Muse: ( Groupie Volume 2 of 2)

by Susan Daugherty

  “How about this? I’ll get my play wrapped up while you’re gone, but I want to tell you the outcome in person. Can you promise not to check the app to see who won?”

  He studied me for a minute, no doubt trying to figure out my motives. “Sure, I don’t see why not. The iPad is charging on the bus, and I’ll even let you hold onto my phone. If anyone needs me, they can call Andy.” He laid his phone on the table between, shocking me that he was willing to give it up for the night.

  “Okay, so you’ll come back over here when you’re done tonight?”

  “Yep. I may even get to swim a little bit if my Doc says it’s okay, but I better eat something quick and get going.” He grabbed the first burger off the grill before leaving with Amos, Andy, Joe and Johnny for the signing.

  After the delicious meal, as the sun started to fade in the sky, I dangled my feet into the vacant hot tub and worked diligently on my word play. I only had three letters and could use them all. My C fit onto a triple letter space; “cows” would give me a decent eighteen-point word, and I would beat him by two points. I paused to think about it for a long time. Did I really want to win? Yes. It would be awesome to read the green notebook, and it was my only chance to do it. But, where would the kiss stand? Surely, I could walk up and kiss him without a bet, right? The bet was a convenient way to be sure it happened and not have the pressure.

  He definitely gave the best damn kiss I’d ever thought about having in my life, but, it was not in my nature to lose on purpose, so I continued to debate for a long time. I could easily play the same word on the opposite side of the board without the triple letter and I would lose the game. I clenched my jaw, grinding my teeth, and made my choice, hitting send to end the game. A notice flashed on the screen that the game was over, the winner declared.

  Chapter 32

  With a release of held breath, I put my phone into my backpack, tucked next to his, and returned to the festivities. A game of beer pong started on the picnic table, and cannonballs splashed in the pool. I sipped two hard lemonades but stopped myself there, wanting to be sure I was of sound mind when Jackson returned.

  When the sun slipped past on the horizon, people slowly trickled away, exhausted by the sun and drinks. By nine o’clock, two crewmembers were playing poker at a table with Charlie, while Fitch and Nathan strummed guitars poolside, and I sat in the hot tub with Trina, Jessica, Lee, and Ric. I gave in and opened my third hard lemonade, then heard Jackson approaching.

  “Well, damn, is this all that’s left of the party? Bunch of lightweights!”

  My heart lodged into my throat at the sound of his voice, and butterflies stirred in my belly. He moved into the dim light from one of the two light posts illuminating the area. He wore emerald green swim trunks that hung on his hips and showed off his chiseled abdominal muscles, a towel slung casually over his shoulder. He sat on a lounge to take off his tennis shoes, sending a smile my way. Then, he grabbed a beer and chatted with the crew for a few minutes before the guitarists.

  When he got closer to the hot tub, I moved to the side of the circle closest to him, kneeled on the seat, and propped my elbows on the edge, facing outward. My hair was piled high on my head in a messy bun to keep it semi-dry, my cheeks were rosy from the steamy heat of the tub, and I was more comfortable in the tiny, red bikini.

  He reached the lounge chair closest to me and sat down a few feet away. “I hope you like these shorts, because when I pulled them out of the drawer, all I could think was they are the exact color of your eyes.”

  Enough small talk. Seriously. “Jackson. You won.”

  He sat still for a second, blinking as if it wasn’t registering. “It’s over? I won?”

  I nodded definitively. He paused for another second and then looked me straight in the eyes with an intensity that made my palms sweat. He suddenly stood up and hollered, “Everybody out! Party’s over!”

  The area quieted abruptly while each head turned to look at him as if they didn’t hear correctly. He never used his power card, never bossed anyone around, even though he could … and it was hot.

  “I said time to go! Pool’s closed.” He glared with authority at everyone now.

  Lee stood. “You heard the man, let’s get going. Tomorrow’s another day.”

  Muttering and chuckling both followed as each person grabbed their belongings and left the gate. I stood up last, still shocked over his sudden display. His head swiveled to meet my gaze.

