Next Song I Sing (NEXT TIME AROUND) (7 page)

He didn’t really care that she was right. But she was right.

Then Jasper thought of the woman waiting in his room, a woman who was never going to make him feel even a fraction this needy, never had in the entire time he’d known her. Chloe’s divorce might be fresh and still emotionally raw for her, but his—Jasper decided—his was finally, blessedly over. And he didn’t even care that Max was going to say he told him so.

He just wanted to make sure that some point in the future would bring him and Chloe back to kissing again.

“Okay,” Jasper said reasonably, wanting to say or do anything that would inspire Chloe to think of this favorably. He slid hands away from her breasts to bring her close again, this time moving his hips against hers, making sure it was obvious what he wanted. “When you’re ready for this to happen, will you promise to let me know?”

He moved his lips across her cheek again, thrilled all over again when she sighed.

Chloe nodded against Jasper’s jaw, her breasts pressed hard against his very firm chest because he was still holding her so tightly. She couldn’t handle thinking about what else was firm on the man. That would lead to her acknowledging a temptation that she was definitely not sober enough to handle.

“Do you want me to get my friends to come hear you sing?” Jasper asked softly. “I meant that too.”

Chloe laughed again and shook her head from side to side. “No. That’s nice of you, but I’m really not a professional. I just like to sing. I told you—I’m just an accountant.”

Jasper let go with one hand and lifted her chin, his system calming at the realization that her self-confidence was not nearly on the same level as her talent, which was a shame. “I think you’re a lot more than you think you are, Chloe Zanders. Will you sing to me again tonight?”

She pulled away slightly to look up at him and smile. “Sure. A couple more mai tais and I might even dance. It takes a lot of lubrication for me to sing. I’m actually a shy person.”

Jasper laughed then. She had to be teasing. He would have said alluring, sexy, flirty, and charming. The woman was a tad insecure, but anything but shy.

“Sure. Right. You’re shy. That’s why I’m going to have such a hard time walking back to the lounge with you without everyone knowing exactly what went on between us. I’m having a hard enough time just taking my hands off you,” he said, charmed by her pleased smile even as she blushed slightly.

“Flatterer,” Chloe said, ducking her head. “My little peck on the lips was not the one that caused your discomfort. It was that thing you did with your tongue that sent us over the top. I’m not exactly comfortable right now myself.”

“Good to know. At the risk of sounding like a bad person, I wouldn’t have wanted to miss the opportunity to cause you that kind of discomfort,” Jasper said wryly on a laugh, turning her gently as he opened the office door.

“While the mai tais are still working their magic, I’ll just say that I feel the same way, Mr. Wade. I’m happy to be so acutely uncomfortable,” Chloe said boldly, tucking her arm in his as they walked back to the lounge, mostly because she didn’t trust her weakened legs not to stumble. “And I wish I had met you when I was more ready.”

“Really? So just how long do you think it’s going to take for you to be ready? I’ll set up a time then for us to meet again,” Jasper said seriously, pulling Chloe’s arm tighter through his until her breast was squashed tightly against him.

Chloe giggled, her head spinning at his intimate action. Too much liquor and too much Jasper, but the man sure was a lot of fun.

“I’ll try to grieve my divorce quickly,” she replied, deliberately flirting and earning a husky laugh from the man on her arm.

Jasper walked Chloe to the center of the lobby before excusing himself to go back to the front desk. He motioned one of the desk clerks over to the counter.

“I need an extra key to Max’s suite,” he whispered.

To her credit, his discreet clerk said nothing, just made a key card and passed it to Jasper. He smiled in approval. “Thank you, Lily.”

“Sir, can I ask you a quick question?” Lily whispered back.

“Yes, certainly,” Jasper answered easily, keeping his voice as low as hers.

“Um…what should we say the next time an inquiry is made about where you are this evening?” Lily asked, keeping her gaze as neutral as possible.

