Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Juliette let out a shaky breath as soon as Simon started singing. There was something so edgy and raw to his words, and it felt like he was singing from the depths of his soul.

She'd meant what she said to him earlier—she wasn't familiar with all of his work. But what he was singing right now differed greatly from what she did know, and there was definitely more depth and emotion here. It was absolutely captivating.

In the shadows of the night, our love's a fire, burning bright. We walk the line, we take the risk, in your arms, I find my bliss.

We're rebels in a world so tame, our love's a wild and untamed flame. We'll break the rules, defy the norm, in your love, I'll weather any storm.

This attraction we have should be wrong, a tale of passion, fierce and strong. We'll fight for love, we'll take the fall, together we'll conquer it all.

In the chaos and the noise, with you, I've found my voice. We'll dance through life's darkest skies, in your love, I see no lies.

The more she watched him, the more she realized this wasn't the Simon Bennett who placed third in a reality show competition. This wasn't even the Simon Bennett who was loved and adored by millions of fans. No, this was Simon Wylder singing right now. This was the person he had never let anyone see.

But I'm seeing him…

It was a heady feeling to know he trusted her enough to witness this moment. Then it occurred to her just how different he looked tonight—hair askew, the scruffy jaw…it was a very different look from the man who greeted her on the driveway a week ago. This man was a risk-taker. He was daring and completely feeling what he was singing. It was fascinating to both hear and watch. Juliette couldn't look away even if she wanted to.

I saw you from across the room, your smile lit up the darkest gloom.

Your eyes, they sparkled like the stars above, I knew right then, it was you I'd love.

Some of the lyrics were powerful and edgy and beautiful. Others were a little clichéd, but he still managed to make them sound good.

Every moment with you feels so right, in your embrace, I find my light.

You're the melody to my heart's song, with you, my love, I truly belong.

One song bled into the next and before she knew it, he was on his fifth song. He was sweaty, and she could see the muscles in his arms working as he continued to strum the guitar with everything he had. Slightly breathless, he looked up at her and grinned as he took a brief break from the lyrics and simply played the melody. She was practically on the edge of her seat when he sang, "I saw you across the room, my heart skipped a beat, in that moment, everything felt so complete. Your eyes met mine, and I couldn't look away, I knew right then, this was the start of something to stay…"

The music faded and then stopped, and there was nothing else she could do but stand and applaud. Maybe it was ridiculous, but…it felt right. Smiling broadly, Simon stood and took a bow. When he sat back down, Juliette immediately turned and went to the mini fridge and grabbed him a bottle of water.

"Here," she said. "I'm pretty sure you need this."

He took it from her and drank half of it down. "Thank you," he said breathlessly.

"Wow, Simon." Sitting back down, but closer to him this time, she couldn't help but gush. "That was…amazing! I'm not even sure that word even comes close to how it really was. It was both different and familiar—you know, to your usual stuff. All I know is that I loved it. Like…seriously loved it. I can't believe you did all that in a day!"

Nodding, he leaned back against the cushions. "To be fair, I'd had snippets of stuff that I've been working on for a while now, but none of it was gelling. But yesterday, after you left? It's like…everything started to gel. I mean everything . Almost all at the same time!" He laughed. "The last time something like that happened was…" He paused. "Honestly, I don't think something like that's ever happened. I'm normally a one-song-at-a-time kind of guy."

It would be wrong to try to take any credit for this writing spree, but internally, she did.

Yay, me!

"I can't even imagine what that must feel like," she said, tucking her feet back under her. "And I guess I didn't realize how much of your own stuff you wrote. I've worked with rock stars and singers in the past, and someone else always wrote the songs. This is all brand-new territory for me and it's fascinating."

That seemed to please him. "It took me a long time before I let anyone know that I could write my own songs. In the beginning, I did whatever the music producers thought I should do. The first few times I tried slipping in a song I wrote, I got shot down quick. By my third album, I insisted on having some of my original stuff on it."

"Didn't that album go multi-platinum?"

"It did," he told her. "After that, I started getting to write more of my own stuff." Pausing, he took a sip of his water. "Of course, I still have songs written by other people on my albums—mainly because of time constraints and my touring schedule—but I think this next album is going to be all me. Especially if I can get more songs written before we leave here."

"And you definitely need to leave by the end of next week?"

The slight hesitation was the first sign that maybe they didn't have to pack up quite so fast.

"The rental agreement is up at the end of next week," he began slowly, "but the tour doesn't really start back up until the end of the month."

"So…three weeks from now?"

He nodded.

She definitely had questions.

