He'd even imagined them bending over to take drinks from a garden hose and ending up playfully splashing each other with the water.
He was glad that he hadn't spent too much time and effort mapping out his courtship plan beyond today. He had been thinking along the same lines as he would have thought when figuring out how to best court a girl from his small hometown in Montana, and he could see now that those techniques might not be the same ones that would work on Karina.
Truthfully, he felt kind of stupid for not having realized this earlier. Now that he'd seen this gorgeous mansion she lived in, he could see the indications of her big-city sophistication in every small detail about her. The luxurious sheen of her lustrous black hair, the graceful curve of her swan-like neck, the poise with which she moved and spoke. All of these indicated someone with sophistication.
He was a farm boy, when it came down to it. He'd been crazy to think that he'd ever be able to impress someone like this with his normal M.O. This might take some serious creativity.
Ryan smiled.
He was up for it.
Chapter 4
Karina did not feel like this moving day was shaping up to be all she had hoped for it to be.
I mean, sure. Her things were getting moved into her house. And that was important. Some might even say...the entire point of a moving day? Yes. She realized she was being petulant.
But, in the corner of her mind she had hoped, really hoped, that it would morph into her and Ryan sneaking off into little corners of the house, stealing moments, teasing and flirting and...she let her mind wander onward from there.
And in that respect, the day had certainly started out strong. She had been getting definite vibes from Ryan in the van. They had rendered her speechless initially, as a matter of fact. She had begun to feel her hopes and wishes about the day becoming stronger and more validated as the drive over to the house had progressed.
When they had been standing in front of the house getting the instructions from Lauren, as well. He hadn't been sending the vibes of the same overtly FLIRTY variety at that point, rather he had been sending a definitive “camaraderie” message. They were on a team, they were a little group of two, a subset of the larger group. That sort of thing. She had flirted enough to know that this was one of the levels of good flirting, however. The “sexy, seductive” style of flirting gets old if it's one-note. The best flirters vary up their game with lots of different FLAVORS of flirting.
From what she saw of Ryan up to that point, he was an absolute champ.
But then they had started the actual moving, bringing boxes into the house.
And...damn him...he'd been doing nothing but bringing boxes into the house all this time!
Yes, sure, when they passed each other in the halls or out by the truck, he'd give her a radiant smile, or wink at her. A few times, she could swear he was even flexing his substantial (and perfectly formed, she might add) muscles for her benefit.
But, overall, he was just picking up boxes and carrying them into the house.
She narrowed her eyes. OK, fine, then. If that's how he wanted to play it, maybe she was just going to have to take matters into her own hands, and move things along herself.
She smiled to herself as she leaned over and checked her hair in the side mirror of the moving van. Oh, yeah, she told herself, not one to engage in false modesty – even sweaty and dusty, I still look damn good.
She waited, trying to look natural, until Ryan came marching back out to the truck.
She smiled brightly at him.
“Hey, Ryan,” she said, tilting her head coquettishly, “I wonder if you could help me with something?”
He smiled back brilliantly, and she had the most insane urge to actually squint her eyes against the 1000-watt glare of his perfect grin.
“Sure, of course,” he replied, “Your wish is my command.”
OK, she recognized with satisfaction, the flirting's back. I'm on the right track.
“Here's the thing,” she said, “I'd really like to get my studio set up as quickly as possible, and it's kind of a two person job. Since you are a musician, would you mind coming and helping me out with that?”
His face lit up with interest, “No, I don't mind at all! That would be great! I'd love to get a look at your equipment, as a matter of fact.”
There was an awkward silence and then they both burst out laughing.
“I really didn't mean that the way it sounded,” he said, through bursts of hilarity.
“No worries,” she teased back, “You can check out my equipment any time.”
Sharing a good laugh seemed to break the ice between them, and Karina found herself slightly less paralyzed by the tension she felt in his presence. She led him through the house towards the studio, which was located in the back west corner of the first floor.
