Heartstrings (Rock With You #1) Rock Star Romance (5 page)

“We
had a one-night stand, nothing more. And now I’m your attorney. We should put
this behind us; for one thing, it’s not going to do any good for your case if
anyone knows what happened.”

“Melody,
I didn’t take advantage of anything that wasn’t offered. You were there, a bit
hazy around the edges, but you were absolutely there with me.”

Logan
walked around the table, sitting in the chair next to Melody. Before she could
roll her chair away, he grabbed the armrests, turning her to face him. They
were close enough that his knees brushed against her legs.

“Listen
to me, Melody. What may have been a one-night stand to you was much more than
that for me. I meant what I said in my note; I had every intention of calling
you, of seeing you again when I came back to New York. But this shite with
Ashton exploded during the middle of the band’s tour. It’s taken all of my time
and energy to hold the band together long enough to perform each night. It’s
been driving me crazy that I haven’t called you.”

Logan
reached for her hand and she resisted pulling it back from him. The touch of
his fingers on her skin sent a small, and not wholly unwelcomed, tingle through
her body.

“Melody,
you’re all I’ve thought about since that night. I’ve wanted to call, believe
me, I did. But I wanted to see you, to touch you again. I thought whatever it
was between us was all too new to trust to just talking over the phone. Maybe I
was wrong, but I didn’t know what else to do.”

Melody
was watching Logan closely; saw what she hoped—wished, maybe—was
sincerity in his face, in his voice. She wanted to believe him, if only because
it made her feel less like a fool he took advantage of and more like maybe this
could be the beginning of something between them.
After the case...

“Logan,
this, whatever it was…is…it’s all confusing right now.” She slowly pulled her
hand away from his, not missing the hurt look that briefly clouded his gaze.

She
took a deep breath. “Let’s concentrate on the case for now, okay? That’s the
real reason you’re here, not me.” She picked up her pen, pulling her legal pad
closer.

“It’s
both.” Logan tilted his head, a slight frown creasing his forehead. “I mean, I
did ask for you to represent me. You’re the only one I’d trust with this, and
not just because I bedded you once. You have an excellent reputation. Marshall
wanted to represent me himself but I insisted it be you.”

Melody
tapped her pen on the table, frowning. Ryan had said nothing about Logan’s
request. Nothing was making sense today. The only solid thing she had to grasp
at the moment was the case, even as nebulous as that was at the moment. She
closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath, gathering her thoughts.

“Okay.
First, let’s get started on the case. That’s here, in front of us, something
tangible. We can sort out the rest later.”

Logan
smiled. “Later…I like the sound of that.”

Melody
had no choice but to smile. Logan was nothing if not charming and charismatic.
That she remembered well from their night together.
Maybe this wouldn’t be
so bad after all
, she mused.

She
shook her head.
Concentrate, Melody. You’re working here, not planning a
date.

Logan
and Melody spent the next hour going over the details of Ashton’s involvement
as Logan’s manager, the relationship between Ashton and the band, and Logan’s
solo career. She’d filled several pages of her legal pad with notes before she
was satisfied.

Melody
finally tossed her pen on the table, sitting back in her chair, looking over
the case file.

“I
think we have enough to get started. I’ll have Melissa send you a list of documents
you’ll need to produce, and we’ll need to contact Ashton’s legal counsel.” She
flipped through the file. “Good…we’ve got that information here, I see.” She
tossed the file on the table.

She
absently rubbed her left hand, easing out the writer’s cramp she always got
from gripping her pen. Logan reached out, taking her hand, gently massaging her
palm with strong fingers. This time she didn’t pull away…didn’t want to pull
away. She closed her eyes, leaning her head against the back of the chair.

His
touch on her hand somehow seemed right and it puzzled her. Here, in the bright
light of day, after listening to his solemn recital of Jack Ashton’s business
dealings, she almost felt closer to him than she had during their night
together.
You’re supposed to be angry with him, not enjoying this. And you
can’t sleep with a client.

She
opened her eyes, watching him as she concentrated on her hand. He was still
looking down as he spoke, his fingers sliding over her bare ring finger. “Have
dinner with me tonight, Melody. No pressure, just to talk. About the case, if
you must.”

Logan
looked up at her, grinning. “Although I’d rather talk about us, or the weather,
or anything else except Jack Ashton…tonight.”

He’d
stopped massaging her hand, but still held it, his finger drawing slow circles
on her palm. As much as she wanted to still be mad at him, she couldn’t hold
her anger at Logan. He was here, in the flesh, apparently sincere and honest in
his intentions toward her.
And able to kindle a flame inside her with the merest
touch of his hand on hers, even here in a boring, staid conference room at
work.
She sighed.

“Alright.
Dinner. That’s all…and no Macallan.” She smiled, waving a finger at him. “I
think you used it like some Scottish magic potion or something, got me all
confused and took advantage of me.”

Logan
shook his head, the corners of his mouth turning up in a roguish grin. Melody
noticed how his smile reached all the way to his eyes. It was infectious and it
made her roll her eyes, her own smile deepening, his accent broadening for a
moment. 

“Aye,
ye discovered my secret then. But I’ll not ply ye with the Macallan tonight.
I’ll let you order your own drinks and not try to influence you unduly.”

Melody
laughed. “Fine. Dinner tonight then.”

There
was a knock at the door and Melody swiveled her chair around. Ryan opened the
door, taking a step into the room. He stopped abruptly, his eyes darkening,
looking back and forth between Logan and Melody. A muscle twitched in his jaw. She
felt Logan’s grip tighten on her hand. A strange undercurrent of tension
suddenly sprang up in the room, catching Melody off guard.

Then
Ryan smiled, his face relaxing and the tension was gone. He walked into the
room, resting his hands on the back of a nearby chair.

