She shot him a fierce look. ‘What do you mean?’
‘He’s kind of a stuffed shirt, isn’t he?’
Images of Michael leaning over her, naked, his hair ruffled by her hands, his eyes blazing with desire, crowded into her mind. ‘Actually, he isn’t.’ She rubbed at her face, feeling sick. ‘And anyway you guys didn’t help. What happened? The cat didn’t just get your tongue, it seemed to have chewed it right off.’
Phil shrugged. ‘Don’t know. He seemed a bit intimidating, to be honest.’
‘Well I suppose I should be grateful you didn’t say any more. I’ve been so careful not to let him know I had a crush on him. Now I feel like a silly fan girl.’ Next to her, Luke’s face crumpled and she gave herself a mental kick. ‘Hey, don’t worry, sweetie, it’s not your fault. It’s mine for not saying anything. And at least you talked to him. Anyway, none of it matters because I won’t see him again after tonight.’
Her voice caught on the last few words and Phil gave her a searching look. As understanding dawned he reached across and touched her hand.
Chapter Fourteen
Michael stood in the gents, staring at his face in the mirror. He didn’t know what to flip about first. The fact that he’d managed to put such a distance between himself and Jessie that she now felt like a stranger. The fact that he’d been so inept at talking to her family she probably wanted him to be a stranger.
Or the fact that she might only have slept with him because she’d fancied his image.
Not because she’d liked him.
He thrust a shaky hand through his hair, then swore and tried to smooth it down again. The make-up girl would have a fit at him.
He had to put all those crappy thoughts aside right now. He was the professional. Whatever Jessie thought of him, she was relying on him to get her through the evening. He’d let her down over last night, let her down just now, but he was damned if he was going to let her down where it mattered to her. In front of the cameras.
Straightening his shoulders, adjusting his bow tie, he walked out to find her.
She was standing by the monitors with the other contestants, looking absolutely stunning in a floor length deep red dress that had clearly been designed with her figure in mind.
When she saw him she gave him a weak smile. Her face was unusually pale, even with the artfully applied make-up, and her eyes were filled with something beyond anxiety, and dipping its toes into terror.
Jerome Stevens, aka Mr Playit Kool, stood to her right, his arm draped casually round his singing partner’s shoulders. ‘Hey, sugar, looks like your man decided to turn up after all. Shame. I totally fancied grooving with you.’
Michael felt every muscle in his body tense. He disliked Stevens; his arrogance, his confidence. The way he was pressed against Jessie’s side. ‘Sorry to disappoint.’
Stevens smirked, clearly aware he was rubbing Michael up the wrong way. ‘No worries, dude. May the best man win, eh?’
‘I rather think it’s the contestants who are competing, not the professionals.’
His tortuously pompous retort had Stevens cracking up. ‘I rather think you’re right, old boy. Toodle pip.’
Cackling away to himself, Stevens and his partner walked away.
Thankfully Jessie hadn’t seemed to notice the interaction. Her eyes were fixed rigidly on the monitor, which was now showing footage of them all rehearsing during the week. ‘Oh God.’
Michael drew in a deep breath, wishing not for the first time in his life that his people skills weren’t so horrifyingly inept. Robert, even Mr flaming Kool, would know exactly what to say to help Jessie relax. He didn’t seem to have been given that skill set.
Winding an arm around her waist, he drew her against him, hoping his body heat would help her unfreeze. Magically he felt her melt, and he cursed himself for not doing it earlier. He’d been so focussed on the thought he was leaving, so intent on keeping a distance, he’d forgotten how utterly nerve-wracking she must be finding this.
Keeping his arm around her, he eased them away from the others. ‘If it’s any consolation, this is the worst part. Once you walk on stage, and the music starts to play, you’ll forget everything else but singing to me.’
She gave him a look of terrified disbelief but he just smiled.
And kept holding her.
A few minutes went by before Jessie coughed to clear her throat. ‘About what Luke said.’
Michael kept his face deliberately neutral. ‘That you had a crush on me.’
