Halo (Fallen Angel, #1)(52)

The show then cut to a shot of Halo—fucking Halo—sitting behind Killian’s piano last Friday in the rehearsal space singing “Invitation.” The recording was focused on him as he concentrated on the keys and opened the song with that fantastic riff I swore I heard in my sleep, and then as the rest of us joined in and Halo launched into the first verse, the camera zoomed in even closer but was careful not to capture any of us on film.

Goddamn Brian. That motherfucker had been recording us without telling us. What had he been thinking? But as Halo glanced across the top of the piano and gave that half smile of his that sent my pulse and cock to throbbing, I knew exactly what Brian had been thinking. He wanted to see the public’s reaction to Halo without the influence of TBD there—and clearly, it had been a winning one, if I was to gauge it on this report alone.

Jesus. Had Killian seen this? Had Halo?

I dug in my pocket for my phone, but before I could call a number, my mom was speaking.

“David? Do you know that young man?”

Shit. I’d completely zoned out there for a minute. I nodded.

“Really? He’s very good.”

“Yeah. He is.” I glanced back at the TV in time to see Halo lick his lip before the segment went to commercial, and before I hit Killian’s number, I said, “That’s our angel.”





Thirty-Five





Viper





KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

Two hours later, I found myself standing at Halo’s front door with a bottle of whiskey in my hand, as I waited for the man of the hour to open up.

After talking to Killian on the phone, we’d both come to the conclusion that Brian was a scheming little motherfucker. But since the publicity swirling around Halo was unbelievable, we’d decided our manager could live to see another day…for the moment.

Somehow, I’d managed to make it through the rest of my meal and evening with my mom without being a rude asshole and going off somewhere to hide and watch this four-minute video in its entirety. But the second I’d gotten on the train and put my headphones in, I’d opened up that link and let Halo weave his magic, and that’s exactly what he was—pure fucking magic behind that mic and piano.

Just thinking about it had my cock aching, and when the sound of a chain, and then a deadbolt, was undone, I tightened my fingers around the neck of the whiskey in an effort not to grab and attack.

As the door was pulled wide, and Halo came into view in a pair of light grey sweats and a black T-shirt, my lips pulled up. “Hey there, big shot.”

I knew as soon as a flush hit his cheeks that Halo knew exactly what I was referring to as I pushed off the doorjamb and ran my eyes over him.

“You gonna invite me in? Or are you too busy replying to all your adoring fans to spare lil old me a moment of your time?”

Halo laughed. “I don’t think there’s anything little about you.”

“So glad you noticed.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Sure it isn’t.” I took a step forward, and when Halo didn’t back up, I raised the whiskey and said, “Thought you might like to celebrate.”

Halo’s eyes shifted over my shoulder, and then came back to mine. “Are the rest of the guys with you?”

I slowly shook my head. “Nope.”

Halo’s lips parted, and this time when I walked forward, he backed up until I was in the apartment, kicking his door shut behind me.

“So I’m guessing you saw the video tonight,” Halo said.

As I took a step closer and Halo continued his retreat, the adrenaline of this little cat-and-mouse game kicked in. Fuck, he was hot. Here in this place where he was most comfortable. The sweats and the curly hair that I wanted to fist my hands in gave him an I-just-tumbled-out-of-bed look that made me want to drag him right back into it.

“Oh, I saw it, Angel. On the TV, on my phone, in my fucking head every time I shut my eyes. I can’t un-see it.”

When Halo’s back hit the edge of his tiny kitchen island, his breath caught and I reached forward to put the bottle down beside him. Then I left my hand in place, effectively caging him in.

“I would even venture to say about a million of the views now added to the tally on that thing tonight are from me. And you know what I saw other than you singing our kickass song behind a piano?”

This close, I could see the way Halo’s eyes darkened, as his arousal began to take over anything other than the fact that I was now wedging my foot between his legs and getting as close to him as possible.

“What did you see?” Halo put his hands on my chest, and for a second I wasn’t sure if he was going to shove me away or pull me closer. But when he gripped the material of my shirt as if to hang on for whatever was about to happen, I had my answer.

I ghosted my lips over the top of his, and when his tongue came out to try and tempt me to stay, I smirked and Halo moaned.

“I saw you watching me.” I shoved my hips forward until my hard cock—that now seemed to want Halo and only Halo—rubbed up against his. “I saw you singing, and watching me.”

“Fuck, Viper.”

“Hmm.” I kissed my way along his jaw, and then up to his ear and whispered, “Yes. That’s exactly what your eyes were saying. Fuck me, Viper.”