by Nina Singh
He drained his cup and tossed it in a nearby receptacle.
This was all her fault. He could very well lose business as a result of all this. Adam’s reputation and that of his company would still be intact if her brother and father hadn’t insisted on hiring him in the first place. The very livelihood of the employees Adam just spoke so fondly of might be in jeopardy as a result. She thought about everything he had just told her about the four who were with them today. And no doubt there were others he employed. What about all their dreams, their plans for the future?
She couldn’t bear the thought that they may have to seek alternate employment because of an impulsive decision her family members had made. She hadn’t really even needed a security detail. It was just another instance of the men in her life being unreasonable and overprotective.
An idea sneaked into her head. One that might take some of the attention off of the photos from last night. It just might work.
Adam would never go along with it. She had to be brave enough to do this without his knowledge or approval. He would refuse out of concern for her. She would just have to suffer his wrath afterward, if need be.
The local reporters wanted a press junket. That was out of the question. But maybe she would have Moira make a couple of phone calls to clear some things up.
Ani had no doubt Moira would love the script Ani wanted her to say. Her manager did love a good gossip story, after all.
CHAPTER SIX
WELL, IF THIS wasn’t a first.
A woman was actually trying to spare his reputation. Adam would have laughed if the situation weren’t so damn unfunny.
He rubbed at his forehead and reread the article on the website April had alerted him to a few minutes ago. He sat at the wicker table on the balcony of his hotel room. Though it was still early afternoon, he was having a sweaty bottle of American beer. Some days, a man needed a drink a bit early.
A spokesperson for Ms. Terrance finally returned our calls. She says the two have been friends since childhood and recently decided to take their relationship to the next level. Mr. Steele has been accompanying her on this trip more as a boyfriend than as her hired security. His profession just happens to be an added bonus.
It was actually quite genius. If he was here “more as a boyfriend”—quote, unquote—then he hadn’t crossed any kind of line with a client. He took another swig of the ale. Ani’s heart was in the right place. She’d done this for him.
Still, what the hell had she been thinking?
A knock sounded on his door, so light he’d barely heard it from his seat outside. He knew without a doubt that it was her. He could sense her presence almost before she’d even knocked. And silly as it was, he could swear he could smell her sweet floral scent in the air, even from way out here, despite the breeze.
He didn’t bother verbally responding before opening the door.
She’d showered and changed since their walk earlier this morning. In a bright yellow summer dress with spaghetti-thin straps, she had a bright red scarf wrapped around her hair like a headband. The color combination should not have worked at all, especially with her bright red curls. But somehow on her, the look was delectable. In fact, she reminded him of a cupcake, good enough to eat.
Good Lord, snap out of it.
Ani rung her hands, hesitating at the doorway. “On a scale of one to ten, how cross are you?”
He didn’t answer but instead turned around and walked back out to the balcony. Ani followed on his heels. He picked up the bottle of beer and took another swig.
“Adam?” She absentmindedly took the bottle out of his hand and drank a quarter of the remaining contents.
“Would you like one?” he asked when she thrust it back into his hand.
She glanced down at the bottle like she hadn’t even realized it existed. She was definitely flustered. Well, maybe she should have thought about his possible reaction before she’d gone ahead and made such a decision on her own.
“Goodness, no. It’s way too early to be drinking beer,” she answered, without the least bit of awareness. “You didn’t answer my question. Are you terribly angry?”
“You could have given me a heads-up.”
“Would you have gone along with it?”
“Absolutely not.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Not that I’m surprised, but why not?”
“There had to have been a better way.”
“I couldn’t come up with one. This makes sense.”
“You didn’t need to come up with anything. It was my dilemma to fix.” He walked over to the railing and leaned with his arms braced against it.
“Well, something had to be done. Look at the client calls you were getting. And the publicity wasn’t going to let up. You know that.”
Of course, she was right. In fact, the next stop where she was performing could very well be worse.
It was just such a fiasco of a lie. “What about your emailing admirer?” he asked her.
“What about him?”
“News of you being involved with someone else is often the kind of development that would bring a stalker to escalate his efforts. You’ve gone and upped the ante.”
She swallowed. “Maybe. Isn’t it just as likely that he may get the hint and move on?”
She had him there. There was no way to be sure. No one case was like another. Infatuated celebrity stalkers didn’t often have the same MO aside from the harassment itself. Ani was right. There was a chance her admirer would take this as a sign to move on to someone else.
Still, Adam didn’t like the odds. “The point is, you shouldn’t have made the decision on your own, Ani. Not without asking me. This isn’t some kind of game. Your safety is at stake.”
“So was your professional reputation.”
She was altruistic to a fault. As if the two risks even compared with one another. Adam didn’t know whether to thank her for her foolishness or grab her by the shoulders and try to shake some sense into her.
“It wasn’t worth the risk to your personal safety.”
“Very small risk.”
