by Sonya Clark
But what did he want? He still didn’t have an answer to that.
Then he saw her, three rows deep in the audience.
“Thank you all for being such a great audience tonight.” They answered with cheers and shouts and a few ear-splitting rebel yells. “How about a hand for this fantastic band back here?” He stepped to one side and held an arm out toward the band. The crowd roared its appreciation.
Wade stepped back up to the mic and removed his hat, setting it on the guitar stand behind him. He ran a hand through his sweaty hair and grinned. “It’s hot under all these lights.” He turned back to the rhythm guitarist and whispered. Audience members hollered and Wade knew he had to gather his courage quickly if he was going to do this.
“I got a song I’ve been working on. It’s not really finished yet and nobody’s heard it. How about I play it for y’all and you tell me if it’s got any potential?”
The crowd answered with encouragement. Wade sought out the face of the one person whose opinion he really wanted. Daisy stared, her mouth slightly open and on the verge of a smile. Her eyes glowed with something he was afraid to try to name.
“Just remember, y’all, this is a work in progress. It’s got some rough edges that need fixing.” He strummed the guitar, running through a few chords to calm his nerves. “I’ll probably forget the words.” He laughed and the crowd joined in.
Random chords became deliberate notes and he launched into the song.
He wore his hat and jeans like armor
A disguise to protect the truth
It worked just fine as long as other people believed the lie
But when he started believing it too
The armor became a cage.
He was just another good time bad boy
Pretending to be more than he was
Just another good time bad boy
Who forgot how to be the man he really was.
He made women smile and couples dance
And men want to be his friend.
He gave them all what they wanted
Happy to make them happy
Never thinking about what he might need for himself.
Then he had nothing left to give
Just empty and hollow.
The good times felt fake and he didn’t want to be
Anybody’s bad boy anymore.
No one else could see it
Except for her, the one who looked right through him
And saw the stars that guided his way.
He’d lost that way a long time ago
But looking at her showed it to him again.
He was just another good time bad boy
Pretending to be more than he was
Just another good time bad boy
Who forgot how to be the man he really was.
He put away the armor and stepped out of his cage.
He did his best to find the man he used to be.
But it was too late.
That man was gone.
All anybody saw was a good time bad boy
That’s all they wanted him to be.
But that wasn’t what she wanted and she walked away.
Just another good time bad boy
Was that all he could ever be?
Wade faltered at the look on Daisy’s face. She looked blasted open and raw, and he knew the song had hurt her. It wasn’t meant to be an indictment of her, not at all. It was an indictment of himself, for not being able to get past himself. Now he wished he hadn’t sang the song, especially as rough and unfinished as it was. As brutally honest as it was.
But if he was going to debut a song like that in front of any audience, it felt right to be this one here is his hometown. These people knew better than anyone that Empty Rooms wasn’t just a story, and they’d offered their love and approval to him for opening himself up like that. They did it again now, cheering and applauding and yelling for more. The song might have been rough, but it was true, and they respected that.
“Thank you all so much. It needs some work but I think it’s a good start. Hey, how about one more song? I don’t want to close the night with a half-finished song.” He laughed. “What do y’all say? You want one more?”
The crowd roared. Wade turned to the band. They could play all kinds of music but he knew they were best known in the area as a classic rock and soul band. They hurriedly picked a song and Wade turned back to the microphone. The crowd bellowed as the guitarist for The Sandy River Boys traded his usual instrument for a banjo and joined Wade at the front of the stage.
Wade grinned as he searched the audience for Randy. “That little stage at Rocky Top was the first stage I called home, Randy Tucker, and I want to thank you for that. And I want to thank all y’all for coming out tonight.”
The first notes from the banjo sent the crowd into a frenzy.
“This is for you, Randy.” Wade just about had to yell to be heard over the crowd as the band launched into Rocky Top, the classic Randy had named his bar after.
The convention center erupted in sustained applause as the concert came to an end. Randy came back on stage to introduce each band member. When it was Wade’s turn to stand front and center again, he took a bow and let the adulation fill him. But when he realized he no longer saw Daisy in the crowd, worry slipped in. The applause felt good, better than good, but Daisy –– she was what he needed.
He spent the next twenty minutes being dragged around by Randy for personal introductions to people whose names Wade couldn’t remember seconds after hearing them. He scanned the area for Daisy’s blond hair, finding every blond in the building except for the one he wanted.
He was struggling to pay attention to somebody, maybe the mayor or a councilman or just some old rich buddy of Randy’s, when a shout from behind got his attention. He knew that voice. He hastily excused himself and turned.
Daisy stood leaning against a side door near the stage. “You look good without the hat.”
The little half smile that played at the edges of her mouth was all the invitation he waited for. Wade made his way through the crowd, never taking his eyes off of her. He stopped a foot away from her. “Hi.”
She said nothing for what felt like a long time but was probably not even a minute. Just stared at him with her eyes full of emotion. “I feel like I’m about to walk a tightrope without a net here.”
“If it helps, you won’t be alone.”
