Chapter 7

Roman

I had to look up the address to The Grind, but when I saw it was in the historic Five Points neighborhood of Raleigh, I immediately knew where it was. It’s just pushing half past seven and the tiny customer parking lot behind the connected row of businesses on Glenwood Avenue is already filled. I have to parallel park two streets over and I’m practically frozen and wishing I was a coffee drinker by the time I reach the glass double doors that lead inside.

I hadn’t really paid attention to this place before when I was in the area. There’s a fantastic pizza joint to the right of it that I’ve eaten at a few times, but somehow I’ve never really noticed the two-story stucco building done in peach with dark brown shutters framing the front windows.

When I open the door to The Grind and walk in, I’m immediately assaulted by the funky decor, which is not how I thought a coffee shop would look. Granted, the only one I’d been in before was a Starbucks, and that was with a girl I’d briefly dated—okay slept with a few times—but it was nothing like this. Mismatched furniture, a riot of colors, and crazy music coming from the corner of the establishment.

My head turns toward the sound and my jaw drops as I see Lexi sitting on a low stool atop a small wooden stage. She’s strumming a ukulele while she sings into a microphone mounted on a stand. Even more astounding is that she’s singing “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” At first glance it seems ridiculous to me that she plays the ukulele, but I’m practically struck dumb by her voice. It’s a combination of Stevie Nicks’s raspy tones with Adele’s rich smoothness, and she layers the notes and the words to the song with the slightly higher pitch of the ukulele beautifully.

I step farther into the coffee shop to get away from the door as people walk in and out, and merely watch as Lexi sings. She’s wearing what she had on in the arena this morning, and the ripped jeans and lacy top seem to fit perfectly with the sexy woman who sings like a Grammy-winning star and plays the ukulele like it’s the most fashionable thing in the world.

I’m fucking entranced.

As is everyone else, I note. My gaze sweeps the interior, and everyone’s raptly listening to Lexi as they sip their overpriced java and lounge on ostentatiously mismatched furniture. Every single person has a smile on their face, tapping their feet to the beat of her song and swaying back and forth with the melody.

I look back to her and watch her mouth move near the microphone. Her eyes are soft, and she’s got a sweet smile as her gaze roams over the audience with confidence and affection. Her eyes land on someone near the stage, and for just a moment she seems to sing only to that person. A flood of what might be possessiveness wells up inside me as my eyes slide to where she’s looking, and I’m dumbfounded to see Brian Brannon sitting at a pub table near the stage. He’s smiling back at Lexi, drumming his fingers on the table near a small teacup.

What in the fuck is he doing here?

My eyes cut back to Lexi and she gives him a grin before singing the last words and strumming her instrument one last time. The entire place erupts into cheers, the loudest being from Brian Brannon, who stands up from his stool and claps heartily in approval. My own hands come together to clap, unable to stop myself and the amazement over her performance.

“Thank you,” Lexi says into the microphone, and once again, that husky voice slams into me like an aphrodisiac. How can a woman’s voice have that much of an effect on me, but then again…it was like listening to an angel sing just a bit ago.

“I’ve got one more song tonight, and it’s my favorite,” she says into the mic as she softly strums. “You regulars in here have heard me sing it before, but tonight…I’m just really feeling this tune, so I’m going to share it with you again.”

A lone voice calls out from the back of the room, “Get it, Lexi,” and then a few wolf whistles, before she starts to play.

And then she launches into “Somewhere over the Rainbow,” in a jaunty, upbeat tempo while her Dr. Marten taps in rhythm on the wooden platform. Her voice causes tingles to pop out over my skin and I marvel at the way her dark hair shines under a lone pendant light that radiates down on her from above.

So fucking sexy.

So goddamn perplexing as my eyes move back to Brian once again, who is listening to Lexi with a huge smile on his face.

I contemplate turning around and walking out, because I have no clue why the CEO of the Cold Fury is here. I also have no clue what his relationship is with Lexi, but whatever it is, it’s a very personal one for sure. I can just tell by the looks they exchange as she sings.

But ultimately, my curiosity gets the better of me, and besides, I came all this way tonight to see this woman, so I’m not about to give up yet.

While Lexi sings, I listen with half an ear while I order a bottle of water at the counter. The girl behind the counter seems positively put out that she can’t make me a cup of coffee, but I make sure to float a few bucks in the tip jar all the same.

In the dim yet cozy atmosphere of The Grind, I find my way to the opposite side of the room from where Brian Brannon sits and choose a low-slung chair that rests up against the wall where I can observe Lexi.

I sip my water while she sings, and I watch the interplay between her and my ultimate boss.

When she finishes her song, she says “Thank you” again to the cheering crowd and reminds them she’ll be back again the following evening. Then she stands up and I notice that people start flocking to the stage, not to talk to Lexi, but to put money into a tip jar sitting on the wooden platform that I hadn’t noticed before.

Lexi, however, steps off the stage and walks up to Brian Brannon, who stands to greet her. He holds his arms out and she walks into them, laying her cheek against this chest briefly as he embraces her. They hug for a long moment, then they pull away, although his hands hold on to her shoulders. Lexi looks up at him with absolute adoration as he talks to her, and she nods at something he says. Then Brian leans down and kisses her on her cheek softly before pulling away and walking toward the door.

I watch as Lexi stares after him a long moment, a wistful look on her face that causes my stomach to churn. What the fuck is between them? Given the hug and the kiss, my mind immediately turns to the worst scenario.

That they’re dating.

Is that why Gray was so cold to her? Because her father is dating someone that’s probably her age?