She rolled her eyes. “I can only go by what you’ve shown me. You’ll have to excuse me for not seeing you as some kind of saint.”
He groaned. “I never claimed to be a saint, but...” He stopped mid-sentence.
Their gazes locked, and silence fell.
Seeing the fire dancing in her dark eyes made his body temperature rise. All he wanted was to hold her, to possess her as he once had. In an instant, his anger melted away, replaced by a consuming desire to pull her into his arms. What was it about this woman that had him vacillating between wanting to verbally spar with her and wanting to ravish her? Before he could stop himself, he grasped her hand.
“Blaine?” Her lips were slightly parted, begging to be kissed.
Giving her a gentle tug, he growled, “Stand up.”
She did as he asked. “Why?”
“So, I don’t have to kneel to do this.” He grazed his fingertips along her jawline.
Her eyes closed briefly, then popped open again. “If you kiss me, I’ll box your ears.”
“You can’t even reach my ears,” he teased.
“I’ll get a step stool.”
“If you do, I’ll take my lumps like a man.” He eased the tip of his index finger over her lips. “Just let me have this one kiss.”
A soft chuckle escaped her throat. “Damn it, Blaine.” She angled her face up, pressing her lips together in a soft pucker.
Moments later, he kissed her. The contact, heady and all too fleeting, sent sparks of desire dancing down his spine like electricity moving along a fallen power line. Her lips were soft and yielding, just as he remembered them. After a few more soft brushes, he deepened the kiss. Sweeping his tongue over her lower lip, he thrilled when she opened her mouth for him. As he slipped his tongue inside, a soft moan escaped her throat, and he nearly came undone. He knew that if they continued, he’d be laying her down on the sofa and taking her until she cried out his name. Reluctantly, he eased away.
“You’re made of temptation, Eden Voss.”
She placed her fingertips against her lips. Her eyes were glazed with desire, but as always, she deflected with her trademark humor. “I should have made you kneel.”
Now it was his turn to chuckle. “Maybe I’ll kneel for you later.”
“Hey, guys.”
A third voice entered the conversation, and he turned toward the sound.
Naiya had appeared in the doorway. She leaned against the doorframe, glancing back and forth between them. “Sorry, am I interrupting something?”
Blaine shook his head, tearing his gaze away from Eden. “No. We’re just talking shop.” He kept his tone even, not wanting to reveal the delicious tension of the preceding moments. “So, Naiya, how are you feeling about the single so far?”
“It’s great. I’m ready to move forward with the process.”
“Ready enough to lay down some reference vocals on your single?” he asked.
Naiya smiled, her excitement apparent. “Let’s do it.”
He looked her way again. “Eden, you can stay in the booth with Naiya and give her delivery tips as we go along, okay?” He tried to direct his thoughts back to business, but it was all he could do to stand up straight after how hard she’d made him. She glanced down, a ghost of a smile crossing her face.
She nodded. “Sure thing.”
She knows. He thought about the frigid snowfall from his last winter vacation in the Colorado mountains until his ardor finally calmed enough for him to walk.
He left the booth, letting the door close behind him. Moments later, he was at the soundboard. Giving them a thumbs-up through the glass partition, he put on his headphones and started the playback of the track.
While he bobbed his head along with the music, he did his best to shake off the memory of Eden’s kiss. But just like any great composition, the melody of her was impossible to shake.
Seven
Friday morning, Eden stifled a yawn as she entered the Bodacious Bean. The air-conditioned interior provided immediate relief from the sticky August air, and she sighed as soon as the door shut behind her. The combination of the oppressive humidity, high temperature and a lack of quality sleep the night before had left her feeling like a zombie, and she desperately needed a caffeine pick-me-up.
She’d spent the better part of the night tossing and turning, unable to sleep. And when she had finally drifted off, Blaine and his magnificent kisses were waiting for her in dreamland. She just couldn’t seem to shake her desire for him. She craved his touch the way flowers craved sunlight.
Ponying up to the counter, she greeted the barista and ordered an iced coffee with two shots of espresso. Once she had the coffee and a blueberry muffin in hand, she slunk to a table near the back. As she sucked down the first sip of her drink, her phone buzzed. Picking it up, she glanced at the screen before answering. “Hey, Ainsley. What’s up?”
“What’s up with you? You barely said two words to me last night when you came in, and then you bounced this morning before I even got up.”
She stifled another yawn. “Sorry, girl. I was exhausted.”
“You sound like you’re still tired. What’s going on with you? Didn’t you sleep last night?”
She drank a bit more coffee before answering. “Not as well as I would have liked.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
She rolled her eyes even though she knew her cousin couldn’t see it. “Mmm-hmm, what?”
“There’s something you’re not telling me, Eden. I just know it.” Ainsley’s tone dripped with suspicion.
“Dang, Ainsley. You’re always grilling me. Even my mama didn’t get in my business as you do.”
“Well, my mama did. I’m just picking up where she left off.”
Shaking her head at how much Ainsley reminded her of Aunt Mimi, she sighed. “Fine. I got to the studio a little early Wednesday, so I sat down to the keyboard... Anyway, Blaine walked in on me playing and singing.”
