contemplates that. “Why do you want to do it here, though?” she asks at length. “Why not wherever you normally make your videos?”
Shrugging, I lift up my guitar and lay it back in my case. “Because here is where the magic comes from. It feels like the best place. And you can help me pick the best take. If you don’t have a good lamp, I can get one. I’ll bring it by next time.”
“Oh? And when will next time be?” she asks, a challenging edge to her voice.
“Tomorrow, probably,” I lob back, enjoying this game of verbal ping pong.
“Do I get any say in this?”
I chuckle, scooting a magazine and a notebook out of the way to join her on the coffee table. It doesn’t so much as creak under our combined weight. Good. Bumping her with my shoulder, I enjoy this proximity. The way her face tilts up to mine. The way her lips part just a little like she’s subconsciously inviting me to kiss her. I won’t. Not right now. Not unless she initiates, and parted lips certainly isn’t the same as her kissing me. But damn, I almost can’t wait till it’s time to go, just so I can kiss her goodbye. That won’t be for a while yet, though. I just got here.
“Of course you get a say,” I tell her, pitching my voice so it’s just above a whisper, like I’m sharing a special secret. “Do you have plans tomorrow?”
She stares up at me, letting me see the flecks of copper in the feathery striations of her irises. “I guess I do now,” she says at last. “What time did you want to come over?”
I couldn’t stop my victorious smile even if I wanted to. “I get the feeling you’re not much of a morning person, so how about one. I can stay until dinner. We can play through whatever songs you’ve picked out for me.”
One of her eyebrows wings up. “Oh? It’s my job to pick out all your songs now?”
“Well …” I lean back on one hand. “We’ve seen what my song selections are like. And yours is already a hit. So I trust your choices more than my own. But if it makes you feel better, I’ll pick out some songs too. Then you can tell me how shit they are. Maybe eventually I’ll get better. With your guidance, of course.”
She rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling back at me now. “Of course.”
Captivated, all I can do is stare down at her. She sways toward me, and our mouths inch closer together. I force myself to hold still. To wait for her to close the distance. But she’s staring up at me like she’s waiting for me.
After an eternity of being frozen like that—or maybe like three seconds, but that’s apparently my limit—I clear my throat and stand, moving back to the couch and picking up my guitar. I need the safety of the barrier it provides. I idly strum a few chords, just messing around.
Alexis clears her throat, hunching her shoulders and crossing her legs, shrinking in on herself. “Um, why don’t you start from the beginning, but see if you can get through the whole song.”
I nod, mute, and do as she asks.
While I might be excited about her helping my career, if this kind of sexual tension doesn’t let up soon, it’s going to be a long couple of years working together. And if we actually get married? Because that’s the plan, unless I’m mistaken. We’ll be living together.
How the hell am I going to survive that?
Chapter Twelve
Alexis
Despite a few uncomfortable moments where I’m certain Colt is going to kiss me, spending time with him becomes the highlight of my day. And the next day. And the one after that. Until pretty soon, we’ve seen each other every day for a week, working on new material, recording covers for him to post online, and just generally having a good time. He’s easy to talk to. Easy to be with. And he even insisted on singing a duet with me. Despite my token protest, I was flattered and excited to be able to sing with him. It’s been fun working it up together, even if singing heartrending love songs with him leads to more of those uncomfortable, almost-kissing moments like that first day.
And in the wee hours of the morning when I’m too tired to lie to myself, those “uncomfortable” moments are the ones I look forward to the