"Where are we going from here? I thought the tour was starting back up, so I'd be traveling with you for it. But if that's not the case…"

"Nikki and Celia are going home for ten days. They need it. I was planning on going to see my brothers and then my mom. You're more than welcome to come with me, but you can also head back to New York and then we'll all meet up again when the tour starts up in Seattle."

And while this should have been great news, the thought of going home for that time wasn't really appealing, but she didn't know why.

"You're frowning, Juliette," he said softly. "Why?"

I wish I knew…

It might have just been her imagination, but it seemed like Simon inched a bit closer to her.

Swallowing hard, she said, "I guess I'm enjoying the peacefulness of the mountains and the thought of going back to the city is just…" She shuddered.

He smiled and moved a little closer again. "Are you sure it's that, or do you really still not want to drive down the mountain?"

She knew he was teasing, but it still made her feel a little silly. "That may have a little something to do with it," she murmured, feeling herself blush. They both grew quiet and it seemed like there was something Simon wanted to say, but was holding back. There was a noticeable tension in the air as they exchanged glances, both hesitant but intrigued.

Simon cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "You know, Juliette, there's something I think I need to say."

"Oh?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as her eyes locked onto Simon's.

Again, he seemed hesitant, and got to his feet. "How about that dessert?"

The next thing she knew, he was walking across the room, picking up the cake. He placed it and the plates and silverware on the small coffee table. "Coffee? Water?" Then he glanced around and walked over to the corner to turn on some music.

"Water is fine," she said, and with nothing left to do, she served them each a slice. He sat back down beside her—much closer this time—and accepted the plate when she handed it to him. Juliette was super curious about what he was thinking, but was afraid to ask. There was no way the only thing he had to say was about dessert. But she was willing to wait him out for a little longer.

"Damn," he said around a mouthful of cake. "I think this is the best one yet! That woman has a gift."

Juliette had to agree.

"Between your dinner and Celia's dessert, I'm feeling very spoiled."

And yeah, she loved the compliment.

Then he put his plate down, his dessert only partially eaten. "That's a lot of sugar, though. I need to take a break," he laughed, and she had to agree, mimicking his move.

They both seemed to turn to face each other at the same time before leaning against the back cushions. "So…" she said.

"So…" he repeated, seemingly trying to sound casual. "Listen, Juliette, we've been spending a lot of time together lately."

She nodded. "Yes, we have. Is that a problem? Should I be doing more stuff away from you?" groaning, she added, "I felt awkward about staying here with you at the house and intruding on your privacy. Just say the word, and I can go into town and work or just work upstairs and give you space. I think there's a hotel near the bottom of the mountain; I can go and stay there for a few days."

Simon shifted uncomfortably in his seat, struggling to find the right words. "No, no, that's not it at all. It's just… I've been feeling something, and I think it's time I admit it."

Unable to help herself, Juliette leaned in, her curiosity piqued. "O-kay…"

Simon let out a long breath, his eyes locked on hers. "When you first arrived here, you were an enigma to me. I didn't understand why you were so stiff and formal all the time."

"I was trying to be professional…"

"And I got that, but once you started to relax…it…it transformed you. Seeing you smile a genuine smile was the highlight of the week. I started to see you not just as my publicist or a member of my team, but as a friend." He paused. "And a woman."

"Oh," she whispered, sounding way more breathless than she should have.

"Our fight yesterday was…well, it did something to me. It was stimulating—and it not only knocked down whatever was blocking me from writing or creating, it…it also stirred something in me."

Her heart began to hammer hard in her chest. Was he saying…

"I believe in being honest no matter what," he said earnestly. "And if this makes things awkward, then I'll apologize, but…I need to say it."

All she could do was nod.

"Juliette, I'm attracted to you, more than I've ever been to anyone else." His voice was a little gruff, and it was just like when he sang earlier. This wasn't something he was saying lightly. This was real.

Her eyes widened, and a warm blush crept across her cheeks. There were so many things she wanted to say, but she needed a moment to gather her thoughts. "Simon, I…wow. I can't believe you're admitting that. I'm not sure what to say."

The lopsided grin he gave her made her relax a little. "The truth. Like I said, I believe in being honest no matter what. So if this is something that makes you uncomfortable or if you don't feel the same, it's okay to tell me."

Oh God…

"I can't tell you that," she said quietly, suddenly unable to look at him. "But it does…complicate things." This time, she did look up at him. "One of the biggest rules I live by is not getting personally involved with a client. It was never an issue before, so I never gave it much thought. But with you, I find my mind has gone there on more than one occasion.

