by Heather Long
“Three?” I didn’t laugh. Jake didn’t laugh.
Archie? Yeah, he laughed, but the grin he sent her was more proud than teasing. “Of course you did. I bet you could give us the tour yourself.”
“Maybe,” she said with a sniff. “Of course, I’m not the snot who got accepted. Why didn’t you do your homework?”
“Who says I didn’t, babe?”
“Prove it.”
“No betting,” I said before Archie could respond, and he flipped me off with an easy smile.
“Killjoy.”
“That’s my name,” I drawled. “Don’t wear it out.”
Frankie cracked up, and Archie grinned as he faced forward. From behind us, Coop let out a groan. “What’s so funny?”
“We’re almost to Harvard,” Frankie informed him. “Wakey wakey.”
The pure excitement in her tone was contagious. My only concern about the trip up here was that she’d been waitlisted and that had been a hard pill for her to swallow. Yet she displayed none of that reticence now.
If anything, she was bouncing in her seat, and I wasn’t the only one laughing. Then again—Holy shit, look at this place. From the moment we got there, she waxed and waned between awed and amazed to adorable and enthusiastic.
I was glad we’d all brought heavier coats and gloves. There was still snow on the ground, not a lot, but enough to make it picturesque. And enough for a few snowballs. Our breath was visible in the air, and the nip of it kept Frankie’s cheeks red and cheerful. Nothing quite matched the shine in her eyes. It was hard to miss the wistful expressions she gave some of the buildings.
The tour on the phone offered us a lot of data, and I swore Frankie and Jake were a pair of nerds about it. Particularly when the tour offered history behind a building or the architecture or pretty much anything about the school. We kept going until almost nightfall, and we still hadn’t seen everything.
“We can come back tomorrow, babe,” Archie promised. “We’ve got a hotel a couple of miles from here, and we don’t fly back until the day after tomorrow.”
Frankie bit her lip, and then she glanced back at the building we were standing outside of. To be honest, I’d kind of lost track. They all looked the same. Not that it wasn’t cool, but they weren’t exactly palatial.
“Come on, Angel,” I said, holding out my hands. She let me pull her to me and tuck her under my arm. “I wanted to talk to you about some stuff tonight, anyway.”
“Oh, that sounds ominous.” She blinked wide eyes at me before she crossed them and wrinkled her nose. A chuckle rumbled up from my chest as she cracked up. “Sorry. I couldn’t help it.”
Coop and Jake had started slinging snowballs at each other behind us, so we slowed to let them burn off some energy. A part of me kind of wanted to join them, but I had Frankie and I wanted to talk to her more.
“It’s not,” I told her as I pressed my lips to her temple just below the knit cap she wore before tugging it down a little more securely. “It’s about a music contract we got offered.”
You know, it was important to me to have all the answers, and Archie and I had discussed a lot of it. I had a fairly good understanding of what they were asking us for. It didn’t just affect Frankie and me. It affected all of us.
“Wait,” she squeaked. “What?”
I grinned down at her, even as Coop slid to a halt and Jake dropped the snowball he’d been about to fling. “Did you just say contract?” Coop asked.
“Yep,” I answered both of them, but I kept my gaze on her. It was twilight, and the sun had begun to vanish rapidly, taking the daylight with it. The temperature was dropping, so I squeezed her shoulders and got us moving again. “The producers who listened to the demos really liked them and they are offering us a contract—us, as in you and me, not you one and me one.”
“So, like a contract for us together?” Her voice took on that breathy quality it got when something baffled and surprised her.
“Yes, Angel. For us together. I told you, we were doing this together, and as it turns out, the producers agree with me.” So as we made our way back to the car, I told them about the deal we’d been offered.
It was for twelve to fifteen original songs and possibly the recording of three different covers. They had suggestions, and we could offer our own. They had song writers we could work with or do our own stuff. Once we submitted the songs and they signed off on them, we’d have to do studio time to record them.
