My Lucky Days: A Novel (8 page)

Even though he only touched my fingers, my whole body felt the tingles of anticipation at the meaning behind his words.

“I think you already used your kiss credit tonight,” I teased.

He laughed. “Well, if you think that’s a kiss, then I must not have much past competition to erase.”

Lucky scooted out from behind the steering wheel into the center seat. Tugging my hand, it didn’t take much convincing to close the gap between us.

He slipped an arm around my back, holding me against him. Lucky touched my cheek with his other hand. “Close your eyes.”

And then I did what he asked, sending the cab into darkness. The rest of my senses heightened. His body felt warmer. His cologne smelled stronger. I felt his breath against my lips. “I want you to know that I have thought about this moment for forty-six hours and about thirteen minutes. And every second that passed, I just wanted to kiss you more.”

His mouth touched mine with a faint brush. He captured my upper lip, pulling it slightly before letting go. He did it again with just a little bit more pressure, letting his tongue graze my bottom lip.

I let out a gasp as the next kiss went deep and his tongue brushed over mine. Our mouths blended together effortlessly.

First kisses had always been awkward. Noses hitting. Tongues passing just a little too much spit. I had always assumed there wasn’t any way around it until you got used to the other person’s movements.

Tonight was different.

I wasn’t in control. It was all Lucky. He was almost possessive, tugging and pulling at my lips, making the adrenaline pump through my body as I struggled to catch my breath. And then he went back to slow, delicate passes with his tongue, fanning the ache in places I shouldn’t have while sitting in a truck with someone I had only met two days ago.

But I didn’t have a choice in the matter. He was a better kisser than a singer. And that was saying a lot because his voice could melt ice cream.

And now I was the object he was currently melting into the softness of his lips. Melting into the way his hand cupped the side of my cheek.

I wanted to touch him. I put my hand on his arm, running cautiously up to his chest. My fingers spread out over his shirt, feeling the hard outline of his body underneath the fabric. Lucky tried to pull me tighter against him, but it was difficult since we were sitting side by side in the truck.

He lifted his lips from mine, gazing at me for a second. My heart was pounding in my chest. I couldn’t think about anything else but kissing him again.

“Come here. I want you closer.” His hands moved to my hips, pulling me in his direction. I didn’t care where he was taking me. I was willing to go with him.

He placed me on his lap, bending my legs at the knees so that I straddled his hips. I didn’t have time to process this new level of contact before our lips found each other again.

I relaxed as his hands slid over my back. They were gentle, almost like he was caressing me as he pulled me tighter against his body. It was a strange feeling but a good feeling—like I was turned on and wrapped in a warm blanket at the same time.

My fingers trailed over his neck and then through his hair. The messy strands felt baby soft against my skin. He pulled his mouth from mine, and I opened my eyes, struggling to catch my breath.

“I knew you liked the hair,” he whispered.

I grinned at him. “Yeah, I like the hair.”

He kissed me softly, leaving his hands on my waist. “Well, I really like this sweater. Makes me want to touch you.”

His thumbs brushed slowly against my sides as our eyes held for a moment. I leaned back, letting his hands explore my body. They ran slowly over the cashmere sweater like he was enjoying the softness of the fabric against my skin.

Part of me was nervous, yet part of me wasn’t. So many feelings coursed through me at the same time. Lucky cupped my left breast first. And then with his other hand, he cupped the right, holding them both in his palms. The warmth of his hands seeped through the fabric, making his touch feel closer to my skin.

“Perfect fit.” He grinned.

I didn’t know if I should laugh or kiss him. “I’m not sure your one good-night kiss credit included touching.”

“No?” He smirked.

I shook my head slowly, grinning at him. His hands moved up to my neck and then to my cheeks. Lucky pressed his lips softly to mine, letting his tongue brush against them before pulling back.

He stared intently into my eyes as he let out a deep breath and his lips twisted into a slight frown. “I need to be honest with you about something.”

My heart sped up when I realized he wasn’t teasing. I suddenly couldn’t think. Climbing off his lap, I moved back to the passenger’s side. I was so confused as I looked back at him. “Are you saying you haven’t been honest? That you’ve lied to me?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I promise. Nothing I’ve said has been a lie. I just haven’t told you everything about me. And I need to before this goes any further.”

I swallowed hard, looking out toward the house. I should just get out of the truck and go inside. This whole thing had been a stupid mistake with a guy like him. This wasn’t me. None of it.

But I made another mistake and looked back into his eyes. I wanted to glare at him, but I couldn’t. Not when he was giving me that look. He was too cute for his own good. “Okay. Tell me what I don’t know about you.”

“Okay, the thing is.” He gave me a nervous smile. “I wasn’t looking for someone like you the other night. But I found myself talking to you. And I really liked just talking to you. And you’ve got the prettiest green eyes I’ve ever seen. And kissing you. I really like kissing you. And I would really like to do more than just kiss you right now.”

And then his grin slowly disappeared. “But you don’t have to say it, Katie. I know you’re not a one-night-stand kind of girl. And I don’t want to be the guy who just fucks random girls after a show. That’s not the life I want.”

I cringed. “Is that what you normally do?”

He let out a deep breath and shrugged. “Sometimes.”

“Oh.” I looked away. It felt strange hearing him admit it, but I think part of me already knew that answer.

“Once I decided to be serious about music, there hasn’t been much room for me to be serious about anything else. Music comes first. And trying to be here for my family is second. Everything else . . . there just hasn’t been room for it.”

“I don’t understand. What do you want from me then?”

“That’s the thing. When I saw you, I couldn’t help myself. Something about you just pulls me in. I don’t know how to explain it. I want to talk to you all night. Write songs about you. Make you smile. Take your clothes off and kiss every inch of you. And I’m not even sure what order I want those things.”

