Heartstrings (Rock With You #1) Rock Star Romance (6 page)

Melody
was suddenly aware of the sounds of the office outside Ryan’s door, the others
who were leaving for the day, walking past the open door. She saw Lori at her
desk, holding her purse, watching as Ryan and Melody walked past her cubicle.

“See
you tomorrow, Ryan.” Lori caught Melody’s eye, a frown passing briefly over her
face. “Good-night, Melody.”

“See
you bright and early, Lori. We’ll have the MacKenzie case to work on tomorrow
so you can plan for that.”

Ryan
walked Melody to the elevators. “You know, I’ve been thinking. We should use
Lori for this case, not Melissa.”

Melody
opened her mouth but Ryan went on. “She’s more experienced and lately, well,
Melissa’s been all over the place. And she’s clearly ineffective when it comes
to working with someone of Logan’s magnitude.” Ryan shook his head. “Sad…I
thought she had promise.”

The
elevator arrived and Melody hurried into the car, pressing the button for her
floor. She panicked briefly, thinking Ryan was going to ride down with her, but
he remained on his floor. She watched him disappear behind the doors of the
elevator, finally taking a deep breath.

Melissa
was already gone when Melody got back to her office.
One less confrontation
for today, thank heavens.

How
was she going to tell Melissa she was off the case? Melody’s head was swirling.
She sat at her desk, the case file spread in front of her. Logan’s case.

“Oh,
god. Logan…dinner.” She glanced at her watch. It was still early, she had time
to get home, change out of her business suit and get a cab back to meet Logan.
She gave a rueful laugh.
Never thought I’d be looking forward to seeing Logan
MacKenzie.

* * *

Melody
was still late, arriving breathlessly at the restaurant. She stood at the
maître d’ station, restlessly scanning the dark restaurant, looking for Logan
among the seated diners. She jumped when someone touched her arm, as a warm
breath brushed against her cheek.

“You’re
late, but still a welcome sight.” His voice was soft against her ear.

She
turned, looking up at Logan. “Oh…you scared me.”

“Sorry,
didn’t mean to. You’re a bit skittish, no? Is it me, or something else?” He
nodded over her head, steering her after the retreating back of the maître d’
as the man lead them to their table.

She
waited until they were seated before she spoke. “Surprisingly, it’s not just you.”

Logan
glanced at the wine list, ordering something Melody didn’t catch. The waiter
returned with the bottle, pouring Logan a glass of the deep, red win.  He
took a sip, nodded and the waiter poured a glass for Melody.  She took a
long swallow of hers, scowling as Logan grinned at her.

“On
your way to getting wrecked again? I’ll not be responsible for you…or what I
might do to you…if you do.”

Melody
shook her head. “No, if you mean am I getting drunk. It’s been a long, strange
day. I needed a drink, and this is really good.” She set the glass on the
table, noticing there was far less in it than when she’d first picked it up.

Slow
down, Melody… or you’ll be right back to where you were last time.

“And
I suspect I was the start of it?” Logan took a sip of wine. “Couldn’t have been
easy for you to find me at your office, knowing how you feel about me.”

“Seeing
you at the office was certainly a surprise, yes.” She took a deep breath,
feeling the warmth of the wine radiating through her limbs. For the first time
that day she relaxed.

“But…it’s
nothing.” She waved her hand. There was no way she could explain to Logan
Ryan’s behavior…she didn’t think she even understood what was happening.

“The
rest is work stuff and you said you didn’t want to talk about that.” She
resisted the urge to take another gulp of wine, instead toying with the wine
glass, twirling the stem between her fingers.

“Tell
me about your band, Logan. I don’t know much about the type of music you play.
I’ve only heard the one song on the radio since…well, since that night.”

Logan
laughed. “That’s what you call our night of passion, together? ‘That night?’”

Melody
grimaced. “I don’t know what to call it, because I don’t know what it was…is.”
She pulled her glass closer, finally giving in, taking another swallow.

