All I Ever Wanted

by LuAnn McLane

  Grady squeezed her hand. “You don’t sound convinced.”

  “Oh, I’m convinced that we can’t keep our hands off each other. I’m not quite sure it’s the best idea in the world, though.”

  “Me neither, but I think it’s our only option.”

  “Yeah. So how do we handle it?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I think your brothers will know.”

  “I’m sure this is exactly what they planned on happening,” he said, and then chuckled.

  “What?” Arabella wasn’t sure if this situation was funny, but her reliable sense of humor came to the rescue and she chuckled too. Granny York always said it was much better to laugh than cry.

  “When you came barreling into my arms . . . I knew I was a goner. I’ve been thinking about kissing you since the day you showed up on my doorstep.”

  “Grady—”

  “I’m just being honest.” He hesitated, as if wanting to say more, but then fell silent for a few moments. “I’m not going to make this weird.”

  “Uh, this already is weird.” She bounced a little bit on the float, drawing a chuckle from Grady.

  “Well, I’ll never look at this float the same way again, that’s for sure.”

  Arabella laughed, really laughed, harder than she had in a long time, and Grady laughed right along with her. When the laughter dwindled, she felt a little bit of hope sneak into her heart but quickly squashed it. This was going to be a wild fling, nothing more.

  “You hungry?” Grady asked, and Arabella’s stomach growled, answering for her. He chuckled. “How about ordering a giant pizza?”

  “Okay, but no pineapple,” she warned.

  “I promise,” Grady said, and then pushed up to his feet, giving her a very nice view. He tugged on his boxers and shorts but left his shirt off, making Arabella get hot and bothered again. She felt a blush heat her cheeks and was glad that he couldn’t read her mind. She discreetly put on her clothes and then took the hand he offered to help her up. He paused and looked at her mouth as if thinking about kissing her but then took a step back, disappointing Arabella.

  “Do you think your brothers are gone?”

  “Probably. They don’t know how this plan of theirs went down.”

  “How will we get out?” she asked, following him out the door.

  “Hopefully, they unblocked the door. If not, I’ll call Jimmy and tell him to let us out. He’s still the only reasonable Heart brother.”

  Arabella laughed. “Some things never change.”

  Grady stopped and looked at her, and something sizzled in the air between them. “And some things never will.”

  Arabella prepared herself for another hot kiss, but Grady walked over to the door. She picked up her purse and followed him.

  “Freedom awaits us.” Grady stood back for her to go outside first.

  Arabella stepped into the humidity and gave the pool a look of longing. “Wish I’d brought my swimsuit.”

  “Swimsuits are optional,” he said with a devilish grin.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Arabella said lightly. Skinny-dipping used to be one of their favorite sexy adventures. She’d loved the silky feeling of the water lapping around her skin and having her legs wrapped around Grady. He was the only guy she’d swum naked with, but then again, there was a long list of things she’d only done with Grady Heart.

  Unfortunately, falling in love was one of them.

  CHAPTER NINE

  COULD IT BE FOREVER?

  Over the next week, Grady doubled down on his efforts to concentrate on the dance moves. Although Arabella still distracted him, their truce removed the tension in the room—well, unless he counted the constant sexual tension throbbing between the two of them. By the end of each day, Grady couldn’t wait to get her into bed, although they found plenty of other places to make wild love. The only major problem was that he knew that when Arabella left for LA, she would leave behind a gaping hole in his life that no one else could begin to fill.

  Arabella also fell back into the earlier camaraderie she’d once shared with his brothers. Jesse loved playing pranks on her. Oliver challenged her to dance-offs and usually lost. And Jimmy helped Arabella incorporate the emotion of the lyrics into the stage moves.