  “Not you,” he growled low and I immediately sank back down on the ledge inside the tub. I felt too warm and adjusted to sit on the outer edge with just my legs dangling in the water. When the gate banged shut for the last time, he appeared at the top of the steps.

  He remained quiet and intense, so I finally spoke up. “Holy crap, you know how to clear a room.”

  He cracked a grin and took one step in, adjusting to the hot water. “You know how to make a guy desperate to be alone with you. So, I finally won my kiss? How do you feel about that?”

  I cleared my throat and felt the temperature rise in my skin of my neck and face. “I, um, I’m okay with it. It was a fair bet.”

  He took the last step so he was standing on the bottom now, waist deep in bubbling water. “Really? Because it would be even better if I knew you wanted …” He trailed off, locking his eyes with mine.

  I gave in to the truth and blurted out, “I want you to kiss me, Jackson, more than I can tell you.”

  He crossed the distance between us in two huge steps and pulled my legs on either side of his hips, standing between them, and reached behind my back and pulled me even closer to him so that we completely meshed. His lips were on mine without a pause, and I finally felt what I’d needed for so long. He was aggressive but tender at the same time, and shivers covered my skin while my lips tingled. All the air left my body, but I didn’t care, I just wanted more. I sighed and wove my fingers into his curls, pulling his head even closer to mine and losing myself in how good it felt to be in his arms.

  He let out a low groan, and it made me feel like I was on fire. His arms moved up and down my back, from caressing my hair, to gripping my shoulders to wrapping around my waist. We could not get enough, and the kiss made me forget all track of time and lose myself in him completely. When his lips trailed kisses down my neck and to my ear, I moaned without my normal reservation. I could barely think straight, but I remembered Ashley’s advice: we had waited so long, that it was time to skip bases two and three and go for fourth. I skimmed my fingers along the waistband of his trunks, while he toyed with the strings around my neck, thinking clothes were a major hindrance at this point.

  He took an exaggerated breath and pulled a foot away from me, holding onto both of my hands with his. I nearly fell forward, as I’d been leaning into him. I looked up in a daze. He stared into my eyes, looking pained.

  “Shit, I promised myself … Lexie, look, I …” He trailed off and turned to sit on the underwater ledge, pulling me down next to him, up to our shoulders in bubbles. “I really don’t want to screw this up. More than anything.” He ran a hand through his hair and turned to face me with a distraught expression. I instantly forgave him for breaking our amazing moment; he was clearly trying hard to be a gentleman. “I don’t want to move too fast. I never want you to have any doubt about what I feel for you … or think I only wanted this with you.”

  He looked down to meet my eyes again, and I gave him a smile of encouragement. He continued, clasping both of my hands again. “I don’t want to kiss you because I won a stupid bet. Surely, you know it was just a way to make you let your guard down and give me a chance. I want to be with you—and only you—all the time. I know I have a history. I know I screwed up before, but I’ve tried—”

  I put my finger over his beautiful lips to stop him. “Jackson, you had me at I really don’t want to screw this up” He relaxed and let out a chuckle. “I knew this wasn’t just one kiss from a silly bet. I definitely want it to be more. I want to try again, and I p
romise not to mess it up this time, either.”

  He broke into a full grin now, and my heart lifted and soared as I’d never experienced before. He pulled me onto his lap now and kissed me tenderly.

  “So, now that you’re mine, I can kiss you anytime I want?” he teased.

  “Sure, babe, just don’t embarrass the life out of me. You know I’m a private girl.”

  “Babe,” he mused, “I really like the sound of that. And, I believe you once told me you liked when I called you baby.’”

  “Feel free to use it as much as you possibly can.”

  He kissed me again, and we swept back into our whirlwind of emotions and heat until our hands wandered too far and he had to distance us apart.

  “Damn! I swore I’d have better self-control if I ever got this chance,” he growled. “So, I was thinking about it, because I’ve had this on my mind for a ridiculous amount of time, and I think we should set some boundaries, take it slow. To make sure there won’t be any regrets.”

