“And the videos? How do you know what will sell?” he asked while I opened the door and we stepped inside.
I tossed my purse on my bed as I walked to the desk to fire up my Mac. I’d bought it secondhand and it was the best purchase I’d ever made. “I don’t know. You watch a lot and see what you like. But also what other people seem to like.” I shrugged, then sat down, gesturing toward the bed. I gave a little cough to hide my squeak of embarrassment. I couldn’t believe he was about to be on my bed though there was nowhere else, so I focused on my screen instead.
I heard the creek of the mattress springs as he sat, then the click of the clips on his guitar case. My screen came on and I plugged in my iPad, waiting for the ad I’d worked on to load.
He started strumming and the sound washed over me. The melody was actually the perfect writing music. So soft and sweet. I couldn’t help but turn to make sure it was him and no one else playing.
“That’s beautiful,” I said, resting my arm on the back of my chair, my chin dropping down on top of that.
He winked. “Not as beautiful as that.” And he pointed to the screen.
My opening shot was up. It was the band in full action. Their faces intense as they hit a hard riff. I’d left it in black and white, preferring the grittier texture, but the writing was in an orangey-red. It matched the font and color I’d seen on the van. “Thanks.” I turned quickly back to my computer. “I’ve intermingled some hangout shots with real action photos. I want people to think of you as multi-dimensional. That’s how they fall in love.”
I heard the springs on the bed again as I let the slideshow run. I didn’t have to turn to know he was there. Right behind me. I could feel his body, the warmth, almost like a touch.
If I just leaned my head back, I could touch him. I told him I’d let him up to my room to go over the marketing but would he mind if I made it more? Hadn’t he pulled me into his lap? I stopped myself. It was a bad idea no matter how much I wanted to justify it.
The door to the room whipped open. “We’re here.” My roommate, Carrie, called loudly, her boyfriend likely trailing behind her. I couldn’t quite hold in my sigh. But she probably didn’t hear it over her own gasp. “Who are you?”
She knew who I was. At least I think she did. So I could only assume she was referring to Derek. “This is the lead singer and guitarist of the band I rep, Echo Stream. We’re doing some ads for the show tomorrow.” Why did I have to add that?
I heard Carrie’s laugh. It was loud and harsh and there was nothing friendly about it. “Only you would have a hot guy in your room at one in the morning to do work.”
I stood. Intent upon telling her to get lost. Unfortunately I misjudged the space and found myself bumping into Derek. I started to bounce off of him. My humiliation—that I couldn’t even tell her off without being a total dunce about it—was nearly complete.
Derek caught me and held me in his arms. I grabbed at his rather large biceps to steady myself. As I looked at him to say thank you, he dipped his head down and gave me a long, slow kiss. I thought last night’s had been the most breathtaking kiss of my life. But this one, so slow and deliberate, sent me spiraling out of control.
Carrie’s laugh stopped. Derek lifted his head a millimeter at a time and I found myself up on tiptoe to stay pressed to him as long as possible. I squeezed his biceps and they flexed under my fingers. I barely bit back a moan. I wanted to run my hands up and down those arms to see how the ridges of his muscles would feel.
When he’d risen higher than I could go, my eyes fluttered open. He gave me a little wink. “I’ll pick you up at six tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Pick me up?” I tried to make sense of what he said but all I could concentrate on was kissing him again.
“You’ll have the video camera won’t you? No use paying for a cab. I’ll come get you. See you tomorrow, Mel.” Then he let me go, stuffed his guitar in the case, and walked out without a word to Carrie or Matt.
I stared after him with my fingers on my lips. What had just happened?
“Nice outfit,” Matt said looking me up and down.
“Shut up.” Carrie swatted at his arm and crossed the room to grab her shower caddy. “We’re staying in your room.” Then she sauntered out the door with Matt behind her.
