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“Me, too,” he said.
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I should get a tattoo. Or I could get my ear pierced.”
“I could pierce your ear. I just need a needle and some alcohol.” She pulled one of the diamond studs out of her ear. “You could wear this. And after we pierce your ear, we can do our nails and talk about boys.” Maddie clapped. “We are going to have fun.”
With a low growl, he pulled her down next to him and grabbed her forkful of eggs Benedict. He popped it in his mouth. “That does taste good,” he murmured.
“Maybe I should order a pitcher of hollandaise sauce and pour it all over my naked body.”
“Now, that would be fun,” Kieran said. “And a completely new culinary experience for me.”
THE WEATHER IN Topeka was stifling, hot and humid. Dark clouds rumbled in the distance and it looked like the afternoon would be punctuated with storms. They walked out of the hotel into a blast of warm air and Kieran was almost tempted to turn them both around and return to the air-conditioned comfort of their room.
But it felt so good to get out and move around. He slipped his arm around Maddie’s waist and pulled her close. They managed to do her hair, coloring it a slightly darker tone and cutting it off at the shoulder. If it was possible, she looked more beautiful than she had before. The wavy strands tumbled around her face in a way that made it look like she’d just crawled out of bed. She wore her sunglasses and between the hair and the glasses and the discount-store dress, she definitely looked different from the rumpled runaway he’d met in the bus station the other morning, not to mention the glamorous star on the covers of her CDs.
There wasn’t a lot to see around the hotel, but they started down the wide boulevard, toward a cluster of stores and restaurants, holding hands and strolling without any purpose.
“I should have bought a swimming suit last night,” she said. “The hotel has a pool.” She looked up at the sky. “I was supposed to go into the recording studio next week to start my new album.” A sigh slipped from her lips. “It looks like it’s going to rain.”
Kieran glanced over at her, wondering at the series of disconnected comments. She had something on her mind, but obviously wasn’t ready to talk to him about it, so she was dancing around the subject.
“What’s wrong? You look worried.”
Her shoulders rose in a shrug. “I almost called my mother this morning before you woke up. I was feeling guilty. She’s probably worried and we’ve never gone this long without speaking to each other. But I’m afraid to call her—I don’t want her to figure out where I am. I just need a little more time.”
“A little more time? You sound like you’re thinking about going back.”
She ran her fingers through her hair, pressing the heels of her hands into her temples. “Oh, I don’t know,” she cried. “There are so many people that count on me. If I don’t work, then they don’t work. The thing is, if I make this new album, then I have to go out on tour to promote it. You can’t make an album without touring. So if I’m going to quit, this is the time.”
He studied her shrewdly, smoothing a windblown strand of hair from her eyes. “Do you really hate singing that much? You’re obviously really good at it, Maddie. You couldn’t have sold all those albums if you’re not good.”
“I do love to sing. But not to such huge audiences. And with the band and all the lights and craziness. There are so many ways things can go wrong and there’s so much pressure to be perfect. Do you know how much people pay for tickets? So, of course they expect a perfect show.” She grabbed his hand and wove her fingers through his. “And if I’m not perfect, the press won’t leave it alone. So many people are depending on me for—”
Kieran stopped her rant with a kiss, his lips soft on hers. “I understand.”
Maddie smiled. “I believe you’re the first person who does.”
They found a coffee shop close by and Maddie ordered a frozen mocha before they continued their walk to a small strip mall. She stopped in front of a pawnshop window and peered inside, still sipping on her coffee.
“See anything interesting?”
“Let’s go in,” Maddie said. “I want to look at that guitar.”
Kieran opened the door for her and they stepped inside the cool interior. The place was filled, floor to ceiling, with items for sale. Maddie pulled the guitar from the window display and carefully examined it while Kieran wandered over to the electronics.
As she talked to the elderly salesman, Kieran watched her, admiring her slender body and beautiful features. If she thought that cutting her hair would make her less noticeable, she was completely wrong. She was still stunning. In truth, every time he looked at her, he found something new that he liked.
