I roll over onto my back, letting our limbs and bodies entwine. “So are you,” I say, giving him a devious kiss. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you, too.”

  We rest in a comfortable silence, touching and kissing each other in the dark. Still attuned to each other after all this time. Still knowing where to touch, where to kiss, to leave the other trembling for more.

  As I drift off to sleep in his embrace, I hear a song playing in my heart as his fingers gently tap against my hip.

  48

  HARMONY

  Iease off the bed, being careful not to wake Knox as I go. He’s always worn out after a night on stage. Our post-show activities didn’t exactly promote restfulness, either.

  But I’m wide awake, memories from last night still leaving me buzzing.

  Surreal yet completely wonderful.

  And I can’t wait to do it again.

  I sneak into the bathroom to get in a quick shower. The second the water touches my skin, I close my eyes and plant my hands against the wall ahead. Tiny droplets fall down my body, washing away the various whatever still lingering on my skin after a night in bed with Knox Benton.

  And I smile.

  Music plays between my ears. I sway with it, feeling the fantasy wash over me and down the drain.

  “You’re a wildfire, burning through my soul.

  I’m drawn to you, so out of control.”

  I sing softly, barely above a whisper, as water soaks my hair.

  “This love’s like a poison, it’s killing me slow.

  But I can’t⁠—”

  The curtain opens. I startle as Knox steps into the shower.

  “Knox,” I scold, but laugh it off quickly. “Don’t scare me like that!”

  “Sorry.” He steps toward me, completely naked. “I swear I didn’t mean to,” he says, even though he totally did.

  “I didn’t mean to wake you up,” I say, touching his chest.

  “Then you shouldn’t sing like that, ya damn siren,” he says as he kisses me.

  I wrap my arms around his waist, happy to kiss him back. Knox pulls me closer, my breasts pressing against his chest as his hands slowly descend my back.

  I feel him growing hard, his erection pushing against my navel, and give him another scolding eye. “Knox…”

  Without a word, he pushes my back against the shower wall, his kiss falling to my neck. I purr beneath the water, beneath his embrace, as his tongue travels downward. I run my fingers through his hair, a throbbing warmth making itself known between my thighs.

  “Knox,” I sigh, smiling, as he lowers to his knees.

  “Keep singing, baby,” he says as he forces one of my thighs over his shoulder.

  I gasp in delicious pleasure. Resting my head back, I enjoy Knox’s tongue with closed eyes, running my fingers through his soaking hair. I moan softly, singing his praises, every touch on my clit sending warm shivers across my wet skin.

  Beyond the curtain, the bathroom door slams open.

  “Holy fuck, Harmony!”

  I startle, accidentally kicking Knox in the side. He tumbles back as I fling my head around the curtain. “Chrissy?!” I wipe water out of my eyes. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Guess what you just booked!” she shouts over the water, out of breath.

  Knox pulls himself up and stays quiet.

  “Uh… I don’t know,” I say.

  “Guess!”

  “I don’t know, Chrissy!” I say, adjusting the curtain to block her view of Knox. “What?”

  “VRL!”

  My jaw drops. “What?!”

  “V. R. L,” she repeats. “Viral music hour!”

  “What?! Why?”

  “Katy Montag’s clip of you and Harvey went completely viral overnight,” she says, barely breathing. “Your music video just hit one hundred million views.”

  I nearly slip again. “Are you serious?!”

  “They haven’t sent me stream numbers yet, but I can only imagine. People love you, babe!” she says. “And when the people love you, VRL wants you and they want you on Friday night in Seattle.”

  “Friday night?” I ask, as breathless as she is.

  “I just talked to the label and they’re sending everything. Make up, costumes, your backup dancers. The works! Donna! Remember Donna?”

  I nod, remembering days of dance rehearsals leading up to the video shoot. “I remember Donna.”

  “She’s coming to go over your choreography with you. You have two days of rehearsals ahead of you and then it’s show time!”

  “Show time,” I say, still not able to believe it.