Randy bellowed his name. Wade wanted to slip out with Daisy’s hand in his before anyone could pull him away from her. She pushed off from the wall and stood so close he could feel strands of her hair against him. “You’re not done working.”
“No.” He smiled ruefully, grateful she understood. “I’m not.”
“Where do you want to meet?”
Every muscle in his body tightened in anticipation. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and hurriedly removed his house key. He pressed it into her palm and told her the alarm system code. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
She melted into the crowd. Wade watched her go until Randy arrived with another local dignitary in tow. He did his best to continue to be Wade Sheppard, Country Star for a little while longer. Soon enough, he would be himself - the man he was with Daisy.
Chapter 25
Daisy wanted to explore Wade’s house but wasn’t sure if she should. He’d given her the key, surely he wouldn’t mind. But it still felt wrong to wander around without him being home. She sat in the living room on a plush, cozy sofa accented with matching pillows and a throw. A notebook lay on the coffee table, with a pen marking a place inside the pages. The cover of the book wasn’t labeled and they’d never talked about the mechanics of his songwriting, but she knew if she looked at those pages she’d find lyrics. She dragged her gaze away and stood, then went to stand in front of the bay window.
The lake was beautiful at night. The edge of the marina could be seen on the right side of the window. Lights glitter
ed on the water, almost a twin to the star-dotted sky above. She settled on the floor and took her shoes off. She had no idea what she would say to Wade, or what she even wanted. Just because she was here tonight didn’t mean he would stay past the summer. Just because she’d taken his house key from him didn’t mean she wanted a part-time long-distance relationship. She didn’t know what she wanted, other than this night with him.
Then there was the question of what Wade wanted. If that song was any indication, he didn’t want to be just another good time bad boy. God, she wished she’d never said that to him. She didn’t know how to feel about the song. On the one hand, she hated it that she’d hurt him. On the other, she was amazed that he could take an off-hand comment and turn it into something like that. Even though it was grounded in at least some pain. She’d rejected him, and instead of doing something destructive with whatever that made him feel, he’d created something out of it. That took her breath away.
The front door opened. Daisy scrambled to her feet. Wade entered the room, his dark eyes full of fire. She started to speak but the words dried to dust in her throat. He never stopped moving, came right at her until he had her backed up against the floor to ceiling window. He rested his hands on the glass on either side of her head, caging her with his arms. She whispered his name.
Wade shook his head. “We’re not gonna talk tonight.” He cupped her cheek and she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. “Unless it’s to say yes, and more, and right there. This is what I like. This is what I want.” He dragged his thumb over her bottom lip, slow and torturous. “Everything else can wait until tomorrow.”
His deep voice sank into her skin and set her bones on fire. She opened her eyes to see him staring at her with the same intense desire she felt. Layers of doubt and fear peeled away, leaving nothing but a spinning, spiraling sensual heat that spread through her body like wildfire. She took his face in her hands and whispered yes before kissing him.
When was the last time she let herself get out of control with a man? Sometime before hobbling into the emergency room two years ago, bloody and beaten by an ex-boyfriend who didn’t want to be an ex. It was a hard lesson to learn, that sometimes the bad boys were really fucking bad, but once Daisy learned it she’d never forgotten. Wade would never hurt her physically, she knew that. This almost desperate need she felt to sink into his arms and not come up for air for hours, days even, warned her of another kind of hurt. It warned her of the hurt that waited for her at the end of the summer, when he went back on the road or back to Nashville and left her behind. Even knowing what was coming, she wanted him anyway. Touching him made her feel more alive than anything else ever had. Kissing him lit a fire in her that she knew not even heartache would extinguish. She wanted this man, now, tonight, no matter how much it hurt later on down the line.
Wade wrapped his arms around her and she wanted to melt into him. He took control of the kiss, slowing her down, tempering her passion with that damnable restraint of his that made her crazy. A frustrated noise escaped her throat and he chuckled. Then, damn him, he stepped away, leaving her cold and hungry for his touch. He took her hand and tugged, an invitation in his smile. She let him lead her upstairs, down a hallway filled with framed photos she ignored because she couldn’t stop looking at him. Only two things about the bedroom warranted her notice: the bed itself, a king size covered with a marbled blue comforter, and the candles. A half dozen candles were arrayed around the room. Burn the candles down, she remembered him saying. He went around the room now lighting them.
Once he stood in front of her again, he wasted no time. He grabbed the hem of her blouse and pulled it over her head. She shook her hair out of its loose braid. He tangled one hand in the strands and drew her to him. His mouth came down on hers, hard and demanding. Daisy gave him what he wanted, holding onto his shoulders as he took. His tongue slicked against hers in blatant promise. His hands roamed down her body slowly, mapping her lines and curves. She arched against him, trying to urge him on. He broke the kiss and settled his hands at the top of her jeans, stroking the sensitive bare skin of her belly with his fingertips.
Daisy swayed, drunk on his touch. “More,” she whispered.