  Grady loved the simplified routines that kept the boy-band vibe but felt more refined. In an effort to save funds, Arabella took on the job of wardrobe mistress. Devin approved of the black fedoras Arabella bought for them, adding another touch of class. Skinny ties, crisp white shirts, and black suits replaced the colorful baggy attire so popular during their teenage boy-band days. And even though they couldn’t hit some of the high notes, Grady felt as if their voices blended better and had a richer sound than in their heyday. And they’d been working their asses off.

  “Okay, break’s over,” Arabella said. “Let’s take ‘I Love You More’ from the top. And remember to show emotion when you do the side turn and point to the audience at the end of the song. This is about drawing the audience in and making them feel as if you are singing to them individually,” she said, and patted her chest. “I want some major swooning going on, guys.”

  “I’m a major-league swoon getter,” Jesse said.

  “I think you mean spoon getter.” Oliver made scooping motions toward his mouth.

  “Hey, hold on.” Jesse patted his stomach. “I now have abs of steel.” He turned around and pointed to his ass. “And buns of steel too. You can bounce a quarter off my butt.”

  Jimmy groaned. “If you start twerking, I’m outta here.”

  Grady rolled his eyes at Arabella, and she grinned. “Okay, you sexy beasts, let’s get back on track so we can knock off early,” she added, grabbing their attention. She raised her finger at their round of cheers. “Not too early. We’ve only got a few weeks before the show, so every rehearsal must count. But the progress you’ve made is amazing.”

  “Thanks,” Grady said with a smile. “I fully admit that we’d be lost without you.”

  Arabella smiled back, and something warm passed between them. But then what looked like worry flickered in her eyes before she walked over to the sound system. “Okay, from the top!”

  Grady turned his concentration to the song. Singing was one thing, and dancing was another, but doing both could be killer. By the last spin, they’d all worked up a sweat.

  “Guys, that was awesome,” Arabella said at the end of the song. “Everything is coming together. You’re going to blow the audience away at the concert. I think you sound even better now than you did when you were at the top of the charts.”

  “Hell yeah!” Oliver nodded and executed a perfect spin move. “I think so too.” He’d made no secret of the fact that he’d like to do an entire reunion tour. “Maybe we should think about heading back into the studio too.”

  “Sorry, Oliver.” Jimmy took a swig of water and then shook his head. “I’m having fun doing this, but I like my simple life.”

  “Ah, come on.” Oliver sighed. “Can’t we at least give it some serious thought? Grady, we could give a portion of the revenue to the foundation.”

  Grady heard the hope in Oliver’s voice and hated to shoot him down yet again. “We made a pact that this was going to be a one-off concert. After six weeks, we’re finally getting our groove back. Let’s not ruin it by throwing this out there again.”

  “Yeah, but who knew we were going to be so damned good after all these years?” Oliver persisted. “What will we do if we get some killer offers?”

  “Turn them down,” Jimmy said bluntly.

  “Jesse?” Oliver asked. “What do you think?”

  “I think we should just get through this reunion concert and not think past that,” Jesse replied, mopping the sweat from his forehead with the edge of his T-shirt.

  “You know it doesn’t work that way,”
Oliver said. “We would have to strike while the iron is hot. That’s how this industry works.” He looked over at Arabella. “I wouldn’t have brought this up in the beginning, when we sucked, but now Arabella has done a kick-ass job of whipping us into shape. If we can get you to stay on board, I think we’d have a chance at Vegas.”

  Grady looked at Arabella to get her reaction.

  “Hey,” Arabella said, “I always knew that you guys were so much more talented than you got credit for, but unfortunately that treatment goes with the territory of being in a boy band. You weren’t manufactured for a talent show or put together by an agency. You’re brothers from a gifted, musical family. And I also agree that Heartbeat is better than ever.”

  “Are you saying that you’d be in?” Oliver pounced on her positive response.

  “Oliver, I have a business to run.”

  “You’re the owner,” Oliver argued. “Someone else can manage the day-to-day operations. Obviously, just like they’re doing right now. And Grady, you could easily add to your staff at the foundation.”

