Chapter 10
Tana blushed as Mick came onto her bus before the show.
“You ready for Pittsburgh?”
I’m ready for you, she thought.
Instead, she just nodded.
“Good girl. Wanna sing with me again tonight?”
“Yeah.”
“Perfect. Give me a kiss before you go.”
Tana strode toward him, and even though it was still hard to believe she got to kiss this man, she wrapped a hand around his neck and leaned up on her tiptoes to press her lips to his.
He scooped her up, lifted her higher, and took the kiss deeper.
“I’m falling for you, Tana,” he said as she slid down the front of his body.
“How can that even be possible?”
“You’re sweet and true, talented and beautiful, smart-mouthed and honest with me. It’s a killer combination, sweetheart.”
“Are we still faking this, Mick?”
“Only if you want to.”
“If I say I want real with you, what does that mean to you?”
Mick caught her face between his palms. “It means you’re my girl, and I’m your man. We ride together. We sing together. You’re in my bed every night, and I fall asleep to the sound of your heart beating.”
Her heart, the one he’d just mentioned, melted.
“How are you like this and have such a horrible reputation for being the world’s biggest horndog?”
He grinned. “I just hadn’t seen you yet. All that was me just killing time and brushing up on my skills until you were ready for us.”
“I don’t get it. Why me?”
He leaned down and kissed her lips. “Fix your makeup, sweetheart. We don’t have time for me to answer that question before you gotta get out there. But tonight, I’ll tell you all about it. Deal?”
“Deal.”
He kissed her again. “I’ll be watching. Knock ’em dead, baby.”
Tana’s set was like a dream. Everything felt totally on. Her band was perfect. The crowd was perfect. The man who could be hers for real stood stage left, watching her with a smile on his face.
How can this be happening to me?
Tana was living her fantasy life—and then some.
With the crowd cheering, she walked offstage and straight into Mick’s arms. He kissed her in front of all the crew getting ready to break down her band’s equipment and set up for the next act.
Mick led her back to his dressing room and shut the door with only them inside.
He took her guitar out of her hands and set it on a sofa. Then he pinned her to the back of the door and kissed her.
The energy in the room was electric—until a loud knock came just behind Tana’s head.
“You want me to blow you before the show, baby? I know you love that. You always say it makes you perform better.”
Tana was riding high as the words echoed through her mind.
Mick froze. “Baby—” he started to say to her.
Tana didn’t think. She just shouted through the door, “I got it, sweetheart. Move along. No woman’s blowing my man but me.”
Mick’s worried expression shifted to awe, and he took her mouth again. “Fucking love you, Tana. Fucking love you,” he said against her lips.
“I meant it.” She met his gaze as their lips parted.
“If we’re doing this for real, then you’re my man, Mick.
Mine. I ain’t sharing. You so much as think about touching another woman, and it’s over.
But if you can find it in yourself to commit to me—and only me—for the rest of your damn life, I will blow your mind on the regular, and you will thank your lucky stars at your good judgment. ”
Tana didn’t know where those words had come from either, but she meant every single one of them.
It’d been exactly three days, and they hadn’t even had sex yet. And she hadn’t even touched his dick. He would have to be crazy to agree, and yet he grinned.
“I’m all yours, sugar pie. Feel free to blow my mind whenever you want.”
A rush of energy charged through her. “How is this even real? I feel like I should wake up from this fantasy and realize it was all a dream.”
Mick stroked a lock of hair away from her face. “I’ve been living the dream for almost fifteen years. For lucky ones like us, it’s as real as it gets, and it just keeps going. All I was missing was you. Stick with me, sweetheart, and I’ll show you just how good life can be.”
She jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him for all she was worth. Mick kissed her back, and it was like their souls made a pact in that moment.
When he pulled back and squeezed her ass with his two big hands, he smiled at her.
“After Columbus, we got a few days off. You and I are going to my place outside Nashville. Rolling hills. No neighbors as far as the eye can see. And a big ol’ bed that I’ve never shared with anyone. I want you in that bed, Tana. I want you in my home.”
