“Now you believe he has a thing for you?”
“It’s pretty clear.”
“Are you going to talk to him?”
I didn’t see how I couldn’t. Since we worked together and made music together, we couldn’t avoid each other. The air needed to be cleared. I just wish he wasn’t so immature about the situation. If he acted like an adult, the conversation wouldn’t even be necessary. “Yeah.”
“I think that’s a good idea. Mason and I don’t want to get in the middle of anything.”
I closed my eyes and pretended I was asleep. The weight of the conversation gave me a broken heart. I just wanted to forget about the world for a moment and find peace in my dreams. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find it there either.
♫
We had another gig at a small bar in Hollywood. Like every show, we finished to a roaring round of applause. When I played my music and sang to an audience, I always felt at peace with the world. The lights shined brightly on us, making the audience disappear in the darkness. I only saw the glint of the stage lights reflect off their glasses and jewelry. Other than that, it was like no one was there. And that’s when I lost myself.
Despite the pleasure it brought me, I knew I needed to find a full-time gig and put my degree to use. I needed to pay rent and afford groceries. And a musician’s salary wasn’t going to give me that.
I looked online and found a pharmaceutical lab that was hiring an analytical chemist. It seemed like a boring job, but it had excellent pay and benefits. And it had weekends and nights off. It’s exactly what I needed to continue my musical hobby. I filled out an application, knowing thousands of other people filled out the same one. With a heavy heart, I knew I wouldn’t get a call back. My marks were impressive and my recommendations were even better, but that didn’t mean anything. I had no idea who my competition was.
When the night of the Adele concert arrived, the anxiety returned. I hadn’t stopped thinking about Cash for the week. His lips always formed in my mind while I slept. They were kissing my body everywhere, moving to the area between my legs. I didn’t realize how sexual of a person I was until I met him. The thoughts were always on my mind.
I wore a champagne pink dress and nude flats. I wanted to wear high heels to make my ass look better, but that was suicide at a concert. I’d be standing for hours. And this time, comfort was more important than style.
I left my hair down and curled it at the ends. After I applied my makeup, I touched up my lips and eyes. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I saw someone I didn’t recognize. I hardly wore makeup because it was too time-consuming. It stole time away from my favorite hobby in the world, writing and playing music. But I wanted to look good. I made sure my body was completely free of hair other than my head. And I knew why.
Cash knocked on the door right at six. He was always punctual to the point of insanity. I was usually five minutes late to everything, not a good quality to have in someone searching for a job.
When I walked into the living room, Gavin stood in the kitchen. He was sipping a cup of coffee. He didn’t look at me once as I walked by. But that was fine with me. If he wanted to be immature about the situation, I didn’t care. But I certainly wouldn’t baby him over it.
I took a deep breath before I opened the door. I pictured Cash in my mind, imagining the perfect features of his face. His chin was lightly covered in a faint stubble. His hypnotic blues were dazzling, dark and mysterious. And his chin was kissable. I imagined trailing my lips from the corner of his mouth then to his neck.
Damn, I hadn’t even opened the door yet and I was wet.
I finally opened the door. “Hey.”
He wore a dark suit with a gray tie. Of course, he looked dashing in it. I immediately wanted to take his tie off and tie it around my own wrists.
Man, I was bad today.
“You look lovely, like always.” His hands were in his pockets, and he stood straight with a perfect posture. He towered over me at six feet. I was a short woman, barely reaching five foot three, but he made me feel even smaller. And his comment had my heart racing. He always made me feel beautiful. It was probably a line, but it still made me feel special.
“Thank you.”
He extended his hand. “Are you ready?”
I closed the door behind me then locked it.
“I’m glad your guard dog isn’t here today.” He said it with a smile, but his eyes said otherwise. I could tell he was annoyed with Gavin.
“I’m sorry about that…”
“It’s quite alright.” He grabbed my hand unexpectedly. The gentle touch immediately made me feel warm. But it was only a taste of everything else. I wanted more than that. And I knew it then and there. “What’s his story?”
His question brought me back to reality. “Nothing. He’s just protective.”
His eyes narrowed in suspicion. I knew he wasn’t falling for my excuse. “I think there’s more to it than that.”
I kept my eyes glued to the elevator as we walked inside.
Cash’s hand never left mine. “Is he an ex?”
“No,” I said immediately. “God, no.”
He relaxed slightly. “Good.”
The sliver of jealousy made me smile. It was immature, but I still felt that way.
“You do realize he’s into you, right?”
Cash wasn’t going to let this go. “I can deal with him.”
He studied my face. “As long as you’re aware of his intentions.”
“I’m not completely blind to the world around me.”
“I never assumed otherwise.” His confident façade was back, the jealousy gone. I missed it.
When we reached the limo, Cash opened the door for me.
“What’s the point in having a driver if you don’t let him do anything?” I asked when we sat down.
Cash sat beside me. “I don’t want him to look at your ass when you sit down.” His words came out blunt and hard.
“You think it’s better if you look at my ass instead?” A smile stretched my lips.
He gave me a hard look, one that set my skin on fire. “Only I look at your ass like that.” He placed his hand on my thigh and squeezed it gently. The level of our affection had skyrocketed in a short amount of time. I’d only known him for a week, and the intimacy had changed between us. But I liked feeling his hand on my thigh.