Made in Nashville: HarperImpulse Contemporary Romance (15 page)

Now they had hit clear road, Jared was going way over the limit. All the road signs were flashing by her like blurry shapes, unrecognizable. He accelerated harder and the bike roared on faster until all she could think about was the rush and all she could feel was the wind whipping around her clothes. Her heart was pounding, her eyes watered despite the helmet and her fingers dug into the leather of his jacket as he took them on a thrill ride.

By the time he’d parked up outside the Gear Records building all she felt was exhilaration. They’d just had total, mind-spinning, uncomplicated fun. She pulled off the helmet and shook her hair loose.

‘If the police had caught us you’d have been arrested! Going way too fast and you weren’t wearing a helmet!’ She couldn’t hide the laughter in her voice or the color in her cheeks as she got off the pillion, playfully slapping his arm.

‘It would have been worth it.’ He grabbed hold of her hand and spun her back to the bike, gathering her into him.

His lips hovered over hers, the fine hairs of his stubble just tickling the skin above her top lip. He was teasing her, because he knew how much she wanted him. She shifted her upper body back just an inch or so. She could play this game. She couldn’t help but snicker.

‘What?’ he questioned, his gray eyes searching hers.

‘Nothing.’ She swallowed as he continued to look at her. The heat from his body was radiating into hers. She could feel herself straightening up, parts of her glowing, becoming more aware. She pressed herself against him, her torso meeting his, her breasts molding to his chest.

‘We’re about to go into a serious business meetin’ in there.’ He didn’t take his eyes off her.

‘
I’m
about to go into a serious business meeting. You can go get coffee and wait for me,’ she replied, putting a hand to his cap.

He flinched slightly. ‘Damn, you’re not gonna let me come in?’ He sat back a little, put his hand to his hat, distancing himself.

He could see she’d noticed. She let him go, folded her arms across her chest in defense. He was a first grade tool.

‘Do you ever take it off? Apart from changing to a bike helmet?’

The question was blunt and to the point. He didn’t want to answer. He didn’t really know what he should say.

‘I mean, you must shower sometimes.’

He tried to keep himself relaxed but the tension had already started to creep into his arms and was travelling a path across his shoulders.

‘Jared?’ She had a concerned look on her face now and he didn’t want that.

‘Hey, I shower …  it’s just my thing, you know?’ Now he just sounded plain stupid.

‘Your thing?’ she queried. ‘An image thing?’

‘No, nothing dumb like that.’ This wasn’t going well.

‘Then what?’

He shrugged, leaned forward and got off the bike. He leant against it, his fingers tucked into the belt of his jeans, his eyes on the floor. He wasn’t stupid enough to think this would never come up. But he couldn’t tell her why without telling her what he’d done and he wasn’t ready for that. Things needed to be settled. She needed stability in her life, routine, to know where she was headed.

‘I like it, OK? Doesn’t it make me look a little sexy?’ He smiled at her, pulled the peak down over his forehead and fixed her with his best look.

She didn’t look convinced. He changed the subject. ‘So, you sure about goin’ in there on your own?’

‘Sure. This is the new Honor Blackwood. More confident, more determined, more … ’

‘Damn hot,’ he interrupted.

A blush hit her cheeks and she straightaway reached for her hair, pulling a section down over her scar. He leaned off the bike and moved toward her. ‘Don’t do that.’

‘What?’ She averted her eyes as he reached her.

‘You’re beautiful. All of you. The whole thing. Even this part. How many times do I need to tell you that?’ He put his index finger to her scar and traced the line of it. ‘This might have changed you but it also made you.’

She pressed her lips against his and he wound his hand into her curls, coaxing her head forward to deepen the kiss, her mouth opening. The sweet, pure taste of her filled all his senses. He didn’t want to let her go, ever.

She put fingers to his jaw and eased him back with a softer kiss. ‘I should go in. I don’t want to be late.’

‘I’ll go order some Pure Nectar and get photographed somewhere. Call me when you’re done.’ He ran a hand down her hair, caught hold of her hand and squeezed it in his. ‘Good luck.’

He watched her cross the sidewalk and push open the glass door. Once inside, she turned back to look at him, waving a hand.

