Page 36 of The Publicity Stunt

Kace

Kace has a four-day break, and he decides to show up to a concert in Chicago. He never told Bri he was going to be there, and he can't get over this mesmerizing woman putting on a show many artists couldn't pull off. Maybe it's because of the way she opened up to him in Florida, but he hasn't been able to get her off his mind. As much as he wanted to tell her he was over Sasha that night and give in to what he knew they both wanted, he couldn't. It didn't feel right.

Bobby brings him backstage after the show, and Kace can't stop thinking about the new song she performed for the crowd. It was a ballad she'd written recently about falling in love when she least expected it, and every lyric hit him like a bullet. He has to know if it was written about him or not.

Bri steps out of her changing room and jumps when she sees him before throwing her arms around his neck. "I didn't know you were going to be here!"

"I wanted to surprise you," Kace says, holding her tightly against him.

Setting her down, she smiles. "I'm glad you did. It's the best surprise I've had in a while!"

Tessa walks backstage with a clipboard. "Babe, the car's ready to take you back to the hotel. Oh, hey, Kace."

"Hey, Tessa," he says and looks at Bri. "Can we hang out? Or are you tired?"

"Oh, I'll be awake for at least the next three hours. It takes a while for the adrenaline to calm down. I'm starving, though, so I have room service coming to my room. Do you like pizza?"

His nose wrinkles. "Depends. We're in Chicago... what kind of pizza are you offering?"

Tessa laughs and walks away, and Bri smiles. "The only type worth eating. New York style where the slices are the size of my face. But fair warning, you cannot judge me for the unladylike way I plan to devour at least half of that pie."

"No judgment, baby."

She takes his hand in hers and leads him to the waiting car. They sit close in the backseat, and she smells like some type of fruity body wash. His hand stays wrapped in hers, and he swears she vibrates.

"You love performing."

"I really do," she says and looks at him. "It's weird. It's like I forget until I'm on stage. After the high wears off, I think I want to step away and hide from the world."

"You're amazing," he says and kisses her temple. "Watching you is like being placed under a spell. It's impossible to look anywhere else."

"That's the point, isn't it? If it's easy to look away from me, I'm not putting on a very good show."

Kace can't take it any longer with the way her eyes sparkle as she looks into his, and he claims her mouth, pulling her onto his lap. Her body presses against his, and she has the same need he does as her fingers tangle into his short hair. The adrenaline from the concert morphs into something completely different, and he needs her. Every part of him craves her, and he plans to tell him how he feels tonight. He might explode soon if he doesn't.

The car stops, and she groans. "As much as I like this, I really do need to eat. I might pass out soon if I don't," Bri says and climbs off his lap.

"I get it," Kace says and adjusts his jeans before following her out of the car and running past the flashes into the hotel.

They reach the room, and she immediately walks over to the kitchen and flips open the pizza box. "Like I said, don't judge me. I'm eating like you do when we go out," she says with a smirk and takes a large bite of a slice.

He takes a slice, but he's not hungry. Not for food. But he needs to know a few things first. "Bri?"

"Kace?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," she says after swallowing her bite.

Laughing, he shakes his head as she takes another large chomp. "The last time we were together, you mentioned needing a man who treats you the way everyone believes you should be treated. What kind of man is that?"

She finishes the slice and sits down. Reaching for a bottle of water, she takes a drink and tilts her head. "I guess the best way to describe it is the simple things. I'm someone who cherishes the little things in life. I'd rather share an experience with someone than receive a lavish gift. I want to watch a sunrise and pick wild flowers. The man I end up with should want to harness and protect that side of me. Oh, and chivalrous. I'm a sucker for a man who opens up doors and walks on the street side of the sidewalk."

"What would you say if I told you that's exactly what I want to do? For you."

Her eyes fly up to his. "What?"

"That new song you played tonight... was it written about me?"

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