Rock Me Deeper (Licks of Leather #5) - Jenna Jacob Page 0,60
she held out her hand.
Why am I doing this?
“Yeah, you should probably do this.” With trembling fingers, I set the card in her palm.
Mia tapped the keyboard, then hit the enter key. “Done.”
“When will her things arrive?” Sofia asked.
“I selected expedited delivery. They’ll be here tomorrow afternoon.”
“Thank you both, so much.”
“Pfft.” Mia waved her hand. “Shopping is in my DNA.”
“And mine.” Sofia grinned. “Now that we’ve christened Syd’s credit card, I say we head to the studio.”
“For sure. Duke and Mick are probably pacing the floors. They’re not patient men.”
“I’m ready.” I was past ready. I could barely contain my excitement to feel Syd’s silky songs caress my flesh.
“Me, too, but hang on a second.” Harmony pulled a small cloth bag from her pocket and placed it in my hand. “Here, Caris. These are for you.”
The heavy weight of the tiny bag surprised me. “Thank you, Harmony.”
I pulled the little drawstring open and poured the contents into my palm.
Rocks. Why is she giving me rocks?
“I know things are really scary right now, so I wanted to give you and Mia some healing crystals. I gave a bag to her last night.”
“Yep, they’re right here.” Mia patted the pocket of her jeans.
“There’s amethyst, blue lace agate, rose quartz, sodalite, lepidolite, and clear quartz. They reduce anxiety and fear,” Harmony explained.
Though I really didn’t believe in new age, hippy-dippy mumbo-jumbo, her gesture touched me deeply. Trying to keep an open mind, I squeezed my hands around the stones. Not surprisingly, I didn’t feel a thing. But her concerned about my mental well-being hit me so hard I wrapped her in a fierce hug, and thanked her, again.
Chapter 15
Syd
Seated beside Duke—who generously offered to act as my stand-in—strumming my bass, I caught the flash of sunlight reflecting off the glass behind me. Hope skipping through my chest, I turned and watched Caris, Harmony, Mia, and Sofia stroll down the hall and into the control room.
A flash of disappointment skipped over Caris’s face before she flashed me a little smile.
What the hell is that about?
Had Mia or Sofia said or done something to upset her?
Stopping mid-note, Burk grinned as he stared at Sofia, then made a slicing motion at his neck with his hand. “Let’s take five.”
“Five? If that’s all the time you need to cop a nut these days, damn, I feel sorry for Sofia,” I teased.
Forgetting the mics were live, I busted out laughing when his copper-haired vixen flipped me off.
“Guess she told you, asshat.” Burk grinned as he waved the girls into the studio.
As Harmony, Mia, and Sofia split off, greeting their men with passionate kisses and giggles, Caris ambled toward me with a pensive expression. I wanted to wrap her in my arms and kiss every doubt rolling through her pretty head. Instead, I stood and flashed her a crooked grin, eating up the distance between us.
“I’m gonna hit the head,” Duke announced as he eased my bass back in its cradle.
I jerked a nod as he headed toward the door.
Unable to not touch her, I clasped my hand to her hip, savoring her warmth as I drew her closer. “Did you order some new clothes?”
“I did.” Caris nodded, dragging my credit card from her jeans. “A whole lot more than I should have, but Mia and Sofia were…insistent.”
“You mean pushy?”
“No. They were incredibly helpful, it’s just…” As she dropped her chin, I caught a glimpse of conflict etching her face. “They think we’re a couple.”
I leaned down to peer into her dark eyes. “Is that such a bad thing?”
“Yeah,” she whispered. “I feel like a fraud.”
That wasn’t the answer I’d hoped for. But expecting Caris to proclaim her undying love for me again after one day was sheer insanity.
“Do you think the connection we still share is fake?”
“No.”
“Then there’s no reason to feel like a fraud, angel.” I cupped her chin, lifted her head, and brushed a soft kiss over her lips. “We’ve got plenty of time to see where this leads us.”
A sad smile settled over her face. “It isn’t going to lead anywhere, Syd. You and I both know that.”
Shock pinged through me. “Why do you say that?”
“Look around,” she said, eyeing the equipment and instruments. “This is your world, not mine.”
Rejection sliced deep as I released her hip and took a step back. It had never crossed my mind that Caris would find my life repugnant.
“I’m a small-town waitress, Syd. This… You… It’s all way out of my league.”