Next Song I Sing (NEXT TIME AROUND) (25 page)

“I think that’s a stretch, Lily. I vote you tell him no and let it play out however it does,” Brent advised. “Doing the discreet thing might delay Mr. Wade getting his heart broken, but it also might get you fired.”

“You’re right. I know you’re right, but this isn’t about regular guests. This is about Chloe and Mr. Wade,” Lily hissed, swearing under her breath as she followed Brent back out to the front desk.

“You’re a good person for caring, but do the right thing,” Brent insisted.

“I hate this,” Lily said, straightening her body as she walked. Managing hotel staff indiscretions had definitely not been listed as a requirement in her job description, and she sucked at lying. Brent was probably right.

“Yes, Chloe is listed with us under Zanders, but she left no directions to give out her information to other guests. I’m sorry, but I can’t give you her room number until I contact her,” Lily said, smiling smoothly and meeting his gaze.

Aaron smiled shyly and sighed, leaning against the counter, using his best timid moves to put the nervous woman at ease. Soothing frazzled female nerves was one of the things he did best, and pretending to be a bit shy around women was an act that always produced great rewards for him.

“Okay—I understand. How about I’ll just go over and wait in the lobby while you let Chloe know I’m here? She doesn’t really like surprises anyway. You’d think after five years of being married to her, I’d stop trying to do it,” Aaron said, running a hand through his hair as he grinned. “She’s already going to be surprised enough that I made the trip after I told her I couldn’t come with her. Thanks for the help anyway.”

Lily thanked him in return and nodded as she watched the very handsome and very polite man walk over to a lobby chair and fill it with his massive bulk.

In the three years she had worked at the hotel, this wasn’t the most awkward situation she’d ever had to handle, but it was ranking highly as the most uncomfortable one. She dialed Chloe’s room but got no answer, which didn’t surprise her. Mr. Wade had mysteriously disappeared about an hour ago as well, citing some lame excuse, as had become his new habit.

Two and two typically made four, and Lily could do basic math as well as the next front desk clerk. She chewed her lip while she wondered again if she should just call Mr. Wade’s room and ask for Chloe.

Then she looked at the man in the lobby, who was making pleasant conversation with people near him and not demanding anything at all. While she wanted to think there had to be some mistake about who he was, his actions certainly weren’t giving her any cause for alarm.

What if he was telling the truth about being Chloe’s husband? What if Mr. Wade walked into the lobby right now and asked who the guy was? Would she lie then?

Lily could imagine the fight scene, the tears, and Mr. Wade going into a blue funk over Chloe. She met Brent’s questioning gaze and realized that she couldn’t watch the heartbreak happen when there was clearly another choice.

Lily swore again, then picked up the phone and dialed the kitchen. “Eddie? There’s a man in the lobby waiting on Chloe. I’d like to put him in her room to wait discreetly while I look for her. Yes, I already got the lecture from Brent on how bad an idea it is, but it’s not like I can just tuck him away in a conference room. He’s insisting he’s her husband. No, I don’t really want to believe it either. Yes, thanks. We need to be as quick as we can.”

Moments later Eddie showed up with a bellboy jacket thrown over his kitchen clothes. Lily very calmly walked over to the man in the lobby with a frowning Eddie in tow.

“Mr. Kells? Eddie is going to escort you to Ms. Zanders’ room to wait. As soon as we find her, we’ll inform her you’re here.”

Aaron smiled and stood, reaching out a hand for her to shake. “Thank you,” he said, favoring her with his best smile. “I don’t want anyone to get into trouble just because I decided to surprise my wife.”

“Everything’s going to fine,” Lily said bravely, more for her sake than the man shaking her hand.

“This way, Mr. Kells,” Eddie ordered, walking to the elevators, thinking this just wasn’t right.

Aaron followed the surliest bellboy in the history of hotel service to Chloe’s room. The frowning guy walked in, looked around, then left abruptly without even saying goodbye. That worked for him anyway, Aaron thought, staring at the guy’s back as he closed the door with a slight slam. The bellboy’s bad attitude just saved him from having to tip.

