Logically, I’d known this question would come up. Just as I’d known I would never forget the first time those words had left my tongue—the same tongue that had still tasted of Halo after I’d swallowed him down my throat in his apartment—but when Killian inclined his head in my direction, and Imelda turned her attention to me, I had a difficult time not jamming the heel of my palm against my twitching dick.
“Oh, was this your idea, Viper?” she asked, tapping the end of her pen against her lips, and out of the corner of my eye, I caught Halo shift in his seat beside me.
Don’t look at him. Don’t fuckin’ look at him or your semi is gonna turn into a full-blown hard-on. Keep your eyes on Imelda.
“Yeah, I guess you could say that. I mean, it was kind of a no-brainer. Our new frontman’s name is Halo and, well, look at him.”
When Imelda did just that, I allowed my eyes to shift to the gorgeous fucker beside me. Halo was chuckling and shaking his head, and when he ran his fingers back through his hair, Imelda nodded.
“As you know, I’m not exactly known for writing sweet lyrics,” I continued, and when Halo turned his head in my direction, his lips curled in a wicked smirk. “And that hasn’t changed. While the band is going in a completely different music direction, and there are some songs that are more mellow, the lyrics will still be sexy. And trust me, once you see him on a stage singing them, you’re gonna see his halo fall right off his head.”
That delicious flush that heated Halo’s neck and cheeks whenever he was excited or embarrassed appeared at exactly the same time Jagger smacked a hand to his thigh and gave a hearty laugh.
“Mhmm,” Jagger said, flashing his charming smile at Imelda. “He’s gonna set the ladies on fire and have all the men thanking him for getting them laid.”
“Is that right?” Imelda’s eyes swept over the group. “And what song would you say is the one that will be the most tantalizing for the fans? The most shocking for you to sing?” she said, her attention back on Halo.
But before he could reply, the rest of us all said, “‘Hard.’”
Imelda let out an inelegant snort as Halo tried to glare us all to death. Poor guy was so tense and we were trying to get him to relax. This was just another day at the rodeo for us, but for Halo, it was a first. He was overthinking every little comment he made, not to mention every move, and the sooner he realized he was fucking amazing, the easier this would be.
“’Hard’?” Imelda said. “As in…?”
I snorted. “We’re five guys, Imelda. What do you think?”
“Did you write that one?”
When I nodded, she looked to Halo and said, “I think you must be a rock star if you can sing one of his filthy songs and make him like it.”
I was close to telling her how much I liked it, and that he’d inspired the whole thing. But at the last second, I remembered I wasn’t allowed to announce that the first night Halo had really nailed this song we’d both been hard.
Then Halo said, “Yeah, I’m not too worried. I can handle Viper.”
Jagger choked on his swig of soda, clearly as dumbstruck as I was at the smartass double entendre, and Killian thumped him on the back as he stepped in and saved the day—as always.
“What he means is, we all get along really well,” Killian said, and aimed his lazy grin Imelda’s way. Fuckin’ charmer. “It’s crazy how music can bring people together, and it’s been unreal discovering our new sound and coming up with lyrics and songs we hope people are going to go crazy over.”
“Yeah, Halo’s breathed new life into us,” I said, and when I looked at Halo, I realized for the first time that he had done the impossible. He’d made me fall even more in love with music than I already was. That was some fuckin’ gift right there. Tearing my eyes away from his, I refocused on Imelda. “He’s inspired us to be creative and pushed us to be more.”
Okay, so maybe that’s what he does to me, I thought, when no one else agreed.
But then Killian spoke up. “I agree. The way he commands anything he touches is…insane. Almost unbelievable, really.” At those words, my eyes cut to Killian, who was focused on me.
Imelda whistled. “That’s some seriously high praise, Halo. But I can understand. I’m as obsessed with ‘Invitation’ as everyone else is, and after meeting you, I just know you are going to have people eating out of your hand. So tell me a little more about you. Where are you from? Your family?”