He shrugged. “Why not? I’m not going to use it. He’d be happy to know I gave it to someone who will.”
I ran my hands down the shiny wood. It was better than the one I had at home. “Thank you, Blake. This means a lot.”
Taking a seat in front of me, he nodded toward it. “Go ahead and try it out. I’d love to hear you play.”
I’d never played one on one with anyone other than my mother. She used to love listening to me play. Taking a deep breath, I sat down on the edge of my seat and strummed my fingers across the chords. I hadn’t realized how much I missed the sound. The entire time I played, Blake never took his eyes off of me. I wanted to sing for him, to let him hear his song, but I couldn’t do it. It wasn’t anywhere near ready yet.
“Do you think that’s a good beat?” I asked.
“Is that the one to your new song?”
I nodded. “I think so. It’s different from my other songs, but I think it’ll work.”
He leaned over and placed his hands on my thighs. “I don’t exactly listen to country music, but I think it kicks ass.”
“So you live out here, parading around in your cowboy getup, and you don’t listen to country music?”
He shrugged. “What can I say? It’s the look that gets the ladies, not the lame music.”
“You’re such an ass,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Hey,” he said, his gaze serious. “I didn’t say your stuff was lame. I like that you write your songs based on the people you care about. It’s real. Your music has emotion to it.”
“Thanks. I like to make people feel.”
A small smile splayed across his lips. “You want to help me feel?”
Giggling, I set the guitar down and kissed him. “I think I might enjoy that. Where do you suggest I start?”
“Oh, I don’t know . . . maybe in the shower?” His smile alone turned me on. He had those bedroom eyes that would be perfect for magazines.
Biting my lip, I grabbed his hands. “My shower or yours?”
He chuckled. “I don’t know, I think we should give them both a go.”
“Okay, but first I need to call Felicity. She expects me around noon, that way she knows to pick up the phone. Apparently, the media keeps harassing her for a story.”
Blake shook his head. “Do you deal with that shit every day?”
“Not like that. There aren’t too many people who have my phone number. It’s going to be interesting when I get back though. My mailbox is probably full.”
I wanted to talk to him about what we were going to do when I left, but I didn’t want to ruin the moment. Everything was all new and vulnerable. The odds of the relationship working was stacked against us, but I had to believe we could make it work. Blake wasn’t the type to balk at a challenge. Hopefully, he would see us as one and try to prove the world wrong.
When we got to his room, he disappeared into the bathroom and turned on the shower. I grabbed my phone and dialed Felicity’s number. It rang and rang, but then she finally picked up and all I could hear were a bunch of people in the background, talking and laughing.
“Felicity, you there? It sounds like you’re having a party. What’s going on?” I said.
“That’s because she is,” someone else answered.
Gasping, I threw a hand over my mouth and sat on the bed. “Nick? Is it really you?”
He chuckled, then hissed in pain. “Yeah, it’s me. Remind me not to laugh though. You’d think after two weeks of healing, I’d be up and moving around.”
Blake leaned against the door frame, his body tense. When I looked at him, he stared back at me, but then averted his gaze and left the room. I wanted to go after him, but I couldn’t.
“I miss you,” Nick murmured in my ear.
“I miss you too. I hate that I couldn’t be there for you. Everyone thought it best I left. As soon as they catch the guy, I’m coming home.”