Chapter Four

Vanessa felt her heart leap into her throat as she turned around. Kevin was really there! And he looked even more gorgeous than ever. He was wearing jeans and a white shirt, untucked. His black hair was spiky and his eyes sparkled, even from across the room. He laughed at something, and she was awed at how sexy he looked when he smiled.

“Uh oh,” Brian said, breaking into her thoughts. “I can see he’s got you hooked.”

She smiled at him. “He’s had me hooked since the first time I heard his voice.”

“And when was that?”

“A little cassette sampler of your songs.”

“Do you still have it?”

“Oh yeah. I’ve nearly played it to death.”

“I can’t believe people still have those things. We were so young when we made that. You must be a true fan.”

“Oh I am.”

Brian chatted with her until Kevin reached the end of the line. From Brian, she learned that Kevin was seeing someone, but Brian wasn’t sure how serious it was. Suddenly, he was right beside them.

“Kev, this is Vanessa. Vanessa, this is my big doofus cousin, Kevin,” Brian introduced proudly.

Vanessa suddenly felt very small standing in front of him.

“Hello, Vanessa,” he said, bending down to give her a hug.

His strong arms wrapped around her and she felt herself melting against him. When he let her go, they just stood there, gazing at each other. Brian ducked his head and slithered away, smiling to himself.

“I, I,” she stuttered. “I had so much to say, and now my mind has gone completely blank.”

“Mine too,” he said. His voice was deep, with a hint of a Southern accent. And his eyes, his eyes were pools of green that Vanessa felt herself falling into.

She suddenly remembered the box in her hands. “Oh, this is for you,” she said, handing it to him. His fingers touched hers and a bolt of electricity shot up her arm. She jerked her hand away.

“A gift? You really shouldn’t have.” In his large hands, the box looked so small. He pulled off the ribbon and tore the paper from it. Vanessa chewed on her fingernails watching him. She wasn’t so sure if her gift was a good idea anymore.

He lifted the lid and pulled out the book. It had a hardcover with a picture of a piano and sheet music decorating the front. He turned the book over in his hands, admiring the cover. Then he opened it and his eyes widened. Vanessa wished the floor would open up and swallow her. She frantically searched for Brooke, but she was too busy flirting with AJ. And Brian had mysteriously disappeared.

“These are all for me?” Kevin asked, flipping through the pages and glancing at the poems.

She nodded. “I started writing in that book when I first heard your music. It just inspired me so much, especially you. Your voice is incredible. And I just would write whatever came to mind when I would listen to your cds, or just think about you.” She realized she was babbling. And Kevin was just staring at her. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

“I love it,” he finally said, smiling.

She let out a huge sigh of relief. “Oh good, I was so scared!”

“I can’t believe you filled this whole book with things about me! That’s so flattering. Thank you.”

He bent and placed a kiss on her cheek. “What’s your favorite one?” he asked when he straightened.

“Uh...uh...” Every coherent thought had just vanished from her mind. “I like ‘The Strong One,’” she said.

He turned pages and came to the poem. “Do you mind if I read it out loud?”

“No, go ahead, it’s your book now.”

“’You’ve always been the leader

The one that takes control

The one that keeps things moving

The one that makes them whole

You’ve been through some hard times

Losing your father was the worst

But you always manage to survive

Always putting others first

I’m here to tell you now

You’re perfect in my eyes

And it’s perfectly acceptable

If the Strong One cries.’”

He finished reading and closed the book. “That was beautiful,” he told her. “Thank you so much.”

His voice was soft and dangerously sexy. Vanessa had to swallow, her throat was so dry.

“Did you come alone?” he asked, glancing around.

“No, my friend, Brooke, is over there with AJ.”

Kevin half turned to look. “They look cute together.”

“I bet she’s in heaven.”

Kevin looked down at her with an intense expression. “You’ve just given me a piece of heaven.”

She felt her knees tremble. “Um, would you sign my cd cover?” she managed.

“I’d be honored to.” He scrawled his name across it. “Would you like a picture too?”

She nodded.

“Hey, Denise,” he called out to AJ’s mother. “Would you take a picture of us please?”

“Sure thing, sweetie.” She took the camera. “Say cheese!”

Kevin took her in his arms and held her close. He smiled at the camera. Vanessa couldn’t help but grin like a chesire cat.

“Thanks so much,” she said.

“Thank you, for the book. I’ll keep it forever.”

Soon it was time for the Boys to get ready for the show.

“Where are you sitting?” Kevin asked, almost reluctant to leave.

“Front row on the floor, I’m not sure which side though.”

He nodded and turned to go. But then he surprised her and gave her another quick kiss, this time on the lips. And then he was hurrying after the others.

Vanessa was rooted to the spot. Her lips felt like they were on fire. Brooke came up behind her and patted her on the back.

“I saw that!” she said excitedly. “He kissed you!”

All Vanessa could do was nod.

“Well, AJ is awesome! He’s so cool, and funny. Not to mention damn fine! Wouldn’t it be a dream come true if we ended up with them?”

Vanessa nodded again. Brooke waved a hand in front of her face.

“Let’s go to our seats now, okay? Can you walk?” she teased.

“Huh? Oh, great, sure.”

She headed for the door. Brooke followed her.

The arena was packed! They made their way through the throng of people and headed for their seats. They were incredible. They’d get to see everything!

They sat through the opening act, then waited patiently for a half an hour while the stage was rearranged.

“So tell me more about AJ,” Vanessa said.

“Oh he was perfect, just what I want in a man,” Brooke began. “We just clicked instantly. Once I got over my initial shock that is. He was so nice to me, he held my hand until I calmed down. And then we talked about everything.” She sighed dreamily. “So how was Kevin?”

“He was just as I imagined him to be, a perfect gentleman. He loved the gift.”

“What was it?”

“A book of poetry and random thoughts about him that I wrote.”

“You wrote him a book of poetry? God, that is the sweetest thing!”

“And he really liked it.”

“If he kissed you, I would guess so.”

Vanessa absently ran her index finger over her lips. She had felt more fire in that one brush of a kiss than in two years with Eddie. Brooke nudged her.

“It’s about to start,” she said.

The lights went off.