Haunted (3 page)

“I get why it might be hard for you to find
the right guy, but that doesn’t mean he’s not out there. You just have to keep
the faith.”

“Who said I was waiting for some Prince
Charming?” she whispered. She had trouble finding her voice when he inched
closer. “I don’t need a man.”

His mouth quirked up at one corner. “Come
on, you must need a man to take the edge off now and then. A woman as sexy as
you must get offers all the time.”

Elle couldn’t deny she’d received a lot of
outrageous proposals. She sensed Caleb was different though. Drake trusted him,
which meant she could too. “Most men don’t have the nerve to ask me out. They
have this crazy notion that I’m untouchable just because I’m a celebrity.”

“Really?” He twisted a lock of her hair
around his index finger. “Personally, when I see someone I want, I go after
her. The worst thing that can happen is I get shot down, right?”

“I can’t imagine that happens very often.”
Elle couldn’t tear her eyes away from his face. He was the sexiest man she’d
ever met.

“Why do you say that?” he asked, lifting
his eyes to hers.

“I…” Did she really have the nerve to tell
him the truth?

Before she could decide, a knock on the
door pulled her out of her trance. A key fit in the lock just before the door
opened.

“Hey, guys, sorry to interrupt,” the man at
the door said. “I’m the manager, Paul. I just wanted to introduce myself and
ask if there’s anything I can get you?”

Caleb stood, offering Paul his hand. “I
hope you don’t mind us hiding out in here. The bouncer said it would be all
right. Things were kind of crazy out there.”

“No, of course I don’t mind. Sorry, I
didn’t catch your name.”

“Caleb Wright. I’m—”

Elle jumped up before Caleb could continue.
She didn’t know how they were going to present their relationship, and she
didn’t want Paul to know more than he should. “I’m really looking forward to
playing here tonight, Paul. Thanks for the invite.”

“Are you kidding?” He looked a little
star-struck as Elle took his hand. “I can’t believe you’re really here. This is
amazing. I’m a huge fan. I’ve bought all your albums, and when you were on tour
last year, I…” He broke eye contact and dropped her hand, looking embarrassed.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to go on like that.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Elle said, smiling to put
him at ease. “I’m flattered. It’s always nice to meet a fan.”

“It must be wild,” Paul said to Caleb.
“Getting to hang out with
the
Elle Morgan, huh?”

Caleb shot an amused glance Elle’s way.
“Yeah, it’s pretty wild.”

Elle didn’t suspect Caleb was impressed
easily. Given his line of work, he’d probably rubbed elbows with bigger stars
than her. He treated her like a real person instead of a famous face.

“Well, I’ll leave you two alone. If you
need anything, just pick up the phone,” he said, gesturing to the desk.
“Dialing 232 will connect you to the bar.”

“Thanks, will do,” Caleb said.

“Uh, I hate to ask this, Elle,” Paul said,
“but people have been asking whether you’ll be signing autographs after your
set.”

Elle looked at Caleb. “Would you mind
waiting around for a bit longer?”

“Of course not. It’s your call.”

“If you want to set up a table somewhere,
I’d be happy to stick around for an hour or so after my set to sign some
autographs, Paul.”

“That’s great,” he said, grinning. “Thanks
a lot.”

“My pleasure.” Elle waited until Paul left
before she turned to Caleb. “I hope I’m not inconveniencing you. I mean… you
don’t have someone waiting on you, do you?” Drake had told her Caleb didn’t
have a girlfriend, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t hooking up with someone.

Caleb rolled his tongue in his cheek, seeming
pleased she’d asked about his commitments. “Would I be flirting with you if I
had someone waiting on me at home?”

“Is that what you were doing?” she asked,
deciding to play along. “Flirting with me?”

“If you can’t tell, I must be losing my
touch.”

Elle lowered her head to look up at him
coyly from beneath her long lashes. “If my racing heart is any indication,
you’re definitely on your game tonight.”

“Is that so?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow.
“Maybe it’s time for me to step it up.” He tunneled his hands into her hair.
“You’re too beautiful for any sane man to resist. You know that, don’t you?”

Elle worried her heart was beating so hard
he could hear it, but she refused to show fear. She stepped in close enough to
feel the heat emanating from his solid body. “So stop trying to resist.”

“Maybe I like to take my time,” he said,
licking his lips. “Let the anticipation build.”

“If it builds any more, I might
spontaneously combust.” She linked her arms around his neck.

“Mmmm…” He leaned in, lowering his head as
his mouth grazed her neck. “That might be kind of fun to watch.”

Elle was getting hotter by the minute as
she imagined getting all sweaty with him in tangled sheets. Tired of waiting,
she grabbed the back of his neck and brought his head down to meet hers. As
soon as his tongue teased her lips open, Elle knew why she’d vowed not to date
again until the right man came along. Kissing someone who turned her on with
barely a touch excited her more than performing in front of a capacity crowd.

She wanted to see what Caleb would do with
a little encouragement. Deepening the kiss, moaning into his mouth, and molding
her body to his felt like the most natural thing in the world. She didn’t feel
as though she was kissing a stranger; she felt as though she was kissing her
long-time lover. Like his body intuitively knew hers as well as she knew his.

Caleb groaned, tearing his mouth from hers.
“Slow down, girl. Otherwise things may get out of hand, and you won’t make it
to that stage.”

Thrill bumps chased each other along Elle’s
skin when she thought about him taking her right there, right then. She’d been
trapped in her head for so long, torturing herself with worst case scenarios,
that she would give almost anything to escape to the land of ecstasy Caleb
promised.

“You don’t expect me to apologize for
getting carried away, do you?” She grinned. Elle wasn’t a timid virgin afraid
of letting a man know she was interested. “Because I have no intention of
telling you that kiss shouldn’t have happened. It should have, and I’d like it
to again.”