“Were you singing that Xscape song? The one you’re always belting out around the house?”
She laughed. “Yes, I was. Anyway, it’s been so long since I got to play and sing like that. And it really reminded me how much I miss singing professionally...”
Ainsley interjected. “Boo, we both know you miss singing. But it ain’t never been serious enough to keep you up at night. So why don’t you stop beating around the bush and tell me the real tea, okay?”
Yikes. She chewed on the plastic straw. “Ainsley, you’re killing me.”
“Then let’s make it quick. Or would you rather drag it out and lengthen your suffering?”
Annoyed as she was, she couldn’t help laughing at her cousin. “Okay. Blaine started talking about how he missed working with me, and I fussed at him a little.”
“So, you couldn’t sleep because y’all argued?”
“No, that’s not it. And I wouldn’t call it an argument, it was more of a heated discussion. Even though we were having a pretty heavy conversation, somehow, he...ended up kissing me.” Retelling the tale to her cousin forced her to relive those torrid moments wrapped in his arms. She could still smell his cologne, still feel the strength of his arms enfolding her...
“I knew it!”
She dropped the phone on the table. Picking it up a moment later, she groused, “Can you not shout in my ear? It’s way too early for these shenanigans.”
“I’m not gonna say I told you so.”
“You literally just did.”
Ainsley laughed. “Well, I’m not gonna say it twice. Anyway, I knew that as soon as y’all got in that studio together, the sparks would start flying.”
“Don’t you have something to be doing right now?”
“I’m in the kitchen making Cooper some breakfast.”
“Good. Well, I’ll let you go so you can focus on cooking before
you burn the house down. We’re already paying for the roof, and I don’t need any more mishaps.”
“But...”
She hung up on her cousin, laying her phone face down on the table. Part of the reason she’d left so early was so she could get her coffee and have it quietly, giving the caffeine time to do its magic before she had to be at the studio. No way was she about to give up that peaceful start to her day to play a game of twenty-one questions with her well-meaning but nosy cousin. She was still processing what had transpired between her and Blaine and discussing it with Ainsley certainly wasn’t helping her achieve clarity.
After draining the contents of her cup, she popped off the lid and headed back to the counter for a refill. Just as she got her filled cup back, the bell above the door sounded and she turned.
Blaine walked in.
She nearly dropped her coffee. Snapping the lid back on, she swallowed. It’s too early for anybody to be looking that damn good.
True to his usual style, he wore a pair of distressed black jeans, black leather sneakers and a black T-shirt bearing the Against the Grain logo in metallic silver. The signature large sunglasses once again obscured his eyes, and his locs were tied in a haphazard knot atop his head. His lips tilted into a smile when he saw her. “Morning, Eden.”
“Good morning.” Her voice squeaked out, barely above a whisper.
“You’ve...got a little something...” He gestured, pointing toward her face. “You know, right around your mouth.”
She brushed away the crumbs of blueberry muffin clinging there, then blew out a breath. “Ever had the muffins here? They’re pretty great.”
“Yeah, they are.” He advanced toward the counter. “You okay?”
She ran her free hand over her hair, hoping it resembled something like a style. She spoke again, a bit louder this time. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m just low on caffeine.”
“Me, too. But at least you came to the right place.”
She eased back toward her table, and part of her hoped that he’d get his drink to go, and that would be the end of their interaction, at least until she made it to the studio. She sat down, pretending to scroll through her phone while taking surreptitious glances in his direction.
When she saw him walking toward her, coffee in hand, she knew her hopes of him leaving her to finish her coffee alone had been dashed on the jagged rocks of reality. Drawing a breath, she braced for his entry into her personal bubble.
He paused near the empty chair across the table from her. “Mind if I sit with you for a bit?”
While this wasn’t what she’d planned, she could think of far worse company to be in. With a soft smile, she said, “Have a seat.”
“Thanks.” He set his paper cup down on the table as he eased into the seat.
Silence fell between them for a moment, and she tried not to look at his lips. She failed, and the memory of his kiss rose to the surface. Looking at him only made her remember the delicious pressure of his lips against hers. She took another sip of her drink, noting the way he rubbed the back of his neck. With his eyes still hidden behind the dark lenses, she couldn’t fully read his mood. “Is there something you want to talk about?” She realized too late that the question had been too open-ended, but since she couldn’t take it back, she just hoped for the best.
He cleared his throat. “There is, actually. I was wondering if there’s anything we could do to speed up the process of completing Naiya’s album.”
She picked up on something in his voice, something she wasn’t used to hearing from the confident label head. Is he nervous about something? Is it because he kissed me, or is it business-related? “I’ve already started drafting the second song, if that’s what you mean.”
“No. I mean, can we speed up the timeline for the project as a whole? I’d really like to get ten solid tracks done in less than a month, if possible.”
She contemplated his words for a moment. While she was glad he hadn’t taken her question as an invitation to discuss kissing, she couldn’t help feeling curious about his sudden rush to finish Naiya’s album. “I suppose I could. However, debut albums can be tricky, and I want to do my best work for her.”
