Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
The most terrible thing, Juliet learned the following evening, was that Darcy did impress her.
It was the strongest feeling she was left with the following afternoon, as she listened – again – to the final version of “Porchlight.”
They’d spent two hours on Darcy’s balcony last night going over three different variations of “Porchlight” that they’d agreed to try out today in the studio.
She’d already known that Darcy was a talented singer. But now Juliet had to admit it: the way Darcy experienced music, the way she could put together arrangements, was really fucking amazing.
When she closed her eyes, though, listening to their duet… it gave her that feeling inside. The one that burned through her veins, settling in her core, smoldering there.
They’d broken up the verses and made some small – approved – changes to a few of the lyrics to frame the story of “Porchlight” into the points of view of both women, who were both being wronged by the same party. And it was good.
No, it was better than good.
They sounded… perfect. So very different from Shelby’s version, but not inferior. At least, not to her ear.
The way her own softer voice melded into Darcy’s throatier, more powerful tone at the end of the bridge – Juliet had fucking goosebumps.
She couldn’t stand it. And she was utterly enthralled by it.
Very much the way she felt about Darcy herself, as Robbie loved to point out.
“I think we really did something here,” Darcy’s voice came from just over her shoulder, startling her.
Juliet spun around, her heart beating faster, at Darcy’s reappearance from the bathroom. And, apparently, had decided to walk right up behind Juliet, so now they were only a few inches apart.
One of the only concessions Juliet hadn’t made was agreeing to share a booth with Darcy. They didn’t need to be so damn close to one another while they sang, she was sure about that.
Darcy’s full lips were curved up in an infuriatingly attractive smug smile. “Admit it.”
“Admit that you should wear some sort of bell to warn me of your arrival?”
The smirk didn’t fade at all as Darcy goaded in a sing-song tone, “Come on, Juliet.”
The way they were standing, the lack of personal space between them, mirrored their stand-off in the booths yesterday, but without the anger. No, this time they were just… close.
“Will you put your final stamp of approval on it?” Darcy’s exasperation rang through. “Because I think we sound amazing together.” There was a slightly breathless quality, like she was mystified by what they’d done here today.
Juliet understood it, because she felt it, too.
“I don’t know, maybe this was the perfect song for us. Maybe the label chose ‘Porchlight’ and chose us to duet because they knew the energy we’d bring fit the song. But… I think it really works,” Darcy pressed, her eyes bright and excited.
She got that way, Juliet had noticed both last night and this afternoon. Darcy took on this energy when they were passing ideas back and forth, when they weren’t at each other’s necks. And she was loath to admit, but it was a little contagious.
“Tell me that you hear it, too,” Darcy insisted. She didn’t ask, she told in a way that edged right into Juliet and took hold of her.
She folded her arms over her chest, also feeling that energy course through her. “What makes you think I don’t?” She asked, challengingly, rather than directly answer.
Mostly because, in this moment, she could see in her mind’s eye the way Darcy’s eyes would spark at it. The way Darcy looked in interviews when Juliet tested her, and she wanted to see it live, in-person.
That want drove her even further, and she dropped her hands back behind her, bracing on the flat part of the control panel so she could lean back and angle herself properly up at Darcy.
Daring her to give in to the bait on Juliet’s hook.
“Haven’t you had enough people telling you how talented you are in the last year? You need me to add to it?”
There it was, that flash over Darcy’s face. Not insult – because Juliet wasn’t insulting her – but rising to the occasion.
She saw it in the way Darcy set her sharp jaw, even before she leaned in. Almost like she was looming over Juliet given the few inches she had on her, but… it wasn’t intimidating. She simply took up space. Like she couldn’t give Juliet her own air to breathe, not until Juliet gave in.
Juliet’s breath caught in her throat at her proximity, subconsciously licking her lips.
“In this specific instance, yes,” Darcy affirmed, her voice low and firm. “If you hate all of my other music, that’s your prerogative. But for this, I need you to tell me. Because what I’m hearing right now is incredible.”
Her comment aligned with the climax of the bridge playing in the background in the air between them, and Juliet shivered at the sound.
“Okay. Since you need it…” She trailed off, pointedly, arching Darcy a look.
