by Knight, Evie
Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2013 Evie Knight
ISBN: 978-1-77130-615-7
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Avril Ashton
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
To my writing friends, Kristy, Nicole, Janet, and Ketty, for all the laughs, the silly moments, and most importantly their unconditional support.
ARIEL’S SONG
In Bed with the Enemy, 1
Evie Knight
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
“What makes you think you’re qualified for this job?”
A pair of caramel gold eyes stared at her. Ariel couldn’t believe she was talking with him. Colin Hoskins. The famous musician. He looked hotter up close than he deserved to be. His intent gaze reminded her of the first time she’d listened to one of his songs, falling in love with his music irrevocably. And the many times she’d touched herself, imagining him making love to her.
Not once, not ever, did the thought cross her mind she’d one day be at Colin’s house, interviewing for a job. Ariel glanced around his elegant study, taking in the impeccable dark wood floors and matching drapes, in an effort to ignore his you’re wasting my time attitude. When she’d decided to answer the ad earlier today, she never imagined the job to be this hard to get.
He stood up and circled his desk, stopping behind her chair. “Well?” Colin twisted his finger in the long curl brushing one side of her face, pulling it.
Ariel closed her eyes, trying not to pay attention to the goose bumps spreading down her arms.
“A cat got your tongue?” His damnable sexy British accent made her knees weak.
Her wandering thoughts, combined with his actions, got her all hot and bothered. Ariel straightened her back on the chair, shaking her head to get out of the trance he’d put her under. She opened her eyes and stared at his sturdy desk, feeling the alarm raising within her. What if the rumors are true? No. No. No. Now wasn’t the time to let those thoughts in her head. Without this job she’d have less than nothing in a few days’ time.
She willed her fears away. “I’ll be the best personal assistant you’ve ever had.” Ariel shifted in her chair, getting closer to the edge of the seat, away from his gentle fingers playing with her hair. She took a deep breath to control her nerves, hoping Colin wouldn’t call her bluff. She didn’t have any experience or a clue on what a personal assistant did.
He placed his hands on the arm rests of her chair, saying low at her ear, “Is that so?”
The electric warmth of his close proximity shot down her back. Ariel swallowed. Perhaps now was the time to leave. He’d grilled her for the past thirty minutes. She wasn’t any closer to getting the job than she’d been when she first walked in. What would she do? She needed funds.
“Yes.”Ariel rose to her feet and faced him, studying his expression. It lacked the charm he’d once been known for. Well, truth be told, she wouldn’t know any better given she’d never before met him face to face. The time she attended one of his private showcases hoping to meet him, he left before she got a chance to be introduced to him. Now, in front of her stood a calculating man with a gaze so intense it hypnotized her.
His lips curved into a smile as he straightened to his full height. “I think you’re bluffing.”
The sunlight coming through the windows in his study, caressed his shoulder-length golden brown hair tied in a ponytail, bringing out the natural gold-plated highlights. Damn his beautiful hair. How could a man be a genius in music and so gorgeous at the same time? Life sucked.
Ariel held his gaze. “Does it matter?” This job would make a difference between having a roof over her head and ending up homeless by the end of the week. She cringed at the latter. She didn’t want to back down or let her anxiety get the best of her. Not yet. She glanced at the entrance. “I don’t hear anyone else knocking on your door.”
Colin stepped toward her. “Maybe I already hired one of them.”
Ugh, such arrogance. The man she’d dreamt of didn’t resemble the one standing in front of her. Every word coming out of Colin’s mouth took a degree off her hottest musician thermometer. Damn it. She was bankrupted and stuck in Bibury, England. Ariel needed a job, like yesterday. She’d give it one more try before admitting defeat.
“Now, who’s bluffing?” If he’d hired someone she wouldn’t be having this conversation with him now. Ariel tried to add distance between them, except she ran out of room and bumped into his desk.
Colin glanced at her hands on his desk then fixed his gaze on her. “Why are you here, Ariel?” He stepped forward, towering over her by a good six inches.
“I-I need a job.” Ariel took a deep breath, regretting it a second later when the combination of bergamot, grapefruit, and a hint of lavender in his fragrance teased her nostrils. Gosh. How was she supposed to form any coherent thoughts when her dream man stood so close to her, smelling this good? She’d forever regret taking this trip. If she’d known how her luck would change overnight, she would’ve stayed in New York.
He placed his hands next to hers on the desk, his face an inch away from hers, his warmth enveloping her from head to toe. “If that’s the reason you’re here, I’ve got news for you.” He paused, touching the tip of his nose to hers. “I don’t have a job to offer.”
She swallowed, blood rushing through her veins. “Why did you—”
Colin angled his head, his mouth almost brushing hers. “I didn’t, my agent did.” The heat of his breath kissed her lips.
Ariel closed her eyes, imagining he’d kiss her any second now. She’d know what it felt like to be kissed by Colin Hoskins. She’d come looking for a job, she’d be kissed instead. Not what she needed at the moment. Kisses didn’t pay rent or kept her fed. Then again it wasn’t an everyday occurrence a master musician—the man she’d always dreamt of—kissed her senseless.
