by Nina Levine
West lets out a low whistle. “Presley, I think you’ve tamed the beast. I can’t even get a rise out of him anymore.”
Van has just arrived and joins in the conversation. “I think they’ve tamed each other. Presley’s gone soft, letting him get away with shit she never did to begin with.”
I smile at him and he gives me a chin jerk, which is pretty much Van’s way of smiling.
Van continues, directing this at me. “You two have been back together for nearly two weeks now and I’ve seen him easily change your mind at least three times. You didn’t even put up a fight.”
Laughing, I say, “What can I say, my man has his ways of convincing me, and let me tell you, those ways are the best I’ve ever sampled.”
Van holds his hand up at me. “Stop talking, babe. Jett’s head is already big enough; you don’t need to give him another reason.” It’s not often Van joins in with a joke so I savour this. While he’s nowhere as moody as he has been, he’s still grumpier than your average guy.
Hunter turns up while Van is giving me hell for succumbing to Jett’s charms. I greet him with a smile, and he asks, “Are you all ready for tomorrow?”
Excitement bubbles through me. “Yes, I can’t wait.” Jett and I leave for Paris tomorrow. We’re starting our three months away in France and even though I’ve visited that country before, I’m so happy to be able to experience it with the man I love.
Hunter is about to say something further when a familiar voice sounds from behind me. “Evening.”
Mr Kentucky Fire himself.
I turn to find Diesel smiling down at me. “Hello, darlin’,” he greets me with that sexy smile of his.
“Diesel,” I say, hoping like hell Jett doesn’t lose his cool.
Diesel chuckles and turns his attention to Jett. His voice softens when he says, “Sorry to hear about your sister, man.”
Jett nods, his expression growing serious at the mention of Claudia. “Thanks.” And then he adds, “And thanks for bringing your band tonight and supporting us.”
“Sure thing,” Diesel replies and then nods his head in the direction of another table. “I’d better get back to keep them in line. I just wanted to say hi.”
I watch him walk away and then ask Jett, “What was that about? How is his band supporting you?”
“When he heard about Claudia and tonight, he phoned Tom and offered his support. His band has made a donation to the charity and have also agreed to perform tonight.”
Warmth fills me at the generosity. “That’s great.”
“Yeah,” he agrees as he waves at someone. I turn to see who it is and smile when I see Tom, and Jett’s parents heading our way. Over the last two weeks, I’ve spent a fair bit of time with his parents and have fallen in love with them.
The three of them join us and take their seats next to Jett. After we’ve all exchanged greetings, Hunter says, “We need to get ready, Jett.”
“Yeah,” he agrees, and I watch the four of them make their way to the stage.
“How is he?” Monica asks, concern etched on her face.
“Actually, I think he’s doing okay.” And I really do believe that.
I hear the relief in her voice when she says, “Thank goodness. We weren’t sure if he was ready for this.”
“I wasn’t, either, but it’s like he’s got this new sense of peace.” I shrug, feeling silly saying it. “I know it sounds weird, but I can’t explain it any other way.”
Steve smiles at me. “You gave him that, sweetheart.”
I find it sweet that Jett’s father calls me sweetheart, the same as Jett does. I’ve noticed that Steve only ever uses that term of endearment with his wife and me, and it makes me feel special. It makes me feel a part of their family.
Monica nods in agreement. “Yes, that’s all from you, Presley. He’s finally opened himself up to you fully and it almost makes me want to cry with happiness. I was beginning to think he’d never be open to love.”
Tears threaten when I think of who gave him the final push towards me.
Claudia’s last gift to her brother was the most amazing gift a person can give someone else.
The gift of love.
A guitar sounds from the stage and draws our attention.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming to show your support to this amazing charity. All money raised tonight goes directly to cancer research so I’ll open by asking you to dig deep and help us fight this deadly disease. Some of you may know that my sister, Claudia, recently passed away due to her battle with cancer. I can’t even begin to tell you how devastating this disease is, not only to the people battling it, but also to the family who are by their side every step of the way. And then sometimes, the family are the ones left behind after the cancer rips their loved one away from them.” His voice wavers a little, but he carries on like the trooper he is. “Crave has supported cancer research for a while now because this disease has touched more than one of us. Tonight, I’m really fucking happy to tell you that we’ve got a new song to share with you, and to also let you know the song goes live tomorrow; all profits on it go to cancer research.”
The audience cheer him and some wolf whistle. He watches them for a beat and then the band kick in as he says, “This one’s for you, Princess.”
I’ve only heard this song once and I love it. He titled it ‘Dance’ and he sings about dancing in the rain. He gets lost in the song and my heart hurts a little to hear his pain as he sings. But this is his therapy, and I know it’s one of the things that are getting him through his grief.
