Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88955 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Jenna lifted a wary eyebrow.
“Just you wait,” I told her, “until you see the video of his performance. When he sings, Jenna? Everything stops.” I drew in a deep breath. “I didn’t fill his head with bullshit. You can be mad at me, but I’m not wrong. He’s incredibly talented. In fact, he might have the best vocals I’ve ever heard, as an agent and a musician.”
She paused. My friend wanted to believe, but her practical side was reluctant. “Really?”
The word was a whisper from her, but mine was loud and confident. “Really.”
I wanted her to see his potential like I did. I’d had parents who didn’t believe in me, and their doubt set me up for failure. It made it so much easier for me to give up. I didn’t want that for Troy.
“You’re going to be so proud,” I said.
If she didn’t believe in him after that, then I’d have to believe for her too.
I was in the hot tub with a glass of wine when I heard the back gate creak open, and longing fired through me as Troy appeared in the lamplight from the patio. He had on a simple white t-shirt and his red board shorts. The sun had set recently, and fireflies sparkled in the night air as he set his guitar case down on a deck chair.
He was so attractive it was disorienting.
Or perhaps the dizzy feeling he caused was something else. It wasn’t just his body I desired or his music. I wanted all of him now.
Which was crazy.
But when he set his gaze on me and flashed a sexy smile, I couldn’t help myself. I wondered if this feeling could last. It was scary how much I wanted it to.
“Hey. There’s beer in the fridge,” I said, “if you want some.”
If he noticed I was affected by the sight of him, he hid it well. Troy nodded, disappeared into the house, and emerged with an open can clasped in his hand a minute later. As he sauntered up to the edge of the hot tub, his eyes studied my bikini top like he was determining the fastest way to get it off, and my heart went into overdrive.
He plunked his beer down in the cupholder on the ledge, grasped the sides of his t-shirt, and lifted. His smooth, tanned skin came into view, and I sucked in a breath. He could be on the cover of a fitness magazines.
Once he got big, maybe that was something I should look into.
Crap. It was getting harder to keep the business side separate from our personal relationship when we were alone, and I wondered if I should quit trying to do it.
Troy stepped out of his flipflops, and I moved to make way for him to climb into the hot tub beside me. The water sloshed around as he dropped into the seat opposite me and spread his arms out across the back edge. It was an invitation to climb into his lap, but I couldn’t take him up on it yet.
“You told your mom about your audition.” I said it soft and conversational, just loud enough to be heard over the jets.
The ease in his body vanished. “She called you, huh?”
“Actually, she came over.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face, then lifted it as if in surrender. “Sorry I didn’t give you a heads-up. I was going to, but she was mad enough with me, I didn’t think she’d want to talk to you right away.” He peered at me cautiously. “How’d it go?”
“Okay-ish?” I said. “She was upset in the beginning, but we got to talking, and I think that helped.” I’d been able to convince her to stay longer, and by the time she’d left, we seemed to be back on solid ground. “I think she just needs a little more time to process it. It sounded like there were high hopes for you to take over the business.”
His expression turned grim. “Yeah.”
“How was your conversation with them? Are you okay?”
His gaze drifted away from mine as he contemplated how to answer me. “It wasn’t great. I know how much he wanted me to have it, and when I turned it down that hurt his feelings, but . . . I had to. I don’t want it.”
His attention shifted back to me and his hand dipped down into the water, finding mine resting on my thigh. He pulled my hand up until it broke the surface, and then his fingers played with mine, enticing me to lace ours together.
The color of his eyes was deeper in the low light. “I’m glad it’s finally done. It feels good to have it out there, not hanging over my head anymore.”
His subtext came through loud and clear, but I frowned as I stared at our joined hands. “I want to tell her about this too, but we can’t right now. One thing at a time.” I felt flushed and it had nothing to do with the temperature of the water. “I’m not sure what we’d say. I don’t even know what ‘this’ is yet.”