Secret Vows (Hideaway (Kimani)) (14 page)

Waiting for the intro to the song, Greer felt herself relax. She knew she wouldn’t be able to reproduce Lee Ann’s distinctive twang so she did the next best thing. Blend country with gospel. The flutters disappeared as did the tightness in her jaw, and her expression softened noticeably.

A shiver raced up her spine when Jason, Doug and the drummer harmonized backup vocals as she sang the hook. Closing her eyes, Greer was swept along with the fluid rhythm and hypnotic, infectious lyrics. It ended; she slipped off the stool and applauded the band. Everyone was on their feet, clapping and whistling.

Jason came over and hugged her. “You were incredible.”

“And I’m going to get you guys for springing this on me.”

“You’re a pro, Greer. You stepped up and killed it.”

“I should kill you and Doug for putting me on the spot with something I hadn’t rehearsed,” she whispered. He flashed his wolfish grin that never failed to make her feel warm all over.

“I knew you could do it.” He kissed her cheek. “You’re beyond anything I could’ve ever imagined.”

Handing him the microphone, she walked off the stage, smiling at those who were still standing and applauding. She slowed when approaching Chase’s table, meeting his eyes when he stood up and clapped with the others.

“Nice job, Greer.”

“Thank you, Chase.” He’d complimented her on her singing while she wanted to tell him she had her eyes on him.

The band took a twenty-minute break, and she retreated to the door leading out to the Dumpsters. Greer had to get away from the frivolity and Jason to clear her head. Every time he smiled, touched or kissed her, she had to call on all of her self-control not to beg him to make love to her. She knew for certain it wasn’t just his celebrity status that drew her to him like sunflowers turning their face to the sun. It was so much more than admiring his musical genius, when he’d easily reproduced any instrument in an orchestra with the synthesizer. She’d spent the night in his house, shared the morning and early afternoon with him, and Greer felt as if she’d known him forever.

What had made her an exceptional special agent was the gift of total recall. If she heard it, she retained it. It’d been her observational skill that she’d needed to hone. There were times when she had believed he was sending her double messages, but it was one statement that had been so profound it was branded in her head like a permanent tattoo:
if I were in love with you, then I would protect you at the risk of giving up my own life. And if you loved me enough to marry me, then I would spend the rest of my life making you as happy as I’m certain you’d make me. My family would become your family and your family mine. Our children would be heirs to a dynasty that spans generations. A dynasty that is ever expanding to even greater heights than what my grandfather could or would have ever dreamed.

Greer wondered how many other women he’d told the same thing. How many other women had tried and failed to get him to marry them? What had surprised her was his revelation that she was the first woman, other than female family members, who’d toured, much less slept in, the home he’d proudly dubbed Serenity West. What she couldn’t deny was her attraction to the talented musician. And the attraction was more than admiration. It was physical.

Picking up a block of wood, Greer opened the door, wedging the wood between the door and frame to keep it from self-locking because she didn’t have the key for reentry on her. A small reddish flame caught her attention, and it was then she saw Danny sitting on a wooden box, smoking a cigarette. He jumped up when he saw her.

“Did...did Bob...Bobby send you to look for me?”

“No, Danny. Please sit down and finish your cigarette.” It was the first time Greer heard Danny stutter. Was he uncomfortable being alone with her? “I just came out to get some air.” She inhaled a lungful of crisp, cool nighttime air for affect. “I’m going back inside now.”

Danny dropped the cigarette and stepped on it. “I’m finished.” He bent down, picked up the butt and waited for Greer to precede him.

Greer didn’t know why, but she felt vulnerable. Danny was behind her and, for a man his size, his footsteps were remarkably silent. If it hadn’t been for the lingering scent of cigarette smoke, she would’ve believed she was alone in the alleyway. Her sense of hearing and smell intensified as she slowed her pace, forcing Danny to shorten his stride. In what seemed like an eternity, she finally opened the door to the restaurant.

* * *

Jason returned from the bar with a glass of sparkling water, sitting down across from Chase. “I’m surprised to find you here this late.” It was after ten, and his friend usually departed Stella’s around eight, the same time Jason went on stage with the band.

