“Thanks!” Her bright smile cracked something open in Rachael’s heart—that smile was full of the same love she’d had for her own mom.God, how would it feel to have my mom still in my life, Rachael thought for the millionth time. And then a new thought, so foreign and yet so right—how would it feel to have a daughter of my own to love?
As Rachael watched Jenny run to the stage, she leaned over and told Connie, “You are so lucky.”
Connie nodded. “I am. I love my family. Very much. I’d do anything for them.”
The sternness in Connie’s voice was not lost on Rachael. She actually felt some relief as she looked at Connie and Bill and said, “Look, before you say anything else, I have to apologize. My name’s not Raquel, it’s Rachael Deal.”
Rachael didn’t expect Connie to look surprised, and she wasn’t disappointed. Bill’s eyes widened though. Connie turned to her husband and laid a hand on his arm.
“I understand if you don’t want me coming back,” Rachael continued, fighting back tears. “I just want to say thank you for letting me sing.”
Bill shook his head. “Nonsense. You’ve got one of the best voices I’ve ever heard. I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t come back.”
“I think Connie does,” Rachael answered, looking at Connie. “And I don’t blame you. You’re looking out for your family.”
Connie’s smile looked apologetic. “I just don’t want trouble. You do have a beautiful voice, and I hate to discourage you from coming back.”
“Connie,” Bill wrapped his arm around his wife. “You know I respect you to the ends of the earth. But can I remind you of a certain guy with a bad reputation who long ago you defended to your family, your friends, the dog down the street…”
Connie blushed. “That was different.”
“No. I came from some pretty bad blood myself, you have to admit. But you gave me a chance, never judged me for it, and I’ve always loved that about you.”
Before Connie could answer, Jake finished tuning up and Jenny skipped back to the table, a huge smile on her face.
When Jake started playing, it was clear he’d undersold his talents—even more so when he started singing the first words of “I’m on Fire” while piercing Rachael with his stare. He growled out the words, half-teasing yet serious, so much earthier than the version fromFifty Shades of Grey, and it went straight to all the places Rachael wanted him to touch. He set her on fire with every word. She wanted to be his guitar, feel his fingers strumming her body.
She couldn’t—wouldn’t—go back tonight to her empty house in her empty town, to the life her father begrudgingly allowed her. She didn’t dare allow herself to fall in love with Jake because it was far too dangerous for them both.But I can have one night with him. Just one to know how it feels to adore someone who adores me back.
Jake finished to applause that was almost as enthusiastic as Rachael’s. “Thanks for humoring me,” he said into the mic before bowing and returning to the table. Both Bill and Connie stood up. Bill extended his hand to shake Jake’s. Connie smiled at him while telling Jenny to grab her backpack, it was time to go. Rachael couldn’t read Connie’s true feelings—she was putting on a happy, nothing-wrong-here face for Jenny—until Rachael caught her eye on the way out the door. There was no outright hostility, but she read a warning there all the same. Jake caught it too and took Rachael’s hand, squeezing it to reassure her.
Bill watched his family leave, then turned to Rachael and Jake. “Give her time, Rachael. I have no intention of kicking you out of my place. I’d be a hypocrite if I did.”
“Really, I don’t want to cause trouble—”
Bill put an arm around her shoulders. The gesture was purely platonic, almost fatherly, completely out of Rachael’s realm of experience. “You aren’t trouble. It’s purely a self-serving business decision.” He winked at her. “Come back any time. And Jake,” Bill turned to his friend, “you keep an eye on her in the meantime.” He gave her shoulders a little squeeze before dropping his arm and stepping back.
Then it was Jake’s turn. He pulled her close until she snuggled up against a solid wall of muscle. She wrapped her arm around his waist and rested her hand on his side against his abs.
“Oh, I intend to keep her safe,” Jake said. “Now that I’ve found her, she’s mine.”
If Hank had said those same words, Rachael would have run like hell. But coming from Jake, they meant something totally different. They felt protective, comforting. They felt like love.
Maybe more than one night….
Then Jake turned her away from the room and leaned down. He was going to kiss her again, right out here in the open, like a dare. He wasn’t afraid of anything, not her father, not Hank, not the crowd. Not her.
But he needed to be, for his own sake.
Rachael turned her head. “I want you so much. I want to be with you. But I can’t fall in love with you. I can’t, I don’t want—”
His fingers gently clasped her chin, turning her face back to his. Jake’s lips covered hers, their mouths opened together, tongues entwining as Jake claimed her for his own, and Rachael was lost.
Nineteen
They found a motel not far from The Hideaway that night, a place off the beaten path that would afford them some privacy. They didn’t speak the entire drive, just listened to the music they both loved. Before leaving The Hideaway, Jake ducked into the bathroom to remove the wire. The rest of the night would be theirs, and theirs alone.
When Jake closed the motel door behind them, Rachael’s face turned bright red and she said nothing, only tucked her head under Jake’s chin.
