They lay quietly together, content to let the music play. Nearly an hour passed before either spoke.
“You must be tired,” Janae murmured.
She sat up, and he immediately felt bereft. Lying with her had him thinking things better left alone. Terrence smiled faintly. “A little. It’s been a long week.” He sat up and stretched.
“I can imagine. And you’ve been touring, too. I don’t know how you do it. After only one week of going nonstop, I’d be grouchy as a bear whose hibernation was interrupted.”
Terrence laughed. “You get used to it.” He stood. “I’m gonna get my bag out of the car.”
“Okay.”
Janae hadn’t moved from her spot when Terrence came back. He wondered if she had second thoughts and asked her about it.
“No. I trust you. Come on. I’ll show you your room.” She led him to one of the guest rooms and flipped the light switch. She stepped back to let him enter.
Terrence took in the space, with its dark, heavy furniture and king-size bed with suede bedding. He figured it had been one of her brothers’ rooms.
“Is this okay? I thought you might be more comfortable in here than the other room.”
“It’s fine.”
“There are towels in the bathroom. Is there anything else you need?”
“No, thank you. I think I have everything.” He sensed her nervousness and reached out for her hand. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. I can go to a hotel.”
She shook her head. “I’m good. Let me know if you need anything.” She backed out and pulled the door closed.
Terrence stripped and stepped into the shower. The warm water cascading over his tired body felt good. He had been going nonstop for the past two months. This was the first weekend in a long time that he’d been able to relax, aside from the time he’d spent in San Francisco. He thought about the woman whose house he would stay in. A first. Never had he stayed over at a woman’s house or invited one to stay in his. Actually, no woman had ever seen his home. He had a condo he used for business gatherings and such, but kept his real home away from the public.
He lingered a while longer before shutting off the water, drying off and going back into the room. Pulling on underwear and sweatpants, he grabbed the demo CD from the bag, then headed back to the family room.
Terrence peeked in the kitchen, but didn’t see Janae and assumed she was in her bedroom. He inserted the disc and pressed Play. Standing in the middle of the floor, he clasped his hands behind his back and closed his eyes. Something about the track bothered him. He had listened to it a few times already, but couldn’t put his finger on it. Maybe this time the inconsistency would come to him.
* * *
After cleaning the kitchen, Janae decided to take her own bath while Terrence was in the shower. She’d been so comfortable lying on the couch with him. He’d said it was perfect, and she felt the same way, but kept those sentiments to herself. Besides, she couldn’t get caught up in feelings. She knew it would be only a matter of time before he moved on—there was no way he would keep traveling back and forth to see her, especially since he could have his pick of women all over the country who were far more glamorous than she. So the best thing for her would be to keep things in perspective and store up these memories for when it ended.
When she left her bedroom, she didn’t see him and thought he hadn’t come out of his room. The phone rang as she entered the kitchen.
“Hey, Karen.” Janae sat at the kitchen table listening to Karen go on and on about the new bracelet she’d received from her boyfriend. “That’s really nice, Karen.”
“Girl, I was so surprised,” she squealed. “It has to be at least three carats.”
“I’m happy for you. Is there a special occasion, or is this a just-because gift?”
“It has to be just-because. My birthday already passed, and our anniversary isn’t for another three months. I love that man so much.”
“I know you do,” Janae said with a laugh.
“If it wasn’t so late, I might drive over to your house tonight and let you see it.”
No way would she let Karen come over and find Terrence staying overnight. “Yes, it is late. I’ll see it on Monday. I’m sure you’ll still be wearing it.”
“What about tomorrow? I don’t want to wait that long.”
“I have a few errands to run, and I don’t know how long I’ll be out,” Janae replied quickly.
“Oh...well, okay. I guess I’ll have to wait,” Karen grumbled.
The sound of music floated into the kitchen. Curious, Janae stood and went to the kitchen door. Terrence stood in the center of the floor, shirtless. “Oh. My. Goodness,” she whispered.
“Janae? What are you talking about? What’s going on?”
Karen called her name several times before she answered. “What? What did you say?”
“I asked what’s going on? What are you looking at?”
“A magnificent male specimen,” Janae answered absently.
“Ooh. Sculpted pecs and biceps?” Karen asked excitedly.
“Like you wouldn’t believe,” she whispered in awe.
“Six-pack?”
“If my count is correct.” Terrence’s smooth, rich chocolate skin and rippling muscles mesmerized her.
“Janae. What channel are you watching? Hurry up, girl. I don’t want to miss it.”
“What? What...channel? What are you talking about?”
Karen sighed impatiently. “Girl, what’s the matter with you? I asked you what channel the hunk is on?”
“What hunk?”
“Are you drunk or something?”
“Of course not. Are you crazy?”
