Catch My Breath (3 page)

“Yes, Mister Pulaski. No problem.”

“Come this way.” He started down the hallway, long legs taking feet of carpet at a time. Danny, Webb, and Tate had to scramble to keep up. “So I’d listened to a few boys, and I’ll be honest. I hadn’t seen anything I liked and was about to scrap the whole thing.” Danny’s heart flopped painfully at that. “But then last night I was way out in Lord knows where with my sister listening to some god-awful local talent search, and I found him.”

“Him?” Tate asked.

“Your fifth. He’s perfect. Looks like a damn angel, but his voice is sex personified. The girls will be crawling for him.”

He pulled open the door to one of the recording studios and ushered the four boys in.

“So this kid, he’s going to be the star?” Webb asked. Danny was thinking the same thing if the look on Sasha’s face was any indication. He looked like he’d found the Second Coming. Danny wasn’t super happy about that, even though he’d rather sing backup to this angel of sex than not sing at all.

“No, he’s going to be what rounds you guys out. I’m not going to lie. He’s… got a lot of talent. His voice is gorgeous. He’s gorgeous. You’ll see when—” There was a knock at the studio door. “Well, now I suppose. Come in!” he called.

Jessica opened the door and ushered in who Danny assumed had to be “Mister Price.” And he saw it. Right away. His eyes saw it, hell, his entire effing body saw it.
God. For real?
The kid was on the tall side, lanky, almost dorky to tell the truth, but that didn’t stop Danny’s gut from reacting. He really was beautiful—with floppy brown hair, huge dark brown eyes, and this milky skin that didn’t look like it had seen much of the California sun. He had on a plain old T-shirt and a pair of cargo khakis. Danny smiled to himself. They’d need to work on that. Sasha was right though. He looked like a freaking angel.

“H-hi,” the kid stammered. “I’m Elliot.”

With a voice like sex…. Damn.
It was low and gravelly and hit Danny right in the chest. All of a sudden it was hard to breathe.

“Danny.” He stuck his hand out, not wanting to seem rude. He’d been staring, after all.

“Hey, dude. Webb.” Webb shook Elliot’s hand next and smiled. Tate and Reece followed.

When they’d all finished, Sasha asked them to sit. Danny hated all the sitting. He had too much
energy
thrumming through him, too much to think and worry and say. But he sat anyway, crossed his legs and tried not to fidget. Wouldn’t want to look like he didn’t listen. Not when so much was on the line. Danny glanced over at Elliot, who looked terrified.

“So, Elliot. I haven’t told you much about today.” Sasha gestured at the other guys. “These four came to an open call I posted a few weeks ago. I’m putting together a new vocal group, and I think you’ll mesh well with what I’ve already found.”

“Vocal group?”

Danny rolled his eyes and smiled at the new kid. “He means boy band.”

“B-boy… band? But none of them have hit the big time in years—at least not an American one.”

Sasha grinned. “Exactly. I think it’s about time.”

“I really can’t dance.” Elliot blushed. It was adorable. Even Sasha smiled at him.

“Let’s just get to the singing part first. I’ve hired a vocal coach, Keller Michaels, one of the area’s best. He’s going to work with you guys for a few days this week and let me know if he thinks you have it as a group. Does that work with everyone’s schedule? Anyone have a hard time getting off work?”

Sasha’s question was met with a round of somewhat startled answers. Nobody said they had a hard time getting there. ’Course they’d have had to be nuts to decline. They were getting a vocal coach? He was going to teach them to sing together and… wow. Danny was overwhelmed at the prospect. They had to do it. They just had to.

“Keller says he can meet you here tomorrow at nine. It’ll be a long day. A few of them in a row, I’d imagine, so don’t make any plans.” Sasha stood. “Elliot, why don’t you get to know these guys a little, try a song or two with them and see how things work. I’ll probably catch you guys around a few times this week. Keller will see you in the morning.”

Sasha waved then and left them in the recording studio staring at each other. Danny hated to get excited over what could still very well be nothing, but they’d just taken a big step closer to something as far as he could tell.
Yes.

