Sometimes everything inside my head felt too loud, but in here it all mellowed out.

The door swung open. Bay rushed in with a piece of paper in hand. “The good news is you can stay. The bad news is you need to sign this. I remembered off the bat this time.” She pumped her arms in self-congratulation.

She shoved a thick document and pen into my hand. “A non-disclosure agreement? Who the hell is coming?”

“When you sign it, I can tell you.” Curiosity made it impossible to walk away. I scribbled my name across the bottom of the packet where the little labels told me to. The last time I’d done that had been at the signing ceremony for my recruitment. A sourness swamped some of the intrigue coursing through my veins.

The door opened again. This time a woman with long black hair up in a high ponytail stood in the way. “Did he sign?”

Bay nodded.

The woman held out her hand palm up and motioned to hand it over.

Bay gave her the papers and she flipped through them, eyeing me in between each signature check like she could somehow tell if I’d used invisible ink or a fake name.

“Cool, I’ll go get the guys.” The door closed with a muted whoosh.

“The guys?”

Bay grinned.

And that was how I spent until five am hanging out with the guys from Without Grey.

Money exchanged hands after the door opened and I shouted like a clown with a butcher’s knife was chasing me.

Freddy moved across the wide board of sliders and knobs doing who knows what. But I was riveted by Bay on the other side of the glass, sitting with Camden for one of the songs Lockwood bowed out of playing.

She bounded out of the studio and grabbed onto my arm, nearly ripping it from the socket. “They want to use my backing guitar to fill out the sound on the album.” Happiness poured off her in waves. An infectious happiness I couldn’t stop myself from absorbing.

“That’s amazing.” I ran my hand along the side of her cheek, her hair brushed against the back of my hand tickling me.

The rest of the guys poured into the studio.

“Have they heard you sing?”

All eyes swung to us.

“You sing too?” Camden rested his arm on the back of Freddy’s chair and looked her up and down.

For a split second I wanted to leap over the two people between us and break his damn jaw. My arm tightened around her waist. “She does.”

“Dare.” Through gritted teeth, she whispered at me.

“Just try.” I kissed the side of her head.

I held onto her hand and stepped behind her. Her pulse jackhammered against my hold or maybe it was because of how tight I was holding her right back.

She opened her mouth and sang the first verse and chorus of Emotional Gridlock.

The guys stared at her slack jawed. “Why the hell didn’t you tell us?” Camden jumped up from his lean against the board.