Page 16 of Protecting Her

“What? Why? After all of this?” His head turned to look down at me where I had my head on his chest. “It’s not my usual style, I have to admit, but you’re different, Ember. You’re just…”

I swear his cheeks turned red, but that might have been from our previous exertion. He looked away for a moment and then turned back to me. “You’re something special, Ember. Maybe one day you’ll realize that. You’ve only ever needed someone to believe in you, and well, I’m happy to be that person for you now.”

“Thank you.” What else could I say? It was my turn to look away, even though that didn’t stop the flush of pleasure that burned through me. Now, I was the one doing the blushing.

“Come on, let’s shower and then go out. I want to show you Nashville, take you to dinner, and talk about the future with you.” He pulled me tight for a moment before he dropped a kiss on the top of my head. “I want to just be with you, if that’s okay?”

“That’s well.” I couldn’t think of what to say; I was too pleased to say much of anything, really. “That’s fine.”

We managed to get through a shower without too much distraction, although he did back me against the wall to kiss me senseless at one point before he ducked my head under the showerhead to wash my hair. I could only laugh and let him have his way. After we dried off and dressed, he realized I still had on the clothes I’d worn in London.

“You haven’t got more clothes yet?” he asked, and I looked down at the floor.

“I didn’t have any money to get new ones.” I thought about the money in the envelope. “I got the money in the envelope, but I didn’t know what it was for, and didn’t want to spend too much of it.”

“You’re a smart girl, Ember.” His narrowed eyes looked at me for a moment before he grinned. “Alright, let’s get you some clothes first then. That was your advance by the way.”

“Ah, right, you did say.” I smiled, put my arm in his, and followed him out of the door.

He then took me to several shops where we bought outfits he called my stage costumes, and I could only gape at him. Long dramatic dresses fit for a rockabilly queen, black leather pants and colorful silk tops, boots, and other things I couldn’t imagine wearing, but he said it would be important as I created a style. I protested the cost of all of the clothes, but he said they’d go on the company account as part of my contract. Then he bought me clothes to wear every day. It was a small fortune, but he wouldn’t let me say no.

The trunk of the very expensive white car he’d driven us around in was full by the time we headed to a restaurant to eat. I couldn’t believe it was all for me; he’d even found some costume jewelry for me to wear. That sensation of being asleep while awake came back, and I went quiet while I waited for reality to set in.

“You deserve this, Ember, you know that don’t you?” His hand came to cover mine across the table the waiter had brought us to.

“I don’t know, Kevin. Is this all a really long dream? Am I in a coma somewhere? This isn’t how my life is supposed to be.” I hadn’t told him a whole lot about my past, but I was sure I’d given enough away by now for him to know what my life had been like before I met him.

“It’s real, Ember. Every second of it is real. Fate decided I needed to meet you and give you this chance. Why do you think you don’t deserve it?” His green eyes were confused, but I could see amusement there too. It pleased him that I was so shocked still. That didn’t bother me. Sometimes people took great delight in helping others, and Kevin had done far more than that. He’d given me a whole new life.

“So what’s this contract about?” I lifted brown eyes to his and held my breath as he ticked off the main points of the contract.

“For now, it’s only for a season, but if you want to continue with us, we’ll extend it to a year. This is your pay for that time period.” He wrote down a number on a napkin that made my eyes water. “And, of course, your expenses will be covered: new strings for your guitar, travel costs if you go to one of our other hotels, and food will be the kinds of things we’ll cover for you.”

He listed off more things, and I knew this couldn’t be normal. He had taken a special interest in me and my career. I couldn’t say no, I had to admit. This was the chance of a lifetime.

“And no, you are not obligated to have sex with me ever again. Although, I would like to take you to the back of this restaurant and find a nice, quiet spot to fuck you in.” Those last words were spoken low, and I had to lean in to hear them.

I grinned, and my eyes went wide with shock as his words had an effect on me. “Right here?”

I’d whispered the words, but he heard me. “Oh yes, right here, Ember.”

“But there’s so many people…” I looked around and felt the flush start to rise in my chest to my cheeks. “Wouldn’t they hear us?”

“Possibly, but it wouldn’t matter. For now, I can wait.” His eyes contained a heat I knew he wanted to unleash, but he held it back. “I can’t promise that will be true by the time we’re finished with our meals.”

I looked down at the place where our hands met and smiled. This man had given me an entirely new world in so many ways. Now he wanted to show how much he wanted me. No man had ever done that. I’d been a tool to the first man who had me; now, I had one who wanted to give to me and not use. The world was my oyster at that moment, and Kevin had given all of that to me. Somewhere in my chest, a lock I hadn’t realized was on my heart turned and began to open.

Ember

I went over the list of songs I had planned for my first night on the stage and took a deep breath. I’d had a week to rehearse, to work with the band the hotel had hired for me, and now it was only hours away. The breath calmed me down, and I felt my confidence rise.

In my normal life I was a very quiet person. I tended to stay in the background so I wouldn’t be noticed. That had worked to keep me out of trouble and out of the spotlight, most of the time. That suited me. I wasn’t an overly confident person, except for those moments when I held my guitar. I knew I could tell a story, that I could evoke emotions in my audience, not just within myself, and that really boosted me.

The people who managed the bar had asked if I planned to do covers or if I had my own music. I’d told them I’d play my own music, and they’d asked to hear it. Kevin sat in the audience as I played the songs he and I had chosen. I’d played them for him one day in the apartment assigned to me by the hotel. The managers had chosen the songs they liked the best, and I’d worked with the band to add drums, a fiddle, and another guitar.

I’d never had a band before, I hadn’t been brave enough to approach other people to ask if they would play with me, but the people in the band seemed to get my sound and quickly came up with music to accompany me with. Now, it was the big day, and I was a little nervous.

My palms were sweaty, and I kept wiping them on the black leather pants I had on. Paired with an elbow-length top that Jackson Pollack would adore, with splotches of every color in the rainbow on a white background, I looked the part. My hair was in its naturally curly state, and a makeup artist had taught me how to apply stage makeup. I was as ready as I could be.