Page 56 of Gabriel's Album

I smile at her. “Someone from the hotel came in and set it up. I had an accomplice keeping you busy while I came ahead and checked that everything was perfect.”

“Heather,” Ariana says and shakes her head. “I knew something was up with her.”

“So…” I trail off, feeling nerves wracking my body as I walk over to her. “Ariana, you are the most amazing person I’ve ever met. You’re sweet and kind, and I meant what I wrote—you’re the best thing in my life. I love you.”

She doesn’t say anything for a long time, and I begin to worry that she might not feel the same way as I do.

Finally, her face brightens, and she says the words I need to hear more than I need anything else in my life right now: “I love you, too.”

I grin at her as I take her hand in mine. It feels warm and soft, and my heart feels like it might explode because I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. We follow the path of white rose petals leading from the door where Ariana was standing when she arrived, and over to the door into the bedroom.

When I open the bedroom door and Ariana sees the message on the bed, her mouth drops open. I beam at her as I lead her to the bed and take her in my arms. Together, we ruin what was probably hours of work for someone, and we wrap ourselves in the message from me to Ariana that had been so meticulously laid out on the bed for us.

9

The Ninth Song

We’ve just arrivedin a new city, and right now, I’m so tired that I can’t even remember which one. I should probably make sure I’ve got it right before the concert tomorrow, though, so I can scream the name into the microphone and have the audience cheer. We’re staying here for a couple of nights, so we’re off the tour buses and have checked into a hotel again.

Life has been pretty sweet since Washington, DC. Ariana and I spend most of our time with Heather and Harrison. She and Heather have become really close, and I’m glad that Ariana has someone to hang out with while I’m busy with interviews or performing.

“Are you ready?” I ask her as she comes out of the bedroom wearing jeans and a tight t-shirt.

I’m sorely tempted to take her back into the bedroom and have my way with her, but we’re meant to be hanging out with everyone for the evening.

“Sure,” she smiles at me.

I take her hand, and we make our way to Harrison and Heather’s suite, where I knock on the door, and we’re let in by Hayden.

“Hey, guys,” he says in a cheery voice.

We greet him, then join everyone in the sitting area. I put my arm around Ariana’s shoulders as we sit down on the sofa. She snuggles into me, and I can smell her scent as she does, kissing the top of her head while a discussion takes place about what we should do for the evening.

“We should play pool,” Sebastian says, and we all groan at his suggestion. “Come on, guys, it’ll be fun.”

“Sure, Seb, watching you beat everyone? Sounds like tons of fun,” Heather says in a dry tone.

“Come on, sexy legs, you have to play with me. If I don’t play at least once a week, I’ll lose all my skills,” Sebastian replies, winking at Heather.

“Oh, poor baby,” Heather retorts before rolling her eyes at him.

“Is your goal in life to become a professional pool player or something?” Harrison asks.

“Or a pool shark in biker bars?” Hayden teases him, laughing. “You know I’m always up for a game of pool, though.”

“Okay, Hayden’s in. You’ll come play pool, won’t you, Ariana?” Sebastian turns to her.

“Sure, why not. I don’t have anything else planned,” Ariana shrugs.

“You might not have planned anything, but I did,” I say and pull her closer to me.

Ariana leans toward me to give me a kiss. She’s soft and warm and tastes like vanilla. I look down into her green eyes, feeling contentment wash over me.

“Cheer up, we’ll have fun,” she says, then places her lips next to my ear and continues, “Then later, we’ll come back to the hotel and have even more fun.”

I shudder as a thousand erotic images of fucking her flood through my mind, and I turn to grin at my friends.

“I’m in.”

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