Deacon for clues for the pace of the song. Everything was as it should be.

Save for Margo.

She matched him in all black except for the bright pink that drew the eye to her spectacular breasts. So much her and yet not. A new breed of prim musician just waiting to bust out of her mold.

And because the song seemed to cry out for it, he stalked her around the stage. They held eye contact as the song built and his voice got raspier with each chorus. He swayed forward and she arched back until they were one unit in the song.

Like the ebb and flow of thrusting inside of her. They matched up so effortlessly. By the time the song ended, the room was silent and the cord of the mic was wound so tightly around his wrist his blood throbbed with the restriction.

Much like his fucking pants.

The wolf whistle and claps brought him back and he shut down that heady connection with her. Those dark eyes slayed him and moved him. He turned with her at his side and they both bowed.

He itched to curl around her so he crossed the stage to Nick instead. They rolled through the new songs and then one more cover. He coughed through the middle of “Closer to the Edge” from Thirty Seconds to Mars so he pulled back to keep it fresh for the show.

It was a crowd pleaser and a sing-a-long song. They wrapped up rehearsal with “Nailed” and “Sugar Kiss” from the new album.

“Don’t you want to do ‘The Becoming’?” Jazz asked. “Margo hasn’t done it live yet.”

“That’s fine. I know it by heart,” Margo answered before he could.

“It’s different live,” Nick chimed in.

Simon pushed up his sleeves. “Let’s wing it. See if the magic happens. If not, we’ll practice double time for tomorrow night.”

Margo nodded and uncapped a bottle of water and took a long drink.

He had to turn away from her long, graceful neck beaded with sweat. Even with the lights at a minimum, it was hot on stage. He’d be swapping out the dress shirt for a tank for the show that night.

But for now, he took the front stairs to the floor. “I have to do a few more interviews.”

Anything to get away from the stage. He turned up the wattage on his smile as a redhead crossed to him.

“Amazing rehearsal. Tonight will be epic.”

“I hope so, darlin’.”

“I’m Bobbi Matthews with Z100.”

“Oh, right. We did an acoustic set on your show two weeks ago.”

“Yes. It was such a hit that we wanted to come down and cover your release party.”

“Happy to have you.”

“I have a few questions, if that’s okay.”

He looked over his shoulder at Margo still on the stage talking quietly to Lila. She was blotting her neck with a towel. He turned back to Bobbi. “Absolutely.”

Anything to get his mind off that stage.

* * *

Margo’s chest was still tight and her heart was in her throat. This stage made the philharmonic feel small and boring. The mishmash of instruments and the way Gray and Nick swapped out guitars like there was an endless supply in their trunks fascinated her.

She had a half dozen violins herself, but she’d only thought to bring her Starfish. If she’d had the wherewithal, she would have brought her classical as well.

“Kashmir” lent itself to the classic style she used on the Boston stage—had used on the Boston stage.

No more.

This was her only stage for the foreseeable future.

And already she didn’t want to let it go. The adrenaline and endorphins were still bubbling under her skin. She’d never felt more alive or free.

“Amazing stuff, Margo.”

She turned to Lila. “Thanks. I didn’t know this would work. I had my doubts.”

“Just wait ‘til you feed off the crowd. You and Simon already have magic.”

“No. It’s just the music.”

“Music is sex and sexual power. And you both exude it all over the stage. I can’t wait to see it tonight.”

No pressure. Margo tucked her violin in its case. “Let’s hope the crowd doesn’t think it’s too weird.”

“I was surprised you didn’t do ‘The Becoming’. It’s their biggest hit. Though ‘Sugar Kiss’ is definitely gaining strength there.”

Margo concentrated on the snaps to her case so she wouldn’t have to look her in the eye. “The Becoming” was too much. After the Zeppelin song, her body couldn’t handle that along with the memories.

Once tonight would be enough.

“I think Simon wanted to go for an organic groove there. Not to rush it.”

Lila made a noncommittal noise.

She had a feeling that this woman’s bullshit meter was about as astute as her mother’s. Her mother was going for a gold medal and Lila was definitely in her league.

“It feels good.” She hadn’t meant to own up to it. In fact, she didn’t really want to even think it. But Lila had amazing contacts and if she was going to make a life as a studio musician, she wanted one of the most influential women in the music scene to be in her corner.

Ripper Records might be small, but Donovan Lewis was a force in the business world. What he was involved in was noticed, whether it was music or brokering a deal. She’d do well to remember that and getting on Lila’s good side was a necessary evil.

No matter how much her belly jittered with it.

“I had a feeling.” Lila hugged her iPad to her chest. “Your magic in the studio was translatable to the stage with just a nudge.”

“I’m not sure about that.” Margo’s gaze followed Jazz and Gray as they came together like polarized magnets. As a unit, they moved to Nick and Deacon. The four of them were so easy with each other. Like the instruments were just a conduit for them to have a reason to be in the same space.

Add in the fire of Simon’s voice and nothing could stop them as a group. Simon was the front man that all bands wanted. He owned the stage and could interact with each and every member of the band individually without breaking stride.

But it was how he connected to the crowd that was awe-inspiring. Even here when it was the jaded industry people with tech people crawling around doing their job.

She’d watched them stop and turn to the stage. His magnetic personality and innate sexuality drew the eye whether you were male or female.

And when he’d faced her and turned that power on her, she’d had no choice but to come out of her shell. Her music reached for him just as she had. That night in the studio had been similar.

The bass that exuded sex and the giving power of two bodies overrode any protective instinct she’d had. “Kashmir” had done the same. The symphonic composition had been created for strings—both classical and electric.

But his voice was the truth that the song required.

Led Zeppelin’s truth had always been in the music. Regardless of egos and drugs, there had been a core talent. And Oblivion had that with each successive album. Each one was more special than the last, but the truth was the stage.

She’d sneaked into more than one show since she’d contributed to “The Becoming”. Never letting on that she was there, never intruding on that dynamic.

But now that she’d tasted it, she wanted it.

On a level that she’d never known with the symphony. Shame should have followed that thought, but it just couldn’t.

Music was music, whether it included a conductor or a lead singer that owned the crowd. There was no sense of camaraderie in her old world. Only who was better, who would be remembered, who would bump another from the top spot.

This was a relationship. If Gray took the lead, Nick would follow it up with a duel. Not to only one up each other—though she had a feeling there was a little rivalry there—but because he wanted in on the action. Wanted that song to sink into him, too.

That was what she’d missed in all her years with the Philharmonic. And she’d soak it in tonight and tomorrow and hope it was enough.

To have just a small moment of that magic in her life was worth it.