Page 49 of Indescribable Love

“It was almost three. Jax was so revved up afterwards and kept talking about how we needed to hit the casino in the hotel, but Noah and I both shot him down. And you want to know the funniest part?”

She nodded.

“He fell asleep in the limo on the way back!” He chuckled. “Noah and I laughed our butts off at that.”

“Did you finally let him go gamble the next day?”

“Oh yeah. I had a show that night again, but I told him he didn’t have to come see me. He was more than welcome to go and gamble and maybe see the sights a bit. Noah went with him and then we met up for dinner after the show. It was a great weekend and now we all have our mementos of it.”

Her hand smoothed over the tattoo again. “I love that story. You’re so lucky to have brothers. I have no idea what my life would have been like if I had a sibling, but I sometimes think about that.”

“Without Jax and Noah, I don’t know if I could be the man I am today,” he admitted, his voice going a little gruff. “Although, without Noah, I probably wouldn’t be here at all. If my parents hadn’t gotten pregnant with him…”

Juliette snuggled even closer. “Then I’m very glad they had him.”

Kissing the top of her head, he had to agree.

“And they’re going to be at some of the upcoming tour stops for the sake of the documentary, right?”

Simon instantly felt himself tense up and quickly reminded himself to relax, but Juliette was too quick for him.

Lifting her head, she gave him a very stern look. “Okay, this is a problem.”

“What is?”

“This body language, Simon,” she said, her shoulders sagging slightly. “If just the slightest mention of the documentary has your entire body reacting like that, it’s not a good thing.”

“It’s not…”

“It is,” she interrupted. “Nothing good is going to come from this. And I’m saying this as your publicist—as the person working for you—and as your friend.”

That was…an odd way of describing them, he thought.

“Is that all we are? Friends?” he asked.

“Simon…”

Sitting up, he stared at her. Her hair was in total disarray, the sheet was a tangled mess that barely covered her, and she was staring back at him with those deep, gorgeous green eyes. He wanted to say it didn’t matter, that she could refer to them as friends because it was still an endearment, and this new phase of their relationship was new, but he was a little greedy. He wanted to know that there was more, that she felt more.

“How much research did you do on me and my life before showing up in Asheville?” he asked.

Frowning, Juliette tucked the sheet around her as she sat up beside him. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Just…humor me. How much research did you do?”

“A lot, Simon. But I don’t see what this…”

He held up his hand. “How many romantic relationships did you read about in that research?”

That question clearly stumped her. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, but it was an obvious answer.

“There were two and they were brief,” he said. “I don’t get into romantic relationships because I’ve been so focused on my career. My relationship with Tracy Jennings was more of a publicity thing because I did one song for her movie. And I dated Rachel Moorings, who was a very nice woman with no involvement in the entertainment industry, for a year. Ultimately, she hated how I was always on tour or in the studio and went back to her high school sweetheart. They’re married now with two kids.”

“Again, I don’t see what this has to do with anything…”

“I’m here with you, Juliette, because you’re more than a friend. You’re here with me in my bed because you mean more to me than something casual.” And because he always wore his heart on his sleeve, he kept going. “I’d hate to think that you’re with me just because it’s convenient or a way to pass the time. I don’t want to just be your friend.”

Now her expression softened. Reaching out, she caressed his jaw. “I rarely do romantic relationships,” she whispered. “I’m not good at them because I’ve always been so career-driven and…” She shrugged. “Letting anyone get close is…it’s hard for me.” There were tears in her eyes now. “You’re closer to me than anyone’s ever been, and it’s scary. Please be patient with me because…”