Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Raelyn
The smell of coffee pulls me out of my sleep, and I stretch while looking around. I’m in bed alone.
Getting up, I see Holt’s discarded shirt on the ground. I smile as I throw it on, inhaling his scent.
I make my way to the bathroom to freshen up. Looking at myself in the mirror, I blow out a breath. My hair is a tangled mess, and my makeup is smeared. I can’t help but smile, though, this isn’t the first time he’s seen me in this state. I wash my face, comb through my hair, and brush my teeth.
When I enter the kitchen, I see him talking on the phone, sipping on his coffee. His hair is wet from a fresh shower, his chest is bare and the only thing he wears is a pair of boxers.
Any woman would be jealous of my view right now. His smooth, olive skin stretches across his abs and my eyes travel to his sleeve of tattoos—such a turn on. He looks like sex on a stick.
He ends the phone call, breaking my trance. “You like what you see?” he asks, amusement dancing in his eyes.
I smirk. “I do. I was actually just thinking you look like sex on a stick.”
He starts laughing. “I don’t think I’ve heard that one before.”
“You are the whole package, Holt Hayes.” I wink.
“How’s my girl feeling this morning?” he asks.
I arch an eyebrow, leaning on the counter. “Are you referring to me or my vagina? If you’re referring to her, she feels thoroughly used.”
“Have I mentioned I love that mouth of yours?”
“Maybe a time or two,” I say, making my way to the coffee pot in the kitchen.
He closes the distance between us, wrapping his arms around my waist. “I want to talk about us this morning.”
“Us?” I question, as I pour myself a cup.
He releases me, handing me some creamer. “Yes, I told you I wasn’t letting you walk away again.”
I look up at him, instantly intrigued by what is coming next. “I’m listening.”
“I want you to come on the road with me until we finish our tour. I want to have you with me.”
Butterflies fill my stomach, but reality sets in. “I can’t do that.”
He pulls his eyebrows together. “Why not?”
I shake my head. “As much as I would love to do that, I can’t. I have work, Holt. I can’t just leave my job without notice. I have patients and co-workers who rely on me.”
“I’ll pay your bills so you don’t have to worry about work,” he says.
“As appealing as that sounds, we’re new. You said it yourself; this is your first go at a relationship. What if you get tired of me after a week?”
He shakes his head, but he knows I’m right.
I continue. “What happens then? Where would that leave me?”
He studies me silently for a minute, then his eyes scrunch together in determination. “It took me months to find you, and I’m not letting you go this time.”
“I’m not saying I don’t want this, because I do. I just can’t ditch my life without any notice,” I say, honestly.
Why do I have to be responsible right now? The man of my dreams is asking me to come away with him, and I’m worried about work? Adulting is some shit sometimes.
I can tell he’s trying to figure out another route to change my mind, and after a few minutes, he breaks his silence.
“What if I fly you out to where we’re performing on Friday after work? Would you stay the weekend with me?” he asks.
I nod, pleased with our agreement. “Yes, I can handle that.”
He pulls me against him. “Good, because I wasn’t taking no for an answer. We’re leaving this afternoon to head back to Nashville for the week. Our next show is in Texas.”
“Can we grab lunch before you have to leave?” I ask, hopefully.
“Of course. We have a while, but I was banking on spending today in bed with you,” he drawls with a sexy grin.
I laugh. “You had me in your bed all night. I need some food, so get dressed. I’m taking you to one of my favorite places. We just need to swing by my place, so I can get a shower and change of clothes.”
A mischievous smile appears on his lips. “As long as you let me shower with you. I promise to help clean you up after I get you dirty.”
I bite my lip. “You do drive a hard bargain, Holt Hayes. Let’s go.”
An hour later, I stare at myself in the mirror after trying on a third outfit. I don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard, but I don’t want to look like a complete slob either.
I opt for a pair of cutoff blue jean shorts with my favorite fitted, white, cropped tank top. My makeup is on the natural, subtle side. I throw on my go-to gold hoops while grabbing my sunglasses as I leave my room.
Walking out, I see Holt leaning close to a picture along the wall.
I smile. “I’m a big picture person, if you can’t tell. Memories are everything. I always want to be able to look back and remember the moment.”
He smiles in return. “I remember you saying you had a thing for photography. I’m enjoying seeing you in all of these. You look like your mom,” he points out.
My smile deepens. “I get that a lot. My mom is beautiful, so I always take pride in that compliment.”
He points to another photo. “Your girlfriend group seems entertaining.”
I laugh. “You probably couldn’t have worded that any better. There’s never a dull moment with my girls. They’re also big fans of yours. They surprised me with the ticket to your show for my birthday.”
He looks up from the picture surprised. “I owe them one.”
“Oh, don’t worry, they’re already expecting VIP tickets as a form of thanks.”
A smug expression sits on his face. “I happen to know some people, so I think I can swing that.”
We pull into the sand parking lot of the Yacht Club as I point out the building. “This place is a local favorite. There’s a lot of history in these walls. Our girls’ nights are tradition here.”
He places a ball cap on his head. “The history sounds intriguing.”
We exit the car and make our way across the parking lot. It’s a beautiful day, and I feel as if my mood matches the weather. The sky is clear and blue as a group of seagulls fly over, while the sun warms my shoulders as we walk.
I head outside to find us a picnic table in the sand. The atmosphere of this place is everything. There’s a guy singing on a small makeshift stage by the bay’s water, people are docking boats on the bank and hanging out in the water.
I watch him scan the area. “Good choice. I can see why this is a local favorite.”
I grin at his makeshift disguise. A baseball cap pulled down low with dark sunglasses.
