Glancing down either side of the street, I noticed the throng of Backstreet fans swarming around amidst the business people. There�s no way we could walk back to his hotel without him getting recognized even if his hotel had been just across the street.
�Wanna take a taxi? Don�t really want to fight the crowd to get back to your hotel. Plus I�m not too sure where it is.�
Nick stood behind me, silent for a few moments, probably gauging the crowded sidewalks for safety. His hand rested gently on my hip, his eyes downcast to avoid any direct contact with overeager fans, and his warm breath falling gently against the back of my neck, causing goose bumps to rise all over my body.
And I wonder why so many girls want this man�
�Yeah, that�s probably a good idea. I don�t know how to get there either.�
Reaching back, I grabbed his hand that�d been on my hip, afraid that I needed to hold on to him so the obsessive bloodthirsty teenyboppers wouldn�t steal him from me.
Because I�m not an obsessive bloodthirsty teenybopper of course.
Squeezing it momentarily, I hoped to reassure him that things would be alright, that I wasn�t just going to leave him to fend for himself. Pulling him towards the curb, I tried to grab the bags from his hand, and instinctively he pulled them away from my grasp.
�What are you doing?�
Why are we talking so quietly? Oh yeah� teenyboppers.
�Getting your bags. I�m short, it�d be much easier and faster if you got the taxi and I seriously doubt that, in this crowd, I�d be seen.�
A light smile crossed his face as he hesitantly handed the two bags over.
And then he did something very stupid.
He must not be thinking.
There�s no way any sane man in his position, surrounded by many people who might mob him at any given chance, would whistle so damn loudly that a taxi would hear him. And also bring the attention of every hearing person in a two-mile radius directly to us, to him.
Trying to hide my dropped jaw, I buried my face in his shirt, immediately drowning in his cologne.
He is a complete idiot.
Glancing upward, his eyes were slowly growing wider as he realized what the hell he�d just done and I felt him hold his breath, probably praying that no one would catch his identity under the invisibility cap.
�I can�t believe I just did that.�
Thankfully teenyboppers aren�t that bright. Or maybe just as slow as Nick was being right now.
And thankfully, an empty cab pulled up in front of us.
Nick, still clutching my hand and now frantically looking around, yanked open the door.
�Get in.�
He sounds terrified.
Well, duh. He probably doesn�t want people to see him with me. Not like I�m his girlfriend or anything. No one needs to know about me.
Reluctantly letting go of his hand, I tossed the bags into the back seat and slid in, him quickly falling in beside me.
Screaming began outside as Nick rattled off the name of the hotel the boys were staying in.
�Oh my gaaahd!! That was Nick!�
*
Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god!!
Please don�t hear that. Please don�t Kara. I was doing so well, and now�
I�m the biggest idiot on the face of the planet.
Trying to be discrete, I slipped my hand over the door lock, just in case a fan managed to catch up to us.
Why did I do that?!
Because my mind was preoccupied with debating about what�s going to happen when we get back to the hotel, that�s why.
�Hilton� gotcha.�
My attention span was pulled back to the driver, my leaning forward hoping Kara wouldn�t catch my words.
�There will be a big tip if you pull up to the side entrance and don�t mention this to anyone.�
The older man nodded with a smile.
�My granddaughter is a fan.�
�Then there will also be an autograph for your granddaughter when we get there.�
I glanced over at Kara, who�d been looking out the window almost in a slight daze.
�Especially if you don�t mention a thing about who I am.�
Confused but complacent, he nodded, pulling away from the red-light that had us stopped so close to the fans who�d spotted me.
That�s twice already.
Fuck.
�Thanks man.�
Leaning back with a hefty sigh, I glanced over at Kara again. Still lost in space.
�Hey, whatcha doing all the way over there?�
Breaking her reverie, she turned to me, a light blush coloring her cheeks.
I scared her. I know it. She�s terrified now.
�You whistle very loudly. It� caught me off guard and scared me a little.�
She didn�t hear those girls. Hell yeah.
�I�m sorry. That still doesn�t mean you gotta sit all the way over there.�
It was true. In typical Nick fashion, I�d sprawled out in the seat closest to where the sidewalk had been, hoping that if all else failed, I�d be able to keep any fans from attacking her.
My fans are pretty vicious.
But Kara� she�d managed to shrink herself smaller than what she was, leaving a three or four-foot gap between us.
No, that doesn�t work. Have to touch you. It�s the rules remember?
Leaning over, I slipped one arm behind her and the other around her waist, pulling her gently until she was right against me. And she looked at me with that innocent gaze that drove me crazy in so many ways.
�I�m sorry. Didn�t realize you wanted me so close.�
She was whispering, slightly shaking at the same time. Why is she shaking?
�Always want you close to me.�
My heart beat faster than I believed humanly possible, my arms wrapped tightly around her waist and her body up against me. And that stupid innocent gaze.
That�s it. I don�t want to go onstage tonight.
I quit.
Leaning my forehead against hers, our noses almost touching, I stopped thinking. Which means� interesting words pop out of my mouth.
�Marry me.�
Five
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