She let out a shaky laugh. ‘Yes. I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable, though it probably wasn’t a huge surprise.’
He let his arm drop from her waist and immediately regretted it when disappointment flashed across her face. But he wasn’t sure he could have this conversation with her while she was so close. ‘I’m flattered you found me attractive.’
She screwed up her nose. ‘Found? I think you mean find.’
If he hadn’t felt so confused, so fearful that his interpretation of what had happened over the last few days and hers were very different, he might have enjoyed her comment. He exhaled sharply. ‘What I’m trying to say is I wish you hadn’t heard of me before this week. I wish your impression had come from our time together and not from the media.’
He saw the bewilderment in her eyes. ‘But it wouldn’t have mattered.’
‘How do you know?’ He jammed a hand in his pocket. ‘How do you know whether you wanted to sleep with me, or the image of me?’
She just shook her head at him. ‘I know,’ she said softly.
Maybe, he thought. But he didn’t.
When he glanced back at her he saw her shoulders hunch. Time to push his damn insecurities aside and be the man she needed him to be. Sliding his arm around her shoulders, he drew her back against him and she clung to him as if he was the one thing stopping her from drowning. They remained that way until they were called on stage.
‘By the way,’ he whispered as they made their way to their markers. ‘You were right to stick with that dress. You look utterly gorgeous.’
He felt the tug on his arm as Jessie almost tripped up. When she looked up at him, her lovely brown eyes swam with gratitude. And he felt an even bigger prick.
He shouldn’t have waited until now to help her. No matter how damn awkward he’d felt with her family, with her ex-husband sitting protectively next to her, he should have stayed.
As they found their place on stage, he tucked a finger under her chin and smiled into her eyes. ‘Remember, there’s nobody else here. It’s just you and me.’
The music started, and she began to start her inhales, filling her lungs just as he’d taught her. He hoped she could see the pride he felt, and the confidence he had in her ability to surprise everyone.
Jessie’s heart hammered so hard she could barely hear the music. Every fibre of her being wanted to bolt off the stage but Michael was standing right next to her. Steady, solid, his body language relaxed. The hand that clasped hers warm and reassuring.
She had a moment to wonder that this man, who oozed confidence now, was the same one who’d been so uneasy talking to her sons.
Then he started to sing.
As his rich tenor voice wrapped around her, she tried to focus on that and nothing else. Soon there was no audience, no peering camera, no dazzling lights. Only Michael, unbelievably handsome in his black tuxedo, his powerful voice slicing through her nerves. The bright blue depths of his eyes fixed solely on her. Incredibly she was back in the fantasy world of last night. Michael kissing her; making love to her.
When it was her turn to sing, she sang with her heart.
‘Incredible.’ Michael’s soft voice echoed in her ear as they finished the song. Feeling dazed, she looked to where she knew Phil and the boys were sitting. The lights were now on the audience and she saw them grinning and giving her a thumbs up.
All around them the audience clapped and cheered.
She felt her body begin to shake
; adrenaline, relief, joy, who the bloody hell knew.
She’d only gone and done it. Got through the whole song without too many mistakes, without tripping over her gorgeous dress.
Without making a total arse of herself.
A warm, steady hand pressed at her back. ‘Time to go.’ Michael grinned down at her. ‘Unless you want to do an encore?’
She shook her head violently and almost ran off the stage.
‘I did it!’ she squealed once they were safely out of sight, throwing her arms around his neck.
‘You certainly did.’ He hugged her back and she was immediately conscious of how tall he was, how broad his shoulders felt beneath her hands. His head dipped, his breath fluttering against her ear. ‘If you’re not careful, you might even win.’
Jessie didn’t care. All she’d wanted from the evening was to not embarrass her family, or him. And she’d done it.
They waited back stage while the remaining contestants performed their songs. Michael disappeared for a moment, returning with two bottles of water.
‘You need to lubricate your voice.’ Smiling, he handed her the water.
‘Do you really think we have a chance of winning?’
