December Heat (18 page)

“She’s
in your blood, isn’t she?” Natalie teased. “Go on, admit it, Jake. You never could hide much from me.”

His
sister was right. “It doesn’t matter if she is in my blood, there’s not a lot I can do about it.”

“I
think we should give the poor guy a break, Nattie, don’t you? He’s looking as bleak as the weather.”

Natalie
sighed and looked Jake over. “I suppose you’re right. He does look a bit worse for wear.”

“Thanks
very much, I love you too.”

Natalie
grinned at him.

“I
know you do. Otherwise I wouldn’t have teased you.”

“So
how are the plans for your new career coming along, mate?”

“Very
slowly. They are still at the negotiating stage. It can be a long drawn out process.”

“You’ll
have to tell Nic all about it when you catch up with her. Or at least write her a letter sometime,” Nat encouraged.

“I
doubt she’d be all that interested. Her own career is blossoming. Why would she want to know about mine?”

“Did
you ask her? Ask her how she feels? How do you know what she wants?” Natalie prodded, frowning at him in a way she hadn’t in many years.

“I’ll
think about it, big sister,” he said. “Will that get you off my back?”

“For
the time being,” Natalie shot back. “Just don’t leave it too long. Someone else will snatch her right out from under your nose if you’re not careful. And it will serve you right.”

Chapter Sixteen

After
touring to a couple of the larger country centers, the Sydney season continued. Twice more Nicolette received flowers from Jake. Each time a cryptic message adorned the small card. “Keep up the good work. Miss you. Love Jake.” And “Terrific reviews. The audience loves you. Jake.”

“How
does he know this?” she asked Danny.

“Oh,
I imagine a man in Jake’s position would have a network of contacts. It wouldn’t be too hard to keep tabs on things if he really wanted to.”

“I
suppose not.”

Needing
to distract her thoughts from Jake, Nic paused and tugged at the edge of the curtain.

“Some
audiences are more difficult to warm to than others,” she said worriedly as she peeked through the curtains. “Do you think that’s true?” She resumed her warm-up exercises.

“Maybe.
One look at you Nic, and you’ll have the male audience jumping out of their seats. As they always do.”

“I
agree,” Tim said, as he joined them. “You’ve come back with an energy you didn’t possess before.”

She
grinned. “I feel like I’ve really come home. This is my life. This is what I want. How could I have given it up? I must have been crazy.” And yes she was at the time, she realized in hindsight, crazy with stress and desperate to save her marriage. An underlying sadness tugged at her heart. She’d loved and lost...twice.

“You’d
give it all up again if the right reason came along.”

Was
Jake Harrigan the right reason? What she longed for with Jake would never happen, so there was no use day-dreaming about it. They each had their own calling, and no way could their lives successfully combine.

“I’m
not so sure about that,” she said wistfully. “You know what they say—once bitten....”

She
glanced down at her skimpy costume to hide the sadness she knew would be evident in her eyes, before moving her gaze to Danny’s broad bare chest, rugged good looks and the adornments he wore for the performance. The earring, body paint in the form of a tattooed strip of chain across his muscular chest and around his rock hard biceps. Tim was dressed much the same. She sighed. They were both sexy good-looking men, great dance partners and good friends. But the warm regard she harbored for both of them was nothing like that special chemistry that sparked between her and Jake.

“You
two will have the women in the audience dreaming about you,” she said, openly admiring them.

Danny
tied a strip of leather around his brow. “That’s fine by me.” He grinned back. “So long as one of them’s my wife.”

“I’m
sure there’s no doubt about that.” She began to stretch and flex her body in readiness for the performance. “What about you, Tim? How are things going with you and Diana?

Tim
put his hand out in front of him and flipped it from side to side. “So so,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s a good or a bad thing that we see so much of each other. Sometimes living together and working on the same show isn’t healthy for a relationship. We just see too much of each other.”

