Tempted

by Anthony, Alexandra

“Exactly. I heard you agreed to be his date tonight. That’s a good sign, right?” She questioned innocently.

  I knew her game. She was all sweetness and light when she was digging for information. “Von, you know there’s nothing between Nick and me. We’re going as friends.” I did my best to stress the word ‘friends’.

  “Mmm hmm. I saw the pictures. A picture says a thousand words.” Siobhan didn’t sound convinced.

  I laughed sharply in reply. “Kevin saw them too. He wasn’t pleased.”

  “Aww, did pretty boy get his wittle feelings hurt?” Siobhan baby talked into the phone, her voice filled with undisguised glee. “That douche probably has a shrine built in your honor at his house. It’s probably next to his mirror.”

  I couldn’t help but giggle at her sarcasm. She’d never liked Kevin. Period. And the feeling was mutual.

  I pulled into Nick’s driveway. “Duty calls. I’ll call you later.”

  “Toodles, Blondie.”

  Collecting my bags, I slammed the car door shut and let myself into Nick’s house. I heard numerous voices coming from Nick’s library. Pushing my sunglasses on the top of my head, I crept softly down the hallway. I paused outside of the doorway, straining to hear what was going on.

  As if they knew I was listening in, everything went quiet. I stepped back away from the door and watched wide-eyed as Malcolm opened it. His broad smile looked strained as he watched me plaster myself against the opposite wall.

  “Savannah. Nick’s been uh, waiting on you. Come on in.”

  Nodding, I clenched the bags tighter in my hand. I stepped into the room and was met with Nick’s impenetrable gaze and the unwelcome stares from three men I’d never met before. Ian hovered in the corner with his heavy arms crossed. He glanced in my direction and nodded his head slightly in greeting. I detected the faintest bit of compassion on his aloof face as he noticed their blatant staring.

  “Savannah, you made it in time to meet the band. Randy, our drummer. Pete is our bass player and Johnny is our keyboard player.” He pointed to each quickly. I waved a quick hello and smiled nervously. “We’re talking about the European mini tour.”

  My mind searched through my memories of his calendar. “Right. Anything special you need me to do?”

  “Since you’ll be with us, I’ll let you know as we go. Our accommodations were booked prior to you taking on the job as my PA. I just need you to coordinate venue information.” Nick held out a stack of papers. “These were on the fax machine this morning. I’ve been running you ragged the last two days.”

  Randy snorted and I fixed an aggravated stare his way. Short and stocky with mousy brown hair, he was nothing to write home about. It also didn’t take a mind reader to know what he assumed Nick meant about running me ragged. My gaze shifted to Pete and Johnny and they were staring at the floor.

  It was obvious they all thought I was sleeping with Nick. Wonderful.

  Rolling my eyes, I crossed the room and snatched the papers from Nick. His chocolate eyes met mine for a brief moment. His mouth turned up in the smallest of smiles, shrugging his shoulders apologetically.

  I slapped his bag of sheet music on his desk and shoved the faxes into my tote bag. Crossing my arms under my chest, I felt my patience fray. “Anything else?”

  I hadn’t meant for my voice to sound so harsh. Nick couldn’t control what his band members thought of me. I should be used to it by now. Their assumptions were nothing new.

  Nick blinked and his mouth tightened into a frown. “No. I’ll call you later. We need to talk.”

  “Fine. If there’s nothing else, I’ll leave you to whatever you were all doing.”

  My anger was flagging as I walked down the hallway into the living room. I was surprised to feel Nick’s cool grip on my arm, stopping me in my tracks.

  “Savannah, wait.”

  Sighing deeply, my shoulders sagged and I turned to face him. I knew where we were going with this conversation before we even began. “Nick, it’s fine. I overreacted. Just let me go.”

  “No. I’m not letting you leave without explaining…”

  His hand was still wrapped around my arm, holding me in place. “There’s nothing to explain. It’s obvious everyone thinks we’re fucking. Does that sum up your explanation? If so, I saved you the time of enlightening me.”

