Unwritten Read online

  Just as their relationship had never been real.

  He was glad for this night. The place she’d chosen, this private lounge, was perfect for their last night together. The only difficulty was going to be making it through dinner without ripping that dress off her right here in the restaurant.

  Kate downed the last of her champagne and set the glass on the table. Then she stood and walked into his arms. He pulled her in and kissed her. Her skin warmed his fingers through the thin fabric of her dress. He hadn’t thought himself a fan of purple, but that dress…

  It was woven to look like someone had taken a silk scarf and wrapped it many times around her, from her shoulders to her knees. His fingers itched to grab the hem and unwrap her like a very expensive present. Need blazed inside him like a wildfire that had breached containment, scorching him from head to foot.

  He led her over to one of the couches lining the wall. She pushed him down and slid into his lap. He slanted his mouth across hers and claimed her with a greedy kiss. She tasted so sweet, a heady combination of champagne and desire. Her fingernails dug into the back of his neck, and most of the blood in his body rushed south, settling into a deep ache in his groin.

  That dress was going to be the death of him. It bunched around her thighs to reveal a flash of lavender lace beneath as she bent to nibble her way along his jaw.

  He drew a ragged breath. “You said we had to stay through dinner.”

  “I did say that,” she whispered, her breath hot on his skin.

  “Then we’d better stop this.”

  She whimpered in protest.

  “No, really.” He spun her around to a more ladylike position in his lap and pulled her against his chest to catch his breath.

  “You’re no fun.” She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

  He tightened his arms around her, and she wiggled in closer. He shifted beneath her, still painfully aroused by her presence. “Yeah, this is not working for me. You’re going to have to get off my lap.”

  She didn’t move, but her smile broadened. “But I like you all hot and bothered.”

  “Kate Hayes, you are killing me here,” he protested, but he kept his arms around her. If there was ever a time to grin and bear it, this was definitely that time.

  There was a light knock at the door, and the waitress entered with their entrees. They watched as she plated their dishes and retreated back into the hall.

  Kate roused in his arms. “Hungry?”

  “As a matter of fact, I am.” He kissed her again before disentangling her from his lap. “It smells wonderful.”

  “It does.” She straightened her dress and followed him to the table. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips swollen from his kisses, her nipples hard beneath the bodice of her dress. She looked thoroughly ravaged. Josh forgot all about dinner. For a crazy moment, he considered suggesting they find a closet somewhere and finish what they’d started.

  She winked as though she’d read his mind as she sat gracefully at the table. “So how many kids failed the Don Quixote pop quiz?” she asked, bringing the conversation back onto solid ground.

  “None,” he answered as he sat across from her. He was going to miss this, having someone to ask about his day and share stories about his students. “Apparently, they’re actually doing the assigned reading. They’re a pretty great group.”

  “They have a pretty great teacher,” she said, and he thought he detected some of the same wistfulness in her voice.

  “I like to think so.” Even if his recent People magazine appearance had temporarily made his personal life more interesting to them than the language he taught.

  She sighed. “I should have had you seduce me in Spanish.”

  “Ah, but the night is young. Me vuelves loco, Kate.” He raised an eyebrow, and her eyes sparkled. He took her hand across the table. “Quiero hacerte el amor hasta que salga el sol.”

  “Phew.” She fanned herself dramatically. “We’ll definitely be revisiting this topic when we get back to my place.”

  “Count on it.” He winked as he cut into his filet mignon. “So what all is involved in getting ready for your tour?”

  “Well, most of the legwork is already taken care of. We finalized the set list and stage production before I left LA. We’ve already worked out the live arrangements, hired the dancers, crew, musicians. I’ve been taking care of details while I’ve been here in New York, final approvals on costumes and all that jazz. All that’s left is rehearsals. Lots and lots of rehearsals.”

  “It sounds like a lot of work.”

  She nodded. “More than you could probably imagine. But I love it. Preparing for a tour gives me a chance to revisit some of my older songs, brush them off, and try them out in a new way, maybe a new musical arrangement, or take a dance song and make it an acoustic ballad, that kind of thing.”

  “Interesting.” Fascinating, actually. There was an art behind her music he’d never considered before.

  “I thought we had all the arrangements set, but I’ve been playing around with an idea to give ‘Hold Me Close’ a flamenco vibe.” She looked up, her eyes soft in the candlelight. “We’ve set up auditions for some Spanish guitar players in LA next week. You’ll have to come see the show when we stop through Madison Square Garden and let me know how I did.”

  His stomach pitched like a ship in a storm as memories of the night he’d given her that music washed over him. He cut another bite of steak as he regained his balance. “I’m sure it will be amazing.”

  “What will you do this weekend after I’m gone?”

  “Drive up and visit my folks. My dad’s got a campaign fundraiser this weekend, and Mom’s been itching to get me in the hot seat and grill me about my fifteen minutes of fame.”

  She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “At least your life can get back to normal now.”

  “Yeah.” Even if normal for him meant a solitary, lonely existence. That was going to be a hard adjustment after Kate had removed the gauze from his eyes and made him remember how it felt to be happy, to see life in all its vibrant colors. “She’ll be crushed, naturally, that I won’t be bringing you along for ‘meet the parents.’”

