nearly asleep. I didn't get her hair dry, but it'll have to do. I slide down, resting my head on the pillow, then pull Fee up on top of me. I realized very early on that she prefers to sleep on top of me, so instead of starting out with her sleeping beside me, I just put her where she belongs.
She sighs in contentment against my chest as she rests her head on one hand and puts the other one on my shoulder. I wrap an arm around her, running my fingertips up and down her spine, the other reaching up to rest against her hip. I love wrapping myself around her while she's wrapped herself around me. One day, one day soon, I am going to make Serafina Rosalie Manzini mine—completely and without reservation. Until then, this will have to do.
"Thank you for taking care of me," she whispers sleepily.
"I will always take care of you, Fee. Always."
She kisses my chin. "I know."
"Good," I answer, and then lie in the dark, listening as her breathing evens out and my woman is sleeping. Then, and only then, do I let myself relax.
I fucking love this woman and I want her to be mine. Patience, I remind myself. One day she'll be mine—one day soon.
Chapter Nine
Jesse
A year and a half into the past…
"Holy shit, your girl j ust won a fucking Oscar," Ethan announces.
I can't stop the grin on my face. Fuck it. They know what she is to me—even if I don't.
"That movie was kick ass," Ben tells me.
"Hell yeah it was," Kennedy agrees. "I've never seen someone act so intensely as she did in Linked In . She seems a hell of a lot older than twenty-two."
"I know, right?" I just watch as Lucy gives her acceptance speech in her flowing black gown. She looks like a dream all made up. Like Cinderella. Maybe one day I'll get lucky enough to be able to put that glass slipper back on her foot. Hell, I'd be happy to just be anywhere she is. To be able to talk to her again… it's been long enough.
I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees, my eyes glued to the TV.
"What's going on, brother?" Ben asks.
"I've waited long enough," I tell him.
"You going after her?" Xander asks.
I nod. "Yeah. Yeah I am. I just have to make sure she's single and find a way to make things happen."
"Timing is everything," Kennedy tells me, and I look over to where he's watching me intently.
"That it is."
"You sure she's ready for you?" Kennedy asks.
I turn back to the TV, where my girl is smiling a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes, and I get a feeling she's done a whole lot of living in the last five years—and not all of it easy.
I nod again. "She's lost."
Kennedy looks to the TV and studies Lucy as they talk to her backstage. "That light is dimming."
"Time to brighten her up, Jesse," Xander tells me seriously, somberly. "Whatever's been going on with that girl, she's not the same one that we watched when we were on tour a year ago."
"This life's a hard one and I can only imagine what hers has been like."
"Make it happen, man," Kennedy tells me. "We'll find a way."
I nod to him once and turn back to the TV. Lucy's off screen now and we're focused on the announcers.
She's so beautiful, my girl, but something's missing—whatever it is, I'm going to give it back to her.
Over the next ten months we're in the studio working on our next album. I see Lucy everywhere I go. Billboards, TV, movies—the only place I don't see her, is in person. It's frustrating, but the opportunity hasn't presented itself… until now.
We're at Nichols Records in the conference room and we're talking about the upcoming filming of our next video—the first off the new album.
"I'd like to get the video out before the album so we're going to have to get this thing going soon," Cage tells us.
"What do you have in mind?" Kennedy asks.
Cage goes over the storyboards and it looks pretty fucking kick ass.
"Who are the chicks going to be?" Xander says with a grin and a gleam in his eye.
"Xander, keep it in your pants, at least until the
She sighs in contentment against my chest as she rests her head on one hand and puts the other one on my shoulder. I wrap an arm around her, running my fingertips up and down her spine, the other reaching up to rest against her hip. I love wrapping myself around her while she's wrapped herself around me. One day, one day soon, I am going to make Serafina Rosalie Manzini mine—completely and without reservation. Until then, this will have to do.
"Thank you for taking care of me," she whispers sleepily.
"I will always take care of you, Fee. Always."
She kisses my chin. "I know."
"Good," I answer, and then lie in the dark, listening as her breathing evens out and my woman is sleeping. Then, and only then, do I let myself relax.
I fucking love this woman and I want her to be mine. Patience, I remind myself. One day she'll be mine—one day soon.
Chapter Nine
Jesse
A year and a half into the past…
"Holy shit, your girl j ust won a fucking Oscar," Ethan announces.
I can't stop the grin on my face. Fuck it. They know what she is to me—even if I don't.
"That movie was kick ass," Ben tells me.
"Hell yeah it was," Kennedy agrees. "I've never seen someone act so intensely as she did in Linked In . She seems a hell of a lot older than twenty-two."
"I know, right?" I just watch as Lucy gives her acceptance speech in her flowing black gown. She looks like a dream all made up. Like Cinderella. Maybe one day I'll get lucky enough to be able to put that glass slipper back on her foot. Hell, I'd be happy to just be anywhere she is. To be able to talk to her again… it's been long enough.
I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees, my eyes glued to the TV.
"What's going on, brother?" Ben asks.
"I've waited long enough," I tell him.
"You going after her?" Xander asks.
I nod. "Yeah. Yeah I am. I just have to make sure she's single and find a way to make things happen."
"Timing is everything," Kennedy tells me, and I look over to where he's watching me intently.
"That it is."
"You sure she's ready for you?" Kennedy asks.
I turn back to the TV, where my girl is smiling a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes, and I get a feeling she's done a whole lot of living in the last five years—and not all of it easy.
I nod again. "She's lost."
Kennedy looks to the TV and studies Lucy as they talk to her backstage. "That light is dimming."
"Time to brighten her up, Jesse," Xander tells me seriously, somberly. "Whatever's been going on with that girl, she's not the same one that we watched when we were on tour a year ago."
"This life's a hard one and I can only imagine what hers has been like."
"Make it happen, man," Kennedy tells me. "We'll find a way."
I nod to him once and turn back to the TV. Lucy's off screen now and we're focused on the announcers.
She's so beautiful, my girl, but something's missing—whatever it is, I'm going to give it back to her.
Over the next ten months we're in the studio working on our next album. I see Lucy everywhere I go. Billboards, TV, movies—the only place I don't see her, is in person. It's frustrating, but the opportunity hasn't presented itself… until now.
We're at Nichols Records in the conference room and we're talking about the upcoming filming of our next video—the first off the new album.
"I'd like to get the video out before the album so we're going to have to get this thing going soon," Cage tells us.
"What do you have in mind?" Kennedy asks.
Cage goes over the storyboards and it looks pretty fucking kick ass.
"Who are the chicks going to be?" Xander says with a grin and a gleam in his eye.
"Xander, keep it in your pants, at least until the
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