Back to the business of trying to turn her into a superstar. “Are we almost finished?”
“Almost,” Regan assured her.
Regan packed her heels and other necessities and carried the bag into the living room. Worried she had forgotten something Isabel might need, Regan paced in front of the windows while she went over the list again and again.
Nick and Noah had arrived, and they, along with Michael and Alec, watched her pace until Alec finally anchored her with his arm around her shoulders.
A few seconds later the hotel phone rang. Regan rushed to answer it. “Limo’s here,” she announced. “Should we hurry Isabel along?”
“No,” Michael answered. “She’ll come out when she’s ready.”
“Unless she makes a run for it,” Alec said.
Michael grinned. “I already thought of that possibility, but this is the only way out of the bedroom, and the windows don’t open this high up.”
Ten minutes passed, then ten more, and finally the bedroom doors opened, and Isabel, transformed for the stage, walked into the living room.
Regan gasped when she saw her. “You’re stunning, Isabel.”
With all the work done on her, she should be stunning, she thought. “Thank you.”
The men were gaping at her, and she immediately felt self-conscious. After a long minute of silence she decided to use everyone’s favorite go-to command. “Snap out of it.”
Michael spoke up. “Are you ready to leave? The driver’s here.”
Since he was closest, she handed him her room card and her cell phone. Nick carried the garment bag Regan had packed.
“We’ll see you there,” Regan called from the doorway. “If you need anything, text me.”
Fortunately, the elevator was empty. When the doors closed, she turned to her three escorts.
“Thank you for giving up your Friday night to help me.”
“We’re not giving anything up, Isabel,” Noah told her. “We want to be here.”
Flanked by Noah and Michael, Isabel crossed the lobby, and Nick followed behind.
Michael was proud of her. He knew she was scared, but she wasn’t letting it show now. She walked like she owned the world. There was such attitude in the way she moved, and those hips . . .
damn. Then he noticed he wasn’t the only one appreciating Isabel. It seemed to him that every man in the lobby was watching her, and why wouldn’t they? She was beautiful and desirable.
Great. Hell if he wasn’t lusting after her again.
“Michael?” She whispered his name.
“Yes?”
“Stop glaring.”
Her hand brushed against his. She didn’t grab hold. He did. He slipped his fingers through hers and gave her a little squeeze.
“I’ve got your bottle of water,” he told her, then turned to take the bottle from Nick. “This is all you drink. Understand? You don’t drink anything anyone else gives you.”
She thought he was being a little overprotective and suspicious, but then she noticed Noah was nodding agreement.
“You’re going to be okay,” Michael said. He leaned down and whispered, “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“I know.” As annoying as Michael could be sometimes, she always felt safe with him. He would never let anyone hurt her.
Uh-oh. She could feel herself getting teary-eyed. She didn’t dare cry, not with all the eye makeup she had on. She wasn’t sure what to do. She liked Michael more when she was fighting with him, but he was being nice to her now—a rare occasion, to be sure—and that was why she was becoming emotional, she reasoned. Now was not the time to fall apart. She needed to put a stop to it before he said something really sweet.
Then it came to her. “Michael, you’re going onstage with me when I sing.”
His answer was swift. “The hell I am. Are you out of your mind? Why in God’s name would you think I would go onstage with you?”
“But I thought—”
“Oh, hell no.” He was glaring at her now.
And things were back to normal.
SIXTEEN
THE RIDE TO THE GARDEN SEEMED TO TAKE FOREVER.
“Jax, you weren’t exaggerating. There’s already a huge crowd in line.”
“They’re everywhere. Getting you inside is going to take muscle.”
“I’ve got plenty of that,” she said.
Her phone buzzed with a text. Michael pulled her cell out of his pocket and handed it to her. He noticed how her hands shook and opened the text for her.