“I understand, and trust me, I appreciate that. But I’m on a bit of a time crunch, though I’d rather not discuss why.”
She wasn’t thrilled that he seemed to be hiding something from her, but this was Blaine Woodson, after all. “I think it might help my process if I could see her perform live. Just to get a better feel for her style and how she interacts with a crowd.”
He brightened, clapped his hands together. “Great! Then you can come with me to her open mic show at the Bass Line Lounge tomorrow night.”
She studied his face, trying to ascertain his intent. “Are you asking me on a date, Blaine?”
He chuckled. “No. It’s not a date. It’s business. I’m simply giving you what you say will help your process.”
“Good. So that means there won’t be any flirting, or kissing...”
He chuckled again, a deep, rumbling sound that seemed to reverberate through his broad chest. “Don’t worry. I won’t kiss you again until you ask me to.”
She swallowed hard. It was impossible to miss the teasing in his tone, yet she knew he meant what he said. She also knew that the odds were pretty good that she would cave and ask for his kisses again...she just wasn’t going to tell him that now.
She rolled her eyes. “Awesome. That means it will never happen again.”
* * *
That afternoon, Blaine retreated to his office while Naiya and Eden worked in the booth. He’d left Trevor, his engineer, to operate the soundboard while he handled some of the tasks he’d let pile up on his desk over the last few weeks. He didn’t relish this mundane part of the job, but after he delegated as much as he could to Leanna, his assistant, he had no choice but to complete the rest.
He slid aside a small stack of completed paperwork and set his pen down, flexing his fingers to relieve some of the stiffness in his joints. With the papers tucked away in a folder, he dropped his head back against the headrest of his executive chair. His gaze was on the ceiling, but his mind was on the morning encounter he’d had with Eden.
He hadn’t been expecting to run into her at the coffee shop but seeing her had given his day an instant lift. Since his mind had been on his problems with Hamilton House, he hadn’t been able to take the conversation in the direction he’d have wanted. He’d wanted to talk about kissing her, specifically, about how soon he could kiss her again. The memory of her soft, yielding lips and the way her skin felt beneath his fingertips made him yearn for more.
Instead, he’d steered the conversation to work. He’d asked her to work harder, faster, to produce the lyrics for Naiya’s album. It wasn’t ideal, but he didn’t have much of a choice. If I want to remain competitive, keep Against the Grain on the cutting edge, and most of all, keep my main source of funding, I’ve got to level up.
He didn’t want to put pressure on her, professionally or personally. But he wanted Eden, in all the ways a man could want a woman. And though she would probably rather get a root canal than admit to it, she wanted him, too. So, he’d wait. Patience had never been a strength of his, so he knew it wouldn’t be easy.
The struggle is real. But she’s absolutely worth it.
His stream of thought was interrupted by the intercom chime on his desk phone.
Leanna’s voice came over the speaker. “Blaine, Pierce Hamilton is here.”
He felt his brow crinkle with annoyance. He’d only had a few interactions in the past with Pierce, the son of reclusive company owner, the widowed Everly Hamilton. None of them had been particularly positive. Pierce came across as an arrogant, entitled, self-absorbed man who’d gladly step on someone’s throat to get his own way. “I don’t want to deal with him right now...tell him I’m unavailable.”
/> “I told him that...unfortunately he’s already on his way down the...”
Before Leanna could complete the sentence, Blaine’s office door swung open. Pierce strode in, his fingertips attached to the lapels of his expensive sports jacket as if he feared the jacket might fly away if he didn’t hold on to it. “Greetings, Blake.”
“It’s Blaine.” He emphasized the word through his tightly set teeth. Pierce never seemed to get his name right, and while he wasn’t surprised, he still found it grating.
“Oh, yes, of course.” Pierce took a seat in the guest chair across from him, settling in as if he planned to stay for a while. “So, tell me. How are you? How have things been going?” He laced his fingers together, watching Blaine as if awaiting his answer with great anticipation.
Blaine responded with an icy half smile. “I’m fine, thanks for asking. But I’m sure this isn’t a social call.” He leaned back in his chair. “So, what can I do for you, Mr. Hamilton?”
He waved his hand. “Pshaw. Mr. Hamilton was my father, God rest his soul. Call me Pierce.”
I’d call him an asshole, but I’m sure that wouldn’t fly. “If you insist. So, what motivated this little impromptu visit?”
Pierce leaned to the right, resting his chin in the crook between his thumb and index finger. “Quite frankly, I’m surprised you don’t know. I hear our label liaison is a real chatterbox.”
Blaine felt the tightness build at the base of his spine, crawling up his back like a spider. I can see where this conversation is headed. No need to put all my cards on the table, though. “I’m not big on gossip. So why don’t you just tell me?”
“We’ve been talking about expanding the Hamilton House empire.” Pierce offered a sly smile that showed off the diamond set in his upper left incisor. “We’re looking at creative ways to be the biggest, most comprehensive music production company in the American South...and then, in the whole country.”
Blaine kept his tone even, training his expression to remain flat. “Sounds like you’ve got big dreams.”
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