Tempted
Page 16
I heard his jittery chuckle and he pried my fingers from his skin. “Come here.” He dragged me over the length of his body and held me over him. “Savannah…”
“Nick,” I warned. I kissed the corner of his mouth and burrowed my head against his neck, pressing a kiss behind his ear. He was longing to say the words I didn’t want to hear him say. It was the thing I feared the most.
He rolled us to our sides and tossed the shredded sheets aside. At the rate we were going, the poor housekeeping staff would be kept busy with just keeping us in bed linens.
“Take a shower and I need to make a few calls.” He leapt from the bed gracefully, his long, gorgeous body glowing in the pale sunlight filtering through the curtains. He looked back over his shoulder and winked.
Letting out a groan of frustration, I pulled the pillow over my head.
I was in way over my head. Someone needed to toss me a line since I was drowning in the deep end.
***
Humming softly to myself, I was slipping on my shoes when Nick stepped into the room. I glanced up at him, biting my lip as his tall frame leaned against the door. His eyes scanned the rumpled bed before shifting them to stare at me. When it registered that I was watching him, the side of his mouth turned up in a cocky half-grin.
"Are you ready? We have a few hours to ourselves before sound check.”
"Yeah. Give me a sec." I grabbed my purse and tucked my phone inside. Crossing the room, I stopped in front of him. His dark eyes were twinkling as they ran over the length of my body, taking in my snug jeans and tight t-shirt. He reached over and fingered my colorful scarf gently, the back of his fingers resting against the pulse point in my neck.
"Do me a favor. Leave the purse here and pull your hair back, " Nick said mysteriously before turning to walk down the hall. "Don’t ask. Humor me."
He disappeared, leaving me to stash my purse and pull my hair into a quick braid. With a last look in the mirror, I headed into the sitting room to see Nick standing at the window, staring down at the street below. He was in his trademark jeans and t-shirt, but the denim was faded and clung to every curve of his muscular legs. His white t-shirt fit him like a second skin. I knew I'd have every female vying for his attention, even though we'd be in relative obscurity here.
He looked that delicious.
"Hey, handsome." I wrapped my arms around his narrow waist and rested my head on his back, breathing in his scent. Just feeling his body gave me a sense of security I'd never felt before. It was equally comforting and terrifying at the same time. I'd never let a man get this close to me.
I wasn’t sure what bothered me the most…that I was happy to feel a sense of comfort with him or that I’d fought him for so long.
His voice interrupted my thoughts. "Are you ready to see Rome?" He turned in my arms, his striking face filled with excitement and happiness.
"Absolutely. Are you giving me the tour?" I questioned. I’d seen Nick many different ways, but this version was a whole new animal.
The face-splitting grin on his face answered my question. "Like I’d let anyone else have the pleasure. C'mon, I have a surprise. But you have to put these on first."
He pushed a pair of black-framed sunglasses over my eyes. Nodding in approval, he slid his own pair on and stretched across the couch to grab two jackets. Both were black leather, soft and buttery. He slipped in his jacket smoothly and held mine out to me, jutting his chin for me to join him.
Giving him a questioning look, I let him help me into my jacket. His hands rubbed over my shoulders and down my leather clad arms.
"Perfect." His fingers laced with mine and we left the suite, bypassing the elevators and taking the steps. We stepped into the lobby and all conversation seemed to grind to a halt. His otherworldly good looks and ability to command attention captivated every person in the room, male and female alike.
Not breaking stride, he led me through the lobby. Ian stood at the valet station, tossing keys between his massive hands. He nodded at Nick and threw the keys at him. Nick deftly caught them in his free hand and led me to a beautiful motorcycle. I released his hand and ran my fingers over the glossy black paint. Visions of the piano immediately floated through my mind.
"I thought this would be an interesting way to see Rome, love," Nick whispered, pulling me out of the vivid memory.
"It's beautiful." My words were stuttered as I stared at the bike.