He laid the roses on the bed and arranged the jeweler’s box next to it.

***

“Chloe, stop—Baby…please don’t finish me off,” Jasper rasped thickly, squirming against her strong hands and sharp nails that held him pinned to the bed. “If you do that, I won’t be able to…”

He screamed quietly against his release as Chloe’s laughter vibrated against his erection. He throbbed in the depths of her lovely, talented mouth that he’d just learned could do much more than just hit the high notes beautifully.

“I definitely wasn’t ready for that to happen,” Jasper exclaimed, fighting for breath as he took stock of how many brain cells he’d lost. “I’m not twenty-five you know. I need more than a few minutes of recovery time to be any good to you after that.”

“No need to recover for my sake,” Chloe said softly, kissing her way up her lover’s now totally relaxed body. “You can make it up to me next time. Maybe we can have chocolate mousse for dessert tonight. Have Eddie bring two or three. I’d like to actually eat some of it from a dish this time just to see what that’s like.”

Jasper laughed and pulled Chloe the rest of the way into his arms.

“Chloe, it’s only been two weeks since I met you,” Jasper said in protest.

“Yes, I know. But I don’t think there’s a dating time limit on waiting to do what we just did,” she said, smiling at Jasper’s very masculine gratitude. “I really like the way you say my name in that tortured tone. There’s hardly any snootiness left by the time you’re calling out in the middle of a climax like that one.”

Jasper laughed, a belly laugh that surprised him with its genuine humor. Chloe was more fun than any woman he’d ever known. Her hair was messed from his hands, and her breasts were squashed against his side. She leaned on one elbow and looked at him like he was the only man on earth. He desperately wanted the rest his life to be exactly like this moment.

“Marry me, Chloe,” Jasper said, not sure if it was a statement or a request. It was just necessary. He was a little miffed when she laughed without even acting surprised.

“Jasper—never propose to a woman after sex because she might say yes,” Chloe advised. “Ask me again three months from now when you’re more used to me, after you’ve seen me at my worst. Don’t ask me after a BJ when you’re feeling uber grateful. For now, just tell me I’m the most wonderful woman in the world and that you adore me.”

“I do adore you. Can’t say as I’ve ever heard a woman openly call it a BJ either,” Jasper said flatly, then flushed over his naïveté when a snorting Chloe tilted her head, disbelief and amusement dancing in her eyes.

“Would you prefer I call it oral sex? A bit more refined, but just doesn’t seem as friendly to me,” Chloe said on a laugh.

Jasper pulled her mouth to his for a hard kiss, partially assuaging his masculine guilt at just how much he liked her in bed. To him, Chloe was a sex goddess, just like he told Sam and Max, but he was also falling in love with her. He never wanted her to feel used.

“Call it whatever you prefer. I like that you’re comfortable with teasing me about what we just did,” Jasper said sincerely.

“I guess I am teasing you a little, but I meant what I said about asking me to marry you again in a few months,” Chloe said. “I like you, Jasper. I may even be falling in love with you. Right now, I’m just hoping like hell this isn’t a rebound relationship.”

“It’s not,” Jasper said. “I can tell.”

“Really?” Chloe said, giggling and drawing circles on his firm stomach with a red-tipped fingernail. “How can you tell?”

“Because I fell in love with you the first time I saw you, and hearing you laugh makes my day. Everything else is just a really great perk of being with the most incredible woman I have ever met. I want to marry you because I don’t want you to get away,” Jasper said. “Say yes now to my proposal, and I’ll call my parents before you have time to dress. Move in here, and I’ll try to let you have a long enough engagement to get used to me.”

Chloe laughed, sighed, and stretched over Jasper for a kiss that backed up his compliment just as perfectly as possible. She could taste his sincerity. He was just that kind of man.

“Jasper, stop thinking about how good sex is between us and be rational. We barely know each other. What if this is just really good sex and not much else?” Chloe asked.

