He shrugged. “I might have added that detail when I was filing the mental image away. Point is, for three years I held Aimee’s secret so you wouldn’t have to make a hard choice. And I was a dumbass, because life is full of hard choices every single day. There are no perfect options. The best you can do is make choices that line up with your priorities, just like you told Chet. So maybe I’ll go on tour and be your muse like Chrissea. Maybe we’ll build a recording studio in my yard and you’ll live there with me when you’re not on tour. We’ll figure it out as we go,” he repeated.
I frowned. I wanted to believe that he meant that. I mean, Ididbelieve hethoughthe meant it. But also, I wasn’t sure how long he could be okay with something so unfair to him. I just wasn’t sure what I could do to make it better.
“Stop overthinking.” He shook me lightly. “Say it with me: we’ll figure it out as we go.”
I sighed. ”We’ll figure it out as we go,” I repeated obediently.
He winked. “Good.” He typed something into his phone one-handed, still holding me tightly with the other. “Ah, shit. No flights until tomorrow at ten. Oh, well. I think we can figure out some creative ways to pass the time between now and then, eh?”
He finished plugging in our ticket information and set the phone on the dresser.
“Now. Where were we?” He wrapped both arms around me again.
“I think we were—”
His phone buzzed again, and he glanced down… then groaned.
“Lorenna asked me to ask you to call your next albumPhalluses. She ordered three cases of dick balloons, and they’re just sitting in her carport.”
“Done.”
He laughed and leaned in so our foreheads rested together. When I stroked my hand over his hair, he relaxed under my touch.
“You know, I kinda love that you’ll stop at nothing to help people you care about,” I said. “It’s maybe your best feature. Even better than yourbig, broadshoulders.”
Rafe whistled. “High praise.” After a pause, he added, “You know you’re at the top of that list, right? Of people I care about.”
“Yeah.” I kinda knew it, but hearing him say it was a whole other thing. Entire swarms of butterflies beat at the walls of my stomach. “I’m kind of an overnight success at this relationship business, when you think about it. Today I’m at the top of the list, but I was only promoted to boyfriend yesterday, and three days ago you couldn’t stand me.”
“No, I couldn’t stand feeling so much for you and thinking you didn’t feel the same,” he corrected softly. “I built up a wall to keep you out, but it didn’t work. These feelings were already inside me, getting stronger all this time. Now I feel so much, it’s like I’m flooded with it. It overwhelms me.”
I knew exactly what he meant. I felt so much it scared me to death when I thought of being without him again. I tugged on his hair to pull him back so I could kiss him, tasting his mint toothpaste and his own warm, comforting sweetness.
When I pulled away, we were both breathing hard. “I think maybe leave the romantic metaphors to me,” I teased. “You make your feelings sound like Oak’s sewage leak. Eight inches deep and rising fast.”
Rafe kissed me again, sliding a hand down the back of my jeans to cup my ass and pull me against him. The hard ridge of his cock pressed against mine, and I moaned exultantly. “Some things are definitely rising fast,” he whispered.
“That could be serious,” I said solemnly. “We could—”
Rafe’s phone vibrated on the dresser at the same time my phone sang out “The Imperial March” from the nightstand.
“Fuck,” Rafe groaned. “Okay, I’ve changed my mind. Responsibility is stupid. We should throw away our phones and just stay here.”
“Agreed,” I breathed. “Welcome to Jay and Rafe’s Private Pleasure Emporium in Nowheresville, Wyoming. Population: us.”
But after another deep sigh, Rafe let go of me and pushed me toward the nightstand, then answered his own call.
I took a deep breath and held the phone to my ear. “Debbie! Hey. Sorry I haven’t called you back. Look, I know you’re not going to like this, but I’m definitely not doing any inter—”
“Jayd, honey, stop!” Debbie trilled. “You’re such a card! Like I could ever be mad at my favorite,favoriteclient! How are you, sweetie?”
Sweetie?I pulled the phone away from my ear to check the caller ID, half-convinced I was being punked. “Uh. Good. You?”
“I amexultant, Jayd! Proud, thrilled, satisfied.”
“Oh.” She hadn’t been this excited when my album went gold. “Cool.”
“And I’m about to makeyouexcited, too. You ready?”
