Outlaw Country (6 page)

Gracie’s heart raced, hearing Colton’s deep voice beside her. She could see his guitar catching the lights in her periphery. She closed her eyes and swayed as he sang. When she opened them, he was facing her in time to catch her lines.

Gracie felt a rush from the top of her head shiver down her spine at that line. The fire was anything but out between her and Colton. The two weeks since the magic at the recording studio had left Gracie itching for more of the country bad boy. He’d all but ignored her since calling to apologize.

Despite all of her mother’s protests, Gracie had convinced her mom that Colton would behave himself, all the while praying that he wouldn’t. Gracie knew that Colton and Shepard were similar in some ways, but there was something wild in Colton that she just had to experience.

She didn’t know exactly what that meant, but Gracie had to know. He was dark, wild, and everything that she wasn’t. Everything that her fans thought she wasn’t, anyway. At nineteen years old, Gracie was ready to go for it. She was tired of her V-card hanging over her head, and she couldn’t think of a better way to get rid of it.

As the two of them sang, she watched his hands on the guitar. He was rough with it. He manhandled it. His fingers were strong, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up just enough to tease the ink that circled his arms. Gracie had seen him shirtless in pictures she’d found, but nothing compared to the real thing. Just those hints of his masculinity got her heart racing.

While Colton and Gracie traded lines back and forth, a magnetism forced them closer. It wasn’t long before Gracie and Colton were back to back. She could feel his broad back pressing against her bare shoulders. Every beat of the kick drum seemed to press the two closer together. By the time the song finished, Gracie had the mic in her hand, and she leaned her head back against Colton’s shoulder. It felt good. It felt right.

The crowd went nuts. They seemed to love her unconditionally, but Colton was an added spark that her tour needed. She was nearing the end of her album’s cycle, and even though it had gone platinum, it was wearing off with fans. With Colton and his band joining the last leg of the tour, her songs and show got a big shot of adrenaline.

As Gracie turned to Colton, she blew him a kiss. He gave her that cocky smile as he pulled the guitar up and over his head. The audience couldn’t get enough of their playful back and forth. Gracie was drinking every bit of it in, too.

She turned to the massive crowd. “Thank you! Thank you guys so much!” The mass of people cheered louder as she came down to the front row. Hands reached for her as she walked along the stage. “You guys are in for a special treat!”

Gracie turned back to look at the stage. It was filled with guitarists, keyboardists, and drummers. The two bands had merged seamlessly, despite Kathleen’s worry. Gracie had made sure that nothing would go wrong, because her mother was looking for any and every opportunity to get rid of Colton. Gracie couldn't let that happen.

“I want you to give a big, loud welcome to Colton Wade and The Guilty Party!” Gracie dragged out the last vowel as she screamed into the microphone. Even with the in-ear monitors, she could hear the crowd screaming. In that moment, Gracie knew it was not just a good idea for her career, but a good idea for the Gracie Hart that the public never saw. Not the one that sang about the stings of a breakup, but the one that had needs and desires.

By the time the crowd died down, Colton was back at the microphone. He put a hand up to block some of the lights. For the first time, Colton could actually make out some of the fans that were reaching up from the front row. He liked what he saw: nothing but beauties.

“Well, I’ll be damned, if this isn’t the best looking crowd I’ve ever played to. The Guilty Party and myself are just tickled pink to be on tour with Gracie Hart.” Colton laid the accent on thicker than Gracie had heard before. The rocker was really playing up the Southern gentleman act. Gracie hated how hot she thought that voice sounded.

The night only got hotter. The group played country standards, some of each of their respective songs, and they ended the main show with “Standin’ Next To Destiny”.

The bands had rehearsed it a few times, but it was one of the few songs that Colton and Gracie were nervous about. The song was great, with a slow buildup and a powerful ending, but it was brand new. Based on the crowd’s reaction, they’d know if “Standin’ Next To Destiny” would be a hit or just something to slip onto either Gracie’s or Colton’s next album without another word.

Gracie and Colton’s eyes met. He gave her a nod, and Gracie strummed the chords. Colton stepped to his microphone and into the spotlight.

“Love her when she’s angry, she lets me know the fault is mine.

Love to get her so ticked off, Lord knows my favorite time...”

The crowd seemed to hush as Colton’s voice filled the arena. He had his eyes closed as he sang. At the first chorus, the only music was Gracie’s guitar and Colton’s voice. The only difference was he had opened his eyes, and he was staring right at Gracie Hart.

“I knew that girl had wrecked me something good.

I knew it from the first moment she stood next to me.

I felt it deep inside my country heart.

I knew that I was standin’ next to destiny.”

As Gracie strummed out the simple chords, the lyrics hit her like never before. Colton had written that song about her, and the words were making her heart ache. She couldn't hide the smile on her face, and Gracie forced herself to turn away from Colton’s piercing stare. In that moment, Gracie couldn't see the thirty thousand people there. She couldn’t see the people just off stage monitoring the performance. She couldn’t even see the huge band behind her on the stage. Colton was the only person on earth in that moment.

