Outlaw Country

by Davida Lynn

  Kathleen couldn’t help but laugh. “Do you?”

  A single tear fell from Gracie’s eye. She nodded, taking a deep breath. “I try to, anyway.”

  Every bit of anger vanished. Kathleen couldn’t stay mad at Gracie. Her daughter was all Kathleen had. She threw her arms around Gracie as her own tears started to fall. “I love you, Gracie. I was just worried, that was all. Yeah, if you had asked I would’ve said no. I know you’re a grown woman who can make her own choices, but I just love you so much.”

  “I love you, too, Mother.”

  For a split second when Colton woke up, he couldn’t believe the night before. He couldn’t believe anything, actually. He was on the top floor of the Hermitage Hotel. The last time his band had rolled through town, they had stayed at a Motel Six with four guys in each room. He stretched out in a king-sized bed and only had one regret: There wasn’t a girl in the bed beside him, but not just any girl. Gracie.

  Colton was sunk, and he knew it. The night was still young when he and Gracie got back into town. She ran into the hotel, leaving him to do whatever he pleased. Colton could’ve walked down Broadway and into any bar he wanted. He could have climbed onstage and blown the crowd away. He could’ve downed every shot that they bought him and grabbed the prettiest girl in the tightest jeans. He could have done all those things, but instead, he crashed in his bed alone, his thoughts on Gracie.

  If her mother don’t think I’m a changed man after that, ain’t no changin’ her mind. Colton chuckled to himself and sat up. He took in the room around him, nodding his head with a satisfied smile. I can get used to this. After stretching his hands up into the air and popping his back, Colton reached for his phone. He spotted the clock.

  Colton was so shocked, he spoke to the empty room. “Half past eight? Fuck.” He couldn’t remember the last time he woke up that early and didn’t feel like shit. He didn’t even know what people did that early in the morning. “I guess that’s what happens when you go to bed before two.”

  Colton was used to waking up last. He was usually hustled onto the tour bus half awake, not even sure what city were headed to or leaving from. As the bus rolled down the highway, his breakfast was a bloody Mary straight from the premixed bottle. Colton thought it would be a shame to waste such a morning in such a hotel on a bloody Mary.

  He tossed his phone onto the softest linens he’d ever felt and reached for the room phone. “Yeah, uh, room service?” He realized that besides TV and movies, he had no idea how room service worked. The phone clicked, and a second person answered. ”Can I get some food sent up to the executive suite?”

  Colton looked around when the person on the other end mentioned a menu. He didn’t spot anything right away, and there was no way he was getting out of bed. “I don’t know, just bring me one hell of a breakfast for two. Oh, and a bottle of champagne.”

  He laughed after he hung up the phone. The fuck have I become? He wasn’t upset about it, but the good life would take some getting used to. Colton had paid his dues. He paid more dues than most, and he was ready to reap his rewards.

  With breakfast on the way up, the only thing Colton needed was someone to help him eat it. He knew just the person he wanted. Gracie had been the last thing on his mind before he fell asleep and the first thing when he woke up. She was like a brand-new tattoo under his skin and burning just enough to never let him forget.

  He pulled her number up in his phone. Even seeing the contact in there made his heart beat harder. He couldn’t pin down what it was about Gracie. Every girl had that one thing that would drive him absolutely mad. Even as he hit dial, he still couldn’t believe his luck. It was up, then down, but that luck was nothing but great.

  “Hello?”

  Her voice was a little groggy, and Colton apologized, “Shit, I woke you up. Sorry, darlin’.”

  He liked hearing her polished and sharp voice all out of shape. It made her seem more human to him. “It’s okay. What’s up?”

  “Well, you see, I got this big, lovely breakfast heading to my room. Only problem? Too much food for one person to eat alone. I could sure use some company.” Colton did everything but pray that Gracie’s mother was staying in a separate room. She never let the fiery girl out of her sight. With his reputation, Colton could understand why.

  Gracie was hesitating to long, so Colton went on, saying, “No funny business, I promise. Just two costars talkin’ about the show. What we can improve, what went well, you know the drill. You can tell your mother all of that, and she might even believe some of it.”

