Brooklyn & Beale (16 page)

“Well, Chloe, you might be cooler, but you just made things a hell of a lot hotter for the rest of us.”

Chloe laughed before tapping her bow against the strings of her violin, the small motion causing a thumping sound to flood through the speakers. A beat later, Drew joined in, then Greer. Reid moved his guitar into position, his eyes never leaving Chloe. The lights flashed, bright streams of colors slicing into the dark, smoke-filled stage. The sound of Reid’s voice permeated the arena, husky and honeyed. He turned toward Chloe and she mimicked his position. It was a move they had done time and time again, but this time it felt different.

Reid stepped to the left and Chloe to the right. With each step they took, their circle became smaller and smaller. It looked as though Reid was a predator luring his prey. His heart thundered in his ears and he struggled to remember the lyrics of his song. The sight of Chloe’s playful smile, her lip pulled between her teeth, and the drop of sweat slipping down her neck to the valley of her breasts made it hard to concentrate on anything other than her.

Without warning, he stepped forward, causing Chloe’s smile to morph into a look of surprise. Reid grinned at her wide-eyed confusion. He leaned forward until their noses nearly touched as he crooned the bridge of the song. For a moment, she stood stone-still before closing her eyes and leaning into her violin. When she opened them again, she smiled before mouthing the word trouble. Reid gave her an easy smile and shrugged before nodding for her to move into position. Chloe turned and pressed her back against Reid’s. In perfect harmony, they played in tandem, their bodies swaying with the beat of the music. When the final chord faded, the applause was the loudest it had ever been. In the midst of the deafening roar, Reid and Chloe turned toward the crowd and joined hands, lifting them high into the air before sprinting to the side of the stage.

“Shit,” Chloe gasped as the rest of the band joined them. “Water. I need water.”

A crew member rushed over, passing out bottles to everyone. “We tried to get the stage fans working, I swear. We have no idea what happened.”

“Nice improv out there,” Greer remarked, his eyes sweeping over Chloe in a way that made Reid’s jaw tick. “Good luck convincing people there’s nothing going on between you two now.”

Reid shrugged even though a sinking feeling bloomed in his chest. He hadn’t considered the consequences of his little stunt. “You heard the way they reacted when she walked on stage. I took advantage of the situation and played it up. Chloe knew what I was doing.”

Chloe swallowed and smiled, but something about it seemed off. “Yup. Why not make the most of the fact that Inky dressed me like a gypsy stripper?”

Greer laughed and threw his arm over her shoulders. “Inky should dress you more often.”

Chloe lifted her water bottle and flicked her wrist, splashing Greer in the face. “Shut up,” she giggled.

“Encore?” Tom asked.

Reid dragged his hand over his face. “No fucking way. I’m zapped. Turn the lights on. I’ll stay longer and sign autographs, but I can’t stand one more minute under those lights without fans.”

“Fair enough.” Tom signaled for the crew to hit the lights; the disapproval from the fans was evident. “Reid, your dressing room is all set up. Guys, you can head to the signing room now unless you want to change.”

Greer tugged on Chloe. “Come on. You don’t need to change, gypsy princess. Let’s go find a beer.”

Reid’s eyes narrowed, and for the first time since the beginning of the tour, he broke from his routine. “I’ll come with you guys.”

Everyone froze in shock and stared at him openmouthed. Reid rolled his eyes. “I said I was going to stay longer to sign autographs since we didn’t play an encore. I might as well go now to get in as much fan time as possible.”

His explanation was plausible. To an extent, it even held some truth. But deep down, Reid knew the real motivation for skipping his dressing room had nothing to do with the fans and everything to do with staying close to Chloe. In the back of his mind, Reid knew the way he was beginning to feel was a dangerous path to travel, but even that knowledge didn’t deter him from taking step after step.

The soft hum of the bus engine did little to calm Reid’s slowly fraying nerves. His conversations with Jess had been strained since videos surfaced online of his performance in Finland. He’d watched it more than a dozen times, and if it wasn’t for the fact that he knew better, he’d swear the couple on stage kissed. Jess swore she believed him, that she wasn’t angry, but Reid still felt uneasy. Add the fact that Greer was busting his balls every chance he got, any time he saw Inky she wore a knowing smirk, like she knew every thought running through his head, and Reid was nearing the end of his rope. He needed a break.

His cell phone vibrated by his side, causing his already taut muscles to strain. With a weary hand, he grabbed his phone, his eyes widening when he saw the number.

“Will?”

“Reid, my man. I got your message. How’s the tour going?”

Reid pushed his hair back with his free hand. “Things are all right. I’ve hit a few bumps here and there, but nothing I can’t handle.”

Nothing I can’t handle without Chloe, he thought.

Chloe.

She was the only bright spot in all his internal struggles. He didn’t have to worry if he’d hurt her or if she was upset. She wasn’t on his case or trying to get in his head. She was just Chloe. She was a breath of fresh air in a suffocating room.

