Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Luca looked at the man standing in the street and then at me. “Are we here? Who is that guy?”
“We’re here. And that’s my assistant, Aiden. I had him come early this morning to block a spot for us to park and make sure no one was parked too close to us.”
She looked around outside. “But where is here?” The blocks surrounding this particular recording studio were heavily industrial. It was mostly just old warehouses that had been turned into artist lofts, storage facilities, and various unmarked filming sets and music studios.
“This is where I’m recording today. But relax, I don’t expect you to come in. Give me a minute to park this thing, and I’ll explain.”
Of course, the piece of shit didn’t have a rear camera system, so I was glad that Aiden had blocked off all that extra space, and I could just pull in once he’d cleared the cones. I turned off the ignition and reached over and took Luca’s hand. “You’re doing great. Just keep trusting me, babe.”
She nodded, though she looked nervous again. I got out and spoke to Aiden privately for a moment before opening the back door to get into the living area of the RV. “Do you mind if I let Aiden in for a minute? He’s just going to set up some equipment, and he’ll be out of your way in no time.”
“Sure, of course.”
I waved Aiden into the RV and did the introductions. “Aiden, this is my girl, Luca. Luca, this is the man who saves my ass on a daily basis—Aiden.”
Aiden leaned forward and shook Luca’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Luca.”
It took him less than five minutes to set up portable Wi-Fi, a Mac monitor, receiver, and speakers. He handed me a set of Bose wireless headphones. “All done. Here you go, boss.”
I nodded. “Thanks. Can you let them know I’ll be in and ready to go in five minutes?”
“You got it.”
Aiden said goodbye to Luca and climbed out of the RV. She was still sitting in the front passenger seat, so I extended a hand for her to climb from the front into the back.
“What in the world are you up to?” she asked.
I closed the privacy curtain once she was in the back. “Take a seat, and let me show you.”
She settled into the couch, and I positioned the monitor on the table across from her and handed her the headset. “I have to record for a few hours today. I want you to watch, but I know you don’t like crowds and public buildings. Between the sound guys, the mixers, the recording team, and the label execs, there’re at least ten guys in the studio while I work. So I had them set up a video camera in the booth so you can watch while I record, and this headset will let you listen. It’ll be like you’re watching but without the crowd.”
When I saw her face fall, I thought maybe she was disappointed. It had been pretty egotistical to assume she’d want to sit alone in a camper and watch me record, hadn’t it? “Sorry. You don’t have to watch if you don’t want. I can tell them I need an hour and take you back home.”
“No, God no. I can’t wait to watch. I just feel bad about all the trouble you had to go through for me.”
I knelt in front of her. “Wasn’t any trouble at all. And even if it were, you’re worth it.”
Her face softened. “Thank you, Griffin.”
I kissed her. “You can thank me later. I’ll have Aiden make a sign for after I’m done. Don’t come a-knockin’ when the RV’s a-rockin’.”
I went to get up, but Luca tugged my hand back down. “You called me your girl.”
My brows drew down. “I did?”
She nodded. “When you introduced me to your assistant, you said, ‘This is my girl, Luca.’”
I hadn’t even noticed. But the truth of the matter was, she was my girl. I shrugged. “You are my girl, Luca. You’ll figure it out, too, soon.”
CHAPTER 17
LUCA
“Check. One, two, three. One, two, three.” Griffin had on a set of headphones and leaned into the microphone to speak. I heard some other people talking in the background, but the camera had been set up inside the little recording booth, so the only thing I saw on the big monitor was Griffin’s face. Which was fine by me. Honestly, I’d wanted to spend some time staring at him since he knocked on the camper door. This was the perfect opportunity to gawk without him catching me.
For the next fifteen minutes, Griffin went through a bunch of sound system checks and testing. He stood in the booth repeating words and talking to people. My eyes were glued to the monitor, combing over every inch of his handsome face. He was seriously even more gorgeous than I could have imagined. He had big, beautiful brown eyes with thick, dark lashes lining his lids that almost made it look like he had eyeliner on. His skin was tanned to a light shade of golden brown and his masculine jaw had day-old stubble on it. I really, really liked the stubble. Just as I was staring, Griffin looked directly at the camera, and his voice dropped low. “Guys, this message is for my girl, so close your ears.” He flashed a sexy, crooked smile and then whispered into the microphone. “Babe—I forgot to tell you, I left you a little something in the center console in case the mood strikes while you’re watching today.”