Here With You (14 page)

"If it were me," KT said suddenly, "I'd do this with the music."

Pausing, he listened as she turned his few measures into a complicated melody.

Something in his head clicked, and there it was. A
stir of excitement in his chest
,
he started playing along, layering
haunting mystery
on top of her music.

This was it. It felt
right
. He pulled out his phone to
record what they
we
re playing.

KT
nodded when he joined back in. Then she played a section over and said, "
I'd repeat this part as the refrain.
"

"Yes." He set the guitar down and got up to jot down notes in the notebook Nicole
had given him.

He noted the melody, writing down the complicated twist KT gave his original tune.
He wrote down the lyrics, and then a few more lines that flowed with the rest.

KT craned her neck to look at his notebook. "Are those drawings part of the song?"

"Nicole gave me this book and told me to fill it with my thoughts."

"
So you've been thinking a lot about stick figures with daggers in their hearts?
"

He shrugged. "
It's the only thing I can draw.
"

KT
tipped her head and stared at him. "
What's going on between you and Nicole?
"

Amazing, amazing lovemaking. "
Not what you're insinuating.
"

"
Bullshit.
" KT arched her brow. "
My ear is trained to hear subtle differences, and when you said her name, your tone
changed.
"

He picked up the guitar and strummed the melody again, to drown her out.

"
You can ignore me all you want, but I know what's going on
," she said
.
"
I recognize
loving
afterglow when I see it. Sex
by itself
is just messy.
"

"
Only if you do it right, darlin'.
"
He winked at her.

KT rolled her eyes
. "
Just be careful. Being a musician and having a relationship don't mix unless you're
both on the same path.
"

He knew that. He'd seen too many couples fall apart—badly—to think that he could have
a regular relationship alongside his career in its current incarnation. Hell—he'd
tried it himself, but it'd become apparent really quickly that it wasn't going to
work.
"
Nic was very clear about not wanting a relationship.
"

"
All women want relationships.
"

"
You don't.
"

His friend shrugged. "
I'm the exception that proves the rule.
"

He kissed her forehead. "
You're a nut, but you're cute, so at least you have that going for you.
"

KT pointed to the door
. "
Get out. I'm done with you.
"

Grinning, he returned the guitar to its stand. "Thanks for brainstorming my song with
me."

"I expect to be credited." S
h
e ran her nimble fingers over the keyboard in a hard melody, but the corner of her
mouth kicked up.

He tucked the notepad in his coat and tapped the top of the grand piano. "See ya."

She nodded, already immersed in her song.

He checked the time as he started to walk back to Nicole's apartment. She should be
home from work by now.

The past few days had been strange. Not bad—just strange. He hadn't known what to
expect, but the passion hadn't cooled. But it wasn't just sex either. Last night,
they'd ended up having a nice dinner at home with Susan followed by a wicked game
of Scrabble. Nicole, of course, lost interest halfway into the game, but Susan had
managed to rally her to hang in there until the end.

Susan was a nice girl. He wasn't the least bit intrigued by her.

Nicole, on the other hand, fascinated him in a way he'd never experienced. It baffled
him—he knew her already. He'd known her forever—there shouldn't have been any mystery
left there.

But there was.

His phone rang. Thinking it might be Nicole, he pulled it out, wincing when he saw
it was his manager again. He let it go and then listened to the voicemail.

"Grif, what the fu—eff are you doing in San Francisco? I saw the hotel charge on my
American Express card, not to mention the pictures posted all over Facebook and Twitter
of you dancing with that girl.
This
is how you work on your new music? The studio execs are
not
happy." There was a pause, then he added, "Call me. And please tell me you're using
condoms. Paternity suits are a bitch."

Shaking his head, Grif tucked the phone away and walked up the steps to Nicole's apartment.
The light was on inside, and his heart hammered with hope that it was her. Alone.
He was dying to take her in his arms.

Nicole was already home, standing at the counter in the kitchen, reading a book as
something warmed in the microwave. She looked up as he walked in.

His breath caught, the way it seemed to whenever he looked into her eyes. Given the
choice between another hit album and Nicole, he knew exactly which one he'd choose,
and Roddy wouldn't be psyched about his answer.

Grif took his hat and sunglasses off, setting them on the kitchen table. "Is Susan
home yet?"

"She went out of town today for a couple days."

"Good."
He
strode up to Nic
and kisse
d
her, from the bottom of his soul, the way he'd been thinking of doing all day.

She melted against him instantly, her arms wrapping around his waist, her hands slipping
inside his shirt, cold on his back.

He didn't care. He'd warm her up. "I need you. Now."

"The couch." S
h
e took his hand and pulled him into the living room.

He felt a stab of disappointment. She'd never invited him to her bed. He knew her
room was sacred, but it bothered him that she lumped him in with the other men that
she'd dated.

She'd also refused to
show him her designs. He'd brought it up a couple times, but she'd bristled, so he
avoided that topic. He didn't even bring up the fact that he'd give his left nut to
see her in the black one.

He just had to convince her to trust him. After all, he was the one here with her—no
one else.

She let go of him and pulled her top over her head, flashing him her impish smile.

Red lace—heaven help him. "Convenient
that Susan's out of town
," he said calmly as if he weren't bursting at the seams to be inside her. He unbuttoned
his jeans.

She undid her pants, unzipped her boots, and pushed them all off in one swoop.
"She travels a lot for work."

He took her in, the bare skin, the gentle curves. Admiring. In awe. "I am grateful."

"For?" Her hair cascaded down her back as she took her ponytail down.