E
LLIOT
was in shock. No. More than shock. Was there something more than shock? There had to be because he was feeling it. The night before with the business card was crazy enough, but to come to the studio to find out that he had… holy hell. A chance at a recording contract? He didn’t even know what to say.

“S-so is he for real?” Elliot finally asked. The other four didn’t look quite as bowled over as he felt, so they must’ve had quite a bit more warning.

“Sasha Pulaski?” Webb asked. “Yes. I believe he’s rarely anything but serious.”

Elliot choked. “Please tell me that he’s not some famous guy that I should feel like an idiot for not recognizing….”

“We won’t.” Danny smirked.

Elliot tried to smile and failed miserably. That Danny guy made his heart race like crazy. His auburn sweep of hair, bright green eyes, wild smile. Elliot had been pretty sure all along why the girls’ kisses hadn’t done much for him. Pretty sure went to very sure in about two seconds flat.

Oh my God….

“Sasha’s a major producer,” the blond guy said. Elliot had to pay attention. Tate? That’s what Elliot hoped his name was anyway. He didn’t want to ask again. “He’s taken the pop side of this label from pretty much nonexistent to huge.”

“Of course he is. I guess I don’t know the industry very well.”

“Hopefully you’ll have a chance to. Hopefully we all will.” It was the dark guy this time and Elliot had no idea what his name was. Confession time.

“Hey, guys, I’m really sorry but this all came super fast. Can we do names again?” He felt like a jerk.

“Nervous, huh?” The dark guy gave him a sweet smile. “I’m Webber. I go by Webb.” He slung an arm over the pale black-haired kid. “This is Reece, that’s Tate, and the one next to you is Danny.”

“Thanks. I won’t forget again.”

Danny nudged him in the side. “Make sure you don’t.” He was probably kidding though, at least mostly. He winked at Elliot, and Elliot’s breath caught in his throat hard. He struggled to inhale.
Yeah, shit. Hell. Damn. Very sure.

“You guys wanna try a song with Elliot?” Reece asked. “I don’t have my guitar, but I guess we can wing it.”

Tate pointed. “There’s a guitar over there. You think they’ll care if you use it?”

Reece shrugged. “If so, then I guess nobody will ever have to find out.” He grinned for a second, then leaned over to snag the six-string acoustic. He strummed a few chords and messed with the tuning knobs. “Sounds okay. It’ll work.”

Elliot’s already nervous stomach cramped hard. “I hope I don’t suck, guys. I’ve never done this before.”

“Just follow along,” Tate said. “And don’t worry. We’ve only done it a few times together ourselves.” Danny snorted and Elliot held back a grin. “Seriously, Danny?” Tate rolled his eyes.

“You know any of the old-school songs?” Tate asked.

“Kind of,” Elliot answered. “What have you guys been singing?”

“How ’bout ‘Invisible Man’? We’ve done that a few times,” Webb suggested.

“98 Degrees? I know that one.”

“Cool. Do what you can,” Tate said with a reassuring smile. “It’ll be fine.”

Do what I can. Right.
Elliot cleared his throat and nodded. Reece did a few warm-up strums, then went right into the intro. Elliot didn’t join in right at first, just listened. They actually sounded pretty good together. Tate’s voice was strong and perfectly pitched, Webb’s smooth and kind of sexy. Reece and Danny both had mellower voices that filled in the missing places. He was almost afraid to mess it up. But then Danny smiled at him and lifted his chin in a small nod. Elliot’s breath caught in his throat again. Just that little smile was enough to melt him.
Quit being an idiot. This is your big chance.
Elliot let his breath out slowly and relaxed.
I can do it.

So he did. He joined in on the second verse, adding his voice, which was lower and a bit rougher than Tate’s or Webb’s. He didn’t sing too loudly, just tried to blend in. But Sasha had been right. With him it sounded… more complete. One by one the other guys started to smile. They heard it too. By the end of it, all five of them were grinning.

