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“Why?” He repeats incredulously. “You’ve been walking around in heels for hours, you have to be tired.”
My lower lip trembles with the threat of tears. “You really do love me.”
He looks at me like I’ve lost my mind—it’s a possibility. “I thought we’d established my love already—despite your hard-headed crazy personality, despite my stupid asshole self, I love you.”
If hearts can swoon, mine does.
“Get in,” he commands when the bathtub is almost full. He shuts off the water waiting for me to climb into the warm water.
I’m already naked—having kicked off my tights when I used the potty.
I take the two steps up and step down into the large soaking tub. A sigh escapes my lips at the pleasantness of it. Whatever bubble bath or salts the hotels provides smell like lavender and mint. I inhale the aroma of it with my eyes closed.
“Are you getting in?” I ask Hollis, cracking open an eye.
He shakes his head. “No, I want this to be about you.”
There’s a tiled area around the tub where some decorations sit like the vase of bath salts and framed art. Hollis strips down to his boxer-briefs before sitting on the ledge behind me, dropping his legs in the water at my sides. Before I can ask what he’s doing now he reaches down and begins to massage my knotted shoulders.
“Oh my God that feelsamazing,” I practically moan.
He kneads the tightened muscles in my neck and shoulders as my head lolls to the side. I hope he knows he’s going to have to carry me out of his bath and straight to bed. I’m going to be worthless after this.
After he massages as much of my back as he can get to, he then proceeds to carefully disentangle the ivy from my hair. Once it’s all out he grabs a washcloth, wets it, and puts some soap on it. He instructs me to hold out my arms for him to scrub. I let him and then he proceeds to lean over me to clean my breasts before moving to my back.
Once I’m sparkly and clean to his specifications he orders me out and wraps me in a large warm towel. It feels like a soft expensive blanket, not a towel meant for drying. I inhale the scent of whatever softener the hotel uses lingering on it.
I twine my arms around him, leaning my chin on his chest to tilt my head up at him.
“I love you,” I murmur, my eyes heavy with sleep.
He smiles down at me, pushing my hair back. “I love you too, beautiful girl.” He presses a small kiss to my lips. “Go get in bed. You have to be sleepy.”
I obey his orders, dropping the towel on the floor before climbing beneath the silky sheets completely naked. I hear him pull the drain on the tub and then the squeak of the shower nozzle turning. The sound of the water hitting the tile floor acts like a sound machine and I’m asleep before he returns.
CHAPTER22
HOLLIS
Another day in the studio. Everything is coming together perfectly and it won’t be long until we have an entire album completed. It’ll take a few months to get everything fine-tuned and perfect, but the base is there and it’s fuckinggood. I’m proud of us.
I come out of the recording booth and Hayes swivels in his leather chair to face us.
“I want you all to perform a gig Friday night.”
“Where?” Rush perks up—no doubt picturing a big venue. I can’t lie and say I’m thinking and hoping the same.
“Griffin’s.”
“Griffin’s? Never heard of it,” Rush frowns. “Where is it?”
“Three blocks from your hotel.”
“Oh.” Rush’s shoulders sag.
“Don’t sound so disappointed,” Hayes chuckles amusedly. “Small sets can lead to bigger things. You all have done a decent job of building a fan base, I’ll give you credit, but you have a long way to go. It’s time to be humble. The minute you think you’re bigger than you are is the minute you fall. Never take anything for granted.” He turns to meet each of our eyes. “I want to see your success last a long time—if you get cocky it won’t. It’s as simple as that. Fame can come overnight but can also disappear in the same second.”
“What time?” I ask