If she would give in to complimenting Darcy, she was going to let her know she was only doing it because Darcy essentially begged for it, first. “You were right. We took ‘Porchlight’ and gave it a new twist that I think sounds really fucking good. Now, are you happy?”
Despite Juliet’s unyielding tone, the smile that bloomed on Darcy’s face was devastatingly sexy. The only word she could think to assign to it was utter satisfaction, complete with a rising flush on her cheeks and a bright gleam in her eyes.
So apparently Darcy felt the same mixing of passions – that thrum in the core of her body, mixing with the feeling of fulfillment when she struck gold with her music – as Juliet did.
She could see it in Darcy right now, and she knew the way her blood was thrumming through her veins, a little faster, a little hotter, was the same she felt while listening to their song.
Interesting.
So very interesting, but also not something Juliet should focus on. Not a rabbit hole she could let herself go down, not at all.
Not with Darcy Kincaid, that was damn certain.
She still wasn’t even sure she liked Darcy, in spite of the tentative truce they currently existed in.
Not that Juliet had to like a woman to have a sexual relationship with her; she’d gone down that path enough with other women in the industry she’d likely never want to have even a casual friendship with.
Her personal feelings didn’t need to be involved when it came to sex.
In fact, it was easier when those things were kept separate.
She had no reason to believe that Darcy was interested in women, also.
Throughout multiple points today, during their collaboration, she’d leaned in close to Juliet.
Their shoulders pressing together, ignoring polite personal space – just like she was right now.
But for all she knew, that was simply who Darcy was.
Operating in her own world, swept up by the music.
And Juliet would never – fucking ever – reveal her attraction to another woman in this industry, first. The best rule of protection was making sure the other women she slept with revealed their own… inclinations before she did.
But she wouldn’t lie to herself and say that it had been anything less than a raw titillation to all of her fucking senses, working so closely with Darcy for hours on end.
Juliet hadn’t slept with anyone in well over a year.
She’d been busy. Busy with her album, busy with promotion, now busy with her tour.
Even when she’d had time to decompress, she’d spent a lot of it in the art studio or volunteering at the hospital.
She’d love to have that as an excuse as to why being so close to Darcy needled at her so deeply.
But realistically, she could have had sex with a woman last night, and she’d still have been driven to distraction by Darcy all afternoon.
Physically, Darcy’s appeal was more than obvious. Juliet had been aware of her bone-deep attraction to Darcy from day one.
But when they’d both hit their stride in ‘Porchlight’ and had gotten into the harmonies they’d worked out, when she’d heard Darcy’s voice – finally in the same key, the right rhythm – as her own…
She’d felt it to the very core of her being. Echoing through her body, making her feel like she was vibrating on a different frequency.
Juliet didn’t collaborate this closely with anyone else. The only person she dueted with was Robbie, and that was different on every level. She wasn’t shocked by her reaction, but she did need to keep a firm grip on herself.
With that in mind, she pivoted away from Darcy.
Maybe, if Darcy wasn’t the woman she’d had fixated in her mind for months, she’d remain there, pinned between her and the control panel. Just to get another hit of this burning feeling inside of her.
But that wasn’t the case.
Clearing her throat, she walked over to where she’d left her large purse on the couch pressed against the back wall, tugging out the bottle of Chateau Cheval Blanc.
Turning, she presented it to Darcy. “As promised. Admittedly, it should be served slightly cooler than room temperature, but we’ll make do.”
“Yes, the insanely expensive wine.” Darcy wiped imaginary sweat from her brow. “I was going to throw a fit if you didn’t bring it. My favorite. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to stomach it if it’s not chilled to perfection.”
Juliet plastered a wide, fake apologetic smile to her lips. “Sorry, I didn’t have time to grab you a bottle of bottom shelf whiskey. Next time.”
She poured them both a glass, several of which she’d stashed on the shelf next to the couch earlier in the day in preparation. She had a feeling she might really need a glass of wine after being in the studio again with Darcy, and lo and behold…
Darcy crossed to where she was, accepting one of the glasses Juliet poured. Before she sipped, though, she held it up toward Juliet. “A toast to a successful song?”
Juliet’s fingers remained firm on the stem of her own glass. “We’ll see if it’s well done when the reviews come in.”