Chapter Fifteen #2
Everyone inside scurried as if the teacher had just walked into the classroom.
And I watched Brooks work his magic. There was no other way to describe it.
I could talk for days about his lyrical genius or his skills on multiple instruments or his insane historical knowledge of music, but this was a huge factor in how he’d gotten famous.
Brooks switched into what he called stage mode.
His voice dropped, his southern drawl came out, and he smiled at people and completely focused on them—even if it was for a mere thirty seconds—and made them feel like nobody else in the room mattered.
He shook everyone’s hand, introduced himself as if these people hadn’t been hired to tend to him, and he introduced me as his fiancée and accepted handshakes and hugs of congratulations on the engagement without the same tense muscle spasms I got when being offered the same.
Then he personally took orders from everyone to call room service himself.
He was goddamn radiant. Everyone followed him like flowers tilting for the sun.
“Hi, I’m Megan. I’ll be doing your hair and makeup today.
” A young woman with a sharp jet-black bob gestured for me to sit in a director’s chair that was propped up in front of the foldout vanity table by the window.
“Before we start, is there anything you want me to keep in mind? Any allergies? Color preferences?”
“Okay, hi, nice to meet you.” My voice came out shakier than I expected. “I haven’t really done one of these events in a while, so you just tell me what to do.”
“No reason to be nervous.” She stood behind the chair and smiled at me through our reflection. “We’ve been told it’s your first big outing as a couple, right?”
“Yeah,” I breathed.
“That’s going to be awesome.”
My eyes flew to Brooks, who was helping maneuver a clothing rack with a couple of garment bags on it through the door. I’d never once seen him act like he was too good for any menial task. It was wild that he had made it through this industry and remained as kind and sweet as he was.
“He is.”
Megan giggled behind me. “Sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry. Uhm…yeah. It is going to be great.”
She started running careful fingers down the sides of my hair, not trying to rake through it like many others had done before.
At least this girl knew how to handle curls.
“Obviously we talked in our team about what kind of look would work as a couple, and I was sent pictures of your dress to take into consideration, so I’ll just talk you through my vision and if you want to change anything just let me know.
And then we’ll tag-team the whole process between me and Francesca, who’s here to make sure your outfit works.
I’ll also be with you in the limo for a last-minute touch-up at the venue. Sound good?”
“Sounds perfect.”
“You look beautiful,” Brooks said and dropped into the chair beside mine.
“Megan hasn’t even started yet,” I laughed.
“Both things can be true.” He grinned.
Megan let out a high-pitched “Aww” behind me, and I just rolled my eyes at Brooks.
“One question before I forget.” Megan opened the big black case on the vanity and started pulling out various products. “How smudge-proof should we keep the lipstick? Any plans for red carpet kissing?”
I glanced over at Brooks, and he made a vague up-to-you kinda gesture. If this was truly up to me, there’d be no kissing in front of an audience like that. But I knew that tonight wasn’t just about showing up as a couple, it was about being seen as a couple.
“Odd request, but can you make it bright and easily transferrable? I’m going to kiss the fuck out of that man later, and I want it to leave a mark.”
“Sounds like I’ll be having fun on the red carpet,” Brooks chuckled.
“Now we’re talking viral moments.” Megan clapped her hands together. “How do we feel about glitter?”
“Love glitter.”
“I’m going to have bright red glitter lipstick all over my face?” Brooks asked.
“You betcha.”
He chuckled and rose from his chair just to lean over me and whisper, “Take the lipstick home and we’ll see where else you can leave your mark.”
Oh.
Heat rose to my cheeks. Megan giggled again, clearly having caught his words, but I doubted Brooks meant for them to be overheard.
I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought of the very real possibility of getting laid tonight, considering we had his Nashville home to ourselves.
But it had been Brooks who’d been stepping on the brakes every night before we got too far, and part of me had started to wonder if Skye’s presence down the hallway really was the only reason for that.
Sounded like my doubts had been unfounded.
