AllFreeNovel
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“Six is the number of weeks there are left in the year, so I’ll come to all six of your performances.”
“And zero?” I managed, still breathless.
“That’s the exact number of other guys you’ll ever think about after I get done with you.” He caught me off guard with another long kiss, and before I knew it, we were stumbling into the flat bed of his truck.
Our mouths connected, our bodies entwined, we kissed like it was the end of the world. Like we didn’t give a damn who was watching us roll back and forth against the grooved metal.
When he finally let me catch some air, I straddled him and pulled the hem of my shirt up, but he pulled it back down. Confused, I reached for his belt buckle, but he gently moved my hand away and pulled me back on top of him.
“I’m not going to fuck you in an open parking lot, Kate,” he whispered, smiling. “I’m not going to fuck you at all tonight.”
“Why not?”
“Because, for one, and contrary to what you may think, I like to get to know someone a little better before sleeping together…Especially, if I think she’s the type I’ll end up falling for.” He ran his fingers through my hair. “And for two, I need a few more weeks to make sure you’ll have the stamina to keep up with me.” He covered my mouth again before I could tell him that I did—I definitely did—and he tortured me with his panty-melting kisses for the rest of the night.
Two weeks later…
MY LEFT WRIST WAS SECONDS away from detaching itself from my body and running away. Every nerve in my elbow burned, and I couldn’t bear to play another note.
I’d performed all of my best pieces to perfection, over and over. I’d even earned a roaring round of applause from the groundskeepers right outside my window. Yet, even after twelve straight hours of rehearsal, I had yet to feel confident enough about next week’s performance in Las Vegas.
Setting my bow against the window, I walked over to my balcony and spotted Sarah Kay climbing over a hedge. She wriggled and writhed against the leaves, nearly losing her shoe, and then she ran toward a parked car on the service road.
I laughed and made a mental note to cover for her if my parents asked where she was.
I pulled out my phone and scrolled down to James’s name, hesitating before hitting call. We’d talked every day since the fair, sometimes more than once, and every single time left me wanting more.
I told him my truths, unfiltered. He never judged, never interrupted, simply listened. He’d sat in the back row of my recitals, leaving before the conductor’s notes, before I could tell him “Thank you for coming,” in person.
For the first time in my life, I felt like I had a friend who wasn’t forced upon me, someone who didn’t focus on my branded last name before getting to know me.
I stared at his name for a few more seconds, wondering if calling him three times in a day was overkill.
“You can call me whenever you want. I’ll answer…”
I hit call without thinking about it anymore.
“Hello, Kate,” he answered on the first ring.
“Um. hey…” I swallowed, instantly turned on by the sound of his deep and husky voice.
“Are you there? Kate?”
“I’m here,” I said.
He laughed. “What are you up to?”
“I was just taking a break and wondering what you were doing.”
“The same thing I was doing when you called me two hours ago.” He was definitely smiling. “Working. Is practice going well?”
“No. I think I might’ve burned my brain and my wrists. I could use a couple hours of stress relief, but I don’t think I can afford it so close to my performance.”
“You should start taking longer breaks, then. I don’t know if it’s normal for an artist to work all day, every day.”
“I already told you that I’m not an artist,” I said. “Artists have choices in what they create. I’m just a pretty puppet, playing under the strings of my parents.”
Silence.
“In that case, I think you should get out of your house for the rest of the day.”
“And do what?”
“Spend the rest of it with me.”
My heart fluttered at the suggestion, the thought of playing another note today was now long gone. “I’ll get one of my drivers to bring me to the halfway point in Reno,” I said. “That way you’ll only have to drive one hour. Well, that and so you won’t be peppered by my parents’ questions.”
“I think they’d only be interested in how much money I make.” He let out a low laugh. “You can have your driver take you to the security tower if you insist on using them. I have no issues with driving the entire way to see you. I’ll leave in half an hour.”