She was glowing, from her toes to her teeth and all the parts in between. The meeting with Gear had been nothing like her get together with Micro. Flynn Fisher had been there singing her praises to the chief-executive and then a You Tube video of her performance at Kelsey Rio’s had been played on the plasma TV to the whole team in the room. To begin with she’d let Flynn Fisher do the talking and that reminded her of how much she’d relied on Larry before. Larry had led discussions, he’d known what to ask, what to look for in the detail, what information needed passing on to her lawyer. She was a singer, not a business mogul, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t learn. And she wanted to. She’d spent so long living on the back foot it was time to stand on her own two to prove to herself more than anyone else, that she could do it.

Gear’s legal team had looked over the contract her lawyer had sent them and both were certain there was an easy way to get her out of it. Nothing was standing in her way of a brand new start with a different record company. Jared’s record company.

As she came out the elevator she saw him outside, leant up against the bike, checking his phone. Seeing him there, waiting for her, made that glow increase, warming her insides, heating her heart. She rushed to the door.

‘Miss Blackwood,’ the receptionist called.

Honor turned.

‘A gentleman left this for you.’ She held a package out over the desk towards her.

It was a small oblong parcel wrapped up in gold paper. Honor didn’t move.

‘What did he look like?’ she asked.

‘Hmm now, I guess about six feet, jeans, plaid shirt. He just looked like a regular guy. Touch of Johnny Cash about him maybe.’

As Honor stared at the package in the receptionist’s hand all she could think about was what Mia had said that morning about Simeon Stewart and what she had said in her confident reply. Was she wrong? Was this him? Was he stalking her with gifts to let her know he knew where she was and that he was watching and waiting?

A shiver ran over her body and she looked to Jared outside. She didn’t know what to do.

‘Are you OK, Miss Blackwood?’

‘Yes, yes, I’m fine. I guess I’d better open it, huh?’ She moved towards the counter and took the parcel from the girl.

Sliding her fingers under the paper she ripped it open, parting it to reveal a box of Reese’s Pieces. They were her favorite candy. Although she didn’t think anyone really knew that. Would Dan remember that? Had she told him when they were together? Was this Dan’s way of trying to make things up to her? Was it really his style? Or was it something more sinister? A thought struck her.

‘The man …  the man who delivered these …  did he look like this?’ Honor called up Google, tapping away to bring up a news report of her attack, a report she knew had a photo of Simeon Stewart attached to it. She found it, zoomed in and turned her phone to the receptionist, her heart pounding. She could put this to bed once and for all when she got a negative.

‘No …  at least I don’t think so. I didn’t really look that hard. I just took the package.’

‘Could you just look a little harder and try?’ She didn’t want to sound desperate but if she knew for sure it wasn’t the guy who maimed her she could cope with anything else.

The receptionist squinted her eyes and focused on the photo, putting her fingers to Honor’s phone as she held it. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t think it was him but I can’t be sure.’

Honor took back her phone and nodded. She picked up the chocolates and headed for the door. All the positives had been stamped on again. What had she done to deserve getting kicked back down every time life threw her something good?

‘How did it go?’ Jared asked, studying her as she approached.

‘Really well. They’re going to get me out of Micro’s contract and I really liked the team.’ Only a flicker of enthusiasm was evident in her tone.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘I think we need to go to the police.’

She’d been gone almost a half hour and he was starting to get antsy. He’d offered to go into the interview room with her but she’d insisted on doing it alone. Half of him was glad. Although sitting in the waiting area was like being an animal at the zoo, being stared at by everyone, it was a step up from being enclosed in a room with a detective and a recording device.

All that was going through his mind was the thought that if he hadn’t left her at the Gear offices he would have been in reception when whoever it was dropped off the chocolates. It could be Dan Steele or the shit that attacked her. Whichever one it was, if he’d been there he could have nailed his ass.

He checked his watch again. He had a shoot for his new video later. They were heading off into the woods and an abandoned barn to record night footage. But if she needed him to stay with her he’d rearrange. Her safety came before anything else. He’d promised her that from the first moment he’d met her and feeling the way he did now, there was no way he was backing up on that promise.

‘I understand your concern, Miss Blackwood, but I can confirm that Mr Stewart is currently complying with all the terms of his parole.’

