And everything he’d tried to take from me: my music, my future, my life, had all been pulled back out of his hands by the man sharing my bed tonight.
I was free. The concept felt enormous and simple all at once.
But then I thought about Bronson leaving, and the freedom didn’t feel so good anymore.
I’d never meet anyone like him again. I knew it deep in my heart.
I’d fallen in love with this steady man, solid as a rock, and the thought of him driving away toward Red Oak Mountain without me sat heavy in my chest.
I tipped my head back to look at him.
“Are you really ready to leave Tidehaven?” I asked, keeping my voice careful and light. “Like, as soon as possible?”
He held me with his dark, steady eyes.
“I was only supposed to be here on vacation. I don’t even work for Cal.” He paused, and sadness streaked his face for a moment. “But I’m glad I stayed. I never would have met you otherwise.”
The bedroom was charged with everything we hadn’t said.
“What about you?” he asked, as he stroked my breast slowly, perking my nipple up. “Does this place still have a hold on you?”
Tidehaven had never been my home.
It was just where I was right now. There was nothing to give up here.
“No,” I said. “I don’t really have… a home. My life up until now has been nomadic. Touring ten months out of the year and resting for a few months in between. I haven’t been in Tidehaven long.”
Bronson studied me, and then one corner of his mouth curved up slowly.
“Is that how you’re going to keep living your life? With all the tours and the fame? I imagine it’s hard to walk away from.”
I met his eyes and told him in no uncertain terms, “I can see myself touring again. But… not the way I have in the past. I want a real home. Roots. Maybe even… a family.”
I waited to see what he’d say, feeling like I’d just put my heart out there, tender and fragile.
He waited a beat before answering, his face turning serious.
“You know,” he rumbled. “I kind of like the idea of keeping an eye on you. Just to make sure you’re really safe. Red Oak Mountain’s got good people and a quiet life. Plus, there’s all those lakes we could fuck in.”
I laughed, all the tension disappearing from my chest. “Is that your way of asking me on a date, Bronson Hale?”
He broke into a full grin then, just visible in the moonlight filtering in through the window, a rare sight that sent up a spectacular fireworks display from my chest.
“How about more than a date,” he said. “I’m not done with you. Not even close. I’d love it if you wanted to come out there with me. You could see how you liked it… how you like me.”
I snuggled closer into his chest. “I think I might like you more than you know.”
That’s when he kissed my hair, a gentle touch from a giant man. I could get lost in his arms forever if he wanted me to.
He reached for his phone on the nightstand and turned the screen toward me, and there we were. A series of grainy photographs. From the recording studio and the parking lot outside. Then the little fish restaurant we’d stopped at. And another one of us kissing on the beach the next morning.
“The whole world already thinks we’re dating,” he drawled.
“Lucy and Ben” were trending across the entire internet.
And the comments were full of hearts and question marks as people lost their minds completely. Everyone wanted to know more about the hottie I’d snagged.
Bronson kissed me again, slower and deeper this time.
