Vehemently shaking my head, I rubbed my sweaty palms nervously on my jeans. "Of course I don't. I just need your phone so I can sync everything as I work on your schedule."
He stared blankly at me for a moment. His fingers twitched at his side. "My phone? You need my phone?"
His child-like reaction made me giggle. He was acting like I was taking away his favorite toy for bad behavior. "I promise not to look at the porn you probably have bookmarked. I just need your calendar and to sync the contact info."
He puffed up his chest arrogantly. "I don't have porn on my phone."
A single eyebrow rose as I unpacked my bag. I powered on my laptop and gave him an indulgent smile. "Sure, sure. Phone, please." I wiggled the fingers of my outstretched hand.
Sighing heavily, he fished the phone from his back pocket. He timidly placed it in my hand. His fingers touched mine, and that now familiar charge of power leapt to life between us. The intensity was like holding on to a live wire, the strength like a magnet that pulled me to him instinctively.
"Fuck."
I barely noticed his curse, but it reinforced that he’d felt it too. It wasn't something I'd imagined. It was real.
Forcing myself to pull away, I cleared my throat. The pained, distant expression on his handsome face was confirmation enough. "Thanks. Now go work. Play something I've never heard before."
I wanted to hear him play, but I was desperate for any excuse to put distance between us. The attraction to him was unmistakable, like we were on a tether that was coiled around us both, yanking us together even if we didn’t want it.
His eyes refocused and he strode purposefully to his seat. As I sat in his desk chair, I watched his fluid movements with interest. His face had taken on a troubled appearance as he put the guitar in his lap and slowly plucked the strings.
Giving him what little privacy I could, my fingers tapped away on the keyboard. I'd pause briefly to study the steno pad before adding entry after entry of contacts, appointments and notes.
Just when I thought he wasn’t going to play a single thing, he then began to strum a slow, haunting melody on his guitar. My fingers didn't stop until he began to sing. His clear, perfect voice only added to the somber mood of the song and my hands ceased to move.
I searched to find you
In the darkness tonight
Everything was wrong
But you made things right
I'd cross this world to find you
Until there's no place to hide.
So I'll keep searching tonight
I only want to hold you tight
Promise you everything will be all right
It'll be all right
It'll be all right
I wasn't looking for love at all
Given up on the chance to ever fall
But then you walked into my life
And I'm lost in your endless eyes
So give me a chance, I'll choose you every time
And love
There will be no compromise
No more secrets, no more lies
Let's give this a chance,
We’ll start anew
But it'll be all right
His fingers picked over an elaborate instrumental riff in the music and he sang again.
It'll be all right
We'll make it through the night
It'll be all right
It'll be all right
His hands stilled on the guitar. You could have heard a pin drop in the room. I was speechless and Nick...Nick gripped the neck of his guitar so tightly I expected to see the wood splinter. His eyes were fixed on a spot on the floor.
"It sounds better with drums and keyboards," he murmured softly. He swiveled to face me, his jaw clenched tightly. The scorching heat from his eyes unsettled me. The power of that single look stripped me bare.
"It's beautiful. Did you just write that song today?" I asked. I willed my fingers to start typing, but they weren't getting the message. They were frozen, reluctant to move.
"No. It was a day or two ago. It's going to be on the new album. We’re working on recording it now.” Nick released his death grip on his guitar and stood, placing it in its stand. He then headed in my direction, stepping behind me to lean over my shoulder. “Do I get my phone back anytime soon, Savannah? Or are you planning on holding it hostage? Name your ransom demands. Whatever you want is yours.”
His cool breath on my neck caused a shiver to run down my spine. The close proximity of his body caused shockwaves of lust to clench my stomach. I wanted to answer him, but the words were stuck in my throat.
“Savannah?” Nick questioned softly. His lips inched closer to my cheek. If I turned quickly, our mouths would be touching. It was such sweet torture, being so close yet so far away….
“I’m almost finished,” I exhaled, the words finally pushing their way out. “I just need to sync the calendars between our phones and the computer.”
He pressed closer to me, the now familiar smell of leather and cologne flooding my senses. “I’ll leave you to it then.”
The weight of his body shifted away from me and I didn’t look up as he left the room. I couldn’t look at him. If I did, there was no way I could hold myself back.
Mentally grumbling at myself, I finished syncing his phone and plugged mine into the laptop. I started to lay his phone on the desk when my nosiness won out over my promise not to snoop. I swiped my finger along the screen and lightly tapped the ‘Pictures’ icon. There was only one album on the phone. Glancing nervously at the door, I opened it. A sense of déjà vu washed over me as I saw the same picture Kevin had confronted me with the previous night. It was the photo where Nick was holding my hand and I’d curled my body into his side, letting his much larger body shelter me from the cameras. We’d looked every bit the couple every gossip magazine and website was speculating about since our appearance yesterday.
It was odd. I should be a little disturbed to know that two men had pictures of me on their phone. While Kevin’s display had been out of jealousy and anger, I could only assume that Nick wanted to see the picture for some sentimental reason. He said he’d set me in his sights and now it was a matter of willpower and who could be the most stubborn.
