Chapter 9

Kade couldn’t help himself. He was surrounded by raw talent and should have been networking. After all, his contract with Addilyn would be up as soon as they finished recording, and he’d be available for more work. Christopher was deep in conversation with several of the musicians, and he kept glancing Kade’s way, but Kade was distracted. He kept glancing out the window and wondering if Addilyn would actually show.

When a taxi pulled up, he couldn’t help but feel a streak of satisfaction. Part of him thought that Addilyn would bow out. Her open and blatant flirtations yesterday were so unlike her, and he thought that maybe she wouldn’t follow through, but here she was.

Princess was full of surprises.

“Is there a reason that you are glued to the window?” Christopher asked in a low voice as he joined him. “God, Kade, please tell me that’s not America Holden.”

Kade shrugged. “It’s a gathering of musicians. She’s a musician.” He finally got a good look at her as she walked towards the building, and a growl caught in his throat. Christ, she’d be eaten alive if someone saw her in that dress.

“Party’s over. Move them to the bar down the street.” Before he could hear Christopher’s reply, he grabbed a jacket from his closet and raced out to meet Addilyn. She looked surprised to see him hurrying her way, and a gorgeous smile crossed her face.

“I’m sorry I’m a little late. Kade? What are you doing?” She gave him a puzzled look as he wrapped his jacket around her bare shoulders. The green fabric clung to her body and swept low across her back to show her creamy pale skin. It brushed up against her thighs when she walked. She wore a single solitary pearl that rested at the hollow of her throat. She managed to be classy and undeniably sexy at the same time, and she was driving him wild.

“You can’t walk into my apartment looking like that. Christ, I should never have invited you.”

“What?” She pulled back and frowned. “Do you want me to go?”

He laughed hollowly. “No. I definitely don’t want you to go.” The door to his apartment opened, and he quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her around the corner. “I just don’t want pictures of you in that dress all over social media.”

Glancing back at his door, he finally saw the last people leave as Christopher herded them out. His friend gave him a warning glance and shook his head, but he left with the rest of the crowd. “Coast is clear,” he muttered. “C’mon.”

When he got her alone in his apartment, he fought against his urge to kiss her until she was breathless. Instead, he slipped the jacket off her shoulders and admired the gorgeous lines of her back.

“I came here for a party,” she teased. “I wanted to talk about music.”

“Really? I feel like all you do is talk about music. Let me get you a drink. Beer? Wine?”

“A glass of wine would be wonderful,” she said with a shy smile. “And I never get tired of talking about music. How could I? It’s an expression of the soul. It’s beautiful.”

“You were what? Twenty-two? Twenty-three when Peter discovered you?”

“I’d just graduated from college. My parents had indulged in my love for music and paid for me to have singing and music classes, but I never thought it would go anywhere. I got a degree in music and figured that I’d teach. I still took some gigs on the side. I did a musical in this small town dairy barn. I played a few open mic nights, and I’d been hired to sing a few songs for a local dance recital. That’s when Peter found me.”

Kade returned with the glass of wine and led her to the couch. Despite wanting to pull her on top of his lap, he tried to keep some distance. “And you just dropped everything and became America Holden?”

“It was a hard decision,” she said quietly as she sipped her wine. “My parents that would support me no matter what I decided to do, but I figured that I wasn’t really pop star material. I thought I might crumble under the spotlights, but Peter told me that he had a talent for choosing stars. I guess that’s what did it. I wanted to feel like I had star potential.”

“And so you became a pop princess?”

“Yup.” She laughed. It was such an innocent sound. So genuine. That was so rare for him to hear. “How did you start?”

“I’m afraid my story isn’t as pretty as yours. What did Peter say to you after I left yesterday?”

“Oh no, you don’t. You can’t keep dodging personal questions. I want to know what got you into the music business and all about that daughter of yours.”

Kade considered lying to her, but that wasn’t fair. She’d opened up to him, so he needed to least tell her some truths.

