Crazy Dreams (13 page)

I curled my hair so it looked more wavy than curly, using loose curls to create the look. Lucky for me I carried a small curling iron in my purse. I always knew I’d need it someday. I put on the dress I’d worn to our first performance, since it was sitting in Stone’s closet. I hadn’t taken it home yet, but he washed it for me.

I didn’t want to wear the heels, so I opted for my little black flats, which were what I’d worn over last night. When I emerged from the bathroom, the kitchen was clean and the guys were all watching some sporting event.

Stone saw me first. “
Damn
.”

His outburst drew Dallas and Baker’s attention. Baker let out a low whistle and Dallas gave me a thumbs up.

“Thanks, guys. Stone, do you need to get ready?”

“Yeah, I’ll jump in the shower,” he said, getting up out of the recliner. When he passed me, he stopped to whisper in my ear. “You look so hot.”

I grinned and watched him walk back to his room. I turned back to the living room to find my brothers staring at me.

“What?” I asked.

“Gross,” Baker huffed.

“What he said,” Dallas agreed.

I glared at them. “Shut up.”

Stone

The water was cold. It didn’t really matter, especially since I needed a figurative cold shower to cool off after seeing Ember. She was stunning in that dress and it was the perfect outfit to where to the audition. I had no idea what I was going to wear, but I’d figure it out.

I let the cool water wash over me and thought about how much my life had changed in a few short weeks. Ember coming to Nashville was the best thing that had happened to me. She was a perfect singing partner, as well as a great girlfriend. Sure, we were taking things slow, despite how fast both of us
wanted
to move. I wasn’t going to give in, either. Not until we said those three little words to one another.

It was bound to happen soon. For me, at least. I wasn’t sure I could hold them in anymore. It was fast, sure, but our connection was real. I’d never been in such an open and honest relationship. We were practically polar opposites, too. I liked that. She was the adventurer; I was the calm one. We balanced each other.

Dallas and Baker were problematic at first, but things were looking up. They finally accepted me, however begrudgingly. It didn’t matter, though. Ember was free to date me and didn’t have to worry about what her brothers thought anymore. Not that she let their opinions drive her decisions anyway. The girl had spirit.

I dressed in black slacks and a pink button-up shirt.
I have too much pink in my wardrobe
. I never realized I had more than one pink shirt, but it turned out I had four of them; I had no idea how they ended up in my closet, either. At least I could match Ember again. I found a black tie and put it on.

When I walked out into the living room again, Baker and Dallas laughed. “Seriously? A pink shirt?” Dallas asked.

“Yep.”

“I think he looks great,” Ember said. She got up and stood beside me. “How do we look?”

“Like you belong together,” Baker answered. He was right.

“You look like a girl and her gay best friend.” Dallas laughed at his own joke.

“Kiss my ass,” I said to him.

“My gay best friend doesn’t wear pink,” Ember commented, her eyes on fire. She glared at Dallas until he apologized.

“Everyone’s so touchy in this house,” he grumbled.

Ember beamed when he said she looked good.

It was almost nine-thirty, so we decided to head over to the studio. I hated being late and much preferred being early.

The appointment before ours had canceled, so we got in as soon as we got there. Dallas and Baker wished us luck as they grabbed seats in the reception area.

The woman who brought us back to the recording room was pleasant. “Y’all will like Mr. Davies. He’s a real sweetheart and he’s never mean, not even to the people he’s unimpressed with.” Her southern drawl was thick.

“Don’t give away all my secrets,” a tall, lean man said from the doorway of the room she was leading us to. “They’ll think I’m just a big pushover.” He turned to me. “I’m Tom Davies. You must be Stone Tucker.”

“That’s me,” I said, shaking his outstretched hand. “And this is Ember Daniels.”

“Nice to meet you both,” he said, taking her hand. He motioned for us to follow him. He led us into the studio and sat down on a couch. “My assistant said you sent over a disc. Is there a reason why you’re not playing yourselves?”

“Yes, sir. I cut my finger a few weeks ago and it’s not fully healed yet,” I explained, holding up the offending appendage.

“Ah. Okay, then. But you’re willing to play, once your finger is healed?”

“Absolutely. And Ember doesn’t play, so she’s just vocals.”

“Perfect. That’s Greg behind the glass. Let him know when you’re ready and you can begin.” Mr. Davies said.

I looked at Ember and she nodded, so I told Greg to go ahead and start the disc. Music filled the studio, the notes of
Smile
coming through the speakers loud and clear. The song was full of promise and hope, beckoning for better days to come.

Ember and I sang for each other, looking into each other’s eyes. It was a raw and emotional moment. As we sang the final line, closing out the song, we kept our eyes on one another until Mr. Davies started clapping.

“Well done! You two are going to be stars!” he raved, standing up.

I forced myself to stop looking at woman I loved and turned to him. “Are you serious?”

“Absolutely. That song is one of the best I’ve heard in months. We want you both to sign with us,” he declared.

I picked Ember up in a hug, pulling her tight against me. She was already on the verge of tears, but they were happy tears. She let them fall as we embraced. Our lives were about to change, for the better.

“I can’t believe this,” she said when I set her down. She wiped the wetness from her cheeks and gave me smile.

“It’s really happening,” I said in wonder. I couldn’t quite believe it myself. Everything I worked so hard for was unfolding as we spoke.

“Let’s go into my office so we can discuss logistics, your music tour and your first album,” Mr. Davies suggested, opening up a door on the far wall that led to an office.

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.”