  He flinched at the scathing sharpness of my words. “Love, they saw the pictures. And you walk in and all they can see is your beauty. Of course they’re going to assume that we’re…”

  I jerked my arm away from him. My voice came out like a sneer. “Fucking? I’m sure you didn’t correct them, right?”

  “I didn’t encourage them. Does that make it better?” He’d cornered me against the wall and his hard body. His arms were like concrete pillars, caging me in. His brown eyes were burning with a dark heat, his sexy mouth twisted in a sensuous smirk. His unruly black hair fell over his forehead as he leaned in closer. He ran his nose against the curve of my cheekbone gently. His heavy sigh left a cool chill against my skin.

  "We've been dancing around this all week, Savannah. I want you. And I know you want me." His voice had lowered to an alluring growl. "We're wasting time."

  "Nick, you're my boss. How would it look..." I whispered, weakly pushing against his chest. I was mesmerized by the contrast of the cadence of his voice, the softness of his caress and hard satin of his body.

  His fingers gripped my chin softly, looking me in the eyes. "Honestly, I don't give a shit what anyone thinks. I'm tired of playing around because I want to know every inch of you. And once I know it, I want to learn it all over again. Repeatedly and frequently."

  My body on fire, I swallowed and my body trembled uncontrollably. I wanted all of those things. I wanted him to rip my clothes from me, to run that sexy mouth across my skin. I craved the thought of our naked bodies together, hands exploring the length of every curve, muscle and bone. I felt my resolve waver and I stopped struggling.

  Nick sensed my weakness and his mouth covered mine. I figured he'd be rough and demanding, but his lips were tender and loving. His once formidable arms wrapped around me, his thigh slipping between my legs.

  "Oh fuck," he moaned into my mouth. "I knew this would be like heaven. You're my own personal nirvana."

  My hands snaked into his wild hair, tugging slightly as our tongues met. His hips pinned me against the wall in the most delicious way, his hard arousal making itself known.

  His fingers drifted underneath my t-shirt, slowly and deliberately. When I felt his hand brush over the swell of my breast, common sense won out over my desire. He had people in the house, rooms away. Not to mention that this was my boss I was pawing over.

  Shit! I broke away, shoving against his chest.

  My sudden struggle startled him and I managed a hasty retreat from his arms. Unsteadily adjusting my shirt, I ran into the living room in search of my purse and keys.

  "Savannah? What the hell?"

  I barely glanced at him. My cheeks were burning with embarrassment as I hurriedly collected my belongings. "We can't do this. If we screw this up, I lose my job. I need this job."

  He slammed his fist against the wall. "You're worried about your damn job? After what we just experienced? You're joking, right?"

  "I'll see you tonight, Nick." I was close to tears as I almost sprinted out the door into the sun. My fumbling fingers struggled to unlock the car and start the engine. Glancing behind me, I reversed down the driveway. As I pulled away from his house, I looked back to see him standing in the driveway. His hands were gripping his head, the bright sunlight glinting off his pale skin. The agony on his face mirrored my own inner turmoil.

  How many times had I imagined that very kiss? My imagination hadn't come close to the real thing.

  What the hell had I done?

  I drove home in a daze, my mind warring between how much I’d enjoyed that kiss and my worry about the party I was attending with him later tonight. My lips were still burning from the pas
sion of his kiss, my senses on overload. Nick and I had been flirting for the last week, but I never thought it could be like that. We'd come close to kissing quite a few times. The karaoke bar, in his library…the only thing that kept me from attacking him was my conscience and it was waning.

  I'd been wrong and underestimated his persistence. He wanted me and wasn’t giving up.

  And damn if I didn't want him to keep fighting.

  Chapter 5

  Turning Page

  My stomach had been in knots for the last two hours as I prepared for our ‘date’. I was left to wonder if Nick was even going to show up tonight. It would serve me right if he stood me up after my sudden retreat when things started to get a little too heated for my liking.

  I wasn’t afraid of Nick. I was afraid of myself and of the feelings I could feel growing for him deep inside of my heart. I was more than just afraid. I was scared shitless.

