When we reached the bar, a seemingly endless row of tequila shots greeted us.
“Jesus, how many did you order?” I said, suddenly grateful our next show wasn’t for a couple of days. My liver might need those forty-eight hours to recover.
“It’s not just for you.” Imogen turned and waved at someone behind us. “Slade, Jagger, come on! Where’s Killian? And Levi, too.”
That was my sister. Making friends wherever she went.
When the guys made their way over, Imogen did the honors of passing the shots around—two each—and then held one of hers up. “Okay, so I just want to say first off that you guys made the best decision of your lives hiring my brother.” When I groaned, she shot a look my way. “I can’t even tell you how amazing the show was tonight, but I think you already know. So cheers to a kickass first night and many more to come.”
“Hear, hear,” Killian said, and as we all tapped each other’s glasses, I shot Imogen a wink. No matter what, she always had my back…even if she occasionally took the opportunity to embarrass me. That was what siblings were for, right?
The first round of tequila went down smooth, and we all immediately downed another. But before we could scatter off again, Levi let out a shrill whistle.
“While we’re all here, I thought I’d share a bit of news,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and rocking back on his heels.
“It better be good, or we don’t wanna hear it,” Slade said.
“Would I be the bearer of bad news on a night like this?” Levi looked around the group and rolled his eyes. “Maybe the old guy would, but gimme a break here.”
“He’s right,” Killian said. “Brian would’ve enjoyed making us miserable, but you’re not that malicious. What’s the news?”
Levi turned to Imogen. “You might wanna make sure they have another round of shots ready.” Imogen’s eyes lit up, and when she leaned across the bar to speak with the guy on the other side, Levi said, “Nominations for the Music World Awards went out tonight. You guys picked up four nominations.”
A string of curses rang out among us, while I stood there, stock-still. It wasn’t until Viper threw his arm over my shoulder that I shook myself out of it.
“Did you hear that, Angel?” Viper grinned at me with pride, and when I couldn’t get any words out, he laughed. “Too much fuckin’ stimulation tonight?”
“Uh, yeah. But don’t think that gets you out of anything later.”
“I sure hope not.”
“Another thing,” Levi said, raising his voice over our excited yapping. “The producers called me personally to ask that you attend. That’s not something they usually do, so…”
When he didn’t finish that sentence, Jagger said, “So that means what, exactly?”
Levi shrugged, but his eyes were twinkling, and I knew that look meant he wasn’t saying anything more than what he’d just insinuated.
We were going to win a fucking Music World Award.
My legs almost gave out from beneath me, and then Imogen thrust another shot in my hands.
“I’m so proud of you,” she said. “You deserve every bit of what’s coming your way, Halo. Enjoy it, okay? You promise? And maybe try not to faint, ’cause you’re lookin’ a little pale right now.”
Viper wrapped his arm around my waist, holding me to his side. “Don’t worry. He’s not goin’ anywhere.”
She grinned at us before moving on to hand shots to Slade and Jagger. She’d been friendly with all the guys over the last couple of months, so maybe I’d get a T-shirt made for her: Official Mascot of Fallen Angel. She’d wear the shit out of that.
Something Slade said made her head fall back in laughter, and when she grabbed his arm, Jagger reached for her waist to help steady her.
I narrowed my eyes at the three of them. “They do know that’s my sister, right?” I said to Viper.
When he followed my gaze, he shrugged. “They’re talking, not fucking.”
“That talking better not lead to…that.” I couldn’t even say the words, because Imogen with anyone was not something I wanted to think about. And especially not with Slade or Jagger. Or anyone I knew, really.
Viper stepped in front of me, blocking my view. “Guess I need to do a better job of distracting you if you’re focused on what those assholes are doing.”
Mission accomplished.
I fisted my hands in his shirt and pulled our bodies flush together. “Oh yeah? How do you plan to do that?”
Viper lifted his hands to either side of my neck and slid them up to thread his fingers through my hair. Then he lowered his face to mine until it was a breath away and whispered, “Like this.”
And when Viper’s mouth crashed down on mine, as promised, the whole world around us melted away.
Twenty-Nine
Viper
A COUPLE OF hours—and many drinks—later, I was over having to share the angel with others. Not that I was doing a particularly good job at that anyway. It seemed as though everyone at the party wanted to shoot the shit with Halo, asking him how his first night had felt, if it was everything he’d thought it would be, and it took everything I had not to tell them to go the fuck away.