‘If it was a competition to find the best singer, then sorry, no.’ He paused, his brow furrowing as he chose his next words. ‘I didn’t mean that to sound harsh.’
Feeling almost drunk with relief, Jessie laughed. ‘It’s okay. I know I haven’t become Adele overnight.’
‘True.’ His lips curved in the small smile that was his trademark. Michael wasn’t like Phil, he didn’t have a ready smile. Somehow, it made Michael’s smiles that bit more special. ‘As the purpose of the show was to find the most improved singer though,’ he continued, sipping at his water. ‘I may be biased, but I think that’s you. Come on, let’s go and sit down.’
They sat where they could watch the other performances from the monitor. Michael was unusually twitchy, crossing and uncrossing his legs, drumming his fingers against his thigh. At one point, after watching the rapper and his pretty partner, Michael leapt to his feet, dragging his hand through his hair as he started to pace.
‘If I didn’t know you better, I’d think you were nervous.’ She tried to keep the laughter out of her voice but as Michael narrowed his eyes at her, she began to giggle. ‘Oh my God, you’re getting nervous about the result.’
He squared his shoulders and sat back down. ‘Hardly. That would be daft, don’t you think?’
But when he didn’t look her in the eye, Jessie had to stifle another fit of giggles.
After several seconds of studiously ignoring her, he finally met her eyes. ‘Okay, okay, I’m a little on edge. Just sitting here, watching all the other contestants. It’s doing my head in,’ he muttered gruffly, shoving his hands in his trouser pockets. Laughter burst out of her, causing Michael to look furtively around the room. ‘Look, it’s been a long time since I’ve been in a competition of any sort, that’s all,’ he added defensively. ‘I’d forgotten how ridiculously competitive I am.’
He gave her a sheepish grin and Jessie felt her heart swell. Determinedly she looked away. Whatever this had been between them, it would soon be over. She had to protect herself.
‘Will the contestants please get ready to go back on stage for the results,’ the floor manager announced.
Michael jumped to his feet but just as she was about to do the same, he huffed out a breath and sat back down. ‘Ignore me. It doesn’t matter what the result is.’ He rested a hand on her cheek, his eyes staring straight into hers. ‘I had the best partner, and I wouldn’t have changed her for the world.’
While Jessie fought not to cry, he kissed her tenderly on the forehead.
The next few minutes were a blur. She was dimly aware of Michael taking her hand and leading her back onto the stage.
Dimly aware of the glaring lights as the presenter took them through how the voting had been conducted.
Her mind wasn’t on the stage though, it was reliving every moment she’d spent with Michael over the last twenty-four hours. She felt like she was teetering on the edge of a cliff and just one more look, one more kiss, and she would fall headlong into love.
‘And the singer who, in the opinion of the audience at home and here in the studio, has improved most over the last week is… Jessie!’
Instantly Michael’s arms wrapped around her and she was lifted into the air. ‘That’s my girl,’ he whispered. ‘You should be so proud of yourself right now. I know I am.’
She bit at her lip, drowning in emotion, unable to reply.
As the others came to congratulate her, Michael lowered her down, but not before giving her an uncharacteristic wink. ‘Though you did have a good teacher.’
It was the post show party, and Jessie was having a fabulous time. Her family around her, people she didn’t know coming up and congratulating her, laughing with her. A never-ending supply of champagne in her glass.
Through all that though, she was aware of exactly where Michael was. Who he was talking to. Now and then he’d catch her eye and they’d share a smile, but the constant flow of well-wishers made talking to him an impossibility.
‘And to think, you nearly bailed on the first day.’ Ken, the cameraman, was keeping her family entertained with tales from the week.
Jake glanced up at her, wide-eyed. ‘Did you really nearly quit, Mum?’
‘She did.’
Jessie felt tingles shiver across her skin as Michael came up alongside her.
‘Why?’ Jake again, though from the look on Phil’s face he’d been about to ask the same question, no doubt with an extra one tagged on. Why didn’t I hear about this?