“Yes,
it can be stressful, though it’s no better being half the world away from each other. Neither situation is any good for a relationship.” Nicolette tried hard not to think of Jake, yet she knew it was obvious to Tim and Danny that he was on her mind. There were times when she thought how wonderful it would be to have him waiting for her after each performance, showering her with hot kisses. She closed her eyes against the pain. Enough!

She
took a deep breath to keep her focused on the evening’s performance, and continued to warm up in silence while awaiting their cue.

Nic
felt relieved that, despite her initial worries, the audience loved them, and were very generous with their applause, whistles, and cheers. Their responses lifted her spirits, enticing her to reach within and extend herself even further.

When
curtain call came, Nic was exhausted, ready to retire for the evening. She took her final bow, relief, when the curtain eventually dropped, sweeping through her body.

How
she longed to escape to a quiet place, a warm fragrant bath, and a comfortable bed. However, as the female lead, she was obliged to stay put and pay her dues at the reception the theater hosted for the show’s sponsors. “That’s the price of fame.” She sighed resignedly as she scrubbed her skin clean, the tattooed markings disappearing in the fragrant froth of floral-scented moisturizing shower gel.

As
ready as she’d ever be to face the reception, she plastered a smile on her face, tried not to think about how much she missed Jake, and circulated amongst the guests, signing autographs, and posing for photographs with Danny and Tim.

* * *

Jake watched from the other side of the room. Nicolette, minus tattoos, and in that skimpy sapphire blue dress she’d worn to the Christmas party, radiated a new confidence that set his heart racing. She was in her element. He knew his fate...their future...was sealed. He couldn’t take her away from this life—it was a part of her, and she thrived on it.

The
other guy was there too, standing close to her. Too close.

Jake’s
heart sank. More proof her life had moved on.

How
could he find closure to their relationship when she affected him this way? He had to keep reminding himself she wasn’t...he wasn’t…ready to settle. He had to keep on the move. The most logical thing to do would be to walk away without saying goodbye. But he couldn’t bring himself to do that. He hadn’t come all this way for nothing. Gut-wrenching as it would be, he had to talk to her one last time. Then leave. Why not rip his heart out altogether and be done with it?

He
watched as Danny moved over toward her and put his arm around her bare shoulders. Jake’s insides twisted. They looked good together and he could never quite shake himself of the thought that perhaps there was more than just a working relationship lacing the bond between them. When Nic looked up at Danny, Jake’s stomach knotted even more. Not that he was in a position to be jealous. He should be glad for her there was someone else on the scene since clearly, it wasn’t going to be him.

Cameras
flashed, and he realized then they were being interviewed, a brilliantly harsh reminder that his and Nic’s futures were worlds apart. A reminder he’d better get this parting over and done with. Funny that he lacked enthusiasm for the task.

Jake
moved away and helped himself to a drink. A couple of mouthfuls and he realized he had no taste for champagne, and put the glass back on the tray.

He
wandered over to a display of posters of upcoming events, knowing he should leave...or speak with Nic. He couldn’t bring himself to do either and called himself all kinds of coward. Bored with the posters, he turned around and found Nic watching him. His heart slammed against his ribcage. Their gazes held. The expression on her face was hard to read. Was she pleased to see him? Or was that a hint of anger he saw there?

He
sauntered toward her, his insides churning. She excused herself from the group she was with and made her way to him.

“Hello
, Nic,” he said, with a light-heartedness he was far from feeling. “Surprised to see me?”

“What
do you think? Why didn’t you tell me you’d be here—that you were back in Australia?”

She
sounded just a little cross, and he was sorry if he’d been the cause. He suspected he was.

Her
fragrance triggered the images tucked away in his mind, of their long summer nights together by the Hawkesbury and he fought to keep his emotions in check.

Her
gaze searched his face, seeking what? He was probably going to hurt her no matter which option he chose.

Jake
shrugged. “The trip was unexpected. I didn’t have much time to make plans.”

After
considering his words for a moment, she didn’t look convinced. “Make plans for what?”

He
shrugged again. “Work stuff.”