  “Come on, Oliver,” Grady said. “Quit putting pressure on us to do something we’d already decided against from the beginning. Let’s not rock the damned boat when we’re doing so well.”

  Oliver shoved his fingers through his hair. “I don’t get it. Singing, music, is what we were born to do. Why not give it another shot? Look at Britney Spears. Backstreet Boys. New Kids on the Block. Come on! Give it some thought.”

  “You can always go solo,” Jimmy pointed out. “You were the youngest and your voice has only gotten stronger, Oliver.” He swung his arm in an arc. “If this is what you want, then go for it. I don’t want to go on the road, and I don’t want to move to Vegas.”

  Oliver closed his eyes and then blew out a sigh. “Okay, I’ll shut up about it for now. But do me a favor and give it some serious consideration.” He looked at Arabella. “Would you too?”

  “Sure.” Arabella nodded, but Grady knew she was only being polite. They’d carefully avoided any talk of the future beyond the benefit concert. He did know that before she left, he was going to find a way to tell her that he’d been innocent that damned night. His pride had gotten in the way of professing his innocence before, especially when she’d made it clear that she still believed the worst. But after being with her now, he didn’t want to go through the rest of his life without getting the chance to let her know the truth. If she failed to believe him, that was on her. But he’d give anything to have her trust again.

  “Let’s just call it a day,” Grady said, suddenly feeling a little bit moody.

  “Okay.” Oliver nodded reluctantly. “But this is our chance, and it likely won’t come again. So keep that in mind before you toss it out the window. I’d like to show the world what we can do instead of letting people think we’re just some washed-up boy band from a decade ago,” he said with a hint of anger. “Remember I said this. Years later you might wish we would have given a comeback a shot and it will be too damned late.” Waving a hand in the air, he stormed out the door.

  “I’m going to put a ‘No Stomping Allowed’ sign up,” Arabella said.

  Grady felt tension throbbing in the back of his neck. “I was afraid of this from the beginning.”

  Jesse shrugged. “He’ll just have to get over it, Grady.”

  “We’re doing this for Mom,” Jimmy added, turning to Arabella. “We don’t want you to feel any pressure. It’s just that Oliver never wanted Heartbeat to end. He was younger and didn’t get quite the same experience we did. I think he feels like he missed out. If Mom hadn’t gotten so sick, we would have had a couple more years in us. Oliver never got to reach his full potential as a performer. I get it, but it doesn’t change anything for the rest of us.”

  “I understand,” Arabella said. “And you’re spot-on, Jimmy. Oliver’s voice is good enough for him to go solo if he wants to. He sure has the drive, the stage presence, and the charisma. But I guess it would be intimidating without you guys with him.”

  “You’re right,” Jimmy said. “And we’re all musical, but that doesn’t mean we have to be in the limelight.” He walked over to his gym bag and picked it up. “See you guys tomorrow.”

  “Well, I’m taking off too,” Jesse said. “See you in the morning. Unless we get a day off for being so awesome?” He raised his eyebrows and folded his hands in prayer.

  “Not a chance,” Arabella said with a grin. “Sorry.”

  Jesse groaned. “Had to give it a shot.”

  “Be sure to ice that knee,” Arabella reminded him.

  “Hey.” Jimmy grabbed Grady’s shoulder and squeezed. “Stop looking so guilty. The concert is going to give us tons of exposure. Oliver can ride that wave if he really wants to. It’s his choice.”

  “I know.” Grady nodded, but he couldn’t shake the guilt or the sudden sullen mood that had descended upon him after Oliver left. He watched the door close behind the twins. “Well, that sure as hell sucked.”

  “Hey,” Arabella said softly. “Would you like to come over to the beach house? Get away from here for a little bit? I can throw some chicken on the grill and toss a salad?” She tilted her head to the side. “Open a bottle of wine?”

