Sweet Possession (Sweet #5)(54)

He smiled then and trailed a finger down a strand of her hair to her cheek. Then he pushed it up and over her ear. “You don’t have to do anything. I just want you to see you the way I see you.”

She leaned forward and pressed her forehead to his. Her hands slid up his neck and her thumbs brushed over his jawline. He shivered at that tiny gesture. It was baffling what something so simple as her touch did to him.

“I wish everyone could see me the way you see me.”

There was pain and regret in her statement. It said so much more than just the simple words. There was a wealth of meaning, and, not for the first time, he realized that there was so much more to the woman than what the public saw.

Was it their fault entirely for swallowing what they were spoon-fed by the media and by Lyric herself? No, but right now he could see the vulnerability she tried so hard to hide from the world. She wore indifference like a shield. She needed that protection. She was a complicated, complex woman who had so many pieces that it was nearly impossible to put them all together.

He kissed her, just a simple touch of his lips, more a comforting gesture than one designed to inspire lust. And he simply held her while she regained her bearings and enjoyed the feel of her in his arms.

CHAPTER 20

Lyric took longer than necessary in the shower and lingered in the bathroom long after she’d dried her hair and done her makeup. The truth was, she was nervous. She wasn’t sure how to act around Connor now. The last twenty-four hours had seen a 180 in their relationship.

She wasn’t used to this uncertainty. She called the shots in all her sexual relationships. Nothing touched her. Nothing got to her. It was all casual and meaningless. Everything was on her terms.

With Connor she felt like she was spinning out of control. It was a helpless, panicky feeling.

A knock sounded at her door. “Lyric, we need to be going.”

She hesitated and then opened the door to see Connor standing there. “I’m ready.”

“Kane’s waiting downstairs with the car.”

“You’re riding with me.”

He touched her arm. “Of course. You don’t go anywhere without me.”

She breathed a soft sigh of relief.

He escorted her down the stairs and out front to the circle drive where a limousine was parked. She wrinkled her nose. “Seems a bit conspicuous, don’t you think?”

“It’s armored,” Connor said. “Bulletproof windows. You’ll be safe.”

Her eyes widened. “Do you really think I’m in that much danger?”

Kane, who was standing by the limo, straightened and opened the passenger door for Lyric. “We always assume the worst. That way we don’t get any nasty surprises.”

She slid into the roomy interior and scooted around the curved seat to allow Connor to duck in. She held her breath, waiting to see if Kane would slide in as well. To her relief, he shut the door, leaving her and Connor alone.

“He’s just doing his job,” Connor said with a hint of amusement.

“I don’t like him,” she muttered. “He makes me nervous.”

Connor raised an eyebrow as the car pulled away from the house. “I didn’t think anyone made you nervous, Miss Badass.”

She pulled a face at him.

“Did you make all the phone calls you needed to make?” he asked.

“Most. Not all,” she admitted. “I didn’t call Paul. I wasn’t in the mood to hear him bitch.”

Connor’s expression darkened. “You need to tell him to shut the f**k up. You’re making him a f**kload of money. He can lighten the hell up.”

She shrugged. “Depends on who you ask, I guess. According to him, he’s doing me a favor.”

Connor snorted. “If he ever thought you were walking, he’d bend over backward to kiss your ass. When I first met you I thought that everyone around you kissed your ass too much. Now I think you’re surrounded by a bunch of ass**les.”

She grinned. “And in the beginning, I thought you were the biggest ass**le of them all.”

“And now?”

She pretended to consider the matter as she studied him. “Now I think you’re a pretty okay guy.”

Her phone rang and she checked the display screen. She rolled her eyes and hit the ignore button.

“Does your phone always ring twenty-four/seven?” he asked.

She sighed. “Pretty much. There is no shortage of people always trying to keep me in line. They either want to call me to bitch at me, call me to remind me to be somewhere, or call me to ask me to do something.”

“So not very much ‘Hi, how are you?’ then.”

She stopped and considered for a moment and then laughed. “No, I suppose not. I can’t remember the last time someone called just to say hi or ask me how I was doing.”

Connor shook his head.

Half an hour later, the limo pulled up to the stage entrance of the stadium. Connor got out and scanned the area before reaching back for Lyric’s hand. Kane and his men took position around them just as her manager strode out of the back entrance and made a beeline for Lyric.

Connor immediately stepped in front of Lyric and wrapped a protective arm around her, shoving her into his back. Kane stepped in front of Connor while his men pushed in around Lyric.

“Get the hell out of my way,” Paul barked. “I’m her manager.”