Midnight Diamonds (11 page)

Could this guy be any more perfect?

Silver loved the exterior of the building, because it reminded her of a sprawling, rustic ranch house, but not in a primitive or tacky way. Artful landscaping enhanced the simplistic elegance of the building without the use of cactus or shrubs, which was a huge plus in her opinion. There were no marquees or bright lights to draw diners. No signs to hint at the location or the type of establishment. This exclusive hideaway needed no advertising.

After being helped from the car by the limo driver, Silver and Justin entered the restaurant through smoked glass double doors. Each of the doors had a large cowboy hat etched into the glass and boasted a brass handle in the shape of a longhorn. They walked down a short hallway lit by small glass sconces into a large waiting area where they were greeted by a young woman dressed in a floor length, black gown.

“Good evening, and welcome to The Crystal Cowboy. You’ll be dining in the Art Room. Nice to see you again, Mr. Rivers.”

“You, too, Natalie. How’s that son of yours?”

“Growing so fast, Neil and I can’t keep track.”

Silver smiled at the easy exchange of words and glanced around the reception lobby. A server stepped into the room and gestured toward one of eight doors.

“This way, sir.”

Justin put his hand on the small of Silver’s back as the hostess escorted them to a small private dining area. Several wait staff stood along one wall.

“Wow,” she whispered.

Smoked glass wall scones hung tastefully among paintings signed by Remington, Catlin, Blacklock, and other prominent artists. She didn’t care for western art, but these were exquisite, as were the various pieces of sculptures resting on carved wooden shelves. Even Dale Chihuly’s delicate glasswork graced the decor. No wonder it was called the Art Room.

One table, covered in cream-colored damask with two place settings, had been centered in the room. In the middle of the table sat a crystal cowboy hat.

Justin pulled out a chair and waited for her to sit down as a server poured chilled water into their glasses. “Does everything meet with your approval, Miss Madison?”

Silver nodded and reached for her napkin only to find it had already been placed in her lap. When had that happened? “This is the most beautiful restaurant I’ve ever seen.”

Two servers approached them, each carrying two salads. Justin pointed.

“You have a choice of house salad or Caesar.”

“I’ll have the house salad.”

Justin took a Caesar salad while one of the servers set a silver basket of warm bread covered in a damask napkin on the table. As they started eating, he told her about his family, and in particular, his brothers.

“Kade is the oldest. He’s a jazz musician, always carefree, laughing, loves being around lots of people. The youngest, Hunter, is a free spirit and helps out at our ranch while he figures out what to do with his life.”

“Is Kade as talented as you?”

“Not as good as me, no,” he teased. “But the talent definitely runs in the family, that’s for sure.”

“I’d love to meet them sometime,” she said. “Since I’m an only child, I always wanted brothers and sisters.”

“What should I know about you?”

She grinned. “What else do you want to know?”

He grinned back. “Everything.”

Silver laughed. “Favorite colors, music, vacations as a child? You asked for it. I’ve been teaching for five years at GaGa. Yes, I love my job. No, I’ve never been married. You’ve met the ex-fiancé up close and personal. I’ve been to England, and I don’t want to see Paris. My parents divorced when I was fourteen. My favorite color is powder blue. And I don’t care what my sign is because I don’t believe in astrology.”

“Miss Madison,” he teased. “I believe you left out something.”

“My blood type?”

He put down his fork and leaned back in his chair. “Why don’t you like being called darlin’?”

Chewing slowly, she considered her answer. “It’s silly, but I hate nicknames. Sweetie. Babe. Bunny. Sugar bug. Darlin’. Why not use a person’s name?”

“Sugar bug?” He exaggerated a shudder. “Try ‘honey bear’ or ‘cuddle socks.’”

Laughing, she reached for her water glass and found white wine had also been poured, so she opted for that instead. “You’re proving my point.” She took a sip of the wine and found it subtly sweet. Delicious.

“So if I call you gorgeous, you’d find it offensive?”

Setting down her glass, she shook her head. “Not offensive. Maybe a fallacy.” When he frowned, she raised her eyebrows. “What?”

