Page 13 of Love You Like That (Excess All Areas 4)

“So, this. You and me chatting like this…?”

“I didn’t catch what you said.”

He slowed his words and relaxed his smile. “You and me. Chatting like this. Is it painful?”

Zoe scratched her chin. “Bizarrely, no. But, please, don’t let me keep you from…that.” She gestured in the direction of Sadie.

Alex bit back a chuckle. “I feel like I should be honoured that prickly Zoe Atkins decided I am one of the few people she actually wants to people with.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, King.”

“I totally am. But you’re going to have to people a little bit if I’m to find you someone to hook up with.”

Zoe raised a single eyebrow. “You make it look so easy.”

“It is. But then, I don’t go into thinking about all the ways I’m going to end up disliking them. I start with the ways I actually like them.”

“Such as?”

“Obviously, are they attractive? I’m a sucker for a smile and bright eyes. Lean frames. But also, what I might learn. I once hooked up with someone who had a side hustle as a professional mourner. Fucking fascinating.”

“A what?”

“He attended funerals of dead people he didn’t know for cash. Would meet with clients ahead of time. Find out facts about the deceased. Then talk kindly about them at the funeral.”

“But that implies a certain amount of interest in other people I don’t particularly have.”

“I’ll teach you how to do it.”

“Alex,” Jase called, waving him over.

Alex raised his hand. “I gotta go get ready to play…but we’re picking this up again when I’m done.”

“We really don’t need to.”

“Oh, but we do.”

“I can’t wait.”

“You’ll come watch, yeah? Up by the side of the stage?”

“I will.”

“Come on,” he said, lifting her down from the large container, liking the feel of her body against his, how light she was in his arms. “Go people with Willow, Iz, and Chaya.”

Ninety minutes later, Alex felt so full of energy he could burst. The crowd was wild, screaming out the chorus and dancing. The band was on fire.

As the song finished, he reached for a bottle of water and gulped it down as quickly as he could. One more song of the encore and they’d be on their way out, but he didn’t want it to end.

Jase jumped up on his rig and grinned at him as he sang as Alex continued to play his keyboard, then jumped straight back off to run to the front of the stage.

Out of the corner of his eye, Alex saw Willow and the girls at the side of the stage. Zoe had kicked off her shoes and was dancing, her fingers moving as if playing along to the beat of the song. He swiped his hair out of his eyes, and played the last few notes on the piano, before standing up and pushing the stool away.

He waved to the audience as he stepped off the stage.

“Don’t dawdle,” Ed yelled. “Let’s go. The crowd will waste no time running to where the coaches were parked.”

Ben threw his arm over Alex’s shoulder as they headed to their exit. Zoe hopped on one foot as she tried to pull on her other shoe, and Alex tried to catch her as she wobbled over. He missed her elbow, caught her waist, and received an accidental fist to the side of his face for the effort.

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