Page 20 of You Rock My World
I gape at her. “No?”
“Then take off your shoes.”
She slips her sandals off, wiggling her toes, the nails painted in a shade of bright mint green that’s perfect for her.
Next, she loosens her topknot. The elastic band slips down her wrist like a bracelet as she combs her fingers through the strands, massaging her scalp in slow, circular motions while her locks tumble down her back in burnished toffee waves.
Once she’s done hypnotizing me, she folds her bag into a makeshift pillow and stretches out on the floor, one arm tucked under her head, messy hair fanning out.
I trace the swell of her chest, her collarbones, her mouth, the way her lashes cast faint shadows against her skin. Her beauty is maddening. It doesn’t demand attention at first but steals it before you even realize it.
I pull off my sneakers and toss them into the corner, then peel off my leather jacket and lie on my side, facing her.
“Goodnight, rockstar.” Josie yawns.
“Goodnight, sass master,” I reply, already knowing I won’t sleep.
Twenty minutes later, I’m still awake despite being bone-tired. Josie’s eyes are closed, but her breathing isn’t slow and regular enough for her to be asleep. I suspect she’s awake too.
“Josie?” I whisper into the dimness. “Are you sleeping?”
She opens one eye. “Nope. You neither, huh?”
“Must be the five-star accommodations.”
“Yeah, the carpet leaves something to be desired.” She rolls on her side, facing me. “You should sing me a lullaby.”
“A lullaby?”
“Yeah, I have the most celebrated singer-songwriter of our time all to myself, don’t I deserve a private performance?”
I’d give her that and more, but I can’t tell her. So instead, I go with, “Close your eyes.”
And I start singing.
“There’s a road I’ve never traveled,
A space I’ve never known,
It’s a dream I can’t hold.
Or a voice without a song.
“I’ve been chasing the horizon,
But the sky keeps pulling away,
And the closer I get to the answers,
The less I know what to say.
“But there’s something in the quiet,
In the way you hold your ground.
Like a song I didn’t know I knew,
Echoes that were never found.