I sighed. Now Derek was gone and we’d barely discussed…marketing. Or kissing. Tomorrow we needed to talk. We had to set some rules or define things or something. I shouldn’t kiss Derek. I knew it was a bad idea, but my brain was coming up with all kinds of justifications.
By the time he came to pick me up the next day, however, I had no idea what to say. I had on the same ripped jeans as last night. I’d considered wearing a skirt but thought I might really need to move to get the videography I wanted. I was basically making a silent film that I’d lay one of their tracks over.
Which meant I’d spent all of my Saturday afternoon listening to their album over and over. One song in particular that Derek sang, had struck a chord with me. It was called, “My Someday Girl.” It talked about the girl he wished he could find, but every time he tried, she turned out to be wrong. I didn’t think it was right for the video, it needed to be faster-paced, but I couldn’t help dream that the lyrics were about me even though he’d for sure written about some other girl a while ago. And I wasn’t interested in Derek.
But when he lifted me into the van, I found myself not asking about the ad for the band or our second day in a row of locking lips, and instead, before I could stop it, the question popped out. “Who is ‘Someday Girl’ about?”
His hands were still on my waist and my face was just above his. “I don’t know yet.”
“But you wrote it?” I asked, my voice far more breathless than I’d intended.
“Yeah.”
He quirked an eyebrow, which nearly made me giggle. He had a naturally serious face. It looked most at ease when giving people the stink eye. This guy, with his playful smile and his waggy brows, looked like a completely different person. I wonder if everyone who got to know him saw this side of him or if it was secret. Only for a select few. Had Nicole seen this part of Derek?
For the first time, in maybe my entire life, jealousy ripped through me. I didn’t like the thought of Nicole seeing this sweeter, softer guy. I wanted him for myself.
Dear lord, I liked Derek. I couldn’t deny it anymore. Jealousy was the final straw that told me I wanted to dive in despite the possible consequences. Did I want to be his Someday Girl?
No, no, no. I had a plan. A lovely marketing plan where I met a guy from Harvard, maybe MIT, and we dated, got serious, worked on our careers together, bought a condo, then upgraded to a nice house with a big backyard. Derek wasn’t going to be down for that very traditional future. And I was a girl who liked to have everything in order.
“I take it you liked my song?” He still stood in front of me but he’d moved his hands from my waist to my hips.
It made my breath catch and I slid mine up his shoulders to his neck. “It was my favorite.”
He leaned in and I did too, my lips parting in anticipation. He brought one of his hands up to touch the purple in my hair. “Is this permanent?”
“No.” I scrunched my face. “Why?”
“It looks amazing, but I like your natural hair better.” He ran his fingers down the strands. “Such a rich shade of brown.”
I wanted him to kiss me. Not a little peck but a real kiss. In this moment, I wanted to forget about consequences and tomorrows and just feel. So why were we talking about my hair? “Didn’t you tell me to blend in more?”
He shrugged and backed up. I let him go, but my fingers itched to pull him back in. “I was wrong.”
He slid my camera case into the van next to my feet and then carefully closed the door. Then he climbed into the driver’s seat and pulled out into traffic. I sat staring at him, which he either didn’t notice or pretended not to. He liked my natural color better? Was this good that he liked the real me or di
d it mean I was doing a poor job of imitating the band girls? I should have known I could never even come close to a Nicole. She had video vamp down to a science.
I looked down, I had a pale blue spaghetti-strap tank with jeans and strappy heals. I looked good. Like I was eighteen and out to have fun, which I was. And honestly, I liked this side of me but I had to admit, I’d also changed because I wanted Derek to like me. And apparently, I’d failed.
Sighing to myself, I thought of all those self-esteem lessons we’d learned in health class. “Don’t change yourself for someone else.” I’d failed at that and Mrs. Warton had been correct. It didn’t make the other person like me any better.
At least I liked myself. In Mrs. Warton’s lessons, you turned yourself into something you shouldn’t and failed to get what you wanted—in this case Derek. But hanging with the band, wearing hip clothes, it was fun!