  I gawked at him, surprised, but thrilled. He was making every effort to show me I was special and anything but a usual groupie.

  “So, no passing second base? We’ll be like teenagers making out?” I couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of the nation’s hottest bachelor being so chaste.

  “Yep, pretty much. I mean, I hope we can get to the next step. I just want …”

  “Want what?”

  “For you to be in love with me before we get there.”

  I felt the air rush out of my lungs and inhaled sharply to try to get more. Too many thoughts swirled in my head to process it all.

  I found my voice and said, “You really have thought about this a lot. I planned to go with Ashley’s advice and skip the other bases to the homerun.” He gave me a sly grin, and I added softly, “But, your idea makes my heart melt, Jackson. You have surprised me more than anyone in my life.”

  “You won’t freak out on me this time?”

  “Cross my heart. It feels so different now from six weeks ago and definitely three months ago, when I was so unsure of you and even of myself. I should thank you for that. I think I’ve learned more about myself since I met you than the last twenty-six years combined. I sure as hell didn’t have enough confidence to handle you back then. I was too self-conscious and fearful about life.” I leaned my head back onto the ledge and looked up at the stars while I mused.

  He turned my chin to look at him, big sapphire eyes searching mine. “For the life of me, I can’t believe a girl with everything in the world going for her didn’t believe in herself. But, I’m glad if I played any part in helping you to see how amazing you are. Shoo, I’m the one who knew I wasn’t good enough for you. But, you gave me a reason to make myself better.”

  My lips curved into a smile, and I reached out to brush his cheek. “You were hiding behind an image, and I was too busy stereotyping to notice. I learned not to judge so harshly.”

  “Well, you were hard on me for sure, Doc, but, I deserved a lot of it. I’d become such a player, too wild, partied too much. I needed you so much, and all it took was for the sky to fall on me.”

  I kissed his lips. “I can’t believe we finally got this right. I guess taking some wrong turns still gets you where you need to be in the end. And, now I get to kiss you all the time.” I pressed my lips to his again to prove my point.

  He began to hum softly and then sang quietly one of my favorite songs in history. “Leading me on my way, into your loving arms, God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you …”

  I sighed and wrapped my arms around him.

  Chapter 33

  I woke up tangled in his arms and sheets. The memory of the night before made me quiver. Sunlight filtered in the room and I felt no desire to move from his arms. My stirring woke him, and he gave a lazy smile, tightening his grip on me. “Oh, no, you’re not going anywhere. I want to stay in bed with you all day.”

  I sighed and snuggled into him, breathing his scent. “Okay,” I said simply, making him laugh.

  “When did you get to be so agreeable?”

  “When you started kissing me right out of my mind.”

  His cheeks dimpled, and I felt flutters all over again. “Oh no,” he groaned. “It’s a show day, right?”

  “Yeah, babe. It’s already ten o’clock. We slept really late.” I found the time on my phone, where it sat on his bedside table. He took it from me and held the phone out to take our picture from above, snuggled in the sheets.

  “Got it, our first morning together.” We shared a sentimental smile and then the banging on the door started.

  After grumbling for several minutes to see if they would go away, Jack went to the door in his pajama bottoms. I heard him talking to someone, and the door shut before he came back. “Amos brought a bunch of crap for me to sign for VIPs in the lounge tonight, and he wants me to do a pre-show interview with the local news.”

  “Guess we better get up and going, huh?” I stretched my arms up high, and he watched my camisole rise up my ribcage.

  “Hmm, or we could stay right here.” He pinned me back onto the bed and kissed me hard, taking my breath in the best way. I seriously contemplated if we could stay in bed ’til the show, but my phone rang intrusively. It was Andy, looking for Jackson, who was not responding to his many texts.

  “Where is my phone, anyway?” He rubbed his lips, perplexed.

  “Oh, whoops. It’s in my bag from the pool yesterday. I bet it’s totally dead.” I found my backpack where I’d dropped it on the table last night and handed him the phone so he could charge it.

