I nodded at Dan, and he gave Charlotte a few beats as an intro. But I wanted her to start this one off a capella. It was made for her. Literally.
“I want you, I need you, I'm lost in your touch...”
When she started singing, Walt stared at me, hard. He folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall, narrowing his eyes. I shrugged slightly. What could I say? That I’d met a gorgeous woman three months ago, heard her beautiful voice, fucked her against the wall of her apartment, and walked out of her life?
Yeah, that would have gone over like gangbusters.
I glanced at the guys. They were staring at Charlotte. Joey’s mouth was hanging open like a guppy fish at feeding time. Only Tyler was looking away from her. At me. He raised one eyebrow and slowly, deliberately, unplugged his guitar. I nodded.
“You're my everything, baby, I love you so much.”
Tyler started playing the chords, softly, a subtle accompaniment to Charlotte’s melody. I closed my eyes, letting her mezzo-soprano voice wash over me. I’d written this song for her, in her vocal range, and she did everything with it that I’d hoped she would – and more.
She blew it out of the fucking water.
“The way that you hold me, the words that you say...”
The lyrics were another way of getting her out of my system – or maybe deeper into it. They were things I wanted to hear from her. Things I needed to hear, even if they were just song lyrics. Even if she didn’t know what she was saying to me. My chest started aching again. Her voice was like a distant memory, a part of me that I’d been missing all my life and was only just finding now.
“I'm lost in your arms every night, every day.”
I joined her on the chorus, laying down the harmony, focusing on her dark blue eyes as we sang. I wanted her to know that I meant every fucking word.
Our voices blended exactly the way I knew they would.
“You're my world, you're my life,
You're all I'll ever know...
You're my world, you're my heart,
I'll never let you go.”
Dan and Tyler were giving each other that look again. This time, I knew exactly what they were saying, twin thing or not.
She could replace Natasha.
But of course, she couldn’t. Half our songs were written for Natasha’s high soprano. For an amateur, Charlotte was fucking amazing, but that’s what she was: an amateur. No matter how good we sounded together.
No matter how good we might be together.
When we finished the song, she silently handed me the sheet music. There was a strange sadness in her eyes, and if we’d been alone, I’d have taken her in my arms and done everything I could to wipe it away. But I understood it. This would probably be the only time we sang together. The ache in my chest grew stronger.
Walt was the first one to say something.
“You have a lovely voice, Miss Reid.” The look he was giving me said it was better than ‘lovely’, even if it wasn’t as polished as Natasha’s. “Have you ever done any singing? I mean, professionally.”
Charlotte shook her head and turned to him. “No, sir,” she said politely. “I took some lessons as a girl and soloed in a few Christmas cantatas in my teens.” She smiled wryly. “And I sing in the shower, but that’s probably more information than you were looking for.”
It broke the tension in the room. Dan played a riff on his drums. Tyler threw his head back and laughed, and Joey grinned like the maniac he was. Even Walt chuckled.
I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. She was beautiful. Funny. Smart. She had pipes like a fucking angel.
And she was going to be mine. I just had to find the right words.
When we were leaving, the guys had already picked up a few women from outside the studio. We argued in the parking lot, but I was outnumbered, three to one. They all decided to head back to my place, with or without me.
So much for my luck.
As the others drove off, Walt pulled me aside and gave me a stern look.
“Did you know about her bloody voice?”
I rubbed my chin. “I had some idea, yeah.”
He sighed and shook his head. “She’s good, Kyle.” I nodded in agreement. “Almost good enough, but...” He eyed me. “Do you think you could convince her to take a few lessons? You know, just in case.” He cleared his throat, and I grinned.
“Yeah, maybe,” I said. I glanced over at her car. She was unlocking it, getting behind the wheel. “I gotta go, Walt. I’ll see what I can do.” I jogged over to Charlotte’s car and knocked on her window. She smiled at me through the glass and rolled it down.
“Yes?”
I bent down and leaned against the door. “You want to come back to the house, doll?” I jerked a thumb over my shoulder. “The guys are going to be shitty company.”
She chuckled. “I think maybe I should go home,” she said, and smiled faintly. I looked past her, to the passenger seat. Her day planner was sitting there, along with her phone. It was on vibrate, and it was buzzing up a storm. “But I’ll see you early tomorrow morning.”
I nodded slowly. “If you’re sure.” I reached into the car and brushed my fingers against her cheek. “I’ll miss you, Charlie.”
Her smile turned playful. “I’m sure you can find some way to occupy yourself tonight.” She chuckled. “You have the whole evening to waste as much time as you like.”
I grinned at her and stepped back. “Not nearly as much fun wasting time when you’re not there to see it,” I said, and she blushed deeply, pulling out of the parking lot as I threw my head back and laughed.
It felt like old times.
At the house, the guys were already settled in the basement, music playing, drinks flowing. I folded my arms and leaned against the wall next to the stairs. One of Joey’s girls came up to me and gave me a once-over. She was a tiny thing, freckled and fresh-faced, with a blonde pixie cut and brown eyes that suggested she might be younger than she looked. I frowned down at her.
“How old are you, kid?”
She gazed up at me and batted her eyelashes. “Old enough to know that you’re at this party solo,” she said, licking her lips and tapping the notes tattooed on my arm. I backed away, and she pouted. “Oh, come on, handsome. Don’t you like me?” She reached for me again, and I grabbed her slender wrist in my hand, nearly swallowing it in my grip.
“Walk away, kid,” I growled, and she cringed. “Walk away from me now, or I will kick you so far to the curb, you’ll never find your way back.” I let go of her roughly, and she backed up, turning and almost flying back to Joey. She threw herself down on the couch next to him and glared at me.
There was a dry cough from the top of the stairs, and I glanced over my shoulder.
Arthur. My hero.
I slouched upstairs, glad to be away from the others. Charlotte’s song had started something in me at the studio, and it wasn’t fading.
“What’s up, Arthur?”
He gestured towards the foyer. “Miss Reid is here.” My heart nearly stopped beating, and I just stared at him. He lifted both eyebrows. “Sir?” He gestured again, and I rushed past him, skidding to a stop on the marble floor of the entryway.
She was there. She’d changed out of her business clothes and was wearing a pair of black yoga pants, and a thin sweatshirt that said Houston, I Have So Many Problems. I grinned at her. Smart ass.
And I fucking loved it.
“Hey, doll. Changed your mind?”
She smiled shyly and held up a bottle of wine. “I felt bad leaving you alone with the boys,” she said, looking at me over her glasses. Her cheeks turned slightly pink. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
I shook my head and swept her into my arms, hugging her tightly. She made a tiny oof sound, and I laughed.
“Sorry, doll.” I let go and grinned down at her. When had I ever felt this fucking happy? Never, that’s when. I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. The house was mostly soundproofed, but I could still hear the heavy thump of a bass line from downstairs. “The guys have the basement; you want to go upstairs and watch a movie or something?” That’s what normal people did on a date, right?
Wait... Was this a date? I felt like a fucking teenager again.
Charlotte adjusted her glasses and smiled up at me. “Sure,” she said, nodding. “I’d like that.”
I bowed slightly and motioned to the stairs, and she giggled. Fuck, I’d missed that giggle. My cock twitched in my jeans as she brushed past me. I watched her gorgeous ass rock from side to side as she climbed the steps, and my grin got a little wider.
Because we all know what the perfect end of a date looks like, right?