  Chrissy bounces with excitement. “Now, I’ve been on the phone all morning and I still have to pack, so I’m gonna go do that.”

  “Okay.”

  “And you…” Chrissy finally takes a breath. “You’re gonna be on VRL.”

  “I’m gonna be on VRL.”

  With a final squeal, she leaves.

  I pull myself back behind the curtain, flinching when I see Knox. Somehow, I’d forgotten he was still here. “Hey,” I say.

  “Hi,” he says.

  “I’m gonna be on VRL.”

  “I heard,” he says. “Congratulations.”

  “One hundred million views?!” I say, everything sinking in beneath the spray of hot water. “Oh, my god. Knox!”

  I fling myself at him. He laughs, wrapping his arms around me to hold me up.

  “That’s a lot of views,” he says.

  I cling to him and laugh, unable to do anything else, my body still tingling with delicious heat. “I’m gonna be on TV,” I say after… I don’t even know how long. I look at Knox, smiling at the tiny beads of water on his eyelashes. “I’m gonna be on TV,” I repeat, then my stomach shudders with nerves. “Oh, god! I’m gonna be on live TV!”

  Knox smiles back. “You’re gonna be fine,” he says. “Actually, it’s the perfect place to debut Wildfire.”

  My smile dips slightly. “Wildfire?”

  “Yeah. Why not?”

  “Because… the label is sending dancers and costumes and backup singers for Boom Boom. My song with the video with one hundred million views.”

  “We debut new stuff on VRL all the time,” Knox says. “Believe me, Tony will be cool with it.”

  “I…” I ease a step back. “I can’t debut new stuff, Knox.”

  “Yes, you can.”

  “No, I can’t. They want Boom Boom.”

  “They’ll want Wildfire more.”

  “God, stop!” I move further back, and his hands fall away. “Knox, what is it with you and that stupid song?”

  “It’s not stupid,” he says. “Boom Boom, on the other hand. That’s stupid.”

  “One hundred million views say otherwise!”

  “No one watched that video for the song. They watched it to see you bouncing around in a hot pink tube top.”

  I recoil, my jaw falling. “Wow, okay,” I say as I fling the curtain out of the way.

  “Harmony—” Knox shuts off the shower. “Hold on.”

  I grab the robe off the hook behind the door. “No, I think you’ve said your piece, Knox.”

  “I didn’t mean that, exactly⁠—”

  “You meant everything you just said.”

  I toss the robe on, tying it off as I exit the bathroom.

  “Harm, wait.” He follows, throwing a towel around his waist. “Okay, there was some truth to it. A little. But I’m just saying… you should consider it.”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it’s not my brand.” I sigh, frustrated. “Dammit, Knox. We’ve had this conversation before, and nothing has changed.”

  “Yeah,” he says, confused. “Why is that?”

  “Why is what?”

  “Why has nothing changed?” he asks. “I mean, your mother abandoned you. Clearly, Paul Monroe doesn’t give a shit about you, either. But you’re still falling in line. Why?”

  “It’s my job, Knox,” I say. “I have a contract. A responsibility.”

  He scoffs.

  I arch a brow and mimic his scoff.

  “That’s a shitty excuse,” he says. “You could be so much more than the chick who sings Boom Boom. You are so much more. But you choose to be…”

  “What?” I ask. “Choose to be what, Knox?”

  “I don’t know.” He hesitates. “Plastic.”

  “Plastic?”

  “Yeah, plastic.” He straightens, owning it. “And… I love you too much to watch you be so mundane.”

  I swallow the lump in my throat. “That’s what this is really about, isn’t it?”

  “What?”

  “You’re an artist,” I say, rolling my eyes. “And I’m just a cheap product for little girls and horny teenage boys. Right?”

  “You are, but you don’t have to be.”

  “Without this, I am nothing,” I say, my eyes burning with tears. “How do you not see that?”