“That was awesome.” Reece propped the guitar between his knees and reached out to bump Elliot’s fist. “You are so in.”

The other three made agreeing noises, and Danny slung his arm across Elliot’s shoulders. “You wanna be in?” he asked. He looked like he was checking. Just to make sure. But Elliot wasn’t crazy.

“Of course!” he said. The other four chuckled.

Danny stood. “Well then, I guess I’ll see you guys at nine tomorrow.”

E
LLIOT
’
S
head was spinning by the time he got in his car and started it for the drive home. He didn’t know what to think, what to say, what to feel. Nothing was certain, he was sure nothing was ever
really
certain in the music business, but man. To go from nothing at all to even the slightest chance overnight was crazy. Especially for someone like him who never, ever expected it. He drove home, window down, hot breeze from the freeway ripping through his hair. He felt like he could fly. As if just the thought of what had happened earlier would be enough to lift him up until he was soaring and crashing through the clouds. He thought about telling Sara, telling his family. He didn’t want to.

No. This is mine. At least for a little while.

Maybe it would turn into nothing, and he’d just go to college and life would carry on. Maybe. But for the moment it was his secret to savor. His time to do everything he wanted. Hopefully it would last.

Chapter 3

“O
KAY
, guys. You think we’re ready to try some Boyz II Men?” Webb wiggled his eyebrows at the others in challenge. Elliot giggled. He really, really liked Webb. For someone who seemed so quiet and aloof at first, he was goofy. And nice.

“I’m not sure Danny here can take it,” Reece muttered. He kicked Danny, who leaned away quickly and clutched at Elliot’s waist for balance. Elliot covered his breathless sigh with a giggle. Lord knew he should’ve been used to the touching by then. They’d already been punching, kicking, all the typical stuff since the very first day of rehearsal. He wasn’t used to it, at least not from Danny. Elliot didn’t think he’d ever get used to Danny’s touches.

“Screw you,” Danny said with a grin. “Let’s do it. ‘Water Runs Dry’. Anyone have that track on their iPod?”

“I do.” Elliot scrolled through his playlist until he found it. They unplugged Tate’s iPod from the stereo and hooked his up to listen to the harmonies and pick out their parts.

T
HEY
’
D
been singing for hours and hours for the two days before, cooped up in a back room at the Blue Horizon studios working with Keller, their new vocal coach, learning to harmonize and play off each other. At first they were awful, at least according to Keller, but things were starting to come together. Elliot leaned back and looked at the three lanky bodies sprawled in chairs across the table from him. It was crazy to think that a few short days ago he’d never met them. He… he just couldn’t imagine his life anymore without them in it. Reece’s blunt humor, masked by slow Southern charm, Webb’s quiet jokes, Tate’s sweet, sensible way—all three of them had become such a part of his life already. And then there was Danny.
Danny.
Elliot felt him, sitting in the crappy folding chair, slouched casually with one foot propped on the table. He didn’t look over. He didn’t have to. He knew where Danny was. He always knew where Danny was. Usually right next to him. They seemed to drift toward each other.

He and Danny had gotten along from word one. All five of them had, but it was different for Elliot and Danny. Elliot wasn’t sure how he could tell. He just could. Danny made him comfortable but pleasantly uncomfortable, blushy and shivery, giddy but calm. He was attracted to Danny. Massively so. That part was easy to figure out. It wasn’t going to ever amount to anything. Especially if their little group ended up becoming something real. But he couldn’t help feeling it. The rest of it, their easy connection, he didn’t understand. But it felt so good Elliot just went with it. There was no point in doing anything else.

“You guys think you’re ready to try this?” Keller asked. He propped a baseball cap on the top of his head.

“Hell yeah.” Reece didn’t miss a beat. The others were quick to agree.

Keller picked out a note on the piano in the corner. “Okay, Tate, you’re going to lead out on this one. Webb, I want you to sing the second verse. We’ll get into the harmonies after we run through just singing melody. Cool?”