Then there was information about promoting and selling and possibly touring with another band or doing some local spots in Los Angeles and New York. It had all seemed like a lot when I’d first gotten the deal. But now, after going over it a few times with Wittaker and Archie, it seemed the producers were demanding a great deal. Like what we were being asked for didn’t match what they planned to do for us. “It sounds like a lot…”
We were back at the rental car, and Frankie stared at me, mouth slightly agape.
“I know it seems like a lot,” I repeated. “It is. But we just address it one step at a time, and we’re not signing anything until the attorneys are done looking at it. Wittaker’s consulting an entertainment lawyer, who also can serve as an agent to protect us and make sure we’re not screwed if this doesn’t work out.”
“Or I buy out the contract,” Archie said. “Either way, both of you are protected.”
Frankie hadn’t said anything, she just stared at me and then at Archie and then back to me. “Ian Rhys.”
I straightened like someone had yanked my strings. Frankie never used my full name, and I couldn’t decide if that was hot or terrifying.
I leaned somewhere firmly in the middle.
“You got a contract offer from an actual music company, label, thing?”
“We,” I stressed that word. “We got an offer. There’s no me if there is no you. Not for this.”
Lifting her gloved hands to her lips, she steepled her fingers and stared at me. “We,” she said slowly, the words just a little muffled, “got an offer from a record label thing?”
“More or less,” I answered slowly. “I know it’s probably not the best timing and you probably have a hundred questions…”
I didn’t get to finish the rest of that thought. I had an armful of excited Frankie, who gripped my face and dragged me down. The cool press of her lips beckoned to me, so I was not going to argue with the lady. I half-picked her up and dragged her against me as I let her own the kiss. The happy little sounds she made went straight to my dick, but the layers of clothing kept that fact to myself for the moment.
When she lifted her head with a breathless laugh, I eyed her. “Good news?”
“Good news?” She thumped me, and I laughed. “That’s the best news, you jerk. Why didn’t you tell me sooner? We should have been celebrating you.”
Behind her, Coop and Jake let out twin breaths of relief, and Archie chuckled as he put his phone to his ear and paced away from us. Knowing him, he was planning a celebratory dinner.
“Celebrating us,” I reminded her. “And I wanted to have all the information before I told you, but…we had to get through the rest first. You had enough on your plate. If this turned out to be some bogus idea or bullshit offer…”
Touching her tongue to her teeth, she studied me and then pressed her lips to mine. “I love you, even when you suffer in silence by yourself when you should have been shouting it from the rooftops.”
I chuckled. “I wasn’t suffering in silence, Angel. I promise. And I talked to Arch.”
“Cause Archie fixes everything.” She glanced over her shoulder to where he’d gone with the phone. “Five bucks says he’s planning a celebration for the hotel.”
“No takers,” Jake answered with a laugh before he clapped me on the back. “Congrats, man, congrats to you too, Baby Girl. This is awesome.”
I let Frankie go for hugs from the guys, and then Jake started urging us toward the SUV that had been running and warming up while we talked. Coop stole in
to the backseat with Frankie, but Jake gripped my arm before I could follow.
“Tour?” He looked at me.
“Yeah, that’s one of the things I’m asking about. And before you flip a switch, I don’t want to take her away from you guys…”
“Fuck that,” Jake said with a laugh. “I wanna go. So I can beat the hell out of anyone that tries to hit on her.”
Oh. Fair point.
“You don’t get to have all the fun.”
All the fun.
“Dude, you got a potential recording contract. That’s huge. You’re allowed to be excited.”
I was excited, but at the same time…
“Wait until they start recording,” Archie said as he walked back to us. “He’ll be insufferable. Until then, we celebrate for him.”
At the hotel, I pulled her back to me as the guys headed inside. “We’ll be up in a few,” I told them, and they waved. They got it, and Frankie turned to study me. “Do I owe you an apology?” I’d been thinking about it on the way over. I’d expected a lot of questions, but all she’d asked was how I was feeling about it.
