My hand moved faster, gripped harder. Reaching down, I squeezed my balls. I was seconds away from exploding.
A growl sounded in my throat, but I bit it back. I didn’t want to wake her or let her know I was in the shower jerking off.
An image of her on her knees in front of me with her mouth open and ready to catch my cum flashed through my head.
A second later, I shot my load. The sweet pain was exquisite, and before I could stop myself, her name fell from my lips.
The next time she offered herself, I didn’t think I’d be strong enough to say no.
****
Nat paced up and down my office so much she was about to wear a hole in the hardwoods. “I can’t do this. They’re going to hate me. They’re going to think my songs are immature and have no meaning.”
There was a lot I could say to convince her otherwise, but my words would hold no weight. Not when she was like this.
“And if you don’t get up on stage, you’ll ask yourself what if for the rest of your life. Is that what you want?”
She shook her head and nibbled on her lips. “I know I’m being dramatic. Singing at county fairs and on street corners were nothing compared to this. People didn’t really listen to me. They hadn’t paid money to hear me sing.” She rolled her eyes. “I mean, I know they haven’t paid money to hear me sing here either, but they’re here to have a good time and if I’m crap then...”
“Then they’ll boo and heckle until you walk off stage.”
She waved her hands frantically in front of her body. “Oh, God, oh God, oh, God. I’m going to throw up.”
I grabbed her hands and stopped her from pacing. “Darlin’, if I didn’t think you had what it took, no way on earth would I put you up there. My bar pays my bills, pays a lot of people’s bills. I wouldn’t risk that for anything or anyone. I’ve got a reputation to protect.”
I wouldn’t tell her I’d made a few phone calls, and that some producers and songwriters were coming to watch her perform.
It would have been selfish of me not to call in a few favors. The men and women on Music Row would help hone her craft while my bar would help hone her stage presence.
“You’re right.” Her posture relaxed, and she gave me an impish smile. “I guess I need to do something to take my mind off everything.”
“Thinking about anything in particular?”
“A few things.” She leaned over and planted a deep kiss on my lips. Desire reared up inside of me, and my dick responded by instantly hardening. She stepped back and gazed at me, her eyes shiny with lust.
“I like how you think.”
“Then you’ll like this even more.” She took my hand and placed it on her breast. A flash of need bolted through me. After jerking off, not once but twice, I shouldn’t still be this horny.
If we’d had the time, I would have thrown her over my shoulder, taken her upstairs and fucked her until we both came.
“Looks like I’ve created a monster.”
“Is that a bad thing?” She drew in a deep breath, then let it go. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this about anyone. I can’t stop thinking about you—about us.”
I placed a fingertip on her lips. “Nattie, there is no us. There can’t be. Remember, I don’t do relationships.”
Angry tears filled her eyes, and she stepped away. “Whoever broke your heart deserves a broken face.”
“Now that’s a song you need to write.”
“Why are you so afraid to let me in? I’m not going to hurt you. Tell me why you’re so anti-love and relationships.”
I wouldn’t go into specifics, but I would give her some background just so she would understand where I was coming from. She deserved that.
“A few years ago, I fell in love with someone I thought I’d spend the rest of my life with. She walked into my bar just like you did. Man,” I said with a shake of my head, “that girl could charm the dew off honeysuckles. A few years later, she walked out of my life, taking my ability to love with her.”
Nat looked at me as if waiting for more. “That’s all you’re going to give me?”
“That’s all you need to know.”
“Her loss is my gain. She wasn’t the right woman for you.”
“You are?”
She gave a confident nod. “The second you shook my hand, I said to myself, ‘There’s the man I’m going to spend the rest of my life with.’”
“You don’t know me, Nattie. Besides, I’m fifteen years older than you. You’d grow tired of an old fart like me in no time. You’re nineteen. Too young to think about spending your life with anyone. I’m not the right man for you.”
She placed her hands on her hips and scowled. “Now you listen here, mister. I’ll decide who’s right for me and who isn’t.”
There was a knock on the door, and Lucas poked his head in. “Nat, it’s time.”
She rolled back her shoulders and looked me right in the eye. “We’re not done with this conversation. You’re going to fall in love with me whether you like it or not.”
She was wrong.
I wasn’t going to fall in love with her because there was a good chance I already
