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lap for a massage. “How was the recording session today?”
    I shrugged. “It fell flat. Going to have to call Griffin back in to do it again.”
    His sharp green eyes missed nothing. “You make it sound like it’s a big deal.”
    I sighed. “For Griffin it probably is.”
    “Why do you say that?”
    Another shrug. “Let’s just say after the time we spent together today, I’m probably not on his list of favorite people.”
    “What happened?”
    “I blew it. It’s different when I’m not singing to you. I can’t sell this song to just anyone. It’s not who I am.”
    Jace chuckled. “Baby, trust me. That song is all Jordi. You just have to muster up the confidence to sing it. After all you’ve been through, I think it’s time you realize how powerful you are. As a performer and as a woman.”
    I shook off the praise, as usual. “We’ll see how strong I am after I decide what to do about my birth mom.”
    He was quiet for a moment. “So does that mean you’re going to Vegas?”
    “I don’t know,” I said quietly in return. “I want to. But I’m scared. Getting what I think I want hasn’t always worked out for me.”
    He leaned across to give me a kiss. “I wouldn’t say that,” he offered with a lazy smile.
    I returned each lazy, warm, luxurious kiss, until he pulled me from the balcony toward our king-sized bed. He called me his goddess, he called me his queen. He brought me to life at the tips of his fingers, Venus rising up to meet every kiss, every touch, and every thrust. “This is who you are, Jordi,” he whispered against my skin. “Your sexuality belongs to you and no one else.”
    I shivered against the cool night air. I knew what he was doing, but honestly I couldn’t bear to let any thoughts wander. Our time together was sacred. I refused to let any demons in. Instead I pushed him onto his back, slid across his lap and let all discussion ebb away into incoherent groans and urgent whispers.
    When I awoke the following day, he had already left for work. But there was a flower on his pillow, a lovely little tradition he began when we had moved in together. I took it into my hands and brought it up to my nose. It was sweet and earthy, and tickled the tip of my nose until I couldn’t stop myself from giggling.
    I glanced around the spacious bedroom, once again awed that I could be living in a place like that… with a man like that.
    He was right. Despite the challenges, things were so much better than I ever dreamed they could be.
    After a shower and some breakfast, I killed time waiting for Maggie to come over for our exercise session by sending a text to Vanni. I needed his input on what to do about my birth mother. He was a fellow orphan like me, so he had been my closest confidante throughout the process I began when I came home from Iowa.
    “ I’m scared ,” I confided in the text.
    Though I knew how busy he was juggling the new season of Fierce , he was quick to reply. “ You’re fearless ,” he corrected.
    I laughed. “ You must have me confused with someone else .”
    “ I know you better than almost anyone ,” he reminded. “ I see you, Jordi. I always have. And I think you should do it . You’ve spent too long and lost so much to carve out this future for yourself. Don’t let regret stop you now .”
    I was still torn with what to do by the time Maggie arrived in her sweats, carrying a towel in one hand and a DVD in the other.
    When she produced said DVD, I dissolved into hopeless laughter just reading the title. “Belly dancing? Are you serious, Mags?”
    She waved away the rest of my gig gles. “Scoff if you want but there are a lot of health benefits to belly-dancing, and I thought it would be a fun way to strengthen your core, release your stress and relieve your back pain.”
    I glanced at all the women on the jacket of the DVD, all of whom combined probably didn’t weigh what I weighed. They were slight wisps of femininity, with a fluid grace that made me