“Seriously, though, as horrible as that sounded before, the truth is that I'd really like to see what you have in your studio. In a small town like this, it's such a coincidence to meet someone else who is really into music. I really thought I would be alone in that when I came here, like I was at home.”
“Oh, I know,” Karina said, “I don't think I've ever met anyone else in Hope Falls that shared my passion for music. But – and I don't mean this to seem arrogant in any way, believe me – but, didn't your grandmother tell you that I lived here?”
He laughed, “Well, yes. Guilty. I do have a small confession. She did tell me that there was a very pretty girl here in Hope Falls that I should meet, who loves music as much as I do. So, I have to admit that I did have somewhat of a heads up. But, you know how it is with non-musical people. I had to take that with a grain of salt. When she said that you 'love music' she could have meant you love listening to the radio. I had no idea that you were THIS into music. A home studio and everything!”
Karina gave him a flirty half-smile, “It seems she undersold me.”
Ryan returned her smile and said seductively, “She certainly undersold your beauty. Calling you 'very pretty' doesn't do you justice at all.”
As they rounded the last corner and stepped into the studio, Karina said, “Well, here it is. It's obviously a bit in disarray right now. In fact, everything's still in boxes.”
“Well that will be taken care of soon enough,” Ryan replied, “Do you have any idea of where you'd like to start?”
Karina looked around at the intimidating pile of boxes and said, “I guess at the beginning?”
“Sounds good,” Ryan smiled, turning and tearing open the box to his immediate left. He started lifting out large framed glossy photographs of Karina and leaning them against the wall. In these photos, which were from her many tours and award show appearances, she was costumed and made up in various exotic and elaborate ways. In one, she was in skin tight black leather from head to toe, with stiletto thigh-high boots and coal black nail polish and lipstick completing the ensemble. She loved this one because, in certain parts of the photo, you couldn't tell where her midnight black locks ended and the stark black leather began. She remembered that this had been from a performance at the MTV music awards.
In another iconic look, this one from her Futuristic tour three years ago, she was sheathed in a luminescent stretchy silver fabric. Her hair was pulled up in a complicated updo, interwoven with gossamer silver threads, and her face was covered in makeup in every metallic shade imaginable.
In yet another photo, this one from a performance at the Hollywood Bowl, she was wearing a jewel encrusted gown with a sweetheart neckline, and a skirt that went all the way to the floor, every inch of it covered in real diamonds. She remembered that it had been insured for over ten million dollars – she also remembered that it had been heavy as hell!
The photo was sharply focused on her in the foreground, and in the background, slightly blurry and faded, were visible the string section of the orchestra, which for this particular number had come onstage.
She loved that particular photo because it had cap
tured her at the top of hitting a climactic note – her face was upturned, her arms were flung out to her sides, and on her face was the closest thing she had ever seen to a rapturous expression. In her mind, she had titled that photo, “This is Music.”
She had also saved and framed some of the posters for concerts she had done – posters that were particularly meaningful to her, either because she had been proud of performing at that venue or sharing the stage with someone that was significant to her, or because the graphic design of the poster had connected with her in some deep way.
By the time Ryan had unpacked and leaned about twenty of the posters and photos, he chuckled and turned to her, saying, “Wow, somebody's sure a big Karina Black fan!”
Karina laughed as well, embarrassed. “Oh, I know,” she said, waving her hand to divert attention, “It's absolutely ridiculous. I need to get rid of a lot of this stuff. I thought about maybe auctioning it off for charity, but you know, it's like...what do you keep, what do you get rid of? It was just too much to think about, I don't know.”
“For charity, really?” he said, impressed, “You must have quite the collection if it would bring in enough money to benefit a charity.”
“Well,” she said, starting to look slightly uncomfortable, “I mean, I'd probably have to autograph a lot of it or something...”
