Romancing Austin
Page 18
“We might not have discussed exactly what we are, but I’d like to think we’re more than strangers.” He sounded hurt.
A nervous giggle slipped through her lips. “I’m sorry. Now I’m making a mess of things. We’re definitely more than strangers.” He’d hit the nail on the head, though. She had no idea what they were. It made her uncomfortable. Everything in her life had a definition—except him. He’d become a rather large part of her life over the last week, but she didn’t know what he wanted them to be. It was a troubling realization. “Do you want to keep seeing each other when I go home?”
“Do I want… Are you kidding me? You don’t know?” He pulled her down a deserted alley between the buildings. It was cool in the shadows but not cold. “I can’t go five minutes without thinking about you.” He pushed her against the brick wall. “You drive me absolutely insane—to the point where I can’t do my job. I can’t think about anything but you. Yet having you near me makes my work easier. I saw you take the demo from the woman. Thank you.” He leaned over and captured her mouth in a savage kiss. “Then I saw you talking to Mark and I wanted to punch him. He’s one of my oldest friends. And he’s in a committed relationship. But I wanted to deck him.”
Her head swam under the onslaught of kisses. She stopped trying to make sense of the conversation. His words of passion and frustration washed over her like a wave of seduction. His tone and cadence formed one of the truest sonnets ever spoken. It mattered little to her which words he chose to use. “God, Luke.” She wrapped her legs around his waist. “I need you.”
Somewhere in the deepest, darkest recesses of her mind she remembered they were in an alley, but she couldn’t find the energy to care about propriety. “Fuck.” He slid one arm under her ass to support her weight as his other hand dug into his pocket. When he handed her the condom package she was happy to tear it open. He used his free hand to undo his pants and push them and his boxers low enough for her to be able to access to his swollen cock.
There was no teasing or seduction. There was only raw need. She was leaving. Leaving him and their magical city behind in two days. She didn’t want to. She wanted to stay. But she couldn’t run away from her life.
She slid the condom over his dick, and he pushed the crotch of her panties to the side so he could thrust into her. As soon as he was deep inside her all thoughts and regrets were gone. She only had enough room to feel. They’d had sex more times than she could count over the last five days. It’d never been like this, though. This was darker. He possessed her. Drove himself so deeply into her she feared she’d feel his absence for the rest of her life.
The climax washed over her quickly and with a wild strength. He captured her mouth in a long kiss as she screamed out his name. Then he groaned and shuddered with her. He held her in his strong arms as they both rode out their release. When he put her on her feet, he kissed her tenderly.
“I don’t think I could bear it if you left in two days without at least saying you’ll try to make the distance work.” The honesty in his voice left made her breath catch.
“We’ll make it work.” She returned his kiss. “I promise.” Her heart ached at the admission. How many lovers had said the exact same words to each other only to have the promise prove them the liar and coward they truly were? Distance was like water. With enough time, it destroyed everything.
6
Luke ordered another whiskey neat and glanced at the door of the bar. There was no band today. The place was practically empty. He hated to be in an empty bar. Deserted rooms reminded him of how lonely he was. He looked at his phone and sighed when it didn’t create some new email or text from Julie.
She’d left three weeks before with a solemn promise to keep in touch. At first, she had. But after the first week, something had happened. It took longer and longer for her to return messages. Whenever he asked about the delay, she’d always say she was busy.
Busy doing what? He never let himself dwell on the question. Maybe he had been a vacation fling and she was too kind-hearted to tell him to get lost? Or maybe she and her bastard of a fiancé had gotten back together? His mind spun countless possibilities. Each one made his stomach churn and bile creep up his throat. He’d go visit her, but it was too soon. They hadn’t even been apart for a month.
He looked at the door in time to see an attractive woman coming into the bar. She wore too much make up, and her heels were so high she wobbled more than strode across the floor. Her dress was none of his business, though. He wouldn’t even be here if Mark hadn’t insisted on meeting him tonight.
The last of his whiskey went down a little too smoothly. It was a sign he should stop drinking. Instead, he ordered a double. He lifted the glass to take a drink when the girl sat next to him. Her perfume was so strong he nearly choked on the fragrance.
“Excuse me. You’re Luke Sinclair, right?”
He sighed with exasperation before turning toward her. “Yes.” There was no point in lying. It only pissed the women off. A pissed off woman was the last thing he needed to deal with right now.
“I’m Jessica. I gave my demo to your bitch of an assistant about a month ago. I got your email, but I was thinking maybe there was a way I could change your mind.” She leaned forward to display a healthy amount of cleavage. “I thought maybe if we could listen to it together. Alone. At your place. You might hear something you missed the first time around.”
Her brazen proposition along with the fog the alcohol had left in his brain made it difficult for him to process the situation. “Wait. Did you call my assistant a bitch?” When did he get an assistant? He was sure he would remember hiring one. Especially if she were a bitch.
“Yeah.”
The door swung open again, and Mark came over to him and removed the girl from her seat. “You need to be over here.” He deposited her at a nearby table and then took the stool she’d been sitting on. He turned toward Luke and asked, “How you doing?”
