We followed him and listened while he went over everything. I zoned out for most of it, and I had a feeling Ember did the same, both of us far too excited to pay much attention. I wouldn’t let either of us sign anything until we had a contract and I’d gone over it with a fine-tooth comb, but it was nice to just bask in the light for a few minutes.
When we left his office, I promised Mr. Davies we’d go over the contract he wrote up for each of us and get back to him later in the week. I carried the thick envelope with both contracts and grabbed Ember’s hand. She seemed perfectly content to sit in his office all day. I nudged her a little bit to get her to move her feet. She shuffled along, murmuring a soft thank you as we walked out.
Baker and Dallas stood up as we entered the waiting room. “Well?” Baker asked, his eyes on Ember.
“Umm,” she replied, still unable to say much of anything.
“We got a contract!” I announced, holding up the folder.
The two of them enveloped Ember in a hug, congratulating her and telling her how proud of her they were. I was patient; eventually, they each shook my hand, too.
“Is she alright?” Dallas asked, realizing Ember hadn’t spoken a word.
I nodded. “I think she’s just in shock. She’ll come around.”
Baker agreed and the four of us walked out to Baker’s Suburban, climbing in. I held Ember’s hand in the back seat. When she finally looked at me, I lifted her hand to my mouth, softly kissing it. The smile she gave me was one of relief and admiration.
In the front seats, her brothers were arguing.
“Victoria isn’t going to like this,” Baker muttered.
“She won’t have much choice, not will she? Ember’s a big girl,” Dallas added.
I was confused. “Who’s Victoria?”
“My mother.” Ember looked a little scared, but determined, too. “And I’ll be the one telling her. She may not like my choices, but she doesn’t run my life.” Her quiet words filled the interior of the SUV, causing me to wonder just how upset her mom would be over Ember’s decision.
She wouldn’t be able to go to a traditional college in the fall, though I was an advocate of her finishing school. She would just have to enroll at one of those online colleges to get her degree. Summer was already more than halfway over, and if I had to guess, our tour would be in the fall, which made her attending classes impossible.
“I guess our camping trip will have to be postponed,” I muttered, changing the subject.
“Probably.”
Twenty-Two
Ember
I wasn’t looking forward to telling my mother, but everything else about the day had me on a cloud. I felt like nothing whatsoever could bring me down. Even Baker and Dallas’s conversation about my mother didn’t dampen my mood. I was elated, so happy to be a part of something like this, especially with Stone. He matched me, musically, and in just about every other way, too.
I wanted to tell him I loved him, wanted him to say it back and then the two of us would fall into bed together. I was terrified. What if he was only using me to get ahead in his career? I didn’t think he was actually that kind of guy, but I’d been wrong about men before. It was still too soon to say the words I felt.
Instead, I’d join him on the journey we were offered and soak up as much as I could. I couldn’t wait.
Later that afternoon, Dallas and Baker finally left me alone with Stone, though I could tell they still didn’t trust either of us. Dallas threw a threatening look Stone’s way before he left. I ignored it, but Stone seemed to take it to heart.
As soon as I locked the door behind them, I went over to where Stone was sitting on the couch, straddled him, and held his head in my hands as I kissed him. Passion flared, wrapping both of us in a bubble, keeping out the real world for a while.
He pulled away after several minutes. “Holy shit, Ember. I think I’m addicted to kissing you.”
I laughed, pressing my hips against his. “I think I’m addicted, too. I want more, though,” I admitted.
Stone’s hands tightened on my hips. “Not yet.”
“You’re a hard nut to crack,” I joked.
He thrust up at me, causing me to groan. “You have no idea how hard this is for me, too. I want you so bad, Ember.”
“Then why not give in? What are we waiting for?”
He looked away, shaking his head. “We just can’t yet. Trust me, it’s better this way.”
I pouted. “It’s not better for me when I’m sexually frustrated.”
He turned me, putting my back on the couch. “I can rectify that.”
Minutes, or hours, later, I woke up from a nap on the couch, fully sated. He was a skilled lover, even using just his hands and mouth. I could let him touch me all day long.
His head rested against my belly and my dress was pulled up around my waist. I was pinned to the couch, but I didn’t mind. It felt so right with him. I turned my head on the couch, looking around his apartment. He stirred at my movement, lifting his head.
“Hey there,” he said, a big grin on his face.
“Hey, yourself,” I said, letting myself get lost in his eyes. “That was amazing.”
“You’re welcome.” He sat up, his hand pulling my dress down to cover me. I had no idea where my panties were, but I didn’t care one bit.
I sat up, curling my legs under me. “Should we go over the contracts?”
“Yeah, let’s do that,” he agreed. We went to the dining room table and started to sort through all the paperwork.
* * * * *
We were both ecstatic to get the tour started. We spent six weeks in the studio, getting Her Smile perfected. The studio execs made a few changes, but they were so minimal we didn’t mind. Well, Stone didn’t mind. It was his song, even though we made me feel as if I was as involved in its creation as he was.
We were opening for some really big acts, and I had to remind myself not to act too foolish when I met some of the stars on the tour.