Brooks needed much less time to get ready.
They had him in a pair of black pants, an elegant gold-buckled belt, and a black button-down with the top buttons undone, just to show off a thin gold chain on his collarbone that matched the gold of his various rings.
The look was elegant enough to accept an award, but not as stuffy as a full suit.
And the pants were tailored to show off the same perfect backside all his tight jeans highlighted—thank heavens.
Meanwhile, I was still in a bathrobe while Megan artfully pinned curl after curl into a faux bob. It turned my hair from a murky blond explosion of curls into something resembling old Hollywood glamour.
“Artisan soap,” Brooks said as he pulled a small paper bag from the large box that had been delivered to the room.
I’d been to two award ceremonies in my short-lived career, and I’d never been important enough to receive the goodie bags or go to gifting suites.
Brooks was indulging my curiosity, unboxing it bit by bit while I held still for Megan’s crafting.
“I think the soap’s what’s making the whole box smell. ”
“Skye won’t like that,” I said automatically, because she’d complained about my bathroom soap smelling strongly and that was only the store-brand, berry-scented kind.
“True.”
“We have some artisan soap up for grabs,” Brooks shouted into the room.
The guy who’d tidied up Brooks’s mustache and stubble grabbed that.
We’d already handed out a smart toothbrush, a pair of cuff links, and a hair follicle stimulator.
I’d grabbed the noise-cancelling headphones, and Brooks had torn open the chocolates and had carefully fed me a few between Megan’s brushstrokes to my face.
“Okay, that’s hair and makeup. Time for the dress.”
Francesca carried the garment bag to the bathroom for me and I had to insist four times that I could really fasten the side zipper myself before she left me to it.
The dress Renee and I had picked had been in Bravetown’s costume storage for a decade, from when they tried to make rockabilly nights a thing at the Rattlesnake Saloon.
Technically it was the underlayer of one of those costumes.
Its strapless white bodice hugged my chest tightly, then flared out into a tea-length skirt made of layers upon layers of organza.
Thin lace details graced my chest and hips, just enough to give the dress a girly touch and offset the bombshell curve of the top.
It was somehow elegant and grown-up and sexy and cute all in one.
When I reentered the room, the team was tidying up, zipping back and forth, but my eyes were solely on Brooks.
And his eyes were on me. He drank me in, gaze traveling over my body, down, back up, side to side.
My heart fluttered like a hummingbird. I wanted to look pretty for him, which sounded archaic and silly to me.
But he was getting a lifetime achievement award, and he was showing me off as his bride-to-be.
And I wanted the boy I liked to like my dress.
Brooks rose to his feet and wordlessly walked over, eyes still roaming over my skin.
“Three steps back,” he said, gently pushing his splayed fingertips into my belly to move me backward.
One. Two. Three.
The second I’d taken the third step, Brooks kicked the bathroom door shut behind us without taking his eyes off me.
His mouth was on mine before I could question his intentions.
He kissed me with teeth and tongue, grasping at my waist and pulling me into him.
He kissed me in a way that arched my back and set my blood on fire.
He kissed me until I whimpered when his hand brushed up my side and over my chest.
“Fuck,” I gasped when he eventually leaned back, and air rushed into my lungs.
“Just in case you were wondering how I feel about the dress. Away from prying ears and eyes.”
“Uhm…yeah…that was actually super unclear. You should repeat yourself just so I can be sure.”
He chuckled and shook his head, opening the door with his hand behind his back. “I’ll clarify for you later. In great detail.”
Megan had to refresh both of our faces, because the lipstick had done exactly what it had been intended to do and left its mark on Brooks.
I was floating on a cloud of endorphins on our way to the event, barely present enough to enjoy the limo, or register the first moments on the red carpet while everyone was shuffling around.
We were among the last arrivals, Brooks being the guest of honor tonight. Other people would tremble through their nominations. Brooks just had to walk up on stage and accept his award. Apparently, they’d tried to give him this award for the last two years already, but he hadn’t accepted until now.