Bittersweet Symphony (The Damaged Souls series Book 2) by Belinda Boring Page A

today, the cherry on top of a very delicious sundae.
    “How much longer before we can head home?” I asked, murmuring against Cooper’s lips, loving the fact he also seemed reluctant to move from where we were standing so closely together.
    Home was any place he was.
    “I was thinking the same,” he softly growled, his seductive rasp sending tingles over my body. Cooper cast an over-the-shoulder glance at his band mates. “Maybe another hour? We’ve got a gig this weekend and thought about testing the new song. Think you can last that long?”
    There was no mistaking he was feeling the same desperation as I was. Skin-to-skin . . . it was all I could focus on.
    “Do us a favor, Caylee, and listen to what we’ve got so far,” Marty interjected, finishing the final tweak to tuning his guitar. “Let us know if it sounds okay.”
    Cooper had shared a few sentences of the song last night, too excited to keep it a secret until it was completed.
    Nodding, I slipped my hand in his, savoring the moment. He made me greedy for everything—big and small—every piece of him. After losing Owen, there was never a guarantee that things lasted forever. I was determined to never take someone I loved for granted again.
    Life was too short.
    “Dazzle me,” I answered, smiling. Dropping down into the armchair they’d dubbed my special throne , I snuggled up with Lola who’d been keeping it warm with her napping body.
    “Be honest,” Cooper added, slipping his guitar strap over his shoulder and pulling the pick out from under the strings. “It still needs some work, but you’ll get the gist.”
    I loved how nervous he got. It was definitely a side to him he didn’t reveal to too many. “Play it already, then!” I teased, waving my hand in the air for him to start.
    The second the melody filled the room, I knew it was magic. It was that first impression—the one that I’d succumbed to over and over whenever I was buying something that screamed it would become a favorite.
    My one-click addiction would one day get me into a lot of trouble. Even now, my finger moved as if it had a mind of its on—needing a button to press so I could own the song.
    Cooper’s gaze never left mine as he stepped closer to the mic, his lips beginning to form the words. Damn, the man sure knew how to look the part of a sexy rockstar.
     
    Lying across my bed
    She’s everything I need.
    With each breath she takes
    Another part of me
    Falls a little more.
     
    The words, paired with his heated stare, made it hard to catch my breath. He’d written this for me—for us. I could see us in each line as the song unfolded; feel his heart in the music.
    Four sets of eyes stared at me—waiting for my response.
    “Wow,” I whispered, the emotion catching in my voice. “I can’t wait to see you play that in public, because people are going to lose their minds over it.”
    “That’s a good thing, right?” Troy asked.
    His doubt made me laugh out loud. “How can you seriously ask? It was amazing!” I gushed, trying to find the right words for how the song had stirred my excitement. “I can even see it being played on the radio and going viral. Seriously, guys, it’s a money maker.”
    “KA-CHING!” Aidan and Marty crowed, high-fiving each other like frat boys.
    “From your lips to God’s ears,” Cooper murmured, surprising me by using a reference to God. I knew they had a rocky relationship from the time he’d taken me to honor my weekly ritual of lighting candles at the local church of Immaculate Heart of Mary. He’d warily had a conversation with Father Michaels, but that had been it.
    I’d later found him sitting outside on the church steps, waiting for me. I didn’t push him any further, either. Instead, that had been where we’d shared our first kiss.
    It had been magical and perfect.
    Now, here we were.
    He was writing songs inspired by our connection.
    “I believe in you, babe,” I mouthed back. I believed enough in who he was