A young waitress comes over. “Y’all ready to place a drink order?”
I nod. “We’ll take two bull-blasters, and an order of the crowd favorite: Greek nachos.” I turn to Holt. “Trust me.”
Once our drinks and food arrive, I anxiously watch him take a sip of his drink, and then a bite of the nachos.
He gives me a reassuring nod. “I’m impressed. You know I’m a whiskey guy, but this drink is pretty good, maybe a tad too sweet for me, though. Now those nachos are damn good.”
Pleased, I grab a nacho and pop it in my mouth.
“So, tell me about the ex-boyfriend drama you didn’t elaborate on the night we met. Was it serious?”
“Diving right into the deep stuff, huh?” I ask, while taking a sip of my drink. “I was in a serious relationship until about five months ago. His name is Jace; we were together for about three years.”
I see him straighten up as he listens intently. “What happened?”
“He works in Louisiana two weeks out of each month. I guess somewhere along the way, he decided to try a double life.”
His forehead creases. “A double life? How’d you figure it out?”
I blow out a breath. “I’m sure his plan was for me to never find out, but karma bit him in the ass on that one. The woman he was seeing messaged me one night from his phone.”
“So she knew about you,” he says.
I nod. “Exactly. I had sent a goodnight message, and the response was a few pictures of them naked in bed. He was supposed to be on a call out fixing something at a site, so I wasn’t even prepared for a response until later.”
I see a flash of anger in his eyes. “That sorry son of a bitch.”
“He was asleep and had no clue the damage that was done. She told me he was hers, and he was planning on leaving me. She even went as far as to say that he only loved her. My guess is she got tired of waiting on him to follow through with his promises and decided to take it into her own hands and do the dirty work herself.”
He shakes his head taking it in.
I shrug. “Once I saw the pictures, I was done. It was like he died to me that night. Sure, I was hurt and upset, but there was no going back after that. I felt like I didn’t even know who he was anymore. What else could he be hiding? He’d worked out there for a few years. I texted back and told her she could have him.”
“Did he find out?” he asks.
“I assume she told him when he woke up because that morning, my phone started blowing up with calls and messages from him. He said he was sorry and attempted to plead his case saying it was a time of weakness and blamed it on whiskey. Said he was blackout drunk and didn’t remember.”
“He’s a fool,” he states.
I take a sip of my drink. “From the messages she sent, it wasn’t a one-time thing. She said they were in love. He never loved me if he could play me like that. I never found out the specifics, but I knew he was still lying and hiding things from me. Honestly, I didn’t even care to know. I just shut him out.”
Holt seems to be lost in thought for a moment. “Have you seen him since?”
“He showed up unannounced at my door not long after our Nashville trip to beg me back again. I didn’t feel anything for him while looking at him, though. I think we loved each other but weren’t in love, if that makes sense. We just fell into a comfort zone. After I experienced a night with you, it didn’t compare. I realized I never felt for him what I feel with you when you touch me. It’s like you set my skin on fire. Our connection is so intense.”
A grin tugs at his lips. “That’s how I felt the first time we touched. I’ve never felt that connection with anyone but you.”
I tuck a loose piece of hair behind my ear. “It’s exhilarating, and terrifying at the same time. You came into my life like a wrecking ball, Holt Hayes.” I look up to see a smile plastered on his face. “I told him that there was nothing left for us. I had moved on and wanted him to do the same. He finally agreed to accept that and told me I deserved happiness, even if it wasn’t with him. Then he walked away.”
He shakes his head. “He’ll regret that mistake for the rest of his life, I promise you. It’s selfish of me to say, but I’m glad he gave me the opportunity to have a chance with you. I promise to never take you for granted the way he did. I only want to make you happy.” He grabs my hand across the table. “I promise to give you the world, if you let me.”
Leaning over the table, I kiss his lips. This beautiful man has me sinking fast.
I’m sad to see our day coming to an end as the afternoon sun starts to set. The ocean is calm, waves gently crash into the shore from passing boats. The sand is warm against the soles of my feet as we sit on a towel listening to the live music. Today has been a good day. No, it’s been a great day.
He holds up his phone. “Lean in, I want a picture of us. I need something to keep me grounded until I see you again.”
I take the phone from him snapping multiple shots of us smiling, laughing, and even kissing.
He frowns while looking at the time. “I don’t want this day to end, but I have a bus to catch soon.”
I lean my head on his shoulder. “I know, but I’ll see you soon.”
“Not soon enough,” he replies, pulling me to him.
I close my eyes, melting into the warmth of his embrace.
We dust off the sand, and walk hand in hand back to my car, as the pink and orange glow from the sunset covers the sky.
On the drive back to his tour bus, I reflect back on when we first met.
A smile touches my lips. “You know, you really were downplaying yourself about being good with music.”
“Oh, so you enjoy my music now?” he asks, with a smirk.
“Matter of fact, I do. I don’t want you to get a big head, but you might be my new favorite country artist.”
“I better be."
The car comes to a halt outside the bus.
Holt gets out and walks around to my door. Pulling it open, he pulls me out into his arms. “I need your touch one last time.” He hugs me tight, giving me a kiss that leaves me breathless.
My heart pulls. “Be careful,” I whisper against his lips.
“Always. You be careful,” he replies, squeezing my bottom. “Now get your sexy ass in that car because I’m having a real hard time letting you go right now.”
I give him one last kiss and get back in my car.
My smile deepens as I look at him. “See you soon, my music man."
I blow him a kiss as I pull away. Looking into my rearview mirror, I see him still standing there watching me leave.
“Holt Hayes,” I say to myself, grinning.