by Maggie Cox
‘Is everyone okay?’
And suddenly he was there, his grin lighting up the dim little space to the side of the stage like a beacon shining in the dark, his misty blue eyes immediately seeking her out as though it was implicitly understood that she was the one who needed his assurance the most.
‘You look terrific,’ he told her.
Even as he spoke, Jake was thinking that she looked much better than that. She looked nothing less than drop-dead gorgeous. The purple velvet top she had selected on their shopping trip clung to her body in all the right places and her long black skirt skimmed the flat plane of her stomach and the soft swell of her hips as though it had been exclusively designed for her shape and her shape alone. Inevitably, his blood headed immediately south. Even if Caitlin couldn’t sing a note, the men in the crowd were going to give her a lot of rope and that was a fact. It heartened him to know that they were all going to be pleasantly surprised.
‘Trust me. You haven’t got a thing to worry about. Just go out there and sing like you do in rehearsals, but even better. If you get nervous, then just focus on me…I’ll be out front as soon as you get onstage.’
‘Okay. I’ll do that… I can do that.’ Caitlin managed to summon up a smile from only God knew where.
Eager to add his own brand of reassurance, Rick ran his hands up and down the sides of her slim arms and planted a sound kiss on her cheek. ‘Just for luck, beautiful…not that you’re going to need it.’
She barely opened her eyes during the first few bars of the opening number. It was much easier to simply shut out the sight of the crowd so that she could sing. She had been taken aback by the vociferous welcome they’d received from the fans when they walked onto the stage, somehow not expecting it to be quite as effusive as it had been. They didn’t know her yet, and Caitlin had a lot to prove…
However, she was quickly swept away by the music and the need to sing, and as the wall of sound crashed over her she patted her thigh in time with the beat and started to enjoy herself. She was sure that performing in front of an audience must be an even bigger adrenaline rush than shooting rapids, and nothing had ever felt so right or so perfect.
That was when she finally opened her eyes. That was when she saw Jake…
He was clapping along with the rest of the crowd, watchful and silently assessing, his features so handsome and compelling that several women in the audience furtively glanced his way whether they were with someone or not. Releasing a long breath, Caitlin gave him a brief smile, then turned her attention back to the avid sea of faces in front of her.
Many people were capturing her and the band with their mobile phone cameras. She could almost feel the tangible sense of surprise in the air, the pleasure—and beneath the cool black satin of her long flowing skirt her legs couldn’t help trembling. Steve Bridges gave her an extra drumroll to indicate his approval, and to her left Mike Casey muttered low, for her ears only, ‘You’re going to have them eating out of your hands, Cait.’
And she did. By the time they’d finished the final number of the night the crowd was with her all the way, cheering and clapping and stamping their feet for more. As baptisms of fire went, Caitlin couldn’t have wished for a more favourable flame.
Backstage, she ran the gauntlet of well-wishers, road crew and fans alike, arriving in the small room the band had been allocated to more back-slapping, applause and champagne…courtesy of Jake. She barely registered the burst of bubbles on her tongue because everything felt so surreal. However, she did register the satisfying feel of Jake’s strong arm wound possessively round her waist.
If anybody speculated on the ‘extra-special’ attention she was getting, no one dared voice it—least of all Rick, who was watching them with a stern ‘headmaster’ scowl as he bellowed to no one in particular that he needed another beer and fast.
Outside, as the venue emptied and the road crew loaded the van with Blue Sky’s equipment—‘Tank’ and Dave, stalwarts of the industry, who had worked with Jake many times before—Rick pulled Caitlin aside as she was about to step up and get into Jake’s familiar black car.
Jake had given her his keys and told her he wouldn’t be long. He was still inside, checking arrangements for the following night when they would play their second and final London gig. There would be an even bigger crowd the next night, he’d told her, because the press would have got wind of her performance via the comments posted on social media sites and would come to check it out.
