Page 119 of Jude

‘Hey, handsome.’

Her husky alto sent an arc of feeling through me.

I dropped my timbre into a murmur.

‘How are you holding up today? Not too sore from last night, I hope?’

Sofia let out a soft laugh, the sound warming my chest through the receiver.

‘I’m perfect, Jude. Just missing your arms around me when I woke up.’

‘Where are you now?’

‘I’m just finishing up in Trastevere,’ she said. ‘I spent the morning at the Roman Forum, and now I’m hitting a small market over here for more gelato. Can’t get enough of it.’

‘Can’t get enough of you,’ I growled. ‘Can’t also wait to see you tonight. Listen, the crowds outside the stadium are getting unruly. Don’t try to navigate the main gates on your own. I’ll send Enzo from our security detail to pick you up. He’ll accompany you to the best seat in the house, by the soundboard. You good with that?’

‘Perfect,’ she replied. ‘See you soon, mio caro.’

Later, Sofia made it to the venue just as the house lights dropped.

Her brief presence in the green room and her sweet energy amped me up for the show.

Heck, I’d be playing for her the whole night.

I stole a kiss from her before I followed my bandmates, and she took off to watch us play.

I took to the stage hyped up as sixty thousand fans unleashed a deafening, vibrating roar that shook the structural steel of the stadium.

This was what I was born for, as our devotees began shouting back every line of our favorites in the repertoire.

I led the brothers through our discography, from up-tempo favorites to a few of our new, unpublished tracks.

Levi bewitched the crowd on the piano with our ‘Tokyo Drifting’ ballad.

At one point I turned and caught Sofia dancing and singing along to one of my tracks, which blew my mind.

There was nothing sweeter than seeing your woman going off to your lyrics.

We closed out with our evocative hit ‘Dreams of Stars.’

I was still on a natural high when we finally made it back to our hotel after midnight.

The lobby, most of it deserted, was redolent with the scents of expensive tobacco, perfume and citrus oil.

Sofia was walking beside me, my arm around her, when I noticed a shadow detach itself from the leather wing-back chairs close to reception.

I blinked, not quite believing what I was seeing.

When the individual raised their hand to attract my attention, I let out a huff of surprise.

‘Sofia, babe, do me a favor,’ I said, pausing near the elevators.

I turned to her, keeping my voice smooth so she wouldn’t catch the sudden spike in my adrenaline.

‘The crew is up on the top level having a midnight meal at the late-night restaurant. Grab a plate and tell Mason and the rest I’ll be up in a few minutes. I’ve got to check a couple of documents at the front desk.’

‘Bene, mio bellissimo,’ she murmured, offering a tired but warm smile as she pressed the button for the upper floors. ‘Don’t be too long. You need to eat too.’