Free Under Her Skin by Alexis Lauren Page A

Marlo's hand as the door to the limo was opened from the outside. Everyone filed out of the limo, leaving Tobias and Marlo to get out last. He crawled out as gracefully as possible, and turned to offer his hand to Marlo. He helped her out of the vehicle, never dropping her hand.
    Seeing all the flash bulbs go off, and hearing all the reporters calling his name, Tobias froze. He forgot what he was supposed to say or do. He wasn't smiling, and he wasn't walking. Marlo gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, bringing him back from whichever other world he was in. The cocky smirk graced his face as he led Marlo down the red carpet entrance.
    All around them, people were yelling and asking how it felt to be nominated for their award. Microphones were shoved in their faces, and flash bulbs spotted their eyes. They stopped at a few of the well-known interviewers, and politely answered a few questions. The whole time, they were eagerly making their way to the doors of the American Airlines Arena.
    Once inside, the flash bulbs stopped, and even with everyone talking at once, it was a lot quieter than having the reporters all yelling their questions at once. Marlo looked down and realized that Tobias still had his hand intertwined with hers. For some reason, it made her smile.
    The others headed to their seats, while Tobias and Marlo stayed in the lobby for a few minutes. Tobias looked like he was going to be sick, and Marlo realized exactly how nervous he was. "Hey, you okay?"
    "You know, I don't think I've ever been this nervous. This is such an important moment for us as a band, and for our future. I know that it's a long shot for us to win, but I am going to be so crushed if we don't. I know it's just a bunch of metal, but it's important metal." He looked around the room. "Look where we are Marlo. Look at all these people. We don't belong here, we are so out of our league."
    Marlo watched as the panic flooded his body. She didn't know what to say to calm him down, so she did the only thing she could think of. Her lips crashed into his, taking him completely by surprise. It took him a minute to realize what was happening, but once it hit him, Marlo felt his whole body relax.
    His hands reached up, cupping each of her cheeks, and taking the opportunity to deepen the kiss. Bells went off in Marlo's head, warning her about what was happening. All she wanted to do was calm Tobias down, not turn him on. She wanted to pull away, to break their embrace, but she didn't want to upset him, or at least that's what she told herself.
    Only when he sensed the flashes behind his closed eyes did he pull apart from Marlo. A photographer had chosen them as his subject, and invaded their private moment.
    Tobias looked to Marlo and saw her cheeks redden, just before she hung her head a little. Tobias placed his hand back on her cheek and caressed it softly, after lifting her chin. Out of embarrassment, Marlo turned to leave, but Tobias caught her arm and stopped her. Their eyes met, and he whispered, "Thanks." Marlo nodded her head. "Come on, let's go in now."
    His hand reached for hers again as they walked down the aisle to their seats. Making their way to their spot, Marlo looked at everyone in the crowd. She couldn't believe all the famous people that she recognized, and it gave her a little jolt in her stomach. The realization hit her in that moment, how truly momentous this night was.
    Tobias was also humbled. He saw so many people that he had idolized, and never thought that he would see them in person, let alone be sitting next to them at an awards show. It was so unreal, as if he was dreaming. He even pinched himself discretely a few times to make sure that the night was real.
    They found their seats, and anxiously awaited the beginning of the awards. The opening band came on, and the crowd got pumped. Marlo could feel the heat radiating off Tobias's palm that was joined with her own.
    They sat through presentation after presentation, performance