Wade pressed a tender kiss to her forehead as he unsnapped her jeans. She started to push them down but he stayed her hands and did it himself, slow, deliberate. Careful not to let her fall as he helped her step out of them. Wearing a wicked grin, he picked her up and tossed her onto the bed. Daisy laughed. She crooked her index finger at him. “Right here.”
He pulled off his boots and knelt on the end of the bed, capturing her ankle in his hand. He leaned over and kissed a path from the top of her foot to her knee on her left leg. She rubbed his back with her right foot, teasing. He grabbed her right ankle and pushed her legs apart gently to make room for himself, then kissed his way up her right calf to her knee. Daisy bit her lip and tried not to squirm. Soon he had her writhing and gasping as he explored her body with soft kisses and featherlight touches. A kiss to the crease of her hip, his teeth tugging at her panties to tease but not remove. His fingers stroked the back of her knee, and she was surprised at the coil of pleasure his touch there opened. Across her belly and up and down her sides and then he lifted her to unhook her bra. He kissed his way to her bare breasts, taking his sweet time and nearly killing her in the process. Finally his lips touched the underside of one breast. With agonizing slowness, he kissed all around her breast before taking the nipple in his mouth. The wet rasp of his tongue on the hard bead wrung a strangled cry from her. He sucked and licked until sensation overload threatened to reduce her to begging. She’d never begged a man in her life but she was close to begging Wade. He sucked harder on her nipple and it pulled on a cord of sensation that went right to the wet, aching core of her arousal.
“Please.” The word fell from her lips without conscious thought.
“Mmm.” Wade released her nipple with a slight pop. “That’s a word I forgot to put on the list. You can say please all you want.”
“Please.” She said it stronger this time as she reached for the placket of his shirt. “I want skin.” Her hands shook as she yanked the snaps apart.
Wade eased her hands away and pinned her arms to the bed. “It’s not your turn yet.” He lowered his body to half cover hers, keeping his weight on the bed. His shirt hung open, revealing soft chest hair and hard muscle. She struggled against his restraint, wanting to touch him, needing skin on skin. The fact that he denied her drove her crazy, and made her want him even more.
Time lost all meaning as he lavished attention on her neglected breast. From there he moved up to her throat. He followed the lines of each collar bone, alternating soft kisses with the sharp bite of his teeth. She hissed and arched her body at that first little taste of pain. Wade raised his head to meet her eyes. His were full of concern. Daisy nodded. “More.” The single word was all she could muster.
She’d watched his fingers dance over the strings of his guitar and conjure music like magic. Now he composed a melody on her body with those fingers. He mixed soft featherlight strokes with the pads of his fingertips and swirling, scoring patterns with his nails. His lips and tongue set the rhythm with steady kisses and licks. He caressed and teased and petted every part of her, front and back and head to toe, until he’d found sweet spots even she didn’t know she had. When she arched her back and gave a breathless gasp, he said, “This is what I like.”
Daisy reached for him. This time he didn’t deny her. Quickly he stripped and turned himself over to her eager hands and mouth. She kissed him with a desperate hunger and let her hands roam over every inch of his skin she could reach. He broke away long enough to retrieve a condom from the nightstand. When he returned, he covered her completely, blocking out all but the faintest candlelight. Nothing but the feel of him existed, the warm cocoon of his body and the heat he stoked in the most intimate parts of her body and her heart.
“This is what I want,” he said as he entered her
with agonizing slowness. “You’re what I want.”
Daisy raised her hips to meet him. He dropped his head to the curve of her neck and she tangled her hands in his hair. Their bodies found a rhythm, a slow, steady bliss that she never wanted to end. A deep hungry need for more rose in her. As if he could sense it, Wade rocked harder into her. She cried out, sounds of intense pleasure she’d never heard herself make before. He answered with a gradually increased pace that left her breathless and panting. When he slipped one hand between their bodies and set his fingers to work, all thought ceased. She hovered on the edge of orgasm for long minutes, her body tight with need. Finally the need was answered as a wave of pure erotic sensation flooded her body. She couldn’t hold back a scream.
Wade stopped holding back too. All signs of the courtly lover disappeared as he gave in to his own need with rough driving thrusts. Daisy brought her legs up to wrap around his lower back and welcomed his wildness as much as she had his sensuality. It’s okay to want both, he’d said days ago. For the first time she really believed it.
“This is what I want,” she said. “Yes. More. Oh God, right there.” She tried to remember what else he’d said was okay to say tonight but talking just didn’t seem all that important.
He drove her to another orgasm and followed quickly with his own. As aftershocks made her body tremble, Daisy cradled him in her arms. She stroked the back of his neck and he shivered. He rolled off of her with a satisfied sigh, one hand brushing her shoulder lightly.
Reality began to return and Daisy wondered how long he would let her stay. Before she had a chance to ask, he sat up and ran a hand through his wrecked hair.
“I need a shower,” he said.
That answered that. She moved to the edge of the bed. “Okay, I’ll just-”
Wade dragged her back to his side. “You’ll just take a shower with me, is what you’ll do.” He kissed her, a little sweet, a little wild, and everything she wanted. “I’d like you to stay.”