Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25780 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
In fact, Reese is the total opposite of a girl like that. I had to fight to get her here and wasn’t even sure she’d come until I saw her walk through my dressing room door.
“I’m glad you came,” I say into her ear.
She looks back at me, and I can see her processing. It takes her a minute, but she finally responds. “You know what? So am I. I wasn’t sure I was even going to, but…”
It’s a beautiful moment. A moment I can see myself writing a song about, in fact. And it’s rudely interrupted when Kathleen and Josh come stampeding up like a couple of out-of-control bulls.
“Cal! Cal!” they both shout. “We need you! That idea we had? We can make it happen right now!”
Idea? I’m so caught up in the buzz from the great show I just had and the warm feeling of having Reese in my arms that I honestly have no idea what they’re talking about. Nor do I want to know based on how the two of them are behaving right now.
“Can’t you two see I’m busy?” I ask, tugging Reese down the hallway.
“She’s here,” Kathleen hisses. “Jenni Hinderman is here right now!”
Immediately, I feel a stabbing sense of annoyance poke me all over, like I’m being bitten by thousands of hungry mosquitos all trying to drink my blood. “All we need is a few quick photos of you two,” Josh adds.
“No, we’re not doing that,” I snap, tugging Reese closer and walking faster down the hallway.
Kathleen walks faster to keep up with me. “Cal, just think about what we said–”
“And I said no!” I snap loudly. “We’re not doing that!”
Christ, to go from such an incredible show, then to such a wonderful moment with Reese in my arms, to this nonsense? I’m going to have to have a real serious talk with these two about things moving forward.
But not right now. Not tonight. I have other things planned for tonight.
Wisely, the two of them back off. But I can see they’re not happy about it—Kathleen especially. “I’m getting out of here,” I tell them. “Now will you two do your jobs and make sure my gear gets where it needs to go? Thanks.”
Without waiting for a response, I simply keep moving down the hall, Reese’s hand in mine, brushing past the crowds of people all looking to get in my way about something. I keep my rockstar smile on for everybody until we’re in the elevator and the doors are shut, at which point I finally let it slip and breathe a sigh of relief.
“What was all that about?” Reese asks.
“Oh, that?” I thumb the button for the garage. “Nothing. Just some publicity shit they want me to do that I’m not going to do.”
“Something with Jenni Hinderman?” she asks.
“That’s the one,” I reply. “Why, you a fan?”
I can tell by the way she’s suppressing a smile that she is. But she just shrugs and says, “Maybe.”
“Well, I’m not doing what they want me to do,” I say.
Reese is looking at me differently as the elevator begins to go down. It’s a new look in her eyes that I haven’t seen before. A look of maybe…understanding? Instead of blatant dislike or the teasing she was giving me was giving me backstage a few minutes ago.
“I guess there’s more to this whole rockstar thing than I realized,” she says.
“Oh, yeah?” I step closer, look down on her, into her, this defiant girl who has been quickly winning over my heart. “More to me than what you see in the media?”
She looks back at me with something close to submission, like she’s finally letting her walls come down. Like her opinion of me is finally starting to change.
I reach out and slip my hands slowly around her waist, letting my eyes slide down from her eyes to her lips, which open just slightly.
And that’s when the elevator dings, shattering the moment like a splash of ice water to the face.
“Maybe,” she replies with a smile, stepping past me into the garage.
8
Cal
I wish I had a photographer with me. Not for long—only a couple of minutes or so. Just long enough so they could take a few pictures of how gorgeous Reese looks in the back of my car right now as we drive. A beauty like her deserves a lot better than whatever crappy cellphone snapshots I could take of her.
She’s in a blouse and jeans too. Not a skirt, not a dress, not lingerie. She’s a stunner who can clearly make anything work.
“So this isn’t the way to my apartment,” she says as the driver takes a turn.
“Are you sure?” I tease. “My driver’s got a built-in GPS in his brain.”
Reese leans on one elbow and half-glares at me. It’s more of a playful frown, and she actually looks sexy as hell when she does it. I can feel the blood rushing to my cock as I return the look.