  I swear I’d worn a path between the window and my kitchen, my heels clicking nervously on the polished wood. On one of my countless trips between the kitchen and window I paused to run my hand over my dress. I tried to ignore the obvious trembling of my fingers as I smoothed the chiffon fabric. I’d agonized over my closet for an hour, trying to pick out a dress that wasn’t too sexy. As I stopped to glance at my reflection in the mirror, I was second-guessing my choice.

  Strapless and hitting me right above my knee, the pale blue dress wasn’t overly suggestive. I realized that while I’d managed to go longer with the length, my ample cleavage was on display. Ready to make a run for closet for a quick change, my plans were foiled by the ring of my doorbell.

  Torn between utter happiness and total fear, I couldn’t help but think that if nothing else, he was punctual. Taking a deep breath, I walked to the door and tugged it open. I couldn’t hold back my gasp when I saw him standing on my doorstep, filling the doorway with his perfect dark beauty.

  He was absolute perfection. There was no other way to describe Nick Hart.

  Dressed in an impeccably tailored suit, his crisp white shirt stood out sharply against the blackness of his jacket and glossy hair. His hands were shoved in the pockets of his dress pants and his lazy slouch only added to his casual sexiness. His brown eyes swept over me, starting from the tips of my toes, lingering over my legs and coming to rest on the swell of my breasts. His eyes met mine through his eyelashes, a sly smile breaking over his face.

  It was that simple gesture, that cunning grin that put my nerves at ease. I’d worried that my abrupt departure and his frustration would make things uncomfortable between us. All seemed forgiven as he smirked at me, inclining his head in greeting. “Savannah.”

  “Nick.” I copied his serious tone. Stepping back, I waved him in. “Come in. Let me grab my purse.”

  Nick stepped into the foyer, his observant eyes sweeping the room. His tall frame seemed to fill the small entranceway, his presence almost larger than life. It was almost as if the room wasn’t big enough to contain him. His deep voice wrapped around me, shrouding me in warmth. “You look stunning.”

  I busied myself with my clutch, shoving keys and my cell phone inside. I gave him a nervous shrug. “Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.”

  He laughed, his melodic voice smooth and soft. He watched me approach him and cocked a single eyebrow. “Savannah, about earlier…”

  Pressing my finger against his lips, I groaned and shook my head. Tucking my hair behind one ear, I looked up at him with an imploring gaze. “Can we not talk about what happened earlier? At least for now?”

  He nodded and I dropped my finger. His hand reached up and toyed with my hair, running his fingertip over my cheekbone. They traced over my lips tenderly, the coolness of his skin causing goose bumps to rise over the exposed skin of my arms. “I’ll give you space, love. You do realize you can only avoid the inevitable for so long. You know what you want and I know what I want. There just needs to be a connection between this,” Nick tapped my forehead lightly and rested his hand over my pounding heart. “And this. I can feel it, Savannah. The big question is if you’re willing to let go of your fear and feel what’s in your heart.”

  For once in my life, I was speechless. His words tumbled over me, rendering me mute under his burning gaze and gentle touch. Nick had seen through my excuses and had called me out. He knew the power he held over me. Instead of rubbing my face in it, he was choosing to let me have the control to know when I was ready to let go.

  Was I ready to let go? Turn my back on my so-called moral high ground and plummet into the unknown with a man that could break my heart into a million tiny shards?

  He didn’t wait for my reply. His fingers gripped my elbow and led me towards the door. He crouched slightly so his eyes were level with mine. They sparkled devilishly. “Let’s do this. Are you ready, Ms. Wood?”

  I couldn’t fight the smile that broke over my face. There was something about him that I found I didn’t want to resist. It befuddled me that a man was able to come in and turn my life upside down in a matter of days, making me rethink every notion I thought I had about men and love, question every truth I’d convinced myself of.

  My lower lip caught between my teeth. “You won’t let me fall?” The double meaning was obvious. I was testing him, questioning his intentions.

  “Never.” His handsome face became solemn, his jaw tightening. The emotion in his eyes was heartbreaking. They were deep, dark and sincere as they gazed into mine. “If there is one promise I intend to keep is to never, ever let you fall. Do you trust me?”

