Kieran complimented Susan’s students on their violin playing, noting that her lead chair had hit every note. For anyone else, the compliment would be exaggerated. But Kieran would have heard every note. He’d know who’d played flat or sharp, on the beat, too slow. Almost no one in the world had as good an ear for music as Kieran.
Then the house lights dimmed, indicating intermission was ending, parents should return to their seats, and students needed to get backstage and wait for their turn to perform.
Kieran took my elbow and steered me into the darkened hallway to the left of the stage and behind an open door, propped with a doorstopper.
“What are you doing?” I asked. In the darkness, I couldn’t see his face.
His breath blew hot against my cheek. “I’ve missed you.” He kissed me, slow and sweet, his lips coaxing my mouth open. If anyone saw, we’d be in trouble. First, I was at work and this rated as unprofessional behavior. Second, he was him, and the rumors alone would be disastrous. Why let him do this?
The answer beat in my chest. My heart. My heart surged with want and pleasure.
“Do you have plans with Lawrence tonight?” he asked.
I smiled in the dark. “What if I do?”
He growled. “I’d want you to break them. Promise me you’ll come home with me tonight,” he whispered in my ear.
I would’ve given him anything he asked for, his hands threading into the back of my hair, but worry tumbled through me. “I don’t have plans with anyone else.” An encore of the time in my apartment was a strong yes.
My boss called my name.
A bolt of fear at being caught mixed with the anticipation of meeting Kieran later tonight. “I’ll meet you tonight.”
He kissed my hand and then slipped back into the auditorium.
I composed myself, smoothed my hair, took a deep breath, and walked out to take my place, praying no one saw us leave the dark hallway and put together what we’d been doing.
Thinking about seeing Kieran distracted me during the performance. I was lucky these were the older students, who needed far less direction that the younger kids. I couldn’t stop thinking about Kieran. About what we’d do at his house. I’d been there hundreds of times before, but this had nothing to do with work. Were we dating? Randomly hooking up? I didn’t know, but how I longed for it to be something real, not just me playing the role of his latest interest.
After the concert, Glory, Kieran, and Lawrence congratulated me on the performance. The school’s headmaster, Michael Delacor, approached and shook the musically gifted trio’s hands, a huge smile on his face. In his crisp navy suit, every gesture seemed exaggerated, and I could tell he wanted to keep the Maestro here as long as possible.
I, on the other hand, wanted everyone to leave so that I could be alone with Kieran. Or for everyone to stop talking to me so we could leave.
“I must say, this is a delight. I’ve already had several of our parents tell me how impressed they are that famous faces came tonight,” the headmaster said.
He was angling for something. In another life, with his poise, face copied from a Michelangelo sculpture, schmoozing abilities, and distinguished salt-and-pepper hair, Michael could’ve been a successful politician.
Glory batted her eyelashes, and her green eyes sparkled. “It’s our pleasure to support the arts in the community.” Such a Glory answer. While the parents at the school wanted access to musical talent, they also had money, money that could be donated to the orchestra.
“I enjoyed the performance,” Lawrence said, sidling next to me.
Kieran stared at me for a long moment and then back to the headmaster. I could see in his eyes he’d finished with pleasantries.
He wanted to take me home. That thought wound through me hot and fast, and a fresh wave of lust tumbled through me. I glanced at his hands, at those strong fingers, and pictured them on my hips, inside me…
“Tonight helped me to get into the Christmas spirit. The children, they performed beautifully. You know I’m a fan of your band conductor.” Kieran winked at me.
Michael tittered. “Rae being part of our staff has been a wonderful addition to the school.”
Kieran covered his heart. “And my great loss.”
“I heard that the symphony will be traveling through Europe. That sounds delightful,” the headmaster said.
“I’m sure touring isn’t as fun as it sounds,” Lawrence said, glancing between me and Kieran.
Glory patted Kieran’s arm. “The orchestra and the Maestro will miss Rae, that’s for sure. Lawrence is right. The logistics of a huge group touring are complicated. It’s a massive amount of work.”
“Have you traveled with the orchestra before? You didn’t mention that at your interview,” Michael said.
I hadn’t been actively hiding it. “It didn’t come up. I’ve traveled with them.”
Michael rubbed his cleft chin. “International music experience. Our parents would love that. Rae, what do you think of this? Go abroad, find out what’s new in music, and bring it back to us. You can give a seminar on what you learned to our staff and our students. Maybe over spring break, we can replicate the trip by visiting the same cities with the children.” His cheeks flamed red with excitement at the idea.
Dread pooled in my stomach. How had the conversation taken this turn? My boss, actually my boss’s boss’s boss, suggesting I travel with the orchestra. That hadn’t been on the table. “I’ll see the performance when the orchestra returns. They’ll have had the experience to influence their playing. I’ll give a seminar on that.”
A parent had approached Lawrence, and they spoke as if they knew each other.
Kieran’s brows drew together. “Perhaps in future trips, we could take an intern or two with us. We’ve had a hard time making arrangements, and it’s a great experience for someone, especially any students who plan to study music and have a knack for being organized.”