“Okay,” she said, and he kissed her again.
“Good. Now it’s for real, baby. Doesn’t matter what the gossip rags say or the press or anyone else. You and me. We’re doing this.”
She nodded. “Deal. You still want me to come out during your set?”
“Every show for the rest of my life, if I get my way.”
She felt her cheeks stretch as she smiled huge. “I like that, Mick. I think I’ll take you up on that.”
He winked at her. “Good. ’Cause I got plans for you, girl.”
Pittsburgh passed in a blur, and Tana felt like she was walking on clouds as she sang.
Then she spent the night tangled up with Mick.
He wouldn’t let her blow his mind yet either.
“We’re waiting until I get you home, girl. Told you, I got plans for you.”
When Mama called between her set and Mick’s in Columbus, Tana didn’t know what to say at first.
“Are you really dating that man, Tana? The supermarket is full of your pictures. I don’t know what to think.”
“Ronnie and I broke up, Mama. Mick … well, he helped me through it. And I … oh, Mama. He’s … just … incredible.”
“Be careful, sweetheart. He’s been around. He’s got miles under his belt that you can’t imagine.”
“I know, Mama, but he says I’m the marrying kind.”
“I’m sure he does, sweetheart. Because that’s exactly what you are. I just hope, for your sake, he means it. And if it is true, I hope he can be true too.”
“I know. Don’t worry about me, okay?”
“It’s all just happening so fast, Tana.”
“You said Daddy proposed on your third date. And you were married for thirty-nine years before …”
“God rest his soul, I know. Sometimes, it just happens like that.”
“That means it could happen like that for me, Mama.”
“I’ll tell you one thing, sweetheart. I ain’t sad you and Ronnie broke up. That boy wasn’t right for you. I never wanted to say it, but you should know that I felt it from the beginning.”
“Mama! Really?”
“Never trusted that boy to take care of you. And now he’s running around all over town with some floozy. Glad to hear it’s over once and for all.”
“Good for him. I hope he finds a girl he wants to settle down with one day.”
“And what about you? Is Mick Vines really someone you could settle down with?”
Tana paused. “I don’t know if you could really call it settling down with Mick. It feels like being with him is the beginning of the most fun I could ever have in my whole life.”
“Oh, honey. Isn’t that just the sweetest thing for a mama to hear?”
Someone knocked on her door. “Tana, Mick goes on in five. He’s asking for you.”
“I gotta go, Mama. I’ll call you later this week, okay?”
“Love you, baby.”
“Love you too.”
She hung up the phone and opened her door.
“Right this way, Tana,” the roadie said.
He led her down to Mick’s dressing room and knocked. “Got her, Mick.”
“Come on in,” he called.
She opened the door to find him alone. “Hey there, handsome.”
“Come here and give me some sugar. I want the taste of you on my lips before I hit the stage.”
Tana crossed to the couch where he sat and climbed into his lap.
His lips descended on hers, and Tana knew she was right.
This is worth it.
No matter how fast it was going, she wasn’t getting off this ride.
“Mick,” she started.
“Yeah, baby?”
“I’m falling in love with you.”
He smiled against her lips. “ ’Bout time you caught up.”
His kiss deepened until she wished they had much longer than three minutes or so.
“Fuck, I can’t wait to get you home. Tomorrow, baby, you’re all mine.”
“I already am.”
“Damn right you are. You wanna make it official?”
She pulled back to meet his beautiful baby blues. “What do you mean?”
“Come out onstage with me, and I’ll show you.”
Tana’s heartbeat stuttered. “You’d better get out there.”
She started to climb off his lap, but he held her in place and kissed her hard one more time.
“Be ready after the third song. You will never regret this. I promise.”
“Are you gonna—”
“Mick,” Jimmy said through the door as he knocked. “Go time, buddy.”
“On my way.”
He kissed her again and helped her stand.
“After the third song,” he said again.
And then he was gone.