“Does our relationship not feel like love to you?” Jasper asked, suddenly wondering what love felt like to Chloe.

“I’m still too stunned to think about whether or not what we have is love,” Chloe said, laying her head on his chest and letting him stroke her hair. “We’re moving really fast for me. My divorce is still fresh. And I don’t even have a real job yet. I have a lot of things to work out in my life. How can I really be in love with you when my life is so crazy?”

“Let me make all of this really simple,” Jasper whispered. “I’ll finger paint the explanation on you with chocolate mousse tonight and lick it off while you consider my offer. You can paint your answer on me and…do whatever you like to remove it.”

Chloe laughed, hearing the hope for a replay of what they just did in Jasper’s hesitant words. She couldn’t remember ever liking a lover so much before. Maybe it was love. She’d have to think about it some more.

“Ask me again in a few months, and I might have the answer you want,” Chloe whispered, rolling her face to kiss Jasper’s chest. “I can’t answer you now when my mind is too clouded by being dazzled.”

“Dazzled? God, woman, I haven’t bought you a single piece of jewelry, a car, or even paid for stitch of clothing. What on earth could I have done to dazzle you? I can do that quite well you know. I have a lot of experience at dazzling women. We just haven’t gotten around to it yet,” Jasper said, frowning.

Chloe lifted her head and looked at Jasper, really looked at him. There was so much she didn’t know about the man she was lying across, but she felt his good intentions towards her. That desire Jasper seem to have to pamper her was more than she’d had in the last years of her marriage—more really than she’d found with any man before him.

“You dazzled me the first night when you told me I was beautiful and kissed me in your office. That was more sincere flattery than I’d had in a very long time,” she said. “I don’t need anything more to want to be here with you, Jasper.”

Jasper sighed and rolled to his side to gather Chloe into his arms. He held her as tightly as he could, wondering how he’d managed to find a deeply good relationship after years and years of nothing but shallow ones.

“You have to get dressed for the first show soon, don’t you?” he asked.

“Yes,” Chloe said. “Marla and Vanessa will be calling the room looking for me shortly if I don’t get down there for warm-ups.”

Jasper sighed and pushed away from her, brushing back her hair. “I guess this means we have to go be responsible adults for a while.”

“Afraid so,” Chloe said, closing her eyes at Jasper’s gently stroking fingers over her face. “My boss is a slave driver. And unfortunately the man knows I work for chocolate mousse and fringe benefits. I better go before it’s too late.”

Jasper snickered at her teasing. “Maybe you need a better boss.”

Chloe smiled. “No way. I’m addicted to the perks. The man is an animal in bed.”

“Animal? Oh yes—that’s definitely me—animal in bed. I swear you make me laugh every day. I’m definitely in love with you,” Jasper said, letting go of her and rolling off his side. “Can you at least try to believe that a little bit?”

Chloe sat up and pulled on her top, leaving her bra on a nearby chair where Jasper had flung it. She hadn’t let him undress her completely, which simplified things now.

“I believe it’s possible. How’s that? Now kiss me goodbye—I have to go,” Chloe said. “Are you going to catch the first set? You’ve missed the shows lately and need to hear the backup singers you let Max hire. They’re really good.”

“Glad to know it since that was the goal of hiring them,” Jasper said, kissing her once more before watching Chloe head to the door smiling. “Barring any crises this evening, I will definitely see you in the lounge.”

“Okay—see you there,” Chloe said softly, smiling as she left and headed to her own room.

***

A young but obviously advanced pregnant woman with tear-streaked eyes walked to the front desk, and Lily almost dropped the papers in her hand when she saw her distress.

“I’m looking for a Chloe Kells,” she said tearfully.

Without missing a beat, Lily passed her a tissue.

“Thanks,” the woman said. “I can’t seem to stop crying lately. Baby hormones. Is Chloe Kells staying here?”

Lily stared at the woman, unable to stop her eyebrows from going all the way up into her hairline as she studied the woman’s protruding belly. It explained a lot about Chloe not traveling with her husband.