"For
Susan being gone. For
you." He wrapped his arms around her waist, loving the feel of her, loving her scent.
"For this. I don't want to take a moment with you for granted."

Her lips curved in that adorable crooked grin that hadn't changed. "We better get
on it then
,
"
she said as she stripped bare.

Quickly taking his clothes off, he sat down and pulled her to straddle his lap.

She rubbed herself on him, her hands anchored on his shoulders.
"
You know what I'm grateful for?"

"Tell me."

"The chance to do this." She nibbled her way up his chest, his neck, spearing her
fingers in his hair as she took his mouth.

He held her tight, needing to be closer, needing to be inside her. He lay back, pulling
her over him.

She sat up and looked around. "Condoms?"

He cursed under his breath. He'd been in such a hurry to get her naked that he forgot
to get them out. "In my bag."

Nicole stopped him from moving with a hand on his chest. "I'm on the pill, if you're
safe."

Stilling, he stared at her. He wouldn't have trusted anyone else—Roddy had drummed
caution into his head. But Nicole was different. He trusted Nicole with everything.
"I'm safe," he said softly.

"Good." She reached between them and took hold of him.

The thought of sliding into her, no barriers, had him breathless. He hissed as she
slowly slid down on top of him.

"Okay?" she asked, easing herself down the rest of the way.

"Better than okay." He held her hip with one hand but gave her the room to move the
way she wanted.

Sighing, she closed her eyes and dropped her head back. She rolled her hips back and
forth against him. "I've been thinking of this all day."

Liking the husky timber of her voice, he reached his free palm to abrade the tips
of her breasts. "Does it feel just like you imagined?"

"Better." She braced herself on his chest and rubbed herself up and down on him, over
and over. The little sounds she made were so hot, and combined with the feel of her
taking her pleasure with him had him ready.

He had to hold out—he wanted to watch her come first. He gritted his teeth and pushed
his pelvis up.

She gasped, her fingers biting into his skin. Her eyes were still closed, but her
head fell forward and the rocking of her hips became frantic.

"Yes, Nicole," he said softly, his hold on her firm. "Take me. I'm all yours, for
your pleasure. Take it from me, Nicole."

She cried out, and he felt her tighten around him as she orgasmed.

It pushed him over the edge, too. His neck arched and he called out her name as his
hips pushed up into her one last time.

She collapsed on his chest. He felt her heartbeat against his chest, and he cuddled
her closer. They lay silently for a while, then he said, "I had a breakthrough today."

"Really?" She moved her head so she could look at him.

"I have one part of my song."

"That's great." Her smile didn't seem to reach her eyes. "And the lyrics too?"

"Some of them. Once I nail the music, the rest comes pretty quickly."

"I guess you'll be out of my hair soon," she said slowly.

"You don't sound happy about that." He tried not to feel hopeful but it was hard.

She shrugged, flipping her hair so it covered her face. "This is a pretty ideal situation.
I'll be sorry to see it end."

"Does it have to end?" he asked carefully.

Nicole shifted off him, sitting on the edge of the couch. "What are you saying?"

"Come with me." He sat up and took her hand. "My manager knows I'm in San Francisco,
and it's only a matter of time until the real world crashes down on me. It'd be great
to have you with me. I haven't felt this way in a long time."

"You're just in the afterglow of creativity."

Funny—KT had used that exact term. "It's more than that, Nic."

"What about my job?"

"It's in a lingerie store. You can come back to it
or find another one to work in if you change your mind
."

"It's not just a lingerie store. It's a community." She frowned. "
I love working there.
"

But was it more important than he was? The insinuation irritated him. She never stuck
with anything—he didn't see how that shop would be any different.

Not that he could point that out without risking becoming a eunuch, so instead he
said, "W
hat about designing your own lingerie?
"

S
he recoil
ed as if
he
'd
suggested killing puppies for a living.

"
It can't be that far out from left field
," he said. "
You draw
pictures of underwear
all the time. You must have entertained the idea, even fleetingly.
"

"
It's just something I like to do.
" She pulled her hand away. "
It's not anything more than a way to pass time.
"

"
Maybe it should be.
The designs I saw were evocative. I could see them on you, and they'd look sexy as
hell."

She stared at him like the Sphinx: mysterious and inscrutable. Finally she said, "
Tell me about your song.
"

"You're changing the subject," he said, disappointed.

"It seems smartest."

"I don't know about that, but it's certainly safest."

She swallowed. "You like being safe."

"Yes, but sometimes you have to take a risk." He brushed her hair back, suddenly positive
this was one of those instances.

But Nicole apparently didn't think so, because she gave him a flippant grin and slid
back over him. "I say we get risky again, just you and me and this couch."

He let her engage him in a deep kiss, knowing she was trying to distract him as much
as turn him on. So he kissed the breath out of her. If words didn't work, he'd show
her they could be different. He was going to try his damndest to convince her,
even if he wasn't sure she'd see it through and stick with it.

Chapter Seventeen

Rachel peeked her head into Romantic Notions after school, looking for Griffin Chase.
No sign of him still.

Grrr
. She made a face. At this rate she'd give him her mom's poem in time for the tenth
anniversary of her death. The
–sons
had given her a hard time about it again today. What else was new, right? Rachel
wished she hadn't said anything to them, but the satisfaction when Griffin Chase used
her poem would be so great.

If she could track him down.

"Hey there." The sales lady, Nicole, emerged from the back and smiled at her. "How
are you?"

"Okay," she murmured
,
hunching her shoulders as she backed out of the store.