Page 59 of Loved Out Loud
“Okay.” I see the dejection in the way his body shrinks.
Part of me screams to tell him why. I’ve told him so many other things about me, deep things, it shouldn’t matter to share this one stupid thing about me. But I’m frozen, unable to share and explain myself.
Thankfully he doesn’t release his grip on me as we step onto the elevator. In fact, he pulls me closer as Jade, Darren, and Tobias show up and file in with us. His hand splays over my belly, a place I usually don’t like to be touched, but something about the way he does it makes me feel protected and cherished.
I really need to get a grip.Cherished?It’s been one night. He’s probably staking some sort of claim, as if anyone else would want me. There’s just an odd chemistry between us. Now that we’ve fucked it’ll probably start to fizzle away.
How could I keep his attention when there are hundreds of beautiful women throwing themselves at him every night?
Jade does a double take when she sees his hand placement. Her amused eyes lift to mine, and she gives me a wide smile. I return it and melt back against Stone’s chest when he relaxes against me. Even if this is just a fleeting thing between us, I’m going to enjoy every second I have of it.
Stone convinced me to stay with him right up until he left to go meet up with guys and do their pre-show routine. That’s when I slipped away with my always present shadow trailing me. I cut through a raucous crowd, cowering into Dan’s bear like presence for safety.
The vibes from this crowd tonight are different from all the others I’ve experienced. It’s edgier. There’s an undercurrent of mayhem buzzing through the walls of the venue. I try to convince myself it’s just in my head. I’m projecting my own tumultuous thoughts from earlier onto the people around me because so many of them are drunk and unruly.
Dan looks the same as always. Dark brown eyes scanning the crowd from where he towers over most of them at well over six feet tall. Honestly if we painted him green, he could be a stand in for The Hulk.
I find myself leading us toward the front rows of the venue, security does a double look at our lanyards and allows us through. I’ve yet to be down on the floor for a show, and I’ve been waiting for the perfect opportunity.
The crowd thickens the closer we get to the stage. I keep to the side, even though I’m sure being near the speakers like this is going to kill my hearing for a few days. At least I’ll have a good view as it goes.
The intro video flashes onto every screen in the building, B-roll film of the guys flicking quickly with each of their voices cut to say different parts of the welcoming message. The lights go out, and the crowd goes absolutely nuts.
Goosebumps erupt all over my body as one by one the guys are spotlighted. Then they launch into their very first number one song from their debut album.
Sure enough, my tears begin to fall with the opening bars. Even though this is my first time watching from a place around so many other people, not one person notices. I watch in aweas Xan and Stone work the crowd with cocky smiles and expert moves on stage.
Dan hovers at my back, making sure that I’m not injured by anyone around me. Half an hour into the show, we find ourselves pushed into a tightly crowded area close to the stage. My eyes widen as someone is shoved into me and I go flying back into Dan’s chest. He holds me upright as the guy who hit me begins to yell and go after whoever shoved him.
I freeze as Dan leans down and whispers that we need to get out of the crowd and pushes me forward toward the barricade. He radios ahead to get the message to stage security that he’s going to send me over to them because there’s too many people crushing in behind us to go that way.
We begin to move forward through the crowd once his message is relayed. A few people yell curses at us as we weave through. I spare a cursory look up to the stage and somehow lock eyes with Xander. His flare when he recognizes me, concern flooding through them as he continues to play, not missing a note.
During one of Tobias’s drum solos, he walks over to Stone, who pulls his in ear monitor out and listens intently. I watch as his veil of cocky, indifferent rock star drops and concern replaces it. Stone scans the crowd quickly, his fingers never missing a beat as he starts playing the next song.
The sound of flesh meeting flesh rings in my ear as a fist rushes just past my ear, landing right over Dan’s chest. He doubles over with a whoosh of breath, and in that split second I’m yanked away. Several men descend on Dan while he’s still struggling to catch his breath from the sucker punch.
My body is pushed back and forth between other bodies, some jostling to get away from the melee and others trying to join in. I feel a sharp crack against my face and realize I’vejust taken an elbow to the cheek, but I’m somehow close to the barricade.
My gaze shoots up to the stage just as the music screeches to a halt, and I hear Stone yelling for the violence to end. His eyes catch mine and widen in horror just as I feel someone push or bump into me from the back.
The last thing I see is Stone pulling his guitar over his head and jumping down into the area in front of the stage.
Twenty
STONE
Time stops.My heart does, too. Hazel’s eyes are wide with fear as she begins to fall forward. Thoughts of anything but getting to her disappear from my brain as I lift the guitar over my head and drop it.
I’m jumping off the stage before I even realize it. Event security in yellow shirts are trying to hold back the crowd, inadvertently putting themselves between her and I. Thank fuck for the private security crew we have because they’re tossing yellow shirts to the side and reaching for her and Dan.
“Get the fuck out of my way,” I growl at the yellow shirt who tries to stop me from getting to the rail.
Whatever he sees in my eyes must have the desired effect because he holds up his hands and steps back. I make it to the barricade just as Dan pulls Hazel up from the ground. He lifts her into his arms and tries to hand her off to one of our security team, but I step between them, taking her myself.
Blood runs from a cut on her forehead down along the slope of her cheek and I see red.
“I can walk,” she says weakly. “Please, Stone, put me down.”
