Nashville Rebel Page 10

  “You survived it,” he said.

  “Yes, I suppose I did.” But would this high-society crowd think she was a fool if they uncovered the truth? Would they scorn her for how she was handling this situation? Sooner or later, the public would know. She and Tommy had agreed that once she was good and pregnant, his publicist would announce their news.

  His lips curved. “Should we kiss again?”

  She glanced at his mouth, and the heat in her belly grew tighter, stronger. But she fought the craving. “I think we should wait until we get home.”

  “I want to swim naked with you. In my pool, under the waterfalls.”

  Her mind spun. “Sounds tempting. Do you think we really should?”

  He nodded. “It’s a great evening for it. The weather is mild, but even if the temperature drops later, it won’t matter. I always keep the water warm at this time of year. We can use the pool house to get undressed.” He softly added, “Or if you want to let go of all of your inhibitions, we can strip outside and leave our clothes wherever they fall.”

  Could she do something like that? She didn’t know. But for now, she and Tommy were still dancing, swaying in each other’s arms.

  Until the masquerade was over.

  Eight

  Tommy was a lucky son of a gun. First he’d gotten Sophie to kiss him at the ball, and now he’d baited her to strip down by the pool. He probably shouldn’t be so damn thrilled about corrupting her, though. With the moon shining brightly, she looked like a deer in the headlights, standing there in her pretty little panties and bra.

  “What if the bracelet or earrings get lost or damaged?” She grouped them together on a patio table. “They must be terribly expensive, and they’re only on loan to you.”

  “They’ll be fine.” He was in his underwear, too, and anxious to peel it off and dive into the water. “No one is going to come out here and mess with anything.” He’d already notified his staff that the area was off-limits tonight.

  She sighed. “I shouldn’t be leaving a dress like this draped over a chair. You must have spent a fortune on it, and here we are, treating it like a gunnysack. It’s such a beautiful gown, so delicately made. And our masks.” She arranged them just so, beside the jewelry.

  Tommy wasn’t concerned about what happened to their clothes. He didn’t even care if the diamonds or garnets she’d worn got lost or damaged. He had enough dough to pay for them, if need be. “I just bought a tiger the size of a tree.” He’d won the bid and was having the statue delivered in a few days. “What things cost isn’t an issue.”

  “I know, but...”

  “Stop fussing about it.” He glanced at the pile of jewelry on the table. “I should have bought it for you, anyway.”

  She sent him a you’re-a-madman look. Then she said, “It’s bad enough that I let you pay for the dress. I’m not going to let you turn me into your mistress and start giving me jewelry, too.”

  “Don’t be so dramatic. I’ve given you expensive gifts before.”

  “Not jewelry.”

  “Women make too much of that. Are you ready?” He yanked off his underwear and dived into the pool. He waded in the water, watching her, curious to gauge her reaction before he swam away.

  Still wearing her lingerie, she stepped closer to the edge of the pool. “The second waterfall is where your private apartment is. The cave no one except you is allowed to enter.”

  “I’m going to disengage the alarm, so you can come inside with me.” He couldn’t explain why he wanted her to share that space with him. He’d built it as his own personal haven, the ultimate man cave. For the most part, Tommy maintained it himself. He didn’t have to swim to get there, not unless he wanted to. An elevator on the other side of the pool descended to a water-free entrance, but he rarely used that door.

  “What’s going on with you?” Sophie asked. “First you’re talking about buying me jewelry and now this?”

  He smoothed back his wet hair. “I’m probably just feeling macho. I like trying to make you pregnant.” He couldn’t fathom why else he was behaving this way. “Maybe it’ll be lucky for us.” Without saying anything else, he submerged himself in the water and swam to his destination.

  He dived under the waterfall and reached the cave. Once he was on solid ground, he punched out the numbers on the alarm and went inside.

  The first room was merely a place to dry off, with heat lamps and towels. He waited for Sophie there. He was certain that she would find her way.

  She appeared a few minutes later, soaking wet in her bra and panties. Little cheat, he thought. But dang, she looked good. Her makeup wasn’t even smeared, at least not to the degree of having raccoon eyes. The stylist who’d done her face had probably used the waterproof stuff. Her upswept hairdo was drenched, but given how naturally pretty she was, it only enhanced her appeal.

  “Here you go.” He wrapped her in a towel and gave her one for her hair, too, which she was already hanging down.

  “Thank you.” She removed her underwear and dried off. She moved closer to the heat lamps, her damp locks tumbling down her back. “I’m curious to see this private place of yours.”

  “Sorry, but you’re not getting the grand tour. I’m taking you straight to the bedroom.”

  “Lead the way, then.”

  Needing no further invitation, he scooped her up and carried her exactly where he wanted to go, passing the living room, kitchen and dining room to get there. The walls throughout the apartment were landscaped with limestone formations. The imperfections pleased him. The furniture, in contrast, was smooth and simple.

  “This is quite the cave,” she said.

  “Yes, it is.” No windows, no outside interference, nothing but deliberate solitude.

  He’d never wanted to bring anyone here, especially a lover. Sophie was obviously different, somehow. But she’d always been part of his life, so maybe it wasn’t so much of a stretch.

