Chapter Twenty
Zoe
The woman lathers my hair and uses a handheld sprayer to rinse the suds away. Having someone wash my hair is almost as rewarding as having sex with Jace. It’s not that good, but I’m loving the spa treatment. Even though I’m a little anxious about what the future holds. Okay, I’m more than a little anxious.
As soon as we overcame the throws of ecstasy, the captain called for us to come to the boat and took us for a dolphin sighting excursion. It was amazing to see the graceful creatures jump out of the water while showing off for us.
Then, we’d landed at the dock to my mother whisking me away to a spa treatment and some girl time. Thankfully, she hasn’t asked how the snorkeling trip went because I don’t think I can keep from turning cherry red and giving something away.
My shoulders drop as the woman tilts my head sideways and focuses the spray on the underside of my scalp. The warm water, fresh, clean soap scent, and meditation music lull me into a semi-coma-induced haze. When you combine that with a recent orgasm, I’m putty in her hands.
She pumps the lever to raise me up, and towel dries my hair. “Ma’am, you just sit here and relax. I’m going to finish the woman ahead of you and then get to your cut and style.”
What happens next between us? I can’t ask. I’m too afraid of the answer. Last night, he told me the kiss was a mistake. Today? Today was the best sex I’ve ever experienced. I shiver. Was today a mistake? No. It wasn’t a mistake. At least, it wasn’t for me. I’ve wanted to have sex with him for too many years to feel like I shouldn’t have done it.
But even if he pays attention to me in private, he’s going to want us to remain a secret. He made that clear from the beginning. Does that make us a couple? Not hardly. And he lives in Vegas. I slump into my seat as all the good vibes from the day crash into exhaustion.
Now what? I worry the edge of the black smock with my fingertips. Would he move back? Pursue music again? It would be a dream come true.
“Isn’t this amazing?”
“What?” I blink and shift my focus to my mom. “Oh….” She stares with arched eyebrows. “Yes, it’s fabulous. The entire place is amazing.” I lean closer so that no one else can hear us. “Your boss would be a fool not to pursue this project. Everything from the accommodations to the marriage boot camp is top notch.” I glance over at the two hairdressers chatting with two other clients. “And the staff are professional and accommodating.”
“Wonderful.” She claps her hands. “I hoped you’d enjoy it as much as I am. It’s beautiful.” She licks her lips. “How was the snorkeling adventure?”
Heat rises along my chest, but I ignore it, hoping that she doesn’t notice. Or, at the very least, she attributes it to the island sun. “It was nice. I got to see several fish and some beautiful coral. And when the ship came back to pick us up, the captain took us to see the dolphins.”
“How nice.” Her eyes dance with interest as she leans forward. “I need to get out on the ocean and see that also. The playfulness of dolphins has always intrigued me.”
“They were on full display.” My elevated temperature begins to ease as we stay on a neutral topic that doesn’t induce heart palpitations. And damp bikini bottoms. Lord, my mind fills with visions of Jace piercing my sex. The way he filled me. The way we moved together. Our frantic race to climax. The hairs on my arms stand as I shiver.
My mom frowns. “Are you cold?”
“No.” I cough. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? You look like you’re coming down with a fever. Did you drink while you were out?”
“No.” I shake my head. “I wouldn’t do that. Not with Jace there.” It never even entered my head to drink the champagne the captain and his mates had left. It would’ve been disrespectful. I haven’t had a sip of alcohol since the first night when Jace said he was in recovery.
“That’s so sweet.” She reaches out and touches my arm. “I’m glad you understand how difficult it is for Jace to be around alcohol.”
“Of course.” I narrow my eyes and study her. “I’m not a child. I wouldn’t intentionally tempt anyone in that way. Let alone….” I trail off. That’s a double-edged sword. I did tempt him in an entirely different way, and I care about him more than anyone I’ve ever cared about. I clear my throat. “Family.”
“I didn’t mean it in that way.” She turns her attention to the ladies working in front of us. The seriousness of her expression makes my stomach cramp. What is she upset about? I’m not acting like a child. I’m being respectful. Seriously. There’s no winning with my parents. It doesn’t matter what I do; it’s not enough.