“That’s what I’m wondering about you. Now let’s see if you can understand me. What...channel...is...the...sexy...man...you’re...watching...on?”
“Um, he’s not... I’m not watching TV. I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.” She could still hear Karen fussing as she disconnected.
Janae stood there and watched Terrence with his head tilted back as if in deep thought. Then she heard the music. It didn’t sound familiar, and she knew it wasn’t his music or his voice. The up-tempo beat sounded okay, but the voice didn’t move her. He must have sensed her presence because he opened his eyes and turned his head toward her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”
“You didn’t. Come here.”
When she got closer, she noticed a tattoo across his heart. “Nice tattoo. A curved music staff with notes, huh?”
“Music is my only passion. My only love.”
She nodded. He confirmed what she already knew. “What are you listening to? I know it’s not your music.”
“It’s a demo of a guy who wants to be represented by our label. I have a meeting with him this week. What do you think?”
“Are you sure you want my opinion?”
He nodded.
“Well, the music is not too bad, but his voice doesn’t move me. It sounds... I don’t know. I can’t put my finger on it.” He stared at her so long she thought she’d said something wrong.
“I agree. That’s why I’ve been listening to it so many times. I think I finally figured out what the problem is.”
“Do you think he’ll be someone you’ll represent?”
“Probably not, if what I suspect is true.”
“I bet you get lots of demos.”
“We do, but there’s a team that listens to them. I only get the ones that they want me to take a second listen to, or those that have promise. Even if I like the music, there’s no guarantee of a partnership. In addition to great music, the artist and our team will need to be able to work together.”
“I c
an see that. If they’re not a good fit, it would be hard to get things done.” Janae did her best to keep her eyes on his face and her hands to herself.
He stopped the CD, which he’d put on repeat. “No more talk about work. I’ll have to get back to it soon enough. I want to take advantage of every minute with you.” He lowered his head and kissed her gently. The kiss quickly heated up. Terrence angled his head and deepened the kiss.
Janae ran her hands up the strength of his arms, across his smooth, hard chest and around his neck, then melted against him. Her knees buckled, and he tightened his grip to keep her from falling. When the kiss ended, they were both breathing harshly. His hands on her body drove her insane.
“There is something about you,” Terrence murmured against her lips. He planted butterfly kisses along her jaw before reclaiming her mouth again.
Janae backed out of his hold. She had to get away from this man—now—before she did something crazy. “Um...I’m going to turn in. Do you need anything?”
“No.” He touched his mouth to hers once more. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
She felt his eyes on her as she hurried off, and she fought the temptation to turn around. She closed her bedroom door, then flopped down on the bed and tried to slow her racing heart.
What in the world have I gotten myself into? She had never had a problem putting the brakes on when a man got too close, especially since her heart had been shattered. But Terrence had a way of making her break all the rules she put in place to protect herself, to keep her heart safe.
Chapter 8
Terrence sat in his office, staring out the window and thinking about his weekend. He’d gotten Janae to sing and admitted she had a pretty decent voice. He smiled at the memory of her trying to teach him to paint. That had been a mess. Where her landscapes looked as such, his ended up looking like globs of color haphazardly thrown on a canvas that wouldn’t even pass as an abstract. He still couldn’t get over the fact that she’d given him one of her pieces. He’d hung it in his bedroom where he could see it every night when he closed his eyes and every morning when he opened them.
“Now, that’s an expression I don’t think I’ve ever seen on your face.”
Terrence rotated the chair toward his secretary and leaned forward. “What type of expression is that?”
“Hmm. Let’s see. That grin...the sparkle in your eyes...it’s an I-met-a-girl expression.”
He shook his head. “When would I have time to meet a woman? I’m either here or on the road. You said it yourself—I can’t meet a nice girl working all the time. Nothing has changed.”
“Whatever you say.”
Her piercing gaze had him almost squirming in his chair. “Was there something you needed, Mrs. Lewis?”
“Yes. I wanted to give you these three demos. I also need your signature on a couple of things.”
“Okay.” He accepted the CDs, read over and signed the two documents.
“Any new promising artists?”
“Not so far. I’ll take a listen to these three and see.”
“I hope you’re not thinking of signing that DT Spin character.” She made a face. “When I called to make the appointment, he had the nerve to tell me he had to check his schedule and get back to me in a couple of days.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I politely told him Wednesday at nine was the only available day, and if he wasn’t interested, we could offer the slot to someone else.”
“I’m assuming he was available since his name is on my schedule,” he said with a wry chuckle.
“You assume right,” she said sweetly. “So please tell me you’re not signing him.”
“Probably not. Anything else?”
“Not right now.”
“Okay. Thanks. How’s your daughter?”
“Almost there. The baby’s due next month. I can’t wait to be a grandma again.”