  Kate’s gaze fell to her plate. “Naturally.”

  “They’ll have nothing to talk about.” He managed a smile. This conversation was fraught with all kinds of awkwardness. He’d never done anything remotely like this before…a fancy dinner to celebrate the ending of a relationship.

  “That’s me, always a conversation starter.” Her expression hardened as though she’d taken offense to his words.

  “Not you,” he clarified. “Me. The fact I was dating again. It made them happy. Now they’ll be left with nothing to do but worry about my lack of social life.”

  Kate took a long sip of her champagne, gazing out the window.

  “They mean well,” he continued to cover the silence. “I love them to pieces, but sometimes they’re all just a pain in the ass.”

  She smiled, but there was something brittle about her expression. She almost looked…sad.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing, just…nothing.” She shrugged, then wiped it all away and returned a casual smile to her face. It was disturbing the way she could do that.

  “You must get lonely with no family around,” he said, taking a stab at the source of her melancholy.

  “Well, my mom’s here in the city now.” But there was no warmth in her words, no emotion at all.

  “I’m glad you two reconnected. It must be lonely for you going out on the road for a year at a time.”

  “I’m never alone. You know that as well as anyone.”

  “Yes, but a room full of people trying to make an impression on Katherine Hayes doesn’t compare to having someone with you who actually knows you.”

  She sat back, nostrils flaring as if he’d hit a nerve. “My team knows me…Jenn, Harry, Linda, Leo.”

  “Fair enough.”

  �
��And what about you?” Her eyes lit on his. “Will you be lonely?”

  “Yes. I will.” Her question caught him off guard. “But I’ve grown used to it.”

  She shook her head. “You sell yourself short. I know this was some sort of rebound thing for you, but this isn’t who you are. You don’t do casual flings, and you’re not a loner. You’re a family guy, Josh. Your heart is broken, but that doesn’t mean you’ll never love again.”

  He straightened in his seat. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “No, I probably don’t, but I don’t think Noelia would want this for you. She’d want you to be happy.”

  He opened his mouth but couldn’t find any words.

  She placed her hand on his. “I’m sorry. That was out of line.”

  “No, it’s okay.”

  “Believe me, I’m the last person who should be giving advice.” She stood and tugged him to his feet. They stared at each other for a long moment as so many important words remained unsaid. “Anyway, we made it through dinner.”

  “So we did.” He poured the last of the champagne into their glasses, then wrapped an arm around her waist. They clinked glasses.

  Her eyes flashed dangerously. “Unless you wanted dessert?”

  “Honey, you’re dessert.” He pulled her in for a kiss, and the temperature in the room skyrocketed.

  “Would you like whipped cream with that?” she murmured against his cheek, and he went weak at the knees.

  Twenty minutes later, they were pulling up in front of her building. Josh wished Anton a good night and sent greetings to his wife, since he’d probably never see the man again. How different tonight was from that first date when he’d been so mortified by the idea of her having a personal driver. They stepped out of the Mercedes and walked together into the lobby.

  “Oh, and Josh,” she whispered, her lips brushing his ear. “Just so you know, I took Spanish in high school, and you’re going to deliver on that promise you made to me earlier.”

  His heart pounded. He’d had no idea she understood him when he revealed his wish to make love to her until the sun came up.

  And now he could think of nothing else.

  He drew her against him and let her feel just how much he wanted her. She wound herself around him, and they drowned themselves in kisses as the numbers on the elevator climbed swiftly toward the eighth floor.

  They tumbled into the hallway, gasping for breath. She dug for her keys and unlocked the door. He slammed it behind them. She dropped her purse to the floor and leaped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his hips.

  Alone at last. Finally. And still eight hours until the sun rose.

  Eight glorious hours.

  His lips ventured from her mouth down the side of her neck. He dragged the clasp from her hair and released it down her back.

  Kate pulled back, her eyes focusing on something behind his head. “Wait.”

  “What’s wrong?” He studied her throat, watching as her pulse raced like a runaway train.

  “The alarm,” she said. “I know I set the alarm before I went out tonight.”

  He turned his head to follow her gaze. The light on the alarm panel blinked green, indicating the system was not armed. Kate slipped from his arms just as Jenn came around the corner from the direction of the stairs. Josh felt a hot flush creep up his neck at the unexpected intrusion.

  “Jenn, what the hell are you doing here?” Kate’s eyes flashed as she straightened her skirt and ran her hands through her hair.

  “I’m so sorry.” Jenn averted her eyes, no doubt aware of what she had interrupted. “I tried to call you about twenty times. The meetings got moved up to tomorrow morning. It’s the only time Larry Moon could make it. You’re flying out tonight.”

  Kate groaned. “I turned my phone off so we wouldn’t be interrupted.”

  Josh stood uncomfortably by the door, hands shoved in his pockets.

  “I’m sorry. It was out of my hands.” Jenn looked apologetic, her eyes still downcast.