Logan
sat back, watching her for a moment. “Alright…the band…Revival. We’d been mates
in school, messing around in garages and playing for our friends. Got the idea
we were good…started playing for free in the pubs, although we got in more than
one stramash…” Logan caught Melody’s puzzled look. “Bar fight, I guess you’d
call it. But failin’ means yer playin’, so we kept playin’. And we got better.
Enough so we were getting paid.”

There
was a wistful smile on Logan’s face as he spoke. “It was good back then.
Sleeping on the road, writing songs in the wee hours of the morning, playing
out that night and singing the same, the words on a paper stuck to the floor so
I wouldn’t forget them. But it was us then, only us, and we were happy.”

“And
that’s all gone now? Because of Jack Ashton?”

“Aye.
It is…or it’s going fast. Me striking out on my own wasn’t so bad, but Jack’s
made it seem as though I’m leaving the band. And that’s not what I’m doing. The
band is my heart; the solo stuff’s just messing about. I’d leave that in a
heartbeat, to be honest. But Jack’s driven a wedge between us and I don’t know
if it can be pulled out.”

Logan
looked across the table at Melody. “And then you, not knowing if you’re mad at
me or hate me or what. It’s been tearing at me, Melody. I thought I’d lost you
before I even had you.”

Melody
laughed, shaking her head. “You haven’t ‘had me’ yet, Logan. You slept with
me—once. That does not make for a relationship. And now you’re my client.”

Logan
shook his head, that charming smile of his playing around the corners of his
mouth. He reached across the table, taking her hands in his. “I know. But I’d
like the chance to make it something more.”

“You
would? After just one night?”

“Don’t
you believe in love at first sight?” Logan rubbed his thumb briefly across the
knuckles of her hands, before turning them palm upward.

“Do
you?” she whispered. It seemed to Melody the room had gone completely still,
leaving just her and Logan.

His
dark eyes met hers and she saw the same passion she remembered from their night
together. Her breath caught, and in that instant she wanted him again, wanted
to go with him to see if there was something more…if there could be more to
this than just one night of lust.
But he’s your client.

“Aye,
sometimes I do. I just might believe it happened to me…at least I want the
chance to find out. Do you want the chance to find out, Melody?” Logan’s voice
was low, the smooth voice she remembered, the one that did magical things to
her.

Logan
was still holding her hands when the waiter arrived with their dinner. Logan
spoke without looking away from Melody.

“Have
dinner sent to my room, please. And a bottle of Macallan, the best year you
have.”

Melody
was unable to hold back a laugh. “I should have known you’d pick the restaurant
in your hotel. I was too distracted by being late to even notice.”

Logan
smiled as he rose, pulling her up from her chair. “You can’t fault me for
trying. And unless you’re starving, I think there’s a better use for our
evening, don’t you?”

Impulsively
Melody stood on tiptoe, kissing Logan. “I do at that, Mr. MacKenzie.”

It
was Melody who reached back for the half-empty bottle of red wine.

“Never
leave the wine, even for a handsome wanton man. I heard someone say that…or
something like that…not too long ago.”

* * *

Logan
let them into his room, tossing the key on a side table. Melody set the wine on
the coffee table, surprised at the modest size of the suite, just a small
sitting area with a bedroom visible through a door to her right.

“This
isn’t quite…somehow I expected something bigger.”

Logan
had turned on a few lamps, lighting the room in a glow. As he walked toward
her, she took in everything about him, how the light caught his dark eyes, with
the ever-present hint of a smile, the high cheekbones, straight nose. And those
lips.
God, he’s handsome.

“I
don’t need all that much…just a bed and a closet. I’d rather spend my money on
good Scotch and good food…” He reached out, one hand slowly caressing Melody’s
arm.

“Or
you, if I had the chance. I’ve never really had a woman to indulge. Might be
something we’d both enjoy.”

