Nashville by Heart: A Novel Read online

  “What did you say?”

  She could feel his breath quicken. His palm tightened around hers, and he pressed her gently back to his chest.

  “Nothing.” His voice was low in her ear. “I shouldn’t have said it.”

  She burned to hear what it was he shouldn’t have said, but before she could insist he repeat it, he pulled her tighter, resting his chin on top of her head.

  “It can wait,” he said, running one hand lightly up her back and leaning over her, breathing softly into her hair. When the music ended, the two stood for a few beats longer, the electricity drawing them together.

  His hands slid up to her face, and he ran a thumb lightly along her jaw. “Lord have mercy, woman.”

  Gillian stepped away, shaken. Will gave her a look that said he wished there could be a lot more where that came from before escorting her off the dance floor. All she wanted to do was drag Will to the parking lot or somewhere they could talk about what just happened, but Tasha was in the mood to celebrate. Gillian had barely recovered from the shaky feeling in her legs when Tasha and several of their friends swept her back toward the dance floor. Gillian reached a hand out to Will.

  “You coming?”

  He laughed. “No. I’d sooner eat barbed wire than line dance.”

  She laughed, surprised there was anything at all he wouldn’t do. She personally loved line dancing. It was great exercise, and the songs were always fun. Every now and then she’d smile back at him from the dance floor, showing off her moves. He stood there smiling back with his thumbs hooked in his jeans pockets, and she wondered how they were going to define their relationship now.

  “What was happening to you two out here?” Tasha was huffing beside her as they did an intricate move with their feet.

  “I think that was obvious,” Gillian answered, no longer trying to deny it.

  Tasha smiled. “You two are hot for each other.”

  “We aren’t in high school.”

  “No, but I bet you wish you were. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about that agent-manager thing.”

  “We were caught up in the moment.”

  “A very hot moment,” Tasha pointed out. Before Gillian could answer, she tried the next step. Failing, the two crashed into each other, exploding into giggles. They walked off the floor together.

  Will stood off to the side, hat now on his head. He was a sight to behold, and a glance around reminded her that she wasn’t the only one to notice.

  “I think I’ll get home,” he said. “I’ve a lot of work to do.”

  “You work too hard.” Gillian gave him a light punch in the arm before boldly sidling up close to him.

  He slid one arm around her waist, yanked her closer, and gazed down at her. “Probably not as hard as you’ve been working.”

  “Thank you for noticing.”

  He shook his head. “I’ve never seen a musician who works harder. I’m only sorry to say you’re about to be even busier.”

  “Then I better party while I can.” She was conscious of how his hand pressed against her lower back, locking her securely against his body. She stared up at him under the shadow of his hat.

  “Why don’t you stay and have some more fun?” she said. “It’s been forever since I’ve been in a place like this without an apron and a tray of drinks.”

  She recognized the desire in his eyes because it mirrored her own as he leaned close to say something in her ear. She tilted her head, shivering as his lips brushed her cheek.

  “I believe if I don’t leave now, I might say or do something we’ll both regret later.”

  Emboldened by his frank admission, she turned to whisper in his ear.

  She let her lips graze the sideburns of his temple and whispered, “How do you know I’ll regret it?”

  He caught her around the waist with both hands, pressing her firmly, but tenderly, against him. He smiled.

  “Woman, you don’t know what you’re saying. We barely know each other. You’re just caught up in all this excitement. Have you had anything to drink?” His eyes traveled around the room and landed back on her.

  “No, I haven’t, and how do you know what I’m caught up in? I know who I am and am not attracted to.”

  His grin widened. His eyes slipped down to her lips and back up to gaze hungrily into hers. “OK, I do know what you’re caught up in tonight, but you need to focus on that guitar. And I’m going to let you, no matter how crazy just being around you makes me.”

  “Maybe it’s you who makes me crazy,” she countered, her chest rising and falling from the breathless feel of being so close.

  Backing slightly away, his eyes now traveled appreciatively over her. He let out a sigh, shaking his head back and forth.

  “Where this is leading is a bad idea, Gillian. Trust me on this.” His hand trailed lower on her hip and he squeezed. “Or rather, don’t trust me, darlin’.”

  He gave her a rueful smile. She gulped a breath.

  “You’re the boss,” she said, gently backing away.

  “No,” he said. “I’m working for you.”

  “Then do what I say,” she teased, trying not to beg. “Stay.”

  “But you see?” He leaned over her again and whispered, his voice low and hot against her ear. “I don’t want to stay here with you.”

  Her heart fell.

  “I want to take you home.”

  Her pulse rushed to her head, and she felt woozy with the extremes of emotion sweeping through her body. He gave her a wicked smile and straightened up to his full height. She was torn, wanting to take him up on his offer, and yet the last thing her heart wanted was some tryst with Will—she wanted much more than that.

  She opened her mouth to say something, but he held up a hand.

  “Shh. It wasn’t an invitation, darlin’. I don’t want you to be a one-night stand.” He turned and walked away, leaving her heart pounding and raw.