  He got her to laugh, which was a big win. “Give me a few to put some clothes on. What’s your number?”

  “I don’t know the number, but I’m in the executive suite.”

  Colton couldn’t believe how hard his heart was beating. He was more excited for a breakfast than he was with most groupies.

  Am I goin’ soft? Thinking about Gracie’s legs around him the night before had Colton anything but soft. Leaning back and lacing his fingers behind his head, Colton felt like a big man. He felt like a winner.

  Fifteen minutes later, room service brought up a cart of food. French toast, eggs, bacon, a basket of bread, and to top it all off, a bottle of Dom Perignon. Colton held himself together as the two waiters brought the food in. As soon as they left, however, he laughed and shook his head.

  Lifting the champagne from its ice bath, he couldn’t help but marvel. “Holy shit.” Colton was going to milk this tour for everything it was worth. Even if their single flew up the charts, it didn’t guarantee that Colton wouldn’t go back to his old life. There were no guarantees in the music business, and he knew when to enjoy himself. It was a long, steady, hard climb up the mountain, but one loose foothold and you could tumble all the way back to the base in a heartbeat.

  Just a few minutes after the food arrived, a second knock sent Colton’s heart skyrocketing. Walking to the door, he caught a glance of himself in the mirror. Colton stopped and made sure his fly was up. He flexed his muscles, wondering if Gracie would appreciate him being shirtless. Running a hand through his hair, Colton turned back to the door.

  He had a smile on his face when he pulled it open. Gracie did not.

  She held up her phone. “Just what in the hell is this?”

  Colton was caught off-guard. He stared at her for a few seconds before turning his gaze to the phone. He saw the all-too-familiar TMZ logo and his body tensed up. Oh God, what is it this time? Colton tried to remember the last few days. Things started to get hazy when he thought back before the tour with Gracie. He and The Guilty Party had celebrated extra hard before joining up with her tour. That could mean any number of things…

  He grabbed the phone from her hand and scrolled down. He groaned as he read the headline: Colton Wade Cheating On Gracie Hart Already?

  They had two pictures of him side-by-side. In one he was tongue deep in some generic blonde beauty. In the other, his Western shirt was unbuttoned all the way, and he had a 40-ounce in each hand. Colton’s eyes looked glazed over in the picture, which was no coincidence. He couldn’t remember what night that was, and he couldn’t remember that girl’s name either.

  There was no point in reading the article. “That wasn’t last night.” Colton stepped back and opened the door wider. “Gracie, I’m tellin’ you.”

  She didn’t move towards the door. He could see the hurt in her eyes as she spoke, “That’s the first thing you’re going to say? It wasn’t last night? There’s one hundred things wrong with this, Colton. Do you know why TMZ says were dating?”

  Colton had assumed that Roger was behind it. He was great at planting stories and keeping Colton in the news. His head shook side to side. Again, Gracie had left him speechless.

  She hit a button on her phone and turned it back to him again. He stared at the picture, all the good memories from Muscle Shoals came back to him. He wanted to laugh when he saw the picture, but he knew that would do no good. No good at all.

  The photograph
er must’ve gotten a great shot right at the moment when Colton grabbed Gracie’s ass. The angle was just right; there was no mistaking where his hand was in that photo.

  The hurt in Gracie’s eyes slowly changed to anger. “This picture is all over the Internet. All over Facebook, all over Instagram, all over everywhere! You dumb, cocky son-of-a-bitch.” Gracie moved forward as she chewed him out. Colton took several steps back. At least she was coming into the hotel room. It was better than nothing.

  “I was just having a goof.” Colton put up his hands as if he was surrendering. “You gotta know how to play the PR game. That’s all I was doing. One good shot like that, and the media eats it up, and we’re on the front page of every website.”

  “I have an image to uphold, Colton.”

  Knowing he was making a mistake, Colton laughed anyway. “So do I.”

