Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 57804 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57804 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
“Sure thing, Delilah,” he said before shutting off his car and getting out.
I ground my teeth slightly, wondering why he was giving me such a hard time today. He teased me with little taunts and flirts all the time, but I soon learned that was just how he communicated. Well, with me.
“What does that mean?” I asked him as I joined him behind his car.
Carson took my hand and pulled me closer as he shrugged.
“You just seem tense lately,” he said as he leaned near my ear. “You should relax.”
I nearly shuddered when his breath hit the side of my neck. I swallowed hard and drew away from him, giving him a pointed look.
“I thought you were hungry,” I stated, having to throw up a wall to keep myself from cracking.
“Starving,” Carson replied as his eyes swept over me. He shot me a grin before leading me toward the restaurant where a few groups of people were waiting for a seat. He got close to the door when he heard a gasp.
“Is that Carson Coolidge?”
“And Delilah Harrington? The singer?”
My steps slowed as a group of teenage girls ogled at us, speaking to each other in excited voices. I was used to reactions like that, but I usually had a security guy or two to keep erratic fans from getting too touchy.
“Are you two dating?” one of the girls asked us as the group hurried toward us, blocking our path to the restaurant.
“Is new music being released soon?” another girl asked.
Carson laughed a little as he glanced over at me, unsure of how to answer. No official details about our collaboration had been released yet. The label wanted to hear the product before promoting it.
“Stay tuned,” I said with a polite smile. I tried to move forward with Carson, but one of the girls grabbed his wrist to keep him from walking off. It soon became clear to me that we weren’t going to be enjoying a nice meal together. These girls wouldn’t leave us alone. “Sorry, we have to go.”
Carson nearly stumbled as I tightened my grip on his hand and pulled him away from the group of girls. He caught himself and hurried his pace as the girls protested and tried grabbing at him again.
“Let’s go!” he said as we broke out into a run, weaving through the cars in the parking lot to lose the girls as they shrieked our names.
I dove into the passenger’s seat the moment we reached the car, grateful for his tinted windows.
“Let’s get out of here,” Carson said as he turned on his car and sped out of the parking lot, camera flashes lighting up behind us from the girls’ phones. He glanced in his rearview mirror with a light huff. “That still happens from time to time. I’m sure that happens to you all the time.”
I shrug with a sheepish smile.
“Sometimes,” I replied before sharing a laugh with him, still reeling from the adrenaline of escaping so quickly. What a rush.
“This town doesn’t know how to handle a country superstar. A gorgeous one at that,” Carson commented as he turned down a quiet backroad that led to the ranch.
My face burned slightly as I shook my head. I didn’t think that I was all that. I constantly fought to not be mediocre, to look and act like the shining star everyone thought I was, but I just didn’t feel that way.
“I’m just another country singer,” I replied.
Carson gave me a pointed look.
“Bullshit. You’re way more than that,” he said. When I shrugged and glanced away, he slowed his car down. “Do I need to prove that to you?”
My eyes grew wider in surprise.
“What?” I questioned.
Carson looked in the rearview mirror before suddenly pulling the car over to the side of the road and shutting off the engine. He turned his body toward me.
“I’m guessing some asshole made you feel like you’re not good enough,” he murmured.
Weight settled on my shoulders as he stared at me down, waiting for an answer.
“It’s not… just that. It’s this town. It’s…” I trailed off, wanting to say Ryder. It wasn’t that he made me feel lesser than, but I just wished that things were different between us. I felt isolated from him in a way that made my heart ache.
Carson reached out and brushed his thumb across my cheek.
“You’re more than enough. Trust me, I’ve been around other industry stars. They’re shallow. Egotistical. Selfish. I was that guy once, but you’re nothing like them. You’re genuinely talented. Genuinely beautiful,” he murmured.
My heart and breathing stopped at the same time, desire crackling through my body like electricity. He was saying all the right words, pulling me under his spell that I couldn’t fight. That I didn’t want to fight.
Before he could say anything else, I covered his lips with mine, slipping my fingers into his short hair. All of my control shattered into pieces, letting my need take hold. I wanted him. Yearned for him.