Everything
EVERYTHING
A Songbird Novel
#3
Melissa Pearl
Kindle Edition
© Copyright 2015 Melissa Pearl
http://www.melissapearlauthor.com
*****
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, actual events or locales is purely coincidental.
*****
Cover art (copyright) by Mae I Design. All rights reserved.
http://www.maeidesign.com/
*****
Kindle Edition, License Notes
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Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
EVERYTHING
Jody Pritchett had a dream...but life had other plans. Instead of singing and dancing on Broadway, Jody’s a twenty-year-old single mom, living at home with her disapproving father and overbearing sister. The choice to keep her little Angelia came with a high price, and although she adores her baby girl, it doesn’t take away the sting of kissing goodbye her chance at a career on the stage.
Leo Sinclair had his own dream...but got lost along the way. After a failed marriage that left him hollow and downtrodden, the Australian songwriter wonders what joy his future could possibly hold. Encouraged by the one family member who doesn’t think he’s a failure, Leo decides to stop living the life everyone expects him to and start chasing his dreams again.
When the perfect opportunity comes knocking, Leo leaves Australia behind and hops a flight to LA. With his sights set on selling a musical to a Broadway producer, Leo is determined to finally realize his dream. But life gets in the way again when he spots a young mother outside his apartment in tears. He never realized how one person, one voice, and one Angel could have him contemplating abandoning his dreams once again.
As these two burned hearts wrestle to overcome their past struggles, Leo and Jody must decide which dreams are worth clinging to...because, sometimes, everything you want is not everything you need.
Singing has always been a part of who I am. I always have a song going through my head, and I can’t count the number of times people will be talking and one little thing they say will make me think of a song. No matter where I am or what I’m doing, I feel like there is always a song for that moment.
I have absolutely adored writing Leo and Jody’s story, and I’ve been able to live out some of my own dreams while writing theirs. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at composing a musical and during this story, I was able to compose three songs at my piano. I loved every second of it, and I’m tempted to keep going...to complete the work that Leo started. Who knows? Maybe one day I will.
The music in this book really matches the personality of the characters. Jody and Leo are both fun-loving, sunshine-type people, and I felt that sixties music was the perfect way to capture them. There are also a bunch of other favorites in here from musical numbers to current hits, but each song fits the moment. Many of the songs on this playlist are impossible for me not to sing along to. I hope you can get the same joy from listening and reading as I did from singing and writing.
(Please note: The songs listed below are not always the original versions, but the ones I chose to listen to while constructing this book. The songs are listed in the order they appear.)
I DREAMED A DREAM
(From the musical
Les Miserables
)
Performed by Kerry Ellis
AS LONG AS YOU’RE MINE
(From the musical
Wicked
)
Performed by Idina Menzel & Leo Norbert Butz
THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC
Performed by Amanda Seyfried
YOU’LL BE IN MY HEART
(From the Disney movie
Tarzan
)
Performed by Phil Collins
DREAM A LITTLE CRAZY
Performed by Architecture in Helsinki
ANGELIA
Performed by Richard Marx
YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE
Performed by Ray Charles
DREAM BIG
Performed by Ryan Shupe & The Rubberband
3 THINGS
Performed by Jason Mraz
I GOT YOU (I FEEL GOOD)
Performed by James Brown
DEFYING GRAVITY
Performed by Glee Cast
UGLY HEART
Performed by G.R.L.
GO
Performed by Boys Like Girls
HOW SWEET IT IS
Performed by Michael Buble
EMPIRE STATE OF MIND
Performed by Alicia Keys
MARRY ME
Performed by Jason Derulo
JESUS LOVES ME
Performed by James Morrison
DANCE WITH ME TONIGHT
Performed by Olly Murs
YAKETY YAK
Performed by The Coasters
YOU DRIVE ME CRAZY
Performed by Britney Spears
TITANIUM
Performed by David Guetta & Sia
MY GIRL
Performed by The Temptations
EVERYTHING
Performed by Michael Buble
LOVE
Performed by Cody Simpson & Ziggy Marley
SMILE
Performed by Sheppard
I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND
Performed by Sara Gordon
YOU MAKE ME HAPPY
Performed by Lindsey Ray
THE WAY YOU DO THE THINGS YOU DO
Performed by Gomez
YOU CAN’T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT
Performed by Glee Cast
NOTHING WITHOUT YOU
Performed by Olly Murs
BABY NOW THAT I’VE FOUND YOU
Performed by The Meanies
To enhance your reading experience, you can listen along to the playlist for EVERYTHING on Spotify.
For Michael Buble -
Your smooth, honey voice and the way you’ve added a fresh spin to classic songs from the past makes you a total legend in my book.