"I could say the same about my companion. Let's do this." Nick playfully dropped a kiss on my nose before placing a matching helmet on my head. He fastened his own on and climbed on the motorcycle. He patted the seat behind him invitingly. Gingerly climbing on behind him, I wrapped my arms around his waist. "Hold on tight, love."
He fired up the engine and revved it, swiftly pulling out into traffic. Holding on tightly, I giggled and squeezed him tighter.
***
Wrapped around him on the rented BMW motorcycle, he took me on a whirlwind tour through Rome. We'd toured Palatine Hill and Coliseum, exploring them both as if he was seeing it for the first time.
"You've seen this all before," I had chided him jokingly, elbowing him in the ribs.
He'd feigned hurt, holding his side and but his wide smile was dazzling. "But I've never seen it with you, love. Seeing it with you is like seeing everything differently. It’s like seeing it through new eyes."
I'd had to fight back the wave of lust and affection at his careless words. He didn't realize how much they meant to me. Or maybe he had and it was his way of letting me know he cared without trying to frighten me away.
And so we walked hand in hand with the other tourists, looking like the other happy couples that were visiting the sites. It felt surprisingly normal. Or as normal as it could be when you were holding hands with a vampire.
Our next stop was the Roman forum. Wandering through the ancient structures, we took in everything from the Arch of Constantine, the House of the Vestal Virgins to finally stopping at the Column of Phocas. Exhilarated at absorbing and seeing the ancient structures, I dragged Nick along with me. We'd trekked back to the motorcycle and I was zipping up my leather jacket. Nick was sitting sideways on the seat, silently observing me with the smile I'd noticed he'd reserved for me. While it was still wide and having the superstar quality to it, there was also a softness his camera-ready smile didn't have. And he seemed lighter, happier than he'd been a week ago.
"You look happy, sweetheart. I missed that smile." I stepped between his legs and kissed the tip of his nose.
He raised an eyebrow and grabbed my ass with his hands, pulling me closer. "It's you, love. Seeing you happy...it makes me happy."
Again, his words tugged at my heart and churned irritably in my stomach. I knew I’d fallen for him. Hard. "Do we need to head back?"
His lips collided with mine, possessive yet sweet. "Not yet. I have one more thing to show you."
Holding on to him securely, we zoomed through the heavy Rome traffic. He steered the cycle through the lanes, pulling to a stop in front of a massive fountain adorned with sculptures. "It's the Trevi Fountain. There's something we need to do."
Swinging my legs over the seat, we once again joined hands and walked towards the fountain. We stood close enough that I couldn't resist running my fingers over the sculpted stone.
Nick took my wayward hand and pressed a coin in my palm. "The legend of the fountain says if we toss a coin in, we'll return back to Rome again."
Our eyes locked. The almost weightless coin felt as heavy as lead in my hand and felt as hot as fire. Time around us seemed to slow down as we both seemed to get lost in the meaning behind his words.
"We'll come back together?" My question hung in the air between us. I turned the coin over in my palm as I waited for his response.
"I wouldn't want it any other way." His handsome face softened and he pulled his sunglasses from his eyes. They looked liquid, gleaming and filled with unspoken love. His fingers carefully removed my glasses so he could see my
eyes. They mirrored his own. Brick by brick, he was breaking through what I thought was an impenetrable wall.
I'd been a foolish girl to resist him as long as I had.
"Good." A strand of hair had pulled free of my braid and the wind blew it across my face. "I want that too."
His long fingers plucked at the errant lock and tucked it behind my ear. It lingered there for a moment before his hand gently surrounded my face. "Things don't have to be so difficult, sweetness. I'd follow you to the end of the earth. You're my life now. You…you take the bad away. Rome looks different now. Brighter. Happier."
A sob caught in my throat and I placed my hand over his. What had happened to this beautiful man in front of me that made Rome so dark? What he told me about his life was the tip of the iceberg. There was more that he wasn’t telling me.