“Oh.” I stared back at him.

“That’s why I need to be honest before this goes any further between us. You need to know everything about me and decide what you want to do.”

“Okay?” Now I really didn’t understand. My heart was pounding harder as I waited for him to continue, but he seemed deep in thought.

“I’m gone a lot. And I’m going to be gone even more. I said that I live here. That’s true. But I don’t just live here. I also rent a room with some guys in Nashville. I live there part time and here when I can.”

“Why don’t you live there full time?”

“I don’t know. I’ve considered going all in and just moving to Nashville. But I’m just not ready for that yet. I feel like my mama still needs me here and Colt and the business and his kids.” He shrugged. “Or maybe I’m the one who’s not ready to leave here.”

I nodded, understanding his dilemma. Being the one to leave is hard. It made everything hurt—right down to the bone.

“I’ve also got a manager named Roger Cromwell who books gigs for me. The guys I live with in Nashville are my band. We’re going on the road after the first of the year. It’s bigger and more organized than what I’ve been doing. My first break, I guess. But that’s the truth. I don’t know what my future holds.”

He picked up my hand, linking our fingers together. “But, Katie, despite all of that. I want to try this with you. And I understand if you’re not willing. Me juggling everything will get frustrating. I won’t be here all the time. All I can do is promise to be here when I can. I’ll always be honest and never cheat. And you will have to trust me. I know that part might be the hardest for a girl especially with what I do. But if you think you can, and you don’t mind me being gone, maybe we could give this a shot. If it becomes too much, just tell me. And I’ll be out of your life. No questions asked.”

I thought about his words for a moment. They were some heavy stuff. But I got what he was saying. He didn’t want some weekend fling with me. But his life was really chaotic. It could go a hundred different directions at the drop of a hat.

And then the reality of his proposal hit me. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “Are you asking me to be your girlfriend? We just met, Lucky.”

He laughed faintly. “You can call it whatever you want. But I won’t be talking with anyone else. Or kissing anyone else. Or touching anyone else. If you can try to deal with my life.”

“I see,” I whispered, looking down at our intertwined hands.

Lucky had dumped a large amount of reality on me all at once. He was just a guy. But he also wasn’t. I could see that now. And if he was able to make his dreams come true, whoever was with Lucky would have to share
Landon Evans
with the world.

It was a lot to process about someone. At least he had told me the truth. “Can I have a little time to think about this?”

“Sure. I understand.” He nodded his head.

Neither of us said anything else. The truck had grown cold, and I shivered a little. Part of me wanted to scoot back over to his side and pick up where we left off. But the sensible side of my brain—the one that had controlled my actions for most of my life—said I needed to go inside and think this through.

“Why don’t you walk me to my door?” I smiled at him.

“Okay.” He agreed, but I saw the sadness in his eyes before he cut it off with a smile.

I opened the passenger’s side and jumped out, meeting him in front of the hood. He reached for my hand, holding my fingers as we walked in silence.

As we reached the steps, Lucky let go and stepped away. “Good night, Katie.”

He was giving me space and I already didn’t like the distance. And I got caught up in the moment, in the way he made me want things and do things. Leaning up on my tiptoes, I pressed my lips to his. He wrapped his arms around my body, holding me in a tight grip as his mouth moved softly. Lucky was in control again. And I liked it.

He kissed me deeply. I felt his hands moving over my back, touching me gently. Once again, I found myself melting under the feel of his lips and the way his tongue knew exactly how to touch mine.

I don’t know how much time passed before he eventually let go. I looked up into his brown eyes as Lucky traced a finger down the side of my cheek. He let out a deep breath, making a cloud between us in the cold air. “Can I call you tomorrow?”

“Yeah.” I nodded.

He gave me one last kiss on the forehead before letting me go. Without his body heat, the cold tried to swallow me up. I ran up the steps to the house. After closing the door, I leaned against it for a few minutes.

My heart was still beating fast and my lips ached. But a good ache. I think during the course of our first kiss, Lucky really had done the impossible. His mouth had erased every memory of every pair of lips that had touched mine before tonight.

And I wanted this with him. But part of me was scared. A relationship with a person like Lucky would not be easy. It would be difficult and at the same time, almost like a real-life fairytale. The ordinary girl swept up in the beautiful chaos of a sweet country singer.

The thought shocked me. Maybe I could be
the girl
in the fairytale. It didn’t feel so bad. Actually, it felt pretty good. It made me smile. Because he made me smile.

I walked through the dark house, wearing that big dopey grin. Peyton’s door was open, but she wasn’t home. I didn’t want to imagine where she was tonight. Skylar’s was shut, but that also meant Dylan was there too. I continued on to my bedroom, closing the door behind me. Yet, the smile didn’t leave.

I got ready for bed and climbed under the covers. I couldn’t sleep. Not after what happened with Lucky tonight. Tossing around, I finally sat up and worked on the grocery list for tomorrow’s trip to the store.

And then I heard the ding. I knew it was from Lucky before I even picked up my phone.

L
UCKY:

And as my head touches the pillow,

Sometimes I have to remember,

Tonight’s not the end.

Tomorrow will come.

And it starts all over again.

I’ll never stop trying, until your heart is mine.

’Cause nothing has ever felt this right.

Good night, my darling. Good night.

I read the lyrics again as the flutters went all through me. And suddenly, it all felt so very real. Him. The words. The way he made me feel. And then I typed a response before I could change my mind.

M
E:
Okay.

L
UCKY:
Okay?

M
E:
I want to do this. Whatever this is.

L
UCKY:
We will have fun. I promise.