Page 46 of Resist

Fox stands and kisses my cheek before he heads back to his spot on stage. Their screams only grow louder, and I chuckle into the mic as I walk to my place. The lights cut out, and the spotlight hits me, an organ playing as I croon into the mic.

The others slowly chime in with their instruments before the drop, and the crowd screams, my voice filling the stadium as I tilt into the mic.

The organ only increases as red crosses flash across the screen. Falling to my knees, I continue to sing, and when the last note tapers off, Fox is above me with his hand on my chin, tilting it up, and he leans down as the stage goes black.

His eyes meet mine in the dim light, and despite where we are, he steals a kiss before walking away as the lights come back on. Panting, I lick my lips as I climb to my feet, my mic in hand, but all I can think about is him.

“I don’t know about you, but I think I missed that. Did you?” I call into the mic as I walk over to Fox. When he turns at my voice, I grab the back of his neck and yank him down.

I plant a quick kiss on his lips, and he jerks backward, his eyes wide even as the crowd goes wild. “Wasn’t for them,” I tell him through a pant. “That was for me.” I turn and head to the edge of the stage. “Thank you for rocking with us! Now get ready for the show of your lives with Dead Ringers!”

Their stomps shake the stadium, and we hurry backstage as the lights go down.

We are all sweaty and panting but happy as hell. I don’t think I’ve seen my band this elated in a long time. Now that everything is fixed between Fox and me, it’s like we are back to the way we were, and I love it. Dash throws his arm over my shoulders and kisses my cheek. “It’s good to have you back, brother.”

Strike grabs my other side. “Just don’t hurt him, okay?” he asks.

I find Fox grabbing all of our water bottles, and at my look, he arches a brow in question. “I don’t plan to. I plan to love him as long as he lets me.”

“Aw!” They both fake gag and swoon as Fox hands over our bottles, his eyes for me.

“Let’s go watch the set in the green room,” he murmurs, and I nod, hurrying to his side as Strike and Dash mock me. I wave at Po, who’s busy talking to crew members, and he waves back as we duck into the green room. It’s empty right now, and I sprawl across Fox. He massages my neck, his free hand sliding across my thigh as we turn our attention to the screen just as Dead Ringers comes on stage.

Their music is addictive, but not as addictive as the man at my side. My eyes linger on him as his lithe fingers tap my thigh to the beat, his head bobbing slightly. His hair is slicked back with sweat and his makeup is smudged, but he’s never looked so beautiful.

I struggle to catch my breath, barely believing that he’s finally mine and I can touch him without needing a reason.

As if sensing my gaze, he swings those bright orbs to me, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiles. “Aren’t you watching?”

“I’m watching something infinitely more important,” I murmur.

He kisses my cheek as Dash and Strike fight over the beer they hold. “You did good tonight, baby,” he praises, and I swing my hungry gaze to him. It drops to his lips as everything else fades around us. “I can see those dirty thoughts of yours.”

“Do you think we have time for a quickie?” I ask, and he laughs loudly.

“Oh shit!” Dash yells, and we jerk apart, our eyes going to the screen to see what he did.

“What happened?” I ask as I watch Beck Danvers flee the stage.

“Not a clue,” Dash whispers as he looks at us. “She’ll be back, right?” We all remain silent as the rest of Dead Ringers look on in shock and confusion. “Right?”

Beck Danvers is gone, and so is the tour.

Po paces before us, worried even though he won’t admit it. This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all. Without Beck, there’s no Dead Ringers, and without them, there’s no tour and no us. It’s our dream, our chance, and it’s slipping away.

Fox drops a pillow on our thighs, which are pressed together, and under it, he grips my hand. “It will be okay,” he murmurs to me.

I don’t have the same faith. What if this is it? What if everything we worked for is just gone?

We’ve been in our own bubble for most of this tour, so happy to be involved that we didn’t even notice anything was wrong in their band.

“What happened?” Fox asks when Po hangs up.

“Nothing to worry about, just some slight issues. She will be back. I’m sure of it,” he lies flawlessly, but his eyes are twitching.

“You’re lying. You don’t know if she will. What happens to us if this tour is cancelled?” Fox asks sternly, speaking for us all since we stare at Po like lost puppies searching for answers.

“It’s just on hold for now,” Po answers. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out. Go back and rest early, okay? We’ll have a plan tomorrow and know what’s happening. You did great tonight, guys.” He departs, and we are left with more questions than answers.

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