Page 100 of He's The Reason Why

Thirty-five minutes flashed by in a heartbeat, and then he was waiting just off stage for Piper to summon him out.

“I have a little surprise for you,” she told the audience with a sly smile. “You all know I’ve been working on a little project calledScorched, right?”

The crowd shouted a cacophony of responses that amounted to a resounding yes.

Her grin stretched from ear to ear. “You also know that animated features have songs, right?”

They went a little more nuts, and a chant of “Piper, Piper, Piper” went up.

“Well I’ve been given permission to share one of those songs with you tonight. It’s a sneak peek of the duet between Princess Jewel and Jesse. Would you like to hear it?”

The roar was enough to deafen people in Arizona.

“Good! This is called ‘What I Want.’ I hope you like it and I hope you love the movie.” Pipe cued the band, and they started up the intro.

Someone handed him a water bottle. He took a quick sip while Piper sang the beginning of the duet they’d rehearsed and recorded countless times, but tonight, it sounded fresh and new to him. She turned and held out her hand toward him, her gaze locked on his, and he found he didn’t need to slip on a persona. He walked out on stage as himself and sang at her like she was the only one in the room.

“Oh my God it’s Blake Ryan!” someone nearby screeched.

He barely heard it.

He focused on Piper, and they sang the chorus together. Then she danced off to the other side of the stage to sing the next part of the song.

“I wanted adventure, I wanted to see the world.”

He took her example and sauntered off in the other direction to sing at the crowd on the left. “I wanted to show them that I could save the day.”

By the time they finished off the song, he was so hopped on adrenaline, his hands were shaking. They ended up center stage, facing each other. His hand was on her arm, and he stared down into her eyes as they sang the last notes together. “Now what I want…is…you.”

As the last notes faded away he, leaned in and kissed her cheek.

The crowd exploded.

“Told you they’d love you,” Piper said in his ear. Her breathwas hot and fast, and it sent a rush of heat all the way down to his dick.

She pulled away, leaving a rush of emptiness in her wake. “Blake Ryan, everybody!”

He smiled and waved to the crowd, doing his best rock star imitation while hoping like hell nobody could tell he had a hard-on. Then he sauntered off stage, bolstered by the screams of six thousand people.

It wasn’t a bad way to go. He could see exactly why Piper loved this so much. It was a head rush, an ego boost, and a magical high. He’d never felt anything like it.

He waited for her backstage for what felt like an eternity. This was the last show before a four-month break, and she had gifts for the crew and hugs for everyone.

This was her world. Like Jewel, it was her domain to rule, and she did it with grace and style. She made everyone feel special and seen. It was a neat trick in a place like this, where it was too noisy to hear anything.

She caught him watching her and separated herself from the crowd to join him in the corner next to the stage. “You remind me of Lizzie. She always waited right here for us to finish.”

“Is that…a good thing?” Would it be wrong to take her in his arms right now?

“It’s agreatthing, but you don’t have to sit out here like a deckhand. Come with me.”

She took his hand and led him through the bustling group of workers packing up the show, down the hallway behind the stage, to the now-empty dressing room.

She shut the door and the backstage noise faded away. “So what did you think? Are you traumatized for life?”

He ran his hand through his hair. It wasn’t the show that did him in, it was her in that one-piece, skin-hugging piece of cloth.She might as well be naked. “I’ve never felt anything like that. It’s quite the rush.”

Did she know he meant her, not the show?

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