The Publicity Stunt

10. Chapter Nine

In the back of the car, Kace can”t stop glancing down at Bri. Her words replay in his mind, and he can”t get over how completely honest she always seems. She said he made her feel strong after saying going to bed with him would be exhilarating. The fact she said that to him shows just how strong she really is, and she strikes him as the type to not give herself enough credit. Especially with all this media shit her ex created for her, she hasn”t stepped away from anything. She went on tour, stopped performing love songs for a couple of weeks, showed up to his hockey games, and she”s killing it.

Attraction has been there since the moment he met her, but seeing her in this dress mixed with her raw honesty makes him wish she wasn”t so rational. That she didn”t seem to genuinely like him because all he wants to do is tear this dress off her and take her right here in the backseat. Show her what a real man can make her feel, but she”s right. Until he figures out whether or not he”s over Sasha, he can”t do that to her.

Kace almost wants to ask for her stylist”s address to send a thank you basket for the dress they picked out. Everything pops in all the right areas, and he’s finding it extremely difficult not to pop out himself. For such a small woman, she has incredible curves. His type typically tends to lean towards the taller variety of women, but he”s quickly learning he may not actually know what he wants. Everything he thought he wanted matches Sasha more than Bri, but he finds himself drawn to Bri more than anyone else he”s ever known.

”How long does the red carpet stuff take?” Kace says.

The ride remained silent and filled with tension. Sexual tension.

”Um, it depends on how long the line is. Hopefully, since we”re arriving late, we”ll be able to get through quickly because the show will start soon. I”m not counting on it, but it would be a nice little surprise.”

The car stops, and for the first time in years, Kace feels nervous. Staring down large men on blades who have the ability to kill him in an attempt to score doesn”t scare him. Taking the final shot right before the buzzer and potentially losing a game in front of fans doesn”t make him nervous. But stepping out of this car to walk out with one of the world”s most notable pop stars puts him so far outside his element, he”s not sure what to do. How to act. Where to go. He”ll take a hockey arena with the biggest, toughest, meanest defensive line any day. At least on the ice, he knows what to do with his hands.

The door opens, and he steps out first, holding his hand out for her to take. He”s never been big on chivalrous actions, but something about Bri Waters makes him want to do things he never thought he”d want to. Like trip over his own feet to make sure he can open a damned door for her.

Her hand slips into his, and he helps her out of the vehicle. People immediately go crazy, and he”s momentarily stunned in place by the number of people and camera flashes. Everyone shouts at once, and he can”t decide where to even look.

”I”ll be okay,” Bri says to him in a low voice and squeezes his hand before guiding him along the carpet.

Her superstar persona turns on the minute she has an audience, and Kace can”t help but watch in awe. She puts on a front for everyone, but he feels like he knows the real her. The version not many people get to see, anyway.

Bri helps guide him where to look by the movement of her hand in his behind her back. When he needs to look right, she pulls his hand closer to the right side of her back. When it”s time to shift left, she moves to the left side. Forward has her pulling his hand straight back slightly, and he likes her method.

”Bri! Bri!” someone shouts. ”Does this mean you and Kace Lyons are officially a couple?”

”Kace! How long have you and Bri been together?” another yells.

”Were you two together before Duffy got caught with his pants down?” a woman calls.

Rather than respond, Bri just smiles and looks from one camera to the next, and he follows suit. It feels rude not to answer any questions, but he”s heard how dangerous answering questions can be. The moment he says something, the media will twist his words to fit whatever story they”re trying to spin that week.

He looks behind him and sees Easton walking up with Johanna in a light pink evening gown while her gloved hand cups her little baby bump. Bending down to whisper in her ear, he knows it”ll allow only her to hear what he says while simultaneously looking intimate and affectionate. ”Be cool.”

Her eyes look up to his, and again, he knows how amazing this picture will look. He makes a mental note to have Neo find it in the posts. It’s the type of picture he wants to decorate in his now nearly empty rental place after he threw out all of Sasha’s shit.