Jasper paused for a moment or two thinking, looking again at the lush woman who had sparked his internal debate. There was no way he could spend the night with Rayonna now or ever again. He’d had his hands on Chloe, felt his blood charging where it was supposed to without any coaxing. There was quite simply no going back to less when the promise of more was waiting for him in the lobby right now, humming to herself as she smiled at him. He watched Chloe lift a hand and wiggle a few fingers in a flirty wave. He smiled back at her and turned to his clerk.

“Just say I’m working,” Jasper said, pushing the guilt away. “I’ll resolve the rest tomorrow. Thank you, Lily.”

“You’re welcome, Mr. Wade,” she said, watching him walk to where the sparkly, smiling woman waited.

***

After he was out of earshot, Lily couldn’t bite back the sigh. She watched the woman hook her arm through Mr. Wade’s as they walked back to the lounge together. When he whispered something quietly in her ear, her musical laugh echoed through the lobby.

“That’s the singer,” Brent said, meeting Lily’s gaze. “I saw her when I came out of the café earlier. I had to stick my head in for a moment to listen. I don’t know who she is, but her voice is amazing.”

“What’s more amazing is that Mr. Wade just blew off his ex for her,” Lily said. “Good for him. The singer looks like she’d be a lot more fun. It makes me happy to see someone better than that evil walking toothpick get the hero of the story for once.”

“Maybe Mr. Wade has finally figured out that curvy women are more fun,” Brent vowed, eying Lily’s curves with interest, grinning when she smacked his arm. “Ow…I’ve always known it. I don’t even like skinny women. Why are you smacking on me?”

“I don’t trust your motives for agreeing with me,” Lily said.

“Why? I’m a good guy. I’m a hero,” Brent declared. “Now be nice to me or I’ll tell the walking toothpick that you don’t like her.”

Lily snorted and rolled her eyes. “Why? You don’t like her either.”

“True, but I hide it better,” Brent said.

They watched the couple disappear around the corner into the lounge before going back to their work.

***

When Chloe came back in with Jasper, Taylor and Emma pointed to the piano. Taylor put her hand on Max’s shoulder when he started to rise from the bench.

“Stay, Max,” she ordered, sliding onto the bench beside him. “Keep us company.”

Max looked sideways at Taylor, grinning and wondering if it was her way of spending more time with him.

“You always this bossy?” he asked. “I don’t mind it—just wanted to know for future reference.”

“Sometimes I’m worse,” Taylor said on a laugh.

“Taylor,” Emma began, “let’s do some Aretha. How about her rendition of ‘Chain of Fools’?”

“Can I play too?” Max asked.

“I don’t know. Can you?” Taylor asked back, smiling at Max’s grin when she hit the first notes. Max tinkled on the keys above her and smiled back.

When Chloe opened her mouth though, the sound had Max squirming on the bench.

“Shit,” he whispered in surprise, fortunately softly enough that only Taylor could hear him. “It’s even better over here. I feel her voice inside me.”

Taylor laughed and then picked up her part with Emma. When they got to the acapella part, Max stopped playing and was snapping along, keeping time on the side of the piano.

Then the four of them just forgot everything but the song. At the end, Max was smiling, and the clapping was enthusiastic.

“Do you sing?” Taylor asked him.

“Not like your friend,” Max said, sincere regret in his tone.

“Friend? Oh, right—you don’t know them yet. Max, this is Emma, and the big voice belongs to our friend Chloe,” Taylor said, smiling at Emma and Chloe, who smiled at Max.

“It’s a pleasure, ladies. Chloe, that’s some voice you have there,” Max said, not bothering to worry about being charming. He was too stunned to think anyway.

“Sing, Max. You can pick the song,” Taylor commanded.

“Your bossiness will cost you another kiss—and one from each of your friends,” he added. Then he looked over his shoulder. “My brother Jasper is a cynic. I have a bet on all of you.”

His confession got a laugh from all the women and had Max grinning. “Chloe, do you know ‘Stand By Me’?”