“Ariel,” he said.
Her name sounded melodic coming from him.
“I’m not the man I used to be. Do yourself a favor. Leave me the hell alone.”
What? She opened her eyes as he spun away and walked to a large Victorian glass window on the far end of the room, not once looking back at her.
Heat flushed through her body as she stared at his back. Colin wore black from top to bottom, which suited the dark persona he liked to portray to the media, except she wasn’t media. She was Ariel Parks, a bankrupted heiress, in need of a freaking job. She righted her clothes, well aware of the state of her damp panties.
“Go to hell, Colin.” Ariel strode out of his study without another glance at him.
Chapter Two
“Are you mad?” Gérard crossed the threshold of Colin’s studio, letting the door close.
What the fuck is going on today? First, it’d been Ariel. Now, his friend. Colin stood next to his music stand and closed his eyes, wishing people buggered off. Family and friends included. He tried out the notes of a new song he’d started to compose.
“Colin, you have three months before your big comeback with the Philharmonic. Stop this nonsense. You can’t be bothered with the tedious paperwork and arrangements. An assistant can take care of all the prepa
rations.” Gérard paced the studio.
Could his friend shut it? He’d busied himself doing what he knew best, and didn’t appreciate being bothered during his solo time. Right then, the reason behind his solitude for the past two years punched him in the gut. Being on the front cover of the news as the suspect of his fiancée’s homicide didn’t make him anyone’s favorite. On the contrary, it ruined his career. The detectives never found the real murderer, which didn’t help him one bit because it also didn’t prove it hadn’t been him.
His eyes still closed, he furrowed his brow, dismissing the ill thoughts, and focused on hitting the right notes. Gérard’s pacing was a bloody nuisance, messing with his concentration. Damn it, he missed a note. Colin tightened his jaw, his hand curled on the neck of the violin, bringing it down from his shoulder.
He opened his eyes, zeroing his gaze on his friend, standing across from him. “You’re hired. Do whatever the hell an assistant is supposed to do. Now, can you please leave?” Bow in hand, he gestured to the door. No one got past Lola, his housekeeper, when he practiced, which made him wonder how his friend did. Anyone in the right mindset knew better than to interrupt him when he locked himself in his music studio.
“Are you out of your fucking mind? I can’t be your assistant. I have better things to do,” Gérard said.
“So, stop insisting on babysitting me.” He lost his inspiration. Thank you very much, Gérard.
“Why didn’t you hire the woman from this morning? The way I see it, she’s the only one brave enough to apply for your job.” Gérard stopped pacing and turned to Colin. “She’s your ticket to a great comeback into the music business.”
Colin placed his ex-Vieuxtemps in its case, his hands stilled for a moment at the mention of her. She’d been in his mind since she’d left. “She’s not my ticket to anything. I have more money than I can spend in my lifetime, I don’t need a comeback,” he said through clenched teeth. “How the fuck do you know I didn’t hire her or anyone?”
Gérard opened and closed his mouth.
“Did Lola tell you?” Colin made a mental note to have a chat with his housekeeper.
“It doesn’t matter. Colin, you can’t sulk in bitter memories for the rest of your life. Blast it. You’re a rotting thirty-one-year-old. Do yourself a favor and live the rest of your life.” Gérard motioned to the violin.
Colin shut the case with a loud thud. “Live the rest of my life how, Gérard? I’m alive. Valerie is fucking dead and I’ll never get to ask her why she didn’t tell me. No matter how hard I try, the media won’t leave me the hell alone. Half the world probably thinks I’m a murderer. How’s that for wanting to live my life? Pretty fucked up, don’t you think?” He looked him in the eye.
“Only you can fuck it up more. If I were you, I’d start where I left of. Play your music, my friend. The one thing no one can ever take away from you.”
Colin approached him. “I don’t need you or anyone to feel sorry for me, tell me what to do, or what to live for. Now, if you’re done with your sermon I’d like to get back to what I was doing before you decided to interrupt.” He walked past Gérard to the door, opened it, and waved his hand.
Gérard pressed his lips tight as he made his way to the door. “I’ve made arrangements and your old band will be waiting for you at the manor first thing tomorrow morning.”
“At your place?” He lifted a brow.
“Yes. I couldn’t have them show up here unannounced. Knowing you, you would’ve sent them on their way before they set a foot past your door.”
Colin leaned on the frame of the door and crossed his arms. “How considerate of you, remind me to send you a present for your birthday.” He angled his head, studying his friend’s expression. “I won’t say I’m sorry for all the trouble you went through because I’d lie. It looks to me you’ll have to do the honors in breaking the news to them.”
Gérard stared back. “It’s your choice whether you want to continue hiding or take back what’s yours and live life. Think about it.” He patted Colin’s shoulder on his way out.