“Tell her I said hello.”
“I sure will.”
After his secretary’s departure, he allowed himself a few more minutes to think about Janae before settling down to work.
* * *
Janae stood at the copier waiting for the sheets to finish printing. She shook her head, thinking about the mess Terrence had made while painting. He definitely needed to keep his day job.
“Morning, Janae.”
“Good morning, Laura. How was your weekend?”
The teacher let out a frustrated sigh. “Absolutely boring. No man, no date. Not even a good book. What about yours?”
“I hung around the house all weekend.” She smiled and picked up her stack. “It’s all yours. See you later.”
“Thanks.”
Janae unlocked her classroom and opened the door. All of a sudden, someone came up behind her and shoved her into the room. “What the...?”
“Let’s go, missy.”
“Karen? Girl, what is wrong with you?”
Karen shut the door, put her hand on a hip and pointed a finger at Janae. “What is wrong with me? I didn’t hang up on you. So, out with it.”
Janae bit her lip to stifle a laugh. “Out with what?” She walked over to deposit the papers on her desk, with Karen right on her heels.
“Don’t try to act all innocent. I want to know about that sexy man you were talking about on Saturday.”
She shrugged. “It was nothing. Just some guy. Hey, you were right. This bracelet is beautiful.” Janae lifted Karen’s hand and studied the jewelry.
Karen snatched her hand back. “We’re not talking about my bracelet. You said you weren’t watching TV, so that leaves two options. You were either peeping at someone through the window, or the guy was in your house.”
“Girl, you have some imagination.”
“Since I know you aren’t a Peeping Tom and it was dark, I can only assume you had a man over to your house. I can’t believe you found a new guy and didn’t tell me. I thought we were friends.”
“I didn’t find a new guy, Karen, so cut the drama.”
“I know you didn’t have Lawrence or Carter over there.”
“Definitely not.”
“Well, who was it? You might as well tell me because I’m not leaving you alone until I get some answers.”
Janae sighed. “Fine. Terrence.”
“Monte was at your house? Did he have some business up here over the weekend?”
“No.”
“Wait. Are you saying he came to San Jose just to see you?”
“Apparently.”
Karen squealed and clapped her hands. “Look at you, girl. Got music mogul Monte hot on your tail.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Please. What did y’all do?”
“Nothing much. Hung out and talked.”
“No parties, no clubs, no fancy restaurants?”
“Nope. Sorry to disappoint you.”
“So what’s he like?”
“I already told you. He’s a nice guy.”
“Well, he’s a definite improvement from the last two.”
“Speaking of the last two, I saw Lawrence when we stopped at the grocery store.”
“Is he still spewing that crap about you having something to do with his contract not being renewed?”
“Yep. He actually got in my face.”
“Did you use some of those moves your brothers taught you?”
“I didn’t get a chance. Terrence walked up and dropped him with one punch.”
“I’m liking him more and more. Now, that I would’ve liked to see.” Karen chuckled. “I bet Lawrence was shocked.”
“I don’t know. We left him out there. When we came out of the store, he was gone.”
“Well, good for Monte
.” She shook her head. “I mean, Terrence. Is he coming back to see you soon?”
“Probably not. He’s going to be pretty busy with touring and with his music label.”
“Hmph. We’ll see. I think he likes you. I guess I’d better get to my classroom. See you later.”
“Bye.”
Alone now, she thought about what Karen said. If she were honest with herself, she would confess to liking him, too. But she had no intentions of losing her heart to the popular music star. Besides, he told her he only had one love—music. She had her teaching and her painting. That was enough.
* * *
Janae stood and stretched. She had been in her studio for almost three hours working on her latest piece, a full moon rising over the mountains at sunset. She’d seen the spectacular view in New Mexico while visiting her parents. If she closed her eyes, she could see it clearly in her mind as if she were standing in the spot that evening.
The desk clock read eleven o’clock—far past the time for her to be in bed. Janae cleaned her brushes and started from the room. She noticed the piece she’d done of the snowcapped mountains leaning against the wall. Terrence had seemed to really enjoy it. Making a decision, she picked up the piece, carried it over to the table and wrapped it. She could drop it off tomorrow on her way to work. Smiling, she turned off the light and headed to her bedroom.
* * *
Terrence shoved the chair back from the desk, then stalked out of his office. “Mrs. Lewis, has there been any word from Darren Thomas?” he asked with irritation. “His appointment was at nine, and it’s seven minutes past.”
“No, Monte. Not one word. What would you like me to do?”
“If he’s not here in the next five minutes, you can tell him his appointment has been canceled.”
“Gladly, son.”
He spun on his heels and went back into his office. Two minutes later, a knock sounded on his door and Mrs. Lewis stuck her head in.
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