 by Nicole Casey.jpg)
Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 57804 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57804 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 289(@200wpm)___ 231(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
After my disastrous breakup with a music producer who thinks he’s the king of the world, I vow to never let another man control me. But when my record label offers me the chance to work with a rising country band in my hometown, my resolve is put to the test.
I went back to my hometown and reunited with Ryder, my childhood best friend’s brother. Ryder is still the passionate artist I remember, and the man I’ve always had a thing for. He left after that sinful night, and we haven’t spoken since. As we worked on the single together, our chemistry ignited like a wildfire.
But here’s the catch: Ryder is already in a relationship with another woman. It feels like we have some unfinished business between us, and the thought of a second chance with him has left me feeling achy and needy.
And then there are his bandmates, each offering something different….
Wyatt, with smoldering eyes and rough hands, has a primal edge that leaves me yearning for his touch.
Carson, the charismatic bad boy, has a way with words that leaves me breathless.
Jesse, the devoted single father with rock-hard abs, inspires me with his selflessness and passion.
And then there’s Amos, the laid-back lead singer, whose playful nature and sensual voice have me falling under his spell.
Put them all together, and my body is on fire. The thought of experiencing them all at once has my heart racing with excitement – and my imagination running wild.
But my heart is torn in a million directions. I don’t know where I belong.
The thought of leaving the these five captivating men behind is unbearable, but I have a life back in the city.
And the more I indulge in this fantasy, the harder it becomes to ignore the painful reality: Ryder is already with someone else, and I am just a temporary guest on their ranch.
Can I really have it all – the music and the love, the city and the countryside – or is this just a fleeting moment of passion and desire?
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter 1
Delilah
“Stupid… selfish… boy!”
I sniffled as I leaned closer to my bathroom mirror, hastily wiping away my streaked mascara and black eyeliner that was smudged around my eyes. I was so tired of crying over a scummy man who couldn’t care less about me other than my fame and money. That was what I got for dating a music producer.
When I lived in my small hometown of Chalice Falls, everything felt so tiny, so insignificant. How could the things that happened to me in such an unnoticed place really matter that much? But here in New York City, everything felt huge. Monumental.
On top of it all, people knew me here. Not like in my hometown where everyone knew me through my family or school because the town is so small, but I was a public figure here. A known country singer with a whole career ahead of me.
Every single thing that happened to me mattered now because people were watching my every move. Including my stupid ones.
I didn’t realize I had found myself in a snake den when I agreed to let Ethan Lennon take me out on a date after one of our music-making sessions. I got swept up in his charming words and bright, unnaturally white grin. He was widely known around the New York music scene, and I was over the moon at the fact that someone so famous wanted to date me, of all people.
That small town mindset screwed me in the end, and I didn’t even think of it as a red flag that he didn’t want anyone to really know that we were dating. He told me that we would work on so many new projects together and rise to the top, soaring over everyone else’s heads.
I didn’t care to be A-list level famous. I just wanted my music to reach as far and wide as possible, and in a way, he promised that. He claimed to be the key to everything I ever wanted, while wooing me with dates at exclusive places and all kinds of special treatment that I never once experienced in Chalice Falls.
Ethan introduced me to a whole new world, and I ignored every warning sign glaring right in my face because I had my eyes so set on the future instead of the present.
Now, I was embarrassed, trying to claw my way back to some dignity that I lost when he broke up with me and shattered my heart. I couldn’t help but feel pathetic, but I did my best to lift my head up and straighten myself out. I had a career to focus on, and I would make a bigger impact on the music scene than some scummy producer.
I redid my makeup, keeping the rest of my tears at bay because Ethan didn’t deserve to be cried over. In an hour, I had a meeting with Mark, my record label executive, who handled nearly all the aspects of my music career, to discuss my next move. I figured he would suggest a tour or a music video. Things I had done before.
I arrived at the tall office building that housed Silent Sun Records. Mark greeted me the second I stepped out of the elevator on the fourth floor.
“There you are! We’ve got a lot to talk about, sunshine,” Mark quipped as he motioned for me to follow him into his office down the hallway. He was an older man with short, slightly fluffy white hair, blue eyes, and a stocky figure. He always had a grin on his face and acted as hyperactive as a kid after eating too many cookies.
“Coming,” I said as I hurried my pace to catch up to him, the heels of my black boots thumping against the wooden floor. He often referred to me as sunshine, especially when I started hitting it off and becoming the face of the label. It made pride glow in my chest like a happy ball of light.
Mark plopped down in his leather chair at his desk, gesturing for me to sit in the cushioned chair across from him that I always sat in.
“I have an offer for you that you can’t refuse,” he told me with a giddy look on his face.
I lifted my eyebrows in interest. This seemed like something different.
“What is it?” I asked him, leaning forward slightly.
“There’s an up-and-coming country band called Amos and the Collectibles. People are loving them! And evidently, they love some Delilah Harrington. They want to record a song with you!” Mark revealed, holding his hands out like he just presented me with a gift.
I knew that this was a great opportunity for me, especially if this band was actually making waves like Mark claimed. However, my mind shifted to what happened last time I partnered up with someone to make music. He left me heartbroken and tried to take control of any songs that we had worked on together.