Since when had he become Mr Stewart? She had gotten so used to him being called nothing more than ‘the accused’ it felt wrong for him to have his name back.

‘Why are you trotting out a line from a manual? I’ve told you about the flowers and the owl and now the chocolates. All I’ve asked you to do is look into this. I’m not accusing him of anything; I just need you to rule him out.’

The officer tapped his pen to his notepad and leveled his gaze at her. ‘Rule him out of what, Miss Blackwood? What crime has been committed? As far as I’m aware, it isn’t illegal to send chocolates in the state of Tennessee.’

She saw the smirk on his mouth and she knew this was a waste of time. She felt anger smart at her insides and she drew a slow breath in. ‘I want this noted down and reported officially. I want your name and your number. I want you to file whatever paperwork you have to file so that if this lunatic comes back and puts me back in the emergency room I can make sure I know who to sue.’

She got to her feet and headed for the door.

‘Miss Blackwood, hold up a second.’

She paused, her hand on the doorknob.

‘I’m just trying to keep a level head here and work on my instincts as a police officer who’s been investigating crimes like this for over ten years.’

‘Well, ten years ago I wasn’t given a split second to work on any of my instincts because “Mr Stewart” got up on stage and sliced my face open.’ She pushed her bangs back and showed him the scar she hated so much. ‘So I know chocolates don’t seem threatening to you, but to me it means someone’s giving me attention I don’t want and if it’s him I want to know about it now rather than when it’s too late.’

She hoped the boiling rage and disappointment she was feeling was burning into him. She should have known this would be the response she got. It was true that there had been no threat, no reason to suspect anything but an admirer but until she knew where Simeon Stewart had been for the past two hours she wouldn’t feel settled.

She opened the door and stepped out of the interview room. She took a moment, leaning against the wall for support. This would not get to her. This would not change any of her plans. She was back in the industry. It was where she wanted to be. She was going to do all the things she should have been doing for the last ten years and she was going to enjoy every second. She held her breath, felt her breath, let it calm her, let it bring her back down into the moment as she’d been taught in therapy. She looked down into her hands and realized she’d left the chocolates on the table.

He leapt out of the chair when he saw her approach. She was smiling at him but he didn’t feel it from her.

‘What did they say?’

‘Can we get out of here?’

‘Are they checkin’ it out? They could pull the camera footage from the front desk at Gear.’

‘Officer Dunbar thinks I’m psychotic,’ she stated.

‘What? Did he say that?’

‘He didn’t need to say it; I could feel it from him.
Did you know it’s not a crime to send chocolates in the state of Tennessee, Miss Blackwood
?’

‘He said that? I’m goin’ up there.’ He moved past her, heading for the stairs.

‘Jared, no!’

‘They need to take this serious, Honor. We shouldn’t have to wait for the horse’s head before they make this into a case!’

‘Please, Jared, I don’t want to do this now. He’s probably right.’

‘Probably ain’t nothin’ like good enough. All they need to do is check the prints from the box, pull the CCTV and call his parole officer. They can even search his property for whatever reason they like without a warrant.’

‘Can they?’

‘It’s part of his parole conditions, along with stipulations about knives and guns.’

‘Well that’s reassuring.’

He saw her let out a breath and he stilled, came back closer and put his arms around her.

‘Listen, I’m just concerned for you. I don’t want this jerk-off thinkin’ he can get away with tormentin’ you like that.’

‘I know. But it mightn’t be him. We have to remember that.’

He breathed in the scent of her hair and tightened his hold. ‘Are you sure this has nothin’ to do with Dan Steele?’

She shook her head. ‘I have no idea.’

‘Because if I find out he’s behind this, I’m gonna have to do what’s right.’

‘I just want to move on. I don’t want my life to be about anyone else. It’s my life. Mine. And no one’s going to take this second chance away from me.’

She let him go and looked into his eyes, her determination and grit shining through her expression. He took hold of her hands and locked her gaze.

‘The second anything else happens I’m gettin’ that CCTV pulled and I’ll do whatever it takes to find out who’s behind it. You hear me?’

She nodded.

‘So, how d’you fancy starrin’ in my new video tonight?’