  “I’ve seen you, Harmony,” he says. “The real you. On stage, at the piano, belting your heart out. That’s you. This isn’t you.”

  “That was fourth place, Knox!”

  “Yeah, well, I’d rather have fourth place you than whatever the fuck this is.”

  I look down; the words cutting impossibly deep. Unable to respond in any way except tears, I turn away from him and walk to the door.

  “Shit,” he whispers behind me. “Harmony, I’m sorry.”

  “No, it’s fine,” I say, finding the will to choke back the tears. “In fact, you’re right. You were right from the start. Rock gods don’t date pop princesses.”

  I hold the door open for him.

  Knox sighs. “That’s not⁠—”

  “Get out,” I say, officially finished listening to him.

  He gestures at his towel. “I’m a little naked here.”

  “I don’t care. Get out.”

  “Can’t we talk about this some more?”

  “No.”

  “Harm—”

  “Get out, Knox.”

  Knox’s shoulders slump, then he moves to gather his clothes. I don’t budge, steeling myself and breathing through the urge to sob.

  Finally, he walks over, his torso still glistening with water, and stops just outside the doorway. “Harmony, I’m⁠—”

  I slam the door.

  49

  HARMONY

  OMG! I’m in love!

  this version is fire

  I’m crying this is so good!

  Iscan the comments on Katy Montag’s viral video post from last night, grinning so wide my face hurts.

  I’m gonna need an official release of this STAT!

  I’ve never heard of this Moon guy before, but I’m gonna check him out!

  He’s so hot!

  Yeah. I bet Harvey’s happy for my tide to lift his boat.

  Unlike some people.

  The elevator reaches the ground floor. I lower my phone as I step off, rolling my suitcase behind me.

  “Good morning, Ms. Max!” the young woman greets me at the front desk, her smile a little too perky. “Are you checking out?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Did you enjoy your stay?”

  “Uh, yeah,” I answer as I set my key down. “It was great.”

  She turns and grabs a vase of flowers from the desk behind her. “These were delivered for you,” she says.

  I blink. “For me?”

  Roses. Yellow roses.

  I study the arrangement, thinking they might be some lame attempt at apology from Knox. But this ain’t his style.

  “Thank you,” I add as I pick them up and step out of the way.

  “Have a great day!” she says.

  “Thanks. You, too.”

  I quickly find a card attached, the envelope addressed to Ms. Harmony — something Knox has never called me before. That immediately arches my brow before I even slide the thing out to read it.

  I caught your performance last night, it says. Can’t wait for the encore.

  LS

  Well, this is weird.

  “Ooo-la-la!”

  Chrissy slides up to me, suddenly by my side with her hair already tied up in her work day ponytail. She’s wearing an adorable sundress of pink and blue — not her usual style, but it suits her wonderfully. “And just who might those be from?” she asks with a to-go coffee in each hand.

  I chortle, turning the card toward her.

  She reads it and grins. “Oh, boy.”

  “Oh, boy,” I repeat.

  “That’s awfully sweet of Mr. Shock.”

  “It’s awfully… something.”

  “You won’t reciprocate?”

  I scoff. “No, I don’t think I will.”

  “Why not?” Chrissy winks and offers me a coffee. “Personally, I find him quite sexy.”

  I take it with a glare, confused by her opinion. “Since when are you hot for Logan?”

  “Oh, I’m always attracted to talent,” she says. “So are you.”

  I think of Knox, obviously. But the thought doesn’t come with the warm and fuzzy butterflies it usually does. “Maybe,” I mutter. “But Logan’s not my type.”

  I take a sip of coffee, then pause, the flavor unexpected. It’s hazelnut.

  I hate hazelnut coffee.

  “Well, that’s unfortunate,” she says. “I think you should reconsider his offer. You two would be something else together.”

  “Yeah, we’d be something, all right,” I say before walking back to the perky girl behind the desk. “Actually,” I say, offering the flowers back, “I think these are for you.”

  “Oh!” She accepts them happily. “Thank you so much!”

