I swear-”
“Becca, wait. Just let Ryan say what he’s got to.”
The older man shrugged. “This is a mistake.”
The smile faded from Dex’s face. “Do it. Right now. I won’t tell you again.”
My eyes widened. I’d never heard him talk to Ryan like that.
“Fine, fine.” Ryan cleared his throat. “Rebecca, on further consideration, I believe I may have acted rashly. And I am willing to consider allowing you to continue your work, with a few conditions.”
“Huh?” I looked around for someone to make sense of this.
Dex stepped next to me and slung his arm over my shoulder. “He’s trying to beg you to come back, in his own pathetic, ‘not what we discussed’ way.”
“Come back? To work? You mean I’m not fired?”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “Well, we’ll have to discuss terms, of course. I think a probationary period is very generous, but…yes. I mean you’re not fired. Yet.”
I looked up at Dex, baffled. “What? How?”
He pulled me tight against his body and squeezed me. “Ryan, why don’t you tell her how this happened.”
The band’s tour manager glowered at both of us. “Dex and the rest of the band threatened to quit. Swore they’d never play another show until I took you back on.”
“They what?”
Dex grinned and tilted my chin up so I was looking at him. “Did you think for one second that I would let you go? Let him take you away from me? Because of me?”
A tear slid over my cheek. “I-I guess I did think that.”
“You’re my girl, Becca. I would never.”
A sob bubbled up from my throat but Dex’s mouth crashed down on mine, swallowing it. A fresh reserve of tears I’d thought long since shed burst from my eyes as we kissed. My hands fisted in his shirt, holding on for everything. And as applause broke out around us, I was embarrassed and exhilarated and shocked and amazed, but I didn’t stop kissing him. To think minutes ago I’d thought I’d never feel that mouth against mine. Never fit the wide spread of my hips against his narrow ones.
“Would you stop that, you’re making a scene,” Ryan hissed.
Dex barely broke away far enough to reply. “Fuck off.”
I giggled, brain completely overloaded. Tucking my head under Dex’s chin, I turned to look at Ryan. He was annoyed, but not furious. “Everyone stood up for me?”
From above me, Dex replied. “Well, almost everyone. Rick threw a tantrum and stormed off.” He grabbed my arms and pulled me away so we could look each other in the eye. “The rest were there for you. Are here for you.”
Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I whispered, “Why?”
“For the smartest girl I know, you’re a right idiot sometimes, Becca. They did it because they like you. And respect you. They know how much you’ve done for all of us. And…because of me. They know I need you.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes. Say you’ll come back. Stay with me.”
I licked my dry lips and nodded. “Yes.”
Dex wrapped his arms around me and hugged me so tight I couldn’t breathe. He lifted me off my feet for a few seconds and planted a deep, soulful kiss on me. I could hear the click of cameras snapping photos all around us, but I didn’t care anymore. Where once I would have been mortified, I was delighted. He’d done it. Showed me that what I felt was real and true. That we were in this together. It was terrifying and wonderful.
Chapter Two
My good mood somehow managed to hold out through the exhaustion caused by the rest of that long day. We spent another six hours at the airport, waiting for storms to clear and backed-up planes to depart. By the time we landed in Paris it was the middle of the night. The band had, of course, missed the charity gig they were supposed to play, which was a shame, but I was secretly glad. Instead of having to be in public, we were able to go right to the hotel when we landed, and I could be alone with Dex.
We rode the elevator with everyone else and I was giddy
“Becca, wait. Just let Ryan say what he’s got to.”
The older man shrugged. “This is a mistake.”
The smile faded from Dex’s face. “Do it. Right now. I won’t tell you again.”
My eyes widened. I’d never heard him talk to Ryan like that.
“Fine, fine.” Ryan cleared his throat. “Rebecca, on further consideration, I believe I may have acted rashly. And I am willing to consider allowing you to continue your work, with a few conditions.”
“Huh?” I looked around for someone to make sense of this.
Dex stepped next to me and slung his arm over my shoulder. “He’s trying to beg you to come back, in his own pathetic, ‘not what we discussed’ way.”
“Come back? To work? You mean I’m not fired?”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “Well, we’ll have to discuss terms, of course. I think a probationary period is very generous, but…yes. I mean you’re not fired. Yet.”
I looked up at Dex, baffled. “What? How?”
He pulled me tight against his body and squeezed me. “Ryan, why don’t you tell her how this happened.”
The band’s tour manager glowered at both of us. “Dex and the rest of the band threatened to quit. Swore they’d never play another show until I took you back on.”
“They what?”
Dex grinned and tilted my chin up so I was looking at him. “Did you think for one second that I would let you go? Let him take you away from me? Because of me?”
A tear slid over my cheek. “I-I guess I did think that.”
“You’re my girl, Becca. I would never.”
A sob bubbled up from my throat but Dex’s mouth crashed down on mine, swallowing it. A fresh reserve of tears I’d thought long since shed burst from my eyes as we kissed. My hands fisted in his shirt, holding on for everything. And as applause broke out around us, I was embarrassed and exhilarated and shocked and amazed, but I didn’t stop kissing him. To think minutes ago I’d thought I’d never feel that mouth against mine. Never fit the wide spread of my hips against his narrow ones.
“Would you stop that, you’re making a scene,” Ryan hissed.
Dex barely broke away far enough to reply. “Fuck off.”
I giggled, brain completely overloaded. Tucking my head under Dex’s chin, I turned to look at Ryan. He was annoyed, but not furious. “Everyone stood up for me?”
From above me, Dex replied. “Well, almost everyone. Rick threw a tantrum and stormed off.” He grabbed my arms and pulled me away so we could look each other in the eye. “The rest were there for you. Are here for you.”
Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I whispered, “Why?”
“For the smartest girl I know, you’re a right idiot sometimes, Becca. They did it because they like you. And respect you. They know how much you’ve done for all of us. And…because of me. They know I need you.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes. Say you’ll come back. Stay with me.”
I licked my dry lips and nodded. “Yes.”
Dex wrapped his arms around me and hugged me so tight I couldn’t breathe. He lifted me off my feet for a few seconds and planted a deep, soulful kiss on me. I could hear the click of cameras snapping photos all around us, but I didn’t care anymore. Where once I would have been mortified, I was delighted. He’d done it. Showed me that what I felt was real and true. That we were in this together. It was terrifying and wonderful.
Chapter Two
My good mood somehow managed to hold out through the exhaustion caused by the rest of that long day. We spent another six hours at the airport, waiting for storms to clear and backed-up planes to depart. By the time we landed in Paris it was the middle of the night. The band had, of course, missed the charity gig they were supposed to play, which was a shame, but I was secretly glad. Instead of having to be in public, we were able to go right to the hotel when we landed, and I could be alone with Dex.
We rode the elevator with everyone else and I was giddy
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