  Gracie slammed the door, Colton’s arrogance taking her from anger to outright fury. “There is nothing funny about this. It’s like you don’t care at all. Your actions have an affect other people. One picture and then they think were dating. A second picture of you with another woman, and they think you’re cheating on me. You look like a player, but I come out of it looking like a weak little girl. I come out looking like a fool. You don’t know how hard it is to be a woman in this industry. I am constantly under scrutiny and constantly under attack. Things like this give them all the ammunition they need. This could be devastating, Colton. But you don’t care about that. You care about getting a little PR and getting handsy with some skank in a bar.”

  It wasn’t often that Colton was left speechless. He always had a snappy comeback, and it always got him in shit. Gracie had managed to shut him up, though. Even Colton knew that it was a rare feat.

  Instead of doing what he usually did, which was some snappy retort, Colton actually thought about what she said. He knew she was right about it all. Colton knew he had to apologize, but he had to find the right words, first.

  With a sigh, he said, “Come on in.” He headed down the hallway that led into the large room. Sitting down on the most expensive couch of his life, Colton gestured for Gracie to sit across from him. He felt regret wash over him, hoping she’d pity him enough to stay.

  Gracie stopped at the end of the hallway. She watched him for a time, deciding if she wanted to bother with him any longer. She didn’t want to be a diva, but she knew she had the power to getting thrown off the tour in a heartbeat. She had the power to make a lot of things happen, and maybe Colton needed to learn that. Colton had his strengths. She saw him as a manly, sexy beast, but that didn’t mean he was in control. Gracie had all kinds of control that he didn’t know about.

  Thinking about control sent Gracie’s mind to the night before. She forgot about her power and remembered his. In the ways that Colton was strong, he was very strong. He was a magnet, and she couldn’t get away. Besides, he looked so pained like a sad little puppy.

  Gracie walked into the room and sat down in a love seat across from Colton. She was mad about the TMZ article, but she was more upset at what her mother’s reaction would be. Kathleen was barely tolerating Colton, his band, and his manager. Gracie was afraid her mother would pull the plug at any second.

  “I know your mother don’t like me. Hell, a blind man could see that.” Colton hung his head down. Gracie could hear the difference in his voice. She’d never heard him sound humble before. She imagined it would be like seeing him in a three-piece suit, different but good.

  He went on, saying “You’re right, too. Only ever think about myself. Never really had anybody else to think about, to be honest. Until Kitt got out of rehab, that is. I know that’s no excuse. I guess I have a band to think about, but honestly? They take better care of me than I take of them. Gracie, I’ll be honest with you. I drink too much. I party too much. I don’t take life seriously.”

  Gracie let a little of her own wit out. “This is quite possibly the worst apology I’ve ever heard, Colton Wade.”

  “Well, shit, little miss.” A tension-breaking smile grew on Colton’s face. “If you let me fuckin’ get there.”

  He stared at her for a few seconds, but Gracie wasn’t going to interrupt. He gave a slight nod, and went on, “Even when you and me was in the studio. I wasn’t takin’ it seriously. I was so hung over I could barely see straight. And then there’s you. Gracie Hart. Professional, on time, classy. Colton Wade’s antithesis. Betcha didn’t know Colton’s got a few ten dollar words in his back pocket.”

  Giving Gracie and over-the-top wink, Colton smiled again. Gracie rolled her eyes at his wink, but he knew when he was winning somebody over.

  “I want to be like you.”

  She gave a confused look, her head moving side to side. “What do you mean?”

  “I want to be those things. I want to be professional, on time, somewhat classy.”

  “Well, having a shirt on when you answer the door is a good start.” Gracie had tried to ignore his ripped chest as they spoke. She had noticed it when she’d been furious, but the fury was quickly melting away. Her eyes were on the swirling lines inked into his skin, and she was finding it harder and harder to be mad.

  Colton laughed and looked behind him toward the bedroom. “Sure thing. Sure thing.” He was about to stand up when Gracie stopped him.

  “No, don’t worry about it.” Gracie’s reply had been too quick, too eager. She knew it, and he knew it, too. Her voice had been too high. And blood rushed to Gracie’s cheeks. Better than between my legs, she thought.