  I return to Chrissy to grab my suitcase. “You ready to go?” I ask.

  “You go ahead,” she says, stepping back. “I still have things to check off my list.”

  “Okay, I’ll meet you on the bus, then.”

  “Bye-bye!”

  I walk away, discreetly dropping the coffee in the garbage on my way out. It’s not like Chrissy to mess up a coffee order, but I brush it off. She’s had a loaded morning of phone calls and emails, no doubt. Hell, I’m surprised to be functioning at all and all I’ve done this morning is cry.

  Knox— no. No.

  Don’t think about him.

  Think about the good stuff.

  I’m gonna be on VRL!

  “Good morning, Barry,” I say as I hop onto the bus.

  “Hey there, Ms. Max,” he says, his eyes on the morning paper. “We hitting Seattle today?”

  “We’re hitting Seattle today,” I confirm.

  “You got it, honey.”

  I set my suitcase down, taking a seat at the table by the radio. While I wait for Harvey, August, and Chrissy to join me, I take out my notebook. Lying it flat, I read over the words. The sketches. The feelings behind them suddenly… muted.

  Tainted.

  “Mind if I listen to music, Barry?” I ask.

  “No, ma’am. Do your thing.”

  “Thanks.”

  I flick on the radio, catching Jonny Red mid-sentence.

  “—took the stage during Harvey Moon’s opening set at the Criminal Records show in Portland last night and blew everyone away with a surprise acoustic version of Boom Boom!”

  I pause.

  “America can’t get enough of this girl and neither can we. Here’s Harmony with your number one song of the week — make that song of the summer!”

  My smile grows.

  I crank up the radio.

  Boom boom.

  50

  KNOX

  Istare out the window of the bus, my thoughts as much of a blur as the road outside. Numbness fills my chest, my fingers and toes. All morning, a single thought has taken over my mind, the roots digging deep into my heart and soul.

  I can’t believe I fucked this up already.

  I suppose it was predictable. To everyone but me, that is. I actually thought this time was different. That we were different. But different doesn’t always mean new. Different doesn’t mean our different selves are any less compatible than who we once were.

  A man doesn’t choose his muse.

  That thought breaks through the haze and my stomach sinks even further at the reminder.

  “Whoa, guys!” Addison pops up onto her knees on her bench and turns around to show her phone. “Harmony booked VRL!”

  The others react to the news with wide eyes and celebratory words. I don’t move, the hood of my sweater hanging halfway over my eyes.

  “What?” Katrina says, looking up from her tablet. “Seriously? That’s awesome!”

  “Announced this morning.” Addison looks at me. “Did she tell you, Knox?”

  “Yes,” I say.

  “And you didn’t think to tell us?” Jordan asks.

  “No.”

  They go quiet. I don’t bother looking at them. I keep my eyes on the blurry road, hoping they’ll just let it go.

  A weight sinks into my seat next to me. Guess not.

  “Knox,” Jonah says. “What’s up?”

  “Nothing,” I say. “Just tired.”

  “Missed you at breakfast,” he says. “Did you and Harmony order up?”

  “No.”

  “Knox,” he says, a hint a worry in his voice now.

  “Jo, I’m fine,” I say. “Just not feeling very chatty right now.”

  “What happened?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Knox.”

  I throw back my hood, frustrated. “What do you want, Jonah?”

  “I want you to talk to me.”

  “Why? So you can hear that you were right all along? Well, surprise surprise. You were right all along. Now, leave me alone.”

  “Did you and Harmony break up?”

  “No. Yes. Fuck, I don’t know. We had a fight.”

  “What about?”

  “About fucking… Boom Boom,” I say through my teeth, not wanting to say it at all.

  “Boom Boom?” Jonah repeats.

  “Yeah! Boom Boom!” I take a breath, the words spilling off my tongue. “That stupid fucking song that everyone just loves. But I don’t. I hate it. I hate it and I hate Paul Monroe and I hate what they’ve done to the woman I love.”