Phew.
“You should call her. She’s really scared she let you down.”
“I will. It’s late there now. I’ll call in the morning. Presley.” He shook his head. “Jesus Christ, what a fucker he turned out to be.”
I pressed my palm to his chest. “There’s more.”
“Jesus, more? I’m not sure I can take any more.”
“After Erin told me what had happened with Presley, I confronted him. He… reacted badly.”
Joz’s lips thinned, and a muscle feathered in his cheek. “What did he do to you?”
“It’s fine. I’m fine. But he did kiss me against my will. I wasn’t hurt. I called the police, and they charged him.”
“God, Aspen.” He raked both hands through his hair. “I’m so fucking sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.”
Despite the seriousness of this conversation, I chuckled. “I’m a capable woman. I stuck my thumbs in his eyes, and when he let me go, I rammed my hand underneath his chin and sent him flying. Self-defense classes for the win.” I ran my hand down his arm. “I am okay, Joz. Truly. I was pretty shook up at the time, but the police were marvelous. And because he’s been formally charged, I was able to terminate his contract without financial penalty or reputational damage. The police did say, though, that if you want to press charges over the break-in, you’d have to file a complaint with the Metropolitan Police in London.”
He raked a hand through his hair. “What a fucking mess. And I introduced you to him. If I hadn’t, you wouldn’t have been assaulted. Twice.”
“Oh, no. We’re not doing this. The same lesson you learned about Caroline applies to Presley. You are not responsible for what Presley did.Heis responsible, and he’s facing the consequences of his actions.”
His nostrils flared as he drew in a deep breath. “Y’know, after I fulfilled this contract with you, I planned to quit the music business and go into full-time talent spotting. Guess I should give up on that idea, huh? My first go around has been a fucking disaster.”
“No, it hasn’t. You did spot amazing talent. It’s not your fault that talent let the fame go to his head and he turned into a piece of shit. Until people show us who they truly are, we have to judge based on what we see. When you introduced us that day in London, I saw a shy, introverted, young guy with an incredible voice. Neither of us could’ve known what he’d become.”
“So, you think the talent spotting has legs? Even if that means you only get the three-year, two album deal from me?”
“If it makes you happy, I think it’s a terrific idea. Won’t you miss playing, though?”
“I’ll never stop writing music and playing, but I’m getting tired of the hamster wheel.”
“That makes sense. Guess I’ll just have to make do with two amazing record releases, huh?”
“Speaking of… I want to re-record parts of the album.”
“You… I’m sorry, what?”
“It won’t take me long, I promise. I’ll still meet the contractual dates. It’s just, most of the album that’s currently cut is filled with depression and guilt and sorrow. While I was in rehab, I wrote some new songs about recovery and hope and finding joy. It’s a different feel entirely, but I don’t want to put out an album that’s only filled with sad emotions. I want to see stadiums rocking out to tunes that make people smile. Plus…” He ducked his head. “There’s one on there I wrote for you, and I want it to be the first single we release.”
“Now I’m intrigued.”
“Intrigued enough to let me do it?”
“I can’t say no to you.”
“Good. Then you won’t say no to this.” He leaped off the couch and scooped me into his arms.
I squealed, then laughed, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“The entire time I was in rehab, I dreamed of being inside you, of falling asleep with you beside me, and waking up in the morning wrapped around you like ivy.”
“You say the sweetest things.” I pecked his lips. “You owe me six weeks’ worth of orgasms.”
“That’s a lot of orgasms.”
“Better get working on them, then.”
