Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
I do miss Mom and Dad. And Dale. And Dee. And the orchard. Dad says he’s going to expand the Granny Smith orchard, which is my favorite apple. I love the light-green hue, and I love the crisp flavor that’s a perfect combination of sweet and tart.
Kind of like how I’m feeling about Jesse at this moment. I’m thrilled for his success with this performance, so happy for him that he’s realizing his dream. But I’m sad, so sad, that he doesn’t return my feelings. That he doesn’t want me.
Waxing poetic over a green apple… This is what Jesse has reduced me to.
I have no doubt that I’ll go back to the ranch. Ranching is my life. Performing is Jesse’s life, and if Dragonlock makes it big after this concert, and I have no doubt that they will, he’ll be traveling all the time. Would I be willing to leave everything behind? Leave the ranch, to travel with him?
Doesn’t really matter.
Jesse’s made it clear where he stands as far as I’m concerned.
I have to accept it.
But tonight…as I watched him… I felt he was singing directly to me. Especially those lyrics from “Flyaway,” the song Dragonlock sang before “Faint of Heart.”
I never knew it was you. All this time you were right there around me, and I never knew.
That song could’ve been written for Jesse and me.
Maddie and I grab a glass of champagne from the servers who are mingling in an area near the dressing rooms. A few tables are set up, but they’re all occupied. We stand against the wall, and as soon as Jesse is free from his admirers—
“Let’s go congratulate your brother.”
Maddie torpedoes toward him. “Jesse!”
“Hey, Mads.” He embraces her in a big brother hug. “Brianna,” he says once he lets Maddie go.
No big hug for me, I guess.
“You guys were so fabulous,” Maddie gushes. “I’ve honestly never heard you play better.”
“We were on fire for sure. But the acoustics here are also incredible.”
“Acoustics shmacoustics,” Maddie says. “It was all you guys. You and Rory were never more in sync.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it, little sis.”
“Oh, we did, didn’t we, Brianna?”
I nod. “It’s the best I’ve ever heard you guys play. Seriously. You and Rory were absolutely astounding together.”
“Thank you, Brianna.” Then he looks away from me.
“So I see you already have a bunch of female admirers,” Maddie says.
A jolt of jealousy hits me right in my gut.
“Only a few,” Jesse says.
“What did they say?”
“Nothing that’s fit for my little sister’s ears,” he says.
The jolt of jealousy again, and this time it slices right into my heart.
Groupies.
They were probably offering him sex.
No. Jesse cannot go to bed with groupies tonight.
He wouldn’t, would he? He and Rory are completely serious about making this tour a springboard for something more.
It would be stupid of him to use it as a chance to bed a bunch of European women.
“You’re not serious,” Maddie says.
“Hey, I think it’s a rite of passage. Any rock star worth his salt gets a proposition.” He deliberately looks away from me.
“You’re not going to—”
“Maddie, of course I’m not going to do anything. But even if I were, do you really think I’d be telling you?”
I hold back a sigh of relief. It’s true, he wouldn’t be telling Maddie anyway, but I don’t get the feeling that he’s lying.
“You were amazing,” I say again, and then I take a drink of my champagne.
“Thank you. That means a lot to me.” He turns. “Excuse me for a moment.”
Maddie watches him go. “What’s eating him?”
“He probably didn’t want to talk with his little sister about groupies.”
Maddie rolls her brown eyes. “I know, right? I’m perpetually two years old as far as Jesse’s concerned. We’re only ten years apart.”
“Only ten years apart,” I say, more to myself than to Maddie.
“I’ll always be the baby of the family,” Maddie says. “No matter how hard I try.”
“I know the feeling.”
Boy, do I ever.
I will always be a child in Jesse Pike’s eyes. After all, his baby sister is slightly older than I am.
If only I could be his groupie for the night.
Just one more time. One more time, when I’m not a virgin waiting for my cherry to be popped.
I’m healed up now, and I would like to experience sex with someone I care about—even if he doesn’t care about me.
I want to experience sex as not a virgin.
The crowd is beginning to die down, and Jett leaves with his wife. The other two members of Emerald Phoenix go, and the only one left is Zane Michaels, and he’s heading straight toward us.
“My God, Maddie…” I glance toward him.
Maddie gasps. “Is he really coming toward us?”
“Looks that way,” I say. “Be cool.” My heart is thumping a mile a minute.
“Hello, ladies,” Zane says.
Zane is no Jesse Pike, but he is gorgeous and so talented on the keyboard. He has long blond hair, a sculpted jawline, and searing blue eyes.