Say You're Mine (The Gallaghers Book 1) by Layla Hagen (comprehension books .txt) 📕

“Everything’s good. I can’t believe they have pita bread.”

She grinned. “They don’t. I asked them to buy it because you like it so much. I know last night took a toll on you—party-hater and all that—so I wanted to pamper you a bit today.”

That caught me off guard. I couldn’t believe she was paying attention to all these details.

She rose from her chair, leaning over the table to where the olive spread was. I waited until she smeared some on her bread before pulling her in my lap.

She yelped, dropping her slice of bread on the plate with cheese.

“I love you so damn much,” I said into her neck.

She giggled, turning to look at me. “I love you too, but did you have to pull me in your lap right now?”

“Yes. It was of utmost importance,” I said seriously. “As is this.” I fondled her ass. “Stay here while we finish breakfast.”

“Hmm... somehow I don’t think we’ll eat too much.”

“Yes we will,” I insisted.

It wasn’t the easiest thing, especially since Isabelle kept fidgeting, testing my limits.

My phone started beeping with incoming messages as we finished. Sasha was up.

“Is something wrong?” Isabelle asked while I checked my phone for the seventh time in as many minutes. She was on her second cup of coffee.

“No, Sasha is finalizing the itinerary. Knowing her, she’ll bombard us with info and questions throughout the day.”

“She works on Saturdays?”

“Only when we’re touring. It’s an insane period.”

“I can see that. You’re already tense.” She pointed to my shoulders. “Want me to apply the special Isabelle massage to help relieve it? I’m told it’s very effective.”

“By whom?” I gripped her right thigh possessively.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear that. Sounded like a groan.” Setting down her cup of coffee, she pressed her thumb on my chin. I knew she was teasing me, but the idea of her touching anyone else was making my insides clench.

“Who told you it’s effective?”

“Well, I think Josie can vouch. Dylan too. Ian doesn’t like it, says I’m using it as an opportunity to torture him. Which I do, but shhh, don’t tell him that.” Bringing her mouth to my ear, she whispered, “But I can make it extra special for you. Make you forget all about the tour for now, while you’re still mine.”

Fuck. I hadn’t even started the tour and I already missed Isabelle.

I brought a hand to the back of her head, tilting it back so we had eye contact. I needed to ask her this.

“Would you like to come with me on the tour?”

She jerked her head back, blinking fast. “Wow.”

“I don’t want us to be separated for so long. Could you move your clients exclusively online for a while? Say three weeks? And then we’ll see if you like it.”

The first leg of the tour was three weeks, with a break of two weeks. Then we’d be gone for another three weeks, followed by another few weeks off. It went on like that for a year.

“I have to think about it.” Her whole body was on edge. Her eyes were searching mine. “I never expected you to ask that.”

“Why not? I love you. You’re important to me.”

“Yes, but you always say tours are just 100 percent work and you don’t want anything distracting your focus.”

I frowned, remembering the day I told her that, when we’d been bowling.

“You’re part of my life, Isabelle, not a distraction.” I touched her cheek, bringing her closer to me, wanting to be as connected as possible to her.

“Ha! You think I won’t be a distraction? Think about it, because once I’m there, you can’t get rid of me.”

“That’s a yes to the tour?”

“I have to talk to my clients... but hell yes. I think they’ll be okay with moving to online sessions for three weeks.” She shifted in my lap until she was straddling me, legs dangling on either side.

I cocked a brow questioningly. She shrugged one shoulder.

“If you’re going to fondle me, you might as well do it properly.”

Laughing, I cupped her ass, rising from the chair. She shrieked, clinging to my shoulders.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“For the kind of fondling I want, I need a bed.”

“Ooooh, okay. Then I can get started on that massage too. Think we’ll have time for that on the tour?”

“I’ll do my best.”

I carried her to the bed, sprawling her on the mattress before claiming her mouth. I felt my whole body relax. The tension that had filled me that morning just melted away. She was going with me. I couldn’t believe how much had changed in my life since I met her—how much I’d changed.

She was right about the tours, and about how fiercely I guarded my time during those months, not allowing for any distractions, or even wanting any, to be honest. The downtime between performances had always been nothing more than a necessary break to recover.

But now I was looking forward to every moment of downtime. I knew exactly what I was going to do with them. Taking Isabelle with me on the tour might be reckless. She might find the experience too much to handle, but I didn’t want to hide any part of my life. If she was going to be with me long term, she needed to see it all—the good and the bad.

I used to be happiest when I played music, but that had changed. Now I was happiest when I was with Isabelle. And I wanted her to know that beyond any doubt.

Chapter Twenty-ThreeIsabelle

The next three weeks were very intense, almost rivaling the time when I moved to New York. I started by contacting every client I was seeing during the time when I’d be away with Brayden. I wanted to do it by phone, which was much slower than if I would have done it via email. I offered to do online sessions with them, but if they preferred to be counseled in person, I could arrange for a counselor friend to step in for me while I was