He sighed heavily and opened his arms to me. "The best day of my life was the day you walked into it."
With those words, I let go. I felt the coin slip from my fingers and I heard it drop into the fountain with a resounding plunk. He followed in turn and I collapsed into his cool embrace, pulling his face down to meet my lips. He lifted me up so our faces were level, my feet dangling from the ground. Our heads turned so our kiss could deepen, our tongues tangling together.
We ignored the catcalls in Italian and the approving applause of the assembled crowd. All that mattered was the feeling of completeness he gave me and the security I felt when I was in his arms.
The rest of the world could wait.
Chapter 9
Exposed
Nick paced the length of his dressing room, his voice barely audible as he sang a cappella through his set list. Only halfway listening to him, I was preoccupied, working on setting up a radio interview for him during our quick trip through Paris. I glanced over the top of the laptop to see him blur across the floor. He looked like a streak of black.
"Why are you so nervous? You've done this a hundred times." I asked curiously. He skidded to a stop in front of me and lifted the laptop from my hands so he had my full attention.
He never did anything halfway. His dark gaze was almost too much to bear. I wanted to look away but I couldn't fight the pull he had over me. When had I gone soft?
"You're here. And you've never seen the whole show." He frowned and his whole face darkened. "But mainly, I'm going to be thinking of you in that dress and that mouth of yours all night. And you'll be all alone..."
Ah, that was when it happened. I giggled and leaned over to ruffle his fashionably messy hair. "This mouth will be anxiously waiting your return. I’ll be fine, Nick."
"Vixen,” he admonished with a dimpled smile. Moving swiftly, he had me pressed back into the chair, his lips meeting mine in a demanding kiss. His hands had just begun to creep between my thighs when there was a sharp rap on the door.
"Nick. Five minutes." The muffled voice barked through the door, breaking the moment between us.
Our lips parted and he reluctantly stood up with both hands bracing the arms of the chair. He brushed his lips over my forehead. "I want you to stay close to Ian tonight. I worry about you. Even more so that I see you’re wearing that dress."
Yet another reference to my dress. "Is it too much?" I gave him a light push and stood up, twirling around, the red flouncy skirt twirling around my thighs. "Let me guess. You worry because I’m a fragile human." I waved him off. "Like I said, I'll be fine. You do your sexy musician thing and I'll be waiting for you. Anxiously."
My flippant attitude didn't go over well. He yanked me closer and his already worried face twisted in his sudden anger. "You are fragile, Savannah. I could lose you at any second. Do you know what that's like to know that I could..."
His voice trailed off and he took a deep breath, releasing his iron like grip on my arms. He shook his head and stalked towards the door. He turned to talk to me but refused to show me his eyes. "Please stay with Ian."
Inwardly groaning at his words, I clenched my hands into fists. He had no idea how much I dreaded spending two hours of time with Ian. He was a nice enough man, but in the weeks I'd spent with Nick, I'd yet to hear him speak. And there was the whole werewolf thing that was unsettling to me...but the worry on Nick's face made me reconsider any of my potential arguments. I let my hands relax.
"I'll stay with Ian so you won’t worry," I ran my fingers through his soft hair. "You need to understand that I'm not going to change my entire life to be with you. I work for you…and we're, well, we’re whatever we are. And sweetheart, the reality is that you can't save me from everything."
The door cracked open and a blond man with a headset peeked his head in. "You're on in two."
Nick nodded swiftly at the man and his eyes shifted back to mine. The usual warmth was gone and his eyes were cold and emotionless. "We'll talk about his later."
He strode from the room without a second look back, his broad shoulders stiff. Dressed in black from head to toe, once again he reminded me of an avenging angel.
An avenging angel with a shitty attitude thanks to yours truly.
Running my fingers through my hair, I dropped back in the chair. I grabbed my laptop and started typing away, finishing the interview questions and answering e-mail from European radio stations that were requesting interviews. All of the e-mails were forwarded from Isabelle. Just seeing her name put me in an irritable mood.