  The remaining tension in my body relaxed. I smoothed the lapels of his tuxedo, letting my fingers glide over the crimson pocket square he had artfully arranged. It matched the silk tie of his tie. My mind suddenly flashed back to the bags of blood in his secret refrigerator. The refrigerator I wasn’t supposed to know even existed…

  Ignoring the memory, I rested my hands on his chest. “I don’t know why, but I do.”

  His smile of response was blinding. It exploded across his face like a supernova, his eyes crinkling at the corners. It was the same smile that could sell a million records and make magazine covers fly off the shelf. But even though he’d smiled that same smile a thousand times, this time I could see emotion behind it and hope glimmering in his depths of his dark eyes.

  “We need to go. I won’t leave your side,” he promised, extending his hand to me. When I slipped my hand into his, every piece fell into place. My heart knew this was right.

  Now my heart needed to convince my stubborn brain it had other plans.

  ***

  Nick stayed true to his word. He never left my side, casually working the crowd. It was overflowing with the typical overload of Hollywood music executives, industry insiders and yes, even the parties had their own groupies waiting in the wings to make their move on their intended targets. I’d have to be blind to not notice the longing stares directed his way, yet he never wavered in his attention to me. As we made our way through the room, his cool hand never left my body. His fingers ambled over the small of my back, and then would mindlessly drift over the skin of my arms. For all of the drama a Hollywood party could bring, things were going smoothly until I heard an all too familiar voice at my back.

  “Savannah. I see it’s not above you to attend a party. Wonders never cease.”

  Nick and I both turned at the same time to see my father standing with Vic Adams, the party host. Carlton Wood was a handsome man with dark blond hair and denim blue eyes. His skin was tan from too many rounds of golf and his mouth was set in a permanent frown. Observing him now, I tried to recall a time when I’d seen my father smile. I came up blank. Either he’d always been miserable or maybe it was the nature of Hollywood. It could suck the life out of you if you weren’t careful.

  “Dad. I didn’t know you’d be here,” I muttered unhappily. Nick’s fingers wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer to him instinctively as if he sensed my apprehension.

  “I had to invite Ca
rlton, Savannah. He’s almost family after all.” Vic laughed jovially and patted my father on the shoulder. A balding, portly man in his late sixties, Vic had seen better days. His nose and cheeks was the telltale red of someone that drank way too much. “And Nick Hart. It’s nice to see my biggest find landed such a beautiful woman. I wouldn’t let her stray too far if you know what I mean. Women in Hollywood can be fickle.”

  I felt his fingers tighten around my waist. Glancing up at his face, I noted the stiffness of his chiseled jaw as he forced a smile and began moving us away. “Thanks for the advice, Vic. If you’ll excuse us…”

  My father reached out to stop our escape, putting his heavy hand on my shoulder. “Kevin told me about your little spat the other night. You know he means well, Savannah. I hope you’re not going to let your little fling interfere with your relationship with him.” He shot a meaningful glance at Nick before shifting his eyes back to me. If possible, his permanent frown deepened.

  That little shit! I was furious that he’d ran to my father, weaving a little tale about how he’d supposedly been scorned. It made me want to track Kevin down to slap him senseless. And of course, my father being the critical ass that he was had chosen to believe Kevin instead of his own flesh and blood. Sadly, it was typical of my father.

  “To be honest, I don’t think it’s your concern who I choose to date or not date, Dad.” I squared my shoulders and cocked an eyebrow arrogantly at him. “Kevin has a flare for the dramatic. He’s under the assumption we’re a couple. It hasn’t been that way for quite some time so I think you’ve been misinformed.”

  Carlton chortled dryly. “It wouldn’t be bad to keep your options open. It’s difficult to find a favorable choice in men.” His dark blue eyes flickered critically over Nick again. “Keep that in mind, Savannah.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind. I should have given you the same advice when you married Bree,” I shot back pointedly. There was no love lost between my stepmother and myself. When she wasn’t popping pills, she was knocking back cocktails. And if the rumors circulating were true, she was one of those fickle Hollywood women Vic had hinted at. I knew for a fact she’d stepped out on my father at least twice. He either chose to remain oblivious or turned a blind eye to her infidelities.