  That was it, then—the end of a tryst that never even happened. She tried to convince herself she didn’t want it anyway, and a commitment at this stage in her career would break her own rule, never mind Will’s professional standards. And Will wasn’t even the commitment type, manager or not. She didn’t know why she’d ever entertained the idea in the first place. And yet, as she watched him walk away, she did know.

  Casting a look at her friends, she saw Tasha duck her head. Gillian hoped she didn’t look as dejected as she felt, but that’s what she got for forgetting her own rules. She watched the back of Will’s cowboy hat swimming away across the sea of people and resolved to forget about this by tomorrow. They’d let their obvious attraction to each other get in the way, but tomorrow it was back to agent and client. Gathering up her feelings, she was turning to join her friends when she saw Will’s cowboy hat change direction.

  He was walking back to her, with purpose, his eyes determined as he reached for her. His feelings must not have been cooperating with his intelligence any more than hers when he nuzzled into the cascade of her hair and she felt his warm lips pressing the soft skin of her neck, and briefly on her lips, the warmth making her long for something deeper, before he tore himself away and left, leaving her head spinning.

  She grasped the rail separating the dining area from the dance floor and tried to force away the thoughts that made her want to rush and catch up with him.

  “That didn’t help,” she whispered.

  Her momma used to tell her not to give up her music dreams for boys, but she hadn’t warned her that once the boys grew up, they might be impossible to resist.

  ~~~~

  Will slammed the door of his pickup truck.

  “Idiot.”

  He rested his hands on the steering wheel with a heavy sigh, letting the rumbling truck idle for a minute before he would hit the interstate and head off to his huge empty mansion in Brentwood. At the rate he was going, it would continue to be empty too. He’d known plenty of women, but he never offered them Brentwood. Not even the woman he’d been ser
ious with a few years back, choosing to instead live with her in a luxury Nashville apartment.

  Gillian, on the other hand, was different. For some inexplicable reason, he wanted to show his home in Brentwood to her. It was idiotic, perhaps, but he wanted to show her the barn where he planned to have horses someday, the bedrooms his mom decorated for him and the big kitchen where he secretly envisioned kids eating breakfast before school. These thoughts had been running through his head since he met her, and it wasn’t appropriate—he was trying to get her a record deal, not turn her into a housewife. And yet, she was so beautiful, so alluring, and she didn’t even know it. He knew he was playing with fire, but he could barely keep his mind—or his hands—off her.

  It could only end in heartbreak. Even without their business relationship, they were too different. He was what his sisters called wild. Always had been. The only women he dated were older than Gillian and wanted exactly what he wanted: no strings. Gillian, on the other hand—he shook his head in the cab of his truck—was a good woman. She had an innocence about her that made him feel protective, but still an unexpected ability to flirt—and a body—that made him want to sleep with her and wonder what their babies would look like. The last part scared the hell out of him. In fact, she was the kind of woman he’d grown up in his own small town thinking he’d end up with someday after all his carousing was over.

  Flipping the AC on, he waited for the gush of cold air, but nothing could cool the emotions burning through him. A buzz in his pocket interrupted his thoughts, and he pulled out his cell. A text from Gillian. His heart gave a little lurch that made him feel like a teenage boy.

  “Come back,” she’d written, followed by a smiley face emoji. He chuckled. Even she wanted to play with fire, and it made him want to show her how he was starting to feel.

  Hell—not starting to feel. It’d already happened. From the moment he saw her wobbling around in those crazy shoes in his lobby, he’d fallen for her. He reached for the gear shift, knowing he needed to get her out of his system, and the memory of her hips against him sent his mind reeling.

  He paused. The heck with it all. Maybe he should go back inside, get to her apartment and see what happened—see if they could get it out of their systems and move on.

  Then he slapped the wheel. No way.

  He didn’t think he could face himself the next day if he used Gillian Heart. Her dreams were on the line, and she was too inexperienced to realize it. And if by some twist of fate it ended up being more than a fling, would she blame him if he couldn’t get her a deal? What would she do then? He didn’t think she’d have a problem getting a new agent, but one never really knew in this business.

  “Why me?” The memory of her eyes right after he kissed her seared through him. She’d looked so vulnerable, so beautiful, he’d barely been able to tear his eyes off her long enough to leave The Spur.

  He reluctantly texted her back. “Wish I could. Gotta get home.”

  “Damn it all.” He jammed the truck in gear and drove toward Brentwood, driving fast enough to get a ticket. He knew what he needed to do.

  Chapter Nine

  “He did?” Gillian tried not to look hurt, but she felt smacked in the jaw.

  “Will changed your schedule,” Josie said apologetically. “You’re now with Dorothy.”

  “But Dorothy’s not my manager.” Gillian lowered her voice. “What’s going on?”

  “He’s still your agent,” Josie said, placing a reassuring hand on her arm. “He just put Dorothy in charge of your day-to-day management.”

  Gillian shook her head. “Why?”

  Josie shrugged.

  “But I don’t even know Dorothy.”

  Josie smiled. “Don’t worry. You’re gonna be in good hands, honey. Dorothy has a ton of experience in this town.”