“How do I look like I’m doing?” The slight slur of his words embarrassed him.
“Like hell.”
“Thanks.”
“No offense. I’d be the same if Nancy lived so far away. It’s rough. I know.”
“She won’t even return my texts or emails.”
“She won’t? That doesn’t sound like Julie.”
He looked from Mark to Jessica several times before he remembered what’d happened. Even when he did, he couldn’t make any sense of it. Had Mark really picked the woman up and deposited her somewhere else? Why hadn’t Mark sat on his other side? “Did you move her off the stool?”
Mark glanced at the door before saying, “I did. You can thank me later. You were saying Julie isn’t returning your texts or emails.”
“Oh, well, she returns them. But it takes forever.”
“Forever? Really?”
It certainly felt like forever. “Sometimes even a day.” He hated how whiny he sounded, but he couldn’t help it. He was beyond miserable.
“Thank God we live in the age of technology. Could you imagine having to wait a week to get a letter?”
Even drunk as he was, Luke could hear the sarcasm dripping off his friend’s words. “Come on, man. Being here without her sucks. I’ve thought about going to visit her.”
The cleavage girl picked that moment to wobble over to the bar again and sit on his other side. He didn’t need to glance over at her to know she was there. He could smell her. “Excuse me. But we were in the middle of a conversation before you rudely interrupted. And I don’t appreciate being manhandled.”
“Really?” Luke turned to face her. “Because I thought manhandling was exactly what you were suggesting when we were talking.” He disliked women who thought men became idiots at the sight of breasts. He’d listened to her demo the night she’d given it to him. He’d even sent her an email suggesting she take voice lessons. Instead of taking his advice, she’d decided she could sleep her way into a music contract. “I’m not interested in you or your mu
sic.”
“You didn’t really listen to the demo. I know you didn’t. If you had, you’d be begging to sign me.”
“I did listen to it. You have no control and you’re pitchy.” Sick of talking to her, he turned to face Mark. “I’m going home.”
“No, wait,” Mark said.
“I’m sick of everybody expecting me to wait. What the hell am I even waiting for?”
Mark glanced at the door. “Nancy hired a PR person for her campaign. I want you to meet her.”
“Are you kidding me? You’re introducing me to women now?” He went to stand, but the room rocked around him. “Whoa.”
Jessica put her hand on his arm to steady him as the door to the bar opened, but the spinning of the room made it hard for him to focus on the people entering.
“Get your hand off of my boyfriend.”
He didn’t need to see Julie to recognize her voice. Even though he’d never heard her sound quite so angry.
“Your boyfriend? I thought you were his assistant.” Jessica took a step away from him. It was without a doubt the wisest move the woman had ever made. Once the room had stilled, he could see by the set of Julie’s expression she wanted to hurt somebody.
“Julie? What are you doing here?”
“Surprising you.” She turned toward Mark. “I thought you were keeping an eye on him.”
Mark’s laughter made them all fall into an uncomfortable silence. “I am.” Mark said between bursts of humor. “He’s alive, isn’t he? If you’d had wanted him sober, you should’ve called him sooner. He’s been waiting forever to hear from you.”
“You couldn’t even keep the groupies off of him.” Julie shook her head as she threw a look over in Jessica’s direction. She sounded upset. He couldn’t figure out why, though. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He would never do anything to hurt Julie.
“I’m not going to stand here and take your abuse.” Jessica glared at all of them before wobbling toward the door.
Luke watched the door swing behind the woman as she walked out of his life. He wished her all the luck in the world but was glad to see her go. Now he could focus on Julie. “You are Nancy’s PR person?”
“I had an interview today. The job is mine. If I want it.” She sat on the bar stool next to him but didn’t reach out to him.
He’d thought it hurt to be thousands of miles away from her. The distance was nothing compared to the pain of sitting next to her and not being able to touch her. “Are you going to take it?”
“That depends on you.”
“I wasn’t going to take her home with me, Julie.”
Julie shook her head with a smile. “I know you weren’t. You wouldn’t cheat on me.”
Nothing about the situation made sense. If she didn’t think he was interested in Jessica, why was she upset? And why hadn’t she already taken the job? She had to be interested. If not, she wouldn’t be here. “Then what are you waiting for?”
“I love you.”
“Julie—”
“I do. You were right. My gut doesn’t lie. And every second I was away from you, I kept trying to second-guess my feelings. I had to come back. Being apart from you was killing me.”
It was the best news he’d ever had. He wished his stomach wasn’t rolling. He’d be able to enjoy her words more if he didn’t feel as if he were about to be sick. Being able to think straight would help too. “So what do you need from me?” It should be simple. She loved him. He loved her. She should move here. They should be together.
“Are you really so dense?” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
Mark put a hand on her shoulder in apparent support. “I think he’s that drunk.”
“I don’t know what you want from me.” Luke would give her anything she asked for. She just had to ask.
“God.” She sniffed and looked away from him. “Why can’t you make this easy on me? I told you how I feel about you. I’m willing to give up my life. Move halfway across the country. Start all over again. And you can’t even tell me what you want? What are your feelings for me?”
