Ravensong (7 page)

With a firm shake of her head, she
averted her eyes and hurried into the kitchen. When Savanna heard
her moving about, she left her warm bed and ran in search of
food.

As Elena filled the coffee pot with
water, the cat purred and mewed about her legs. Elena was so lost
in thought she didn’t notice her at first, but as she turned to
move toward the coffee maker, she tripped over Savanna and caught
herself on the stove. She didn’t catch the coffee pot however and
it shattered on the kitchen floor, sending the cat scuttling under
the table.

“
Damn it, Savanna,” she
said, surprised at how quickly the tears came to her eyes. “Are you
all right?” She went to the table and grabbed the cat, checking her
to make sure she wasn’t hurt; then dropping her on the table, she
retrieved the broom and dust pan.

* * *

Joshua came awake at the sound of the
coffee pot striking the floor. He sat bolt upright and listened,
then slowly relaxed as he heard Elena curse the cat. Obviously no
one was hurt. No reason to go charging in there like a hero when
she’d just broken a glass or something. Yet as he lay there
listening to her moving in the other room, he decided she might
appreciate a little help, and he wanted to prove himself useful to
Elena.

He stopped in the doorway and surveyed
the scene. She had her back to him and was crouching on the floor,
trying to sweep the broken glass into a dust pan. Her hair was
loose, curling in damp ringlets.

“
Can I help?” he said,
surprised by how husky his voice sounded in his own
ears.

She turned abruptly, her eyes dilating
in surprise. The throat of her robe fell open, offering him a
beguiling glimpse of bare thigh. He couldn’t stop his eyes from
traveling over her.

“
Hell,” he whispered, “I
knew your hair would be gorgeous loose.”

She rose to her feet, her eyes fixed
on his, seemingly unaware of her disarray. Again his gaze
lowered.

“
I was trying to make
coffee,” she said, looking down at the mess. She caught sight of
her open robe and her cheeks colored. Pulling it closed, she tied
the belt tighter, unwillingly accentuating her waist.

Joshua’s breath escaped in a rush as
her hair spilled over her shoulder and blocked her features for a
moment. “Can I help you?”

She glanced down on the mess again.
“Could you hold the dust pan?”

He nodded, unable to speak. He crossed
to her side and knelt, picking up the dust pan, his eyes still
riveted on her. She retrieved the broom and brushed it across the
floor, then stopped. Her eyes shifted to his face and she knelt,
wrapping her fingers around his wrist and directing the dust pan
into place.

He shook himself at her touch and
realized he wasn’t being much help staring at her. “Sorry,” he
murmured gruffly and frowned, trying hard to concentrate on the
task at hand.

It wasn’t easy with Elena so close,
the smell of her damp hair filling his nostrils. As she bent to
take the dust pan from him, her hair brushed against his bare
chest. Joshua closed his eyes.

Aware of his response, Elena quickly
turned away and emptied the dust pan in the garbage. “I’m afraid
there won’t be any coffee this morn...”

She stopped abruptly. Joshua had moved
up behind her and as she turned to speak with him, she found
herself nearly in his arms.

“
Joshua...” she began, but
he interrupted her.

“
When I told you last night
that I was infatuated with a woman, I was afraid to tell you who it
was, but I can’t pretend anymore. Since the moment I saw you,
Elena...”

“
Stop,” she said. “Please,
I don’t want to hear this.”

“
Why? Are you afraid you
won’t be able to hide in your safe little cocoon of
marriage?”

“
That’s not it. I made a
commitment...”

“
...to a man you don’t
love. What are you afraid of?”

“
This isn’t any of your
business.”

Joshua licked his lips slowly. Elena
couldn’t help but follow the move with her eyes. “It wasn’t my
business, until last night, until...” He paused and frowned. “Until
it became obvious that we both are feeling the same
attraction...”

“
Stop, please!”

His jaw hardened. “You’re
right.”

Elena started to ask him what he
meant, but he moved too quickly, catching her in his arms and
pulling her against him. He lowered his head and captured her
lips.

Sliding her hands up either side of
his neck, she sank her fingers in his thick black hair. He crushed
her tighter against him.

“
Joshua,” she breathed, but
he swallowed her words with his mouth.

At first the pressure was gentle,
probing, but then he captured her lower lip with his teeth and she
gasped in surprise. His tongue traced around her lips, forcing her
to part them, his hands sliding down her back to her hips, crushing
them against his own.

“
Joshua,” she whispered
again. “Please...stop...”

He stopped abruptly, his eyes flashing
up to hers. “Why, Elena?”

“
If we don’t stop, we both
know where this will lead us.”

“
And that would be
bad?”

She smiled. “I’m engaged to be married
and you’re...”

“
No longer in a
relationship.” He shook his head. “You don’t love the
man.”

Elena looked away. “I don’t
want this. Can’t you understand?”

“
Not really.”

“
I don’t want to be just
another conquest.”

Joshua released her and
stepped back.

“
That’s right, Joshua,
isn’t it? You only want me because you know you can’t have me,
because I’m committed to someone else. But should I give in to you,
you’d be on to the next woman as soon as it was over.” She jabbed
him in the chest with her finger. “Admit it. You couldn’t have a
relationship and make it work if your life depended on
it.”

“
You’ve got no right...” he
began, but she cut him off.

“
Really? Let’s look at your
track history, Mr. Ravensong. One failed marriage, more one-night
stands than I can count or even want to try, and a relationship you
ran away from as soon as another woman caught your eye. So before
you accuse me of being too calculating about my life, look at your
own. At least I’m not being ruled by what I have in my
pants.”