  “Okay.” Kate looked as miserable as Josh felt.

  “I’ll be in the study.” Jenn hurried from the room.

  Kate put her arms around him and nestled her head against his chest. “I hate being me sometimes.”

  He stiffened as regret washed over him in an uncontrollable wave. “So you’re leaving tonight.”

  “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “I guess this is goodbye, then.”

  “Wait—” She held up a finger and then dashed up the stairs. She returned less than a minute later, a small package clutched in her hands. She pressed it into his palm. “Open it later.”

  They stood there for a long moment, just staring at each other. Somehow nothing had prepared him for the actual moment when he had to say goodbye, and now that it had come, he was nowhere near ready.

  She leaned in and kissed him. Her arms went around his neck, her forehead pressed to his. They held on to each other, and he could feel her heart pounding against his chest.

  “Goodbye, Josh,” she whispered.

  He kissed her back, memorizing her taste and the warmth of her breath against his cheek. He inhaled her intoxicating scent one last time. Then he turned and walked out of her condo without looking back.

  * * *

  Josh sat in his apartment, his mind carefully blank. In his hands, he held the package Kate had given him. It was barely larger than his palm, wrapped in white paper and tied with a blue bow.

  He lifted it to his nose. It smelled like Kate.

  His heart ached, and his head hurt. He started to set the box aside. Whatever was inside, it was better opened later when his emotions had settled, but with a will of their own, his fingers tore at the paper. He ripped it away to reveal a celery-colored notebook inside—the same notebook she’d been writing in that night in Newport.

  It was a perfect match for the blue one still residing in his bedside table.

  Oh, Kate, what have you done?

  His hand trembled as he flipped it open. Kate’s delicate prose filled the page.

  A rose withered on the vine

  Once tended by a loving hand

  Left too long alone

  The sun shone upon it

  The rain soothed its wilted petals

  One day a stranger passed by

  She kissed the lifeless flower

  Then continued on her way

  Beneath the warm sun

  The rose bloomed again

  With shaking hands, he turned the page. She’d filled the whole damn book with words. Words of hope. Redemption. Love.

  He gasped for breath. He’d been so wrong. Horribly wrong. The inspiration for her words didn’t matter. What mattered was that she’d written them. She’d felt them. And she’d written these for him.

  He was a fool.

  He grabbed his keys and dashed for the door, much as he’d done the night he’d discovered the blue notebook was hers. This time, no cab waited at the corner. He jogged three blocks to Fifth Avenue.

  What would he say when he got there? What could he say? He couldn’t change the fact she was leaving town, but he could tell her he was wrong. He’d cheapened the words she’d painstakingly written and let it poison their final days together.

  Worse, he’d no doubt hurt her feelings in the process.

  Yep, he was an asshole all right.

  He hailed a cab on Fifth and pounded his fists against his thighs all the way to her building. The cab turned onto Central Park West. Four blocks down, the silver Mercedes was pulling away from the curb. He reached for his cell phone to ask her to wait, but his pocket was empty. In his rush, he’d left his phone sitting on the kitchen table.

  The Mercedes’s red taillights disappeared into the stream of traffic ahead.

  Josh slumped in his seat. He was too late.

  And anyway, maybe some things were better left unsaid.

  13

  Kate’s head broke the surface with a splash. She gulped a br
eath, tucked her legs, and kicked off toward the opposite end of the pool. Her body cut through the water, slicing out the laps she’d promised her trainer earlier in the day.

  When she finished, she hauled herself up the ladder and grabbed the fluffy yellow towel she’d left there. She wrung out her hair and toweled the excess water from her body. The heated pool kept her comfortable while she swam, but, standing on the deck with the Pacific roaring below, she shivered in the late September breeze.

  She wrapped the towel around herself and dashed inside. After a quick shower, she dressed in a lavender knit top and skirt. A long walk on the beach was in order before her dinner meeting with Harry and Jorge, her musical director.

  She shrugged into a jacket and stood at the edge of the pool deck, staring at the azure ocean below. Her property was shielded on both sides by a thick stand of trees, a mixture of oaks, palms, and other vegetation that offered privacy here in her Malibu home. What a wonderful feeling to stand outside, invisible to prying eyes. Just her and her dogs. Above, a vee of pelicans soared by, gliding along the air currents like surfers catching a wave.

  Turquoise waves pounded the shore. The coast curved to her right, offering a spectacular view of the Malibu shoreline. A sailboat floated on the horizon, and in the distance, elegant homes rose above rocky cliffs. She inhaled the salty air and sighed. She loved everything about New York, but right now, Malibu was the perfect elixir to her battered soul. A much-needed change of scenery.

  A clean break from the mess she’d left behind with Josh.

  In under a month, she would take the stage in Las Vegas, kicking off her world tour. There was no more time for romantic indulgences. It was time to get her head in the game. She’d spent the past two days in the studio fleshing out the flamenco arrangement for “Hold Me Close.” It gave the song a whole new feel, and the Spanish guitarist they’d hired was phenomenal. She’d had to add dance lessons to her already packed rehearsal schedule, but the end result should be worth the pain.