Ping.
Ping. Ping. Ping.
Lacey smiles, ignoring her phone, and stretches out in bed. Warmth beside her. A hard body. She’s never been so relaxed, never had such a glorious night of sleep. She sighs, snuggling deeper into the covers, into the silk sheets, into a lean, muscled—
Seth.
Shit.
No.
Her eyes flash open.
She groans inwardly, her gaze taking in Seth’s sleeping form. He’s curled up beside her, one arm tossed over his messy head of hair, the other draped protectively on her hip.
She resists the urge to be mortified. Embarrassed. After all, they did nothing last night. They just shared a bed. A kiss. Never mind the fact that she completely broke down in front of him, like some hot mess of blubbering baby. Never mind the fact that she’s never felt so cared for in her entire life.
Seth was something else. He showed her a side of him she had never seen before. Caring, tender. The fury in his eyes as he told her it wasn’t her fault. She appreciated that. There was no I told you so, no blame. He didn’t shy away from her tears, her distress. Instead, he took it as his own, holding her, catching her as she fell apart.
Somehow, he understood.
Annoyed with her sappy thoughts, Lacey scowls. Slowly, she inches away from Seth, determined to make it out of bed without waking him. Uncomfortable conversations are not on her agenda this morning. Not with her phone blowing up. No doubt it’s Prentiss telling her to get her ass out of bed and get to work.
Still, she can’t help her eyes drifting to Seth. His long, tan body. His lean build, muscles like corded leather. Hesitantly, she reaches out, brushing a lock of hair from his brow.
He reminds her of the beach. With his sandy-blond hair and his eyes as blue as the Pacific, a sunny smile that continuously has her melting—
Holy shit, what’s wrong with her?
This line of thinking is completely bonkers. She and Seth, they’d never work.
For thousands of reasons. He’s reckless, wild. She’s type A, thrives on order. She has her dream job in Los Angeles, and Seth, he’s in Nashville, a country superstar singing all over the world, girls climbing on his pant leg every night.
Plus, the most important reason: he’s her sister’s best friend. She’s ashamed to admit it, but she never really gave any thought to Sal the first time she and Seth slept together. And why would she? Her sister was presumed dead. And Lacey needed something, needed someone to help her ward away bad habits. To help her forget her sister was missing, possibly gone forever. Just for a night.
And then it was every time she came to Nashville.
The time after Tonk’s.
When he drove her to her bed-and-breakfast after Roy Williams attacked Sal.
At the Hermitage, putting that hotel room to good use, after Sal went back to Luke.
Last Christmas when she came out for a show in North Carolina.
She always said it was the last time. Until it wasn’t. Every time they were together, she fell for him more and more.
She doesn’t know what Sal would say about them. She’s not sure she wants to know. She loves her sister more than anything, and if she found out ...
But why would she?
Seth is a good thing that’s temporary. There is nothing between them that will last. Besides, he’s leaving today. Why bother?
Ping.
At the insistence of her phone, she sits up, vowing to put last night behind her. She cannot go down this path. She was vulnerable, like some dumb damsel in distress, clinging to anything that would help her feel better.
Lacey shoves off the covers and grabs her phone. She’s about to crawl out of bed when a hand snags her wrist. “Where you skulkin’ off to?”