  Will’s office door swung open before she could work out what to do. She could see he was all business with his arms crossed impatiently across his chest, as if he hadn’t wrapped those same arms around her last night in The Steel Spur. Behind him stood a pretty black woman who appeared to be in her thirties.

  She smiled at the woman who must be Dorothy, then cast her attention on Will.

  “You don’t want to manage me any more?” She hoped she didn’t sound whiny, but she felt like crying. Will was the only one besides Tasha and her momma who really knew about her hopes and dreams. She’d shared some of her deepest feelings, even the real story behind her dad, with Will. It’d been an act of trust to open up about some of those things, and she couldn’t imagine establishing that relationship with someone else. Plus, when would they be able to spend any time together now?

  He looked at her, his face unreadable. “I take it Josie explained it to you.”

  Then she realized he must not want to spend time with her. He’d made it clear last night he didn’t want a one-night stand, and he was a one-night stand kind of guy. How else did he ooze sexual charm the way he did? Her chest tightened as the truth sank in. She was a fool.

  “No, I did not,” Josie said. “I just broke the news. You’ll need to explain it to her yourself.” She sat down and turned to her computer screen.

  Will sighed and crooked his finger at Gillian. She followed him and Dorothy into his office.

  “I know what this is about.” Gillian looked at Will.

  “You might think you do, but you don’t,” he said softly. “The main point, Gillian, is that I don’t have time to add you to my daily schedule.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, thinking of all the time they’d been spending together. Somehow she knew it wasn’t normal to hang out with your music manager that often, but she’d told herself it was because she was a new client and he was trying to show her the ropes. It must have been the attraction that made him spend all that time with her, and now they were getting back to business.

  He smiled. “Don’t be sorry, darlin’.”

  Dorothy chose that moment to stick her hand out. Gillian shook it. She had nothing against Dorothy, now having remembered seeing her in the office once before, but they’d never even been introduced. Now she was in charge of Gillian’s career? Gillian took a calming breath, wanting to give Dorothy a chance but frustrated at Will.

  Dorothy cleared her throat. “I’m one of Will’s day-to-day managers, which is exactly what it sounds like. Will brokers all the deals, but he can’t handle all the clients. I take some of them and handle all those daily things like accepting calls about you, scheduling appointments and interviews, going with you to events, recordings and television appearances. That kind of thing.”

  Things like The Steel Spur, Gillian thought. And she bet Dorothy didn’t dance with her clients either. In that regard, working with her could be simpler.

  “Like a publicist?” Gillian asked.

  Dorothy nodded. “I’m a little bit of that too. Now, I know Will has a busy day ahead, so if you will, let’s move this meeting over to my office.” She walked out, leaving Gillian alone with Will.

  “She’ll just be a minute,” Will told Dorothy before closing the door to his office.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked. “You look upset.”

  “Why are you giving me up?”

  “Darlin’, I could never give you up. I’m trying to give you a career.”

  “By handing me off to a lower manager?”

  “First of all. Dorothy wouldn’t like hearing you describe her as a lower manager. She’s got an important job, and trust me, she’s on her way up. She could run this company without me.”

  Chastened, Gillian nodded. “OK, I’m sorry. I get that, but this just isn’t at all what I was expecting.”

  “You think it’s normal for a manager to spend all his time with one client?”

  “No,” she said.

  He gave her a crooked smile. “So, what do you think my other clients think about you hogging all my time? What kind of client does that?”

  She was taken aback for a second, not knowing if he was tea
sing or serious.

  “I guess the kind of client you kissed and danced with and wanted to take home.”

  He nodded. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”

  She leaned against his desk, turning what he’d said over in her mind.

  “What are you going to do while I’m being managed by Dorothy?”

  “Besides paying some attention to my other clients, several who are getting jealous, I’ll have more time to negotiate the big things for you. The things that’ll make you a star, unless that’s not what you hired me to do.” His jaw twitched.

  She knew Will worked for her, but since she had no cards to hold, the concept seemed ludicrous.

  “I was caught off guard,” she said. “I guess I’m all right with it.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  His girl. She wished. Then a thought flitted through her mind.

  What if?

  The memory of him, so close to her on the darkened dance floor, his hands on her hips, the pulse of his neck, made her want to say how she really felt. She wished she knew what he was thinking right now, but he was silent. To keep from looking at him, she studied the awards, the photographs, the small trophy sitting in a glass case.

  “Wait. You won a Grammy?” She wondered how she’d missed it during their first meeting? It must have been nerves.

  The corners of his mouth tugged upward, but he didn’t smile.

  “How come you never told me?” She crossed the room to study it closer. “Will. This is amazing!”

  “No big deal. It’s for songwriting, way back when I first came to Nashville.”

  “You didn’t tell me about it.”

  “It was a long time ago. I was barely out of high school.”

  “Hey, wait a minute.” She leaned closer, studied the trophy, not believing what she was seeing, but there it was, etched into a Grammy. Her dad’s name. She slowly turned to Will, who gave her a guarded look.

  “Why wouldn’t you have told me that?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

  He shrugged. “It didn’t seem to matter.”

  A heaviness gathered like rocks in her belly.