“Question for you.” He looked over at me, then back at the road. “Are you busy tomorrow afternoon?”
I squeezed my thigh with my hand. “I don’t think so, other than editing the video. Why?” Are you asking me out? But I didn’t say it out loud. A braver girl would have and I wanted to pinch my thigh for being a wuss.
“I am looking for some volunteers to help with a Big Brother event tomorrow.” He scratched his head. “My mom and stepdad are doing kitchen duty but I thought, if you’re willing, you could help with the greeting. You have just the kind of face the boys would like to see.”
“Sure,” I said, my voice going all high and perky but part of me was disappointed. “I’d be happy to.” After a couple of kisses, I guess I was hoping for more. That he’d be asking me out. That he’d consider me the cutest girl in the room. I should have known I’d never compete with the type of girls he dated. I’d seen one of them. He dated video vixens and I was the nerd next door.
But he had kissed me. And I’d promised myself we’d discuss it. Taking a deep breath, I tried to gain some courage. “Okay. Now I need to ask you something.”
“Shoot.” He glanced at me again and then reached over to my seat to pat my leg.
I stiffened under the touch, nervous about what I would say. “What’s the deal with you kissing me again?” I blurted out, unable to be subtle. Then I cringed at myself. Why couldn’t I be smooth?
He quirked one corner of his mouth. It was sexy, which only irritated more. I was trying to get answers here and he was completely distracting me. “Your roommate is annoying.”
“Yes, she is.” I turned to him waiting for more of an explanation. It didn’t come. “And so that’s why you kissed me?”
He looked over at me, and this was a different Derek. He didn’t look all angsty, nor were his features soft. His gaze was intense, unbreaking, as he leaned closer. “I didn’t like what she was saying about you, not knowing what to do with a guy. I thought I’d shut her up. I did.”
“Oh.” I didn’t know what else to say. He’d kissed me for my benefit this time. It was safe to say that he’d put Carrie in her place and it would be a while before she gave me a hard time again. “Thank you?”
“Welcome,” he said as he turned back toward the road. We were nearly at the club.
I gave a tiny sigh. While his explanation was completely reasonable, I still had no more information about what was happening between us. Did I just ask? I shook my head. I was also a bit afraid of the answer. Because I was pretty sure that I knew what I wanted it to be and I was far less certain that was the answer he would give.
But he turned down an alley and into the back parking lot of the club. Within seconds, the entire band was unloading equipment.
I didn’t have time to think as I whipped out my camera. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted for shots but as I watched them lift and haul, all the while laughing with each other, I figured I’d better start recording.
Chapter Seven
Derek
I watched her in those smokin’ hot jeans and tried not to stare. I mean, I know I told her I liked her hair the old way, and I really did. But those pants? Mel should wear those every day.
I watched her skirt the edges of the band. She didn’t say a word, her presence as non-intrusive as it could be. A soft grin played at her lips whenever she lowered the camera, but she clearly was having fun.
She bent low by the van’s bumper to take a shot of Drew unloading the guitars. Seth stopped, his gaze fixed on her backside. As I’d just been admiring the view, I understood why he was looking, but it was time for him to knock it off. A growl rumbled in my chest as I walked over and gave him a little bump with my shoulder.
He snapped his attention to me, his eyes widening. “Sorry, man.”
Apparently we understood each other. I gave a nod of acknowledgment, glad to know the band had already received the message. Mel was off-limits. The question was, when had I decided this and how had I made it clear already?
I had pulled her into my lap yesterday, kissed her in front of everyone. I guess that had made my point. But why had I made it?
I already knew. I liked Mel. A lot. I rubbed my hand over my eyes. I wasn’t dating. But I’d asked Mel to meet my parents tomorrow. I’d kissed her twice. I never introduced girls to my parents and we’d usually done a lot more than kiss by the second date. Mel was so different from the normal girl I went out with, it confused me.