”What?”

”Easton!” the crowd shouts. ”How does it feel knowing you”re about to be a father?”

”Are you and your girlfriend planning on getting married?”

”Do you know if the baby will be a boy or a girl?”

Kace chuckles and leans down to whisper in her ear as they move to the next set of cameras. ”They don”t say her name.”

Bri tries to hide her smile, but she fails. Her hand squeezes his, and he kisses her temple. He can”t go as far as he”d like, which would be dipping her and kissing the hell out of her, but he can do something to focus the attention back on them.

”Kace! Have you told Bri you love her yet?”

”You two look so in love! Are you flying to watch her tour when you have a free night?”

”Bri, do you have plans to slow down the touring and create a family with Kace?”

Giggling, she looks up at him, and he dips down to hear her. ”You did that on purpose.”

”He”s had enough attention, don”t you think?”

”Bri!” Johanna calls. ”Can we get a picture together?”

Bri”s face falls, shocked, and he blocks her from the cameras. ”Face.”

”What?”

”Your face. It”s telling how you feel right now.”

Plastering on a fake smile, he shifts and turns to the pregnant woman. ”Sorry, we”re actually meeting people inside. Maybe another...” He trails off and pulls her into the building. ”Time. Damn, we got separated before I could finish. Oh, well.”

Bri laughs and wraps her arms around his waist. ”That was actually a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Thanks for pointing out my face. And blocking it from the cameras.”

”Anytime. I have no issues staring at your face and telling you when your mask falls,” he says and rubs his knuckles on her cheek, mindful not to smudge any makeup.

”When you say things like that, man, I wish you gave me a different answer in the hotel room.”

He feels her body tremble beneath his touch, and he hates the fact he has no idea whether or not he still has feelings for Sasha. Something”s there, but it may be more anger and resentment than love. Looking at Bri, he”s not sure if he ever really loved Sasha. He thought he did, but he never wanted to just be with her like he does Bri.

”Trust me, I”m picking apart everything I feel to try and figure it out myself. The sooner I can say definitively there”s nothing left there, we can have a new discussion.”

Her hand slips into his, and they”re ushered towards their aisle. He looks around, amazed at all the stars he sees. It”s not surprising to see a few famous people at his games from time to time, depending on where he is, but it”s never been this many and not in one room.

”Holy shit, that”s Cooper Scott.”

”I thought you didn”t listen to country,” Bri jokes.

”I don”t, but he had a couple of good songs. Plus, he”s a legit country boy who fought his way back into the limelight after falling a little from grace. It”s a comeback story.”

Chuckling, she looks up at him, and he loves how she looks right into his eyes. Into his soul. ”Would you like me to introduce you to him? I opened for him at the start of my career before I settled into pop. He”s a decent guy.”

Kace gapes at her. ”You know him?”

”I know his wife, Maci, better, but yes, I do. He took me under his wing a bit and helped guide me. Taught me what he learned from his mistakes to keep me from making any of them. He also got me in touch with the lawyer to save me from my parents.”

”Again, we need to circle back to that conversation, and yes, if we have a chance, I totally want to meet him.”

The lights dim, and he realizes the subtle cues of what”s about to happen before the show starts. They find their seats, and he settles back to enjoy the night.

Throughout the night, Bri only releases Kace”s hand when she has to prep for her performance, and she kisses his cheek when she wins an award. Of the seven she”s nominated for, she wins Song of the Year, Musical Event of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, and Album of the Year.

”Next up, we have the Recognition Award,” the host Kace knows he should recognize but doesn”t says. ”The nominees are...”

”This is the only one I really care about winning,” Bri says in his ear. ”I”m on the board of Put the Arts Back in Schools program, and it”s close to my heart. This could generate more donations if I win.”

”And the winner is...” The envelope opens dramatically. ”Bri Waters for Put the Arts Back in Schools!”