She felt herself starting to get a little pissed off. I mean, who did this guy think he was? Earlier today, he'd asked her if she was an artist, while wearing that oh-so-innocent expression. She wasn't sure at the time, but now she was pretty certain that was a sarcastic little dig.
“You know what?” she said, indignation coming through in her voice and body language, “I realize that the music I've put out so far might not be brilliant, it may not be deep or steeped in artistic meaning, but I do actually have a fanbase. Quite a loyal fanbase, truth be told. They would pay for memorabilia. And honestly, I find your comments a bit insulting.”
He didn't respond at all, and for a moment she started to regretfully think that maybe her tone had come across more hostile and defensive than she had actually intended. She looked over at him to gauge his reaction, and was surprised to see that he was standing stock still, gazing at her, mouth agape, eyes wide, looking dumbstruck. She furrowed her brow in puzzlement. She knew she hadn't come across as abrasive enough to cause all THAT much shock!
Ryan was looking at her hard, seeming to examine her face anew, and under the the heat of his intense scrutiny, her face flushed.
“What?” she said, touching her hair, her nose, her mouth, “Do I have, like, dirt smudged all over my face or something?”
“Oh my God,” Ryan said, in disbelief, “YOU are Karina Black.”
“Um...yeah?” she said, not quite sure where he was going with it.
“I mean...you are ACTUALLY Karina Black,” he continued, as if he thought that clarified things.
“Well...yes,” she said again, “I mean...I don't understand, Ryan. Are you making some sort of metaphysical observation about the nature of the universe and identity and what have you that's going over my head? Or...well, I guess I don't really have an 'or' – I just don't understand.”
“I didn't...” he started laughing, shaking his head as though he couldn't believe his stupidity, “I didn't know. I didn't realize. No one told me.”
She cocked her head to the side, puzzled, and said, “I don't know what you mean by that. You didn't know what? That I was Karina Black?”
Ryan nodded.
“Well...I mean, it's not like I wear a disguise. I'm not Lady Gaga. I wasn’t trying to Hannah Montana it. It's just me.”
“I know!” Ryan burst out, “I get that! That's why I feel so stupid now! But, in my defense, it's not like you would expect to move to a tiny little town high in the Sierra Nevadas to help your Granny out with her cafe, and then be introduced to a super star. It's not like that's where my head was, you know?
“And then, also, your last name. I mean, yes, Blackstone and Black, I see the similarity now. But it's not like I get introduced to people and say to myself, ‘hmm...what similar-sounding permutations of their last name do they probably use in their other lives as a super star?' It's not a normal thing to consider! I just never made the connection,” he finished, shaking his head.
Suddenly, it was clear that an additional shocking fact had occurred to him, and he smacked his forehead with an open palm.
“Wow,” he continued, laughing wryly “So, that must have been why you weren't overly impressed with my musical stylings in the cafe.”
She stepped to his side, “No, what are you talking about?”
“The way you rushed out right afterward,” he said, his eyes starting to twinkle in amusement at the situation, “You must have thought I had some serious balls to play in front of you like it was no big deal. Little did you know, to me, it WAS no big deal. I didn't know who you were. Anyway, it makes more sense why you didn't care for my stuff.”
“No, no!” she protested, taking his hands in hers, “Seriously, Ryan.”
Suddenly, all the flustered nervous energy that had taken hold of her since the moment that she had met Ryan fled, and all that she felt was a calm and purposeful desire to make sure that she truly connected with him, and got across the message that she needed him to know.
She reached up and gently placed her hand on the side of his cheek, turning his face so that he was looking directly into her eyes. Then, she moved that hand down to rest on his chest, immediately over his fast-beating heart. At the same time, she took the hand of his that she was still holding and placed it over her own heart.
“Ryan,” she said sincerely and intensely, looking directly into his eyes, “Please believe me when I tell you that I loved your music. It was soulful and real. I loved the songs, I loved your voice...you made me cry, that's how deeply your music touched me.”