As Caitlin stood waiting to hear what Rick had to say, right on cue it started to rain.
‘Is something the matter?’ she asked warily.
‘I don’t know. You tell me.’
‘Now you’re being cryptic.’ She started to smile, but straight away saw Rick wasn’t in the mood to be placated.
‘Is something going on between you and Jake?’ he demanded.
Her stomach plummeted to her boots.
‘And don’t tell me you don’t know what I mean.’
His hazel eyes were accusing and his shaggy blond hair was beginning to wave even more in the rain. Tugging up the collar of her raincoat, Caitlin shuddered.
It had been an amazing night. She had not only overcome her trepidation at singing in public, she had really begun to live her dream. She was bursting to talk to Lia and tell her all about it. Up until just a moment ago she’d wanted to shout out her news to the whole world. I did it! I really am a singer in a bona fide rock band! But now, as she gazed anxiously back at Rick, she felt as though someone had got a pin and deliberately popped her balloon.
‘There’s nothing going on between me and Jake other than him looking out for me and helping me settle in…with the band, I mean.’
‘We can’t afford another screw-up after the Marcie debacle. If you end up walking out on everyone because you got too involved with Jake then it will have serious implications for the band. I don’t think they deserve that after all their hard work…do you?’
‘No. Of course I don’t.’
Caitlin knew what Rick was saying was only right, and she had no intention of letting anyone down. Just because Jake had put his arm round her when she’d come off stage and bought champagne to celebrate it didn’t mean that the man was any more trustworthy than Sean. She had already intuited that f she had a physical relationship with him then her heart would seriously be at risk—because any woman with an ounce of common sense could easily see that he wasn’t the type of man to commit to anything more meaningful. And Caitlin wasn’t the type of woman to be intimate with a man and then forget it…as if were no more important than a trip to the hairdresser…
She lifted her chin. ‘Don’t worry, Rick. I promise you that the band comes first. Besides, I’m not looking to get personally involved with anyone.’
Liar. Nobody wanted to be alone for ever. And she wasn’t the only girl in the world who hoped to find love again after the heartache of a failed relationship.
‘Then we understand each other?’ Rick reached out his hand to wipe away a raindrop glistening on her cheek.
‘Understand what, exactly?’ a deep male voice intoned.
CHAPTER EIGHT
JAKE HAD WALKED UP behind them. Straight away you could have cut the tension with a knife. Caitlin found herself wishing she hadn’t agreed to stay the night at his flat. If it was going to make things this awkward between the two men, then she’d see if she could locate a cheap hotel for herself.
When neither she nor Rick rushed to answer his question, the glance he gave them was searing.
‘I said, understand what, exactly? We’ll stand here all night in the rain if we have to, until I get an answer.’
Rick hefted a sigh. ‘Okay, Jake, if you really want to know then I’ll tell you. I was warning Cait about getting personally involved with you. Just a few weeks ago Marcie walked out, leaving us high and dry. By great good fortune and the gods of rock and roll we found Caitlin. The last thing we need is to screw up the band’s chances because she mig
ht get hurt by you and end up leaving the band.’
‘I won’t leave the band—I told you!’
Exasperated and embarrassed, Caitlin wanted to shake Rick. Did he really think she was so naïve that she’d risk the fantastic opportunity she’d been given to sing with the band in favour of a fleeting romance with Jake? As far as she was concerned she was in Blue Sky for the long haul, whatever happened.
Jake also looked exasperated. ‘If there’s anything personal between me and Caitlin then that’s where it stays…between the two of us. We’re both agreed that the welfare of the band comes first. I’ve been in this business long enough to know where my priorities lie. Now, it’s been a long night, and Caitlin ought to get some rest if she’s going to give another good performance tomorrow.’
‘Under the circumstances, perhaps she’d better stay at my place instead?’ His jaw clenched, Rick defied the taller man to give him an argument.
But Jake wasn’t having any of it.
