Serenity King - Love Me Forever

“Thank you, thank you.” She smiled, looked around the packed lounge, bowed and then walked offstage, but not before she caught the eye of Jarred again. He was standing, smiling and clapping heartily along with the crowd. Taking a deep breath, she briskly exited and headed to her dressing room.

Nevealise flashed the bodyguard standing by her door a quick smile, and proceeded inside. She plopped down on the chair in front of the vanity and mirror, and released a long breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. She placed her hand on her abdomen, trying to calm the butterflies having a party in her stomach. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. The hazel eyes that stared back at her showed how she felt: nervous.

“Oh, goodness,” she chanted a few times, before picking up the bottle of chardonnay she always had waiting for her when she left the stage, and pouring a couple ounces into her tulip-shaped wineglass. She sipped a little bit at a time, wanting to savor the taste.

Seeing Jarred Manning again had stirred up feelings in her that Nevealise thought she’d long forgotten. Feelings she had long ago filed away as her first teenage crush. Tonight Jarred’s bold stare had her insides quivering straight to her core, causing her to cross her legs, trying to stem the vibrations she felt there.

Nevealise had felt daring as she’d sauntered out into the crowd and stopped at their table. She’d kissed Brice on the cheek, only to look up and catch Jarred’s molten gaze. Her eyes instantly zoomed in on his full, kissable lips. Her sassy move to show the brothers that she was no longer the girl they often referred to as “Nerd Girl,” that she was in fact a woman in charge of her sexuality, had backfired on her.

Who was she kidding? At the mere presence of Jarred she’d become a nervous wreck, almost dropping in a dead faint to the floor. It should be a sin to be so fine. The handsome devil knew he’d gotten to her when he’d winked at her. Although she’d recovered quickly, she’d missed a beat in the number she was performing. Jarred had arrogantly smiled and lifted his glass to her.

Enough thinking about Jarred Manning. She needed to bring her body under control. Nevealise was reacting to him like she was a sexually charged teenager. Her mind knew that; however, her body moved to its own beat, and was having the hots for Jarred Manning.

Sighing deeply, Nevealise took another sip of her wine. “Ah, just what I need,” she murmured, then leaned back in the chair, lifted her face to the ceiling and closed her eyes. The wine usually calmed her after a performance, and tonight she needed it more than ever. The sight of Jarred in the audience had frayed her nerves. What was he doing here? “Ugh!” she cried. “Get out of my head, Jarred!”

Nevealise jolted at the knock on her door. The sound vibrated like a thunderbolt in the peace and tranquility of her quiet dressing room. Her hand pressed against her chest, trying to stem her racing heart. Mentally shaking herself, Nevealise got up and looked at the closed door.

“Who’s there?”

“It’s me, Nev. Can I come in?”

Nevealise smiled at the briskness of Brice’s voice. He always sounded as if he was angry or in a hurry. While attending college Nevealise had become friends with an engineering student, Jasmine Greene, who unbeknownst to her was dating Brice Manning. Lovers of the written word, Jasmine and Brice would often drag Nevealise along to lounges and clubs to listen, and sometimes participate, in song and the spoken word. It was during those times with Jasmine and Brice that she’d discovered her passion for singing.

Jasmine and Brice were the only two people outside her immediate family who were aware of her disdain for her father, and their tumultuous relationship. To this day Jasmine was still Nevealise’s best friend, and Brice had become more of a brother than a friend. He was the person who’d helped her make Heavens a reality, investing in her talent as well as her business.

“Nev, are you all right? Can I come in?”

He was alone. What a relief. She sat down, smiled and called out, “Sure. Come on in, Brice.”

Nevealise watched as the door slowly opened a bit and Brice stuck his head in. That surprised her, because he usually just walked in.

“What are you doing?” She frowned.

“Just making sure you’re decent,” he responded, before pushing the door open and strolling in. Nevealise’s stomach dropped as Langston and Jarred followed close behind, piling into her dressing room.

The knot in her stomach felt as if she’d swallowed a brick. Ah, hell, she thought, as she saw Jarred standing there staring at her with a smirk on his oh-so-handsome face. Nevealise never really cared for bearded men, but Jarred wore his well. His was light, neatly trimmed and seemed to complement his thick eyebrows, honey-brown skin tone and those hazel eyes that seemed to look straight to her soul. If she wouldn’t appear childish, she would have rolled her eyes at the self-assured oldest Manning brother. Instead, she turned her megawatt smile onto Brice.

“Brice,” she said, standing to embrace him with a gentle hug. “You didn’t tell me that the Brothers Three would be gracing me with your presence tonight.”

“That’s because I didn’t know. Spur-of-the-moment thing. On top of that, I didn’t know you were in town. You didn’t call,” Brice said. “It’s been too long, Nev.”

Nevealise backed out of his embrace and looked him in the eye. “Like you—spur-of-the-moment thing.”

“How long will you be in town?” Brice asked. After graduating from MIT, Nevealise had stayed on in the area, making Cambridge, Massachusetts, her home.

“Not sure.” She looked over Brice’s shoulder at Langston. He had been the more laid-back one, she remembered, and he’d always been nice to her. Compassionate and patient. She knew his referral to her as Nerd Girl was not malicious. In fact, most times he’d pulled her ponytail when he’d called her that. She hadn’t seen Langston in years. Or Jarred, for that matter.

Brice must have noticed her eyes flittering about the room, because he said, “You remember my brothers, Langston and Jarred?”

“It’s been a while, but of course I remember them,” she said.

Langston held out his hand. “You have a beautiful voice. I really enjoyed the show.”

Nevealise shook it. “Not the ‘Nerd Girl’ you remember,” she teased.

Langston had the nerve to blush. “Yes, about that. We were young and full of ourselves,” he said, clearing his throat.

“No worries. It never bothered me. I was and still am a nerd and proud of it. Well, not at the time.” She chuckled.

Nevealise was surprised when Brice pulled her into the crook of his arm. She turned her face up and gave him a questioning look. He just winked at her. What in the world is he playing at?

“I’m Jarred,” she heard his other brother say. The seductive timbre of Jarred’s voice captivated her, compelling her to look at him. His hand was outstretched, so she had no choice but to extend hers. He grasped her hand as if it were a lifeline and glided his thumb over her knuckles.

“I didn’t know you and Brice were an item,” he said smoothly.

Nevealise was caught off guard by him having his way with her hand, and then by his assumption that she and Brice were a couple. She was stunned to silence until she felt the firm squeeze of Brice’s palm on her shoulder.

“You still don’t,” she gathered herself enough to say. “Brice and I are friends. Not lovers. He’s more like a brother.” Nevealise didn’t know why she felt compelled to explain their relationship. She didn’t owe anyone an explanation, least of all Jarred Manning. “Can I have my hand back now?” she said, trying to pull it from his grasp. He refused to let go.