She turned back to see him walking up to her, the mic in his hand. She strummed a chord, letting it ring out. Colton was just an inch from her face, leaning over her body with his own. Gracie’s heart stopped for a moment. She was sure that Colton was going to kiss her. She had flutters in her stomach, and her heart screamed at her to lean forward and meet his lips.

The drums kicked in, and a few beats later, the entire band behind them joined. Gracie was snapped back into reality. Colton backed away from her, a smile on his face that let her know exactly what was on his mind. He was toying with her. She wasn’t used to that feeling. Since hitting it big time, everyone treated her like royalty. Everyone but Colton...

Roger hadn’t been nervous about the show. He knew Colton and the band were in top form, and he could see Gracie’s approval every time she looked at the outlaw country singer. His worry was with Gracie’s mother. Kathleen Hart made it painfully obvious that she was unhappy with the whole situation.

Roger and the label had done everything to convince her that Colton would be a gentleman and stay on his best behavior. In the end, she said that he would never be a gentleman, but it was a good career move for Gracie. Since the two bands had gotten together, she never took her eyes off of her daughter.
 

In many ways, Roger couldn’t blame her. Colton was one wild son-of-a-bitch, and when he had his mind set on something, nothing stood in his way. That was what worried Roger after the first show of the tour.

“Is that your life every night? Because goddamn, Gracie Hart, a guy could get used to that!” Colton pulled out the in-ear monitors, and even backstage the roar of the crowd was still deafening. She wondered if Colton would ever forget that night. His first night in front of a massive crowd.
 

Gracie had her own permanent smile on her lips. For once, she seemed to have the upper hand on Colton. For her, it was a nightly occurrence. She could pull in bigger crowds when new albums dropped, and if he knew her monthly income, his eyes would probably fall out. Colton may have been cocky and a bad boy, but Gracie held her cards close to her chest, and he got a taste of what she was capable of.

“You did good out there.”

Colton laughed. “You didn’t think I would? I heard you tripping over a few lines, Macy Gray.”

The two walked down the stairs leading into the innards of the stadium. They had been the last two off of the stage, and for both of them, it was hard to step out of the shining light and adoration.
 

Gracie gave Colton a friendly shove. The two had been very close on stage, but it was the first private moment the two had shared since “Standin’ Next To Destiny” was written outside of Muscle Shoals Sounds. That fact was very clear in Gracie’s mind. For two weeks she’d been dreaming of alone time with Colton Wade, even if it was just the walk to the backstage hospitality table.

She wanted more. She wanted much more, but Gracie knew that her mother had her on a tight leash, so she’d have to settle for a private walk. As the roar of the crowd faded, the two found themselves alone together.

“I don’t know about you, but I’ll go stir crazy if I have to stare at the walls of another hotel tonight.” Colton’s voice was smooth like dripping, sweet honey. “There’s a nice lake not too far from here. I’d love to kick back with a six-pack and a little Merle Haggard.”

“Oh, and can I pick up my dry cleaning while I’m there? And will there be a masseuse, because my back is killing me. Lovely dreams, Colton, but we ain’t in a dream, sweetheart.” The word came out before she had a chance to stop it.
Sweetheart.
Her heart jumped at it. It was like she was falling into a groove with him, already. The lovely groove of a record playing something sweet by Emmylou.

“Ain’t no dream. It’s a plan, and I’m inviting you personally.” He turned to her, and Gracie looked for the joke in his eyes. They were in the middle of Nashville. How in the hell would they find a lake? How would they even get there?

Even though she was sure Colton wasn’t serious, there was a battle in Gracie’s voice. “You’ve got to be kidding. My mother will be waiting for me.” Kathleen would instantly suspect Colton had delayed Gracie, or worse. Gracie rolled her eyes at the thought of Kathleen chewing out Colton.
 

“And she’ll keep waiting for you. I’m not gonna brainwash you, but after a show, I need to wind down. I’m just offering you a little bit of winding down. Nothin’ sinister, scout’s honor.” Colton held up two fingers, really selling the lie that he was a scout…or had any honor.

She smiled. He was such a charmer. Gracie shrugged, her mind at war. It was her heart that came out on top. At almost twenty, she was ready to climb from the tall nest her mother had woven. Gracie wanted to live dangerously, and she couldn’t think of a better man to initiate her.

“All right. I’m in, but how the hell are you going to get us out of here? These places are like prisons mixed with mazes. Most exits are closed off, and what the hell are we going to take, anyway? You have the bat mobile waiting in the wings or something?”

Colton shook his head. “Oh, Gracie Hart, you gotta lot to learn about Colton Wade.”

Before she could say another word, he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her away from the safety and stale security of her mother’s arms. She was excited, and the dull ache in her back vanished as Colton weaved through the labyrinth beneath the arena.

Gracie wondered if he actually had a plan, or if Colton was just looking for some dark corner to be alone with her. Part of her had no problem with that thought. She envisioned Colton pinning her to the cinder block wall in the darkest part of some hallway. He would press his hips against her and keep her pinned as he kissed her.
Keep your head on your shoulders, Gracie.
She didn’t know how far she wanted to go, but she knew that if she wasn’t careful, Gracie’s life could tumble out of control in an instant.