Chase glanced at his watch. “It is a few hours later than I usually blow this joint, but when I heard that Greer was singing tonight, I decided to hang around.” A rare smile parted his lips. “It looks as if your songbird is the real deal.”

“She is good, but she’s not my songbird, Chase.”

Looking down into a glass half-filled with beer, which he should’ve finished hours ago, Chase stared up at Jason under hooded lids. “You like her, don’t you?”

If the question startled Jason, nothing in his impassive expression was evident. “What’s not to like? She has a killer voice, face and body. Greer is probably every normal man’s ultimate fantasy.”

“I’m not talking about other men, Cole, so stop blowing smoke up my ass.”

A rush of color darkened Jason’s face as he struggled to control his temper. “I told you l like her, so what’s the deal?”

“The deal is, my friend, that I’ve never seen you look at a woman the way you do with Greer.”

“How many women have you seen me with—
friend?
”

“Enough. You come here at least twice a year, and women are practically throwing their panties at you, but you act as if they don’t exist. You sit in with a band that has too much going for them to play this venue. I’ve told you before to sign them to your label and—

“Hold up, Chase,” Jason interrupted. “Let’s get a few things straight. I’ve recorded Doug and his boys on several of my albums. And I’ve also offered him a contract, but he claims he doesn’t want to be tied down because then he wouldn’t be free to play the wedding, sweet-sixteen, and bar and bat mitzvahs’ circuit. He’s too much like you. Footloose and fancy-free.”

“Doug or the band?”

“Doug
is
the band. He put it together, and he’s the one who books the gigs. Now back to Greer,” he continued. “There’s nothing going on between us except music.”

“If that’s the case, then you won’t mind if I ask her out?”

Jason froze as if impaled in the back of the neck with a sharp object. Whenever he was tense, the muscles in his neck tightened. It was apparent Chase had called Jason’s bluff. He’d denied there was anything going on between him and Greer, when there was. It had nothing to do with sex, but he knew he was becoming emotionally attached to her. Slumping back in the chair, he regarded the enigmatic man with cold gray eyes. He and Chase had remained friends because Jason respected the other man’s need for privacy.

Jason wanted to tell Chase that he was wasting his time asking Greer out because she’d said he wasn’t her type. “I don’t mind. She’s single and not in a relationship, so she’s fair game.”

A hint of a smile lifted the corners of Chase’s mouth. “If you’re not doing anything after you finish here, why don’t you and Greer come by my place for a couple hours? It’ll be a good way for me to break the ice with her.”

“The only thing I’m going to promise you is that I’ll ask her. If she says no, then you’ll have your answer.”

Picking up his glass, Chase finished the lukewarm brew. “I’m going to wait to hear her sing again before I leave. If you guys don’t make it to my place by two, then I’ll know she’s not coming.”

After taking a generous swallow of his water, Jason stood up. “Let me try and catch her before we go back on stage.” He scanned the crowd for Greer, finding her at the buffet station with Bobby’s assistant chef. He reached her as Doug and the other band members were returning from their break.

Touching her arm to get her attention, Jason put his mouth to her ear. “Chase wants us to come to his place after closing. Are you all right with that?”

* * *

Greer hesitated, not wanting to believe her stroke of good luck. She didn’t know why he wanted her and Jason to come to his home, but the reason was of little consequence. The fact remained she would be able to observe him on his home turf. She blinked, feigning confusion. “Do you want to go?”

“It’s not about me, Greer. Whenever Chase invites me to his place, I go. It’s you who has to decide whether you want to go.”

A beat passed. “Okay. Tell him yes. I’ll see you later on stage,” Greer said, smiling.

* * *

Greer stood there, watching Jason walk away. Tall, dark and handsome were the epithets that came to mind. He was all that and more. There were other adjectives Greer could come up with, but those were definitely rated triple X.

Chase inviting them to his house couldn’t have come at a better time. She wasn’t scheduled to work Sunday brunch and tomorrow would be the last Sunday Stella’s would serve dinner. She’d come in earlier today and used the restaurant’s computer to make up flyers with the new hours of operation, printing out enough to leave on each table and for the hostess to hand to every customer. Beginning Tuesday, Stella’s would become a buffet-only dining establishment.

