Page 34 of Roar Letter Word

“That got me thinking, though,” Bruce said, placing the pitcher down and leaning forward on his folded forearms. “There’s something else, other than seeing yours truly, that might help lift you even higher.”

Addie knew what he was going to say. She pulled the glass of lemonade to her chest, tinkling it with contemplation.

“You want me to do a performance here?” she said nonchalantly.

“Yes!” Bruce exclaimed, nearly springing up from his seat. “Become a star in a whole other galaxy! How amazing would that be?”

Addie wasn’t so enthused about the idea. She swirled the ice around in the glass, her eyes fixed on the padding of the poolside below. Bruce wasn’t very patient with her ruminations.

“Hello? Addie? Earth to Addie?” he said, chuckling at his own verbiage. “Where did you go, love?”

She grinned, then pursed her lips in deliberation.

“I don’t know, Bruce. It’s not the same here. No one knows who I am besides the human dating the king. We’reliterallyon an alien planet. It would crush me to plan it all and show up to an empty auditorium."

Addie shivered at the thought. It was every performing artist's worst nightmare.

Bruce scoffed, then seized her forearm. He shook it as he spoke, which was rather encouraging.

“Addie, have I ever failed you before, hmm? You have to trust me. I may be starting from scratch here, but I have faith that they will absolutely adore you. Like I do.”

For a second, she thought that she was intuiting something in his smile. Something that transcended their professional relationship.

She shook it off, thinking that it was just the thoughts of Mahes and any potential jealousy the shifter would express.

“God, fine,” she said, raising her glass in the air. “Fuck it. Let’s give it a go."

“That’s my girl!” Bruce said, raising his glass to clink against hers.

They both began laughing when Mahes came out to the poolside. Addie didn’t see him but more sensed his sublime presence. Bruce noticed him first, his smile sinking away into awe.

“You must be Bruce,” Mahes said.

Bruce rose to his feet, holding out his hand fervently. Addie stayed seated, folding one leg over the other, showing off her sleek, lovely limbs. She hoped that the sight of her exposed skin in the sunlight would distract the king from any seething envy. It really would complicate things.

“Yes, I’m Bruce Brandt, Addie’s manager. You must be the great King Mahes.”

Mahes nodded and shook Bruce’s hand. Addie knew he wasn’t using his full strength. She felt it in the bedroom, in the severity of his embrace.

She stifled a shiver.

“I thought Gerri was set to accompany you?” Mahes said, breaking off the handshake.

“You and I both know how busy Gerri can be,” Bruce said, wiping sweat off his brow. “I assure you, though, she sends her regards."

Mahes was not amused. Bruce had a magnetism about him that lured most humans in. But it hit flat on Mahes, who stared at him with a cocked, suspicious eyebrow.

"I see.”

Bruce wasted no time in escaping the interaction, patting Addie on the shoulder and excusing himself back inside.

“I want to get the ball rolling on this concert. I’m going to start planning things out with Ruzyll. He seems to be the doer around here.”

Bruce politely bowed to Mahes, who let him slink past without a word. He moved through the sliding door, and finally, Addie and the king were alone.

“What concert is he talking about?” Mahes asked.

She turned her head to look up at him, that tall glass of water that was the King of Tellahn. To say that his good looks were distracting was an understatement. Especially since she knew exactly what all those fingers and extremities could do.

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