“You gotta stop sellin’ yourself short.”
She leaves her phone on the table and climbs on my lap, rolling her hips against my groin. Heat explodes through me as she coils one arm around my neck. I’m instantly hard. Her other fingers skirt along my cheek and into my hair, her short nails scratching gently over my scalp.
Fuck, this always makes me wanna purr.
“Damn you, woman. You still remember how much I liked getting head scratches…” I mumble weakly, cupping her voluptuous ass with both hands.
She kisses me, pressing her tits into my chest. “One week! That’s all I’m askin’. Please, Rust.”
My heart aches. I didn’t expect her to stay in Redbird Creek with me forever, I just hadn’t thought past breakfast. Didn’t want to. Until now, I ignored the reality that she’s gonna leave.
“You know this could be considered coercion? With you seducing me like this, I’m bound to say yes to anything,” I choke out.
She sucks my bottom lip between her teeth, nibbling, and my hips buck. I lost this battle before it even started.
“That was the plan. You in?” she asks innocently like she doesn’t already know my answer.
“Yeah, I’m in.”
But my agreement isn’t entirely selfless. This week is the closest thing I get to calling her mine again. Being cooped up with her in my truck’s cab sounds awfully much like my idea of paradise.
Tally whoops. She presses a peck to my cheek before getting up, leaving me with blue balls, a tingling scalp, and a weird mix of joy and sadness taking up the space behind my ribs.
Her mind’s moving a thousand miles a second, already twenty steps ahead. “Of course, you’re gonna get credit and shared royalties for the album. If you want, I could even put you in contact with some folks in the industry to?—”
“Trouble, I don’t want fame and I don’t want money. I’m doing it foryou.”
“You’re too sweet for your own good.”
“Only with you. Ask the folks in town and they’ll tell you I’m a selfish asshole.”
“Nice try. You get along with everybody.” Tally sighs. “We’ll renegotiate later. But I won’t let you help me without makin’ sure you get something in return.”
“I’m already getting something.” I gesture at her. “One week with you.”
“That’s far from fair, but we have more pressing issues. We can’t stay in Redbird Creek.”
My head tilts. “Why not?”
“Everybody knows me and I don’t want to sneak around. I need to be free. Unburdened.” She taps her chin, thinking. “I got it! Let’s hit the road like we used to!”
“Hold your horses, woman. You mean you wanna drive cross country and play in whatever shitty honky-tonks and open mic dive bars we find?”
She pumps her fist in the air. “That’s exactly what I mean. Kentucky to LA! Spontaneity! Freedom! Windows down, country music on the radio!”
I hum. “Keep talking. You’re painting a pretty picture.”
“But I don’t wanna do none of that tourist-y stuff. I’m thinkin’ we’ll travel through small town America. That authenticity will be the best inspiration,” she continues excitedly.
I blow out a breath. “Reckon I could use some time off. I haven’t taken a vacation in… God, I don’t know how long. Never, probably.”
“See, it’s perfect! But no pre-booking. When we get tired of drivin’, we’ll pick a random town on the map to spend the night.”
I suck on my teeth. “For one week, you wanna pretend everything’s peachy and then I’m supposed to let you go back to Dalton’s abuse?”
Her face falls. “I told you I have to wait for my chance to get rid of Rex. This break is as good as it’s gonna get for a while. Live in the moment. No regrets. Please, can you play along for me?”
Tally needs this getaway, time out of the spotlight and away from Dalton’s control. During this week, I can try to find out more about him. And maybe, just maybe I can come up with a way to set her free from his tyranny. It’s a pipe dream, but I have to tell myself there’s a chance.
