Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 62972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62972 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
She’s silent again, and I assume she’s reading between the lines and realizing what I mean by patient. Finally, she says, “Can you come for dinner? I need to get going.”
“If we come, I don’t want it to be some kind of attack, or you trying to convince me to leave them.”
“That’s not why I’m inviting you. I just want to get to know him—them—better.”
“They’re busy in the studio right now, but I think it’ll be okay. I’ll text you later to confirm.”
The uneasy feeling in my stomach only gets worse after I end the call. There are so many ways this dinner could go wrong, but the awkwardness and conflict is something we need to work through, and sooner would probably be better than later.
I’m not sure how much longer we’ll be here in Vegas, and who knows how often I’ll get to see my sister if I go on tour with the band. I haven’t made any decisions about that, or even gotten many details, but the longer I’m with Conal, Rafe, and Bron, the harder it is to imagine being away from them.
HAZEL
The next morning, the band’s sound engineer has a family emergency. Rather than try to find someone to fill in at the last minute, they take the morning off. I assume we’ll hang around the house, and I go online to do some shopping.
Conal’s been surprised that I haven’t gone out shopping with the credit card he gave me, and he keeps urging me to buy things. When I asked him if I could send some presents to my mom and sisters, he seemed caught off guard, but said I can buy anything I want.
There’s a fancy mixer my mom’s been wanting. After some searching, I find it at a good price, and order one with all the accessories, in a color that matches her kitchen. For my little sister Coral, I buy some medical textbooks—she’s determined to be a doctor, and I figure studying the texts that medical students use will either deepen her commitment, or give her second thoughts.
I know Ember’s men can buy her anything she wants, but I want her to know I’m thinking of her too, so I send her a colorful ceramic planter. She’s always buying new plants and transferring the older ones to bigger pots, so it’ll come in handy eventually.
Just as I finish that order, Conal nuzzles at my neck, sending a delicious shiver down my spine. “What’d you get, hon?” he asks.
I turn to him excitedly and tell him about my purchases, and he listens with a bemused smile. “Nice. What did you get for yourself?” he asks when I finish.
“Oh, I’m fine. I don’t need anything.”
He kisses my forehead as Bron joins us. “Want to go for a ride?” Bron asks me.
“A ride?”
He gives me his best sexy smile. “We have motorcycles.”
“Oh, wow! That sounds like fun.” Not as fun as the other kind of ride his smile made me think of, but still. “Let me get my camera.”
“And a jacket,” Bron says.
When I’m ready, we go out to the garage, which I haven’t been in before. It holds an astonishing array of vehicles, far more than the SUVs the security team use. I wonder how many of them belong to the band, and how many to the record label, but I don’t get a chance to ask before Bron hands me a helmet.
Conal isn’t happy when I climb on behind his brother, but Bron just shakes his head and says, “She can ride with you on the way back.” The garage door rises, and we set off, an SUV trailing behind us.
We make our way out of town and up into the mountains that rise beyond the city. I love the feeling of the air rushing by me, the warmth of Bron’s body as I cling to him, and the vistas that open up around us. Eventually, we pull off at a spot that has amazing views of the valley below.
It’s a beautiful day, as usual. The air is cool, but the sun makes it feel warmer than it is.
While I get busy taking photos, the men unpack food from the van, as well as acoustic guitars. They sit in camp chairs and play, and I take photos of them, too. Eventually, after capturing the sights around us from every angle I can manage, I join them.
There’s fruit, cheese, crackers, and an artichoke-spinach dip, with sparkling cider to wash it all down. While I nibble some grapes, Rafe starts plucking out a melody I haven’t heard before. “Is that a new song?” I ask.
He smiles at me. “Yeah.” He doesn’t say anything else, and I don’t ask. I’m not sure how their creative process works, exactly, and questions might not be helpful.
I take more photos of the men—my sexy, sexy men—while we eat, until Conal says it’s time to head back. We load everything back in the van, and then I climb on behind Conal for the ride to our house.