Chapter 18 #2
“Uh… yes?” Darcy’s gaze searched hers, like she couldn’t fathom what she was missing, here. “Why wouldn’t I be? We’re going to be performing at the Grand Ole Opry. That’s, like, a dream come true.”
“We’re going to be performing together. One-on-one, on the stage, televised. And now, we’re fucking. Think you can keep that off of your honest, open face?”
She was only half-teasing. The other half was serious as a heart attack.
“Can you?” Darcy shot back. “I didn’t know you were gay when we recorded together at the studio, but when I think back about it… yeah, I can remember the way you were looking at me.”
Juliet felt the accusation all the way down to her toes. Her cheeks heated with it, hating that she knew it was true. She’d been so fucking into Darcy when they’d sang together. It was, for Juliet, the true beginning of the turning point.
“I’m a professional.” She sniffed, shaking her hair back. “I can handle you.”
“And I can handle you,” Darcy’s tone dipped, much like her eyes did down to Juliet’s mouth, both working in tandem to make Juliet’s heart beat a little faster.
The sound of vibration from somewhere on the floor broke into their moment, and she watched the dawning on Darcy’s face.
“My phone. Probably my sister,” she murmured, sliding out of the covers and getting out of bed as she walked to where her pants had been tossed to the floor last night.
Juliet reclined back, folding her hands over her stomach as she eyed Darcy with a very vested interest.
She could handle performing live with Darcy and not giving anything away. She was sure of it because she had to be. But… she’d certainly have to do some mental preparation.
Darcy didn’t answer the call, though, and instead quickly typed a message.
She glanced up at Juliet. “She doesn’t know I’m here.”
“I wasn’t going to inform her. Unlike some people, I know how to keep my mouth shut when someone else has a call,” she teased.
“Yeah, well, Laura apparently knew you had a whole plan for us, and my sister definitely doesn’t,” Darcy muttered back, as she returned to the bed.
Juliet’s ears perked up. “Your sister doesn’t know? About us or about you?”
That was utterly fascinating when she tried to slot it into place with honest-Darcy.
Whose face flushed. “About any of it,” she confirmed, quietly, after taking a beat. But she didn’t explain any more.
Juliet was a little galled at herself to realize she wanted to know.
Darcy cleared her throat, before she handed Juliet her phone. “If we’re going to keep doing this, we should maybe have one another’s numbers?”
“No, I love arranging our meet ups via locked backrooms and secret notes and shady alcoves.” She snatched Darcy’s phone from her.
“Um, well, when you say it like that, it’s actually really fun,” Darcy mused with a grin.
She did her best not to return that grin, and handed Darcy’s phone back to her after sending herself a text.
“Here. You’ll notice I didn’t put in my name.
” She reached out to cup Darcy’s jaw. Mostly because she simply wanted to, but also to make sure Darcy was looking at how serious she was.
“You pick what to save me as, but it cannot be Juliet Jacobs.”
She’d been around for far too many celebrity accounts being hacked, but she was now positive Darcy wouldn’t think about that.
Juliet felt very validated when she saw Darcy’s cheeks tinge pink even. But she didn’t pull away from the way Juliet held her chin.
“Deal,” Darcy agreed in a murmur. “Though, I don’t know who you think is going to be looking at my phone.”
“Na?ve,” Juliet whispered, teasingly, as she stroked her thumb over Darcy’s bottom lip. She deeply hoped Darcy didn’t have to leave right away, or else they’d wasted far too much time this morning naked in her bed.
“Oh, whatever.”
She smirked, reaching for her own phone to save Darcy’s number.
“Happy?” Darcy asked a moment later, holding her phone out for Juliet to look.
She was saved, simply, as J.J.
“I almost saved you as Robbie, so that if someone ever did see it, it could cause a real stir,” Darcy threatened/joked.
A laugh barked out of her throat, quickly followed by a groan. “That would be a true nightmare.”
“Well, what am I in your phone as?” Darcy asked, impatiently.
“So nosy,” she countered, reaching for some sort of exasperation that she didn’t really feel.
Even so, she held her phone up so Darcy could see.
A dark amusement slid through her at the way Darcy’s eyes widened. “Thief?! I’m in your phone as Thief?! What the hell have I ever stolen from you?”
“Best Country Album at the North American Music Awards, first of all.”
“Oh my god. Should I say you stole my award last night, then?”
Juliet ignored that, going for the heart of the issue: “And I’ve noticed that you didn’t bring my shirt back last night. Even though I know you have it here in L.A.”
Darcy was poised, ready to refute her. “You gave it to me; I didn’t take it!”
She shrugged. “If someone lent you a jacket on a cold night, would you keep it forever?”
“Maybe if it was someone I was having sex with.”
“Where’s this sex you’re mentioning?” Juliet struck, her voice dropping down an octave as she locked her phone and put it face-down on her bedside table. She brought her hands up, tugging her robe open a little bit more.
Darcy tossed her phone with enough strength that it actually fell from the bed and thumped to the floor. “I’ll earn that shirt from you here and now.”
“I’m counting on it.”