“That’s it. Let go for me,” I whisper, biting her earlobe. I feel her pussy grip me like a vise, and I grunt, the pleasure building at the base of my spine as we hurtle over the edge of blisstogether. With one last thrust, I hold myself deep inside her, letting the wave of pleasure consume me.
Jersey trembles underneath me with her own aftershocks. I rest my weight on her, being careful not to squish her. She runs her fingers through my hair, settling me as my heart rate quiets down.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that,” she mutters. “Watching you fall to pieces.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of you,” I whisper, wrapping my arms around her body and hugging her tightly. It’s the honest truth. “I love you.”
Her hands move to my face and she draws me up until I’m looking right down at her. Her lips curve into a sexy smile and she says the words that mean the most to me in the entire world. “I love you too.”
FORTY
jersey
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16
“Morning,”Hayes says, pulling me out of my zone. I’ve been curled up on the couch for about an hour, sipping my coffee and getting lost in a book. The quiet lake life has really been good for me, and I’ve loved getting to spend time here. Periwinkle has snuggled in my lap and she turns her head at the sound of Hayes’s voice too.
He comes over and scratches at her ears before leaning down toward me. Tilting my chin up to accept his kiss, I greet him back. “Good morning. There’s more coffee in the pot if you want it.”
Hayes makes a satisfied sound and heads into the kitchen. While he does that, I go back to my book, and a few moments later, Hayes joins me on the couch, moving my feet so he can sit under them and places them in his lap. He takes a hesitant sip of his coffee, testing the temperature.
We sit together in a nice silence for a while. Last night, Hayes pressed kisses over every inch of my body repeatedly until I was an exhausted, satiated mess in the bed. We fell asleep curled around each other, like we have for the last ten days.
This is the first time in I don’t know how long that I’ve been able to sit and enjoy myself, not having to meet deadlines or be present for publicity. It’s been nice, and I’m dreading having to return to the grind.
It’s inevitable. I know it is, but it’s nice for a moment to pretend.
These have been some of the best days of my adult life. It’s been a delicious taste of what life could look like with Hayes long term. I’m convinced that everything is better when it’s just Hayes and me against the world.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks, twirling a strand of my hair around his finger. He studies my face, as if he’s trying to read my innermost thoughts.
“Wondering if I have it in me to ask for things to be different at the label.”
Hayes is unfazed. He nods sagely and continues twirling my hair. “No need for you to wonder. I know you do.”
Exhaling, I move from my position to his side, curling against him, wishing he could osmosis his strength and confidence into me. Up on stage I might look like I have it all together, but in real life, I question myself at every turn when it comes to professional decisions. I wonder what happened to that bold eighteen-year-old girl who fearlessly and unapologetically went for what she wanted. Is there any way I can get her back?
“Have you ever had to have those hard conversations with your management?” I ask him, curious to know if he’s ever been in my shoes.
“Sure,” he says, wrapping his arm around me and pulling me in closer to him. “Every time my contract goes back up for negotiation, it’s nothing but conversations and give and take.”
“You always seem to come out on top, somehow.”
“I have a great team who has my best interests at heart. And the Majestics franchise always have my back. They want me on their team, and I want to stay on their team.”
“Maybe that’s where we’re different,” I admit. “Cal wants me to stay with Silver Shadows forever, but on his terms. I sometimes wonder if they see me as their prized cash cow. But if it were up to me? If I had to say yes or no right now to stay with them? It’d be a no. A hundred percent.”
Hayes runs his hand up and down my arm. “I think you need to talk to your team, see if there’s any way they can support you.”
“I already have. My only option is to wait it out. After that deadline hits though, I’ll be walking. There’s no way they’re going to stop me.”
“I’d kill to be in the room when you stick it to them once and for all,” Hayes says with a chuckle.
“Cal has it coming to him, that’s for sure.” My lips twitch as I think about how red his face will turn when he realizes he has no say in my career anymore. Sure, Silver Shadows will likely always maintain ownership of my past music and much of what I’ve done in my career thus far. However, Cal won’t have ownership ofmeanymore. The music I’ve created there isn’t really me anyway, so losing them is a loss I can deal with for the price of my freedom.
After a quick grocery run,Hayes and I head back to the house. Honestly, I’d be perfectly content never going back to normal. This small town has wormed its way into my heart and I could easily see creating a place for myself in this community. In the back of my mind, I know at some point I’ll have to go back to the normal hustle and bustle of my life, and that will besooner rather than later. I have more shows coming up in a few weeks, and with those come intensive rehearsals to make sure everything goes as smooth as possible.
We’re planning to leave in a few days and already, I’m missing this quiet fairytale life we’ve been living together.
