Page 18 of The Music of Love

“Cal!” I blurt out, aghast. “What are you—what are you doing? I’m not ready!”

“Ready for what?” He smiles like the absolute gorgeous prince that he is. He looks completely out of place in my grungy bathroom.

“For…whatever you have planned,” I stammer. “I assume you have something planned, right?”

Cal shrugs and moves closer. “Maybe I just wanted to come see you.”

“Well, you couldn’t have given me a bit of warning so I could have time to put my face on?”

Cal snatches me quickly by my waist and pulls me right up against his body. It feels so incredible being up against his strong, muscled frame. “Oh, be quiet, Reese. You don’t need makeup to look gorgeous. In fact, I like you just the way you are right now.”

This guy is good. His words cause my cheeks to go red, so in a way I’m kind of having blush applied to my face, just without a brush.

“Stop…” I mutter, hiding my face as it grows hotter.

“It’s the truth,” he chuckles, squeezing my butt with his strong hands. “You know what else is the truth?”

“What?” I ask.

“If your roommate Sarah wasn’t out there right now, I’d be pounding you right over this sink.”

I knew how badly I was falling for Cal after our date, after he had been inside me and taken me, butwow. Hearing him talk to me like this has me absolutely swooning. I’m even thinking about whether or not we’d be able to pull that off without Sarah figuring out what we were up to. Without hearing. We’ve been friends for a long time, but I don’t think I’m quite ready for her to listen in on what would only be my second time with Cal. My second timeever.

“You really know how to turn me on,” I whisper.

“Right back atcha, girl.” He grins.

“Hey, you two aren’t boning in there, are you!?” Sarah’s voice rings out, shattering the moment. We both sigh in unison.

“Can she read minds?” Cal asks with a chuckle.

“No!” I shout back. “We’re going to do that in your bed tonight when you’re at work!”

13

Reese

If it feltstrange riding in Cal’s incredible hotel-on-wheels last night on the way to the venue, it feels even stranger today just driving around town in a rental car in broad daylight, with him at the wheel. It’s like he’s just some regular guy, and we’re just some regular couple on our way to do some errands together.

After I got dressed, wearing one of the skirts Cal bought me along with a cute sleeveless blouse, Cal took me downstairs where he had parked out front and told me to come with him over to some random guy’s house he’d found online who was selling some old vintage guitar that I guess is super rare or awesome or something.

Cal’s so excited as we drive. He actually looks cute like a little boy. It’s quite the contrast to the image the world gets to see of the commanding, arrogant rockstar, dripping with swagger.

I feel so lucky. He truly trusts me to allow me to see this side of him. He’s really holding nothing back. I never would have guessed there was more to the man I’d seen on the Internet and TV, but I guess that will teach me to make assumptions about people.

“We’re here.” Cal smiles as we pull into the driveway of a small ranch-style house. “You can wait in the car if you want.”

“You think I’m afraid of some random dude?” I scoff. “Did you forget I work as a waitress, buddy? I deal with random dudes all the time.”

Cal smiles and leans in for a kiss, which I happily accept. “No, I did not forget. I guess it’s just my natural instinct to look out for you.”

I smile back, feeling all warm inside. “I like that.”

We hop out of the car and are greeted by a man who looks like he just got back from a music festival and is on his way to another one tonight. His jaw drops when he sees Cal. “Wow, I didn’t think it would actually be you.”

Cal shrugs and spreads his arms wide. “It’s me.”

“He’s a fan,” I whisper.

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