The look he gave her was full of surprise with a spark of hope. "Really?"

Nodding, she gave him a small smile, feeling beyond vulnerable. "Yes, really. I've tried to push it aside, but every time I see you, it's like a magnetic pull. And listening to you sing tonight was…well, I'm sure you're used to women reacting to you when you perform."

Reaching up, he caressed her cheek. "I wasn't performing," he told her. "That was all for you. I was hoping you would realize what those lyrics were saying. It was my lame attempt at telling you how I feel."

Their eyes locked, and Juliette swore the connection between the two of them grew stronger.

Simon moved in, practically closing the distance between them, resting his forehead against hers. "I don't want to mess this up. This is all new to me. We can take things as slow as you want or…we can say that we can't do this at all." He chuckled softly. "But I'm really hoping you're not going to say that last part."

In that moment, she gave herself permission to touch him, reaching up and cupping his jaw. "I don't want to mess it up either." Slowly, she licked her lips. "But I think we owe it to ourselves to at least try…"

Wait! What am I doing? Who am I? This could end my career! This could all be some line he gives women! Can I really take that risk?

The only sound in the room was the soft music playing in the background and their breathing. The unspoken tension in the air almost felt like another person in the room.

"So, what do we do now?" Simon whispered.

The ball was completely in her court; he was letting her decide. It was a heady feeling, and, normally, she was a very practical and logical person. Pulling back, she looked into his dark eyes and knew the decision was already made.

Smiling shyly, Juliette decided to say what her heart was feeling. "I think we stop fighting it and see where this attraction takes us."

Simon's hand moved from her cheek and gently raked through her hair. "I was hoping you'd say that," he whispered, she could feel his breath on her cheek. Their faces drew closer, and their lips met in a gentle kiss.

It started as a gentle kiss, but as Juliette moved closer and Simon could feel the warmth of her body, everything changed. She tasted like chocolate and temptation, and smelled like the sweetest vanilla. There was a passion simmering beneath the surface, and he was dying to unleash it in her.

He also needed to stop using food in his description of her.

But he bet she tasted delicious all over.

Moaning with pleasure, he took the kiss deeper and was rewarded when Juliette climbed into his lap. It was a kiss filled with passion and promise, a burning desire that had finally been unleashed. Simon's hand slid from Juliette's hair to the small of her back, urging her closer, their bodies pressing against each other in the most sensual way.

He couldn't get enough of the taste of her, the soft moans that escaped her lips, and the feeling of their hearts pounding in sync created an unforgettable, overwhelming experience. Time seemed to stand still as they explored this newfound connection. It had been a risk to tell her how he felt, but right now, it felt like it was definitely the right thing to do. There was so much building between them that there never would have been a way to ignore it.

When they finally broke apart, their breathing was heavy, and their eyes locked once more. If he had to, Simon knew he could sit down right now and write another entire song just about how he felt after kissing her.

Juliette licked her lips again, her hands still stroking his stubbled jaw. "Say something," she urged.

And so he did.

Just…lyrically.

"Our lips met in a sweet embrace," he crooned. "The world around us, it did erase. That first kiss, so pure and true, I'll forever cherish, just me and you."

Her dark eyes shone bright with unshed tears and he panicked.

"Hey," he said softly. "I'm sorry. That was corny, wasn't it? I just…you inspire me, and I had to sing how I felt." Glancing over briefly at his guitar, he wanted to see if there was more to those lyrics.

Juliette leaned in and kissed him softly before crawling off of him. "I want to hear more." Then she nodded toward the guitar.

"But…"

"More," she said, picking up her cake and taking a forkful.

"You are an amazing woman, Juliette. I know I shouldn't be thinking about music right now, but…"

"Simon?"

"Hmm?"

"Play."

Picking up the guitar, that's exactly what he did.

For an hour, he played—most of it wasn't anything he was going to use, but it was fun to sing nonsense and watch her reaction to it. When he put the guitar away, he finished his own dessert and hummed with pleasure. It wasn't late, but he hadn't slept much the night before. Unfortunately, he was tired and didn't want the night to end all at the same time. The yawn was out before he could stop it.

"Come on," Juliette said, taking his hand as she stood up. "Let's bring these dishes upstairs. You need to get some sleep."

Laughing softly, he followed her up the stairs. "It's like you were in my head." Up in the kitchen, they put their plates in the sink. Simon reached out and gently coaxed her into his arms. "This has been a really good night. I'm not sure I'm ready for it to end."