We were in our dressing room, waiting for them to call us on stage. Stone was trying to calm me.
“You’ll be fine. Just pretend it’s you and me singing in my apartment,” he said, rubbing my arms.
“There’s twenty thousand people out there! How could I possibly ignore them all?” I asked, my nerves making me more than a little irritable.
Stone took it well. “It’s going to be fine, I promise. You can do this. Just picture them all in their underwear.”
“Are you insane? How would that relax me?”
He shrugged. “It’ll be fine.”
I took a few deep breaths, forcing myself to relax.
“You should eat something,” he suggested, handing me an apple from the huge fruit basket the studio had delivered an hour ago.
There was no way I was eating anything. “No.”
He sighed, setting the apple back down in the basket. “Fine. Come here, then.” He crooked his finger at me. I couldn’t deny him.
I kept my head down, more nervous than ever. His fingers moved to my chin, lifting my head up until I was looking him in the eye. “You are going to be perfect. We didn’t work so hard for you to not be able to enjoy it. Even if no one likes our songs, we’re playing for us. Remember, neither of us cares about super-stardom. We just want our music to be heard.”
He was right, of course, but I was still more than a little anxious. He turned me around, rubbing my shoulders. I let myself enjoy his ministrations, letting the tension ease out of my body. I leaned back into him and he kissed my neck, his hands going around my waist.
We still hadn’t had sex, but our relationship was well-developed now, and I almost didn’t want to do it; I was afraid it might ruin our closeness. I still wanted him, though, which meant I tried to seduce him every chance I got. His will power was much more resolved than mine.
A knock on the door separated us. “Hey guys,” one of the sound techs popped his head into our room. “They’re ready for you to get started. F
ollow me.”
Stone took my hand and we walked behind the sound tech. I couldn’t get my hands to stop shaking. Stone squeezed my hand as we walked back stage. I gulped. I wasn’t sure I was ready for this.
The sound tech pointed to the mics on stage and then directed us to go to them. We walked out on stage and the first thing I noticed was how large the crowd was. Was it really only twenty thousand people? It seemed like much more than that. My breath caught in my throat as I grabbed my mic. I closed my eyes.
“How’s everyone doing tonight?” Stone asked, revving up the crowd. They screamed in answer. “Well I’m Stone Tucker and this beautiful woman is Ember Daniels, and together, we’re Heaven Sent.” It was the name for our duet, one we’d spent a full two weeks discussing and trying to make perfect. “We’ve got a few songs for you tonight.”
Stone had already pulled on his guitar and the band behind us were ready to go. His finger was healed and he was more than anxious to play in front of people again. He locked his mic in its stand and then strummed a few chords. My eyes found his and the crowd dissipated, vanished into thin air. Stone and I were the only two people on that stage, the only two people in the world.
Twenty-Three
Stone
The concert passed faster than I expected. It was fun and exciting, and I noticed Ember finally came out of her shell and put on quite a show. She was so vibrant. In a sundress and high heels, she danced around the stage, her eyes always coming back to mine. It was like she didn’t care one bit about the crowd. She was performing for me.
It was our first show, but I knew, given the way the crowd responded to us, there was no way it would be our last. We were destined for greatness. She was the star, though, and I liked it that way. I was happy to just watch as she did her thing, singing and dancing.
The studio promised a second show, provided our feedback was good, and it seemed like we were on our way. When we finally stopped singing, the applause was deafening. I held Ember’s hand and we bowed together. Our smiles were real as we both rode the high of our success. Granted, we weren’t stars or anything, but in that moment, it felt like we were.
We left the stage and the headliner started to get ready to go. The lead singer of the big name band approached us.
“You guys were amazing,” he said, his thick southern drawl prominent. “I hope we get to work together some day.”
Ember just stared at him, so I smiled. “We’d like that, too. Thanks, man.” I shook his hand. When we got back to our dressing room, Ember fell on the couch.
“That was incredible!” she exclaimed.
“Yeah, it was,” I agreed, sitting beside her.
She leaned her head on my shoulder. “I’m exhausted.”
“Me too. Let’s drive back home tonight,” I suggested. We were in Chattanooga, which was less than two hours away from my apartment.
“But don’t we have a hotel room for tonight?”
“Yeah, but I figured you would want to get back and tell Baker and Dallas all about the concert.”
She looked thoughtful. “I mean, I do want to tell them, but I think I want to bask in the afterglow tonight and just enjoy our night.”
“Works for me,” I said.
We spent a lot of our time together; it was getting harder and harder for me to say no to her. She was far too sexy for her own good. I kept true to my promise, though. I was just scared to death if I told her I loved her, she’d reject me.
It was stupid, but I couldn’t help it. My ex made me skeptical. I knew Ember wasn’t anything like Jess, but saying the L-word first was just too much. I had a feeling she was in love with me, but I knew she was holding back, too. We were both afraid.
A limo took us from the concert venue to the hotel. We were in a huge suite on the top floor. They offered each of us our own room, but Ember explained she would be more comfortable if we were in the same room. She even requested a two-bedroom suite. Last night, she slept in the other bedroom. Sexual frustration was starting to stress me out.