“That’s not your decision to make. Not in this case.”
She studied him. “Why? On the surface, nothing’s really changed. I still have an unknown person sending me messages, and I’m still under your protection. Why is it that you’re so concerned exactly?”
She was much too observant and much too aware. “I’m your bodyguard.”
“There’s more to it, isn’t there?”
Adam felt his fists tighten by his sides. “Let’s just say I’d like to avoid making the same damn mistake that cost me everything.”
“What mistake?”
Adam braced his hands against the balcony railing. “Just drop it, Ani.”
Ani straightened, then pressed her case. “Fine. Suit yourself if you don’t want to tell me more. The fact remains that I did what I thought was best. Who knows, there might be paparazzi down there right now.” She waved a hand at the street below. “Watching our every move.”
Adam didn’t think, just turned and stepped over to her, then pulled her up against him. Emotions he thought he’d buried suddenly surged to the surface.
Their lips were less than an inch apart. Ani’s skin grew hot under his touch; her cheeks blushed a light pink.
“Then, seeing as the damage is already done, perhaps we should give them a show, kitten.”
* * *
If this was supposed to be some kind of penance for what she’d done, Ani figured she was a glutton for punishment. This kiss was nothing like last night in the pub. Then, Adam had been gentle, his lips brushing softly against hers.
This kiss was the opposite of gentle. He crushed his mouth against hers, pulled her tight up against him.
“I don’t know why I lose such control with you, kitten
,” he whispered against her lips. His words sent an electric current down her spine. He wanted her, he was admitting as much.
Right or wrong, she wanted him just as much, if not more.
“I can’t seem to stop wanting to touch you,” he whispered harshly. “We keep getting in trouble for it.”
So he did indeed want her. He just didn’t want to want her.
What a sorry state of affairs. Adam was probably cursing the day he’d taken on this assignment. It wasn’t as if any of this was planned on her part. She hadn’t walked into her father’s office that day anticipating any kind of romantic junction in her life. In fact, she was at a point in life where any kind of relationship would be distracting and completely inconvenient.
She had thought she was on the cusp of the career she’d always wanted. Now, her whole idea of success had taken a completely different turn. Did she want the kind of success that came with fame and constant scrutiny?
She had way too much to figure out about herself before she could even consider tying herself to another person. Not to mention, Adam didn’t exactly seem the type to settle down or be content with one woman. She’d heard more than a few times from Brant about his steady stream of romantic interests, always spoken with a sense of awe and respect. No, he was definitely more the type that left a trail of broken hearts in his wake. The last thing she needed was a broken heart.
She didn’t come from the kind of folks who handled loss well. Or at all, really. Her father was a shell of the man he used to be, paranoid and anxiety-ridden.
So why was she still in Adam’s embrace? Why was she kissing him and exploring his mouth with her tongue? Why was she moaning into his lips?
Her foolish heart leaped at what he’d said. He lost control around her. He wasn’t ready for any of this either. But he was saying he couldn’t help himself. His admission shouldn’t have sent such a thrill of feminine pleasure down her spine.
If only she were the type of woman who could be comfortable with a fling. She could be up front with Adam once and for all. Tell him that they should just enjoy each other’s company without thought of future ramifications. If only she could go ahead and indulge all the fantasies that had crept into her dreams since he’d come into her life.
The idea of it was oh so tempting.
But she wasn’t built that way. She had to stop kissing him. Now.
Abruptly, but with deep reluctance, she made herself break the kiss and step away. Adam looked momentarily confused. He rubbed the back of his hand against his mouth. Then he gave his head a shake as if to clear it. “I’m glad one of us is using their good sense.”
“It wasn’t easy,” she admitted.
“I should never have kissed you like that. I should never have risked where it could have led.”
She could only nod. He was right. This was the first time they’d truly been alone together. The room on top of the bar last night had been secluded, but it had still been part of a public place. Anyone could have come up the stairs. Here and now, they could be assured of no interruptions. And heaven help her, if he’d led her there, she might very well have fallen into his bed.
He pulled his hair up off his forehead. “You should go.”
“I know.”
But it took several moments for her body to obey her brain. Finally, she turned and strode off the balcony and out of his room before she could change her mind.
* * *
Adam made sure to stand stone still until the door shut behind Ani. Only then did he release the breath he wasn’t aware he’d been holding.
One time. It had taken exactly one time being alone with her for a few minutes in a hotel room and he’d lost all control. This was ridiculous. He was a trained military officer, for heaven’s sake. He should be more disciplined when it came to his desires. No more.
And to ensure it, he decided to make the phone call he’d been dreading. Without giving himself a chance to hesitate, he pulled out his phone and dialed Brant’s number.
He answered right away. “Adam, is everything all right? Ani?”
Adam was quick to reassure his friend. “Ani’s fine. I just wanted to clear the air about something.”
“What’s that?”