Colin slammed the door behind his friend. Everyone thought they knew what made him happy. Well, they didn’t. Nothing would ever bring back the old Colin. He’d never be that guy again, thanks to Valerie.
To make matters worse, he couldn’t get Ariel out of his mind. Who was she, anyway? Some crazy ass fan? Or an undercover reporter pretending to need a job after seeing the ad his friend, Logan, put on the newspaper without his consent? Colin loathed the media’s ways to get their noses in his life. He wanted none of it. Colin wasn’t proud of the way he treated Ariel. He’d wanted to make a point, scaring her away. Good girls like her didn’t hang around bad guys like him. Did he go too far? Bloody hell, regardless of her real reasons for answering the ad, he’d been an ass.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, inhaling deeply, wishing to find a trace of her perfume in the air. She’d smelled so good, looked so willing, he almost kissed her. The heat of her body close to his did things to him this morning, things he wished not to think or feel. It’d been too long, longer than he cared to admit, since the last time he’d been with anyone. Not since his dead fiancée.
Colin raked a hand through his hair, removing the tie holding it in a ponytail. He didn’t find it in him to get back to practice. Not when images of her reddish pink lips played in his head, making him wonder how they’d feel against his. A walk around the village seemed a good plan. He’d welcome a breath of fresh air. Maybe inspiration would strike again.
****
Ariel spent the better part of the afternoon at a nearby pub patio table going over her options. No matter which way she put it, her alternatives were minimal to none. Disheartened, she’d opted for watching tourists walk by, unhurried. Families seemed to have a preference for the spot where Arlington Row started, and stopped to take pictures, making Ariel wish to be a kid again. The kids laughing in the harmonious, carefree way they did reminded her of her parents. Her eyes prickled with tears at the memory. She wouldn’t allow nostalgia to take over. Not now.
Ariel stood and left the pub, resolved to clear her head to come up with a plan Z because she’d already explored A through Y. Plan A failed with the ugly mister beautiful. The man infuriated her. She’d been so stupid letting her fantasies come out to play, allowing her sex deprived body to lead, imagining the feel of his lips on hers. And what for? Colin didn’t kiss her. He’d asked her to leave instead.
None of this would be happening if Tanner hadn’t fallen from the face of the earth. Why did her older brother leave her to fend for herself? He’d disappeared overnight with no clues of his whereabouts. Tanner did crazy things all the time, but he’d never deliberately lose their inheritance and walk out on her. Her uncle wasn’t any help either. She’d called him, but her uncle had yet to return any of her previous calls. Why? Ugh. No matter where she looked, the answers she needed weren’t coming. In the meantime, she needed a job.
It’d been a nightmare come true going from millions to penniless overnight. When word got out, her friends turned their back on her. To add insult to injury, she’d lost her home in New York, too. Ariel had nothing left. Despite it all, she’d have a better chance of finding answers to her questions, and her brother if she went back to the States.
Ariel walked past the post office, finding her way to the small road leading to her leased cottage. Bibury could be the most picturesque town in all of England, and out of a Thomas Kincaid painting. She hated it as much as she’d loved it the first time she’d set foot on it. Now, getting the hell out of there was her top priority.
Exhaustion claimed her. The warm afternoon breeze embraced her as she made her way through the driveway. She wanted nothing more than to go back to the place she’d called home for the past few days and crawl into bed. A sorrowful laugh caught in her throat. The moment she learned of her financial state, she’d moved out of a five star hotel into a modest cottage to buy herself time. She needed to make her cash last w
hile she figured what to do next.
Ariel wanted to believe in the remote possibility of this being a nightmare, a bad joke, some sort of confusion. Tanner always came through, so why hadn’t he yet? Anger mixed with frustration formed a lump in her throat. She swallowed back the tears threatening to fall yet again. She had to think fast. Not having a work visa made things hard, finding someone easy to persuade to give her a job harder.
Ariel made a left turn, reaching the path leading to her rented cottage without paying attention to her surroundings. The prospect of no longer having a roof over her head in three days’ time filled her mind with worry. Where would she go? She pulled her keys out of her bag and looked up, stopping in her tracks a few feet from her door.
What the hell? “Have you lost your way home, Colin?” She used her own version of his accent, mimicking the tone he’d used with her earlier that day.
He leaned against the wall next to the door, hands in his pockets, a booted foot crossing the other. The even stubble around his chin added to his dark, sexy angel looks. Damn him a thousand times over. Her hand itched to slap out of him the ghost of a smirk on his face for making a fool out of her.
“Is this how you talk to your employer?” Colin stared her down.
How dare he? “Last time I checked, I didn’t have a job. Whatever happened to leave you the hell alone?” Ariel adjusted her bag on her shoulder.
“Do you want the job or not?” He folded his arms.
She did a double take. The handsome devil standing in front of her could be her ticket home, except her pride weighted heavy on her. “I thought you weren’t looking to hire anyone.” He didn’t respond, so she walked to the door and slid the key in. Ariel stepped in her cottage. “Goodbye, Colin.”