Jody
The ivory keys were smooth beneath my fingers. I pressed middle C, repeating the action softly while I adjusted myself on the stool and looked up at the music in front of me. Tears burned my eyes as I played the first chord. The notes blurred on the page, but my fingers knew the song by heart, flying over the keys as the tune took shape. Pulling in a breath, I closed my eyes and started singing.
“I Dreamed A Dream” flowed from me in shaky waves, my voice crumbling on the long notes. I knew it was melodramatic. If Dad walked in right now and heard me singing this, saw the tears gliding down my cheeks, he’d probably roll his eyes, but after the night I’d just had, I felt justified in wallowing.
I was tired. I felt three times my age and I couldn’t help lamenting the fact that this was not the plan! If things had gone the way I’d wanted, I’d have been six weeks into my sophomore year at The School of Theatre, Film and Television at the University of Arizona, no doubt working on my next solo piece, preparing to sing on stage, bathed in a spotlight.
I reached the chorus, my mind leaving the room and heading back to the last time I had stood on a stage, singing my very own solo.
I wasn’t supposed to be in there, but I’d seen the back door ajar and couldn’t resist taking a peek. I pulled the heavy curtain aside, a slow smile spreading over my lips as I padded across the stage and took my favorite spot—front and center. My mind’s eye created a crowd in the darkened theatre. They sat anxiously awaiting my performance, and my body swelled with the euphoric buzz I lived for.
Pulling out my phone, I found the backing-track for “As Long As You’re Mine” from the musical
Wicked
and pressed play. The music sounded small and insignificant in the cavernous space, but my mind enhanced it to a full-blown orchestra. The melody moved through me, my body swaying to the beat as I surveyed the “crowd.” Pulling in a breath, my lips drew into a smile as I started to sing.
I imagined Stefan—I mean Mr. Kursato—sitting in the audience, his intense gaze locked on me. Would he know each word out of my mouth was solely for him? The lyrics of this song had taken on a whole new level of sensuality since walking into his studio that first day. I meant every one of them.
I’d never made love before, but when I did, I wanted it to be with him. I know people always scoff at the idea of love at first sight, but it does happen.
It had happened to me.
My voice crescendoed over the line about him wanting me, and I pulled my hand toward my stomach, feeling the words as if they were my own. I closed my eyes and kept singing, my voice rising and falling as I practically begged my teacher to sleep with me.
I grinned at the very idea. It was insane. In spite of our undeniable connection, he would never see me as anything more than a student.
My voice trailed off as I sang the last line of the verse. The music picked up and I drew in a breath, ready to sing the male’s side of the duet. But another voice filled the space. My eyes popped open and I spun to see Stefan—I mean Mr. Kursato—slowly walking across the stage toward me, his eyes dancing.
Holy hormones, he was hot. His fitted shirt was snug across his broad shoulders and covered his defined torso, which tapered down in that sexy triangle girls drool over. My roommate called him sex on a stick, so appropriate for Mr. K, but that’s not what I’d fallen for. It was his chiseled face, that sharp, precise nose, that puff of perfectly styled hair that sat just right on his head...and those brown eyes. I nearly drowned in that chocolate gaze every time I was near him. And then there was the way his lips moved as he sang...I wanted them on me.
And his voice.
Oh, man, his voice! It was a perfect tenor, strong and clear. His lips rose into a half smile as he sang about falling under my spell, and with that look in his eye, I knew he meant it.
I thought I might die.
He reached me, his hand gently caressing my cheek as my part kicked in again. I sang the lines with him, our voices blending into a spine-tingling harmony I could feel in my core.
He wasn’t acting.
Holy crap, he wasn’t acting! He was singing these lines and meaning them!
My smile grew so wide I could barely form the words. We held the long notes together, his body so close I could feel it against me. I looked up at him and felt like a scared little kid, but hoped he’d read my shaky smile as sexy. The soundtrack petered off, and if we had been playing the roles of Elphie and Fiyero, we’d be whispering to each other, and then kissing.
Would he?
I held my breath, sweat prickling my palms as I lightly ran my hands up his toned arms. They rested on his rounded biceps as he gazed down at me, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly before softening with a look of wonder.
“You, singing on stage is...pure magic.” His voice whistled right through me, sparking a passionate desire.
I opened my mouth to thank him, but he leaned toward me and all words were lost. The kiss started out as a light caress as if he was asking my permission. I leaned into it, applying a pressure that was hopefully inviting. He responded with a quick intake of breath, and then he was all-in, his hand cupping the back of my head and his tongue diving into my mouth as if this was our one and only time.
Maybe it was.
I didn’t care.
I was going for it.
Nerves scuttled through my body, trying to distract me from the total euphoria of kissing the one and only man I’d ever been in love with.
“Jody,” he panted.
I pressed my hips against his hard frame, feeling how much he wanted me.
Don’t pull away, please!
Running my tongue along his bottom lip, I delved into the warm oasis of his mouth. He groaned in his throat and grabbed my hips, clutching the fabric of my loose summer dress until it strained against my butt.
