The Ex Factor - Erin McCarthy Page 0,68
woke up in the exact same position she had fallen asleep in--in Chance’s arms. She was damn proud of the two of them for talking through their feelings the night before. She wasn’t sure they had concluded much, but they weren’t angry and that was a solid achievement for them. Not even after a day of picking at every scab they owned had they lost it on each other.
“Hey, sexy,” he said, his voice sleepy and husky. He pressed a kiss onto her temple.
“Hey,” she said softly. For a minute she felt overwhelmed by the reality of how they had thrown this away once before. How close they had come to never getting it back. In his arms, none of the outside world seemed to matter.
She decided she didn’t want today to be a repeat of yesterday, both literally and metaphorically. “How much do you think Tennyson could be bought off for? I don’t want her here today.”
“I don’t either. But you have to admit, we got results yesterday. Even if it felt like we were being dragged naked across hot coals while hogtied.”
“That sounds more pleasant than what I went through.”
He laughed. “Okay then, how about we text her and snag a day off. She can come back tomorrow.”
“Or maybe we should just barrel through and be done with it. You’re right. We got results and why stretch this process out?”
“I hate the idea that I couldn’t write an album for us.”
She had been wondering when that was going to bruise his ego. He had seemed to appreciate Tennyson’s talent, yet she knew he was territorial about his songs. They were his pride, his identity. Tennyson had stomped on a lot of toes just by doing the job she’d been hired to do.
The bed was warm and so was Chance’s flesh. The morning sun was blasting through the blinds in his bedroom and the air conditioning didn’t seem to be earning its keep. Jolene didn’t care that she was overheated though; she didn’t want to scoot away from him. There was something so peaceful about the moment--just lying there, together. Connected.
“It was us,” she reminded him. “We gave Tennyson everything she needed to write. I’m sure if we sat down today we could do it on our own. We just wanted to be together the last few days, not working. We were playing hooky and after eighteen straight months of working, I don’t think we should feel bad about that. I know I don’t.”
“I do. I can’t help it.” He shifted, turning on his side, and propping his head up with his elbow so he was staring down at her. “I felt like that was the one thing I could give you, you know? Hit records. What am I if I can’t give you that?”
Jolene wasn’t sure what to make of that. She only knew that there was pain on his face, and that made her hurt. “I didn’t fall in love with you because you could push me up the charts, Chance. I fell in love with you because you’re incredibly talented and sexy and intelligent and funny. We’re going to write together again. I’m one hundred percent sure we would have gotten there on our own anyway if Ginny hadn’t hit the panic button.”
“I’m sorry about the uh, women.”
She was glad he said it, but it was honestly the last time she ever wanted to discuss it with him. “Thanks. It’s not the women, exactly. I know I have no right to expect you were celibate. We were well and truly broke up and we weren’t planning to get back together. But I didn’t need numbers.”
He frowned. “So if I ask you who the dude was you won’t answer me, will you?”
She rolled her eyes. “No. And is this really how you want to spend our morning in bed? Tennyson is due here in an hour and I need at least two cups of coffee before her arrival. And a shower. So that gives you thirty minutes. What would you like to do with them?”
His eyes darkened. “I can think of a thing or four.”
“Me too.”
Chance cupped her breast and teased at her nipple as he bent down and kissed her lips softly. “I never thought I was going to get to kiss you again. I dreamed of this. I cursed myself for this. I drank myself into a stupor trying to forget this.”
She felt soft and warm and madly in love. “There’s just something about us,