Giveme a chance to
Show you what I like
I’ll pour you a drink
Of the sweetest wine
He may have only knownher for five days, but his gut told him that while it was damn sexy, it wasn’t an overly personal song for her. She may have co-written it, but it wasn’t a confessional.
She wasn’t revealing anything about her relationship with Track in it, and as hot as it was, it wasn’t anything that crossed any lines.
It’s the kind of song he’d expect to hear racing up the charts, not that he was a music expert.
It was a damn shame she felt her career being stifled if this was the kind of music she really wanted to make. And the crowd ate it up.
Dean did, too.
As the arena turned black, she hustled off stage, but didn’t come as far as where he stood. He’d been prepped on this—the concert wasn’t really over. They’d do an encore set of a three-song medley.
And it rocked, but he was still thinking about “Cravings”.
— —
It was latewhen they got on the bus and drove to Charlotte. But it wasn’t that long of a drive, so everyone stayed up, playing cards and working on music, until they arrived at their hotel for the night.
They were all staying in the same hallway, a domino sequence of rooms. Dean was closest to the side exit out to the parking lot, and as he was brushing his teeth, he heard that door click open, then close again. A sixth sense had him move to the window just in time to see Liana jog down the concrete path. He swore under his breath and did the world’s fastest change into his own running clothes. Sean would be proud, it was nearly a triathlon transition-worthy time. Shorts, shoes, and he was pulling on his shirt as he hit the summer heat outside.
What was she thinking going running at this time by herself?
Even as he thought that, he could feel his sister-in-law reaching across time and space to smack him in the head. Time of day didn’t matter. As a cop he knew that. As a man, though…
And it was his job to go with her.
He tried to pretend it was entirely a professional concern.
But when he caught sight of her a block ahead, thankfully going a bit slower than his max speed, he eased up and followed from enough of a distance that he couldn’t say he wasn’t watching her selfishly.
She went out about two clicks, running down the main road lined with hotels and fast food restaurants. It was brightly lit and easy for him to keep an eye on her, and when she checked her watch and slowed down, he was close enough to a stand of trees that he could duck into the shadows.
But he didn’t. He slowed down himself and stood under a street light instead, arms crossed.
She saw him immediately when she turned around.
She didn’t stop.
“You’re following me now?” she asked as she sped past him, going faster now.
“I thought we had an understanding that I would accompany you out in public.”
“There is nobody out at this time of night, and I didn’t know that I wanted to run until I was already in my room.”
“You have my number.”
“I didn’t want to wake you up.”
“You didn’t.”
“How did you…” She trailed off and took a deep breath instead. “I went right past your room.”
