“AxelHarris.My kinda ex.The guy I wrote ‘Lost Boys’about… What’s going on?I’m confused.”
“Fuck.”I dropped my head back against the sofa’s back and stared at the ceiling.It wasn’t about me.I knew she’d written it before we’d gotten together, but I’d assumed…
I was an ass.
“Wait, did you think the song was about you?”
I couldn’t look at her when I nodded.“Yeah.”
“Why?Why would you think I would write that stuff about you?You’re an awesome man.You care about the people around you.You’re there for your friends.You give a shit.You’d move mountains for me.Have moved mountains for me, for the things I care about.Why would I ever call you a lost boy?”
I laughed harshly.“Seriously?I’m practically the poster boy for lost boys.A charismatic guy who makes promises but always flies away?Someone who would never grow up to be a man?Ring any bells?”
“Okay, that might’ve been who you were way back when, but that’s not the guy you are now.That’s not the guy I—” She cut herself off and took a deep breath.“That’s not the guy I chose to let into my bed—into my body.You’re better than that now.”
I held my breath for a second.Then it all left in a whoosh of relief.“So you’re okay with the shit that happened earlier?What Jesse said?”
“I mean, it’s not something I want all the details of.You don’t want to hear the nitty gritty of me and Axel, right?”
“Hell no.”I shuddered.
“Exactly.And um, you should probably know that that’s not something I’m really interested in doing.Sure, it sounds like a hot fantasy, but in reality I couldn’t—”
I sat forward on the couch and stared intently at her.“I’d fuck up anyone who would even try to touch you.You’remywoman.And onlymywoman.I don’t share, period.”
“I should be annoyed at how you said that.”Alice paused and bit her lower lip.“But honestly, it’s hot as hell to see you all territorial.”
“Yeah?”
“Oh yeah.”She grinned down at me and stepped forward until she stood between my sprawled legs.
“So we’re good?”I raised my eyebrows as a sense of relief swept through my body and my pulse calmed to an even throb.Everything was right with my world.
She tilted her head.“Actually, there’s one thing we should probably talk about.”
My blood froze.Shit.I knew it was too good to be true.“What?”
“So you know there’s a pretty good chance we’re going to be getting a lot of media the next few days and maybe even a few offers…”
“Yeah?How exactly is that a problem?You guys are amazing.You deserve every bit of attention you’ll get—assuming it’s all good because it should be.”
“Whoa, whoa.Calm down.”Alice smiled down at me.“I get that you’re a supportive boyfriend.Calm your tits.”
I laughed at her stealing one of my favorite sayings.
Then she sobered.“But seriously, how is this going to work if you’re doing shows here and I’m in LA or New York or wherever recording our album?Or later on when we’re touring, and you’re in Vegas or even worse on your own tour?How is this ever going to work?”
Her words came faster and faster as she spun out until she was shouting at the end.
“Hey, hey.”I reached out and pulled her down onto my lap.“We’re going to work because I’m going to be there.I’ve been around the block a few more times than you in this industry, so I know distance really will kill this if we let it, so we’re not going to.”
Her eyes sheened with unshed tears, and she bit her lip for an entirely different reason.When she finally spoke, her words came out as a croak.“But how?I can’t see how it’ll work.”
“It’ll work because I promise to spend no more than a week apart from you.Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, I’ll make sure that I get to you.
“You can’t promise that.It’s—”
“I can and will.”I stared into her eyes until she saw how serious I was.“I have more money and more bargaining power in this industry than you do.So I’ll be the one to make sure that we can be together.I’ll put it into all my contracts going forward.Done deal.”