  He placed her on the bed and followed her down. He didn’t hesitate to kiss her. He went full bore, pushing his tongue past her lips. She made sounds of arousal, then arched her back and lifted her hips. He used his hands, playing her like an instrument.

  When they stopped kissing, he said, “I really am going to write a song about you.”

  She gazed curiously at him. “A sexy one?”

  “The sexiest.” He climbed on top of her. “But I might come up with a ballad, too.”

  Her breath hitched. “So you’re going to write two songs about me?”

  “I might do an entire album.” At the moment, he wanted to share his feelings for her, send them out into the universe.

  “Just don’t write any of your phony love songs about me.”

  He nudged her thighs apart. “Phony?”

  She traced rings around his nipples, coiling closer to their flat brown surface, making him feel as if he had jumper cables attached to his body.

  “You know what I mean,” she said.

  Yeah, he knew. Tommy had a poetic side that didn’t fit the rest of his personality. She snaked her arms around him, and he entered her, wet and deep.

  Together, they made lust-drenched love, holding each other close. The fire between them burned bright. And so did his fascination with her.

  She looked mystical, like a mermaid he’d captured at sea. He twined his fingers through her long, ropy hair, grateful that she’d chosen him to sire her child. The more they worked on the baby, the closer he was to making her dreams come true. He’d already gotten his dream of fame and fortune, making music that touched people’s souls. He wanted to touch hers, as deeply as he could.

  She sighed, and he reached between her legs, rubbing her softly, then with more intensity. She bit her bottom lip and scratched her nails down his back.

  When she came, she gasped and shuddered, her breaths warm and silky against his neck.
Tommy came, too, his pulse roaring in his ears.

  Afterward, they lay side by side, staring up at the rugged limestone ceiling, a languid silence between them. As always, he hoped that he’d made her pregnant. That he’d done his job. But right now, he wasn’t going to worry about being the donor and not the dad, and whether the kid would resent him for it. He knew better than to stress about Sophie’s baby. She would be parent enough for both of them.

  He turned to her and said, “We’re still going to skinny-dip later. We didn’t actually get to do that.”

  She shifted onto her side, facing him, as well. “You did.”

  “Not with you, I didn’t. We swam here separately, and you showed up in your bra and panties. I want to see you under the water, bare as the day you were born.” He revealed what he’d been thinking about her earlier. “You already remind me of a mermaid.”

  “So if we swim naked together, I can seem like one for real?” She wiggled her toes. “Problem is, I don’t have a tail.”

  “That’s something I’m willing to overlook.”

  “You have a lot of fantasies, Tommy.”

  “When it involves you, I do. I’ve never obsessed over anyone the way I have over you. Just think of all those years I flirted with you, letting you know how badly I wanted you, while other women were throwing themselves at me.”

  “That’s easy to define.”

  He frowned. “It is?”

  She nodded. “I presented a challenge, and you thrived on the chase.”

  And he was still chasing her, he realized. “Aside from you, I’ve always been careful not to go after the ones who might reject me.” He didn’t put himself in positions of getting hurt. Or having his pride damaged or whatever. “That’s hardly anything to brag about.”

  She flashed a cat-that-ate-the-canary smile. Or maybe she was the canary, devouring the big ol’ tomcat.

  “You’re amused that I’m being humble?” he asked.

  “Can you blame me? You’re normally so conceited.”

  “I just pretend to be.” He wasn’t going to lie, not after the way she’d trapped him with that satisfied smile of hers. “I act more confident than I am.”

  She squinted, a bit skeptical now, it seemed. “So you don’t really think you’re handsome and charming?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t go that far.” He shrugged, making a silly joke. “But in all seriousness, I know I’m a terrible catch and that my inability to commit makes me less desirable.”

  “I wouldn’t be sleeping with you if it wasn’t for the baby,” she reminded him.

  “That just proves how deep our friendship really is.” He ran his hands down her body, caressing her, letting her know that he needed her again.

  “You’re definitely the best friend I’ve ever had, even if you drive me crazy.”

  He leaned over her. “Am I driving you nuts now?”

  “Absolutely.” With a sweet and dreamy sigh, she returned his touch, showing him how much she needed him, too.

  * * *

  After they made love for the second time, Sophie cuddled in Tommy’s arms, feeling warm and toasty. Romantic, she thought, like one of the ballads she’d told him not to write about her.

  She pressed closer to him. “I shouldn’t have said what I did.”

  He trailed a finger along her spine. “About what?”

  “Your ballads being phony. Your slow songs have always been my favorites.”

  “I’m not offended by what you said. Everyone knows that love isn’t my thing. But it’s easy for me to write about because I’ve seen how it affects other people, when they’re happy or sad, when it makes them euphoric, when it breaks them. Remember how devastated Conrad was when his wife left him?”

  “How could I forget?” His guitar player had nearly lost his mind over his divorce. “But he wasn’t faithful to her.” She frowned. “I hated being witness to that.” Sophie got tired of seeing the infidelities that occurred on the road.

  “I try to stay out of the band’s personal affairs. But it bothers me when they cheat on their wives and girlfriends, too. It reminds me of how my dad treated my mom, I guess, and that stupid arrangement they had. I never understood how that benefited my mother.”

