A Blue Tale by Sarah Dosher Read Free Book Online Page A

about the plans; would he even sign the contract?
    “Well, I think that’s about all we can do today,” I said as we exited the conference room.
    Duke was the last to make his way to the door.
    “Why didn’t he come?” I finally forced myself to ask.
    “Deacon?” He asked like he didn’t know this question was coming.
    “Yeah.  We aren’t going to be able to do anything until he’s on board.”
    “Oh, I’m willing to bet he’s even more on board than we are, but I also promise he’ll have questions – he always does.  Just don’t let him scare you off, his bark is much bigger than his bite.” He smiled at me.  “He isn’t here because he spends all his free time doing studio work for other bands.  He was already scheduled to be there today; that’s the only reason he couldn’t come.”
    “I see,” I said, and felt like a dumbass for thinking it ever had anything to do with me. 
    Duke nodded and then we walked into the hall where Willow was waiting for us.
    “Are The Elle’s still on for practice this weekend?” I asked her.
    “Always.”
     

Chapter Seven
    Eli Blue
    It had been almost a week since I’d seen Deacon backstage at his show, and not an hour went by that I didn’t think about him.  It made no sense; the crushes I’d had as a teenager weren’t even this bad.  Every time my mind wandered, it went to him.  He appeared in my dreams every night; usually he was just there, not really doing anything, just present. He was starting to feel like an old friend, dropping by to hang out every night – but in a very weird, obsessive way.
    Willow said Duke and Deacon had discussed the contract, but Deacon hadn’t given him any indication of what he thought.  So we were all just waiting for him to make up his mind.  I pictured him sitting around, twiddling his thumbs waiting for me to crack. Although I felt like I knew him, I really only knew the person I’d created in my mind over the past week.  I truly didn’t have a clue who he was, or what he might be thinking.
    The working day had ended for everyone in the office but me.  I hadn’t realized it was so late until I heard nothing but total silence and the click of my heels pounding rhythmically on the marble floor.  I was on my way to my office when I felt the hair on the back of neck stand up and a chill run down my spine. 
    “Well, well. Look who I finally found?” I heard Shaw call from behind me.
    His voice stopped me dead in my tracks; I hadn’t seen him since he snuck in my house, and into my bed.  I didn’t know if my heart could handle him right now, I was already a mess.
    “What do you want?” I asked with a shaky voice.  I didn’t dare turn around and look into his dark eyes because they always did me in.
    “You.”
    His voice was closer, and I felt his touch as he moved my long hair to the side.  His solid body pressed against mine.  My body still reacted to his touch, like it always had; nothing he’d done to my heart had changed that.  Even now, I couldn’t see my future without him in it, I didn’t even know who I was yet without him. 
    “You’ve been hiding from me, sweetheart,” he said as he trailed his hand down the curve of my neck to the tip of my shoulder, chills trailing in his wake. 
    I shook my head.
    He moved to stand in front of me, placing a finger under my chin and forcing me to look up, but I jerked my head away and shielded myself with my hair.  I had been avoiding him, not because I hated him like I probably should, but because I knew he could win me back with the right words, and that scared me more than a life without him.
    “Oh, you have.  But I understand, I do.  I ignored something you needed, so you took away the one thing I need.”
    “No,” I said, continuing to stare at the floor, avoiding his gaze.  “I didn’t take anything away from you, it was all you.  You caused us to end, not me.”
     “Sweetheart…”
    “Don’t call me that.” I