Chapter 20 Sloane
Sloane
Monica burst through the open door with as much energy as a hurricane, and the racing of my heart made her presence feel like she was about to rip my world apart.
It took everything in me not to glance over my shoulder at Kolton’s bedroom door to check that he was out of view, even as my manager started to talk.
“Is everything okay? I’ve been calling you for the past half hour trying to get a hold of you.” Her gaze slid down my body, and I became very aware that I wasn’t wearing a thing under my plush white robe.
“Yes, sorry, I must have dozed off.” I pressed my fingers to my temple for effect, then glanced around the foyer until I found my purse where I’d tossed it on the way in earlier, my phone still tucked inside.
“Another migraine?”
“I had one earlier but it’s lingering. Kolton caught it and reminded me to take my pill.”
The hard, all-business look on her face softened. “How is he?”
“Okay, I think,” I said, turning away and searching for something to tell her that wouldn’t sound like a fabricated lie. The sweet ache between my legs wasn’t doing my brain any good. I finally settled on, “He’s resting in his room.”
As opposed to mine. My skin heated under the heavy robe, and I tugged at the collar to try to cool down.
Monica must have bought what I was telling her. She dropped her bag on the coffee table and took a seat at one end of the couch. “The hotel manager wanted me to reiterate his apologies.”
I waved her off as I sat in the chair across from her. “It’s fine. Not his fault.”
“As for the concert.” Her lips pursed for a moment. “They were also affected by the power outage, and they’re hoping we can do a little last-minute rescheduling.”
“Oh?” This was good. Locked in that elevator, my worries for Kolton fought mightily with my devastation that I’d disappoint all the children who’d been invited to the show.
“They’d like to try again this coming weekend. The venue is available, and they seemed to think the kids could make it back if we’re able. And seeing how you don’t have anything else booked…”
“I’ll do it.”
She raised her brow expectantly before her attention darted behind me. Her face transformed from serious businesswoman to I have an audience. “Kolton! Hi, how are you feeling?”
I spun and found him with his hand gripping the back of his neck and his head ducked as he shuffled barefoot into the room.
“Hi Monica. I’m better now.”
Seeing the shy, almost embarrassed look on his face had me wanting to run to him to soothe him. Doing so would be both out of character and a very bad idea.
That didn’t stop the fluttering of my heart as he peeked up at me.
“I was just telling Sloane, they want to reschedule the concert to this coming weekend.”
Kolton’s demeanor shifted as easily as Monica’s always did. He dropped his hand and stood up straight. “That’s great news.”
Monica looked pleased with his answer and turned back to me.
“You have a few decisions to make. You can fly home tomorrow, like we intended, then come back in a couple days. Or, you can stay in the city, either here or a different hotel if you’d feel more comfortable with that.
The manager here is more than willing to accommodate.
He said a room on a lower level will be available no later than tomorrow afternoon, and he insisted on comping room service tonight”—her eyes flashed to Kolton and back—“if you don’t feel like going out.
I, of course, have to leave tonight for prior obligations, and I won’t be able to get back until right before the concert. ”
When I looked back at Kolton, when I found his brown eyes burrowing into mine, I could barely control my smile. “What do you think?”
I could have taken acting lessons from the man. He tilted his head as his nose scrunched up. “Doesn’t make sense to fly home if you don’t have anything going on. I’m willing to stay if you are. Although…”
“What is it?”
That shy smile of his was going to break me. “Do you mind if we go out tomorrow afternoon? I didn’t bring enough clothes for a week.”
“Oh, yes, absolutely,” Monica responded without looking at me. “That would be no problem at all. Sloane, perhaps you can find something new for the concert, since your photos are splashed all over the tabloids wearing today’s outfit.”
Surely the drumming inside my chest could be heard across the table where my manager sat. The smile I gave only showed a fraction of my true happiness. “Of course. One of my favorite designer’s new summer lines is carried here in New York. I’ve been dying to see it.”
“Perfect. Well,” she said, clapping her hands on her thighs before she stood, “I really should be going. I’ll talk to the manager about your room and send over information for the concert once I get confirmation from them. Kolton, I hope you feel better. I’ll see you two this weekend.”
She left just as quickly as she came in.
The minute the door snicked shut behind her, I was out of my chair and rushing toward Kolton.
He caught me as I jumped into his arms, kissing me back the moment I pressed my lips to his.
Before I knew it, he was laying me gently on top of my bed, looking down at me like he couldn’t believe he was here.
“Do that thing again,” I told him, yanking his shirt out of his waistband and smoothing my fingers over his abs.
“What thing?” He sucked in a sharp breath as I undid the button on his pants and dipped my hand inside.
“That thing where you turn my body to jelly by giving me the most amazing orgasm I’ve ever had.”
“Are you serious?” he asked as I pushed his pants over his hips and down his long legs.
I tugged the tie of my robe, ripping it open and baring my body to him. “Do I look serious?”
He nodded, his eyes wide as I parted my legs and laid back on the bed. Then he repeated his earlier performance, making me fall apart again and again before he climbed over me, settled himself between my thighs, and made love to me until I couldn’t have moved if I wanted to.
Never in my life had I ever felt this good.
Without the watchful eye of my manager to worry about, Kolton and I had time to learn all about each other.