“I grew up in a bad area,” he admitted slowly. “My parents weren’t quite as loving as yours. They were drug addicts and neglectful. I had a younger sister, and she used to cry at night. I started singing to her to calm her down. The lyrics and the music just came to me. Finally, I started writing them down. Most of them were funny songs to make my sister laugh. I dabbled in rap to try and save face with the kids I went to school with. Everything just grew from there.”

“I feel like you’re skipping a lot,” Addilyn laughed. “But I understand that it’s personal.”

It was personal, and he didn’t want to share it with her. He didn’t want her pity when she heard everything that he’d endured just to survive.

“So tell me about your daughter. What’s it like being a father in your business?” Her tone was sincere enough, and even though he didn’t tell many people about Cadence, or how he came to be a single father, he couldn’t see any reason not to share with her.

“She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Of course, if you had asked me that when her mother was pregnant, I’d have said differently.” He let out a long breath, hoping she didn’t take that the wrong way.

“So you didn’t want to be a father? She was an accident?” He groaned at the word.

“I might not have wanted her before I had her, but as soon as she was born, my heart changed. How could anyone look at that little face and not want her? I had always thought love at first sight was some sappy sentiment that we write about in love songs and poetry, but she was living proof that it was real, because the very moment I laid eyes on her, she had my whole heart.”

“That’s beautiful. She sounds like a special girl. Does she write too?” She leaned a little closer, and he liked that they were getting more comfortable.

“She is a very special girl and super talented, but I can’t get her to write music. She loves books, so who knows. There’s still hope.” He gave a soft chuckle thinking back to the time he’d encouraged Cadence to write a poem only for it to end up a novel.

“You don’t see her mother?” She asked the question slowly as if she was afraid of the subject.

“No, she bailed when Cadence was a baby, and I’ve never heard from her since. I’m not even sure she’s still alive.” He didn’t care if she was either. Anyone who could choose themselves over an innocent baby wasn’t worth his time.

“Do you think Cadence will ever want to know her? Has she ever asked about her mother?”

The subject had gone on long enough, but he’d entertain the one last question. “No, she’s never wanted for anything, even though I’d like to give her that one day too.” Her head cocked to the side as he spoke those words and he wondered if he’d just scared her away.

Music started to float in from the opened window, and her eyes widened. “Did your party move outside?”

“There’s a few bars downstairs. It’s a big music scene. I love staying here. You get a blend of everything. Pop. Country. Jazz. Rap.”

She sat her wine glass down and reached over to touch his arm. “I didn’t mean to break up your party, Kade. You’re welcome to go down and join them.”

“It’s mostly for Christopher. He’s great at managing his little team of songwriters, but he wants to eventually produce music. I think he’s hoping that Peter will take him under his wing, but for now, he’s constantly scouring for talent. He uses my apartment here because it’s so close to the bars.” Watching her closely, he tried to figure out what she wanted. By now, he’d spilled all of his secrets, and she’d no doubt heard of his reputation, so she couldn’t possibly want a relationship with him.

“Why did you come tonight, Addilyn?” he murmured in a low voice.

For a moment, he saw hesitation in her eyes. She slid her hands over the fabric of the couch cushion and stood. He didn’t move as she paced his rug. “I wanted to feel some freedom,” she admitted. “Isn’t that strange? I’m turning thirty this year, and I feel like it’s been forever since I could breathe.”

Standing up, he grabbed her hips and slowly guided her to the wall. He wanted her so badly that it was actually painful. “You want me to give you some freedom?” he whispered as he leaned down and gently kissed her neck. Her head fell to the side, and she gasped. His hands shook with need as he pressed his hardness against her. Skimming her throat with his fingers, he forced her chin up. She moved her body just fraction against his, and he was lost. When he claimed her mouth, he feared that nothing would be able to stop him from possessing every inch of her body and soul.