Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
“How did you like it?”
She’d asked me the same thing when we followed the herd into the lobby area during intermission. I’d told her I thought it was great and that her brother was great…and yes, I used very lame adjectives to downplay my interest. We stood in a foursome, drinking waters and sharing M&M’s while peppering each other with “get to know you” questions: Where are you from? What’s your major? How long have you been playing baseball? That kind of thing. It was frustrating as hell. I suffered through ten minutes of awkward conversation and had to bite my tongue at least five times to stop myself from blurting, “Can you just tell me everything there is to know about your brother?”
Honestly, I was impressed with my self-control. But now that it was over, I had to make a move of some sort. This could be tricky. My loose plan to break away from the group to congratulate Phoenix seemed doable until I realized I’d been set up with his sister. Now it was probably best to lay low. I could just text him tomorrow and let him know I was in the audience. It would be a good icebreaker. I’d tell him I liked his show and ask him when he wanted to meet for coffee, I mused, shuffling toward the main exit with the mob.
“Hey, I know a shortcut. Come this way,” Sunny said, motioning for us to head the opposite direction.
When Javi nudged my shoulder, I had no choice but to follow her. We traveled against the crowd and made our way to a closed door.
“Where does this lead?” Sarah asked, hooking her arm around Javi’s elbow.
“It’ll take us behind the building near the parking lot. I can’t remember if this sets off an alarm though, so we may have to make a run for it.” Sunny paused with her hand on the metal lever and shot a wicked grin at us. “Are you ready?”
I chuckled. “There’s no alarm. They usually post a sign or something to let you know. But if I’m wrong…walk, don’t run. Trust me. I’m an old pro at this sort of thing. I was famous for setting off the alarm at my elementary school back in the day.”
“Ooh…so, you’re the dangerous daredevil type,” Sunny teased.
“Nope. Just your former garden variety adrenaline junkie,” I assured her with a laugh.
Her snort laugh was contagious. “Oh, me too. Come on.”
I caught Javi’s knowing smirk before Sunny pushed the lever open onto a wide corridor. Our footsteps echoed as we passed a series of industrial-looking doors that had a “no trespassing” vibe. However, the hum of excited conversation in the distance made our detour seem more like a friendly alternate route than an illicit getaway.
Sunny’s eyes glinted with humor as we approached the bank of doors. But instead of heading for the exit, she grabbed my hand and motioned for our friends to follow her around the corner and directly into the group of boisterous actors.
Everything happened so fast that I didn’t have a chance to process consequences or options. One second I was halfway to the parking lot trying to work out how to say a polite good-bye to Sunny and the next…
There he was.
Phoenix stood on the periphery. He threw his head back and laughed at something one of his friends said…and fuck, I couldn’t tear my gaze from him. He positively radiated the kind of happy glow that came from a job well done. Maybe the theater equivalent of batting in the winning run at the bottom of the ninth. Magic.
And he looked hot. His costume left nothing to the imagination. He wore nude-colored tights, a swag of faux ivy and leaves across his chest…and not much else. I tried not to stare at his muscular thighs or his taut ass, but lingering on his toned abs wasn’t any safer.
Before I could make sense of my racing pulse, sweaty palms, or the fact I was grossly out of place, Phoenix looked up and beamed at his sister. When he spotted me a half second later, his smile dimmed. Or maybe it was that he noticed the death grip Sunny had on my hand. She finally let go to tackle hug her brother.
“Nixxy! You were fabulous!”
“Thanks, Sun.” Phoenix slipped his arm around his sister before turning to me. “Hello, Max. This is a surprise.”
I opened my mouth…and then closed it. Fuck. I was sweating now. I’d wanted to see him again, but not like this. I didn’t know what to say.
I cleared my throat. “Hi. You were really good.”
Lame. I winced before trying again, but Phoenix beat me to it.
“Thanks. I didn’t know you’d be here,” he said.
“Do you know each other?” Sunny asked, puzzled.
“Yes. Well, sort of. How do you two…?” Phoenix gestured between us as if unable to find the words he needed to make sense of this new twist. I couldn’t blame him. I felt the same way.