“That experience would shine on a college application,” Glory said.
The headmaster clasped his hands together and beamed at the idea and the opportunity for the school to associate themselves with the symphony and Kieran directly. “Let’s work on putting that together. I have a few students I can suggest to you who’d be an amazing fit.”
Good, let them send a couple of students on the tour instead of me.
Glory touched the headmaster’s arm. “Your voice students impressed me tonight. I can tell some of them have great promise. Any of them interested in opera?” Glory was a world-renowned opera singer. She’d retired before I’d seen a live performance, but I’d watched recordings, and she’d been phenomenal.
The headmaster studied her. Glory’s voice and beauty drew people to her. “A few. Would you be willing to meet with them and maybe talk about being an opera star?”
Glory brought a finger to her ruby-red lips as if in thought. “I’d hoped you could spare Rae for a few weeks. She could attend the trip with the orchestra. I could fill in for her, and I’ll give voice lessons in addition to the regular courses. That way, the orchestra will have Rae for the trip and you’ll have a guest teacher.” She slid her hand through the headmaster’s elbow and smiled up at him.
The headmaster grinned ecstatically.
I was going abroad.
9
“Why aren’t you speaking to me?” Kieran asked.
In the backseat of the car, I’d faced my knees toward the window, giving him my shoulder.
If I spoke to him, it negated the “not speaking to him.” I’d maintained my silence because he’d put Glory up to suggesting this trip, trapping me in front of my superboss.
He’d deny it, but a quiet rage hummed inside me.
“I’m sorry Glory strong-armed you into traveling with us. Is it really so bad? Two weeks for winter break, and then you’ll only need to
miss one additional week of classes. Glory will do a good job. She’ll keep to your lesson plans, and she won’t let you down. Working with her is a great opportunity for the students too. She has a lot to offer.”
Glory teaching at the school didn’t worry me. Alight with irritation that my choice to travel with Kieran had been taken away, I didn’t trust myself to speak. Most women in love with someone would be thrilled to be alone with them on a three-week, all-expenses-paid European tour.
Handling Kieran and the orchestra and the demands of travel took a level of expertise I barely possessed. He relied on me more. He needed me with him more. It wouldn’t be a vacation. We’d go back to our old roles, just when I’d made progress with him and myself.
As I was proud of what I’d accomplished, taking a step back into my old role didn’t sit well with me.
See the problem?
“Did you have other plans?”
I glared at him. “Actually, yes. I’m going to see my parents and sister for Christmas.”
His shoulders fell, and he took a deep pained breath and glanced at the floor. “We’re not leaving until January second. You’ll have time to visit with your family.”
I huffed. Very mature, but he got my drift. “You did this.”
Kieran shook his head. “I didn’t. But I won’t pretend I’m not happy about it. I get to travel with you, and you’re coming home with me tonight.”
I’d promised, and my word was good, but I could be moody about going home with him. I’d seen him get moody over less. The flaw in my plan? My body wasn’t moody. Excitement rushed through me at the thought of being alone with him, and the fact I hadn’t thrown myself onto him was a testament to my self-control.
I’d give in. Resistance was futile. Could I have a physical relationship and also safeguard my heart when I was already in love with him?
His private car dropped us at his house. I said good-bye to Nathan, who’d remained quiet on the ride, his glances in the rearview mirror giving away his curiosity about us.
Kieran set his hand on my lower back, leading me up to the front of the house. Where his hand pressed into me, it branded me.
Once he’d unlocked the door, we stepped inside.
After shutting the door, he turned to kiss me, and I jerked my head away. He laughed. “Okay, you’re going to be mad and make me work for it. That’s fair. I’d be mad too if I were you. But know that I didn’t ask Glory to do this. She knows Vanessa can’t handle it, and we have a lot riding on this going well.”
He took my coat and then lifted me off my feet. I slipped my arms around his neck and wove my fingers into his soft hair because I didn’t want to fall, not because I liked touching him. He carried me to his bedroom and laid me on his bed.
Moving across the mattress, he covered me with his big body. “If you were any other woman, I’d strip you naked and fuck you until you were delirious with pleasure. But since you’re my Rae, my beautiful Rae, I’ll keep myself in check. I’ll be slow and gentle and only use my hands. But you’ll know that I’m thinking about it. I’ve been thinking about it since I kissed you the first time.”
I trembled with need, but I shook my head. “Not until we talk.”
His eyes glimmered with interest. “Talk about what?”
I pushed on his shoulders, and he leaned back on his haunches. “The trip. My boss’s boss’s boss is thrilled with the arrangements, and for that, I’m grateful. But I feel like you and Glory strong-armed me into going.”
He plowed his fingers into his hair, ruffling it in every direction. “You know Glory. She gets her way. It’s why she’s good at her job. Am I really hard to travel with?”
I didn’t want to tear into him. He’d admitted he was a difficult boss. “You expect a lot from me. You call me all hours of the day and night.” Not just when we traveled, but on the road, his anxiety escalated and he worried more, which meant he needed me to handle more, soothe more, run interference more. He also seemed to have more paramours on the road. More women, exotic, beautiful women, flocked to him, and that got under my skin.