As I scanned through the messages, I knew the exact moment he took the stage. It wasn't the pounding beat of the drums. It was the roar of the crowd. Closing my eyes, I imagined him on the stage in front of the crowd. Desire coiled angrily in my stomach as I thought of his hands on the guitar, the lights gleaming off his hair. He would look like pure, unadulterated sex.
A tap on my shoulder brought me out of my reverie. I blinked to see Ian standing above me, his rugged face expressionless. His auburn hair was slightly wavy, his pale golden eyes staring down on me.
"Did Nick send you back here for me?" I slammed shut the laptop lid and tossed it on the couch next to me. "I see you get to do his dirty work. You're a lucky man."
He said nothing, but one eyebrow rose slightly and the corner of his lip twitched before he regained his look of impassiveness.
Huffing loudly, I stood up and fumed as I headed towards the door. I opened it and turned back around defiantly. "I hope he's paying you well, Ian. If not, you deserve a raise." Tossing my hair back, I headed towards the stage with Ian on my heels.
I came to a screeching halt at the end of the backstage area. The contrast between the darkness of the stage and the pulsing bright spotlights made Nick look more ethereal than usual. He looked too beautiful, too perfect to be real. His fingers seemed to glide across the guitar strings. I wondered if over time, seeing him like this will lose its effect…just like it'd had been with every other man.
It was highly doubtful. Nick was anything but typical, vampire or not.
Watching with rapt attention, I was lost in his entire act like a love-struck fan girl. I'm not sure I moved for nearly two hours. I forgot that Ian was hovering over me and that Nick was likely still highly pissed off at my unconcerned attitude. I was lost in him. Stunned at the way he worked every inch of the stage, the pure emotion and energy he managed to put into every song was incredibly beautiful. Even the numerous transfers of guitars with the stage crew managed to look effortlessly sensual. His hand off showcased his rippling muscles, an entertaining distraction from the adoring screams from his admiring fans.
The last song finished and every one of the stage lights switched off. All around the stadium, lights began to shine throughout the arena. With a quiet gasp, I realized it was cell phone flashes, illuminating the huge area in a dim light.
It was time for the encore. The excitement and anticipation was infectious and I was drawn into the energy of the crowd. When the spotlights hit the stage, Nick had switched to an acoustic guitar. It hung over his shoulder as his hand gripped the microphone.
"This...this is for someone spe
cial to me. I didn't realize just how much this song would mean when I wrote it, but I understand now."
He swung the guitar around and began the song. He strummed though the chords and began to sing. His voice was perfect. It was smooth yet raspy, mellow but intense. He was hypnotizing to watch and listen to.
You blew in like a hurricane
Your violent beauty arresting
Nothing is the same
Everything about you is tempting
Innocent temptress, you'll bring me down
A walking contradiction
You've pulled me in with a single look
Proving my worth is my conviction
My hard heart you easily took
And I just can't let you go.
You make me question my existence
Twisting your fingers around my heart
You were sent to test my resistance
I'll never get enough of you.
There was no way to stop the sigh that escaped my lips. Even though it wasn't possible for him to hear me, I saw his eyes flash briefly to where I was standing. He began to sing again, and I nearly came unhinged.
You're my second chance to make it right
At the same time you're my biggest fear
Your blinding love has made me see the light
I want to push you away and pull you near
Like a supernova
Your love is radiantly blinding
By now I should have learned
I have hopeless expectations
And despite it all I keep trying
I just want to hold you in my arms
You make me question my existence
Twisting your fingers around my heart
You were sent to test my resistance
I'll never get enough of you.
I'll never get enough of you.
Nick finished the song and lowered his head, his chin against his chest. When he raised his face to the crowd, his superstar smile was firmly in place. He tossed his guitar pick into the crowd and blew a kiss to the audience.