He put one hand over hers, his thumb stroking the back of her hand. “You honestly have no idea how beautiful you are, do you?”

A warm flush crept over her face. His eyes never wavered and her heart sped up. She wanted to believe him. Wanted to hear more. Wanted to know how much he desired her. She’d been bold in the limo. Now she considered leaning across the table and picking up where they’d left off.

Instead, she changed the subject. “Your turn. Tell me more about Nashville and your dreams.”

With a smile, he picked up his fork and began talking.

Silver couldn’t decide if she felt relief or disappointment.

* * *

As Justin waited for Silver to come back from the ladies’ room, his thoughts strayed to plans for the next few weeks. A lot could change quickly and, even though there were no guarantees he’d become a superstar, he wanted his family’s support. Of course, his little brother, Hunter, hadn’t stopped razing him about being the newest country stud, asking how many times he’d get laid before New Year’s Eve.

For some reason, the only woman he wanted was Silver. Right now he couldn’t—

“Justin?”

Silver stood beside the table, looking at him as if waiting for a response. “Did you say something?”

She slid back into her chair. “Not me. The server asked if we’re ready for dessert.”

He nodded at the server standing against the wall. “Sounds great.” Looking back at the woman across from the table, he crossed his arms over his chest. “One more question.”

“About…?”

When I can get more of those honeyed kisses?

“What are your dreams?”

Suddenly the napkin in her lap had her full attention. “I always wanted to teach.”

“You’ve always wanted to teach, but…is there something more?” Justin prompted.

“Like what?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Write a book? Be a dancer? Give guided tours of the pyramids?”

She threw up her hands. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters, if it’s your life. Don’t you want excitement and something different?”

“That’s the point. I can’t be like you, famous so everyone will fall in love with the image of a person who doesn’t really exist. If you want that, go for it.”

Letting out a breathy laugh, Justin shook his head. “Great offensive move there, Madison. You should try out for the Dallas Cowboys. I hear they need a tight end.” At her gasp, he held up his right hand. “Wait. That didn’t come out right.”

“No, I’m glad you said it, because it must be what you’re thinking. Maybe there’s a reason I don’t open up and share my darkest secrets. The last time I shared my dreams with someone, he tore my life apart. Chase Richards, mother-approved and successful, slammed the door on my heart, and I’m much better if I keep the gates locked.” Tears shimmered in her eyes. “Maybe I prefer life routinely safe and boring.”

Stunned at her outburst, Justin sat speechless for a few moments while the servers put slices of cheesecake with caramel sauce on the table. When they were alone again, he leaned forward.

“First of all, you don’t know enough about me to talk about what kind of image I want. Second…” He held up a hand when she started to interrupt. “…it’s obvious that Chase did a real number on your heart. I don’t give a damn how successful a guy is, he should never treat a woman that way.” He leaned closer and used his fingers to gently brush away the tears rolling down her cheeks. “And third, I’m nothing like that egotistical jackass. I would never hurt you like that, so don’t put me in the same stable as him.”

Without another thought, he stood up and pulled her with him. When his lips covered hers, she softened with a quiet moan. He wrapped her tighter in his arms as he tasted the fiery sweetness of her passion. One of the servers cleared his throat and Justin remembered their audience. When he eased Silver back into the chair, she gave him a watery smile.

“Justin?” she asked weakly.

“Yes, Silver?”

“How did you know cheesecake with caramel sauce is my favorite?”

He smiled, then gave her a quick kiss before sitting back down. “Becky told me.”

She stared at him for a moment then lifted her chin, as if she’d made a difficult decision.

“It would be a shame to let any of this to go to waste.”

He recognized the white flag. Leaning over, he picked up a fork and a plate of the dessert, scooped up a bite, and raised it to her lips. “Then let’s get started.”

* * *

It was Saturday, a week since their last date, and Justin had picked up Silver for a late dinner. They’d been driving for nearly an hour and, though she’d begged, he refused to tell her where they were going.