“So what’s this about that hot little violinist moving to LA?”

Reid clenched his jaw but held his anger in check. The last thing he needed to do was piss off the guy who could help him get Chloe to LA. “Nothing’s set in stone, but I told her I’d put out some feelers. If I come up with some strong prospects, she’s considering the move.”

“Why don’t you just offer her a permanent place with you? Or are you trying to keep your business and pleasure separate?” Will joked, his tone suggestive.

Reid paused, his mind still hung up on the possibility of keeping Chloe indefinitely before he processed the rest of Will’s comment. “It’s not like that, man. We’re not dating. I’m back with Jess.”

“I didn’t say anything about dating. You can’t expect me to believe you’re with that girl day after day and you haven’t hit it. Come on, man.”

“That’s exactly what I fucking expect. Just because most of you assholes have no problem fucking around doesn’t mean everyone is like that.”

“Whoa, dude. All right. I got it. I mean, I don’t
get
it because I’ve seen her, but I hear ya.”

“Look,” Reid exhaled, exhausted from the constant speculation about his relationship with Chloe. “I know where you’re coming from. I also know we’ve hung out in the past, so you’re not totally off base with your assumption. I’ve just been dealing with a lot of shit lately.”

“No sweat. So you’re looking to get a line on some upcoming gigs for her?”

Reid relaxed his shoulders, grateful to have the conversation back on track. “Yeah. Do you think you could ask around? See what’s out there? Pass around some footage from the shows?”

“Yeah, man. I can do that. I can tell you, though, she’s not going to have any trouble getting work out here. She fits the vibe in LA way more than I imagine she does in New York.”

“No doubt,” Reid agreed. “Thanks for doing this. Let me know if you get any bites?”

“Will do. Hit me up when you get back, we’ll catch up. Have a beer.”

“Sounds good. Later.”

Reid dropped his phone back on the bed and sighed in relief. If anyone could line things up for Chloe, it was Will. Well, Tom could have as well, but Reid didn’t want to involve Tom in his plan to move Chloe to LA. He was already going to catch hell when everyone found out. There were only a little more than two months left in the first leg of the tour, and in that time, he had to convince Chloe to move to LA. He didn’t need the others’ reactions affecting her decision.

Checking the time, Reid grabbed the pillow next to his head and covered his face with a groan. He’d promised to call Jess once they hit the road, but it was almost two in the morning and all he wanted to do was sleep. Not wanting her to worry, he typed out a text instead. It was something he’d started doing more and more lately. He rationalized that it was because the tour was wearing him down, and for the most part, that was true. Most days he wasn’t even sure what country they were in, much less the city. Tonight, however, his desire to sleep instead of talk with Jess had nothing to do with the seven-hour time difference and everything to do with his plans for tomorrow. A smile lifted the corners of his mouth, even as his eyes grew heavier and heavier. Tomorrow, they’d be in Berlin and he had a surprise for Chloe. As his breathing evened out and his body sagged into the mattress, he saw nothing but her smile.

A loud banging sound jolted Chloe from sleep. She blinked, disoriented. Giving her eyes a moment to adjust, she squinted and looked around. It took a moment for her to realize she was on the bus. Pulling back the curtain, she peered up at a very awake, very happy Reid.

“What time is it?” she croaked, hoping she didn’t look as bad as she sounded.

“Are you sick?” He reached out and placed his hand against her forehead then slid it down to her cheek.

Chloe cleared her throat. “I always sound like a sixty-year-old smoker when I first wake up. Supersexy, huh?” she joked.

Reid tapped his forefinger to her nose before removing his hand. “Smokin’ hot.”

“Jerk,” Chloe mumbled as she reached to pull the curtain shut.

“I’m serious,” he argued, grabbing the curtain and halting her attempt to make him go away. “Cruella de Vil was a fox.”

“What do you want?” Chloe groaned, defeated. He clearly had no interest in allowing her to sleep.

“I have a surprise for you,” he answered with a sly smile.

Chloe narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips to keep from smiling. No matter how annoyed she was about being woken up, his mood was infectious. “I’m not sure how I feel about surprises that come with that kind of smile.” A look of hurt crossed Reid’s face. It was so over the top and insincere Chloe couldn’t help but laugh at his foolishness.

“I see nothing funny here. You just insulted me.”

“I did no such thing,” Chloe huffed, throwing her legs off the side of the bed and grabbing Reid’s shoulder to land on her feet. “But if you insist on dragging me out of bed at some ungodly hour, the least you could do is have coffee waiting.”

Reid’s abrupt laughter caused Chloe to look over her shoulder, her eyes following his to a place on her bed. A mound of Starburst wrappers littered the side of her pillow. Chloe shrugged and leaned across him, grabbing a handful of unopened chews from under her pillow before popping one in her mouth, her face unapologetic. “You know what’s up,” she quipped before walking to the kitchen area.

“And it’s not some ungodly hour,” he corrected as he followed her down the stairs.

“I wasn’t awake yet. In my book, that’s considered ungodly.”

