Page 29 of Rising Star

I combed Justine’s hair with my fingers, singing the last verse of Sam’s song.

Once I was sure she was back in dreamland, I made my way downstairs toward my bedroom.

In the dark, and humming the song I just sang, I didn’t notice anyone lurking near my door. I bumped into a human wall and almost crash-landed on my ass if it weren’t for his strong arms circling my waist just in time.

My pulse went ballistic.

“You?” I asked once the shock subsided and my vocal cords could move. “What are you doing here? You scared the shit out of me. I thought…I thought you said—”

He ran a hand through his hair, and my eyes followed the gesture, mesmerized.

“What you did minutes ago was hot.”

My brows furrowed. What was he talking about?

“Almost falling?” I risked.

He shook his head, and my throat worked hard to catch up with my overzealous breathing.

“What then?”

His stare moved down to his hand still holding me in place. I drew in a shaky breath. Heat vibrated through me where our bodies connected. Would it be strange to wish his hand could stay anchored to me longer?

“Maddie, you sang my song.” Sam’s voice sounded rougher than usual, and I wondered if it was due to him belting lyrics out two nights in a row or if my presence affected him with an intensity I never truly realized before.

“You heard that?”

He bowed his head, now standing so close my lips could skim his if we just tilted our heads.

“I heard from the second verse. Goosebumps spread on my arms. I’ll say what I already knew. You have a great voice, Madison.”

He took his time to pronounce my name, rolling it on his tongue like a prayer.

My heart, my composure, my head, they all spun at a vertiginous speed.

We fixated on each other. “Sam, what are you doing here? You said you were coming back tomorrow.”

He cast a glance at his watch. “It’s already tomorrow, isn’t it?”

I dissolved at his proximity.

“Being alone in a hotel room sucks. I missed you guys. And there was something I kinda had to do.”

Blood couldn’t reach my brain because I saw stars. Now I had no more doubt. This husky tone was Sam’s turned-on voice.

“What?” I swallowed. Or tried to. In vain.

“Thank you. For what you did. And also, I gotta tell you something since I had a lot of time to think.”

“You gotta? You had?”

He bobbed his head. I swallowed my angst.

“What about?”

“Us.”

Like two poles attracted to each other, the space separating us shrank.