Kiss Me, Katie by Monica Tillery Read Free Book Online Page B

his. Her eyes danced as she shared stories of her band’s earliest gigs, and Blake found himself riveted. He had been in the music business a long time and had pretty much heard and seen it all. Somehow her stories sounded fresh to him, though. Everything about her was a breath of fresh air. Her hearty laugh surprised him when he was lucky enough to amuse her. It was surprising that something so robust could come from such a petite girl.
    Plenty about Katie McCoy surprised Blake. He knew that she was a beautiful and talented musician, and that was enough, but when she mentioned that she wrote most of Sterling’s lyrics and collaborated on most of the band’s music, Blake nearly choked on his food.
    “You’re the songwriter?” Blake was impressed.
    “Well yeah, mostly. Charles, our singer, and I collaborate on a bunch of them, but I usually come up with the bulk of the lyrics. I pretty much imagine what I would want to hear from a guy and go from there. The guys really like having the female perspective. If it were left up to them, all our songs would be about drinking beer, driving trucks, and hanging out.”
    “Hey you know, I think a lot of country music is like that. Honey, I’m impressed. I’ll be listening to your songs with a new appreciation now.” Blake looked at Katie with new respect and admiration. “So you’re gorgeous, talented, and sweet. What’s wrong with you? What are you hiding?” Blake asked in a kidding tone.
    A startled look flew across her lovely features, and before Blake could be sure of what he had seen, she rearranged her face into a coy conspiratorial smile. “Well … I’m a horrible cook, I’m kind of a slob, and I’m a bad kisser,” Katie said. She leaned forward on her elbows and gave Blake a meaningful look.
    “I don’t believe a word you say,” whispered Blake as he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. He felt her shudder as he took her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers. The world around him faded away as he coaxed her lips open with his tongue and gently deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth, moving his hands to cradle her head and hold her closer. He breathed in the sweet scent of her hair mingled with her fresh perfume, feeling intoxicated by her scent, her soft hair in his hands, her kiss.
    He pulled his head back and looked into her eyes, noticing that she looked as dazed as he felt. “You lied,” Blake said, as he tried to regain his composure, hoping that their kiss had gone unnoticed by their fellow diners.
    “What?” Katie looked so bewildered that Blake almost regretted his joke.
    “You lied about being a bad kisser, honey. That was one of the best kisses of my life,” Blake explained.
    “Oh, me too, Blake. That was amazing.” Blake thought she looked relieved.
    “Is everything okay, darlin’?” Blake’s eyes searched Katie’s face.
    “Of — of course Blake. What do you mean?”
    “Well, for starters, we just shared an amazing kiss and while I feel like I found my bliss, you look like you’re about to jump out of your skin. What gives?” Blake teased gently, real concern in his eyes.
    “It’s nothing. I’m fine. Really.”
    Blake took Katie’s hand and focused his eyes on hers. “Katie McCoy. If you say it’s nothing then I will believe you, but if it’s something, I hope you know that you can tell me anything.”
    Katie took a deep breath, and admitted, “I guess it’s not exactly nothing.”
    “I know that we just met, but I want you to feel like you can talk to me. If you have a problem, I would like to help you. I think you can trust me.”
    Katie took a deep breath and stared at her hands, clenched into fists in her lap. She let the breath out and began, “I just can’t help but to think about what’s going to happen when we’re done with your tour. On one hand, I really like you and I don’t want to miss a single moment. On the other hand, I feel like I should be careful so I don’t have my heart