With her arms looped around his shoulders, she let out a soft, sultry sigh. "I feel the same way, but I'd also feel super guilty if you were too exhausted to keep working on your songs tomorrow. You've made so much progress today and have all this momentum that I'd hate for you to lose."

Reaching up, he gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I'm not really an early-to-bed person. What if we just…went inside and watched TV?" He wanted to add "in bed" but thought that would be too forward.

When he looked down at her, she was biting her bottom lip and she looked so damn sexy. How had he ever thought her to be too stiff and uptight? Right now, she looked a little dreamy, and he could tell she was thinking about something.

"Juliette?"

"Okay, I'm just going to say what I'm thinking."

"Go for it. You know I prefer it that way."

"My apartment in New York is small…like…really small. So I never watch TV while sitting on the couch. It's really just a love seat, so it's not comfortable. Even when I go to a friend's house, it just feels weird to sit on the couch and…you know…watch TV."

"So…you don't want to watch TV?"

She groaned. "Ugh…I'm saying this badly because I know it's going to sound worse when I just say it."

"Um…"

"I only watch TV in bed!" she quickly blurted before ducking her head and resting it on his chest. "I know that sounds lame or like I'm looking for a reason to get you into bed…"

He grinned. "Well, I would hope you didn't need a reason other than me being completely irresistible…"

"Simon…" she whined, lifting her head. "I'm being serious."

"So am I! And if it makes you feel any better, I was going to ask if you wanted to watch TV in bed and thought that made me sound like some sort of creep. We just finally got onto the same page and the last thing I want to do is say something to ruin it."

That's seemed to make her relax. "How about this—give me like…ten minutes and then join me upstairs in my room?"

He was pretty sure his jaw was on the floor.

She didn't want to join him in…his bed? Was she for real?

"Um…we could totally hang out down here in my room," he suggested, but Juliette was already shaking her head.

"I can't really explain it, but I think with the way we both feel about taking things slow, we need to do this up in my room." She paused. "Because I know if I asked you to leave, you would." Then she gave him an impish smile. "However, if you asked me to leave, I probably would find a reason to stay."

And that made him go hard in an instant. "You're killing me…"

Placing a soft kiss on his cheek, she slipped out of his arms. "Ten minutes." And then she walked away with a sassy sway to her hips and it felt like a lifetime before he'd see her again.

Instead of standing there and obsessing about it, he went to his room and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Staring at himself in the mirror, Simon felt like this was casual and comfortable to go up and hang out in, without looking like he was trying too hard to be casual.

Plus, he didn't wear pajamas, so…this was it.

"Okay, okay…this isn't a big deal," he murmured, raking a hand through his hair. "We're just…hanging out. In a bed." Then he stared a little harder at his reflection and cursed his earlier decision not to shave. Running a hand over his jaw, he knew it was too late. Shaving would take too long and Juliette would definitely notice and probably think there was something wrong with him.

Bracing his hands on the vanity, Simon hung his head and sighed. There was nothing he could do, so he needed to just let it go and check the time.

Five more minutes.

"What am I supposed to do for five minutes? And am I supposed to go up there at exactly the ten-minute mark? Should I hang back?" Pacing, he considered his options. "Definitely don't go up early. That would be bad. Should I get snacks? Drinks?" Shaking his head, he knew the answer to that. "We just had cake. No snacks." His hands felt a little clammy and he was starting to second-guess whether this was a smart thing to do.

Juliette worked for him and he didn't want that to change, but…what if them getting involved ruined that? What if…what if he fell hard and started thinking about a future and she wasn't in the same place? What if…?

"What if I stopped overthinking this and just went upstairs and enjoyed some time with a beautiful woman?"

So that's what he did.

A quick glance at the clock showed it wasn't quite ten minutes, and that was fine. He stopped in the kitchen and grabbed two bottles of water, made sure all the doors were locked, and then slowly walked up the stairs. The door to Juliette's room was slightly ajar and he let out a long breath before he finally walked down the hall to it.

"Knock, knock…"

Juliette appeared, and the sight of her took his breath away. She had washed off her makeup—not that it mattered because he'd seen her makeup-free almost every morning—her dark hair was up in a messy bun, and she had on a pair of gray knit pajama shorts with little white hearts on them and a matching button-up top. It was the most adorable ensemble and showed a whimsical side to her that was brand new to him.

And he liked it.

"I um…I brought these." He held up the bottles of water and felt like a total doofus. "I mean…"

"What a great idea," she said, taking them from him. She placed them on one of the bedside tables and he saw that the bed was already set up for them—stacked pillows and the blankets were turned down. "I don't know if there's anything you particularly like to watch or if there's something you wanted to see." Picking up the remote, she grinned and sat down on the bed. "But I'm good with whatever you'd like."

