AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Reese looked up and saw Morgan smiling at her. Sterling had gone back to flipping the guitar pick, his eyes following it over his knuckles, the corners of his mouth pulled down. Morgan may have liked what she said, but it didn’t seem like she had won any favors with Sterling.
“Wow,” Moby said. Reese realized with a small shock that he leaned against the doorway. “I can see why you hired her, Sterling. She’s incredible. I think she just saw into your soul or something. I mean, assuming you have a soul, that is.”
Sterling still hadn’t said anything. Reese cleared her throat. “You know what? If it would be easier, I can turn this into a Google form you can just fill out. It might be less pressure. I can go through your answers and then come up with a strategy that we can talk over.”
Sterling nodded. “That might be good.”
With a few clicks, Reese turned her questionnaire into something that he could fill out and send back. She spun the laptop so it was facing him. “Can I trust you with my Mac? It’s my baby.”
He flicked his eyes up to hers, a small smile on his face. “I handle guitars every day worth more than your baby. So, yeah. You can trust me.”
Sterling set the pick down on the table and Reese stood. She needed to get out of this room and put some space between herself and Sterling. Too bad the most space she was going to get was thirty feet. At least until the next stop of the tour bus.
Chapter Seven
“So, which one are you after, Morgan or Reese?” Moby grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. “Both are hot, strong, fun women. I don’t know how you’d decide.”
Sterling groaned and took another bite of steak. He glared at Moby and talked around his food. “Do I need to remind you about the dating policy?”
Moby rolled his eyes and leaned back from the table. They were eating hotel room service in Sterling’s enormous suite. Moby had a suite he shared with Chuck and David, but Sterling invited Moby up to eat. Usually the night before concerts he spent alone and he remembered why now.
“Oh, so you have a policy now? Is it in writing? Because I don’t remember signing anything.”
“It’s just understood,” Sterling said. “We don’t date while on tour. Especially not people actually on the tour with us.”
“I seem to remember you dating a lot while on tour. Or maybe dating is the wrong word … ” Moby’s grin made Sterling’s stomach clench.
He set down his fork. “It’s not like that anymore. I’m not like that anymore.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I’m just giving you a hard time.” Moby held up his hands. “I admire the changes in you, man. I do. But being celibate isn’t for all of us. There is a lot of room between monks and playboys. Room for healthy relationships with beautiful women. And in case you didn’t notice, we’ve got two very attractive ladies who will be forced to spend the next few months with us.”
Sterling had noticed. That was the problem. While Sterling could easily agree that Morgan was beautiful, he had never thought of her romantically. Something just wasn’t there. She was a solid friend, almost like family. It ended there.
Reese was a different story.
It had only been a day, but a day spent on tour was like a month in normal time. Morgan seemed to slip into an easy friendship with her, which made him drop his guard a little bit.
Everything changed, though, when Reese was going over his social media stuff. He could tell that she had been holding back, probably because he had given her such a hard time. When he challenged her, he had expected her to back down. Her eyes had revealed her fear and hesitance. But then something shifted and her eyes got a fire that was simply breathtaking. What she had said about how she wanted to be seen and how she saw Sterling blew him away.
He understood completely how being vulnerable and raw was actually a sign of strength. And beauty. Sterling didn’t think he’d ever seen someone so beautiful as Reese in that moment. Ever since, Reese had been like a magnet, constantly drawing his thoughts to her. He was aware of her presence on the bus even when they weren’t in the same room. When they had all separated to their different rooms, Sterling made note of where her room was. Not like he was going to knock or talk to her, but he simply wanted to know where she was. He felt like a lovestruck teenager, all jangling nerves and raging hormones. Ridiculous.
And now Moby was asking about her. Sterling couldn’t say anything to stop Moby from dating her. Not really. But the idea of watching them together romantically made him feel sick. Maybe it was a good thing. Sterling didn’t want these feelings. He wasn’t about to start a relationship on tour with someone on his team. Someone he paid. There was enough on his plate now, with May and with the idea of leaving his label and transitioning to a new sound. That’s where his focus needed to be. Not on the beautiful and vibrant woman on tour with him.
“Let me ask you something,” Sterling said. “I want you to be honest.”
“You know you get nothing but honesty from me.”
“Good. I’m considering leaving my label. Maybe going indie, maybe signing with another label. I want to shift from straight rock to something more stripped-down and acoustic. What do you think about that?”
Moby leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “I think that would be a big risk.”
Sterling ran a hand through his hair. “You don’t think I could pull it off.”
“That’s not what I said. It would be risky, but I think that if anyone could make that kind of pivot, it would be you. And I’m all in if you need me. I’ll play any kind of guitar, any kind of sound. With you.” Moby laughed. “I feel like I just kind of declared my love for you, man.”
Sterling grinned. “Did you? I made you forget about the ladies?”
“I didn’t say that. I’m still trying to figure out which one you’re interested in. I would put my money on Reese. Though it seems like they both like you. Just let me know. Bro code. I’m not going after someone you like. Not that I’d have a chance going up against Sterling James, hot not-so-bad boy rocker.”