The audience seem to love the song as much as I do and when the band finishes singing, they stand and cheer them with applause and more whistles. Jett’s eyes are still closed and I hope he’s okay. Van’s also watching him and he steps forward and places his hand on Jett’s shoulder while he says something into his ear.
Jett’s eyes open and I’m close enough to the stage to see the tears there. He seems to hesitate for a moment, but then he smiles and raises his arm in a fist pump. And then he pulls a rock star move if ever I’ve seen one. He’s at a charity dinner where good manners and good social etiquette are the norm. He’s already sworn once but I know he wouldn’t care about that even though he did tell me on the way here that he was going to try and behave. Obviously, he’s thrown all those ideas out the window and is completely in the moment because when he does his fist pump, he yells out, “Fuck cancer!” But in true Jett form, he’s managed to charm his way into the hearts of the people here tonight and they cheer even louder and many of them copy him.
His eyes come to mine and he smiles. I shake my head at him but give him a fist pump back and yell out, “Fuck cancer!”
West leads the band into their next song and they spend the next twenty minutes performing. I love watching my man on stage. I’ve got no idea where Crave will end up, but I know Jett was born for this, so, either way, he’ll spend the rest of his life performing. And I plan on being by his side.
When they finish, Jett looks at me and beckons me with his finger. Desire is written on his face and I’m more than turned on after watching him perform, so I go to him.
He jumps off the stage and pulls me to him. “Do you know how fucking sexy you look tonight in that dress?”
“Well, you did choose this dress, so I hope it’s doing it for you,” I tease him. He insisted on choosing my outfit and of course he chose a floor length dress. But I’ve got to give him credit; he chose a stunning black sleeveless dress that I won’t hesitate to wear again. And he also insisted I wear my hair the same way I had it styled for the red carpet event we attended in LA. He loved the way the hairdresser curled my hair and pinned it into an upstyle, particularly because it left my neck exposed to him.
“Do you know what’s turning me on the most?” he asks.
“Jett, your parents are just over there so I hope you’re not about to get your cock out and wave it around.”
He chuckles and moves
his hand to his belt. “I could if you want.”
I slap my hand over his and drag it away from his pants. Fuck, boys will always be boys. Raising my brows at him, I ask, “Are you going to behave for the rest of the night?”
“Yeah, but only if you agree to something.” There’s a cheeky glint in his eyes that scares me. He’s up to something.
“What?”
“I’ve just spent all that time on stage watching you while performing and all I could think about was how much I want to spend the rest of my life with you. That’s what turned me on the most.” He pauses and the cheeky glint in his eyes is replaced by a look of complete adoration that causes my heart to speed up. “Marry me, Presley.”
I stare at him in surprise. It’s a good surprise, but he’s totally stunned me with this.
When no words fall from my mouth he says, “I know you’re still technically married, so we’d have to wait, but I want this ring on your finger now.” He pulls out a ring box and opens it to reveal a gorgeous engagement ring. It’s a stunning diamond with a band of channel set diamonds. So much glittery light shining in my face and my tummy flutters.
“It’s beautiful,” I say softly. He’s taken my breath away with his proposal and I’m having trouble forming cohesive words.
He tilts my chin to look in my eyes. “Is that a yes, sweetheart?”
Everything we’ve been through flashes in my mind. We’ve only known each other a short time but we’ve been through so much already. And I know deep in my bones that I want to spend eternity with him. Nodding, I smile at him, and say, “Yes, that’s a yes.”
He slips the ring on my finger and murmurs, “Jesus, you know how to make a man work for it, baby. I was a little concerned you were gonna say no just then.”
I slide my hand around his neck and pull his lips to mine so I can kiss him. “You should know by now that it’s not possible for me to say no to you.”
“That’s a good thing because it seems I keep fucking things up.”
I’m not sure what he’s referring to. “What have you fucked up now?”
“I had it planned to propose to you later. I’ve organised for a horse and carriage to pick us up and I was going to do the romantic thing for you, but fuck, I couldn’t wait any longer.” He pulls me in for another kiss and then says gruffly, “You have that effect on me.”
I love that because he has the same effect on me. “You haven’t fucked anything up, Jett.”
Smiling the smile that caught my attention the first time we met in that club, he says, “Thank fuck, because I want you to be the one I get to wake up with every morning, and the one I get to cook Sunday breakfasts for, and the one I get to argue with over domestic shit, and the one I drag along to boring ass things you’re not interested in, and the one who makes me sit through your shopping trips, and the one I get to make love to for the rest of our lives, and the one who has my babies. I want you to be my everything.”
I smile through my tears. “I want that, too.”
His lips come to mine again and he kisses me long and deep, and when he is done, he raises his arm with another fist pump. “Fuck yes!” he yells out.
Shaking my head, I laugh. “I do love you, Mr. Rockstar.”