Caleb stared into her eyes a long time.
“Where the hell have you been all my life?”

Elle swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. He
was holding her too tight for her to break free, but that didn’t mean the
thought hadn’t occurred to her. The way he was looking at her so intensely made
her want to retreat.

He must have felt her trepidation because
he loosened his grip. “I’ve made you uncomfortable.”

“No, I just—”

“Don’t lie to me, Elle.” He touched his
finger to her lips. “That’s all I ask. Don’t ever lie to me. If you’re not into
me, just say so.”

“That’s not it at all.” She knew she was a
coward for looking at the buttons running down his chest instead of in his
eyes. “I do like you. Obviously I’m attracted to you. It’s just that this is
happening way too fast.”

He let his hands fall to his sides as he
stepped back. “I understand.”

Missing the warmth of his embrace, Elle
regretted opening her big mouth. A relationship was a complication she didn’t
need right now, and something told her Caleb wouldn’t embrace the idea of a
one-night stand. But she needed someone to hold her tonight, to promise her
everything would be all right. If that made her weak, so be it. She was tired
of getting through the night alone.

“No, you don’t understand.” She reached for
his hands. “I’ve had a rough year, Caleb. I’ve been working way too hard, and
I’m a little burnt out.”

“We both know this isn’t about your work.”
He held her eyes, refusing to let her look away. “You don’t even know me, and I
don’t expect you to confide in me about what’s going on with you. I understand
people in your position have to be careful who they trust.”

He had no idea how right he was. “Thank you
for understanding, for not pushing me.”

“I’d never push you.” He kissed her hand.
“I think you’re beautiful. You’re sweet and obviously talented as hell.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. She couldn’t
explain why his opinion mattered so much to her, but it did.

“I’ll admit I’m intrigued.” He rubbed his
thumb in slow circles against her wrist, making her shiver. “It’s been a long
time since I met a woman who made me feel something within minutes of meeting
her. Maybe what we have is just great chemistry, or maybe it’s more than that;
I don’t know, but I’d like the chance to find out.”

Elle knew he was waiting for a response.
While song lyrics poured out of her so easily, she couldn’t find the words he
wanted to hear.

Caleb looked over his shoulder when someone
knocked on the door. “I guess they’re ready for you.”

She should be grateful for the interruption,
but she couldn’t shake the feeling she’d just made a colossal mistake letting
his words die. “Can we continue this conversation later?”

He shrugged. “Sure, if you want to. No
pressure.”

As he watched Elle command the stage
as though she was born to it, Caleb knew he was in trouble. He was supposed to
be watching her back, not fantasizing about ways to get her
on
her back.
He hadn’t expected their powerful attraction. She was like a magnet and he was
steel, helplessly gravitating toward her and connecting with her whether he
wanted to or not.

“She’s incredible, isn’t she?” the guy next
to him asked. “The first time I laid eyes on her, I knew she was special.”

Caleb noticed the man’s expensive suit and
jewelry. He looked out of place in the crowd of jeans, T-shirts, and tank tops.
“Yeah, she is.”

“I saw y’all come in together. I tried to
make my way over, but it looked like you were anxious to get away from that
crowd. I can’t say I blame you. They’re a wild bunch.”

“You know Elle?” Caleb asked, feeling
uneasy. The last thing he wanted was to hear she was dating someone.

The man extended his hand. “Evan Spencer. I
own Elle’s label, Titan Records.”

“Oh.” Caleb released the breath he’d been
holding when he spotted the wide gold wedding band on Evan’s hand. “Nice to
meet you, Evan.”

“I spoke to Drake earlier. He told me you
would be here with Elle tonight.”

“Did he?” Caleb didn’t know whether Evan
knew that he was just here as Elle’s driver and guardian. After the kiss they’d
shared, he wasn’t willing to be dismissed so easily, but at the same time, he
didn’t want to blow their cover.

“Thank you for watching out for her. Elle’s
a great girl, and she means a lot to Titan Records and to me.” He continued
when Caleb raised an eyebrow. “Not just because she makes us a ton of money.
Obviously she does, but she’s a really good person, and that’s not easy to find
in this business. Elle hasn’t let the money and fame go to her head. She’s
still real, still grounded, and I love that about her.”

“Hmm, I’ll have to take your word for
that.” Caleb sipped his bottled water. “I just met her tonight.”

“I could tell by the way you were looking
at her that you realize how special she is.”

Caleb didn’t confirm or deny Evan’s claim.
He had no intention of opening up to a stranger about feelings he hadn’t even
had time to process.

“She’s been through a tough time lately,”
Evan said. “I don’t know all the details. She’s a master at keeping it
professional, but I can tell something’s been off with her lately. You wouldn’t
know anything about that, would you?”

Caleb frowned. “Even if I did, I wouldn’t
tell you. You wanna know what’s up with Elle, ask her yourself.”

Evan grinned. “I thought you might say
that, but you can’t blame me for trying.”

The two remained silent as Elle transfixed
them with a haunting ballad about love and loss.

“Don’t think I’ve heard this one before,”
Caleb said. That sexy, raspy quality in her voice made him think about what it
would be like to hear his name on her lips when he made love to her. “Is it
going to be on the new album?”

“Yeah, she’s testing a few new ones
tonight,” Evan said. “This is one of them. What do you think?”

“I love it.”

“Yeah, me too. As soon as I heard it, I
knew it had to be on the album.” He looked at Caleb. “She’s going back out on
the road soon. Did she tell you that?”

“I know.” Caleb didn’t know why Evan was
reminding him, nor was he going to ask.

“It’s not easy being with someone who
travels so much. Just ask my wife.”

“I guess not.”