‘I’ve given you my decision, and as far as I’m concerned it doesn’t need debating.’ With a ferocious scowl he grabbed the car keys out of Caitlin’s hand and shouldered past her.
She stared at the other man. ‘Why did you have to go and say that?’
‘Because somebody has to look out for you, sweetheart. Jake is my best buddy, as well as my boss, but the truth is he doesn’t have the best track record where women are concerned. Apart from with his ex—a relationship which probably scarred him for life—he doesn’t go in for long relationships. I’m sure you know what I mean? And you’re not like any of the other girls he’s been with. You’re sensitive, for a start. If you get too involved with him and he dumps you, you won’t be able to take it on the chin and simply put it down to experience.’
‘And what about you, Rick? Have you got a better track record? Anyway, contrary to opinion, I’m quite capable of taking care of myself. This is like a dream come true for me, to sing with this band, and I don’t intend to mess it up, believe me.’
Behind them Jake started up the car’s engine. Glancing round, Caitlin found his unsettling blue gaze blazing back at her through the windscreen.
She turned back to Rick. ‘I’ve got to go.’
Saying no more, she walked to the car and got in without a word. She was still fumbling with her seatbelt when the vehicle pulled away from the kerb with a loud squeal of rubber on Tarmac.
* * *
Jake made a final check on Caitlin where she slept in his bedroom…in his bed…and then quietly closed the door behind him. In the large and airy living room, with the blinds pulled down and the blond oak floor cool beneath his feet, he dropped down onto a futon-style armchair. Then he leaned back to stare broodingly up at the ceiling.
Rick had no right, warning Caitlin not to get involved with him. What the hell did his friend think he was doing? Had Jake ever interfered in Rick’s many and varied ‘relationships’? No—he’d stood back and watched the fall out so many times it wasn’t funny. But then Rick wasn’t contemplating having a hot, steamy affair with the band’s gorgeous new singer, was he?
Jake was only too aware that if he went ahead and had an affair with Caitlin it would be an extremely foolish and risky thing to do, with perhaps irreparable consequences. If he had any respect for the guys in the band—and he had that in spades—he shouldn’t even be considering it. But then he hadn’t achieved the success he had enjoyed by not taking risks. He wasn’t setting out to break Caitlin’s heart, but if they did get involved for a while he’d make it clear that he was only responding to an undeniable physical attraction that he couldn’t resist.
If she felt the same then there wouldn’t be a problem. If she didn’t then Jake would simply have to put the whole thing down to experience and do his best to turn away from her in that department. Although God knew it wouldn’t be easy.
Maybe once upon a time he’d nurtured a secret hope that he’d find a girl, settle down and eventually raise a family, but that hope hadn’t survived for long. Jodie had seen to that. He didn’t know if he would ever trust another woman again.
Having had a mother who had abandoned him was bad enough. Discovering that his wife had been having an affair—and with someone who had such a high profile that the press would have a field-day—Jake hadn’t had a prayer of protecting himself. Especially not when, in typically mercenary fashion, Jodie had concocted a vindictive story about their marriage and given the media carte blanche to say what the hell they liked about him. He wasn’t in a hurry to get burned a second time.
Blowing out a breath, he let his jaded gaze take inventory of his surroundings. The fashionable and expensive apartment might be just a stone’s throw from the King’s Road in Chelsea, but its distinctly minimalist decor and general air of emptiness were testament to the fact that he was hardly ever there. Since leaving the children’s home all those years ago he’d been regularly on the move—never staying in one place for any notable length of time.
Helplessly, he found his thoughts returning to Caitlin. If he was frank with her—made it clear that he was one of life’s gypsies and wasn’t looking for anything long-term or permanent—would she yield her body and a little of her time until the flames of desire they ignited together burned themselves out? And afterwards would they still be able to maintain a working relationship, see each other every day and have no regrets?