“You sound like Greer,” Inky said with a yawn as she passed Chloe a cup of coffee.

“It’s a bit early for insults, isn’t it?” Reid moved to the seat beside Chloe and turned to Inky with his brow lifted in challenge.

“That wasn’t an insult,” Inky replied with a shrug, her expression nonchalant. “If I wanted to insult her, Greer isn’t the person I’d choose.”

Chloe looked from Reid to Inky over the rim of her coffee cup, her eyes wide. She wasn’t sure what happened from last night until this morning, but clearly they were at odds about something.

Beside her, Reid’s jaw ticked, his body taut. “Well then, Inky. Who would you choose?”

Inky let out an incredulous laugh and set down her coffee. “Are you sure you want to know?”

Chloe took a sip of her coffee, wanting nothing more than to disappear. Whatever was going on between them, she didn’t want to end up in the middle. It wasn’t until she felt like everyone’s eyes were on her that she made herself look at Reid. When she did, she wished she hadn’t. His expression was torn, desperate. He looked so lost that it caused Chloe’s chest to ache.

“No,” he whispered, his eyes locked with Chloe’s. “I know.”

Chloe couldn’t bear the intensity of his stare any longer. She blinked and looked away, her gaze moving to Inky. What she saw there wasn’t much better. Inky’s expression was sad and laced with regret.

“Good,” Inky mumbled, grabbing her cup. “Have fun today, Chloe.”

Before Chloe could find her words, Inky had disappeared to the upper deck of the bus. Bewildered, she turned back to Reid. “What the hell just happened?”

Reid swallowed hard. “Just Inky putting me in my place like always.”

“Oh, so that’s how you’re going to play it?” Chloe couldn’t help but feel hurt by his brush-off after all the things they’d shared.

Reid sighed and pushed his hair out of his face. “Here’s the deal. I want to take you somewhere today for your birthday. When Inky asked who else was coming, I told her no one. She got pissy about it and made a comment that, if she didn’t know better, she would think we were a couple.”

“We’re just friends,” Chloe interjected. She hated the way it made her feel that the others thought there was something going on between them. Although she had to admit, the only reason it bothered her so much was because he had a girlfriend. She never wanted to be
that
girl.

“I know. Which is what I told her. It’s not my fault that I’d rather spend time with you. Maybe they should be cooler. Watch
Star Wars
and eat some Starbursts.”

“Not
my
Starbursts,” Chloe shot back in a huff.

Reid held his hands out in front of him in supplication, his eyes wide and full of mirth. “Absolutely not. Who would dare piss off a Jedi Master?”

Chloe pursed her lips and popped her nonexistent collar. “No one who wants to live.”

Reid laughed and threw his arm around her shoulders. “Are we okay now?”

Chloe rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t hide her smile. “We’ll see. Why are you giving me a birthday present, anyway? It’s three weeks away.” She paused and eyed him carefully. “That being said, what does this birthday present involve?”

Reid’s smile was too wide, too mischievous. “We’re going to get sauced.”

Chloe blinked. “Come again?”

“You heard me. I have a surprise for you that includes two of your favorite things. Music and Starburst.”

Chloe lifted her brow. “What the hell does either of those things have to do with alcohol?”

“You’ll see. Grab your stuff from the bunk so you can be ready to check in to the hotel when we get there. As soon as you’re done, we’ll head out.”

Chloe looked at the time, her eyes widening. “It’s not even ten in the morning!”

“By the time we get there, it will be after noon. Now, get your ass moving. We should be at the hotel any minute.”

Far too intrigued to let her mind linger on what else was said between Reid and Inky, Chloe did as she was asked. Once she’d checked in to the hotel and gotten ready for the day, she headed to the lobby to meet Reid. He was already waiting.

“Ready?” he asked.

“If we’re going to be drinking, I need food. Lots and lots of food.”

“Already taken care of. Now, quit stalling. Let’s get this show on the road.”

In a private car, the two bantered back and forth throughout the ride to their destination. When the front of the building came into view, Chloe’s eyes widened and her stomach fluttered with nerves. Reid wasn’t kidding. They were going to get sauced.

“You’re taking me to a vodka distillery? Have I mentioned I’m a bit of a lightweight? Because that’s probably valuable information for you to have.”

Reid laughed and helped her out of the car once they came to a stop. “Don’t worry. I won’t let you dance on any tabletops today.”

“Thank God,” Chloe exhaled.

“Now, tonight,” Reid added with a sly smile. “Well, I can’t make any promises.”

“You’re a regular comedian today,” Chloe snarked as a large gentleman with plump cheeks and graying hair walked in their direction.

“Mr. Ryder. My name is Frank,” he said in introduction as he shook Reid’s hand. “I’ll be taking you on your tour today.”

“Call me Reid. And this is Chloe.”

“Ah.” Frank gave her a knowing smile and winked before grabbing her hand and kissing her knuckles. “Starburst?” he asked, his eyes flicking to Reid.