The music blared through them. Into them. Around them. He couldn’t deny that he loved it. As he listened, he realized that he did know some of the songs from the radio. But he wasn’t here for Luke. He was here for Tiffany, and it was better than he could have ever imagined. She stood in front of him as the crowd pressed into them on all sides. The hat he’d bought for her had teal beads that matched her shirt. With her blonde hair and tight bling jeans, she looked amazing. She held her hands up and sang her heart out. He joined in when it got to the chorus.
Could he say it made him upset when the crowd pushed him into her? Well, he could lie. In fact, he had to work pretty hard to focus on Luke Bryant and not all these emotions that swirled inside of him with the smell of soft vanilla that called to him like a well of water calling to a thirsty vagrant. At one point her hair got mashed against his face, and he could have moved, but he didn’t. Instead he had closed his eyes and imagined how it would feel to kiss this woman. He had to physically restrain himself from slipping his hands around her waist and swaying with her.
When a crazy fan jumped up on stage and then jumped into the pit, both of them laughed as they held up their hands to pass him around. Their eyes met, and this time, Sam could have sworn that something happened between them. It was something happy and fun and something he never wanted to end.
He admired her. Her talent. Her goodness. The way she’d lived her life in the true service of her family. How she’d not compromised her values for a man.
The primal part of him was happy she hadn’t slept with Brett because it truly sounded like he was a jerk, and he was glad she hadn’t shared that with him. That was the jealous part of him. The better part of him was just proud of her. She believed in something, and she had been true to that.
It was strange because at that same time he was so proud of her, he was also somewhat sad to know that he could never live up to her. To everything her life represented.
He’d been the opposite. He’d left his father. He had been a cheater. It caused a shameful stir in his stomach when he thought about it, and he immediately tried to focus on Luke Bryant and quit thinking of the mistakes in his past.
It helped that when a ballad came on, she turned to face him, her eyes smoldering. “Wanna dance?”
It wasn’t like they could really dance because everyone was pretty much squashed together, but he grinned as she put her arms around his shoulders.
It wasn’t hard to forget everything else when he got to put his hands on her hips and sway with her.
Minutes later, she had her head against his chest, and he could hear her rich voice singing out. Their voices mixed with joy like two lost souls finally reunited. They belonged together. He could honestly say he would never forget this moment. This woman. The pureness of her. The way just being with her made him feel differently about everything—including himself. She made him see the world in a way he’d never seen it before.
It looked better. All he knew was he wanted this woman in his life. His mind flashed to the fact that she’d been with Brett for over a year. What would have happened if her father hadn’t been dying and she could have gone on tour with him? Everything was muddled. Then the song ended, and she pulled her head off his shoulder and smiled up at him, and he lost all thought.
22
Having Sam Dumont within kissing distance was not good for her, Tiffany decided as she stared at his chocolate eyes swirling with emotion. She inhaled the scent of his cool breeze after-shave. He smelled too good.
Everyone started yelling and cheering for Luke Bryant, but they both just stared at each other. The center of her chest was pounding so hard she felt like she was one of those people that she had watched on a television documentary one night that had run away from a volcano. Her father liked to watch the history channel, and she’d remembered watching the natural disaster one with him. Washington. That’s where it was. It had been in the eighties. Sam Dumont was like that volcano—hot, volatile. She knew if she got too close to him, he would burn her. She was already burning. She thought about the fact that she’d been with Brett for almost a year and it’d never been like this. So intoxicating. So…all consuming. Brett had ‘put the moves’ on her many times. It had been the thing that, in the end, they’d fought the most about.
It was his parting jab at her—that at least she’d won by never sleeping with him.
Won. Won? How had she won?
It had hurt, more than she’d ever told anyone. She had thought Brett was her partner in life and music. He’d been comfortable. He’d landed in Wolfe Creek for a winter to work at the ski resort, and they’d met at the diner. When they’d both realized they loved music, it had ended up with them trying to write together. She would give him that. He had helped her learn how to write a song, but he had also hurt her confidence level. He’d never wanted her to take the lead. They’d sung duets, and he’d capitalized on her. They sounded good together, and they’d gotten more and more gigs together, but in the end, it was the Brett Show.
She’d been so stupid. Why had she stayed with him?
Love?
She was sure the feelings between her and Brett had never been this intense. It confused her.
For a second, Sam leaned forward, and she thought he might kiss her. But at the last second, she turned in his grasp and started rocking to the next song.
She couldn’t deny that she liked that his hands stayed on her hips. She liked that he sang along too. His rich tenor voice was loud and clear. Honestly, it was like they were in their own world. She loved that he enjoyed the concert as much as she did.
Secretly, she was touched he’d set this up. She’d never imagined, not even when she’d mentioned he was her favorite, that he would bring her to see Luke Bryant. There was part of her that truly felt like she was in a fairytale—that felt like this whole thing with Sam was unreal. She couldn’t deny she was falling for him.
She thought of her father. Of course he would have liked Sam. They’d always been Roman Young fans through the media circus of picking which quarterback would lead the Destroyers. But when Roman got hurt and Sam took over, her father had always had hope he could step up and lead the team.
Thinking of the Sam Dumont portrayed in the media and this man next to her, singing and swaying and smiling at her, she felt like they were two different people.
She wondered about everything he had gone through. If he had loved Sheena.
And why wasn’t he in Miami? Why was he hanging out with her in Nashville? He’d said some hard things to her. Part of the reason she’d been so angry was because he’d been right. It wasn’t just her morals that she’d hung onto with Brett. She’d been afraid. Maybe staying with her mother was an excuse that allowed her to avoid her fear. She was afraid that if she did take the lead singer spot and go on tour, she would fail.
23
Would it sound cocky if Sam admitted that sometimes being a famous football player had its perks and he liked it? He thought Tiffany would probably say yes—it was cocky, but right now Sam didn’t care. Seeing Tiffany hug Luke Bryant and get the Cowboy hat he’d bought her signed by him made him not mind using his star power. Her face glowed, and he could see she was extremely happy.
This is what he had wanted when he chartered the jet and called his agent to utilize every connection he could to make this happen for her. He had wanted her to see what her future could be.
It could. Of that fact he was sure. Listening to her sing last night had been a religious experience for him. Her voice was unfiltered. It was innocent and pure and had all the characteristics that people who turned into stars had. Then there were her lyrics. They had touched him deeply.