The date deal, p.13
The Date Deal,
p.13
“Carsen,” I whisper into her hair. “God, I missed you so much.”
She pulls back and her eyes lock with mine. “Take me out of here.”
“Where do you want to go?”
“I assume you have a hotel room?” She asks, and at my nod continues, “Take me there.”
“But Elliott and Darcy,” I say, looking around for them. Why weren’t they right here with us? “I’m sure they want to talk to you.”
“They already did. We’re meeting for breakfast in the morning.” She slips her hand into mine. “Let’s get out of here.”
* * *
On the drive to my hotel, I explain what’s happened at the camp since she left. Specifically, how Susan didn’t even try to lie when confronted with the truth from Darcy and Elliott.
Carsen admits that though Susan never seemed to like her, she’d never been openly hostile either. “I guess when I left, she saw it as the perfect time for you and Jane to get together.”
I pull into the hotel’s parking lot. “Jane and Susan can get over it, I never want to see either of them again and I told them if they ever step foot on my property again, I’d have them arrested for trespassing.”
“I know you’re doing what you have to do,” she says. “But I still feel bad for even inadvertently causing you having to lose the best admin you've ever had.”
I park the car and turn in my seat so I face her. I want to see her face when I tell her what happened next. “Don’t feel bad. I haven’t told you the best part yet.”
“There’s a best part?”
I smile because she will love it. “Yes, you see the day after I fired Susan, I had a call wanting to know if I had any open positions. You’ll never guess who it was.”
“Who?”
“Ms. Holt.”
Carsen’s eyes grow big. “Ms. Holt?”
“Yes. She’s separated from her husband and is getting a divorce. She needed a job and a place to stay, so I hired her and I’m letting her live in the guesthouse. And she is the absolute best admin I’ve ever had.”
Carsen blinks away the tears gathering in her eyes. “That makes me so happy.”
I hold her door as she gets out. She’d given her guitar to her brother and Darcy after the competition and only has an overnight bag. I take and carry it inside for her. She tells me she only has it because she’d planned to spend the night with Elliott and Darcy. I hope she ends up staying with me tonight, but it seems too presumptuous to mention that now.
We don't say anything as we make our way inside the hotel and up the elevator to my room. As soon as we step inside, Carsen heads to the couch, and takes a seat. It’s only then I realize how tired she looks. I put her bag down and walk over to sit on the couch beside her. She looks at me and gives a weak smile.
“I thought you would win,” I say. It’s the first either one of us has mentioned the competition, and I feel as if I need to tell her something.
She shakes her head. “I don't know. I'm kind of glad it went the way it did. Right before we went on stage, one guy said he’d heard there was a clause in the contract we had to sign before we entered last year about rights and that kind of stuff. It didn’t sound very good.”
“Still, I know you wanted to win. I know what it means to you to make it in Nashville. This would have helped you on your way.”
She sighs, but doesn’t say anything. In fact, she looks away from me as if she's thinking. When she turns back, she takes my hand. “Thank you, Tate, but I’m not sure what I want anymore. I thought I wanted to make it big in Nashville but now I'm not sure. All I know is that I want you.”
I give her hand a gentle squeeze. “I had a lot of time to think on the drive up here, and I made a few decisions. The first being that if you want to see what you can do here in Nashville, I’ll stay with you. I’ve already decided. I can take a leave of absence from the camp. There are plenty of people who can step in and watch it for me while I’m away. I want to be here for you, to do what I can to help you make your dream come true because you deserve it.”
“And what if I tell you I don’t want to stay in Nashville? That I want to stay at a camp for at-risk children and teach them music?”
My breath catches in my throat as I listen to her, but I end up teasing her. “I feel obligated to tell you that your position is still open, however your living space is not, seeing as I gave the guesthouse to Ms. Holt the other day.”
She runs her finger up my chest. “Do you think the Director would let me spend the night in his room?”
“It would be highly unprecedented,” I say. “But I think you could persuade him.”
“I can be very persuasive.” She stands, still holding my hand and leads me to the bed.