  Grady looked at her with mild surprise. Having her offer to cook for him felt more emotionally intimate than the hot fling they were supposed to be having. Part of him wanted to take her up on it, but so far, he’d avoided going to the beach house, not wanting to have the memory of being with her there after she left. The thought made him irritable because he wanted to join her but shouldn’t. “I’m tired. I think I’ll make it an early night, if you don’t mind,” he said, making no mention of having her stay over or go for their usual swim. He felt like a jackass when her smile faded, but then she quickly recovered.

  “Oh . . . sure,” she said lightly, but he could tell by the stiffness in her posture that she was upset.

  Grady knew he should offer some sort of apology, but he didn’t.

  “See you in the morning, then,” Arabella said without looking over her shoulder. When she hurried out the door, it took everything in his power not to go running after her. But he hated the way he’d felt when she left the first time, and she was going to do it again in just a few more weeks. The whole sex-only thing had seemed like such a great idea a week ago, and now he wished he’d done the damned sensible thing and kept his hands to himself. How in the hell was he supposed to carry on living his life after she was gone?

  Grady scrubbed a hand down his face. “I did it before. I can sure as hell do it again.”

  But later, after a hot shower and a cold beer, he felt restless. His brain couldn’t handle any foundation work, even though he tried for almost an hour. He finally flopped down on the leather couch and flipped through a hundred television channels but couldn’t find anything remotely interesting to watch. Giving up, he strolled into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Although his stomach rumbled, nothing appeared remotely appetizing, and Grady knew why.

  All he wanted was to be with Arabella, eating chicken and salad, sipping wine, watching whatever happened to be on TV—it wouldn’t matter what it was—and making love to her until every ounce of energy was depleted from every inch of his body.

  Closing the fridge door so hard that things inside rattled, Grady paced and stared out the window, considering going for a swim, but then he remembered the last time he’d been in the pool, he’d been naked with Arabella. The thought immediately made his dick respond. “Ah, dammit! This is bullshit!”

  Grabbing his car keys from the kitchen counter, Grady headed out the door and got behind the wheel of his silver Porsche convertible, pretending he was just out for a drive and didn’t have a destination. To his credit, he drove past her beach-house driveway twice before finally giving in to his craving for Arabella York.

  After killing the purr of the engine, Grady started hav
ing second thoughts. He wasn’t one for getting nervous, but his heart thumped as he got out of the car and walked up to the door. He rang the doorbell and waited. When she failed to answer, he wondered if she had looked out the window and seen it was him, and was too pissed to answer after his earlier brush-off. He contemplated whether to ring again or try the door to see if it was open. Of course, he had a key, but using it didn’t feel right and neither did boldly walking in. He could call her . . . no, send a text message?

  Or turn the hell around and leave in a cloud of dust.

  Retreat was neck and neck in his mind with sending a text when the door swung open. God . . . Arabella . . . in a short pink terry-cloth robe cinched at the waist, showing enough damp skin to make his mouth water. Her abundance of hair was piled in a messy bun on top of her head, with little tendrils curling around her rosy face. “Sorry, I was taking a bubble bath,” she explained, and Grady immediately pictured her in the tub he’d had installed just for the bubble baths that he knew she loved. She stood there looking sexy as hell but with a bit of uncertainty in the depths of her eyes. “Would . . . you like to come in?” she finally asked.

  Unable to find words, Grady nodded, and she stepped aside for him to enter. As soon as he was inside the doorway, he pushed her up against the wall and kissed her like he’d dreamed of doing throughout the entire day. She smelled of lavender and vanilla. Her skin felt moist, warm, and with a flick of his fingers he untied the belt and exposed her body. Parting the soft cotton, he kissed her shoulder and the swell of her breast, then parted her thighs to slide his finger into her slick heat. She shivered, either from the cool air or from anticipation. Grady longed to take her right there against the wall, but he knew he needed to have her in the bedroom overlooking the ocean.