Dance With Me (With Me in Seattle 12)

“A what?”

“The place is huge. And it echoes, and it’s perfect for photo shoots. I mean, yes, the closet is to die for, and I like pretty things so I’ll always need a huge closet, but the house is twelve thousand square feet, Levi.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. I could get lost in it. There are rooms I’ve never been in. It used to be one of the Kardashians’ houses. I forget who.

“Anyway, it’s way too big for me, and it’s not my home. If it was, I would have stayed there during my mandatory ninety days off.”

“That’s true.”

“I’d say the people in Seattle are my home.” Her voice quiets to a whisper at the last word. “Meredith and her family, Jax and Logan, and now you.”

I tip up her chin so I can kiss her soft lips.

“How long are you going to be a police officer?”

“That’s an interesting question.”

She sighs. “I know. I’m curious.”

“The plan has been to be with the force until I retire.”

“So, more than twenty more years?” She frowns. “That’s a long time.”

“Most cops don’t work the field that long. They move up and work a desk, delegating to those in the field. I’ve thought of doing that, too. When I’m a little older.”

“What you do is dangerous.”

“Sometimes.”

She chews her lip.

“Are you worried about me, sweetheart?”

“Of course, I am.” She frowns and cups my cheek. “I love you. If something were to happen, it would destroy me.”

“Nothing’s going to happen.”

“Don’t say that.” She covers my lips with her finger. “You can’t promise me that. I’ve heard it before and still lost. We don’t know what will happen. And I’m not asking you to leave the force, because it’s who you are, and you’re good at it. Amazing. It’s your passion. If you asked me to give up music, we wouldn’t be together.”

“I don’t hear you asking me to quit. You’re worried.”

“Yeah.”

“I think we should table this discussion for now because we’re on vacation, and we should be laughing and having lots of sex.”

Her frown turns into a smirk.

“When do we have to go back?”

“We can go anytime,” I reply.

“Let’s stay here, in the treehouse, one more day.”

My hand glides down her side to her hip.

“Okay, but there will be rules.”

“Really? What kind of rules?”

“Well, for starters, no clothes are allowed. This is the nudity day of the vacation.”

She laughs, her whole body shaking with delight. “Ooh, I like nudity day. What else?”

“We don’t leave this bed unless it’s for sustenance. We have bread and peanut butter in the kitchen. We won’t starve.”

“Delicious.” She kisses my chin and slides her hand over my ass. “Have I told you how much I like your butt?”

“I don’t think you have.”

“I seriously like your butt.” She kisses my neck. “It’s firm and just the right size.”

“I’m glad you approve.”

“Do you have any other rules?”

“We’ll make them up as we go.”~Starla~

“Again,” Leo Nash, international rock god, instructs me from behind the piano. We’re in the booth, and we’re running through the song, making it perfect before we record it. “You keep missing the note in the second verse.”

“You know, I wrote this song,” I remind him. “Maybe that’s how it’s supposed to sound.”

“Is it?”

“No.” I laugh and smile at Sam when she comes into the room with two bottles of water. “Your husband is a slave driver.”

“Don’t let him bully you,” Sam says before planting a kiss on his head. “Need anything else? I’m going to head over to Mom and Dad’s for a bit.”

“No, thanks, Sunshine,” Leo says before pulling her into his lap to kiss the hell out of her. “Tell them I said hi.”

“Tell them yourself. You’re coming to dinner at six. Don’t forget.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She winks at him, sends me a wave, and is out the door again.

“I like her,” I say, shifting the paper on the music stand. “A lot.”

“Me, too.”

“Was it hard? Settling down? What with the job we have and all?”

He drinks his water, thinking about it. “Marrying Sam, being with her, was the easiest thing I’ve ever done. My life doesn’t work without her. But it’s not been easy finding the balance. I tour constantly. Or, did.”

“Did?”

“Yeah, we’re slowing it down some. We’ll still tour, but for shorter stretches, and we’ll go longer in between. I’m at a place where I want to make music, but I also want to be home more.”

“Yeah.” I sigh and sit on the stool, looking at the floor.

“Is this about Levi?”

“Yeah,” I say again. “I just don’t see how people like us can make it work, you know? I’ll be gone soon. I only come to Seattle about once a year to see the family, and that’s usually around a tour date. Levi’s a cop, and I would never ask him to give that up.”

“Maybe you wouldn’t have to ask him,” Leo suggests.