Ryan and Karina stood that way for a long, intense moment, looking into each other's eyes, the tension in the air growing into a crackling electricity that burned and tingled over the entire surface of Karina's skin.
Before she could stop herself, riding the wave of that sparking electricity in the air between them, she had pressed her lips to his – desperately, hungrily, like his lips were the elixir of life and she needed to drink from them for her very survival.
She snaked her arms around his neck and pressed her body firmly to his, moaning as the kiss fervently progressed and she felt their tongues intertwine. She sank her fingers into his silky blonde hair, relishing the soft feel of it against her fingertips even as she moved her hand quickly upward to the back of his head, pressing his mouth even more firmly into hers.
Karina felt Ryan's strong hands on her waist, encircling it as though it were as tiny and delicate as her wrist. She heard him groan, and felt the rumble deep in his chest as it vibrated against her own.
Karina’s head fell back in abandon, and as it did, she felt one of Ryan's hand come up to the back of her head and gently but quite firmly guide it back down until her mouth was again devouring his. The strength and sureness in his touch and guidance of her lips caused her body to catch fire. She could not remember the last time – if ever – that she had found herself so completely consumed by desire, so blissfully out of control. She loved it.
Eager to take this intense and pleasurable interlude to the next level, desperate to feel the rough skin of his muscled chest against her quivering breasts, Karina began to unfasten the buttons down the front of his shirt with fingers that were trembling with arousal.
As she did this, however, it seemed to snap Ryan out of the trance that he had been in. He stepped back, looking at her as if he didn't quite believe this was real, as if he thought this might all be part of some dream he was having.
He stepped back deliberately, reaching up and grabbing her hands on his shirtfront and holding them tenderly. He took a ragged breath, and then another. He smiled at her, a smile that held a bit of regret, but which was mainly composed of det
ermination.
Then, that sweetly melancholic smile still on his lips, he leaned down and gave her a sweet, chaste slow peck on the cheek.
“Sweetheart,” he said, looking into her eyes intently, “This is definitely going to happen. All this and so much more. But it’s not going to be here like this. This isn't the right way, and it isn't the right time. Not now. With all your friends here, it's disrespectful.”
She laughed this off blithely, “Oh, don't be silly! They're all in the front of the house.”
She stepped up to him again, and lowering her voice seductively, she whispered, “We won't get caught,” and started kissing his neck. Her fingers returned to their steady progress down his shirtfront, unfastening as she went.
She felt him groan deep in his throat, and take a long, raggedy breath.
“Karina...” he breathed, but forced himself to step backwards.
He laughed shakily.
“Look, darlin',” he said, “There's no way I'm gonna be able to hold myself back if I stay in this room with you, so I'm gonna get back to work.”
And with a quick kiss to her forehead, he was gone. Karina was beyond confused. She had never been rejected by any man she had tried to sleep with. She was in shock. She wanted to be angry, she wanted to be offended, but she couldn't seem to quite work it up. Instead, as she listened with regret to his firm bootsteps echoing away down the hall, what she couldn't help but feel was respect.
She smiled to herself. Respect, yes. But tinged with a bit of a competitive edge. She wasn't above taking on a challenge, in fact, she relished the opportunity.
“Game on, Ryan,” she whispered with a grin.
Chapter 5
Ryan unlocked the door of the cafe that night, after having been dropped off by Amanda, Justin, Lauren and Sam in Amanda's van. He smiled as he again fought off the imagery of himself as a kid getting dropped back home after day camp.
He felt like the day had been a success. He had begun this morning with two goals in mind for moving day – to make sure Karina was aware of his interest in her, and to enthusiastically do more than his fair share of the work. Of course, the second part was easily accomplished by simply jumping in and expending the elbow grease. It was the first part of his mission that he hadn't been sure if he would be able judge his success at.
Sweet Harmonies Page 5