“I
can’t believe you’ve never had a girlfriend. None at all?” The touch of his
fingers on her skin was setting a small fire alight deep inside. As handsome as
he was, and as much as she was attracted to Logan, she was suddenly shy,
nervous. It was easy to be brazen in the crush and noise of the restaurant, but
here, alone in his room, with his intentions clear, Melody found herself
unsure, hesitating. That he was her client complicated matters tremendously.
Unethical,
goes against everything you stand for…but only if someone finds out.

“None
serious, no. There are always girls around, hangers on, groupies you’d call
them. Nothing serious there. I can’t say I’m immune to them; probably bedded
more than I should have.”

“Any
recently?” Melody tried to bite back the words, but it was too late.

Logan
pulled her to him, his arms going around her waist. “No, not a one since you.
Don’t want anyone but you. The others…usually I was just tired of being alone
on the road. Sad reason to bed a woman, but there it is.”

Melody
could feel the warmth of his body against hers, his strong arms holding her.
She looked up, lost herself for a moment in his eyes. He leaned down, his lips
soft as he kissed her. But beneath the gentleness of the moment, she sensed his
arousal, the passion from their first encounter barely contained beneath the
surface.

Her
body remembered this feeling, his lips on hers, his hands on her body. But she
wasn’t drunk this time, and the voice in her head that had been absent—or
a sodden drunk—last time, spoke up, loud and clear.
This is uncharted
territory and it’s not safe…it’s wrong on so many levels.

But
louder and more insistent was the voice that told her that this was a once in a
lifetime chance at something she’d never experienced before.
Is it more
important than your career? It just might be…

Logan
broke their kiss, looking down into Melody’s eyes. “I see I have my work ahead
of me. Maybe it was the Macallan last time that aided me. I’ll just have to win
you over with my charm alone then, without the Scotch.”

“You
had me at a disadvantage last time, Logan. You know that. But I am here now…I
want to be here. But it’s…I’m different…this time, and there’s more at stake
now. You’re more real…everything’s in sharper focus, I guess. I’m not seeing
you through a haze of alcohol fueled self-pity.”

“
‘More real’. Hmm…I don’t believe I’ve ever been called that. But…I have been
called worse.” He pulled her back against him, his hands splayed across her
back, his smile lighting up his eyes.

He
grew serious for a moment. “Are the stakes too high? Is this worth risking
whatever it is that you have to lose?”

Melody
wrapped her arms around Logan’s neck, pulling him close. Her body responded to
his touch, his solid warmth, his undeniable sex appeal. A smile pulled at the
corners of her lips, despite her anxiety.

“Yes,
I think so. But you’ll have to work at winning me over this time, I guess. I’m
not falling for your magic potion.”

The
knock on the door and the discreet call of ‘room service’ made her jump. Logan
kissed her forehead before stepping away to open the door. A deferential waiter
pushed a cart carrying their dinner into the room, prominent among the covered
dishes a bottle of Macallan and two glasses.

As
the waiter left, Melody saw Logan slip the do not disturb sign on the door
before turning the lock. She tried unsuccessfully to suppress a giggle. Logan turned;
mock serious, a frown on his face, but amusement lighting up his eyes.

“I’m
serious here. You said I have work to do. I want no chance of being
interrupted.”

Melody
waved her hands. “Oh, I know. It’s just…” She collapsed on the couch in a fit
of giggles. “I’m sorry…it’s just…I’m not laughing at you.”

“Aye,
you are. But I don’t mind. I’d rather have you laugh at me than wallop me
alongside the head.”

Logan
watched as Melody regained control. “You’re scared and I understand. A bit
skittish, nervous giggling, all designed to put off the inevitable There’s
something holding you back….” He reached out a hand to her, and she took it, Logan
pulling her off the couch.

She
took a final deep breath as the giggles faded away. “Things were different last
time, Logan. I’d just won a big case…and was dumped by my fiancé. My emotions
were all over the place. And yes…I was on my way to being drunk when you
rescued me.” She shook her head.