Jessie didn’t want to further diminish Michael in her family’s eyes – the first meeting had been bad enough – yet as she opened her mouth to reply, Michael beat her to it.
‘I wasn’t very kind.’
And God, he was being so honest, but it wasn’t helping. She could see the instant frowns on Jack and Luke’s faces, and the way even laid-back Phil looked ready to punch Michael.
‘That’s not true,’ she cut in hastily. ‘We had a misunderstanding which was soon sorted out and after that Michael has been very kind to me.’ Desperate to lighten the mood she added. ‘And that’s despite having to listen to me sing all day for a week.’
‘It was a pleasure.’ His deep voice floated over her. ‘Though perhaps more so at the end than the beginning.’
‘Yeah, ’cos she was really bad, and now she’s only bad.’ Luke grinned and everyone laughed, breaking the tension.
Just as Jessie started to think they could have an enjoyable few minutes without any awkwardness, Georgina decided to come over and pee on her bonfire. ‘Congratulations on the win, Jessie,’ she said with saccharine sweetness. ‘It seems Michael is a bit of a miracle worker. It’s quite impressive what he managed to do in a week.’
‘What they managed to do,’ Phil pointed out, and Jessie felt a rush of affection towards him.
‘Yes, of course.’ She gave Jessie a cool smile. ‘I guess now it’s back to the real world for you. For both of you.’ She turned to Michael. ‘I’m sorry to break up the party but they need you in LA earlier than planned so I’ve had to rearrange your flight for this evening. The chauffeur is waiting outside to take you to the airport. I’ve already packed up your things. I hope you don’t mind.’
‘I…’ Michael looked both frustrated and lost. A man caught in a riptide with no clue how to break out.
‘The rest of your luggage will follow later, as planned.’
Georgina placed a hand on his arm, and Jessie had the impression she was prepared to physically drag him away if needed.
‘Right, well, I guess I have to go.’ Michael’s eyes sought hers and for once he let her see what he was feeling. He didn’t want to leave her, not like this.
‘Shall I walk with you to the car?’
A glimmer of a smile. ‘I don’t want to drag you away from your f
amily.’
I want to be dragged away. She almost shouted the words at him. She didn’t want their week to end this way. A stilted goodbye in front of everyone.
Georgina made a big show of looking at her watch and Michael let out a deep exhale. ‘Sorry to leave like this. It was nice meeting you all.’ He extended his hand to Phil, and then to the boys who shook it hesitantly.
Then he turned to her, and she felt as if her heart had jumped into her throat as she stared into his gorgeous blue eyes. ‘Thank you,’ he whispered, bending to plant a soft kiss against her cheek.
Her heart felt too full, her lungs too crushed to say anything back.
And then he was leaving, his tall, straight figure cutting a swathe across the crowded room. Georgina, bloody Georgina, by his side. At least she was struggling to keep up with him, Jessie thought cattily. With any luck she’d trip on those flaming stilettoes.
She pictured it happening, Georgina sprawled in an inelegant heap across the floor, and it was the only way she was able to hold in the tears. The only way she was able to turn back to her family and smile.
Chapter Fifteen
Michael was shattered. The highs and lows of the TV show were finally catching up with him. As was a shitty night’s sleep on a plane. And yes, he was lucky enough to travel in First Class, but it only meant his body wasn’t contorted into a pretzel. It didn’t mean they turned the noise of the engines off. Nor, sadly, did it turn off his mind.
He couldn’t get Jessie out of his head.
Georgina had practically manhandled him into the car, telling him she’d had to change the flights because they wanted him to be available for ad hoc press interviews the following morning.
Well, since he’d arrived at the hotel, he’d hardly been inundated with requests. Two quick interviews with local radio stations weren’t, in his opinion, worth dashing over for.
Certainly not worth leaving Jessie without a proper goodbye. Whatever crush she might have had on him would be well and truly squashed now he’d ducked out of her celebration party so hurriedly. As if she wasn’t important, when the way he felt right now, she was the most important thing he had going on in his life.
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