“What you’re seeing and hearing, about Ani and me.”
“Yes?”
“I just want you to know it’s not what it looks like.”
To his surprise, Brant chuckled at the other end of the line. “Yeah, I figured it was some kind of publicity stunt. Knowing Moira and all.”
“You did?”
“Hey, listen buddy, I’m heading into a rather urgent dinner meeting with some important clients. Can I call you back in a day or so?”
That was it? That was all Brant had to say about the prospect of Adam potentially hooking up with his younger sister?
“Uh...sure.”
“Thanks, man.” Brant paused. “Appreciate the heads-up. But you know I trust you.” With that, he disconnected.
Adam stared at his phone, somewhat stunned. He had braced himself for a much more uncomfortable conversation.
You know I trust you.
Adam threw the phone onto the mattress and swore. He had to wonder if Brant was a fool.
* * *
She desperately needed a good cuddle. There was only one male for the job. Ani curled up into the couch, holding her beloved mutt tight against her. For her reward, she got at least a few dozen wet tongue lashes to her face.
A knock sounded on the suite door and her heart pounded in her chest at the thought it might be Adam. But it was Moira who answered when she called out.
“Hey, I came by a few minutes ago, and you didn’t answer your door,” Moira announced as she walked past her into the room. “Where were you?”
Ani thought about telling her a small white lie. Moira’s eyes seemed to light up with interest any time Ani mentioned Adam. She decided she didn’t have the energy to vary from the truth. “I had to see Adam about something.”
She was right. Moira wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Oh, did you, now?”
Ani released a sigh of frustration and plopped herself back down on the couch. “It’s not anything to gush over. I just wanted to see if he’d heard about our leak to the press and how he was handling it.”
Moira sat down next to her, knees tucked to her chest. “And how was he handling it?”
Memories of their kiss assaulted her and Ani felt her cheeks flame. “I’m not quite sure.”
“Well. That’s a good sign. Isn’t it?”
Snowball jumped between them and nudged them both aside with his furry behind to make room.
“Again, same answer. I can’t quite be sure.”
Moira gave the dog a pat on the head. “Ani. What exactly is going on between you two? Every time he’s by your side, I can practically see the sparks fly.”
“There’s nothing going on between us,” Ani said, unable to look at her friend. Apparently she had the energy for a fib, after all. But at Moira’s huff of disbelief, she had to relent. “Well, there shouldn’t be. The truth is, I can’t seem to stop thinking about him. And I think he might be attracted to me, too.”
There, now it was all out in the open. Not that it made her feel any better.
“Oh, there’s no question about that. The man looks at you like he’s starving and you’re five-star French cuisine.”
“Moira.”
“No, seriously. He looks at you like he’s dying of thirst and you’re a fine Bordeaux. Like he’s just wandered through a hot desert and you’re a frozen vanilla custard.” Moira giggled.
“I think I get the picture.”
Moira’s smile thinned as she turned serious. “So what are you going to do about it?”
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”
“Huh.” Moira tapped her chin, a
s if contemplating Ani’s answer.
“After we leave Paris, I’m going to insist we switch to a different security service. If I even agree to more security, that is. This isn’t an extended tour. I just need to get through one more performance and then I’ll have a chance to reexamine some things as they pertain to my career.”
“Oh, Ani, you can’t mean that. You have so much talent. And the audience loved you last night. You were born to do this.”
She wasn’t so sure about that anymore. And the audience loving her apparently meant they felt entitled to intrude into her personal life. She’d never feel comfortable with that.
“I’m not sure I’m ready for all this, Moira. I need to think.”
“You’re scared, I get that.”
She was right. Now that Moira had come out and said it, Ani had to acknowledge her fear. The whole world was watching her. What if she failed and made a fool of herself? And her growing feelings for Adam only served to complicate the entire matter.
She groaned out loud.
Moira gave her arm a squeeze. “I hate to add to your misery, but we have to talk about all the offers that have come in since you performed. Your limited tour could easily grow to an extended one if you’re up for it.”
Another groan escaped. She didn’t think she was up for adding tour dates in the least. But she’d be giving up the opportunity of a lifetime. Her only mission before she’d gone up on that stage had been to prove to the world that she was good enough. Ironically, now that she’d done so, she was full of self-doubt.
What would her mother have thought? Mom was the one who’d set her down at the piano when she was barely old enough to walk. She’d been Ani’s first instructor.
Some of her earliest memories involved sitting on her mother’s lap at that piano bench. The instrument itself had seemed gigantic. Ani had found it hard to believe such delicate sounds could come from an object that huge. First Mom would play, and the music sounded magical and otherworldly to Ani’s young ears. Then she’d let Ani run her fingers over the smooth, polished keys, encouraging her to press them down herself. She remembered cringing in shock at the sound at first. But Mom had simply laughed that pretty, melodic laugh of hers.