He turned back to the electronics and peered into a glass case at a portable GPS. He had one just like it at home but he could use another to put on his boat as a back up. And this was a decent price. Unfortunately, he didn’t have more than seventy dollars to his name.
Kieran chuckled to himself. He had barely seventy dollars and it didn’t bother him in the least. He wasn’t worried about money or time or even getting to Bitney, Kentucky. That would happen when it happened.
“Can I show you anything?” the salesman asked, appearing behind the counter.
“Yeah, I’d like to look at that GPS.”
The salesman took it out of the case and Kieran examined it.
“What is that?”
He turned to find Maddie standing next to him. He handed it to her. “It’s a global positioning system.”
A frown furrowed her brow. “I have no idea what that is.”
“It tells you exactly where you are in the world. Latitude and longitude. Right down to a few feet either way.”
“Does it tell you where you’re going to be tomorrow or the next day?” she asked.
Kieran chuckled. “No. It doesn’t predict the future.”
“Then what good is it? I know where I am now. I’m in Topeka, Kansas.”
“It’s a good thing to have in case you get lost and you need to find your way back home.”
Maddie slipped her arms around his. “Maybe we do need it.”
“Or maybe it’s good to get lost once in a while,” Kieran countered. “What kind of adventure is this if you always know where you’re going?”
Kieran handed the GPS back to the salesman. “Thanks, but I’m going to pass on it,” he said with an apologetic shrug. “Are you going to buy anything?” he asked Maddie.
“I’m going to take the Martin guitar,” Maddie said, nodding. “It has a case, right?”
“A hard-shell case. It’s in decent condition.”
“Good. I’ll give you five hundred for both.”
The salesman thought about the offer for a long moment, then nodded. “Deal.” Maddie turned to Kieran and wiggled her fingers. “Cash, please.”
“I thought you were giving up music,” Kieran said.
“And I thought it would be nice to have on the train. I can teach you how to play.”
Kieran held up his hands. “Oh, no. I have absolutely no musical talent. Beyond singing in the car with the radio, I’m pretty much a hopeless case.”
“A lot of people start out that way,” she said. “I happen to be a very good teacher.”
“If you teach me how to play the guitar, what am I supposed to teach you?”
She thought about it, then smiled. “You can teach me how to drive,” she said.
“We don’t have a car.”
“We’ll figure that out. We could always rent one. A convertible. I’ve always wanted one of those old Cadillac’s with the tail fins. You know, a classic sixties car.”
Kieran looked around. “They don’t have any cars here,” he said.
“Actually we do deal with cars, as well,” the salesman said. “There’s a lot out back. I could show you a few if you like.”
“No, no, no,” Kieran said. “We’re taking the train.”
“We’re taking the train,” Maddie said, nodding in agreement.
They paid for the guitar and walked back out into the midafternoon heat. Kieran took the guitar from her hand. “I’m going to be your roadie,” he said.
“If you were my roadie, I would have broken one of the cardinal rules of touring.”
“And what is that?”
“Don’t sleep with the roadies,” she said, laughing. “You never would have gotten past my mother. She approves all hiring on tours. She would have known that you’d be too tempting to resist, so you never would have gotten the job.” She paused. “It’s funny, but we probably would have never met if we hadn’t run into each other at that bus station. I might have decided to fly. Or your bus could have arrived late. And yet all the fates conspired to—”
“What?”
“I’m going to write a song about that,” she said. “I have to go back to the hotel now.”
“You don’t want to get some lunch?”
Maddie shook her head. “No. You get something to eat. I really want to get this idea down before it slips out of my mind.”
“I’ll walk you back,” Kieran said. He took her hand as they hurried down the sidewalk, startled by the sudden change in her. He’d just assumed Maddie was always playful and a little flighty. But now, she seemed so completely focused that he had a hard time adjusting to the change.
Kieran wondered if he’d ever really know her completely. Maybe that was a good thing. There was always something new to discover, something interesting to learn about this beautiful woman. And he wanted to know it all.
“A TOAST,” KIERAN SAID, holding up his champagne flute. “To your new song. Whenever I hear it, I’m going to think of Topeka. And the two nights I spent with you.”