I wipe my hands on the smock, except it’s usually my dad and not my mom that looks at me with disapproval. I don’t think I can handle a second ‘you don’t live up to my expectations’ parent.
“It’s good to see you and Jace getting along.” She glances out of the corner of her eye. “You two are getting along, aren’t you?”
“Yes. We’ve buried the hatchet.”What else am I supposed to say? “We’ve had a couple of good conversations, and we’re trying to focus on the fun we used to have.”
“Why did the hostility begin? I remember how you two would laugh and joke when we had game nights. You’d win at everything if you were teamed up together.”
Blood thumps in my ears. How do I explain that I was jealous as fuck over his girlfriend? Even after they broke up, I still felt his obsession for her. Heard his preoccupation with her in the songs he wrote.
And when I finally thought he’d gotten over her, he’d blown me off and broken my heart. Yeah, I can’t say that. I don’t even think I could say that to Jace if he asked why I started acting like a jerk. “I don’t know.” I shrug. “I guess I was bitchy and hormonal one day and said something snarky, and he took offense.”
“I see.” She continues to study me but doesn’t press the subject.
I tap my fingertips on the chair arms. “Do you think Dad would represent Jace if he started singing again?”
“Jace?” The platinum-blonde woman glances over at us. “Jace Graham? Don’t tell me you’re talking about Jace Graham. One of my clients said she saw him at the resort the other night. She couldn’t stop gushing about him and going on about how….” She waggled her eyebrows. “How accommodating he was.”
Seriously? Accommodating? My nails dig into the leather. I’ll show him accommodating.
“She was upset she hadn’t run into him again.”
Good. I’d like to run into him. The asshole. He’s already fucked someone else at the resort. Maybe I don’t want him back in the business. Would he go back to drinking, drugs, and random fuck buddies? Maybe that’s all I am to him anyway. We’re at a resort. And we fucked. That’s it.
“He’s my brother-in-law.”
“You’re so lucky. We love his music here and hated that he disappeared from the scene.”
The sounds of Jace’s voice comes from the hairdresser’s phone. “Listen to these words. They’re so tortured and romantic.” She turns back to her current client and gushes about Jace’s voice. His songwriting. And his ass.
Although I hate hearing him sing about her, they’re right. He was good.
I turn to my mom. “It doesn’t make any sense. Why did Dad not pick him up?”
Her eyes are soft and sincere. “Your dad thought he was too much of a loose cannon and not good enough to ignore his reckless partying. But he was better than your dad gave him credit for.”
“He’s sober now. Dad must see that he’s not the same risk that he was in the past.” Not that the excuse of him being reckless is a decent excuse, anyway. What rock god isn’t a fucked-up partying mess?
I straighten my shoulders and inhale. He deserves his chance. Even if it pulls him away from me. He was that good, at least in my mind, and he deserves a second chance at happiness. “You can talk to Dad. He’ll listen to you.”
My mom laughs and spins her chair toward me. “You’ve lost your mind. Your dad and I don’t agree on anything. Hence the divorce.”
“Then he’ll listen to Landon.”
“Your father respects Landon, but he doesn’t believe in Jace.”
That’s bullshit. I drag my cell phone out of my pocket. “Then, I’ll talk to him. It’s my job to find talent, and it’s been almost four years, and people still want to hear his music.”
“Honey.” She grabs my arm. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why?”
“Wait until your dad gets here, and then you and Jace can talk to him in person. That gives you a couple more days to solidify your pitch.” She tilts her head. “You’re going to include him in this plea for backing, aren’t you?”
“Of course.” I drop my phone into my lap. “Good idea.” I smile. “I’ll wait until Dad gets here and surprise him. When Dad sees the changes that Jace has made, he’ll jump at the chance to represent him. I know it. And Jace…. I’ll get him on board, and we’ll be an impenetrable front.”
I wrinkle my nose as long as he’s not still pushing this dating thing between Ethan James and me. That’s not going to happen. I’m not dating anyone but Jace. He’ll restart his music career, my father’s objections will be moot, Mom and Landon will learn to accept us, and we’ll fall madly in love, get married, and have babies. It’ll be perfect.