Hell, I know that all too well. It’s difficult to remember what I want to say with all the various emotions running through my body. It’s so hard to believe she wants to be at the camp with me.
“You’re sure you don’t want to stay in Nashville for a few days?” I ask as she climbs on the bed.
“I want you,” she replies. “You’re more important than seeing how many records I can sell. And yes, hearing all that applause tonight was wonderful, but it paled compared to the look on a fourteen-year-old’s face who just realized she had a voice.”
She’s pulling me down on top of her and I’m close to losing myself in her sexy curves and soft skin. “As long as you know I love you and the road to Nashville is ours anytime you change your mind.”
“Noted. And for the record, I love you, too.” She palms my erection through the pants I still have on. “Now take these off. Or is that against the rules since it’s not even four in the afternoon?”
“I forgot to tell you.”
She’s working on the zipper on my pants and frowns when it gets stuck. “Forgot what?”
“I did away with all my rules. Well, except one.”
“Oh?” She looks up. “What’s the one?”
I lift her chin with my finger and right before our lips touch, I whisper, “Love, Carsen.”
The Date Dare
Want to see how it all started? Don’t miss THE DATE DARE!
I was six when Darcy Patrick moved next door. By the time we were eight, we were best friends.
At fifteen, I gave a classmate a black eye for calling her names. At sixteen, she talked me through asking my crush to prom.
I helped her get over her first heartbreak at nineteen. Two years later, she returned the favor.
It wasn’t until I was twenty-nine I realized I loved her. And because I was too stupid to do anything about it, at thirty, I lost her for good on a dare.
Coming Soon
Looking for something with a little more spice?
Don’t miss the Wall Street Royals Series, starting this April!
FOK: A term used in securities trading. FILL OR KILL.
* * *
For Lance Braxton, it’s more than a trading term, it’s his motto. Do it. Do it now and do it completely or don’t do it at all. Some might see it as reckless or foolhardy, but Lance doesn’t care. It’s worked for him so far. Why change a good thing?
Celeste Walsh is running out of options. She’s been accepted into Juilliard to play the violin, but if she can’t get a scholarship, she’ll have to turn them down. And if she turns Juilliard down, she’ll have no choice but to give up the violin and work as a waitress at her family’s restaurant in Nowhereville, Virginia.
As a favor for his sick grandmother, Lance sits in on auditions for the Juilliard scholarship named after his late mother. He expects to be bored out of his mind. He expects it to be a waste of a Saturday he could spend working. What he does not expect is Celeste Walsh
She has the body of a super model, the looks of a storybook princess, and plays the violin with the passion of a zealous lover. The moment he sees her, he has to have her.
Fill or kill.
Take her or leave her.
He’s all in and the consequences be damned.
Also by Tara Sue Me
THE SUBMISSIVE SERIES:
* * *
The Submissive
The Dominant
The Training
The Chalet*
Seduced by Fire
The Enticement
The Collar
The Exhibitionist
The Master
The Exposure
The Claiming*
The Flirtation
Mentor’s Match
The Mentor & The Master*
* * *
RACK ACADEMY SERIES:
Master Professor
Headmaster
* * *
BACHELOR INTERNATIONAL:
American Asshole
* * *
OTHERS:
The Date Dare
Her Last Hello
Altered Allies *
* * *
Writing as Tara Thomas
Shattered Fear*
Hidden Fate*
Twisted End*
Darkest Night
Deadly Secret
Broken Promise
* * *
*eNovella
About the Author
NEW YORK TIMES/USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR
* * *
Even though she graduated with a degree in science, Tara knew she'd never be happy doing anything other than writing. Specifically, writing love stories.
* * *
She started with a racy BDSM story and found she was not quite prepared for the unforeseen impact it would have. Nonetheless, she continued and The Submissive Series novels would go on to be both New York Times and USA Today Bestsellers. One of those, THE MASTER, was a 2017 RITA finalist for Best Erotic Romance.
* * *
Now she is focusing on new contemporary romances that allow her the freedom to write and publish on her own schedule.
Tara Sue Me, The Date Deal
