Bear Treble (Highland Brothers 4) by Meredith Clarke, Ally Summers Page B

would be a tough distraction, but she’d take anything she could get to stop feeling like she had left her soul with Dylan Highland.

21

Dylan
    H is eyes were blurry and red. He had written the song, eager to put down on paper how he was feeling. He called Billy, but explained he would drive song number six personally to the studio. It was the only piece of leverage he had. It was probably the only way he could see Layla.
    She wouldn’t answer his calls and he knew Hal or someone else from security would keep an eye on her apartment. With her level of fame, she was almost impossible to contact. The studio was his only way in.
    He tried to sleep, but as his head hit the pillow the only thing he could see was Layla. Her beautiful green eyes gleaming at him while she laughed. He sat straight up, knowing it was pointless to spend another minute here while she was in Seattle.
    Billy had said they would book the studio for twelve, but he couldn’t wait. He jumped behind the wheel, his guitar and a stack of music in the front seat.
    When he arrived in the city, he parked in front of the studio. He leaned his seat back and folded his arms across his chest. He let his eyes close for a minute. In a few hours the sun would rise, and Layla would be headed for the studio.
    This was the only way.

22

Layla
    S he pulled the headphones on her ears. “Sounds good,” she called to the sound booth.
    Ever since she had arrived at the studio, she had felt ravenous. She had sent the errand girl out to bring in an early lunch. She pushed back the gnawing reminders that these were the same signs as pregnancy. First the wine, now the appetite. Her stomach rolled.
    “Ready, Layla?” Billy asked from inside the control room.
    She gave him a thumbs up. It wasn’t going to be easy to sing Crave , but it was going to be the first single off the album. She waited to hear the music before she launched into the song.
    The group in front of her was speechless when she finished. “Another take?” she asked.
    Billy stared in disbelief. “That’s your first single. It has to be.”
    She nodded. “I know.”
    “Holy shit that was good.” The producer sat in his chair. “He’s a fucking genius.”
    She waited while they queued up the song for her background vocals.
    But before the music started, she heard his voice in her ears. She looked up. What was he doing here?
    “Good to see you, Billy.” Dylan slapped the producer on the back.
    “Dylan, we never see you in the studio. Nice surprise. I was glad you called. Want to go grab a beer afterward?”
    She was frozen in place behind the microphone. Her boots wouldn’t move if she wanted them to. He was here. Dylan was on the other side of the glass, and he was staring at her.
    “Break,” she stammered into the mic.
    “But we just started,” Billy complained.
    “I said, break,” she repeated. “Out. Get out.”
    The studio emptied out and the only person left was Dylan.
    He held up a piece of sheet music. “I brought you song number six.”
    She held her breath, not sure if she could resume a normal breathing process as long as he was this close. The recording room door opened and he walked in.
    Layla pulled the headphones from her ears.
    “You left without saying goodbye.”
    “You threw me out,” she spit out through gritted teeth. She pushed back a loose curl that had sprung out from the headphones.
    “I didn’t throw you—ok, ok. Let me start over.” He placed the sheet music on the stand in front of her. “Sing this.”
    She shot him a death stare. “You expect me to sing?”
    “Just sing it.” He picked up his guitar, and began to strum.
    She wanted to be mad at him. She was livid. She was embarrassed and hurt. Somewhere deep under her skin she was mortified. This man had her like no other man and yet he managed to let her walk away. She didn’t feel like singing, yet with him so near part of her had forgotten the humiliation and was almost giddy from seeing him. She