Page 87 of Defying Ella
“Oi Sparky, eyes on me,” Jared shouted.
The rest of the guys had returned to the stage and were setting up for a final run-through. Jared stared at me with worried eyes. I smiled, trying to reassure him that I was totally fine without having to get up on the stage.
“Feeling neglected, are you, Buttercup?” I called back to him teasingly.
James and Ryan sniggered.
“Buttercup?” Dan repeated, his voice rising incredulously.
Jared’s eyes narrowed on him. “Yeah. Got a problem with that?”
Dan’s brows creased. “It’s just a little sunny for you, isn’t it?”
“So what?” Jared’s focus returned to me and his expression softened. “I happen to like it.”
My stomach tumbled at the loving light in his eyes.
The guys stared at him like he’d been body-snatched. Old Jared would have pitched a fit and walked out. He never would have admitted to liking something so mushy in front of so many people, even his close friends. Therapy was reallyworking out for him and I couldn’t be more proud of him for working through his fears.
“If you’re done making fun of my love name, can we get on with the sound check?” He glanced around the stage, eyeing up his friends with a low-grade smirk at their shocked expressions. “I have a date with a pretty brunette in a closet.”
Everyone chuckled while he grinned at me. I shook my head, unable to fight the curling of my lips at his ridiculousness.
Never a dull moment with this lot.
For the first time ever, I actually enjoyed a Rhiannon gig. I’d been too focused on avoiding Jared all through the tour that I used any excuse to skip the shows and even when I made it, I didn’t leave the safety of the green room.
Past Ella had no idea what she was missing.
I spent the entire show leaning against the banister between the VIP section and the main floor, singing along and laughing with Alys, Mel and Sophie.
With it being such a small gig with a limited audience, the guys kept catching our eye, making it perfectly clear that they could hear us wolf whistling or screaming along with the women in the front row, fawning at their feet. Poor Nia had to battle through them multiple times and would probably need an ice bath later to soothe some of the bruises.
When the show ended, most of the crowd funnelled out and we left the VIP section to frowns of disapproval from the bodyguards. Why they were guarding us and not the side of the stage was anyone’s guess.
Or the guys as they lined up at the exit and allowed fans to hug them.
“What the heck am I seeing?” I asked, stopping dead in my tracks as woman after woman threw their arms aroundJared’s neck and pressed themselves against his chest far longer than socially acceptable.
“Funnily enough, I had the exact same reaction the first time I saw it,” Alys said, stopping at my side to study the sight before us.
They’d formed some sort of receiving line and were chatting to fans as they left the venue. Not once had they done that during the tours of the UK or Germany. The majority of the time their faces lit up with whatever people were saying to them.
“They do this at every small, intimate gig.” Her head tilted as she considered the parade of fans. “The people who tend to come to these are diehard fans, some of them have been following the band since their start in Glasgow.”
A woman kissed Jared and my entire body stiffened.
“Do they always kiss their fans?” I hissed before taking a step forward, not knowing what I planned to do. Only that staying still would not be an option.
Before I could get far, Jared pushed her away with a grim expression.
Seconds. It lasted seconds, but my heart still pounded and anger built.
“C’mon, Jared, everyone knows you’re insatiable.” She fluttered her lashes at him and tried to get close again. He shoved her away. “I’ll happily be your fling of the night.”
Jared scowled at her before his focus shifted to me.
“I have a girlfriend,” he snapped at her. “Don’t do that ever again, or I’ll have you banned.”