Taylor jumped up and went to the other side of the bench, bumping Max’s hip to slide him down towards Chloe, who laughed.

“Yes. I know it. Can we do it jazzy? You start and I’ll come in,” she said, stealing a look at the man sitting at the table they’d abandoned.

Jasper was sipping his drink and watching them. Chloe could see his eyes smiling from across the room.

Max picked out a few notes. “Is this okay?” He played a few bars, flourishing where he could. He rarely sang, but he wasn’t saying no to anything that would keep the smiling Taylor sitting beside him.

“Nice yourself,” Taylor whispered. “I want to play too.” She had studied his strokes on the keys and knew just how to augment.

“Okay,” Max said, launching into it, his voice breaking a bit as he got used to singing again. Then he simply let the music be what it was.

When Chloe joined him, it was wonderful. Max found himself having so much fun, he forgot that he wasn’t a singer, had never been one really. He just found himself singing along, and then Taylor started adding the flourishes.

When the song ended, the clapping was deafening. So was the realization to Max that some of it had been for him. He missed having that kind of attention almost as much as he missed being on the ice.

“You three sure know how to show a guy a good time,” Max said, laughter overtaking him, making his tone full of teasing appreciation. “Pay up time. I need to take a break.”

Emma stepped up and laid a smacking kiss on his mouth as he laughed. “Wow. Energetic. Thanks, Emma.”

Chloe put her hands on his face and kissed his cheek. “I don’t want to upset your brother,” she whispered, liking Max tremendously when he snickered in her ear. “I like him.”

He turned to Taylor. “Can I take a rain check on yours?” he asked.

Then he leaned over to whisper only to her. The smell of her perfume made him dizzy again and had him sighing. “I’d really like to go out with you sometime. That’s not a line. I genuinely like you.”

Taylor dipped her chin and blushed. She hadn’t blushed in a decade. “I’m too old for you, Max.”

“No, Goldilocks. You’re not too old. You’re just right,” Max said sincerely as he stood.

He looked at his brother, pointed to his tip jar, and held up three fingers. He smiled broadly when Jasper laughed.

“Thanks for charming my brother, ladies. Jasper hasn’t had any fun in a long time. I’m surprised he remembers how.”

When they all three giggled at his words, Max couldn’t stifle a sigh of happiness. He walked to the bar as they began to sing again.

Sam made him a coke and stuck a lime on it.

“A lime? What’s the occasion?” he asked Sam with a grin.

“You did a good thing for your brother tonight, Maximillan,” Sam said, teasing. “Now go over to the table and keep him company until the women get done singing.”

Max picked up his coke, smiled at Sam, and walked to the table where his brother sat smiling and staring at Chloe.

Chapter 7

The pleasure of the evening before long forgotten, Chloe was not happy about what they were doing today and didn’t care who knew it. Her hair was in a towel and her face was covered in green clay. She had on a thick, white chenille robe that made her look like an overweight fluffy bunny.

If her feet hadn’t been soaking in a whirlpool foot bath, she would have run screaming from the reflection in the mirrored wall across from her when she pulled the cucumber slices off her eyes.

“From glamorous last night to this crap today,” Chloe complained, her voice full of scorn. “Now tell me again why I’m not already sunning by the pool and getting myself a polka-dotted tan in that black bathing suit I bought.”

“The cucumbers only work if you keep them on your eyes, Chloe,” Emma said sharply, trying to distract her impatient friend. “We’re halfway done. You’re going to love the way you feel later. We’re going to the pool this afternoon. Try to cooperate and
relax
.”

“Great—only half-way done,” Chloe complained with a mournful sigh. She leaned her head back and replaced the cucumber slices. “There better be a good lunch at the end of this.”

“You’re getting
stuffed
, remember? Stop fretting,” Emma ordered, trying not to laugh at Chloe’s moaning. “If you aren’t satisfied after, you can go find someone better—I mean something better—to have for lunch. Sorry. Freudian slip.”