Encore (Stereo Hearts Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

rails. The loose white tank he wore blew in the night breeze. It was a crew neck with nonexistent arms, leaving a gaping hole that stretched down to his hips and left his entire side exposed, hinting at the deep V at his waist and the beginnings of his six-pack abs. When he clutched the railing, his toned forearm flexed. The muscle seemed to travel up his bicep, along his shoulder, and all the way into his jaw where it rolled beneath his skin, finally coming to a stop at his chiseled cheek. “I don’t even know why we’re talking about this. It’s not even a done deal. I haven’t been offered a contract.”
    “But you will.”
    He met her eye.
    Aria let a silence fall, drinking in his familiar woodsy scent and the warmth of his presence. She stepped closer. Leaning her hip against the railing, she bent her head and tried to reclaim his gaze, kicking his calf gently with the tip of her boot. When a smirk finally broke through the corner of his mouth, she tucked her finger under the hem of his shirt and tugged the fabric hard, making the hole stretch enough to reveal every dip and curve of his toned chest, even a hint of his pink nipple, nearly taking him off his feet. His smirk blossomed into a full-blown smile as he reared away, and she drank in those deep dimples.
    “You’re right,” she whispered. “Adam’s sensitive, and odds are good he’ll be crazy pissed, but you shouldn’t have to put your dreams on hold. Even if he did give you the gig that changed our lives, it doesn’t mean our lives stop.” She released his shirt and turned, leaning on the railing next to him. From the corner of her eye, she saw him look at her. She wondered why he always waited until he knew she wasn’t looking at him to look at her recently. “How come you didn’t tell me?”
    “I’m telling you now.”
    “A day before the meeting? I’m usually in the loop way earlier than that.”
    “I didn’t tell you because Adam can’t know, and you’re terrible at keeping secrets, Bo.”
    Her face curled. “I am a great secret keeper! I’ve kept all your secrets!”
    He stared up at the moon, shaking his head. “You’ve kept the depressing ones, I guess. But the embarrassing secrets are apparently fair game. Did Noodle really need to know about the time I shit my pants during third grade P.E.?”
    “Um, everybody needs to know about the time you shit your pants in third grade P.E. The fact that you expect me to keep that a secret is sadistic. I’m only human .” Aria hesitated, happy to hear the sound of his laughter, even if it was more strained and short-lived than usual. Now that she’d gotten him in a better mood, she went to the subject that had been nagging at her all night. “Hey… When Noodle said that thing on the bus, about the songs you write—”
    “Noodle says a lot of things.”
    She wanted to let the topic drop, but she couldn’t help herself. “Do you really write the songs with female backing for the sole purpose of keeping me on the tour?”
    His voice went to a whisper, so soft it nearly vanished in the cool night air. “Since the day I was born, nobody in my life has ever wanted to keep me.” He craned his neck with his eyes lowered, then slowly blinked them up to hers. “Except you.”
    Aria’s lips parted.
    He watched it happen, his voice dropping low. “You better believe I’m gonna do everything in my power to keep you too.”
    Aria tried to swallow the lump in her throat. “Pretty sure I just spent two hours in an arena filled to the brim with women who’d be more than happy to keep you.”
    “Maybe. But… before the Keys? Before the notoriety? Before the money?” He searched her gaze. “It was you.” He nudged her. “My Anne Boleyn. My day one.”
    Her eye lowered as she fought a shy smile.
    “I’m keeping you,” he whispered.
    She met his eyes. “I’m keeping you .”
    Yoshi breathed in as his gaze plummeted, locking onto her full lips. He clutched the railing.
    Against all