He grinned. “Not much time for playing these days.”
The audience hooped and hollered and joined in with us, and by the time we finished the song, we were both out of breath.
I glanced over at Colt and saw the joy in his eyes. We made a great team in and out of the bedroom. The audience called for more, and of course we obliged, singing everything from Dolly Parton to Patsy Cline.
If I never ever played on stages bigger than this one, that would be okay because I was having the time of my life with the man I loved.
When we finally got off stage, Tricia hugged me tightly. “Dang, girl, you’ve got some pipes.”
“I’m all sweaty,” I protested.
“Oh, hush. Whatever you’ve done to my son, you’ve made him happier than I’ve seen him in a long time. He might say you’re nothing more than friends, but I think you’re the one.”
“I recall you saying the same thing to me once upon a time, Tricia,” said a voice from somewhere behind me.
I spun around and couldn’t believe my eyes. Montana Chambers stood a few feet from me with two hulking bodyguards on either side.
My eyes widened, and my jaw fell open. “You’re...you’re. Wow. I—”
“Well, looky here. The bitch is back,” Tricia spat.
“Nice to see you, too.” Montana’s cheeks were flushed, and her words sounded slurred, as if she’d been drinking.
Confusion muddled my brain, and I glanced at Colt, looking for an explanation. “Did you invite Montana here as a surprise for me?”
His lips narrowed until they nearly disappeared, and he shook his head.
An ugly expression filled Montana’s face, and she gave me a cold smile. “Saw on YouTube that my ex found himself a new plaything. Thought I’d come see for myself.”
I glanced from Montana to Colt and back again then icy realization washed over me, and shock followed my surprise. She was the bitch who broke his heart. “She’s—Montana Chambers is your ex?”
“Aw, he didn’t tell you, darlin? We were together for a very long time.”
“What the fuck do you want?” Colt demanded.
“I’m playing a show at Bridgestone Arena tonight. Thought I’d visit some of my old haunts. You sounded amazing up there, baby. Brought back some memories. I miss you. Miss us.” She sashayed toward him, then draped her arms around his neck.
Fury leaped into Tricia’s eyes. “If you don’t get your hands off my son, you no-good, liquor-guzzling whore, I’ll slap you to sleep.” She moved toward Montana but Jonah placed a hand on his wife’s arm to hold her back.
Montana shrugged, unaffected by Tricia’s threat. “As trashy as always, Mrs. Flynn. You can take the girl out of the trailer park...”
“You should know.”
My anger rose, and I stepped forward, but before I could get close enough to rip her away from him, Montana’s bodyguards got in my way.
“Aw, your little girlfriend looks like she’s about to pitch a hissy fit, Colt.”
He unhooked her arms from around his neck and pinned them by her side. “Enough.”
Chapter Six
Colt
Every muscle in my body turned to stone. Emotion warred inside of me and memories—good and bad—flooded back.
How fucking dare she walk into my life unannounced after two years of silence?
Some customers had their phones up, recording everything, and being media savvy, Montana played up to the cameras.
She placed a lingering kiss on my cheek that turned my stomach. The stench of liquor from her breath told me she’d had more than a few fingers of whiskey.
“What do you say we make sweet music together like we once did? No one’s been able to make me hit the high notes quite like you.”
“My office now,” I growled.
“Never thought you’d ask. It can be just like old times,” she said, flicking her hair over her shoulders. “Remember what we used to get up to on your swivel chair?”
Confusion filled Nat’s face, and the betrayal in her eyes cut me in two. I should have told her about Montana. Should have told her the woman who broke my heart was her idol.
I would explain everything to her as soon as I could, but for now, I needed to deal with the liquor-soaked problem standing in front of me.
“Take care of Nat, Mom,” I said and stormed toward my office, followed by a giggling Montana.
Once we were alone, she hooked her fingers into the waistband of my jeans and pressed her breasts against my chest.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I asked, unhooking her fingers and putting some distance between us.
“Continuing where we left off.”
I took a good, long look at her. Sure, on the outside, she was every cowboy’s wet dream—curvy and blond with an all-American smile, but on the inside, she was a dark and ugly egomaniac.
“Un-fucking-believable.” I gave a bitter laugh. “You think you can walk in here drunk and act like nothing happened? Like you didn’t erase me from your life?”
“Don’t be like that, Colt, baby. We were great together. I made a mistake. I should never have left you.”
“Took you two years to figure that out?”
“When I saw the video of that beached whale up on my stage, I just knew I had to get you back. You belong to me.”
“Her name is Natalie, and she has more talent in her little finger than you do in your entire liquor-soaked body. She’s not someone who uses people then spits them out.”
“You know you want this,” she said, running her hands up and down her body. “You know you want me. Don’t pretend you haven’t thought about fucking me again.”
I snorted. “You look good, Montana, but I stopped wanting you a long time ago. Get out of