The crowd erupts, and she turns to Kace. He turns to her, and instead of kissing his cheek, her lips hit his. A bolt of electricity shoots down him, and he deepens it slightly before letting her go up on stage to accept the award.

He smirks as she takes the little golden statue at the podium.

”Thank you for this award. The program is near and dear to me. When I was fourteen, my choir teacher convinced me to go for my dream. He saw something I hadn”t yet seen, and I wouldn”t be here today if it wasn’t for him. Mr. Hanks, thank you for always believing in me. For showing up to my shows whenever I”m close to home, and being the confidant helping me navigate through the industry when I doubt myself.

”I”d also like to thank my date this evening, Kace Lyons. This man, better known for his skills on the ice, has come to my rescue multiple times tonight, including an unfortunate transportation issue that almost prevented me from being here. Kace, you”ve quickly become my rock, and someone who I know I can lean on. I appreciate you so much, and I appreciate everyone for this award. Thank you!”

Bri steps off stage to her seat, and Kace turns to her. ”I think what you did up there solidified our relationship more than the red carpet did.”

Leaning into him, she says, ”I think the kiss we shared on accident did that already.”

He licks his lips and leans to her ear. ”I hope we get to do that again, Bri. That was electric.”

She flushes and lowers her head slightly. ”I”m glad it wasn”t just me.”

”No, baby, it definitely wasn”t just you.”

A shadow falls in front of them, and he finds himself suddenly mute. Cooper Scott. Fucking Cooper Scott stands right there in front of him.

”You made a sweep tonight, Bri,” Cooper says.

”I guess I did,” Bri says and stands.

She hugs the man wearing a nice pair of jeans with brown cowboy boots, a white t-shirt under a black suit jacket, and a cowboy hat rather than his standard issue baseball cap. Kace can”t remember ever feeling star struck before, but damn if he feels it now.

Bri turns to his wife, who’s wearing a white, sparkly dress. ”Hi, Maci. It”s good to see you.”

”You made it, kid,” she says, her face beaming as she hugs Bri. ”I knew you would.”

Touching Maci”s very pregnant belly, Bri smiles. ”You did, too. I can”t wait to find out if you”re having a boy or a girl. I have a gift ready to send the moment I find out he or she is born.”

”You”re too sweet.”

Bri turns to Kace. ”Cooper, this is Kace Lyons. He”s a newer fan of yours.”

”You haven”t listened to my second album yet, have you?” he jokes. ”I”ve started following hockey, and you”re a beast out there. Do you think the Bootleggers will make it to the Cup this year?”

”We”re hoping to,” Kace says. ”And I haven”t listened to your second album. Read online to skip it. Why the fuck did I just say that?”

Maci laughs as he clasps his hand over his mouth. ”Oh, sweetie, nothing you said offended anyone. Including the curse word.”

”The album”s terrible. Trust me, you wouldn”t continue listening to my albums if you listen to it.”

Scrunching her face, Bri nods. ”I try not to criticize, but it”s not good. I”m sorry, Coop.”

He laughs. ”If I can be so bold, it”s still better than your ex”s album.”

”Hunny, you dodged a meteor with that one,” Maci says. ”But I think you won out in the end.”

Kace pulls Bri close to his side, his hand on her shoulder. ”I hope so.”

”Treat her right,” Cooper says. ”I may not be as big as you, but I grew up on a farm, and I played football.”

”I will,” he agrees.

”It was nice meeting you, Kace. And congrats, Bri. God, I”m proud of you.”

They walk away, and he turns to Bri. ”Oh my God, that was the coolest thing to ever happen in my entire life. The only thing better would be if we could summon a few dead artists to meet.”

”I hate to run, but I have to hop on the plane for a show tomorrow, and I have to do the soundcheck in ten hours.”

Shaking his head, he worries she”ll burn out if she doesn”t take a break soon. ”Let”s get you home before the carriage turns into a pumpkin.”

”Nice Cinderella reference. For the record, though, I much prefer Beauty and the Beast.”

”Noted.”