Page 117 of Sweet Temptation

I decided to make a joke out of it.

Luckily, Yancy laughed. “Is he always so… overbearing?”

“There was a small security threat recently,” I informed him. “No big deal. But Brody insists I carry Ronan in my pocket at all times now.”

At that, Yancy changed his tune. No more flirting. Now it was all outrage and concern. “What? When? What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m absolutely fine. The new bodyguard is just a precaution.”

He seemed to believe me. But it definitely changed the tone of the conversation. I spent the next ten minutes assuring him that I was fine, that Ronan was keeping me safe.

Then it was time for me to hit the stage.

* * *

The club was packed, the crowd was totally into my set, and I kept the dance floor full all night. Not bad for a bunch of people in suits and high-heels.

I only caught a single glimpse of Ronan, though, about midway through my set. That sucked.

Maybe I was getting too used to his stony, sexy face. Maybe I liked seeing him at my shows. Even if he wouldn’t dance.

After that brief glimpse, he disappeared again, and I tried to stop looking for him. Andre hung out just offstage; I could see him the whole time.

When my set was done, I thanked the crowd for being amazing and supporting the event. And since we were in a French-speaking city, I dropped the legendary French bombshell, Brigitte Bardot, singing “Everybody Loves My Baby,” while the next DJ prepared to take over.

Yancy met me as I came offstage. The nightclub manager was with him, and introductions were made.

Then Yancy cornered me. “Summer, I’ve got people throwing tantrums on my ass all up and down the west coast.” He was clearly a little drunk, so he was a lot more dramatic with his sales pitch this time. “I’ve gotten over my heartbreak that you dumped me for Brody Mason. I can live with that. But no one wants you retiring your crown. Look at this crowd. Listen to them. They want more. Everyone wants more of you.”

I smiled, buzzing with the adrenalin and noise. They did love me. Or at least, my music, which was the point. And I’d never get tired of this feeling. But… “I’m hardly retiring,” I told him. “This is just the beginning. What I’m doing is leveling up.”

We’d had this conversation several times already, long distance, but I really couldn’t blame him for making one last ditch effort to change my mind, in person, before I pretty much vanished from his professional life.

I leaned in to give him a hug—and all hell broke loose.

I saw a chair go flying through the air, above the crowd. There was this chilling collective gasp that reached right into my bones; I seemed to feel it more than hear it over the music, and the whole crowd surged like a well-dressed tidal wave.

Another chair went flying into the air, then another, like popcorn.

Somewhere on the other side of the club, people screamed, and a shiver tore through me.

Everyone around me either froze or started running.

I froze.

Someone bumped into me, and Yancy ducked. I watched him drop, covering his head.

Then a big, warm hand landed on my arm, squeezing. I turned in the direction I was pulled, to find Andre scooping me in front of his big body, shielding me from the crowd. He steered me toward a glowing red exit sign.

I barely felt my feet touching the floor.

“What the fuck…” The words rushed out of my mouth, but I could barely hear myself over the chaos of noise and the blood pounding in my ears. I was holding Andre’s arm, digging my fingers into his solid muscle through his suit sleeve, as he propelled me through the door beneath the exit sign, into a hallway.

A couple of bouncers plowed by, almost knocking us over as they pushed through the door in the other direction.

The music in the club abruptly shut off and the hair stood up on the back of my neck.

I swore I heard someone say the word…

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