“Why would you?” She frowned. “Because you didn’t tell me right away? Or because you’re not even letting yourself feel this yet?”
Gathering her hands in mine, I glanced around. The air outside was damn frigid for March, and we were thinking about moving to the frozen tundra of the north for school. We were nuts. Then again, I’d live in Barrow, Alaska, where it didn’t see sunrise for months in the winter, if it meant being with her.
“I want it to be perfect, and I don’t want anything to bite you.”
“Take me out of the equation for a minute…”
“Impossible.”
“Please?” She tilted her head, and with one simple gesture, she had me in the palm of her hand. “Just take me out of the equation. If it was just you getting offered this deal, what would your reaction be?”
I tried. I really did. “Moderate excitement and probably dread.”
“Dread?”
“If it was just me, then going to record or touring would mean leaving you. I wouldn’t drag you out of school. As it is, I’m worried about how to balance all this against school for you.”
“And if we could sign it tomorrow and I said it didn’t matter, we’re doing this together because it’s important to you?”
I grinned. “I’d love that.” More, I’d revel in it. “I know I’ve been twisting your arm for this, so if you don’t want this—”
She stopped me with two gloved fingers against my lips. “I want you and everything that entails. I love singing with you. I can’t believe how I sound when we do, but…that’s an us thing.”
Yeah, it was. “Then you get why I can’t take you out of the equation.”
“Are you happy? I know you’re trying to be strong and maintain because you’re worried about getting my hopes up. But what about your hopes?”
Considering her for a long moment, I let out the smile I’d been holding onto. “I love the idea of doing this with you. I love the idea of showing you off on stage and singing with you. But whether this becomes a career or it’s just something we do because we love it, you’re the only one I want to do it with.”
“I don’t know, I think you and the guys could have a future as a boy band.”
At that, I snorted and dragged her close. “Bite your tongue.”
“Nah,” she grinned, nose wrinkling, and the glint in her eyes seemed to brighten. All those shadows we’d been worried about had been chased away. One day soon, we would eliminate them altogether. The world didn’t get to keep hurting her, not without going through us first. “I’d rather bite yours.”
“And you say that when you know damn good and well Archie’s pulled strings for us to celebrate upstairs.”
“Something else to look forward to later?” She raised her brows, and I pressed my forehead to hers. “I’m so proud of you.” She breathed the words, but I felt every single syllable imprint on me. “This is amazing, because you’re amazing. If you want to do this, I’m in. Even if it terrifies me, maybe because it does.”
“We’ll figure it out,” I promised her.
“Yes,” she said with a grin. “We will.”
I needed to get her out of the cold, but I kissed her first, and I tried to pour every feeling I had on this. The excitement. The caution. The thrill. The adventure. Most of all, the love. None of this would be possible without her, and I didn’t think she understood how much. The tangle of her tongue with mine and the grip of her fingers against my neck answered my own urgency and desire.
I nipped her lower lip as I lifted my head, and her smile warmed my fucking soul. “I’m really proud of you and I’m more than a little in awe of you, but that panty rule? That stays in effect.”
“I’ll collect yours in a little while then.”
She threw her head back and laughed. The open sound was so damn joyous, it made my heart hurt. And enough of this, I needed her out of the cold. Hopefully, Archie got us multiple bedrooms again. I needed her tonight, and I was going to stake my claim. They could have her back in the morning.
“Tonight, you’re in my bed,” I told her, nipping her ear gently before turning her to head into the hotel.
“Yes, sir,” she murmured, and that bolt definitely went to my cock. Okay, new plan. Quick celebration, early night, Frankie tied to a headboard.
I wasn’t sure what we had that would work, but I’d figure it out.
