Page 21 of Extended Bridge

I nod. “I’ve heard him play a little. He sounds like Darren did, only with a slightly unique twist.” Goes to show everyone’s replaceable.Remember this.

“He has his own take on our songs. He’s been an integral part of writing our new stuff.” He grins. “He’s willing to try anything. For instance, he joined us at a rock climbing wall when we were filming the movie. He was scared shitless, and we all saw it. We tried to break down his walls and, surprisingly, 007 was the one to breach them first.” He chuckles. “It was a good time. A turning point, for us as a band.”

“I remember the scene in the movie.” I scan the room and locate Tristan talking with Pierce. “He seems like a good fit.” He’s not trying to be Darren, which is a relief. While his job can be replaced, the man himself cannot. The new keyboardist needed to bring his own personality to the group, and it sounds like he did. “I look forward to getting to know him.”

“I’m sure he’d like that.” He waves at a woman sporting a pixie haircut and an eyebrow piercing. “Guess it’s time for me to put on the leather pants.”

“By all means. Turn into the rock star that you are.” I take the ice pack and slink into the background, which is more difficult than I imagined given the number of people in the room. I’m standing by the snack table when my heart stalls. Bennett is now clad in black leather and fiddling with a leather cuff. Instead of four total like before, he’s now wearing five rings on both hands.

“How’s this? Do I look stageworthy now?”

“Yeah,” I manage.

His lips tick upward.

I clear my throat. “You look presentable. I’m sure all your lady fans will scream.” Or pass out. I tamp down the urge to impersonate a guppy. But damn.

“Glad you like what you see, Sweet Pea.”

His use of Ma’s nickname for me reminds me I forgot to let her know I got to the City safely. Which brings me to our last discussion about how she doesn’t trust the rock god standing before me. “Don’t let it go to your head, Rock Star,” I grumble.

“What if it goes to my other head?”

Damn. Now I’m right back in the shower at Secluded Rest. With nothing between us but water. I step backward. “That would be a problem, especially since you’re due onstage in twenty minutes.”

“I know you could take care of it for me.”

“Reset, remember?” Am I reminding him or me? Does it matter?

“Ah, yes.” He skirts the table and takes two steps in my direction. I resist the urge to move, so there’s barely six inches between us. “I suppose a reset prevents me from reaching out and running the pad of my thumb over your full bottom lip.”

I bite said lip.

“A reset most certainly won’t allow me to drop my fingers down the front of your shirt to squeeze your delicious boobs. Or nibble on your pebbled nipples.”

I cross my arms across my chest.

“A reset?—”

I hold up my hand. “Enough. Don’t you have a job to get to or something?”

He smirks. “Only wanted to make sure we’re on the same page.” He steps away from me, and my body sags. Not two seconds later, his palm lands on my back. “Ready?”

How can he look so cool after the heated words that just came out of his mouth? My spine straightens. Two can play his game. “Lead the way.” We move through the jumble of people all working to make tonight’s concert a success.

Before we leave The Closet, he pulls me into a quiet corner. “If I didn’t say so before, I want to thank you for coming on tour with me. I’m fully aware of the cost to you—leaving your family and friends and growing business behind, plus dealing with defamation in the media—and I truly appreciate it.”

When he says stuff like this, how can I maintain any righteous anger toward him? I inhale. “You’re welcome. For better or worse, you’re my patient and I want to guide you through recovery. Are you sure you want me here with UC?”

“Without a doubt.” He tips his head. “Are you ready?” He doesn’t wait for me to respond, simply enters the relatively quieter backstage area. As I watch, Bennett straightens or expands or somehow grows bigger. His face alters. Before my eyes, he morphs into the lead singer of Untamed Coaster.

Things are much calmer in this room. I tilt my head. “Do you need me?”

“I always need you.”

“Not what I meant.”

“It’s whatImeant,” Bennett says. “I’m going onstage and think it would be smart to have you watch from the wings. See what I do, how I interact with the crowd, so you can make suggestions about how I can do things better.”

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