Not wanting to press my luck, I made sure to press the home button on the phone so his wallpaper was in place when he went to use it. I was transferring the last of the information into my own, beginning to sift through the pile of mail stacked on his desk when he swaggered back into the room. He moved to sit on the edge of his desk, watching me work quietly. I hardly noticed him sitting there. A strange letter had most of my attention. Unlike anything I’d seen, I ran a finger over the peculiar envelope addressed to Nick. It was on heavy cardstock, his name typed out in all caps with what appeared to be the font of a manual typewriter. I’d just turned it over to open with it when Nick plucked it from my fingers. He’d moved so fast he was almost a blur.
He cleared his throat nervously, sticking the envelope in his back pocket. “You look good behind my desk. I like it.”
Ignoring his attempts to change the subject, I spun in his chair to face him. “Hey! I’m capable of opening your mail,” I protested. Why was he so jumpy about an envelope?
“I’m sure you’re capable of many things, Savannah.” His grin was wide, but it never reached his eyes.
He was attempting to divert my attention and flirt while still maintaining some sort of proper employer/employee façade. It was cute but annoying.
“You’re shameless,” I retorted quickly, unplugging my phone and closing the laptop lid.
The million-dollar smile was back, dimples in full effect. “And this is news?”
Shaking my head, I loaded up my tote bag. “I’d expect nothing less from you, Nick. What else did you need me to do?”
I instantly regretted the wording of my question. I could almost see the inner wheels of his mind spinning, likely thinking of the very things I’d dreamt of him doing to me the
previous night.
His devious smile grew wider. “I have a proposition for you.”
Why did I not like the sound of that? I wanted to run as fast as my legs could carry me, but I plunged in feet first into the deep end. “Okay…” I drew the word out cautiously.
Nick rubbed his thumb across his chin. “There’s a party in a few days at a big record executive’s house. Have you heard of Vic Adams?”
It was difficult for me to not roll my eyes. Not only did I know Vic, my father had represented him during all four of his divorces. I couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of my voice when I answered him. “Yeah, you might say I know Vic. He’s almost like family.”
Nick’s smile didn’t waver. “From that answer, there has to be a story behind this. I want to hear it, but we’ll save it for another day. Back to my proposition. I’d like for you to come with me. As my date…I mean, it’d be strictly platonic.”
Folding my hands on the desk, I was enjoying every moment of Nick Hart squirming in front of me. From his reaction, he wasn’t used to being so careful with the way he worded things. He was treating me with caution, afraid at any moment I’d snap.
“Of course it would be. We’re friends, right?” I cooed sweetly, flipping my blond hair over my shoulder. I offered him a questioning smile and waited for his reaction.
His deep brown eyes widened. He’d obviously expected opposition or an argument about how we were blurring the lines. He wasn’t anticipating my easy acceptance of his question. His fingers raked through his dark hair and his foot twitched nervously. “No, I mean yes. We’re friends. It’s likely Elliott will be there since he’s my agent.”
We’d have a chaperone. How sweet. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about any mishaps on my part. I’d have someone with me at all times to keep me on track.
I couldn’t decide if that was a good or bad thing.
“I’ll go with you. It should be interesting to see Vic’s new wife. I think this makes number five,” I said softly. “You’d think he’d have learned by now that marriage doesn’t work for him. Some people aren’t designed for relationships.”
“You don’t really think that, do you?” Nick’s voice was soft. When I looked up, his brow was furrowed as he awaited my answer.
“Sometimes I do. To be honest, I don’t think about it much.” I let the lie roll off my tongue convincingly. In reality, I thought about it a lot. I’d never met a man that had held my interest for any time. Maybe it was just the men I’d encountered in Hollywood. Maybe it was me. The verdict was still out on that one.
“I want to show you something. C’mon.” He stood and offered his hand to me. Without thinking, my hand slid into his, our fingers intertwining. He led me through this house, stopping long enough to open the patio doors that opened up to a large deck that disappeared into the sand. “Take off your shoes and walk with me.”
We both kicked off our shoes and stepped into the warm sand. Nick reached for my hand again, and we set off walking down the beach, stopping where the water washed up to the shore. He sat down in the sand and pulled me to sit beside of him. He bent his legs up so his muscular arms rested against his knees as he stared into the distance, his striking face even paler in the sunlight. His shiny black hair stood out in sharp contrast to his pale skin.
“When I first moved here I’d sit and stare at the ocean for hours. I’d listen to the waves hit the sand and write music. I also spent a lot of time just thinking about my life and what I wanted. And I didn’t want much then. I didn’t think I deserved it.”
He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me. Honestly, there’s a lot no one knows about me and most will never know. Some people have a skeleton or two in their closet. I couldn’t even begin to count the number I have stored away. I’d probably be considered to be a bone collector.”
I sat quietly at his side, simply letting him talk. His voice was soothing to listen to, with a cadence that hinted at an accent I couldn’t put my finger on. I wasn’t sure why he was confiding in me, but I just let him continue.