He joins in my laughter and while he spends the next few minutes blessing my lips with more kisses, I thank the universe for sending me this man.
A man who fought for me and showed me how much I really wanted him in my life.
A man who showed me that he could be the one.
THE END
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A Note From Nina
I hope you’ve enjoyed Be The One. This book was my hardest to write so far, probably because the subject matter was very close to my heart. My mother has an ongoing battle with cancer so as you can imagine, some parts of this book were written in tears.
A few days ago, my amazing PA, Jodie, messaged me and suggested we take part in the Cancer Council’s Relay For Life and I jumped straight on board. One of my passions is helping raise money for organisations that make a difference in people’s lives so this idea really appealed to me. And then we talked it through some more and realised we could really aim high and ask others to join us.
Here’s a little bit about the Relay for Life:
Each Relay For Life event is organised by a local volunteer committee on behalf of Cancer Council. Teams of 10–15, which are headed up by a team captain, get together and fundraise year-round. Everyone then meets at the Relay to celebrate the amazing fundraising achievements of the past year. Teams participate in a relay-style walk or run, challenging themselves to stay on the track overnight. Each event is unique and you can stay for the whole event and camp overnight, enjoy the fun activities and attend the moving ceremonies that make Relay For Life so special.
That leads me to announce we have set up a team - Crave For A Cure - and invite you to either make a donation or join our Brisbane team (if you live close of course) and take part on the day!
Click this link to donate or sign up.
Thank you!
N xx
PS Van’s story is up next! I am aiming to have it to you in January 2016.
PPS The way I write series means that you will see more of Jett & Presley in future books so this means you will keep getting updates on how their relationship is progressing.
Add it to your TBR.
Acknowledgments
Firstly, I have to acknowledge that this book would not be what it is without my mother. Her journey and the way she has fought for her health brings me to tears every time I think about it (yes, I am crying now). I love you, Ma. Thank you for ALWAYS being in my corner.
Secondly, this book would also not be what it is without Jodie O’Brien’s input. I told her my ideas for the plot and she was excited and very supportive. Then, while I was writing it and it was all getting too hard for me to do, I told her I was changing the plot. No way could I do to Jett what I did. She talked me around and encouraged me to stick to my original story. In hindsight, I realise the reason why it was so hard to write and it had nothing to do with Jett. He had to go on that journey, and I think I did, too. Jodie is also my PA and works tirelessly behind the scenes making sure everything runs smoothly in my business. Her positivity and enthusiasm for life is freaking contagious and she never fails to make me laugh. We work hard but we know how to have fun doing it! Thank you so much for everything you do for me, Jodie, and for your unwavering support. I even love your bossiness, babe. OH, and that phone call you made to me as soon as you finished reading BTO… thank you for doing that because I was doubting myself and to hear the emotion in your voice was all I needed to know it was going to be okay.
To my daughter – you have no idea how amazing you are. None. Have you noticed that everyone I introduce you to loves you? That’s because you are awesome. Thank you for plotting with me and letting me whinge and moan to you when I thought it was all shit. Seriously though, how can you not love the same kinds of characters that I do?? I mean, who doesn’t love a freaking ROCKSTAR?? *sigh* are you sure you’re my kid?? Promise me you’ll write a book one day. Even if it’s just for me to read… I think you’d write an EPIC book. ILY xx
To my gorgeous editor, Karen - *sigh* I promise to stick to my next deadline!! Thank you so much for sticking by me and editing BTO after I stuffed you around. You make my words so much better!
To Letitia, my cover designer – thank you so much for taking me on as a client and running with changing my covers over and everything else I’ve thrown at you. Your covers are amazing! I have had so many authors a
nd readers contact me to say they love them and ask who does them. I truly appreciate all your hard work.
To my Team Levine girls – there are no words. None. You girls are amazing and I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love you all. It blows my mind the level of support you give me. And I’m excited for what’s ahead of us. I shared my dream with you and the way you all jumped on board and threw your support behind it was awesome. Thank you from the bottom of my heart xx
To my STORMCHASERS – thank you for your friendship and support. I’ve loved meeting some of you around the world this year and can’t wait to meet more of you soon!!
To my readers – thank you so much for reading my books. I’ve been publishing now for about 18 months and I’m still amazed that so many people around the world connect with my characters and my stories, and keep coming back and buying the next book. Thank you for believing in my stories xx
To the wonderful bloggers who share my books – I’m sending you a very special thank you because I know how hard you work and the hours you put into what you do. You are good people. If there is ever anything I can do to help you, please email us at [email protected] and we will always do whatever we can to support you as much as you support me. Xx
To my girls – you know who you are. Thank you for your friendship and support. This world we work in gets a little hectic sometimes but I always know you’re there for me whenever and however I need you.