She slides her legs down, moving her hands to her chest, covering her heart. “I wasn’t… I wasn’t expecting this, Jake. I know you said I was an inspiration for your music, but this feels like so much more,” she whispers, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.
Fuck. I made her cry.
With my head dropped, I let out an agonizing breath. Immense panic ripples through me, making it feel as if an elephant is sitting on my chest.
“I’m sorry, Kate. I didn’t mean?—”
“Can you let me finish before you say anything?”
I nod silently, lifting my head to meet her gaze.
She clears her throat, closing her eyes tightly and taking a deep breath before staring at me. “What you’ve written is beautiful. An incredible testament to our love.” Tears stream down her face faster and faster. “You’ve somehow perfectly captured our past, present, and future in a way that leaves me utterly speechless.”
“I mean every word,” I reply, crossing the short distance between us and sitting next to her on the couch.
She angles her body to face me, taking my hand and intertwining it with hers. “I know you did. You show me every day. I don’t need these songs to tell me how you feel. I can feel it in my heart. Deep in my bones. You love me with every fiber of your being.”
I press a kiss to our joined hands. “And I will until the day I die. You’re my soulmate. My better half. The peanut butter to my jelly, as my mom would say.”
She chuckles, wiping away a stray tear with her free hand. “God, I miss her. She would’ve had a hoot seeing us together. I highly doubt she thought we’d fall in love.”
I chuckle, shaking my head. “This would’vedefinitelysurprised her. But she would’ve been so supportive. Been over the moon for you to officially become her daughter.” A sharp pain radiates in my chest; the feeling I often get when I think of my mom, even though it’s been more than a year since her death. What I wouldn’t give to tell Mom about falling in love with Kate. “I wish she were here to see us together. To know how incredibly happy you make me. To see the man I’m becoming.”
A smile glides across Kate’s face, warming my heart and soul, easing the pain I felt moments ago. “She’d be incredibly proud of you, just like I am.” Kate leans forward, softly kissing my lips. “As for the songs?—”
“I don’t have to use them. I’ll scrap what I’ve been working on and go in a different direction. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you about it first. I should have. That’s on me,” I rush out.
Two of her fingers press against my lips, silencing me in the sweetest way possible. “I’m not asking you to scrap it, but it’s incredibly heartwarming to know you’d do that for me. Forus.”
“I would. In a heartbeat. No questions asked.”
Her smile widens before slowly falling into a neutral expression—one I can’t easily read. “Opening myself up to the public isn’t something I would’ve chosen. I enjoy my privacy. More of a social media scroller than a poster.” She rubs her thumb in circles over her sternum, tugging at her lower lip with her teeth. “But I know your career requires you to share part of yourself with the world.”
“Yeah. It’s hard for me to write and sing songs that don’t feel authentic. But that doesn’t mean they have to be about you. I can stop writing about us.”
“I’m not going to ask you to do that, Jake. I want to be supportive of your career even when it makes me uncomfortable. Because I’m in this with youfor a lifetime.”
The breath I didn’t realize I was holding finally escapes from my chest. Elated that she’s not angry with me. Grateful to be reminded how we’re in this together.
Her eyes soften, staring deeply into mine, practically reaching my soul. “My only ask is you keep me more in the loop when you’re writing about us. Let me hear the songs once you’re comfortable sharing them—preferably before the label or Jason hears them.”
“Done,” I reply confidently, leaning forward to brush my lips against hers. “Whatever you want, Kate. It’s yours.” I pepper kisses along her jawbone, nibbling at the bottom of her earlobe, eliciting a soft moan from her lips. That’s all it takes for me to pull her into my lap, slide my hand into her hair, and crash my mouth onto hers.
Her lips part for me, allowing our tongues to dance in a perfectly choreographed symphony. I suck on her bottom lip and her tongue as she presses her body against mine. Her pebbled nipples brush against my chest.
Fuck. I bet she’s not wearing a bra.
I slide my free hand up her thigh, trailing along the curve of her hip until I reach the hem of her T-shirt. A gasp escapes her when I touch her bare skin, causing goosebumps to erupt on her arms. God, I love how sensitive she is to my touch. How a single stroke can rile her up. Turn her on. Make her wet. How I’m the only one who gets to experience this with her. Forever.
Our kiss becomes more frantic as I drag my hand up her stomach, slowly going higher and higher until I brush against the underside of her breast. Fucking knew I was right. Stripping off her bra after work is part of Kate’s daily ritual, one I fully support. Hell, I’d prefer if she never wore one when it’s just the two of us.
“Stop teasing me, Jake,” she groans as I swipe my thumb over her nipple, refusing to fully give her what she wants.
“Need something, sweetheart? Tell me, and it’s yours,” I murmur, licking her neck, enjoying her quivering.
Without saying a word, she straddles me, stripping off her shirt and placing her hands on my shoulders, pushing me against the couch. Kate taking control is so fucking hot. Like a jolt of lightning to my cock, making it harder and pulsating, desperate to be inside her.
“I want you,” she whispers, dragging her lips across my cheek. “Want to show you how much I love being your muse. How much your songs mean to me. How proud I am of you.”