Was it really good or totally bad that she wasn’t my usual type? I mean on the one hand, with the Nicoles of the world, I knew what to expect. It was a crazy rollercoaster that seemed really fun at first but would end with a giant crash. I hated that part.
But with Mel? I had no idea what was coming, which was pretty fun and exciting too, but scary in its own way.
Shaking off my thoughts, I carried my guitar into the club. Drew hadn’t learned a few of the songs we’d be performing tonight, so I’d jump in. I shook my head. It was so me to always be on the outskirts. Filling in but never committing.
Was that what I did as a boyfriend? I dated these girls who were never meant for the long term so I never had to fully commit.
We set up the instruments and did our sound check, all while Mel kept filming.
The club manager went over to ask Mel some questions and she frowned, shifting her weight. Without thinking, I set down my guitar and hopped off the stage to find out what he was saying to her.
“Hey,” I greeted them as I walked over.
The manager visibly started. “Hi,” he squeaked, clearing his throat.
I tried to relax my face, realizing I had narrowed my gaze and tensed my muscles. “What’s going on?”
“Mack,” Mel leaned her head toward the manager, “was helping me come up with a good shot for the live performance.” The camera dangled from her right hand as she frowned. “I was explaining that even though shooting toward the bar will get their sign in the background, it’s not a great angle for the performance segment and that I’d put a separate shot of just the sign in the video.”
I tried to bite back my grin. I loved her confidence. I dug girls who carried themselves with a certain amount of sass. I hadn’t realized that Mel had that same quality. She just channeled it into her work instead of her appearance or her attitude. Funny, it was more attractive that way. Quieter, less in your face, but classier and more sophisticated.
“I agree.” I stepped a little closer, hoping I was crowding the manager. He took a half step back. “The sign in its own shot will be really cool and a great compromise.”
Mel gave me a tiny wink. “I could even open with the sign. That might be amazing. Like it sets the scene, grounds the piece.”
Mack was nodding. “I like it.”
“It’s good marketing for all of us.” Mel picked the camera back up, clearly ready to get back to work. She turned to me. “You’ll play ‘Love Tonight’ first?”
I gave her a tight nod. It was another song I’d written but it couldn’t have been more opposite in its meaning from “My Someday Girl.” I’d written “Love Tonight” the
morning after I’d met Nicole and it detailed our freefall into romance. “Yeah, why?”
She shrugged. I watched her shoulder go up and down, its curve crying out for me to kiss it. “I like the song. I thought I’d use it for the video ad.”
Tension ricocheted down my neck and back. “Not that song.”
Her eyebrows drew together. “Why not? It’s upbeat and sexy. I’ve already planned all the shots—”
“Pick another one,” I barked. It came out louder than I intended and I saw her head snap back.
“No.” her shoulders, her really sexy shoulders, squared. “You didn’t tell me any songs were off-limits and I’ve already planned the whole thing.”
I turned and started stomping back toward the stage. “I don’t care. Pick another song.”
She tugged on the back of my T-shirt. “I won’t let you bully me.”
I spun around and her eyes widened as she took a step back. She was wearing these super-cute strappy heals that brought her up to my chin. I liked it. But I saw them catch in one another and without thinking I reached my hand out to steady her. I caught her hip and pulled her in toward me. As our bodies came into contact, she gasped.
Good. My body tightened as hers pressed against me. I was glad I wasn’t the only one responding. “I’m not bullying you.”
She made a fierce, angry face, drawing her eyebrows down, further pursing her lips. “Then why are you looking at me like this? If you’re not bullying me then rearrange your features.”
I blinked in surprise but I also relaxed. I loved that she wasn’t intimidated but she also didn’t freak out when I got a little gruff. “You don’t look scary. You look cute. So if you’re imitating me, I must be equally adorable.” Mel was sweet even when she was attempting to look fierce.
She rolled her eyes. “My point is you can’t make mad faces and demand I make changes.”
Love Notes (Accidental Kisses #3) Page 4