Free Arizona Skies: The Muse by S. Cruz Page A

decide if she still wanted to see me. My guilt was eating me alive, and I had to come clean; if I had a relationship with her, I wanted it to be an honest one. I realized I was falling for her, and it scared the hell out of me!
    I let her sleep for a while but didn’t want her to get burned. Finally I gently shook her shoulder to wake her up, suggesting that we swim to cool off. As we walked toward the pool, all eyes were following her; she never even noticed. Damn, girl, where did you come from?
    The water was cooling and felt great. We played and talked, and I took the opportunity to wrap her around me as much as possible, careful to keep her away from my very anxious cock. I was enjoying every minute with her as we laughed and talked. It was a fantastic afternoon, but all too soon it ended.
    John gave me the signal that it was time to go. I reluctantly left her in the pool with her friends and walked away without an explanation, knowing in a couple hours I’d see her for dinner. We double-checked all our equipment and did one last sound check and went over the lighting and playlist with the stage crew. We were ready, and for the first time in years, I was nervous.
    I waited at the front of the restaurant for Bailey like I did last night. When she walked in, my jaw dropped, and I lost my focus. She had on a stunning blue dress with her long hair cascading in curls down her back. Every man in the restaurant turned to stare at her sexy body as she gracefully walked across the floor and stopped in front of me. I couldn’t believe that she didn’t have a boyfriend. She was stunning! I didn’t even notice the other two girls; I only saw her.
    I couldn’t help myself; I swept her up in my arms, claiming her so that every man in the room knew she was with me. I had missed her and needed to feel her incredible body next to mine. I took her hand, and we walked over to the table that John was holding for us. She seemed more relaxed tonight, not pulling away from me like she did before. I hoped I wasn’t scaring her anymore. She fit right inwith the guys, and I appreciated that they all were respectful toward her. They knew she’d inspired my creative side, and because of her, I was composing songs again.
    I knew we had to leave right after dinner, but I didn’t say anything to her until it was time to go. I was nervous but wanted her there tonight. I confessed to John that I wanted to come clean with her; she was too important. He wasn’t surprised; he’d been watching us closely, enjoying me finally finding a woman I actually wanted to spend time with and couldn’t stand to be away from. He hadn’t harassed me like the other two had. We had this unspoken connection; he seemed to know what I was feeling, and he was there if I needed to talk. He and Scott were my best friends. I appreciated his support, even though I’d acted like an asshole most of the time. Somehow he seemed to understand and never held it against me.
    After dinner John gave the signal that it was time to leave. It was now or never. I took a deep breath and asked Bailey to meet me in the Green Room. I didn’t explain anything as I got up and walked away. She looked confused but agreed. I had my fingers crossed as we walked out that door.
    When we got to the Green Room I described her and her two friends to the hostess. We went on stage to get tuned up and ready for the show. The hostess put a reserved sign on the table right in front of the stage. She had been flirting with me every time I’d been in there, so she was anxious to do as I asked. I think she secretly hoped this was her chance to get into my bed. She rubbed her body against mine and whispered in my ear, “anything for you, darlin’.” I just smiled and walked away, something new for me.
    We warmed up and went over the song list one more time. The curtain came down while we drank our beer and waited for eight o’clock. I was excited and nervous about how Bailey was going to react when