Exclusive Excerpt from The Time of My Life
by Nora Phoenix
For a week, Denver managed to stay away from Judah, as he had intended to. Sure, they interacted somewhat in the vocal coaching group, but Judah never tried to pair up with him again after that first day. Mercifully not, because Denver wasn’t sure he’d have the strength to turn him down again. The first time had been hard enough. He’d asked the first person he saw to be his partner, which turned out to be that absolute dumbass, Clark. Holy crap, the guy really had shit for brains. He had an amazing voice, though.
The vocal sessions were fun, though not exactly new to him. He knew the stuff DeeDee was teaching already, but it never hurt to brush up. The stylist had offered some interesting suggestions, wanting him to play up his cute preppy look, as she had called it. He’d tried on some of the outfits she had suggested and had to admit they looked good on him. The media trainings were when he paid attention most, because he knew how crucial it was to get that part right.
He enjoyed getting to know the others. They were all staying in the same hotel, and he’d hung out with LaVine and a few others in the evenings. Judah had joined them once. Denver wondered what he did the other evenings. Busking? There was nothing in the contract that prohibited it—Denver had looked it up to be sure—though once the blind auditions had been aired, he would have to stop. They weren’t allowed to do any promotions without the network’s permission, and the producers sure as hell wouldn’t approve busking.
What Denver appreciated most was that he hadn’t seen Cody since he left for LA. He’d contacted his case officer in New York, who had reached out to the LAPD and had set him up with a contact person there. Not that Denver was expecting much of that. Sergeant Williams, his contact on the NYPD, had gone above and beyond for Denver, fueled by a cousin of his who’d fallen prey to a stalker a few years back. She’d been raped by the guy before they had enough evidence to get him off the streets. Williams had vowed nothing would happen to Denver, and he’d done his best to live out that promise.
Of course, now that Denver was in LA, there was little Williams could do. Denver doubted a low-key stalker case like his would warrant much attention from the LAPD, not when they had dozens of celebrities with similar problems. That’s why he had been so happy he hadn’t spotted Cody. Maybe the asshole hadn’t figured out yet where Denver was? He hoped it would stay that way for a long time.
There was a knock on the door. He carefully checked the peephole. What the fuck was Judah doing at his door? Especially this late, since it was almost bedtime. He hesitated.
“Denver, please.”
That voice. Those words. Denver was transported back to that morning, the two of them in his bed. That kiss, that scorching hot, yet clumsy kiss. That thick, pulsing cock in his hand and then Judah coming all over him. Damn, just when he had been more or less successful in pushing those memories away.
He opened the door, left the security chain on. “What do you want?”
“Can I come in?”
“No. Not until you tell me what you want.”
Judah’s face fell. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, his shoulders slumping. “Never mind.”
He looked so forlorn, that Denver’s heart contracted painfully. Damn, he was such a softie. “What is it, Judah?” he said more kindly.
“No, you’re right. I shouldn’t have come. You warned me you wouldn’t do shit for me if I treated you like crap again.”
Denver involuntarily smiled. “If that’s supposed to be a sales pitch, it needs some work.”
Judah looked up from the floor he’d been studying. “It’s not. It’s me telling you you’re right.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Denver muttered as he slid the chain off and opened the door. “Come in already, would you? I can’t stand to see you standing there like a sad puppy.”