Joshua moved so quickly Elena flinched
and fear sprang into her eyes. He backed her up against the wall
and placed his hands on either side of her head, trapping her. At
the look of fear in her eyes, his expression softened.

“
I wouldn’t hit you. That’s
how my father solved all his problems and I swore I’d never lift my
hand in anger.” He squared his jaw and drew a deep controlled
breath. “Go upstairs and get dressed, then I’ll drive you to
work.”

For a moment he didn’t move. Then
slowly he backed up and dropped his arms to his side. Before he’d
moved far enough away, Elena brushed past him and ran for the
stairs.

* * *

It took a long time for her to make
her trembling fingers button her clothing or pin up her hair, but
finally she was dressed. She took a seat on the bed and put her
face in her hands. What was she doing? God, what a mess? She didn’t
want to go downstairs, she didn’t want to face Joshua again, but
she had no other way to get to work and she needed to make the
presentation.

Drawing a deep breath and exhaling
slowly, she forced herself to her feet and retrieved her purse and
the manila envelope with the mock-up in it. Then she cautiously
descended the stairs. Joshua was fully dressed and waiting for her
on the landing, but he never looked up nor acknowledged
her.

He pulled open the door and stomped
out. Savanna ran after him, mewing as she went. Elena glanced
around the townhouse one last time and then closed the door behind
her. Outside the sun was shining warmly, but a chill went up her
spine as she watched Joshua unlock her door, then round the car and
slip inside without opening the door for her.

What a long day it had already
been.

* * *

Joshua was on-time for the
eight o’clock meeting for the first time since he’d been hired
by
Avalanche
. He
poured himself a cup of coffee and ran a hand through his loose
hair. Elliot moved close to his side.

“
Forgot to shave this
morning?” he said, studying the stubble on Joshua’s chin. “And
isn’t that what you wore yesterday?”

“
Don’t start, El,” said
Joshua, running his hand through his hair again. He hated wearing
it loose, it was always in his face. “I’ve had a hell of a day
already.”

“
You’re on time at
least.”

Joshua frowned at his friend. “I mean
it, El, don’t bait me.” He picked up his coffee cup and took a seat
at the table, avoiding all eye contact with Elena.

In truth, he didn’t know why he was so
mad at her, but he was - furious to be exact. For a moment in her
kitchen, he’d really thought of striking her and this thought
disturbed him. Joshua hadn’t spent much time with his real father
growing up, but when he did it was usually hell. Ray Ravensong
drank heavily and when he was drunk, he was a mean son-of-a-bitch.
He put his son in the hospital three times as a child with broken
ribs and concussions, once a broken pelvic bone. How many hours had
Joshua spent discussing his own violent tendencies with a
psychologist?

He was so afraid of taking after his
father that he rarely drank. Perhaps that’s why he’d turned to
drugs instead. And he never struck his daughter, Tiffany, no matter
what she did. Yet this morning, the woman sitting across the table
from him had nearly made him strike her. Elena was right, if she
evoked such intense emotion in him, it was best he stay away. Far
away.

“
Is it cold in here to you
guys?” said Julian as he entered the conference room.

“
No,” said Elliot.
“Why?”

Julian smiled smugly. “I figured hell
must be freezing over since Ravensong’s on time.”

“
I didn’t know you were a
comedian,” said Ralph, chewing noisily on his gum.

Joshua lifted his head and glared at
the manager. “Why don’t you go check it out first hand?” he
snarled.

“
After you,” smiled Julian,
moving to his seat.

“
Let’s not start so early,”
said David, coming in on the last part of the conversation. He also
took his seat and looked around at the assembled group. “Well
Elena, show us what you’ve got.”

Joshua looked down at the
table again as Elena rose to her feet. He could almost feel her
nervousness, but he refused to give her any encouragement at
all.
You’re on your own, baby,
he thought bitterly. As she set her mock-up on the
stand, Joshua began to scribble idly on a piece of
paper.

Through the corner of his eyes, Joshua
could see she had the cover veiled. She drew a deep breath and
flashed a perfect smile at the men around the table. Elliot
returned the smile two-fold and Joshua glared at him. Elliot
shrugged his shoulders in question, but Joshua merely shook his
head in disgust and returned to scribbling.

“
The concept I wanted to
portray for this album was simplicity...” she began.

“
Just show it to us,”
snapped Julian. “For Christ sake, we don’t have all
day.”

Joshua studied Julian with contempt,
then glanced at Elena. She was so nervous she didn’t respond for a
moment, her eyes falling on Joshua’s scribbling.

“
Take the cover off it,”
drawled Julian.

“
All right,” muttered David
under his breath, but Elena quickly revealed her rendition with a
shaken hand.

Immediately Julian’s eyes narrowed.
“That’s it.”

“
Well,” said Elena quickly,
“I wanted to make it understated...”

“
Understated, my ass.
That’s a whole lot of nothing, sweetheart.”

Joshua could see Elena’s confidence
crumbling. He looked at David, willing the man to say something -
anything. David glanced between Joshua and the cover, his look
obviously uncertain.

“
It
is
a bit
understated...”

Before Joshua could think better of
it, he was on his feet and coming to Elena’s rescue. “That’s the
idea,” he said, pointing to the cover and winking encouragement at
Elena. “Some of the hottest albums sold had nearly bare covers. I
think the white background, the black lettering, the slant to the
title, along with the simplicity of the picture is provocative. It
says that we’re confident in our ability. We don’t have to jump out
at the public with a glaring cover, our music speaks for
itself.”

David considered his words carefully,
but Julian sat back in his chair and laughed. “Really, I don’t
believe...”

“
Wait a moment,” said
David, rising to his feet and crossing around the table. He studied
Elena’s brain-child more closely. “It does attract attention just
by its simplicity.”