What was she doing?
But then, suddenly, he knew, even before she said or did anything else: His beautiful girl was taking control.
“I’m so glad everyone could spend tonight with me. The Musicians for Literacy Foundation is really important to me.”
A voice called out, “We love you, Nico!”
She laughed. “I love you, too.”
The words fell so easily off her tongue and he knew she meant it. Her fans meant the world to her. She didn’t take the opportunity to play her music for so many people lightly.
“I’m in the mood to play my guitar and piano tonight and take this acoustic for a while. Is that okay with you guys?” Five thousand voices cheered her and her smile lit up the dark room. “Awesome."
She reached out to take a guitar from a roadie and slipped it on over her shoulders. Marcus thought how right she looked like that.
He’d suddenly saw that he’d been wrong out on the beach. She hadn’t been hiding all of herself, just one half of herself. Because she was both the sex kitten from her videos and this beautiful girl whose voice rang out pure and strong as she strummed her guitar and broke all of their hearts with the simple magic of her songs.
People sat back down in their seats. Not because they weren’t thrilled with the music, but because they wanted to be able to listen more closely, to better hear every note and nuance of her performance. A performance that held them all spellbound.
Between songs, she was utterly disarming as she told the stories behind her inspiration for the lyrics and made everyone laugh. And then, when she sat down at the piano in the spotlight and began to play the song he’d heard at her video rehearsal—All it took was one moment, one look in your eyes, one taste of your lips, to know that you were the one—she held out her entire heart to her audience.
A heart for them to hold...or to crush.
And as he watched, as he listened, as his heart—and soul—drank her in amidst a room full of strangers, Marcus knew himself to be the world’s biggest fool.
The woman he’d accused of hiding was braver than anyone else he’d ever met.
A hell of a lot braver than he was.
If Marcus hadn’t already faced the fact that he was head over heels in love with Nicola, he would have fallen right then…along with five thousand other people in the sold-out concert hall in San Francisco.
Chapter Nineteen
As the applause continued after her third and final encore, Nicola quickly moved down the hallway to her dressing room. She needed a few seconds to herself before she went out in the group area to say hello to the fans who had paid extra to the charity for the privilege of a picture and a chat with her.
Her crew had been with her long enough to understand this need, and although they smiled at her and gave her the thumbs-up, they let her pass without conversation.
She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, finally letting out the breath she felt like she’d been holding for two hours.
She’d done it, had actually stood up on the stage the entire night with just her guitar and piano and voice to lead her through. God, it had been incredible—although, she was surprised to realize, a part of her missed the lights and flash and dancing.
All or nothing, that’s how it had always felt like things needed to be. Had she been wrong the whole time? And, if so, could she possibly figure out how to walk the line between flash and heart without losing her fan base and giving up the career she’d worked so hard to build?
“Nico.” A knock came at the door. It was Jimmy, the bodyguard who usually worked her shows.
She took a breath and opened the door with a smile. “Hi.”
He was frowning. “I’m really sorry to bother you.”
“Is something wrong?”
“I just wanted to let you know there’s a guy outside who doesn’t seem to want to take no for an answer about coming back here to meet you.”
Her gut clenched a split second before her heart followed suit. “He’s probably just a college kid who drank too much,” she said, even though she already knew better.
“Nope,” Jimmy confirmed. “He’s an older guy. Different from the usual type trying to get me to think he knows you. Looks like a businessman.”
Oh God, Marcus was out there. Did he know she’d been looking for him in the crowd the entire night? That every man with broad shoulders had stopped her cold, but none of them were ever him? Finally, she’d convinced herself that he wasn’t there. But now it turned out he’d seen her show and he wanted to come backstage to see her.
But having just given every last piece of her shattered soul over to the crowd, in this state, she knew exactly what she’d do the second she saw him: She’d beg him to take her back. Even just for one hour, if he’d have her that long. And when morning came, she’d hate herself for not being able to hold onto her pride where he was concerned.
She shook her head, started to say, “I can’t—”
Jimmy nodded. “Don’t worry. I won’t let him back here. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t leave alone tonight, just in case he decides to wait around in the shadows outside for you. I’ll take you back to your hotel.”
She nodded. “Okay.” She tried to smile her thanks, but she couldn’t manage it. “I appreciate you letting me know about the situation.”
His smile was gentle. “You were great out there tonight. Blew us all away.”
Tears prickled too close to her eyelids. “Thanks. I’m glad you liked the show.” She gestured toward the dressing room. “I just need a few seconds and then I’ll come out and do the meet-and-greet.”
“I’ll let them know you’re on your way.”
She closed the door again with a soft click, holding her hand over her heart. Just thinking about Marcus out by the stage door had it beating so fast, too fast. He was so close...
No. She needed to stop thinking of him, needed to get on with her job.
She didn’t dare look in the mirror, didn’t want to see her own haunted eyes, as she grabbed a water bottle and headed out to say hello to her fans. Tonight was about them, about their generosity to a very deserving charity. Nicola wasn’t going to let a stupidly broken heart get in the way of that truth.
Thirty minutes later, her cheeks hurt from smiling so hard, but she wanted to hug each and every one of her fans, because for a little while she’d almost felt normal, like she had before Marcus had come into her life and held her so gently.