Jace (Kings of Country 1)

“Thanks for the heads-up,” Krystal said. “Daddy? Fine. Thanks.” She hung up.

“What’s TNM?” he asked.

“That sleazy entertainment news show, Tabloid News Media. Luke?” She nodded at her phone. “I’m guessing he called for the same reason Emmy did.”

“Video?” he asked. “Luke says…” He read the text out loud.

“I guess I owe you an apology.” She shook her head, her long curls swaying. “Wheelhouse Records has already called Steve. Steve’s already freaking out to my father.”

“This going to require damage control?” he asked.

“More for you than anyone else, I’m sure.” Her eyes widened and she crossed the room, picking up the pair of panties he’d kicked aside not ten minutes ago. “Guess I should take these with me.”

His phone started vibrating again. “Luke.”

“You should talk to him.” She headed for the door. “I guess I’m giving you your first scandal. Who knows? Maybe you’ll wind up with a platinum album, too.”

“You know that’s not what I’m after here, with you. A hit record.” He needed her to believe that.

“I know. That’s what scares me.” She yanked the dressing room door open. “Emmy Lou said we’ll have breakfast in the morning, get on the same page, go from there.”

He was staring after her, shocked by her honesty. His phone kept on vibrating. “Yeah?” He answered the phone, frustrated and tired and exhilarated, all at once.

“We’re meeting in the morning.” Luke sighed. “I know you don’t get how serious this is, but Wheelhouse is worried. They want you to have a certain image and they’re worried that will change if this thing with Krystal progresses.”

“Certain image?” he asked, chuckling. “I’m supposed to be, what, a monk?”

“It would be different if this were Emmy we were talking about.” He cleared his throat. “There are a lot of rumors about Krystal. Some true, some not. Look, Jace, this is a big deal. She cost the label some serious money about ten years ago. I don’t know all the details, it’s all some big secret, but it was touch-and-go as to whether Wheelhouse would keep Three Kings. Bottom line, they see you as a moneymaker and they don’t want that to change.”

How the hell had she cost them money? Ten years ago, the Three Kings were still teen stars, rosy-cheeked and on the rise. He hadn’t kept up with them—but Heather had. Maybe she’d have some idea why Wheelhouse was losing their shit over this. Krystal was part of one of the most consistently chart-topping bands in years. “Guess we’ll sort it out in the morning.”

“Jace, I’m asking you to be open-minded here. We both want the same thing—a career for you. You need to think about what that means. What sort of compromises and sacrifices you might have to make in order for that to happen. I know you like her. I do. But is she worth you losing a contract renewal? You’re only signed for a year, Jace. I know you and Heather don’t want to go back to the way it was before you won the show.”

Jace couldn’t argue that. The winnings had paid off Nikki’s hospital bills and a good portion of Heather’s tuition, but not all of it. Going back to days on the oilfields and nights at the local Bail Bonds wouldn’t be the end of the world, for him. But it would impact Heather’s future. He’d made peace with the life they’d lived, but he sure as hell wanted better for her.

“Think about it. Really think about it. I’ll see you in the morning.” Luke hung up.

Jace stared at his phone.

She’d kissed him and he wasn’t about to regret it. Well, they’d done a hell of a lot more than that, but no one knew that part of it. How could kissing her cause so much trouble? What the hell had happened to make everyone so skittish about Krystal? And vice versa. He knew the Kings had secrets—that had been obvious from day one—all families did. But most family secrets didn’t involve or impact a high-stakes, multimillion-dollar company, in a billion-dollar industry. He wasn’t one to go digging into a person’s private affairs, but this time, he might have to make an exception.

Chapter 12

“This is bigger than you.” Her mother was all fired up. “And don’t feed me some line about caring for him, either. If you cared about Jace Black, you’d stay away from him.”

Krystal couldn’t argue with her—not on this. She’d tried to stay away from him. Sort of. But she couldn’t. And now, this. What the hell had she been thinking? She hadn’t been thinking. She’d been feeling. She’d missed him. It was that simple. Missed his touch and his kiss. Jace the Gentleman withdrawal.

“What about his sister? And all his dead wife’s medical bills?” Her mother waited. “You realize he worked two, sometimes three jobs and was still facing bankruptcy when that show came along? He finally has a chance to better himself—and his sister. Why would you take that from him?”

Bankruptcy? Medical bills? Was she telling the truth? Or manipulating things to make her feel worse?

“Mom, chill.” Travis ran a hand through his blond hair. “I don’t see why this is such a big deal. It was a frigging kiss. Period. No one saw much of anything. Besides, Mickey survived just fine. Why is this different?”

“It is completely different. How do you think people will react to Krystal breaking Jace’s heart? Or Three Kings? He’s…wholesome. A widower. The man lost his baby boy, Travis. Pretty much the entire country feels protective of him—a good portion of that wants to go to bed with him.”

Krystal took a sip of coffee. When her mother was irrational, it was easy to brush her off. But right now, her mother sounded all too rational.

“Your daddy was working on a new album. Did you know that?” She was pacing. “It’s been three years since his last one. You think having our name trashed all over the place, again, won’t impact how the label supports him? It will. Guess it was too much to hope that we’d steer clear of more troubles with the record label. Last time about ended the Kings’ music legacy.” She waited just long enough for Krystal’s stomach to twist, hard. “Now this nonsense about not going to ACMF?”