Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
She smiled prettily and batted her eyelashes. “You may have, a time or two,” she laughed. “But a woman never tires of hearing how beautiful she looks.”
“In that case, you look so hot it’ll be shame to take this dress off you later.” I licked my lips when her breath hitched and the swell of her cleavage expanded. Heat flamed all over my body and we hadn’t even received our entrees yet.
“Do you miss it, living here in the thick of all the excitement?” Bella nibbled her bottom lip as if the answer truly mattered to her, so I gave the question serious thought.
“Yes and no. I miss being able to have Pad Thai delivered at two in the morning, taking a pretty girl somewhere I can hold her on the dance floor, that kind of stuff. But I’ve always enjoyed the quiet of Carson Creek.”
“Really?” Her tone was incredulous.
“Yes, really. And now that I have the ranch and my studio, I’m thinking of spending more time there. Not to toot my own horn, but I’m kind of a big deal and people will come to me wherever I am.”
“That’s a nice privilege to have, I suppose. Where do you record when you’re here?”
“There are studios everywhere here, available all hours of the night. The Gregory Brothers used to specialize in late night or all-night recording sessions.”
She laughed again. “I’ll bet those were some great times.”
I nodded. “They were. We were young and determined, with nothing but free time to dedicate to our music. It was a damn good time. Back then we only thought of the music.”
“And now, what do you think about Derek?”
“Now I think about the music and the future. Ryan will want to be home more, and Roman is doing his solo thing these days, so the writing is one the wall, I’d say. Being a producer is the next logical step for me.”
Bella tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and nodded. “Logical yes, but is it what you want to do next? You have stage presence, so why won’t you consider going solo as well?”
“I thought about it, but I like performing with my brothers. I trust them, and we always negotiated as a unit. I think I’d like to be behind the scenes now.”
“And hide that pretty face from the world?” Her tone was teasing, but everything about her expression was curious.
I shrugged. “It’s just a face, and there are always newer and prettier faces to admire on stage.”
“How very mature of you,” she said with a playful smile. “Seriously though, it’s a good thing you’ve given it thought. I’m sure that type of fame is a difficult thing to let go of after having it for so long.”
I smiled at her unintentionally kind words. “Are you asking if I’ll miss people interrupting my date with a beautiful woman to ask for pictures and autographs?” It had only happened about five times since we sat down, but Bella was gracious about it, even volunteering to take the photos, but the question hadn’t come out of the blue.
Bella shrugged. “Yes, I guess I am. It seems intrusive, and I get that they are the reason you are who you are, but will you really miss that?”
“The interruptions? No. But hearing people tell me that our music got them through a tough time, or perfectly captured how they were feeling? That will never, ever get old.”
“Wow.” She shook her head, a warm smile on her face.
“What?”
“You’re kind of a romantic. I never would have guessed that about you?”
I nodded. “Because I was a gigantic asshole before?”
She nodded. “Yes, that, and your playboy persona. But you actually care about your fans. That’s admirable Derek.”
“Yeah?” She nodded with a sweet smile. “So you’re saying you like me?”
“Yes Derek, I like you.” She rolled her eyes and the mood was broken by the arrival of our dishes. “I wouldn’t have slept with you otherwise,” she clarified once the server left us in peace.
“Good to know.” Bella liked me, this was a big step forward from a month or two ago. I raised my glass. “To progress.”
Bella grinned. “I’ll drink to that.”
We ate in silence for a few minutes, both of us busy absorbing the atmosphere and the food. The comfortable silence. It was strange, being with a woman without the expectation that the silence needed to be filled. Bella seemed relaxed as she dug into her shredded pork bowl with pineapple bourbon barbecue sauce, moaning with satisfaction with each bite. “What?” She asked when she finally realized I was staring at her.
“Nothing. I’ve just never been jealous of pulled pork before.”
Her expression was one of surprise, and she said nothing at all for at least minute, possibly two. Then her head fell back and laughter spilled from her lips. “Men,” she snorted playfully and held up a forkful of the meat for me to taste. “You know you want to.”