Page 56 of From the Embers
I struggled to reach all the keys with her sitting sideways across my lap. But I didn’t care if it sounded like a third-grade piano recital. There was no fucking way I was going to let her leave. After the final note, I wasn’t quite done, so I played straight into Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love to You” before shifting gears to a little Color Me Badd’s, “I Wanna Sex You Up.”
I nearly swallowed my tongue when Bree loosened up enough to get in on the action, singing the background ooo’s. And with her coming out of her shell, I couldn’t stop there. By the time I reached the first chorus of “Sex on Fire,” Bree was right there with me, laughing and dominating the mic.
There was a definite theme for my impromptu set that night, and as Bree stared back at me, a smile on her face and a fire in her eyes, I was hoping that energy would follow us home.
“Let’s get out of here,” I all but shouted into her ear as the final note faded into the chaos of the bar erupting into loud cheers.
She nodded enthusiastically. “You close our tab and I’ll order the Uber.”
“Deal.”
It seemed Bree and I were just the grease O’Key needed to get the ball rolling. As I stood at the bar waiting to get my credit card back from the bartender, a woman took over the stage singing a classic Whitney Houston tune.
An older, round bellied man sidled up beside me, saying something I couldn’t quite make out.
I cupped my hand to my ear. “Come again?”
He leaned in closer. “I said: What’s your name? You were great up there.”
“Ah, Eason Maxwell.” I grinned. “And thanks. Appreciate it.”
“You ever considered making music a career?”
I barked a loud laugh. “Once or twice.” Almost instinctually, I found Bree as she exited the hallway from the bathroom, her sexy hips swaying as she weaved through the maze of tables.
As it did so often, my body began to hum the closer she got. After everything we’d been through, everything we were still going through, how was it possible to be that damn happy? And most importantly, how the hell did I hold on to it? I didn’t have the best track record with the universe. But then again, it was Bree I’d carried out of the fire that night. Even knowing what I knew now, I still harbored an enormous amount of guilt for not being able to save Jessica and Rob. But one look at Bree and I felt like maybe someone had been looking out for me after all.
The older man interrupted my thoughts. “Listen, a friend of mine works at a studio. I’d love to get you two in contact.”
“Oh yeah?” I said, regrettably tearing my eyes off Bree. Everybody had a friend, aunt, uncle, or cousin six times removed in the music industry. The majority of them were small-timers who had studios in their guest room or dabbled in sound production or lighting. But I was in no position to turn down an opportunity.
The bartender slid my credit card in front of me and I signed the slip before retrieving my wallet. Trading my Visa for a business card, I handed it to the gentleman. “My agent’s info is on the back. Good to meet you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my—” I stopped and slanted my head. Girlfriend? Lady? Woman? What the hell did I call her? She was so fucking much more than all of that, but I didn’t feel like having a three-month-long conversation with the man to make him understand. “Date is waiting for me.”
He lifted the card between his fingers. “Really fine job tonight.”
I tipped my head and slid past him, locating Bree beside the front door.
“What was that all about?” she asked.
I gave the door a hard shove and then threw my arm around her shoulders as we walked out onto the sidewalk and into the steamy Georgian air. “Just weeding through all the offers to sign the incredible Bree Winters to a recording contract. Of course, I told him I’d have to discuss it with you, but I warned that if they couldn’t come up to a billion-dollar advance, it wasn’t even worth our time.”
She elbowed me in the side. “Hilarious.”
I dipped low and found her mouth for an all-too-brief kiss. “You were pretty incredible up there tonight.”
“I didn’t think karaoke would be my thing, but I had a really good time. Thanks for forcing me out of my comfort zone. I can see how you’d fall in love with being up on a stage like that.”
At the moment, it wasn’t the stage I was falling in love with. Though I wasn’t sure falling was the correct terminology. Looking back, I’d been in love with Bree before we’d even shared our first kiss.
