Heart of the Music (Saints & Sinners #1) by Kaithlin Shepherd Read Free Book Online Page B

they knew exactly when to call her out on her crap. She had been surprised when the guys had picked a really nice restaurant since they usually went for burger joints—not that she minded. She had gone shopping earlier in the day and found a gorgeous purple, one shoulder strap, lace dress that showed a lot of her back and ended just above her knees with part of the back open. She knew she shouldn’t have bought it, but when she’d seen it, all she could think about was the look on Jarrod’s face when he saw her in it. She treated herself to some time at the spa. After all, she deserved a little reward every now and then.
    She was putting the final touches to her make-up when someone knocked on her door. She expected it to be Sam coming to tell her they were all ready to go, but when she opened the door, Jarrod was standing in front of her, wearing a black button-down shirt and dark jeans. He looked like something out of a GQ magazine, sporting a five o’clock shadow. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. He looked so good, she almost forgot she was trying to avoid being alone with him.
    “Are you going to let me in or make me stand out here?” She hadn’t realized she had been staring at him for longer than she should have. She actually considered making Jarrod stay outside while she finished getting ready. She didn’t know if she could handle being in close quarters with him, not with what had happened in the elevator.
    “Sorry, come in. I’m almost ready to go,” she said, stepping out of the doorway to let him in, catching the smell of cologne as he brushed by her. Yeah, she definitely should have made him wait outside.
    “Take your time. We’re still waiting on Mike, anyway,” he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed, his eyes never leaving her.
    She opened one of the shopping bags and took out a black box containing silver earrings. “I swear that man takes longer to get ready than I do.”
    “Yeah, but he never looks as gorgeous as you do right now. That dress is something else.” She felt her whole body blush as he complimented her. Damn, the man was good with words. It was great when he used it to write hit songs, but when he used it to charm her, it threw her off her axis.
    “It’s just a dress, Jarrod. It’s nothing fancy,” she told him in her best serious voice as she turned around to face him. She put her hand in her hair, pulling it up, and before she realized what she was doing, she asked for his opinion. “What do you think? Up or Down?”
    “Up.” She nodded as she clipped her hair in a simple updo. As she was distracted, he asked her the dreaded question. “So, are we going to talk about what happened, or are we going to keep avoiding each other and the subject all together?”
    Patricia knew the moment would come when they’d have to talk about what happened, but she really didn’t want to have the conversation tonight. His words at the hotel gym were still fresh in her mind. She didn’t think she could handle much more at the moment. “There’s nothing to talk about, Jarrod. Let’s just forget it ever happened.”
    She was facing the mirror, putting the final touches on her lipstick, when she felt him walk toward her. She could see his face in the mirror, and the intensity in his eyes made her yearn for his touch.
    “Only one problem with that plan, sweetheart, it did happen.” The scent of his cologne filled her senses, almost making her knees buckle. God, she had it bad if smelling him got to her this much.
    A knock on the door interrupted them and Jarrod threw his head back. “If it’s Sam again, I will kill him.”
    When she opened the door, she wasn’t surprised to find Sam at her door. He leaned into the door and saw Jarrod. “Good, you’re both here, saves me a floor. We’re all ready to go, so if you two are done doing whatever dance you’re doing with each other, can we please get going? Because Austin is about to eat the cocktail waitress for