“I want you.”
“I want you, too,” I whispered back, barely believing my luck. Was this some kind of dream?
“Ever since you walked into my studio, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this. Us. Together. If I don’t pull away right now, I won’t be able to stop myself...from having all of you.”
I leaned back, gazing up at his gorgeous face and running my finger lightly down his chiseled jaw. “You can have all of me. I’m yours.”
His lips pursed with indecision. I could see his small fight against temptation, and I was having none of it. I didn’t care if I was his student, we wanted each other...we maybe even loved each other.
Curling my fingers around his neck, I skimmed my lips over his skin, lightly sucking his earlobe. A low moan reverberated in his chest. I looked up at him, my eyes wide, his filling with hunger.
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve wanted you since the second I laid eyes on you, so yeah, I’m one hundred percent sure.”
His lips quirked with a smile, and he dove for my mouth again. My permission had fueled a new kind of fire in his veins, and his passion was both scintillating and startling. I met it head-on, not wanting to waste one second of this moment; it could be the only one I got.
Running his hands down my thighs, he scooped me up, his lips never leaving mine as he carried me backstage.
It was dark. The props and odd bits of furniture looked like black gargoyles in the silent space. Stefan smacked his shin on something and let out a soft curse. I giggled, wrapping my arms tighter around his neck as we toppled over and landed on a worn-out couch. His hands, set free from carrying me, roved my body, moving up my naked thigh and tugging at my underwear.
Whoa—he moved fast.
Too intoxicated with the moment, I arched my back, letting him pull my panties off, glad the shadows could hide my growing trepidation.
Would he know this was my first time?
Gently parting my legs, he settled between them, his tongue traveling down my neck as he squeezed one of my breasts.
“Jody, you feel amazing.” His voice was hot and slick in my ear. I closed my eyes, running my hands beneath his shirt and marveling at the power of his back.
Could this really be happening?
He wanted me. My imagination over the last four weeks hadn’t been on overdrive. Our unspoken desire had been real!
“Undo me,” he whispered. At first I wasn’t sure what he meant, but I soon figured out he was talking about his pants. I scrambled for his belt and buckle, my shaking fingers making the simple task a challenge.
As soon as his pants were loose, he helped me shimmy them down his hips, and then his weight was on me again.
I wasn’t exactly sure what I was supposed to do, so I kept myself busy kissing his neck and face, hoping he wouldn’t notice my complete ignorance.
He shuffled between me, gently moving my leg, and then I felt him pushing into me. I held my breath, clutching the back of his shirt and biting my bottom lip as a burning pain tore through my center. My eyes popped open, and I hampered the cry driving up my throat.
Stefan moaned in ecstasy, gliding his tongue up my neck before finding a rhythm. My body was so tense, I could barely move, but his soft hands coaxed me along and near the end, before he sank into me with a satisfied sigh, it almost felt good.
After catching his breath, he pressed his elbows into the couch, taking his weight off me and gently brushing a curl behind my ear.
“Was that—?”
“Hey! Who’s in here? This is a restricted area, you know!”
Stefan jumped off me, yanking up his pants and scrambling to fasten them. He grabbed my panties off the floor, kissing them and giving me a cheeky wink before throwing them at me.
“Let’s go,” he whispered, tugging me into a run.
The flashlight searching the building swept across the stage. Stefan stilled and we could both see it was moving in our direction.
“Go this way.” He turned me to the left and pushed me toward the door I’d snuck through. “I’ll distract him. We can’t get caught together.”
I nodded mutely, still in a mild state of shock.
He planted a firm but fleeting kiss on my lips before brushing the tip of my nose with his thumb and smiling. “Go.”
Before I could say more, he’d fled. The beam of light tracked my way, jolting me out of my stupor and making me rush for the door. I hit the night air and turned toward my dorm. Clutching my underwear in a fist, I wrapped my arms around myself and felt a warm trickle easing down my inner thigh.
For some reason, I wanted to burst into tears.
A feeble wail from the second floor made me flinch. Swiping the tears off my face, I stood and trudged up the stairs.
I’d lied to my family, told them his name was Stefan and he was my dance teacher. I mean, it
was
Stefan and he
was
a teacher, but he didn’t teach dance and his official working title was Mario Kursato. His middle name was Stefan; he liked it better and let his students call him by that name behind closed doors.
In retrospect, I should have kept the teacher part to myself, but I figured a half-truth might be easier to go with.
I don’t even know why I was trying to protect him. When I’d first mentioned to my sister, Morgan, how gorgeous he was, she knew nothing about him, so I guided her toward the idea of dance, a totally separate department, and kept my passion for my singing teacher completely hidden, even before he gave into temptation and bedded one of his students.
It was just easier. At least I thought it was. Every time I said dance class, I actually meant singing, and it seemed to work somehow...until the day I couldn’t hide anymore.