“Asking about me huh?”He winked.
“People seem all too eager to supply information when it comes to you,” I replied dryly.
He cocked a playful brow.“Is that so?Well, don’t worry, darlin’, I asked plenty about you too.”
I blushed.“My aunt said you all are a good lot.”
“We try.”He nodded before taking a sip of his beer.“So, you gonna ask me?”he murmured, his gaze on the horizon.
“What?About the fact that you’re apparently some giant country star?”
He looked over at me in mock horror.“Apparently?”he demanded.
I laughed.“I’m not much of a country fan.”
“Have to change that then.”His gaze raked over me with such intimacy that I fought the urge to squirm.
He leaned forward, elbows braced on his knees, his beer clutched between his hands.“The music thing, it was just mine for so long.Well, and to the extent my family tolerated me learning guitar and belting out songs in our living room.”He chuckled.“I loved it.I still do.The fame—it came along with it.In the beginning, it was exciting as hell.And I’m grateful, of course I am.But I guess as I’ve gotten older, I’m trying to get back to that place where it’s still mine, and something I share with the world on my terms.It can be a weird experience.People think they know me.They want something from me that I’m not always wanting to give.”
He stared down at his beer, peeling at the label.“I know we just barely met, and I’m trying to balance not coming on too strong while not trying to hide anything.What I’m tryin’ to say is, I’d like to get to know you.And I’d like to do that without any of that shit for as long as we can.That okay by you?”He looked over at me, his gaze searching.
I was floored by his honesty and the reminder that we all carried our own baggage—it just came with different strategies for managing the load.
“You’re kind of intense, you know that?”I murmured.
“When it comes to music.”He nodded thoughtfully.“As for women, I suppose there’s a first for everything.”
The insinuation that he’d never been as intense about a woman until me had my cheeks heating again.
“Too much?”He chuckled, though I sensed real concern there.
“No, I, um… I appreciate how honest you are.I’m just not used to it.I was raised to be seen, not heard.”I wrinkled my nose.“Etiquette took precedence over just about anything else.Even in my previous relationship.So, I’d rather have you tell it to me straight,” I told him honestly.“Even if I blush, which I can’t seem to help.”
“Good thing, since it’s fucking gorgeous,” he rumbled appreciatively.
For a few moments, we sat in silence, nursing our beers as the rain pounded on the roof.“Can I take you out to dinner this week?”he asked finally.
“Ready to set the rumor mill on fire?”I quirked a brow.It hadn’t taken long to learn how quickly news spread in this town.
“Far as I’m concerned, there wouldn’t be any rumor, only fact.But if you’d rather postpone the inevitable, I could attempt to cook you a meal, but I make no promises on the result.”
I laughed.“Not much of a cook?”
He shook his head.“Good eater, though.”
As much as I was enjoying his company and the fierce attraction between us, I needed to get my footing first.Because I knew instinctively, if this thing between us was even half of what it felt like it could be, I might never touch the ground again.
I thought about bringing up Josh, that I’d just gotten out of a relationship, but I couldn’t bear his name to share the space between us.
“I just need to see what the next few days looks like,” I explained instead.“My aunt wanted to give me time to settle in, but I’d like to start helping at Goodie’s as soon as possible.I know she needs it, though she’d never admit it.”
“Likely doesn’t want to put you out.Doesn’t seem to be her way.”
“No,” I agreed.“Daphne’s either.”
“Alright, I’ll try to be patient.”He grinned, no doubt sensing I was attempting to put some breaks on the runaway train that was Hudson Carter.“Okay if I put your number in my phone so we can keep in touch and see what’s what?”
I rattled off my number so he could put it in his phone, and my phone rang seconds later with his contact info.
