Page 9 of Hero on the Road
But then he’d looked at me and agreed.
We still hadn’t talked about why he’d agreed or how either of us felt about it, but I’d thought he was just as hesitant as I had been. Sure, we were good together on stage and that was where Atomic had seen us first, but there was also a world of complication in our relationship. It was going to make it awfully hard for us to spend time with one another, let alone get on the road by ourselves and survive.
But he hadn’t said one thing about that, and seemed...
Excited. That was it. He seemed excited to be writing with me and singing, and about the tour. Maybe he wasn’t as hesitant about the whole thing as I was. Which was great, really. But it didn’t change anything in my head. I wanted my contract, and I wanted it to be a solo contract. I was going to do everything I could to make sure that happened. Play my butt off on this tour and make sure it was a huge success.
Then I was going to come home and demand that Atomic give me the respect I deserved. I wanted to be on my own and I had the catalogue to prove that I could do it. I didn’t need a partner, and I didn’t want one.
I hoped Connor would be on board with that. Because I didn’t want to hurt him again. This situation was already like cramming for the biggest test of my life. With the guy who must think I’d used him and then ditched him.
I glanced up and saw him watching me still, his eyes very serious, and I took a minute to try to collect myself. I couldn’t believe I was in this situation, or that he’d said yes to the whole scheme. But that blue gaze on me now reminded me of the way he’d been looking at me when he said yes, probably because he could see how much I needed him to, and...
Well, the memory did something to me. There was no use denying it, no matter how much I didn’t like it. Something deep inside me had started beating again when I saw him, and when he said he’d do the tour. Something I hadn’t felt since the last time I saw him.
But I’d have to be an idiot to make that mistake again.
I was going to go through this and be a professional. Get it done with all business and no emotion. We both needed this to go right for our careers, and I’d get it done. Period.
Even if seeing him again was breaking me in ways I never knew I could be broken.
CHAPTER6
Connor
God, she was beautiful.
I watched her singing her heart out, her eyes closed and her face turned toward the ceiling as her fingers danced along the strings of her guitar, and tried very, very hard to remember that I was supposed to hate her. The last time I saw this girl, she’d been…
Well, I hadn’t even seen her. She’d walked out on me before I could wake up to lay eyes on her. By rights, I should have been furious. And I was. Don’t get me wrong. I was hurt and betrayed and kicking myself because I should have known better. And I’d maintained that feeling for months, now, from December all the way through to June.
Watching her sing was doing something to my insides, though, and that anger was getting further and further away the longer I was around her.
I was a pushover. A pretty face and an amazing voice and I was melting into a stupid puddle of stupid emotions like this girl had never hurt me or something.
“Stupid,” I hissed at myself.
The music stopped so suddenly that it was like I’d hit a wall of silence and Olivia’s eyes popped open—catching me staring at her. Of course.
“Did you say something?” she asked. “Is something wrong? Does that song not work? Because when I was writing it I thought it was maybe too… something.”
“It’s perfect,” I said too quickly, so horrified at being caught staring at her that I was willing to say whatever came to mind to make her forget that she’d caught me doing it. Not that I was lying. The songwasperfect. Olivia Johns had a way of putting her entire heart into her lyrics and then forcing the music to match the words so perfectly that you could swear she was some sort of magician. I’d never heard music like hers. It crept into your chest, wrapped its fingers around your heart, and squeezed so hard you wanted to cry.
I mean I hated that she was so good. Obviously I did. I was jealous as hell. Though I’d also definitely taken advantage of how talented she was during one memorable situation in December.
Right now, she was using all of that talent to frown at me. Or try to see right through me. Maybe both.
“The song’s perfect,” I said again. “I don’t think it’s too anything.”
The frown melted away and she gave me a shy smile. “Really? Because it’s new and I haven’t played it for anyone else yet, so no one else has been able to give me a read on it.”
Now it was my turn to be pleased. “You haven’t played that for anyone else and you were just playing it for me without any warning? Like it was no big deal?”
A flush covered her fair, freckled cheeks. “Sure. I mean we’re going to be partners for the next month, right? So I figure…” Her eyes met mine, big and nervous and looking just as vulnerable as they had in the meeting when the execs had told me I had to go on tour with her.
“You figure it makes sense for me to hear it first?” I supplied. “Or maybe…” I grinned, feeling cocky. “Maybe youwantedme to hear it first. Maybe my opinion means more to you than you want to admit.”
She stuck her tongue out at me and followed that up with a truly horrendous face. “Don’t flatter yourself, Connor. I need to practice it. You just happen to be in the room while I’m doing that.”
