“I’ll save you the full play-by-play. Pissed at me. Anxious to come meet you. I’ve got them a flight next Saturday. We need to get this album finished without distraction.”
Despite her racing heart and the ticking clock of Jase’s departure, she agreed with his logic. “Makes sense. Once the band are gone, I’ll have a bit more time to spend with them.”
“Yeah, distractions are tough in this game. To both you and Jase. He really needs to focus, here. And you’ll need to focus on finding work when you get home while he goes to promote the album.”
“I know what you’re getting at, Jimmy. I’m glad I’m going to meet and learn more about my grandparents. And I hear your concerns about Jase. I’ll keep them in mind.”
It was hard to reconcile how in five minutes, she’d gone from being on cloud nine— that Jase and she were going to spend the rest of their time here together—to hearing a warning from her father that it might be all they had.
15
The bed was empty. And it hadn’t been for the last three days since Jase moved in. Usually, his body crowded hers with his morning wood tucked tightly up against the cheeks of her butt.
She patted his side of the bed. The sheets were cool.
“Motherfucker.” The muttered curse and the clang of pots from the kitchen made her smile.
Slipping out of bed, she reached for his T-shirt and pulled it on over her head.
When she opened the door, her eyes widened.
One of the throws from her sofa was laid out on the floor with plates of food on it.
She jumped when he thrust a cup of coffee in front of her. “What’s all this?” she asked.
“It’s a carpet picnic date.”
“At six-thirty in the morning?”
“Sip your coffee before you say anything else,” Jase said, stroking a hand over her hair. “That sounded pretty petulant.”
“Sorry. Tired. Woke up alone. Was confused.”
“Ah. Got it. Missed me and Little Jase when you woke up, did you?”
Cerys rolled her eyes but sipped the hot coffee as he suggested. It was strong, as she liked it. “Good morning, Jason. I’m looking forward to our date.”
Jase pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Me too. I know it’s a bit weird, but I want to date you. We’ve talked twice about going out to dinner, but we’re both too knackered when we get home. So, I thought I’d make breakfast special, instead.”
Her heart melted at his thoughtfulness. “That might be the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. Is this all the extra stuff you insisted on getting from the store yesterday when I grabbed dinner?”
“Yeah, well. I didn’t want to ruin the surprise. Go sit. Eat a croissant. There’s jam.”
Cerys grinned as she sat down on the throw. There was also a bottle of freshly squeezed orange juice, and a melon that had been cut up into chunks. And strips of prosciutto.
Jase walked over with two plates and placed one on her lap. Her mouth dropped open.
“You made eggs Benedict?” she asked, looking at the beautifully presented platter.
Jase shrugged as he sat down beside her. “Nan. She made us cook with her from when we were old enough to stand on a chair next to her and help. Roast beef. Curries. Fried breakfasts. I can make a mean apple crumble, a decent scone, and a Christmas cake at a push. She always said we’d live on our own one day and needed to learn.”
Cerys cut into the eggs, perfectly cooked. Thick, runny yolks and hollandaise that had set over the eggs. She put the bite into her mouth and moaned. “Oh my God. It tastes so good,” she mumbled.
Jase shrugged modestly. “Glad you like it. Had to call Nan for the recipe because I couldn’t remember it. Now, she’s texting me on the constant for more details about you. Ooh, wait.”
Jase pulled out his phone and took a photograph before she could protest. “Wait! What are you doing with that image?”
“Just sent it to Nan, telling her you loved the eggs.”
“You can’t send it to your nan. I just got out of bed, my hair’s a mess. I—”
“Look absolutely gorgeous. Naturally beautiful. It’s when you’re like this I find it hardest to keep my hands off you. I mean, I find it hard to keep my hands off you most of the time. But now, when you still look sleepy, and your lips are all soft, and I can see the freckles across your nose before you cover them with makeup—this is when I think you are most adorable.”
“Jase,” she said softly. Every now and then, he had the ability to surprise her with the intensity of his outbursts, when he stepped out from behind that hard exterior of his and let her see the vulnerability beneath.
“Yeah, well. Little Jase agrees, so let’s move it along before he decides you don’t need to eat your breakfast and fucks you on the blanket.”
Cerys laughed. “You know what, it should be disturbing the way you talk about your dick.”
Jase laughed. “Ask any guy and he’ll tell you his dick makes its own decisions. The secret is to find a healthy coexistence with it, so you don’t, say, find your woman at work and fuck her on her dad’s office desk.”
Her eyes went wide. “You’ve thought about you and me . . . on Dad’s desk?”
Jase shook his head. “No, not me. Little Jase. I’m the calm voice of reason that says that would be a really bad idea and lead to us getting kicked out of his studio without an album, seeing your dad doesn’t love the idea of you and me. But Little Jase loves the idea of bending you over it.”
Cerys laughed. “I have no clue why this is all making logical sense.”
Jase winked and took another bite of his breakfast. “One of the great mysteries of the world.”
“Are you prepared for today?” she asked.
“I am. We get to start on ‘And Kiss Me’ and I’m looking forward to hearing it with all the instruments instead of just me and my guitar.”
“I can’t wait to hear it.”
“You have to stay out of the studio while I’m working in it, though, because I want to surprise you with the finished song.”
Cerys pouted. “Please. Your guitar is right there.”
“Put the lips away, sunshine. You know I’ll fold. Don’t make me.” He leaned forward and kissed her. “Let me surprise you.”
“Okay. But it’s like waiting for Christmas.”
Three hours later, with her stomach still digesting her huge breakfast, she headed to the studio kitchen to refill her water bottle. Matt stood with his back to her, making a coffee.
“How do you feel the morning is going?” she asked.
Matt grabbed his cup and leaned back against the counter, ankles crossed over each other. It was a position she’d seen Jase in many times before. They were so similar, yet not. They had the same floppy black hair, but Matt kept his shorter than Jase’s curls. They both had the same dark scruff, but Matt’s face was more angular, his jaw a little sharper, than Jase’s handsome features.
“I think it’s the best we’ve ever sounded. Everything about what we’re laying down sounds true to us. What do you think?”
Cerys thought for a moment. “I agree. I like the density of a second guitar with Jase playing. Gives a roundness to the song. I think Alex is a goddamn genius when it comes to layering sound. I feel like ‘Next Time I Fall’ might need paring back down a little, but—”