True for You(42)
“Shit.”
He’s let me go, and so has his record label.
Money’s not a problem, but my ego sure as hell is. I had wanted to be the one to break things off, to email him and say we’re done, but because of tonight’s spectacle over my marriage… none of that happened.
Knowing Everett, he’s already put out the word that no one touches my music, or me, and whether I like it or not, people in this industry will listen to him.
I toss the phone across the room. It hits the sofa with a small thud and falls to the floor.
I was born to make music, and if I can’t make music, then what can I do?
Chapter Twenty
Bliss
I wake up the next morning, with Jackson sprawled out beside me. He’s still in his clothes from last night. His face is turned toward me, and my heart jumps. He looks innocent lying there, with his flushed cheeks and full lips.
His tongue darts out, licking his bottom lip, and I grow damp at the sight.
Trying not to wake him, I ease out of bed, but before I can get very far, an arm winds around me.
“Ahh!” I tumble into the bed, Jackson rolling me under him.
“Morning, beautiful.”
“Morning.”
He settles against me, his hard body a delicious weight against mine. “Tonight, I want to take you shopping.”
“Aren’t men supposed to not like shopping?”
“Depends what they’re shopping for.”
I level him with a look. “So cars or tools?”
“Lingerie.”
My eyes round. “I am not shopping for that with you.”
He pouts, his lower lip sticking out. The same one his tongue had licked earlier. I want to lick it now. Oh God, I’m shameless. “Please, Bliss.”
“Fine, but you have to wear whatever I pick out.”
“Huh?”
“We’re shopping for your unmentionables, not mine, right?” I blink up at him, all innocence.
He throws back his head and laughs. “I knew I could count on you to keep my mind off last night’s disaster.”
Reaching between us, I take his face in my hand and turn it to one side, examining his cheek. The handprint is gone, but to me, it still looks tender. I kiss him there, and he draws in a breath.
“Better?” I ask.
“Got more places you can kiss,” he says gruffly, reminding me of the little boy I used to know. Of all the bruises he endured from the people who should’ve protected him. My heart melts.
“I’ll kiss you anywhere and everywhere you want.”
“You’re too good to me,” he says, lowering his head to my chest. “I have a meeting this morning. Would you like to come with me?”
“What kind of meeting?”
“An appointment with an agent. One of the best, if not the best in the industry.”
“Oh, did Violet tell you about the agent?”
“No.” He looks up at me. “Davis, her dad, emailed me. He recommended him. I don’t know why he’d do that.” He grunts. “Actually, I do. He’s exactly like Cameron and believes in helping the less fortunate.”
“You’re less fortunate?”
“In spirit, I guess.” He exhales. “I might have overstepped my bounds and did something for you.”
Try as I might, I can’t think of what he could do for me that would overstep his bounds… except divorce. My heart thuds loudly in my chest. So loud, that I’m sure he can hear it.
“What’s that?”
He closes his eyes. “Just a minute. I’m listening to you.” His mouth kicks up at the corners. “The beat of your heart. The look in your eyes.”
“You can’t see my eyes.”
“Hush.” He taps out a rhythm on the bed. “I need to think on this some more.”
“What about overstepping your bounds?”
He hops off the bed, all bashful as he grins at me. “I might have found a few schools for you to pick from up here so you can go to classes, while I record my next album.”
Shocked, my mouth falls open. “You did that for me?”
“You’re not mad?”
“Why would I be mad?” I throw the covers back, leap out of bed, and tackle him. “You, Jackson Morgan, are the sweetest husband ever.”
“Sweet enough to go back-to-school shopping for lingerie?”
I snort. “Only if you let me wear it on the first day.”
He frowns. “School supplies it is, then.”
*** *** ***
Jackson
I’m driving in my car, excitement coursing through me. The meeting with my agent went better than I ever imagined.
For some reason, Everett had kept quiet about the real reasons for terminating my contract, but he did make it clear that he still owned the rights to my name.