So many dirty thoughts raced through his head, but he kept them to himself. It was safer to just walk around to the opposite side of the bed and get comfortable.

"Please don't think I'm weird, but…I love documentaries," she told him. "Whether it's true crime, nature, or celebrities, they are totally my jam." Leaning back against the pillows, she turned her head toward him. "I probably shouldn't have said that, right? With your whole documentary thing, that was pretty thoughtless of me. Sorry."

Reaching for her hand, Simon held it. "There's nothing to apologize for. Honestly, I typically enjoy documentaries of all kinds, but I am fascinated by the true crime ones." Pausing, he shrugged. "I know the one I'm going to do will be fine as long as we can skip over certain aspects." Taking the remote from her hands, he turned on the TV.

"I think there is every channel imaginable and all the streaming services too," she said. "So, what are you thinking?"

It wasn't a true crime kind of night, and the thought of a celebrity tell-all kind of bored him. After scrolling through the channel options, he decided on one and knew exactly what they should watch.

"Penguins?" she asked with a small laugh. "We're going to watch a show about penguins?"

Nodding, he hit play and put the remote down. "It felt like a great way to be able to sit and relax and not worry about following along or having to hear or see anything gross or eerie." Wrapping his arm around her, Simon gently pulled her closer. "Now we can watch or talk or simply sit here and doze off. The penguins won't mind."

Resting her head on his shoulder, she laughed again. "You're adorable, Simon. Utterly adorable."

It wasn't the best compliment, but he'd take it.

Just when he thought they were comfortable, Juliette sat up. "Gimme one minute," she murmured, as she climbed from the bed.

What the…?

Walking across the room, she hit the light switch and then crawled back onto the bed with him. "It's better with the lights off."

Yeah. She was killing him.

It didn't take long for Juliette to be back in his arms as they settled in to start learning about penguins.

It also didn't take long for them to lose interest and instead start kissing.

"We can watch the penguins another time," Juliette whispered as her hand wrapped around his nape and touched her lips to his.

After that, it was the most G-rated thing he'd done in a long time, and by far the most satisfying.

She felt good, she tasted good, and there wasn't anywhere else he'd rather be. The only problem? He really was exhausted, and being in a comfortable bed with the lights off wasn't helping him stay awake, no matter how much he wanted to be.

"Juliette," he whispered sometime later. "I hate to say this, but…" The yawn was out before he could stop it.

Softly, she ran her hand through his hair. "You're sleepy. I get it. I'm very relaxed too. I think if I reclined a little more, I would be asleep within minutes." They rested their foreheads against each other's. "So, um…you should probably go." It was her turn to yawn.

Simon nodded. "I should," he agreed, and immediately yawned too.

They giggled and it was the kind of laugh that only happened when you were overly tired. When he looked at her bedside clock, he saw it was after midnight.

"Or," she said, stroking his jaw. "We can just be adults and pull the blankets up, shut off the television, and go to sleep. It's not a big deal. It's just sleeping, right?"

With another nod and a yawn, he tried to think of a reason he should say no and go downstairs to his own room and own bed, but…he couldn't think of one.

Nor did he want to.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "Because I think one of the things you said earlier was that you said you knew you could invite me up here and if you asked me to leave, you knew I would."

She was already shimmying down the bed and pulling the blankets up over them. "I know, and I also know if you weren't so exhausted, you'd be heading down the stairs right now. The way I see it, I'm saving you from hurting yourself."

"This I have to hear." But he was already tossing one of the pillows to the floor and shifting a bit so he could lie down properly, with the blankets over him.

"You're tired. Too tired," she explained. "And the house is dark. You could fall going down the stairs, and we can't have that. You're a big-time rock star with a tour starting back up. If you fell down the stairs and hurt yourself, millions of fans would be devastated."

"I wouldn't say millions…"

"Trust me. It's safer and smarter for you to stay here. With me." The next thing he knew, she was pressed up beside him, her head on his shoulder, her hand on his chest, and her legs tangled with his.

Perfect.

"I love how selfless you are," he teased before placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"I know." Then she felt around for the TV remote, landing on some…non-TV-remote places. "Sorry. Just wanted to turn that off."

And yet you managed to turn me on…

Okay, he kept that to himself and even managed not to snicker. Once the television was off and the room was completely dark, Simon closed his eyes. "Night, Juliette," he whispered.

"Night, Simon."

And that was the last thing he remembered.