‘You’re a real prize, Jake Sorenson. You know that?’
Despising himself, because what he was prepared to offer her wasn’t really very much at all, he pushed to his feet and paced the floor, restless and on edge because the woman he was crazy about was sleeping just a few feet away from him in the next room…in his bed…alone.
She had barely said a word to him when he’d brought her back to the flat. She had simply looked at him with those soulful green eyes of hers and made a polite comment that the flat was ‘really beautiful’, then walked round the living room examining every single print that decorated the walls as if fascinated.
They were mostly artistic photographic prints of well-known music artists Jake had worked with, along with one or two high-profile fashion models who had worked on video shoots. As Caitlin had studied them it had become eminently clear to him that not one of them could hold a candle to her.
He should have told her how beautiful she’d looked tonight, how great she’d done, that she’d made them all proud. But he had been too keyed up because he’d been fighting to keep the lid on his attraction. And Rick’s warning had kept going round and round in his head like a mantra that was hard to shut out. So they’d had a cup of coffee, some brief conversation about nothing very much, and then he’d shown her into the bedroom.
It hadn’t just been him and the band who had loved her performance tonight. The audience had loved her too. But, drawing on his extensive experience, Jake knew it wasn’t all going to be plain sailing. Audiences were notoriously fickle until they really got to know a band, and they’d encounter all sorts on this tour before it was finished. There would be criticisms, too. Jake just hoped that Caitlin could handle them.
But there was no doubt in his mind that, with her talent and beauty, Blue Sky could win themselves a prestigious recording contract. As long as they were consistently able to come up with the goods he had the contacts and the know-how to help make all their dreams come true. Except maybe his own…
Once again his thoughts turned to the beautiful girl asleep in his bed. She was a dark-haired enchantress, with a face and a body that could enslave any man, and Jake had undoubtedly fallen under her spell. Cursing beneath his breath, he headed determinedly towards the bathroom and a long, cold, hopefully passion-killing shower.
* * *
The distinct sound of music playing disturbed him. For a few moments Jake just lay still, staring up at the ceiling. He was lying on the rarely used spare bed in the flat’s guest room, but he’d phoned ahead to the caretaking agency he used for someone to come in and tidy the place and make up the beds with f
resh sheets before they arrived.
Blinking away his disorientation as he properly came to, he realised that the radio was playing in the kitchen. Caitlin. She must be up and about. At the thought of the woman who had given him yet another sleepless night he groaned and propped himself up on his elbow. Then he dragged the fingers of his free hand through his tousled dark hair.
Glancing down at the distinctive bulge beneath the sheet, Jake released a long, slow breath. Jumping out of bed straight away wasn’t an option when he was so heavily and obviously aroused. Better that he wait for a few minutes and concentrate his thoughts on something either mundane or unpleasant to help dispel the heat in his groin. But that was no easy task, with Caitlin beginning to join in the chorus of the song on the radio, her sexy tones making him tingle all over just as if she were lying next to him, crooning softly into his ear.
A few moments later she was knocking at his door. ‘Jake, are you up yet? I’ve made you a cup of tea.’
Caitlin sounded so damn cheerful that he wanted to get up, drag her inside, throw her down on the bed and have his wicked way with her without further ado.
He released another heartfelt groan.
‘That word doesn’t get mentioned round here in the morning. I’m strictly a coffee man,’ he grumbled, plumping up his pillow and jamming it behind his back.
‘No problem. I can just as easily make you some coffee. How do you like it?’
‘Hot, dark and sultry, with a little bit of sugar…just like my women.’
‘I see you’ve recovered your sense of humour…’
‘Apparently I have.’
Jake couldn’t believe he was having this conversation through a closed door. He glared at the offending wood panel as if his gaze had the power to burn a hole through it.
From the other side Caitlin remarked brightly, ‘By the way, thanks for giving up your bed to me. I hope you were comfortable too. Did you sleep all right?’