Maddie giggled, the effects of a half bottle of champagne bubbling up inside her. She sent Kieran a sexy gaze. “I left my heart,” she sang, “in Topeka, Nebraska.”
“Kansas!” Kieran said. “We’re in Kansas.”
“Whatever,” Maddie said. “Nebraska, Kansas. I’m just happy I’m here.”
They’d enjoyed an early dinner at the hotel restaurant. Maddie felt a bit guilty after she’d spent the afternoon, alone in their room, working on a new song. But when inspiration struck she knew enough to take advantage of it. It rarely came with such strength and focus as it had that afternoon. Though she wanted to leave her professional world behind her, at least for a time, she would have to make a living sooner or later. And she never knew where the next hit song would come from.
“Maybe sometime you’ll sing it for me?” Kieran asked, watching her over the rim of his champagne flute.
“Maybe,” Maddie said. She wasn’t sure why she wasn’t ready to sing for him yet. Maybe she just wanted to leave her professional life behind a little while longer. Or maybe, she was afraid if she did sing, he’d take her mother’s side in all matters and urge her to get back onstage.
Now that the song was written and committed to memory, she’d decided to turn her full attention back to Kieran. She put on her party dress, fixed her hair and invited him to join her in the hotel restaurant.
“That dress suits you,” he said.
“Thank you.” Maddie slipped out of her shoe and ran her foot along his thigh beneath the table.
His eyes went wide. “What are you doing?”
“I’m trying to seduce you. I’ve gotten you drunk and now I’m moving on to step two—overt physical contact. But I’m obviously not doing a very good job if you can’t figure that out.”
“Sweetheart, you don’t need to try. Just looking at you across the table is enough to get me going.”
“It’s the pink dress, isn’t it?” she said, brushing the tiny strap off her shoulder.
“No. I’d want you even if you were wearing that hoodie and your beat-up jeans. It wouldn’t make a difference.”
“You know, I’m not wearing anything under this dress.”
Kieran groaned. “Don’t tell me that. I was really looking forward to ordering dessert. They have banana crème pie.”
Maddie took another sip of her champagne, then reached for the bottle to refill her glass. But the bottle was empty. “Do you want to order another?”
Kieran shook his head.
“Are we going to do this?” she asked.
He nodded.
She set her champagne flute down, then stood up and tossed her napkin on the table. “I’ll race you. First one to the room gets to undress the other.” With a laugh, she took off through the restaurant. Maddie looked back over her shoulder to see him dealing with their waiter and the check.
She made it to the elevator first, but as she was waiting, he caught up to her. To her surprise, he headed for the stairwell. They were on the seventh floor and she knew she’d never beat him up the stairs.
Maddie punched at the button and a moment later, the elevator doors opened. She hurried inside and pressed the button for her floor, but as the doors were closing, an elderly couple hurried toward her.
“Hold the elevator,” the man called.
She glanced over to the panel, cursing softly, then stepped forward and caught the door. The couple smiled gratefully as they got inside and pressed the button for the third floor. The doors closed and the elevator moved upward.
When she finally reached the seventh floor, Maddie stepped out of the elevator and walked to the room. Kieran was waiting at the door with the key card, his shoulder braced against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. He wasn’t even out of breath.
“You win,” she said.
“Oh, don’t look so disappointed,” he teased. He unlocked the door and held it open. “We’re both about to get naked and do what we’ve been waiting to do since the moment we met.”
She arched her brow, giving him an inquisitive look as she passed. “Since we met? You were thinking about this in the bus station?”
“Well, not this. But I was attracted and thoughts of a sexual nature did cross my mind. I remember thinking that your lips would probably taste like cherries. I’m a guy. What can I say?”
He followed her into the room, then grabbed the Do Not Disturb sign from the door and hung it outside. Maddie waited for him, the champagne making her mind buzz and her body boneless. He sat down on the end of the bed and slipped his hands around her waist, pulling her toward him.
For a long moment, he didn’t move. He just stared up into her eyes. Had he changed his mind? Was he going to find some excuse not to ravish her? Maddie knew the attraction between them was mutual. So why was it taking him so long to make a move?
