CORIE WAS RIGHT. Watching Ashley perform was exhilarating. Though, as incredible as an artist as he is—and he is unmistakably brilliant—I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that part of the reason I enjoyed the show as much as I did was because I was watching it with Leo at my back, his arms folded across my chest, my hands resting in the bend of his elbows. While I stood in his hold, looking out over the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen in my life, listening to one of the greatest musicians of my generation, I made up my mind.
The relief that flooded through my system the moment I laid eyes on him; the way my heart fluttered when I first took his hand; the laughter that bubbled out of me when he threw me over his shoulder; and the way my entire body came alive when he grabbed me and captured my mouth in a bruising kiss—it was all a million times better than I ever imagined it could be. The reality of Leo outshined my dreams of him, and it made everything so clear.
I’m never going to let him go. Not ever.
Now, as we make our way backstage, Leo leading the pack with Ashley and Corie just behind me, I’m taken aback by the buzz of the atmosphere that seems to be following us. Whatever it is Ashley is feeling—the high of his performance—it’s leaking out of him, along with the other members of his band, and it feels electrifying. That, coupled with all that Leo is contributing—his adrenaline, his focus, and the sheer magnitude of his presence alone—it’s sexy as hell, and I’m undeniably turned on by it.
We head straight to the green room, where Corie had me leave my bag when I first arrived. Now that I’m not so anxious to see Leo, I notice that we’re in a totally decked out make-shift space. There are dove gray curtains hung up around the perimeter of the room, two semi-circle, black couches in the center of the space, with a coffee table situated between them. There’s a gorgeous bouquet of flowers on the table, and another serving as a centerpiece on what looks like a dining room table in the far left corner of the room.
“Hungry?” Corie asks me over her shoulder as Ashley practically drags her past me by the hand. She smiles and then nods her head to what I realize is a buffet table of food set up on the right side of the room.
“He travels with a catering service. He eats a couple hours before the show and then immediately after. When he’s done, we’ll go,” Leo explains. I look up at him and find him staring down at me, his blue-green eyes darkened by the same desire I feel, and I nod my acknowledgment. “Have you eaten?”
“Not since before my flight.”
Without another word, he leads me toward the food, and my stomach growls when I get a whiff of it. It smells amazing. When I sit down with a plate of roasted chicken and lemon garlic potatoes with green beans, I can see why Ashley travels with a chef. With the schedule he keeps, dinner at ten o’clock at night, I can imagine it would be hard to eat a decent meal without one.
The perks of being a rock star.
“So, tomorrow is your birthday,” Corie says, reaching over to squeeze my knee as someone comes to clear our empty plates from the table. “It’s been a crazy week for us, so we built in the next couple days to lay low and let Ashley rest before we head to Quebec. I figured you wouldn’t mind, as that leaves Leo available.” She pauses, smiling excitedly as her eyes flicker beside me to my man and then back on me. “But, I do want to spend part of your birthday with you, so I thought we could do dinner tomorrow night? Then maybe the next day we could do a little shopping or sight seeing?” She shrugs, looking back at Ashley as she confesses, “I like to see a little bit of every place that we stop.” Shifting her gaze to me once more, she says, “He indulges me.”
Laughing softly, I place my hand on top of hers and assure her, “That sounds perfect.”
“Y’all ready to get out of here?” asks Ashley as he stands. He looks exhausted, which is not at all surprising after his set, and we’re all quick to join him on our feet.
I hurry over to grab my bag, but just as I’m lifting it onto my shoulder, it’s taken from me. Leo straps it over his own shoulder, then grabs the side of my neck as he instructs, “You stay with Corie and Frank. Don’t get separated from them. Don’t get lost in the crowd. I’ll be with Ashley. We’ll meet you in the car.”
“Okay,” I agree with a nod.
He stares at me for a moment, and I can see it in his eyes that he doesn’t like having to choose between escorting me through whatever it is he knows awaits us outside and doing his job. To put his mind at ease, I grab hold of the collar of his shirt, pulling him toward me until he’s low enough for me to reach up for a kiss. My lips grazing his, I tell him, “I’ll be fine, Lee. I’m not the one who needs protecting. Go.” I touch my lips to his once more and then push him away from me. Or, rather, push myself away from him as he doesn’t budge an inch.
I offer him an encouraging smile before I turn to find Corie, who is gathering her own things while Frank waits for her at the door. When she’s ready, she links arms with me and we watch as our men lead the way toward the exit, Ashley’s band trailing behind him. Corie says that she always takes up the rear—at her own insistence—with the assumption that after Ashley and his band have made their appearance, nobody will care who follows.
“Seriously, though,” she mutters, tilting her head toward mine as we walk arm in arm. “You should have seen the look on Leo’s face when he realized you were here. I’ll never forget it,” she says with a giggle and a grin. “Priceless.”
I open my mouth to respond, but instantly forget what I was going to say when I hear the chaos that awaits us. Corie’s arm hugs me closer, and I look to her as she takes a deep breath and looks to Frank. He offers her his elbow, and she rests her hand in the crook of his arm before we step out into the cold. My eyes grow wide in awe as we walk between the barriers keeping back screaming fans and paparazzi. We move fast, at some point passing Leo and Ashley, who has stopped to sign autographs and pose for selfies.
By the time we make it to the SUV, Corie and I climbing into the very back row, I’m breathless. Staring out the passenger side window, I shake my head in disbelief. Of course I knew that this sort of thing was to be expected. It’s why Leo has a job, it’s why Corie has Frank, it’s why I’ve seen my cousin’s photograph in gossip columns—but it’s one thing to hear about it and another thing entirely to experience it.
“That was insane,” I gasp, turning to face Corie.
“Yeah,” she agrees with a nod. “You get used to it, though.”
I study her for a moment, watching her as she runs her fingers through her wavy locks, tossing them out of her face. She then smooths out her shirt and shrugs her shoulders, as if shaking off the mob we just walked through. When she catches me staring, I can’t help but grin at her before I throw my arms around her and give her a big squeeze.
“I am so proud of you, Corie Hicks. You’re the bravest woman I know. I love the hell out of you, babe.”
Resting her head against mine, she sighs as she admits, “Wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”
“Oh, that’s not true,” I argue, pulling away from her with a shake of my head.
“It is, though. You encouraged me to be brave. You pushed me to be bold. If you hadn’t, I might not have gone out with Ashley when he asked. But I did, and a year later, here I am.”
“Yeah. Here you are—as poised and beautiful and in love as ever.”
Taking my hand, she nods before she murmurs, “And now it’s your turn.”
This time, I don’t argue. Instead, I grip her fingers tightly and whisper, “Thank you. For everything.”
“Anything for my best friend. Always.”