Chapter Twenty-One
Life is More Fun If You Play Games
Coop
Spring break might go down as one of our most different vacations, but for our last escape from high school, I’d take it. Fuck knew I was bored as shit being back now that we were. We’d been accepted into college, most of us were just marking time. NYU was still at the top of our list, but we were cutting it down to final decision time.
We’d been back for a few days, and so far, it had been quiet. To be honest, I didn’t think any of us thought it was going to remain quiet. Mom had started bugging me to bring Frankie around for dinner. Bubba and Frankie had gone for family dinner at his place, and she came back in an upbeat mood, so that seemed well. Apparently, the next one they had, they wanted all of us there.
I checked the clock on the wall and tipped my head back. Today had been a practice exam, and mine was long finished. At the moment, I was just counting down the minutes until we could bail. April was right around the corner, and we had Frankie’s birthday right up front, then the week after that, we had to do the elementary school walks, and there would be an assembly to begin awarding the senior achievements.
Was it wrong that I just wanted this over and done with?
Frankie and Bubba were going to pursue that recording deal, but their entertainment lawyer had done some push back on the terms so we were waiting on that.
“Sixty seconds, class. Anyone still taking the test, you have sixty seconds.”
A chorus of groans followed her announcement, but I tuned them out. The minute the bell rang, I was up and out the door. Today was going to be interesting. At least it had gotten warmer, so by the time I hit the door for outside, I shifted my backpack and stripped off my sweatshirt, dragging it over my head one armed before shrugging the rest off.
My T-shirt rode up, and a couple of people wolf-whistled. I ignored them and tossed the sweatshirt over my shoulder before dragging the backpack over it. I’d worn a plain white tee under it, and it was easily kissing eighty out here. Damn near perfect weather.
I made it to my car first. Jake and I had brought Frankie today. Archie had been out late with his grandpa, and Bubba had some breakfast thing with his dad that he’d stayed home for. Since it was just the three of us, I drove for a change.
Archie pulled up behind me and flipped his sunglasses up onto his head. “We still on for this afternoon?”
“Far as I know. No one changed any plans on me.”
“Cool, I’ll let Jeremy kn
ow we’re on our way, and I’ll meet you guys at the house.”
“Hey, Arch…” I threw a glance toward the building, but there was no sign of Frankie or Jake yet. Bubba had brought his bike since he pulled it out on every decent day to ride. “You said your grandfather had it covered, right?”
“Yep, but it’s up to her to accept it. You too. Bubba can pull it off academically, but he’s still waiting on the conservatory.”
Not to mention, he was seriously debating full time college versus full time recording. His interest in other careers wasn’t there, and I got that. Still, he wanted to go where we were, and the visit to Harvard had been so much fun for her. At the same time, she hadn’t gotten upset or complained about her waitlisting, she’d just enjoyed the trip.
“We’ve got a couple of other things to go over too,” Archie reminded me, and I nodded. Yeah, we’d gotten word at lunch that Wittaker had an update on the names that Archie’s dad had given them. There was also more from the lab. “Chin up, Coop. We’re almost done. Six weeks from now, we test and then we’re outta here for good.”
I chuckled. “I’d be fine if it were tomorrow.”
“Same,” Archie said, then whistled, and I glanced back to find Frankie and Jake heading toward us. Bubba was right behind them. “I’ll catch you guys at the house.”
“Yep,” I told him as I patted the side of his car and backed off. Frankie blew him a kiss, even as she reached me, and then she wrapped her arms around me and gave me a real kiss. “Hey, beautiful, you look beat.”
“G is drilling us daily now,” she said with a groan. “And we’re practicing essay questions this week, so it’s been two essays a class.”
Jake chuckled and tossed his bag and hers into the backseat. The rumble of Bubba’s motorcycle pulling up interrupted his answer. Frankie grinned at him from where she cuddled up to me. I kept an arm around her because she didn’t usually demand a lot of affection at school. Pressing my lips to her forehead, I frowned. It was definitely on the warm side. I glanced at Jake, but he shook his head.