“That’s our relationship,” he said. “You can call me anytime you need me too.”
I’d never called him in the middle of the night. I’d never asked him to do something almost impossible in a short time frame. “I respect your time and your space, and I wouldn’t call in the middle of the night.” I wanted to stay focused on the issue, us traveling together, and not mention the other women, a side issue but closely related. “When we travel, I want to see the countries we visit, not run behind you and do your bidding.”
He frowned. “My bidding? You make me sound like a sheikh commanding his harem.”
Since he’d brought it up, I couldn’t ignore the temptation to speak my mind. “That’s another good point. What about what happened between us in my apartment? What about what’s happening between us now? Will you want us to stay in the same hotel room? If we do, people will talk.”
“What people? No one cares what we do when we’re alone.”
“People care. Like the orchestra. Other orchestras. Anyone who’s watching you and trying to get pictures of you and to find out about you, and then they find out about me. Suddenly, I’m in the media and my privacy is gone and I look like a groupie.”
He brushed the hair at my temple away from my face, tucking it lightly behind my ear. “If someone knows we’re lovers, why does that bother you?”
“We aren’t lovers.”
Kieran inclined his head. He traced his finger down the side of my face. “I made love to you once. That makes you my lover.”
The blush from my cheeks spread down to my toes, heating my entire body. He had the right moves and the right words. There was no question how I’d fallen for him. “I can’t be your lover on the trip.”
A deep frown slashed his face. “Why not?”
Two words that launched many thoughts. First, I wanted to be his lover. I could see us in a place, somewhere, a few months or years from now, where we’d crossed the line from friends who fooled around to have-sex-every-day lovers. Committed and devoted to each other. I envisioned him wearing a wedding band, one that matched mine.
But that image projected a fantasy, not where we were now. I had to think about the next important thing in my life, my job and my work reputation. I couldn’t have people saying I’d slept with Kieran for professional gain, like a nice recommendation letter into grad school. “Because I’ll be working, and we can’t do both.”
He shifted over me again, letting his hip rest against mine, his hard cock pressing into me at the right spot to send my lust running rampant. “You’re not working now.”
If I moved the right way, pleasure shot through me. “No, I’m not.”
“But you’re angry, and now that’s in the way.”
“Yes.” My frustration had cooled. I’d been bowled over, and annoyance plucked at me.
His gaze caught mine and held. “Then let me tell you I’m sorry.”
A good start. “I’m listening.”
He reached around me, and I lifted myself onto my elbows giving him access to unzip my dress. “I’m sorry.” He shoved the fabric over my shoulders and shimmied it down my body. “I’m sorry.” The dress now lay in a heap on the floor. He touched the strap of my bra but didn’t remove it. He set my feet on the mattress and hooked his thumbs into the sides of my thong. After sliding it down my legs, he tossed it over his head. He set my feet on either side of him.
Moving his body between my legs, he kissed me, his mouth touching mine in a glorious, soul-shaking kiss. Then he kissed between my breasts. Then he kissed my navel. “Let me kiss you here.” He set his hand between my legs.
Lust throbbed inside me and a moan escaped my lips. “You don’t have to.”
He lifted his brow. “Is that a yes?”
Then his mouth was there, right there, and the heat of his breath brushed across my most sensitive skin. “I might not like it.”
“I’ll
stop if you don’t.”
I tried not to squirm. He held my hips as his lips grazed the inside of my thigh, first one side, then the other.
Then his tongue stroked between my legs, soft and slow. White lights flashed in my vision. He used his tongue and his fingers and his lips, and in no time, I was writhing on his bed, holding on to his sheets. I begged him to stop, and begged him to continue. He cradled my hips in his hands, positioning me the way he wanted me.
His tongue probed and stroked; he kissed and sucked. I wanted him and only him. No one else would do. I had no defense against the rush of sensations and had to remind myself to breathe. My skin grew too hot, and I tried to keep control of my vocal cords, but sounds and words flew out of my mouth of their own accord.
He licked me, and his fingers circled. He had me on the edge of release. Raising his head, he touched the tip of his tongue to my clit.
Heat spiraled inside me tighter and faster, until it snapped and pleasure rushed through me in a burst of joy.
After a moment, he slid up beside me and lay down, letting his arm drape over my waist. I closed my eyes as my pulse began to slow. “That was better than I’d imagined.”
He kissed the underside of my jaw. “I need to leave for a bit.”
My eyes snapped open. “Leave?” My muscles relaxed to the point of uselessness, walking seemed impossible, and between my legs was sensitive and swollen and so good.
“I have to meet a patron for a drink.”
My jealousy turned deep green and grew horns. “A patron? A female patron wants you to meet her for a drink at ten at night?”
“Glory set it up.”
I didn’t want him to go. I wanted him to stay with me. I wanted him to sleep with his arms curled around me. We were in his bed, and he’d physically blown my mind, but mentally and emotionally, I ached with need and the strong urge to wrap my body around him. “Stay with me.” I hated the desperation in my tone.
He drew his arm away but didn’t get out of bed. “Stay here, and I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”