Although, it was more me learning about him than the other way around.
He seemed to know everything about me, from my life in the spotlight to the way to make my toes curl and ecstasy to flood my veins with the tiniest touch.
He taught me more about myself, too. About how I could be a strong, independent woman and still crave the love of a good man.
How I could enjoy my own pleasure but also find deep satisfaction in learning how he liked to be touched.
He taught me how to hold him, how to lick him and suck him, how to make him come with just my hand and my mouth.
I had untapped power within me and watching him fall apart was almost as satisfying as when he did the same to me.
Despite the mind-blowing sex, we did get out of our room a few times.
Kolton insisted we go out and buy new clothes, specifically underwear—a holdover from some other form of torture his sister put him through.
While we were out, we picked up a couple board games and a pack of cards to play while we were lounging around the hotel room—something that brought back memories of when my father was still around.
After finally finding our way to the luxury department store I’d told Monica I wanted to look at, Kolton pointed out a grand piano sitting between the escalators and the perfume counters.
“Play something,” he whispered near my ear, snagging the one bag he’d allowed me to carry from my hand. He brushed his lips against my face before he stood to his full height. “I miss hearing you play.”
“You do?”
He pursed his lips and raised one brow, looking down at me like he thought I was a loon. “I could listen to you all day, every day, and never grow tired of hearing your music.”
My cheeks heated, but even as I dipped my head, my gaze was locked on the black and white keys. It had been too long since I last played. Kolton inspired me more than I could possibly let on, and my fingers itched to play again.
He started that way before I’d even decided to do it, like he knew I was going to anyway and wanted to make it easier on me to do what I wanted to do. He stopped beside the piano, glancing around the store before he turned his attention to me.
“Have a seat, Diva.” His lips curled up into that sexy smile of his. “Play me a song.”
“Only because it’s you.”
He pulled his hands to his chest, over his heart, before dropping them quickly and looking around again. I sat on the bench and let my fingers slide over the keys without playing.
I lived for this. Making music was the thing that made me happier than anything else in this world, and having someone who not only appreciated it, but also encouraged it, was something I was going to have to get used to.
Beckett had never understood my love of music or my desire to pick away at the piano keys until the lyrics and melody that started as a mere wisp on my mind turned into a beautiful song.
Calvin pushed me to put away my silly dreams and focus on playing roles that surely only lined his pockets because they didn’t do me or the world any good.
Even Brooklyn hadn’t been understanding about my love of music. She’d sided with Beckett so often, I’d started to believe I could never be the singer I’d always dreamed of.
It wasn’t until I met Olivia that this dream started to seem like it was reachable. It was Monica who’d gotten me my first real record deal outside of the teeny bopper songs I sang in the movies for Sidney Studios. And it was Kolton and the fans like him that made this amazing dream a possibility.
The first chord hummed through the air, drowning out the sounds of shoppers and the piped in music overhead. What it didn’t drown out was Kolton’s quiet gasp, or his near whisper as he said, “I love this song!”
Seeing his love of my music close up was a thrill unlike any other.
His wide, gorgeous smile. The glittering look in his eyes.
The way he spun on his heel, just like I did in my music video for this song.
I laughed at his mild attempt at dancing in this store, the sound tinkling like bells in the air as he schooled his features and tried to pretend that he wasn’t enjoying this.
His eyes didn’t leave mine as I started singing. Warmth flooded me, a mix of embarrassment at him watching me so closely and something else I couldn’t explain. My lungs felt too big for my chest and tingles spread across my skin, and I wanted nothing more than for this moment to last forever.
It ended when the song did. Only then did Kolton tear his gaze from mine, scanning the room around us like he always did whenever we were in public. His soft smile dissolved in an instant, his relaxed posture going rigid and straight. I glanced behind me and wanted to groan at what I found.
A dozen shoppers had stopped to watch me.
The heat that had warmed me under Kolton’s watchful gaze turned into an ice-cold flash flood that doused me, shrinking my lungs and my heart in one quick beat.
I’d been so wrapped up in my bodyguard, I hadn’t stopped to consider what kind of attention I was drawing just by being here in the department store.
The crowd began to clap, which only drew more attention my way. Soon, another two-dozen people, mostly women and teens, were standing there, phones at the ready to record me and whatever I did next.
“Best play another song, Diva,” Kolton told me quietly. “Wouldn’t want to disappoint your fans.”
It was more the sparkle in his eyes than the thought of disappointing anyone else that had me putting my fingers back on the keys.
I lost myself in my music, singing three more songs before the noise around me drew me out of my head.
The crowd was getting bigger, and suddenly, I didn’t feel so safe.
Thankfully, at that moment, two store security guards came by to see what was going on, and Kolton and I used that as an excuse to get out of there.
Still, it was another half hour before we were able to break away.
Fan after fan came up to me, even as the security guards tried to help Kolton and me escape.
I signed autographs for a few of the younger kids before the sheer number of them was just too much.
One of the guards directed us through a door marked Employees Only and, while the other stood watch, led us through the back of the store to an exit.
We found our car and Kolton drove us back to the hotel, and relief hit me as we walked through the doors.
Only for my heart to skip a beat as my feet came to a full stop, causing Kolton to crash into me from behind.
Because standing in the lobby in front of me was someone I hoped I’d never have to deal with again.