  The badboy country singer leaned back into the soft couch, any bit of humility gone. “Your wish is my command. Look, here’s the deal. I’ve got a past. I’ve got a recent past, as TMZ was so quick to point out. That’s just what it is, though. It’s the past.”

  Colton’s words were powerful. Gracie could hear the sincerity in his voice, and she knew he regretted his mistakes. Like any good songwriter, he was good with words, and he was good at swaying people. Gracie decided he was almost charming.

  “I’m done fucking around, Gracie. If you’re the last woman on earth who I fuck, I’ll die happy.”

  Almost charming.

  Colton’s words came out of nowhere and set Gracie on fire. Even when she was angry with him, her passion was real. If it hadn’t been for her mother, they might’ve gone all the way by the lake. Even while afraid, Gracie wanted him. As she sat across from the sexy singer, she chose to play along with his little game.

  “Is that a fact? Are you sure you want to make that claim? After all, we haven’t actually fucked yet.” Gracie had never said such bold things. In her mind, she always made love. It was always sweet and passionate. At least, until she’d met Colton. He wasn’t the type to make love, and he was anything but sweet.

  One side of Colton’s mouth curled up into a smile. “Yet?”

  Gracie’s heart raced as she tore her eyes away from Colton’s chest. She wasn’t looking at him anymore, she was looking at the bedroom just beyond him. She was as ready as she was ever going to be.

  Standing up, Gracie decided there were no more words. There were only two people, a hotel room, and years of sexual frustration.

  Colton knew that look. He’d seen it before in many women’s eyes, but somehow, it never looked so real and honest before.

  Gracie walked right past him, a real sway in her hips. Colton’s rod sprung to attention. When he stood up, his cock was throbbing and pressing against his jeans. It was not at all how he had planned the morning to go, but he was sure as fuck going to roll with it. As he followed Gracie through the French doors into the bedroom, his eyes rolled back in his head.

  She lifted her sweet, flower print sundress up and over her head. Tossing it to the side, Gracie kept walking toward the large, soft bed. Colton took in the view from behind like he had stumbled upon an oasis. Her underwear was simple, matching her bra, and hot as fuck. Her purple panties were just see-through enough to show off her well-toned ass. Colton got ahold of himself and step throug
h the doors.

  His eyes were glued to her. Gracie crawled onto the bed and slowly made her way to the tall headboard. There was no sense in Colton trying to keep his pulse under control. As he watched her, her could see that Gracie wasn’t going to let him keep any part of his body under control. When she turned around in the bed, he could see just how badly she wanted him. Nothing was going to stop him. He was dying for that sweet girl.

  As Gracie leaned against the back of the bed, Colton stood at the foot. He watched her body twist into a beautiful pose, her legs crossed over each other like a demure model. His dick throbbed, and he saw gaze focused on his jeans. His thumbs were curled through his belt loops, but not for long.

  Colton brought the zipper down and dropped his jeans to the floor. His eyes were on Gracie. He knew it would be her first time, and he was going to do his best to be gentle. He wasn’t wearing any underwear, and when her eyes went wide, Colton had to laugh. Breaking Gracie in was going to be one hell of a good time.

  As he climbed into bed, Colton watched Gracie. He knew she’d be nervous, and she was too scared her first time would be shit. He wanted her first fuck to be one she’d remember for life.

  He was surprised to discover that as he got closer to her, Gracie spread her legs. It was tentative, but Colton liked seeing how eager she was. He ran a finger up her skin from her thighs all the way up to her neck. He wrapped a hand around back and beneath her hair, and pulled her to him. They picked up right where they had left off the night before.

  Gracie moaned as Colton’s tongue invaded her mouth. She wasn’t going to let anything interrupt her. Kathleen was out for a run, and Gracie wasn’t going to answer her phone even if God, himself, called. Gracie was aching, and feeling Colton’s rock hard and naked body against hers turn that ache into something more like a burning inferno. She reached between his legs and wrapped her fingers around his hardness.