“Oh,
I see.”

Was
she disappointed? As if trying to hide her innermost feelings, she schooled her features and changed tack.

“What
did you think of the show?”

“I
liked it. You were wonderful.” He paused, wishing she’d give him a smile that would ease the anxiety in his heart. “It seems you made the right move.”

Small
talk was such torture. This isn’t how he’d imagined his reunion with Nic—awkward, like strangers. He wanted to grab her and hug her tight. But was that what she wanted? He felt in no-man’s-land. Something new for him when it came to his relationship with a woman. He’d always called the shots.

“Yes,
it does. Things have taken off more than I’d dared hope. Thank you for the flowers,” she said. “They were lovely, all of them. They meant a lot.”

“I’m
glad you liked them. I’m a lousy letter writer. I hoped the flowers would make up for that. You were constantly in my thoughts.”

The
tension between them seemed to ease slightly. But there was still an urgency underpinning the bond between them. Though he tried to distance himself from her, he wasn’t succeeding. He glanced around. “We need to talk, Nic. Is there somewhere we can go?”

“Hey,
Nic, got time for another photo?” the other guy asked as he came to stand beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders, tempting Jake to shove it away. With great restraint, he kept his hands to himself.

“Jake,
this is my partner, Tim.”

Tim
shook hands, giving Jake the once-over. Jake noted that Tim was as strong as he looked.  “Pleased to meet you,” Jake said, not meaning a word of it. And just what exactly did she mean by partner?

“Will
you excuse us please, Jake? Duty calls.”

Jake
nodded grimly. Duty. Responsibility. Yes, Nic had a responsibility to these people, the audience, press and cast mates. At this point in his life, he, on the other hand, had a responsibility to no one but himself. And he liked it that way. Or at least, that’s what he tried to tell himself.

* * *

Jake watched as the photos were taken. He seemed in a strange mood tonight and Nicolette wasn’t sure what to make of it. He was distant, but each time she sneaked a glance at him, his gaze was always on her. His dark eyes held a longing, yet at the same time, she thought there was a warning there. A warning not to get too close.

And
now as she sipped her drink, with him standing silently beside her, she sensed his tension and wondered what the next move would be. And would it be hers? Or his?

“I
saw your interview and excerpts from the show on London television.”

Nic
turned to him. “Did you enjoy it?”

His
gaze burned into her. “Too much. Have you been dancing with Tim for long?”

Nic
could tell by his expression he regretted the words as soon as they were out. She’d heard the intensity in his voice, though she knew he struggled to keep it as even as possible to make the question sound casual. She felt a wisp of hope that perhaps Jake was jealous, that perhaps envy meant something positive for a future relationship.

“No.
Tim’s fairly new to the company. He’s good though, isn’t he? I love dancing with him, as much as I do with Danny. Dancing with Tim is like...like we’ve found our dancing soul mates, as Danny and I have. There’s that all important chemistry with Tim...with both of them. I like to think it shows on stage.”

“Oh,
it shows. You can bet your life on that.”

Nic
smiled slightly. “I’m glad to hear it.”

“You
have a good relationship off stage?”

Nic
almost choked on her drink. “Yes, of course. We couldn’t create that chemistry on stage if we didn’t get on well behind the scenes. You know how Danny and I are. Well, it’s the same sort of thing with Tim.”

Again
a brooding expression settled on Jake’s face and the tension between them increased.

Danny
approached them and shot a greeting smile at Jake. “Good to see you again, mate,” he said as they shook hands. Danny turned and looked at Nic. “Ready to go home?”

“Er,
I’m not sure.” She risked another glance at Jake. “You mentioned we might go somewhere?”

“It’s
up to you,” he said. “I can drop you home later.”

She
nodded. He was very non-committal and she knew he left it up to her to make the decision on whether they spent time together or not. She considered pinching him, telling him to wake up to himself, but decided better of it. No doubt with Jake’s present mood, there’d be opportunity for that later in the evening.