Page 93 of Everything In Between
Those thoughts in mind, I’m not surprised when my throat grows a little thick, watching the woman I love smile widely as her attention lands on a young fan right at the edge of the stage. She bends down onto her knees, all her focus on this one person out of thousands. Even from where I am standing, I can tell this young person is living out one of their biggest dreams. I have no doubt that if Jersey could hop down from that stage and wrap them up in a big hug, she would.
That’s who Jersey is, I’ve learned. She’s got a big heart for those around her.
Which makes it so much worse that her label takes advantage of her. There’s nothing I want more than to see her succeed without the restrictive constraint of the people managing her career. Watching her on stage now, I know she’d be unstoppable if only they’d give her the chance.
The song ends, and Jersey gives the young fan one more enthusiastic wave before pushing herself up to her feet again. She continues to head back to the main stage, strutting in my direction.
My chest grows tighter the closer she gets to me. I’m so damn excited to see her reaction.
Jersey doesn’t disappoint.
Mid-stride, Jersey spots me right as she’s strutting past. She falters for only a second, her expression going blank as her eyes register with her brain what she’s seeing. It takes only another second before that blank expression is morphing into something far more beautiful—gripping enchantment. She smiles so widely I wonder if it’s hurting her cheeks and her eyes glisten with unspoken emotion.
My whole world stops at the sight of her. Jersey lifts her microphone to her mouth to sing the next lyric, but doesn’t tear her eyes away from mine. I do the same, unable to take my attention off her. Eventually, when she has to look away, I can still see the smile playing on her lips.
For the rest of the song, Jersey’s eyes keep drifting my way, making sure I’m still there.
I watch her, raptly, loving that I get to see her do her thing for such a responsive audience. I’ve played in this stadium before and I don’t think the crowd was close to being half as engaged as they are now. She’s a sight to behold, and I’m grateful I get to see every moment of her creating her empire.
When the song winds down, Bethany grabs hold of my elbow and leads me away from the side of the stage around the riggings to the back, where she tells me we’ll wait for Jersey to finish.
The echoes from the crowd ring in my ears, and I can picture Jersey standing on the stage, waving at each and every one of them, giving them all one last glimpse of her before she disappears behind the backdrop of the stage.
The lights to the stadium turn on, giving me the hint that Jersey has successfully gotten herself backstage. Still, cheers echo from outside in the stands, but they slowly die down with each second.
“She should be here in just a moment,” Bethany tells me offhandedly. I glance at her to see her attention solely on her screen as she types an email.
As if she heard us summoning her, Jersey comes around the corner. She pauses a few feet away from me before taking off into a lopsided sprint. She’s still wearing her costume from the last set, and I’m slightly worried about her running in those crazy stiletto boots.
I shouldn’t be, though. Completely unfazed by the high heels, she throws herself into my arms and I do my best to catch her while keeping my balance. My knee screams a little at the pressure, but I ignore it, focusing on the woman in my arms. I bury my face in her neck, breathing her in. Her skin is hot and sweaty, but she still smells undeniably like Jersey—sexy.
“You were incredible,” I whisper into her ear.
She holds me tighter. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it.” I pull back and cup her face, tilting her chin so I can lean down and kiss her. When we break apart, her cheeks are flushed for an entirely different reason. “I love you, Jersey. You’re magnificent.”
Her brown eyes widen and glisten over. She hugs me again and murmurs, “I love you too. More than you could ever know.”
My heart soars at hearing those words leave her pretty mouth. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of hearing her say those words to me. If I had it my way, I’d be whisking her back home, just so I could keep her all to myself. I’d make love to her all night, worshipping her body in such a way that she’d never doubt how irrevocably obsessed with her I am.
I instantly notice her absence when she pulls out of the hug. Her hands raise to cup my cheeks. Her thumb strokes along the light stubble on my cheekbone.
The world seems to disappear around me, the only person present, the beautiful woman right in front of me. Her browneyes flutter over my face, as if she’s committing this moment to memory—and I’m doing the same. I want to remember everything about this moment here with her.
“All right, you two lovebirds, let’s get you into some privacy before everyone watches you two get naked,” Bethany interrupts the quiet, intimate moment between us and points behind my shoulder. Jersey follows her finger and I peer back to see too.
The outermost part of the stands are in full view of where Jersey and I are embracing. All of her fans cheer and shout, waving and jumping up with excitement that she’s looking their way. Their phones are all aimed directly at us, capturing this moment for all of eternity.
I bark out a laugh, wondering if by some chance I’ll get to see it soon on the internet.
Any other man might have an issue with the cameras and the attention, but I don’t mind one bit. It comes with the territory of being with Jersey Matthews. Especially being here with her at her concert.
Luckily, I’ve been trained and briefed on how to interact with the media and rabid pop music fans.
Flashing a wide smile, I raise my hand and wave right back. This only spurs them on and they cheer even louder.
Before I can do anything else to encourage them, Jersey grabs my arm and entwines our fingers together. We walk hand-in-hand down the tunnel and out of the sightline of her fans.