Her words didn’t make sense. Of course he wanted her here. She had to know he loved her. “Look at me. I mean, really look at me. I’m a fucking mess.” He wrapped a hand around her nape and pulled her close. “And it’s all because of you, love. I don’t want to work. I don’t want to go out. I don’t even want to listen to bands. And do you know why?”
She rested her forehead on his and shook her head.
“Because I love you. And I can’t reach out and touch you. The distance is killing me, too.”
Her whole body started to shake. “Do you want me to take the job?”
“Yes. More than anything.”
She pulled away from him and looked at Mark. “Tell Nancy I accept her offer.”
“Just like that?” Luke couldn’t believe how quickly his luck had changed. “You’re really moving here?”
“Yes.” She wiped away a stray tear as she smiled at him. “I’m sorry. I had to go home. I had to prove to myself I wasn’t running away. But as soon as I did, I realized how wrong it was. Nothing felt right.” Her grasp on him tightened. “When Mark called I figured it out.”
“What?”
“I was running when I left Austin. I belong here with you. I’m happy here. But I had to make the move on my own terms. Do this my way. I can’t live off your charity.”
“I’d never hurt you.”
“I know. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t trust you. I would’ve been here sooner, but quitting and getting everything ready so I could move across the country does take some time.”
“Which is why you’ve been busy.” He smacked his forehead. “I’m such an idiot.”
“Did you think I was blowing you off?”
With her snuggled into his arms, he could see how stupid the fear had been. She did belong here with him. He could feel it. “Like I said, I’m an idiot.”
“It’s okay. I understand. Want to get out of here? We can go back to your place.” She smiled at him, and a hot wave of desire burned the remaining whiskey out of his blood.
“I don’t know. What if you’re a serial killer?” he teased. She handed him her driver’s license and a credit card.
He pulled her to him and kissed her. The kiss wasn’t soft or seductive. Instead it was full of desperation and longing. “Our place,” he corrected. “We can go back to our place.”
“Just until I find a place of my own.”
He started guiding her toward the door. “You have a place of your own. It’s with me.”
“What if it doesn’t work out?” Her voice shook with raw emotion.
“Of course it’ll work out.” He pushed open the door as he shook his head. “I’ve spent my years sitting in bars searching for stars and making people’s dreams come true. But that night, when I saw you sitting alone in the middle of a crowded room, I stumbled upon my own dream.” He smiled as they walked past the alley they’d made love in. “And nobody is better than me at making dreams come true.”
From Chandra
Greetings,
My family moved to Austin three years ago. We’d lived in Illinois for thirteen years and had as much of the snow and icy weather as we could take. When we came to visit Austin on a vacation, we fell in love with the city, the food, and just the over-all vibe. So we did what any sane, rational family would do—we sold our house, uprooted our family, and had moved down here two months later. When I heard my fabulous writing friends wanted to put together an anthology based in my new home, I had to write one. And I wanted it to be the story of someone seeing Austin for the first time, just as I had three years ago.
I hope you liked reading Julie and Luke as much as I enjoyed writing them. They were a wonderful couple to spend time with. If you’d like to check out my other books, they can be found on my website ChandraRyan.com. Or you can follow me on Twitter or Facebook.
I always love to hear from my readers. If you wanted to let me know w
hat you thought of Julie and Luke, feel free to email me at Chandra@ChandraRyan.com
Chandra
Consortium
Riley Bancroft
1
She tapped her finger on the mahogany desk while the phone rang on the other end. As soon as she heard the female voice answer, she spoke, “Hi, this is Chloe Davenport, I’m looking for Ashley Cooke.” Hours of digging through the internet and following her natural instincts provided her with enough information to find the girl in question. From everything Chloe gathered, Ashley was reserved and appeared to stay hidden in the background in all of her bios on social media.
“I—this is she.” Shy and timid, Ashley sounded like a delicate orchid trying to stand tall in the tsunami raging around her.
Rather than hesitate further, Chloe came right out and asked, “Are you the one who sang Devastation of Beauty? I work for XTC Records and we’d love to sit down and talk with you.” The song went viral in less than twenty-four hours. It caused an uproar on social media, but it was amazingly true and heartfelt. She wanted to get Ashley signed.
“No. I’m sorry. I think you have the wrong person.” The meek voice tried to sound strong, convincing even. It was her though.
Chloe recognized the heartbreakingly sweet voice. She’d finally found her. No doubt, some other music execs did as well. However, she needed to secure Ashley, especially if she wanted to make Holt proud of her. Her stomach flipped in her gut as anticipation welled.
“Ashley, it’s okay. I know what you must be going through right now, and you never intended for your song to takeoff as quick as it did. It was so beautiful. I just had to find out where this raw talent comes from.”
Another woman took the phone on the other end. “Who is this?”
Chloe talked to the friend Kate for a while on the phone, schmoozing her over with a little girl talk, and letting them know she genuinely had Ashley’s best interest in mind. She would be there through all of it by supporting Ashley and having her back. Kate finally admitted Ashley did write and sing the song, so Chloe quickly encouraged the girls to meet her for drinks the following night. Kate agreed.