* * *

Picking up a dish towel, Greer wiped up the spillage on the buffet. It was after ten and many of the half-empty trays wouldn’t be replenished. Bobby had made it a practice to donate all leftover food to a local soup kitchen. His mother had raised him to waste not and you’ll want not.

Greer retreated to the bathroom in the rear of the kitchen to check her face and hair. She was scheduled to go back on stage at ten-thirty. Now she knew why some artists craved the spotlight. Performing live was like a drug. It was captivating and addictive.

Time seemed to accelerate, and she found herself sitting on the stool holding a microphone. A strange calm swept over everyone when all the lights dimmed, and the spotlights shone on Jason and Greer. She turned and stared at him when he began playing the familiar piano introduction to “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” She was confused because he’d said she wouldn’t sing that selection until the following week.

Instead of looking out at the audience, she sang to him. Their gazes met and held. It was as if an invisible cord held them spellbound as the sound of the acoustic piano floated through the restaurant like ripples on a pond. Jason had become Bruce Hornsby and she Bonnie Raitt, and it felt as if everyone had held their breath until the last note faded away.

Greer finally looked away when the song ended, and she stared at the stage. The words had not come from her mouth but from her heart. She wanted Jason to love her, and she wanted to trust him not to hurt her.
If you loved me enough to marry me, then I would spend the rest of my life making you as happy as I’m certain you’d make me.

Why, she thought, couldn’t she forget his fervent declaration? She was still in the same position when Jason walked over and eased her gently to her feet. Cradling her face in his hands, he brushed his mouth over hers.

“Is she not wonderful?” he asked loudly.

The crowd gave her a standing ovation, while shouting, “More! More! More!”

Jason took the mic from Greer’s loose grip. “No worries, good people. There’s more. Right now Greer will take a short break, and then she’ll be back for your listening enjoyment.”

Greer felt like a trusting child as she permitted Jason to lead her off the stage and into the room where Pepper kept kegs of beer and bottles of liquor. Jason closed the door, shutting out all sound. One moment she was staring up at him, and the next, she found herself in his arms, hers going around his back.

Jason buried his face in her hair. “You have to learn not to do that.”

“Do what?” she asked.

“Look at me when you sing.”

Easing back she met his eyes. “Why not?”

Jason blinked as if coming out of a trance. “Do you know how hard it is for me to keep playing when you do that?”

“I thought I was connecting with you.”

He shook his head. “You were doing more than connecting with me.”

Greer was totally confused because Jason was talking in riddles. “Please tell me what I was doing if not singing.”

Dropping his arms, he stood a step back, putting a modicum of distance between them. “You really don’t know, do you?”

“No!”

Massaging his forehead, Jason thought Greer was playing innocent but, when he looked at her, there was genuine confusion on her face. Maybe he’d read more into it because he wanted more from her. “Forget it.”

Greer grabbed the front of his sweater, holding him fast. “I’m not going to forget it, Jason. Please tell me what is going on?” she pleaded softly.

Covering her hand with his, he managed to get her to let go of his sweater. “I felt as if you were seducing me.”

Wondering if she’d lost her edge, Greer didn’t want to believe she’d become that transparent. Or was Jason more attuned to her emotionally than she’d realized? He was the only man outside her family members who knew the details of her marriage. Whenever she went undercover, she’d become an actor in a role giving an award-winning performance. However, Jason was the first man where she didn’t have to pretend to be anyone but Greer.

“And that bothers you?”

Jason looked her over seductively. “It would if you were being facetious.”

A smile trembled over her lips. “I’ve been a few things but never facetious.”

He angled his head. “So you were?”

“Were what, Jason?”

“Seducing me.”

Going on tiptoe, she placed her fingertips over his mouth. “Guilty as charged.”

* * *

Jason stared at the sensual sway of her hips in those body-hugging pants as she walked out of the storeroom, leaving him alone. Jason blew out his breath as he supported his back against a stack of cartons. He’d never met a woman like Greer, someone who had the ability to seduce him with just a glance. There were women who, when they discovered he was the producer for Serenity Records, either knew someone with an allegedly amazing singing talent or they’d try every trick in the book to get him to sleep with them.