جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 20

Raelynn arrived at the studio just before noon. The space was tucked into a quieter stretch of Music Row—nothing flashy, just brick walls and blacked-out windows—but it had a certain kind of reverence about it. She could feel the sweetened touch of creativity inside, like the walls themselves remembered every note that had been recorded there. It was intimidating. And exciting. Inside, Brad Kingston stood behind the glass of the control booth, talking to a technician. His posture was relaxed, but the way he moved—ever so gallant, a self-assured air of masculinity in his carriage betrayed the weight he carried in the industry. A man used to being obeyed, listened to. Followed. Raelynn took a breath and stepped in. He noticed her immediately. "Hey. Right on time." She nodded, shifting the guitar case on her shoulder. "Didn’t want to keep the mogul waiting." Brad grinned. "Titles are overrated. Come on in." She followed him into the inner room where a few mics were set up and a warm

It took a knock on the door to separate them from tearing each other, a wave of embarrassment flushed over Raelynn’s face.“I’m sorry this is such a bad idea! I didn’t mean to kiss you..I..I just got overwhelmed with emotions” Raelynn tried to say.Still very much embarrassed with herself.She pulled away and left the booth before he could say anything else.Brad watched Raelynn go, the echo of their kiss still on his lips. He ran a hand through his hair, a faint, disbelieving smile on his face. He shouldn’t have done that. Not with her. Not with Savannah's daughter. It was reckless, unprofessional, and a conflict of interest in every possible way.And yet, it felt inevitable.From the first moment he had seen her in his office, Raelynn had been a storm. A tempest of talent, stubborn pride, and deep-seated hurt. He had seen it all in her demo, in the way she carried herself, in the defiance that flashed in her eyes.That fire in her, he was drawn to it.He knew he was playing a danger

Raelynn stood on the doormat outside Brad Kingston’s condo, her heart beating a frantic drum solo against her ribs. The elevator ride up had felt like a descent into the flames of hell. She took a deep breath, the scent of expensive perfume and nervous energy clinging to her, and rang the doorbell.The door opened, and there he was. Brad Kingston, in a simple black t-shirt and dark jeans, a smudge of flour on his cheek. He looked less like a music mogul and more like a man at home, which only served to make her feel more out of place."Raelynn," he said, his voice a low, warm rumble. "You're early."Raelynn’s stomach did a backflip. "I'm sorry, I must've mixed up the time. Mom said 7, so I…" She trailed off, pulling her phone from her purse to check the text message. Her heart sank. It was right there in black and white: "Dinner at 8:30, honey.""Fuckshit," she muttered under her breath, a hot wave of embarrassment washing over her. She had swapped the dinner time for her karaoke nigh

The week dragged on, each day a slow, agonizing slide into a pit of regret and confusion. Raelynn had become a ghost in her own life, avoiding her phone as if it were a bomb, refusing to answer her mother's calls, and ignoring the barrage of texts from Brad. She was hiding, and she knew it. She was running from a truth she couldn't outrun.On Friday afternoon, a hard, insistent knock on the apartment door jolted her from her stupor. Her heart leaped into her throat. She wondered who it was. The knock was too confident, too demanding. She hesitated, her hand hovering over the doorknob.The knock came again, louder this time. She took a deep breath, steeling herself, and opened the door.He stood there, a vision in all his infuriating, handsome glory. Brad Kingston, dressed in a simple white t-shirt and jeans, his silver-streaked hair a little disheveled, his eyes a turbulent sea of emotion. He didn't say a word. He just walked right in, as if he owned the place, and closed the door behi

It was a Sunday evening and the evening breez was choked with the scent of rain. Raelynn’s hands on the keys were fumbling in the lock, but Brad’s mouth on hers made it impossible to concentrate. Their kiss was a desperate, hungry thing, a week’s worth of frustration and longing pouring out in a single, fiery embrace. They stumbled inside his apartment, the door swinging shut behind them, their bodies pressed together as they fought to shed their clothes. The world outside, and all the reasons they shouldn't be doing this, had ceased to exist."Brad," Raelynn breathed, her hands fumbling with the buttons of his shirt. "Stop."But the word was a lie, a whisper of protest that her body was already betraying. She wanted him, and she knew he wanted her. The air was charged with a tension that was about to break.Just as Brad was about to pull her close, a small, clattering noise from the kitchen broke the spell. A sharp, echoing crash of ceramic against tile.They froze, a deer in the hea