“That’s so awesome, Naomi. I thought that was the case which is why I’m calling. I don’t know if you’re aware of this but before I retired as Genevieve Fox, I set up a scholarship fund to help young, dedicated kids like you to grow as people and musicians. It’s called the Genevieve Fox Young Artist Scholarship. Each year we’re going to have an invite-only showcase concert and one of the performing artists will be selected to receive a full scholarship to the music school of their choice. Does that sound like something that interests you?”
Her eyes are giant orbs when they lift to me in shock. Me, I’m grinning like an idiot. I widen my own eyes, encouraging her to respond.
“Naomi?”
“Yes! I mean, yeah, that sounds really cool.”
“Great! I was hoping you’d say that. Then I’d like to formally invite you, Naomi Hayes, to this year’s Young Artist Showcase on April twenty-eighth. I know that’s soon. The other invites went out last month, so this is a special one. Feel free to think about it, but if you’re interested, I’ll give all the info to your uncle. Sound good?”
“Um, yeah. I mean, yes! Th… thank you, Ms. Fox. I mean Viv or—”
Viv laughs. “Let me know. I’m looking forward to seeing you again. Tell your uncle to bring you by the studio sometime for another rehearsal.”
They hang up and Naomi drops the spoon she’d been gripping. Her eyes lift to mine, brimming with excitement.
“Did that just happen?” she whispers.
I shrug. “I mean, I was here the whole time. Sounded pretty real to me.”
She grins. “Can I do it?”
“Do you want to?”
“Yes!”
I dig my spoon back into my now melted ice cream. “Then we better get our butts in gear and finish up that song.”
“The one we’re writing? You think I should perform that?”
“I know you should,” I say, shoving the spoon in my mouth.
She grins and nods, focusing back on her own dish. She still looks stunned as she stares at it like she forgot how to eat. I smirk and glance down at my phone when it buzzes. But it’s not Viv this time. It’s Hadley.
Sorry for going behind your back, but I thought maybe you and Naomi could use a smile tonight. *heart*
Once we get home, Naomi locks herself in her room with her guitar. Even though it’s late, I ask if she wants to work on the song, but she makes it pretty clear she prefers to be alone. Can’t exactly blame her after the rollercoaster of a night we had. My own head is a mess, still haunted by today’s revelations.
With further probing, it became evident by the end of the session that not only has she been punishing herself since her mother’s death for not giving her black like everyone else, she’s also using this new look to replace the identity that got ripped away. She felt like nothing when Ashley died and had to fill the void of who she was with something else. She chose the opposite of her previous life, wrapping herself in a protective shield of “all the colors.”
She became nothing and everything.
With the rest of my night now cleared, I shoot a text to Hadley to come up if she wants. Exhausted, I toss my phone on the nightstand and jump in the shower. By the time I finish and brush my teeth, I’m starting to regret inviting Hadley. As much as I enjoy her company, I feel like I’ve never been so tired in my life. This past week has completely drained me.
I’m surprised to find Hadley reclined on my bed when I exit the bathroom, leaning against the headboard like I do when I’m working. She glances up from her phone, and my fatigue evaporates at the look she blisters at me. Her eyes scan me slowly. My hair, my face, my chest, down to the towel wrapped around my waist. They go hot, hungry, and suddenly I’m imagining her with far less clothing as well.
“Hey,” I say, my gaze resting on the swell of her breasts before it drifts to the zipper of her jeans. It’s not my fault, her hand is resting dangerously close to where I want mine right now.
“Hey,” she says, her eyes still locked on me with heat I feel on my skin.
“You have an okay night?” My voice sounds like I said something entirely different. Her gaze flares hot, and she shoves away from the headboard to swing her legs over the edge of the bed. I don’t move as she pushes to her feet.
She starts toward me, slowly stripping her sweater over her head as she struts forward with lithe grace. Her mother was right. She could definitely be a model if she wanted to be. I swallow, already burning hot.
“It was fine,” she says, unbuttoning her jeans.
I nod, unable to look away. “Great. Glad to hear it.” My eyes watch her zipper lower slowly, the hint of dark green lace taunting me beneath.
“How was yours?” she asks, pushing down her jeans and pulling them off.
I suck in a breath. “Hard. Really hard.”
Her gaze flickers to the towel for just a second before it locks on my eyes again. Another few steps and she’s close enough that I can smell her subtle clean, floral scent. As usual, whatever she’s wearing is just enough to make me a little distracted and a lot turned on. I breathe her in when her body brushes mine to reach behind me. Every muscle tenses with anticipation, coiled for a strike.
I hear the click of the lock.
She straightens again so we’re aligned just centimeters apart. She looks up into my eyes and covers my hand that’s holding the towel with one of hers. Her other hand pushes up my chest, forcing me a step back against the door. She tugs my fingers open until the towel doesn’t stand a chance.
Her smile when it falls to the floor—damn. Covetous, downright greedy as one hand presses down my abs and wraps around me sparking a jolt of heat while the other grips the back of my neck to force my lips to hers. Her kiss is soft at first, mirroring her touch that seems gentle given the look in her eyes a second ago, but soon the pressure of her strokes matches the increased desperation of her kiss. It’s like she’s the one who’s suffering with need right now.
I walk her back toward the bed, gripping her wrists to remove her hands from me. With just a slight push, she drops to the mattress, and I follow, stretching myself over her as she kicks off her underwear. I brace my forearms on either side of her and glance down at her chest.
“That too,” I say in a low voice.
She grins, her body colliding with mine in a spike of sweet agony as she shifts to remove her bra. I lower myself further when she settles back against the sheets, enjoying the tormented friction of our bodies. Her hair is slightly damp when I snake my fingers into it, her breath fresh and minty. One look in her eyes and it’s clear she knew exactly what she wanted when she came up here.
“Julian?”
“Yeah?”
Her hands slide up my chest and around my neck again, gripping hard. “Don’t hold back tonight. I want all your fire.”
I stare at her, not sure what she means. “All my fire?”
Her smile is almost shy as she draws me in for another kiss. “You’re fire and I’m water, but tonight I want to burn like you do.”
A grin spreads over my lips. “Ah. I see. You got it, babe.”
And I ignite.
CHAPTER 18