“I
see you’re done with the initial interview. Melody, I’ll need to meet with you,
so we can formulate our initial game plan.”

Melody
realized Logan was still holding her and she extricated herself from his grasp,
pushing away from the table. The look on Ryan’s face had startled her; it was
an odd mixture of anger and what Melody thought was jealousy. But then it was
gone, replaced by his usual smooth professional demeanor.

Gathering
her legal pad, she rose from her chair. Logan stood as well and she felt his
hand on the small of her back, a warm, solid presence.
Or someone staking a
claim?

“Yes,
we’re finished, for now.” She turned to Logan. “I’ll have Melissa contact you
about the documents and I’ll be in touch in a few days.”

She
saw Logan’s brows pull together and she held his gaze a moment longer. “Why
don’t you give me your contact number as well, so I’ll be able to reach you, if
I need anything before that?” She took a business card from her pocket and slid
it toward Logan.

He
took her pen, scribbling on the back of the card. He handed it to her and she
glanced down before tucking it into her pocket. She recognized the name of a
restaurant and a time, along with a phone number.

“Let
me walk you out, Logan.” Ryan was already inserting himself between Melody and Logan,
sliding his arm around Logan’s shoulders, ushering him toward the door. Logan
looked back and Melody gave him a smile and a nod.

“It
was nice meeting you, Ms. Lawson.”

Ryan
turned back. “Melody, meet me in my office and we’ll see where we’re at.”

Melody
nodded again, following the men out of the conference room, Ryan steering Logan
toward the elevator, deep in conversation. Instead of heading to Ryan’s office,
she took the stairs to her own floor, slipping into her office and closing the
door.

She
fished the card out of her pocket and counted to a hundred, then dialed the
number. It rang once and she heard Logan’s voice.

“Are
you alone?” She whispered and instantly felt silly. She heard Logan’s rich
laugh on the other end of the line.

“Aye,
he was in a hurry to see me gone. Will you meet me tonight then?”

“Yes.
I’ll be there at eight. Listen, I have to go now. I’ll see you tonight.” She
hung up, gathering her legal pad, heading back up to Ryan’s office. He was at
Lori’s desk when she came around the corner.

“There
you are. Come in. We’ve got some things to discuss.” He motioned Melody into
his office, closing the door behind her. She sat at the small table, opening
her notes, ready to give Ryan the details of the information Logan had told
her.

Ryan
sat down across from her. “First, let me start by saying we’re not getting off
to a good start here. I’m going out on a limb here by giving you this case. I’m
not sure if I was clear earlier. The other partners don’t feel you’re ready for
this, and frankly, after your actions today, I’m think I might agree with
them.”

Melody
felt as if someone had thrown cold water in her face. “I’m not sure what you
mean, Ryan. It was your idea to give me this case, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,
based on your performance here. But today…between being late and your
inappropriate behavior with the client, I have my doubts.”

Ryan
stood, moving around the table toward Melody. He sat on the edge of the table,
his body blocking Melody from standing. She felt pinned in her chair, Ryan
looming over her. Ryan leaned toward her, his face close to hers.

“Same
page, remember? I’m going to have a hard time explaining your behavior to the
other partners, unless we can come to an understanding.”

Ryan
reached out, his fingers beneath Melody’s chin, tilting her face to his. He
leaned further and before she could react, his lips were on hers, hard and
insistent. She tried pulling away, but his fingers gripped her hard, holding
her fast.

When
he broke the kiss, he still held her. “I do want you to succeed, Melody. And I
think you know how to make sure that happens. There is a lot I can do for you
here, with this case, in you making partner…”

Melody
looked up at him, afraid she really did understand what he meant. He leaned
back, letting go of her chin, calmly folding his hands on his leg.

“You
want me to sleep with you to keep this case…and to make partner?” She sputtered
out the words, pressing herself back into the leather chair.

“It’s
pretty clear to me, Melody, that’s what you want. You’ve been making advances
toward me, remember? In the bar. Here, earlier today in my office. Now. It’s
obvious…not only to me, but others. Lori even commented about your behavior.”

“But…you…I
didn’t…that’s not how it happened!” Melody was aghast, looking up at Ryan in
disbelief. “You…not me. You just kissed me!”

Ryan
laughed softly. “You think anyone will believe you? I have an impeccable record
here…and you’re in a rather vulnerable spot right now, with this big case just
given to you. Let’s just say…we can help each other. You want something from me
and I can give that to you, along with helping you with this case. We both win.
The firm wins.”

Melody
shook her head. “No, I don’t play that game.” She tried to stand, but Ryan
remained perched on the edge of the table, not giving her room to stand.

“I
think we should schedule some time to go over the file, don’t you?” Ryan
glanced at his watch. “It’s late, almost quitting time…how about coming back
tonight? We could go over your notes…”

“No…”
Melody was still shaking her head.
What was this? This wasn’t the Ryan she’d
known, the mentor she’d grown to trust.

“Why
are you doing this?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“I
want you…to succeed.” Ryan slid off the table, opening the door to his office.
“Think about it, Melody. Let me know tomorrow how you want to proceed.”

Melody
shuffled her papers together with shaking hands, dropping her pen in her haste
to leave Ryan’s office. He bent to retrieve it, holding it out to Melody. She
regarded it warily, as if it might bite, clutching her files to her chest. Ryan
laughed, setting the pen on the table.

“We’ll
start tomorrow then. I see you’re not really in the right mind-set for my help
right now. I want a willing partner on my team, not someone who’s indecisive.”

Ryan
placed a hand on Melody’s back, guiding her toward the open door. For a brief
moment, his fingers slid lower, caressing her hip with firm fingers.