  “It didn’t, obviously. Especially when Kirby didn’t even follow the rules they’d agreed on.”

  He blew out a breath. “I’m glad Mack has never stepped out on Jean. She’s everything to him, her and the kids.”

  She thought about his drummer and how madly in love he and his wife were. “They definitely have something special.” She kept her head on Tommy’s shoulder. “Do you think that you shy away from commitment because of the effect your parents’ marriage had on you?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe, probably.” He expelled another audible breath. “This is as committed as I’ve ever been, and it’s not even supposed to last.”

  “This? You mean us? Our affair?”

  When he nodded, she said, “You’re right. It’s not supposed to last.” But for now, she wanted to make the most of it. She just hoped that she didn’t long for him when it was over. That she didn’t stay awake at night, pregnant and alone, wondering what he was doing or whom he was with. To keep her mind from straying too far in that direction, she bit playfully at his arm. The last thing she needed was to pine after him, the way she did when they were younger.

  He laughed a little. “Why’d you do that?”

  “It’s your punishment.”

  “For what?”

  “Being so good in bed.” And for making her think painful thoughts.

  He rolled over on top of her. “Then I should bite you back because you’re just as good.” He peered into her face. “We should go skinny-dipping now.”

  “Sure. Why not?” Maybe it would benefit her to jump into the water, to feel it rush over her. “Are we coming back here afterward or going back to your house?”

  “Whichever you prefer.”

  “We’ll go back to the house.” She didn’t want to leave their clothes and masks outside all night. Or the jewels he’d claimed that he should buy her.

  “Then let’s go.” He got up and reached for her hand.

  When they left, he reset the alarm, and they stood at the edge of the water, diving in at the same time.

  She felt like a mermaid, sleek and smooth and free. Tommy seemed like a merman, too, gliding effortlessly beside her.

  They came to the surface, and he swam over to a corner seat at one side of the pool. She followed him, and they shared the space, as close as two beings could be. Naked and wet, they kissed. Taking it a bit further, she crawled onto his lap and made him hard, simply for the fun of it.

  After that, they played in the water, splashing and flirting. Once they quieted down, she floated on her back with her hair fanned out around her. Tommy watched her with longing in his eyes.

  A short while later they climbed out of the water. He produced a stack of towels and two thick robes from the pool house, and they dried off and bundled up.

  “Did skinny-dipping with me live up to your fantasy?” she asked, as they prepared to gather their belongings and return to the mansion.

  “Oh, yeah.” He grinned boyishly, happily. “It definitely did.”

  She thought about her bad-girl fantasy and her desire to be watched. She’d convinced herself that she was too shy to do it. But there was a part of her that desperately wanted to. If she told Tommy how she felt, would he be shocked? No doubt it would arouse the hell out of him. But she kept quiet. She just wasn’t ready to go there.

  Nonetheless, she was still feeling sleek and sexy. She grabbed a hold of him, and they kissed with heat and vigor. They even slipped their hands into each other’s robes, feeling for whatever flesh they could find.

  Would they ever stop wanting each other?

  Of course they woul
d, the practical side of Sophie’s mixed-up mind answered. Just as soon as she was pregnant and their skyrocketing affair came crashing back to earth.

  * * *

  A week after the masquerade ball, Sophie returned from the office and changed into comfortable clothes. She loved being home by five thirty and kicking back for the rest of the night. Overall, she appreciated her new job and enjoyed assisting Tommy’s manager. Sophie already knew how to run a tour, and now Barbara was teaching her more about advertising, marketing and the financial end of the business. She’d had a particularly interesting day today. While they were going over current contracts and negotiations, Barbara informed her about a highly lucrative reality-show deal that Tommy was refusing to consider.

  Funny, but he’d never even mentioned it to Sophie. Clearly, he didn’t tell her everything that pertained to his career...or his personal life, for that matter. She was still learning new things about him. Especially sexual things, she thought. She certainly knew his bedroom preferences now.

  As for herself, her voyeuristic fantasy was getting stronger. Should she do it? The idea of being really, really bad thrilled her. But she was still grappling with the self-consciousness of it.

  Clearing her mind, she made her way to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Chef knew that she liked to nibble between meals and always had something ready for her. If he wasn’t there to give the food directly to her, he wrote her name on the containers.

  Just as Sophie turned around, Dottie entered the kitchen, with her twinkling blue eyes and short graying hair.

  She smiled and said, “I see you found what Chef left for you.”

  “I did, indeed.” He’d been spoiling Sophie since the day she moved in, and she adored him for it. Chef Bryan was a quiet man, in his late fifties, with a shiny bald head and a heart of gold. “Where is he, anyway?”

  “He left early today. He has a date.”

  “Really?” Instantly intrigued, Sophie wondered more about it. She’d always been interested in other people’s love lives. When she was a teenager, she used to document her friends’ experiences in her diary and then read them her entries to see if they approved. She never wrote down who Tommy went out with, though. She hadn’t wanted to put his conquests on paper or discuss them with him. “I didn’t know Chef was seeing someone.”