The Spiral Down (The Fall Up #2)(69)

With no one on stage to drown out my outburst, dozens of eyes landed on me—including Carter, who spun to face me.

And that’s when Levee and I exclaimed in unison, “What the f*ck?”

My heart was racing, and my head was a spinning wheel of emotions. I couldn’t figure out where to focus first.

On Evan, who was sitting next to me in a sexy-as-sin black suit—his hand on my thigh and his lips teasing my ear.

Or on Robin, who was standing on the other side of Carter—her lipstick smeared over both of their mouths.





THE SURPRISE ON Henry’s face was priceless and well worth the drive to L.A. Though he would have been worth a drive to Zimbabwe.

I’d lied to him. Traffic hadn’t been bad. I’d actually been in L.A. since the day before, when I’d left my house about twelve seconds after Levee’s car had pulled out of my driveway. I hadn’t even packed a bag before I’d gotten on the road.

Levee had left my tickets and a card to Henry’s stylist on the countertop. Macy was a godsend. When I’d arrived at the hotel, she’d had a designer suit and a tailor waiting for me. By the next day, after a quick trip through the mall for some toiletries, I’d been ready to attend my very first celebrity affair with the one and only Henry Alexander.

I’d been more excited to see Henry Gilchrist though.

I’d actually been standing in the hall as Levee had confronted him in his dressing room. My heart had been in my throat, fire taking its place in my chest as I’d waited for him to deny her accusations of how he felt for me.

I never could have been prepared for the way his confirmation filled me. While he didn’t pour his heart out with professions of undying love, I was still reborn in his acceptance of it all.

Levee’s leaving was my cue to surprise him, but I bitched out.

Big time.

I had one shot to get him back. And, if I was going to put the few remaining pieces of my heart on the line for this man, I wanted to do it right. I figured calming my nerves so I didn’t throw up on him approximately ten minutes before he entertained thousands wasn’t a bad idea. So I tucked tail, headed to a bar in the VIP section, and tried to get my head together.

Carter retrieved me just before Henry went on. I hid in the shadows at the side of the stage to watch, and just like the first time I’d seen him perform, he captivated me completely. I feared at one point that he’d seen me, but when he breezed past me as he exited, I knew my secret was safe. I also knew that I didn’t want to waste another minute without him as a permanent fixture in my life.

Pride be damned, Henry was mine.

I knew it.

He knew it.

And, as he pushed to his feet with surprise covering every plane of his handsome face, the entire world would learn it too.

“What are you doing here?” he gasped, slinging his eyes from me to Carter, who was furiously striding toward us. “And what the f*cking hell are you doing?” he snapped in his direction.

I glanced around the large venue at the numerous cameramen lining the gating to the VIP area—all cameras poised and aimed directly at us.

Clutching his hand, I gave him a tug. “Let’s take this somewhere else.”

His eyes bulged and he snatched his hand away. “Don’t touch me.”

My head snapped back at the rejection. I’d expected surprise, but the anxiety growing in his eyes pained me. I shifted in front of him in order to get a better read on the situation—and to prevent him from running again.

“Stop,” I urged.

“Are you f*cking kidding me?” he barked, but it was aimed over my shoulder.

“Not here,” Carter growled under his breath as he marched past us like a man on a mission.

Robin’s tiny body sidled between us. “Cookie, stop. Everyone’s watching.”

And, upon further review, she wasn’t wrong. Our little reunion was currently being projected on the huge screens at either side of the stage.

Well, that is until Carter reached the man with the video camera and snatched it from his hands—along with the press credentials hanging around his neck. Levee’s head of security, Linc, joined him just in time to escort the guy from the building.

Okay. So. Not the best start to getting my man back.

Let’s try this again.

Stepping around Robin, I looped an arm around his hips and pulled his side to my front. “Let’s go somewhere and talk,” I ordered, touching my lips to his temple.

His face turned red, and I feared his head would explode as he scrambled away.

“Have you lost your mind?” he hissed, straightening his shirt and glancing around the arena. “Do you want the entire f*cking world to see you kissing me? Christ, Evan.” He jutted his chin toward the row of cameras.

My dejection quickly morphed into what could only be described as elation as he scanned the crowd to see if anyone was watching.

They were.

But he was protecting me.

And, if that didn’t heal the scars covering my heart, nothing ever would.

Staring at that gorgeous man, I felt myself become whole again.

I dropped my voice and said, “I see your point.” And then, without a single second of hesitation, I palmed each side of his face and planted a deep, life-altering kiss to his lips.

Keeping my eyes open, I watched his flare wide before he lost the battle with my mouth and they fluttered shut. A second later, his body melted into mine and his lips parted in an invitation I eagerly accepted. Our tongues tangled indecently, and I slid a hand up the back of his neck and into his hair, using it to hold him to my mouth.