Chapter Sixteen
Dating Tips from Elsie Dodd
Spooning leads to forking.
Use condiments.
“Come to bed,” Rhett said, patting the empty spot on the mattress next to him. Elsie gave it a longing look, like she was seriously considering it, then shook her head. “Before you say no sleepovers, I promise there won’t be any sleeping.”
“You’re forgetting rule four,” she said sternly, batting away Rhett’s hands when he reached for her. “No public displays of affection.”
“Says the woman who sweet-talked me into a little back-seat foreplay,” Rhett said, and he couldn’t help but smile.
She gave the mattress a little nudge and wrinkled her nose in the air. “It’s a little soft, don’t you think?”
“So you’re looking for something harder. I’ve got you covered. Come over here and let me show you.” Sitting, he tugged her between his legs and ran his hands down the backs of her legs.
“Someone might see?” But she didn’t back away. In fact, she stepped closer.
“Who? The store’s closed.” He’d bribed the owner to let them in before opening so that they could look for a new bed and a few other pieces of furniture to finish off the master.
Elsie had put some serious hours into the house. The guest bathroom had turned out spectacular, the music room was in its last stages, and all that was left was the master—the main reason for their little trip downtown.
As far as Rhett was concerned, they could burn down the master and start from scratch, but since he didn’t want to deal with insurance, he’d agreed to donate the furniture. That had been a week ago and he was desperate to get Elsie into his bed. Oh, he didn’t mind how creative they got with her twin-sized bed or the full-sized one in the spare room, but he needed some space to show off his best moves.
Plus, he needed to see what she looked like with her hair spread out over his pillows, her body snug against him. He knew why she’d put the no snuggling rule into place—just another layer of protection around her heart—but he was hoping to change her mind.
Hell, he was hoping to change her mind on a lot of things.
“What about the manager?” she said.
“Went to grab coffee.”
“The windows?”
“Tinted.”
“What happened to you needing peace and quiet to work?”
He gently strummed his hands against her thighs, his fingers dancing beneath the hem of her skirt. “I am writing. Plus, I’m getting to the point where I can show someone what I have.”
And that was the truth. The more time he spent with Elsie, the easier the music flowed. Her drive to chase her dream was inspiring and made him want to recommit to his. But he wasn’t all that certain what his dream looked like anymore. Oh, music was definitely a driving force, but he began to wonder, not for the first time since Stephanie, if maybe his life could be more than just his career. He’d been working toward a stadium tour from the beginning, but it felt good to be writing again and tap into that passion inside.
“Have you shared it with anyone yet?” she asked, moving to sit on his lap.
He shook his head. “I usually show it to Gage first, always have. It’s been kind of our thing. He’s my quality meter, always being straight up and telling me when it’s a hit or when it’s B-side material.”
“And you don’t like B-side material?”
“Nope.” He knew a lot of musicians who used subquality songs to fill an album, but that wasn’t Rhett’s style. He liked to think that every song could be a hit. “But I’m almost there.” He could feel it. Feel the album coming together and it felt amazing.
She felt amazing. Just like this, in his arms, so soft and pliant, as if she were his. He knew he was leaving in just under two weeks’ time and while part of him knew their lives didn’t match up, the other part wanted to fight for a world where they could both have what they wanted and still have each other.
“I shouldn’t have blackmailed you into coming here. You should be in the studio working. Or preparing for Portland Live.”
“I have a few sessions later this afternoon.”
She flicked the bill of his ball cap, sending it falling to the mattress, then ran her fingers into his hair. His eyes closed in pleasure. He loved it when she touched him. “How are you liking mentoring?”
