It's in His Kiss by Jill Shalvis Read Free Book Online Page A

stuffing the phone into her pocket before flashing Sam her waitress smile. “I think your order’s almost up.”
    “How would you know? You’ve got your toes in the sand.”
    She drooped a little. “Yeah. I’m probably going to hell for that one.”
    “Jase?” he asked.
    “My brother.” She sighed. “You know families.”
    Yeah, Sam knew families. He knew families weren’t necessarily worth shit, at least not blood families. He wondered what her story was, but before he could ask, she sent him one last shaky smile and walked away.

Chapter 5

    It was two thirty in the morning when the bar finally got quiet. Becca was cleaning up, or supposed to be, but really she was staring at the piano again.
    It was always like this. She’d be drawn by the scent of the gleaming wood, the keys, the beauty of losing herself in the music.
    And then she’d sit and the anxiety would nearly suffocate her.
    It’d taken her ten years of playing, from age seventeen to twenty-seven, ten years of needing anxiety meds to get on stage, before she’d admitted she didn’t have the heart for that life. She might have said so sooner but her brother had needed her, and her parents had depended on her being there for him. A painful crush on their manager Nathan had only added to the pressure. The crush had eventually evolved into a relationship, but when that had failed, she’d walked away from the life.
    That had been two years ago.
    She’d been working at an ad agency ever since, writing jingles for commercials. Behind the scenes really worked for her, though about a year ago, Jase had hit rock bottom and Nathan had come to her, pressuring her to give their world another go.
    She’d refused, but the aftermath from that confrontation had killed off her muse but good.
    Becca had promised herself that she’d never again duet in any capacity. Especially relationships.
    Now, at age twenty-nine, she decided she was all the wiser for that decision, and not missing anything.
    Play me, Becca
. . .
    Once again she looked around, and when she saw no one watching, she allowed herself to sit. Before she knew it, her fingers were moving, this time playing one of the first songs she’d ever learned, “Für Elise” by Beethoven. She’d been twelve and had eavesdropped on Jase’s lessons. He’d hated practicing, but not Becca. She’d been happy practicing for hours.
    When she finished, she sat there a moment, alone in the bar, and smiled. No urge to throw up! Progress! Getting up, she grabbed her things from the back, turned to go, and found Jax standing there.
    “You going to freak out again if I tell you that you’re really good?” he asked quietly.
    “At waitressing?” she asked hopefully.
    “No, you suck at that.”
    She sighed.
    He smiled and handed her an envelope. “The night’s pay.”
    She looked down at it, then back at his face. “I’m not invited back, am I?”
    He gave her a small smile. “Did you really want to be?”
    She blew out a breath. “No.”
    His smile widened, and he gently tugged at a loose strand of her hair. “Come play piano anytime you want. You’ll make bank in tips.” He looked at her. “Breathe, Becca.”
    She sucked in a few breaths. “I’m not ready for that.”
    His eyes were warm and understanding. “When you are then.”
    She laughed softly, unable to imagine when that might be. “Thanks, Jax.”
    “You going to be okay?” he asked.
    A lot of people asked that question, but few really wanted to hear an honest answer. She could tell Jax genuinely did. But being okay was her motto, so she mustered a smile. “Always,” she said.
    She walked home, let herself into her building, and then stopped short when she realized that the middle apartment, the one next to hers, was open. The front door was thrown wide, and from inside came a bunch of colorful swearing in a frustrated female voice.
    Becca tiptoed past her own door and peeked inside the middle unit. There were lights blaring, boxes