  Ric and Lee were waiting to work out with Jack on the gray bus, and I wanted to get a power walk in. We agreed to meet back in an hour or so. I changed clothes and headed out toward the walking trail, with several sets of curious eyes following me. Kate was the only brave soul who ran over to meet me.

  “Oh, girl, you know I’m going on this walk with you, and you better spill it! I heard Jack literally kicked everyone out last night.”

  Despite my intentions to keep very private, I couldn’t help the pulse of excitement her questions brought. With Ashley at work all day, I was grateful to have another good friend with whom I could share the best day of my life. We walked for over an hour and then hung out on the kitchen bus for another twenty minutes, chugging bottled water while I gushed about everything coming together so perfectly. She was genuinely happy for us both, and I knew she would be discreet. This would be paramount to avoiding another questionable situation with my job.

  When I climbed the stairs onto the black coach, I found Jackson sitting in the booth, examining his phone. It had charged, and he was catching up from nearly a full day without it. When he looked up and glared at me, a realization hit. He saw the notification from the Words game. Oh shit.

  “Hello, dear,” he said in a dangerous tone. “Care to explain something to me?”

  My jaw flexed, but I tried to look innocent as I moved to sit across from him.

  “You wouldn’t lie to me, would you, Lexie? We got to talk everything out and we’re happy now … and then I see this.” He shook his phone, and I swallowed hard. I knew he was only playfully angry, but I couldn’t blame him for being rattled.

  “Um, what do you mean, babe?”

  “Well, I do believe you told me last night, very clearly, that I won the bet. Therefore, the rest of the night happened. For some reason, the game sent me a notification that reads ‘Your Game is Over, LexieTravis won,’ and then it asks me if I’d like to start another game. I can’t make sense of this.”

  “Well, see, does it really matter? We all got what we wanted. I changed my mind about the prize—we wanted the same thing. Technically, you won, too. So ... I didn’t lie, per se.” I looked up at him through my lashes, playing coy.

  He tried not to let his lips curl up as he pouted. “You totally lied to me. You beat me fair and square and made me think I won. Now I’m just your charity case.”

  I bit
my lip to stop a giggle. “No, Jackson, I decided I really, really wanted to kiss you more than any other wager, so I took the liberty of making it happen. Do you blame me? Wish I would take it back?”

  “Hell, no. You wounded my pride is all—kicked my ass and had to let me win.”

  “Jackson, I think we both won.” I leaned across the table and kissed him, grabbing both sides of his face. He kissed me back with a sense of fervor, pulling me across the table and onto his lap. Time was lost once again. After we were thoroughly worn out and panting, we broke apart, and he pulled me into his chest.

  “Okay, you’re right. We both won.”

  The gang caravanned in Town cars to Garrett Coliseum at 3:00 p.m. to begin dress rehearsals, craft service, and hair and makeup. I approved Jackson to wear both cowboy boots for the first time. I’d never felt so comfortable and happy in my skin, and it must have showed. Even Natalie pulled me aside and teased, “Honey, whatever your drug of choice is, I’d like to get my hands on some.”

  Jackson walked up behind me just then, wrapping his hands around my waist and resting his chin on my head. She lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Ah, I see. We can’t share that prescription, so I best go find my own!” She left us with a hooting laugh.

  It was getting close to the show, and he asked, “So, do I get a big ol’ good luck kiss tonight finally? Show after show I’ve waited.”

  “You can have a big ol’ kiss after the show, Mr. Morgan, but superstition tells me to stick with the ritual so we don’t get jinxed.” I gave him usual peck on the cheek, knowing it was best that we keep our display of affection to a minimum in public, as well.

  I joined the dancers for the line dance and had a blast changing up our breakouts again. The number of signs in the crowd mentioning the dance seemed to grow with the last few stops, and it made me so happy to be a part of the success.

  When the second-to-last song came on, Jackson surprised me. He sat on a stool with a single spotlight and his guitar and sang his rendition of “God Blessed the Broken Road.” His tone was so different from Gary LeVox, and he made it simple and sweet, causing each lyric to tear at my heart. I cheered like a groupie when he finished, but the crowd roar drowned me out.