“And I’d sworn off women a long time ago. I figured it was for the best, for me and for them too. Then I meet you, and I start to question everything. And you’re totally unattainable to me. I have to settle for whatever you’re willing to offer.”
My stomach knotted instantly. “Nick…”
“Let me finish. I’m all right with that, Savannah. I accept your decision because I like you. You’re real…one of the realest people I’ve met in a long time. So I’ll be patient and I won’t push you. Well, at least not too much anyway.” Nick’s tone lightened and he winked playfully.
I nudged him with my shoulder. “Why did you tell me all of that?”
He looked away from the ocean to meet my inquisitive gaze. “Because if and when you choose to be with me, I want you to know everything. I don’t want there to be secrets between us. I’ve made plenty of mistakes that I have to live with every day. I don’t want to add you hating me as one of them.”
Stunned into silence, I rested my head against the solid comfort of his shoulder. I had no witty retort, no snappy comeback. It was hard to be snarky when someone put their feelings out there, risking rejection. God knows I rarely had the courage to risk it. He rested his head against mine as we sat together on the beach. His fingers caressed my knee and we sat in a comfortable silence as we watched the sun dip lower and lower into the sky.
I finally broke the stillness, standing up and dusting the back of my jeans off. “I should go home. It’s getting late.”
“Of course. I’ll walk you in.”
Nick started to get to his feet and I lightly pressed on his shoulders, holding him in place. “Stay here. I can manage to see myself out. I’ll see you tomorrow, Nick.”
He looked up at me with his soulful brown eyes and I knew I had to get away from him. My attraction to him was growing with every moment I spent with him, with every new morsel of information he revealed to me.
Tousling his soft hair, I trudged up the beach to his house. When I reached the patio, I picked up my shoes and glanced back to where we’d been seated. Nick was still in the same spot, but instead of staring into the horizon, his head was cradled in his hands. I felt as if I was being ripped in two pieces. Part of me wanted to drop my shoes and run to his side while the other knew I shouldn’t, at least if I wanted to keep any separation between us.
As I ducked into the house, I ambled barefoot through his empty house. The silence was almost deafening. I peeked my head into Nick’s library, looking around nervously. Without him here, everything seemed to be closing in around me. Shoving the silly thought aside, I pushed the door open and crossed the room to collect my tote bag to head home. As I bent over, I saw a small refrigerator that I’d never noticed before. It looked to be custom made as it blended in perfectly with the built in bookcase. For the second time that day, my curiosity got the best of me. And as I found out, the old saying was true. There are some things that cannot be unseen.
When I swung open the door, all I could see was red. Bags of blood were stacked in neat piles in the small refrigerator from top to bottom. I lost track counting at 20.
Why would Nick have blood stored away? Slamming the door closed, I sank down in the desk chair, my eyes focused vacantly on the refrigerator. My mind was moving at warp speed. There had to be a reason for all of that blood…some plausible explanation.
Was he sick? My mind went over conversations we’d shared over the last few days. His food allergies…his medical delivery every week. There had to be something I was missing. But what could it be? What could possibly require bagged blood? I’d never heard of any allergy that required a blood transfusion.
Grabbing my bag, I slipped on my shoes and scurried from the room. I didn’t breathe again until I’d met the safety of my car.
***
The next two days were peculiar at Nick’s house. He managed to keep his distance from me, finding ex
cuses to either be out of the house or he kept me running strange errands to fill the days and keep me far away from him. It made me wonder if he’d noticed that I’d accidentally stumbled on something I wasn’t supposed to find. Or was my mind working overtime, trying to explain away my guilty conscience?
It had to be my guilty conscience. There was no way Nick could possibly know I opened a refrigerator and found the blood. My mind flashed back to the image of bag after bag of blood stacked neatly in the small refrigerator. So much red…
I was driving back to his house after he’d sent me to pick up a package from a music supply store, torn between coming clean and simply asking him about my discovery or choosing the safer option, keeping my mouth shut. The latter was probably the best choice.
My cell phone chirped annoyingly, pulling me from my thoughts. I didn’t bother looking at the display when I answered. “Yeah?”
“Hello sunshine.” Siobhan singsonged into the phone. She seemed awfully chipper.
“Hey, Von. What’s going on?”
“Three things in no particular order. One. We have to chat about Malcolm soon. Two. What’s the situation with you and Nick? Three. Why the fuck were you wearing those yoga pants while running errands?”
I almost dropped the phone. “What?”
“I’m appalled you’d be wearing those ragged pants out in public. Have you no shame?”
“How do you know what I’m wearing?” I glanced down at my outfit questioningly. True, the yoga pants had seen better days but I was only sitting around fielding phone calls and running errands. I wasn’t on a runway.
She clicked her tongue chidingly. “Sweetheart, like it or not you’re considered to be Nick Hart’s girlfriend. The paps are snapping pics of you whenever you’re out.”
I’d forgotten about the paparazzi. “Damn it.”
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