“Justin, how much further? I’m starving!” She leaned toward the picnic basket on the floor behind his seat. He stopped her by grabbing her arm.

“Not yet! Are you always like this when you’re hungry?”

“Maybe. How do I know if I’m dressed all right?”

Her choice of jeans, a dark green T-shirt and a jean jacket was perfect. “You always look beautiful. Just a few more minutes.” Reaching for her hand, he wrapped his fingers over hers. “We’re almost there.”

“I’m surprised Sam let you out of his sight. Five shows this past week in Texas and Louisiana. Every time I watched the news, your face was smiling back at me.”

Letting go of her hand, he wrapped his fingers around the steering wheel. “That guy is driving me nuts right now. He’s obsessed with making sure the press knows where I am all the time, even when I don’t tell him where I’m going. I hope he doesn’t have a reporter hiding somewhere.”

“Did you check under the hood?” she teased.

Laughing, he shook his head. “Hey, at this point, nothing would surprise me.” He grew serious. “Something’s not right with Sam. He seems desperate, so I have someone doing a background check on him.”

“Shouldn’t you have done that before hiring him?”

“All I could think about at the time was becoming famous. That’s still pretty much at the top of my list.”

She turned her head to look out the passenger window. “When do you find out if you won Best New Artist?”

Justin took a deep breath to calm the sudden churning in his stomach before answering. “Not until February. Four months.”

When Silver didn’t say anything, he looked over and saw her smiling. “You’ll win. How could you not?”

For a woman who didn’t like country music, she seemed to be his biggest fan. And that made him glad there were no strings attached to this relationship. At least, not yet. There was no telling how crazy his life could get once his career really took off.

He slowed down the truck and pulled onto an unpaved road. He turned into a short drive, stopped between two large trees on either side of a dirt parking area, and shut off the engine. “This is our family lake house.”

She opened her door and stepped out of the truck. “Justin, this is more like a two story castle.”

He shrugged, climbed out of the truck, and reached for the picnic basket. “Come on, I’ll show you the inside.”

Justin opened the front door, turned on the lights to disengage the alarm system then stood aside to let her in.

“It’s beautiful!”

“We like it,” he replied, glad to see her response. His mom had made this place more subdued than the Rivers mansion, focusing on relaxation and comfort. Earth tones and natural woods were accented with soft blues and greens. The oversize, plush furniture let a person literally sink into the cushions. He set the basket on a table in the kitchen.

Silver walked over to a small curio cabinet. “I love these angel figurines.”

Instead of responding, he marveled again at how gracefully she moved as she explored the room. Her soft blonde hair rippled as it swayed across her shoulders. His hands ached to pull her into his arms. Silver opened the glass door to the back deck. Hearing her gasp of surprise, he led her outside.

“The moonlight on the water… It’s like midnight diamonds sparkling in the darkness,” she whispered almost reverently, pulling away from him to lean on the deck railing.

Her poetic words moved his creative spirit, and a melody began playing in his head. Cocking his head to one side, he listened to it as he stood next to her, watching the water.

When she turned, his heart slammed against his chest. Silver looked breathtaking in the reflected light. “You are stunning.”

He held his breath as she stepped closer. Her green eyes shone with silvery highlights and her lips curved into a smile. “Are you going to kiss me or stare at me all night?”

“I’m not sure. Both choices are very appealing.”

“Only to you,” she replied and stood on tiptoe, brushing her lips over his for a moment. “How about a compromise? You give me one very good kiss, then you can watch me eat.”

The sudden image in his head had nothing to do with food. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close and covered her mouth with his, tasting the cool night and heated passion on her lips.

When his phone chirped, he pulled it out of his pocket and saw the ID, groaned in frustration and answered. “Yes, Sam.”

“Justin, where the hell are you?”

“I’m at the lake house. What’s the problem?”

“GramMer wants to delay signing you until after the ACMA awards.”

Justin released Silver and walked away a few steps. “But that’s nearly four months. Isn’t there any way we can speed up the signing?”

Silver gestured toward the house and walked inside. Through the glass door he saw her open the basket and set out containers of the barbecue he’d brought along.