The hotel was fancier than any I’d ever been in and the suite fell in line with the ritzy atmosphere. With elegant décor and expensive bed linens, I was glad I wasn’t the one who had to foot the bill. The studio paid for everything and encouraged us to enjoy ourselves.
In the room, Ember slipped out of her shoes and went to the mini-fridge. She pulled out a few tiny bottles of vodka and a larger bottle of cranberry juice. “We should celebrate.”
“I don’t think so,” I argued. “You’re underage.”
She frowned at me. “I’m old enough. Besides, there aren’t any cops in this room. I haven’t had anything to drink in months. I deserve to let loose. We both do. We’ve been working like crazy the past few weeks to get everything perfect, and finally, it is.” She scooped some ice into two glasses and then made two drinks, handing one to me. She raised hers against mine. “To finally getting what we deserve.”
Her words worried me. She wasn’t acting like herself, but I just nodded, keeping silent. I sipped my drink while she took a large swallow from hers. She walked over to the radio and turned it on. Country music filled the room. She swayed to the music, dancing by herself.
“Tonight was amazing,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the music. She pulled me to her, a silent plea to dance. I moved with her, our bodies moving to the beat of the song.
When the song ended, Ember looked like she was about to say something to me, but the radio host’s voice interrupted her.
“Well, folks, we’ve got a treat for you. Tonight was the big concert downtown, and one of the opening acts has been requested nonstop since then. I had the privilege of listening to this band’s song, and I can tell you: it’s awesome. For the first time on any radio station, you’re about to hear Heaven Sent’s single, Her Smile. We hope you all enjoy it as much as we do.”
Ember’s eyes grew wide, and I was sure mine did, too. Her voice came through the speaker, starting the song. I pulled her close to me and we danced for real, our bodies pressed together. We each set our glasses down on the table and then I twirled her around. She laughed, a beautiful sound.
I led her around the suite, dancing and twirling along until the music faded away and it was just us, staring into one another’s eyes. I was so in love with her, so willing to do whatever it took to keep her as mine. I almost blurted my feelings for her right then and there. I kept my cool, though.
Until she whispered, “I love you, Stone.”
Twenty-Four
Ember
The words left my mouth before I could stop them. The vodka and the natural high of performing, not to mention hearing our song on the radio… Everything just got to be too much, I had to get the words out.
He leaned away from me. “What?”
I gulped. No turning back now. “I love you.”
He sighed and then smiled brilliantly. “Thank God. I love you, too, Ember.”
“You do?”
“How could I not?” he asked. He started dancing again, holding me close.
I rested my head on his shoulder and let him lead. I was so lost in the moment, I didn’t even realize he danced us into one of the bedrooms. He stopped us in front of the four-poster king bed. He cupped my cheeks in his hands, lifting my head until we were looking into each other’s eyes.
“I love you so much. Will you stay with me tonight?”
I’d been trying to get him into bed for weeks, trying every seduction I knew, and all it took was me saying I love you?
“Of course I will,” I told him.
Stone’s face lit up and he slowly pressed his lips to mine. Our mouths met in heated passion, each of us trying to devour the other. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he lifted me, holding my ass. My legs went around his waist, ankles locked behind him. I couldn’t quite believe it was actually happening, after waiting so long.
Stone put a knee to the bed, slowly lowering me onto the mattress. I watched him as he kissed his way down my
neck and to my cleavage. He tugged the straps of my dress down, off my arms so he could pull my breasts free of the material. He sucked one already puckered nipple into his mouth while his fingers played with the other.
I arched against him, desperate for more of his touch. He chuckled. “Easy, now. We’ve got all night.”
“I don’t want to wait any more. We’ve been waiting all summer.”
He couldn’t argue with that, so he pulled my dress down my body, taking my panties with it. He stood up at the end of the bed and started to undress. His black button-down shirt went first, his magnificent chest revealed. He was a gorgeous specimen of a man. I couldn’t wait to get him inside me.
His pants and boxers went next and he was finally naked. He grinned at me and then crawled back onto the bed, his body hovering above mine. His fingers touched my sex, delving into the wetness. I moaned.
“Please don’t make me wait,” I whispered.
He’d had enough foreplay as well, it seemed, as he ripped open a condom packet that appeared from nowhere. I’d ask him later where he got it, but for the moment, I pulled his hips to mine as soon as the latex covered him. He leaned down to kiss me, his cock pushing softly against me. I lifted my hips to meet his and finally, he completed me.
We both moaned in unison. Everything in my life boiled down to that one point, one moment in time when we came together. It was all that I expected and so much more. He was a passionate lover, gentle and demanding at the same time. He didn’t fuck me, or talk dirty. Just the opposite: he made love to me, whispering words of love as he sank deeper.
He built me up, forcing me to crash over the orgasm wave. I let out a low moan, enjoying the pleasure he gave to me. I was lost to everything as a thousand tiny bursts of pleasure erupted all over my body. It was beyond intense.
He went over soon after, his breathing labored. He kissed my cheek, a huge smile on his face. “I love you.”
Crazy Dreams Page 10