Czytaj książkę: «The Mighty Quinns: Kieran», strona 2

Maddie West, award-winning country singer-songwriter, had been transformed from a talented teenager into a multi-national corporation in the course of ten years. A multinational corporation who couldn’t get up onstage without a double dose of Xanax and a few hours of hypnotherapy.

But the drugs weren’t working anymore. And the hypnotist her mother had hired for this tour was sleeping with her make-up artist and no longer cared about solving Maddie’s problems. No one really cared about her needs anymore. Making money was all that mattered and touring was where all the money was made.

Maddie pulled her knees up to her chin and sighed softly. Maybe she ought to go back. There were a lot of people depending on her. And she was scheduled to head into the recording studio next week to start her new album. They’d booked the time with her favorite producers and there were meetings scheduled with her record company in Nashville.

She closed her eyes, brushing aside her doubts. A single image lingered in her mind. What was his name? Kieran. Kieran Quinn. Such an odd name. And yet, it suited him. From the moment she spied him at the food court, she sensed that he’d be sympathetic to her cause. He had very kind eyes—and a face that made a girl want to tear off all her clothes and find the nearest bedroom.

A shiver skittered down her spine. How long had it been since she’d felt that kind of chemistry? Maddie’s love life had always been the stuff of tabloid stories and never, ever lived up to the hype. She’d dated a few actors, a few singers, a smorgasbord of up-and-coming males who looked good on paper, but didn’t excite her in or out of the bedroom. But lately, she’d grown cynical about ever finding love, especially amid the pressures that the press exerted on romantic relationships.

“My life is a mess,” she murmured. There wasn’t one single element that she could point to as normal. Her mother was overbearing and unrelenting, running her career and her personal life as if Maddie were some prize racehorse. She was carefully groomed and trained, watched over twenty-four hours a day, told what to eat and when to sleep, when to practice and how to relax. Maddie wasn’t even sure she knew how to run her own life, given the chance.

A sliver of fear shot through her. What if she couldn’t do it? What if she finally made her escape and couldn’t exist on her own? She drew a ragged breath. For now, she had a protector. And maybe, she could convince him to stick around until she figured out her next move.

Maddie pulled her cell phone from her pocket. She’d shut it off when she’d snuck out of the hotel, but now she wondered whether they could track her using it. She glanced around the luggage room, wondering if she ought to leave it behind. Was that how Rick and Nick had found her?

As she weighed her options, Maddie heard the announcement for her bus. If she tried boarding too early, she’d be caught standing in line, a sitting duck for her two shrewd bodyguards. But if she waited too long, she might miss the bus entirely. Maddie took a deep breath. She’d just keep her head down and keep walking, no matter what happened.

She slipped out of the door and headed back into the waiting room of the terminal. “You can do this,” she murmured. “Just a few more minutes and you’ll be free.”

“Where have you been?”

She felt Kieran’s hand on her arm before she realized he was behind her. “Go away,” she whispered.

“They’re outside,” he said. “They’re watching everyone who boards the buses, but that’s a lot of people to watch. If you’re careful, you should be able to get by them.”

She stopped. “I can’t let them take me back. You have to help me.”

Kieran considered her, then nodded. “All right.

Wait right here. I’m going to see if I can distract them. As soon as I do, you sneak out and get on the bus. Just make sure you get on the right bus. And save me a seat.”

“Thank you,” she murmured. She reached into her pocket and withdrew another wad of money. “Here, take this.”

“How much cash do you keep in your pockets?” he asked.

“I don’t know. A couple thousand, maybe three.”

“Don’t go flashing that around,” Kieran warned, pushing her hand back in her pocket. “You’re going to get mugged.” He shook his head. “Just get on the bus.”

Maddie nodded. She watched him through the window as he strode outside. When he approached Nick, she held her breath. Between Nick and Rick, Nick was the smart one. He was naturally suspicious and very loyal to her mother. What was Kieran going to tell him? And what would she do if one of them stayed and watched the buses?

A few seconds later, the two men took off running, racing through the doors of the terminal, right by her. She waited until they headed toward the ticket counter, then slipped through the doors. She walked directly to her bus, handed the driver her ticket and got on. Maddie found a seat halfway to the back and slipped into it, sinking down and watching the activity outside the window through her dark glasses.

Kieran had disappeared. When the bus driver stepped onto the bus and reached out to close the door, Maddie stood up, ready to shout for him to stop and wait. But then, at the last moment, Kieran came bounding up the steps.

He handed his ticket to the driver, then made his way down the aisle to Maddie. With a grin he nodded at the space next to her. “Is this seat taken?”

“I was kind of saving it,” she said. “But you can sit here. For now.”

Kieran stowed his bag on the overhead rack, then dropped down next to her. As the bus pulled out of the station, Maddie closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

“And the adventure begins,” Kieran murmured.

“Thank you,” Maddie said. “I couldn’t have gotten away without you.”

“Are you going to tell me what you’re running away from?” he asked.

“Can we just wait on that one?” she said. “I’d really like to enjoy anonymity for just a little bit longer.”

Kieran nodded slowly. “All right. But there is one thing you have to do for me.”

“What’s that?”

He reached out and gently removed her sunglasses. Folding them neatly, he tucked them into his jacket pocket. Then, he pushed the hood from her head, his palms smoothing across her face. Maddie closed her eyes and turned into his touch.

It was such a simple gesture, but in an instant, she felt a flood of warmth rush over her. When she opened her eyes, he was watching her, his gaze fixed on her mouth. Maddie waited, wondering what was going through his head. Kissing him would complicate everything, but then, it could also make a boring bus trip much more interesting.

“Why did you help me? You don’t even know me,” Maddie asked.

“I don’t know. I guess I figured there was no one else who was going to ride to your rescue.”

“No one ever does anything for me without some kind of motive.”

“Well, you did give me money, and I’m broke. So, I guess I did it for a sandwich and the half-eaten candy bars. And I was hoping for some fascinating company on the rest of my trip.”

He really was a nice guy, Maddie thought to herself. And he was sexy as hell, too. She’d made so many bad choices when it came to men … Then again, she’d never dated an ordinary guy.

Maybe that was her problem. When she slept with celebrities, there were so many expectations to live up to. They were supposed to be heroic and larger-than-life and she was supposed to be the ultimate bad girl.

But she’d always been disappointed. Her lovers were never as strong and gallant as she imagined. And she was never as uninhibited as they’d undoubtedly imagined.

It was difficult to allow herself any type of freedom when the end result might be splashed all over the covers of the tabloids a few days later. She’d lived her life paralyzed about what the press would say, always suspicious of strangers and wary of friends.

It had been simple for her mother to maintain control. After all, she was the only one that Maddie could truly trust. But lately, Maddie had begun to notice that her mother had motives of her own. More money, more fame, more of everything that she’d come to enjoy. And when Maddie had mentioned that she might want to give up performing and just focus on songwriting, her mother’s true feelings had burst forth.

Why couldn’t she have had a normal life? A childhood filled with friends and school, a world where there was still so much opportunity laid out in front of her. Maddie felt as if she’d already lived a lifetime. She felt old and tired, cynical and unhappy with life.

“I guess I owe you,” she said softly, brushing aside the urge to kiss him. Maddie reached into her pocket and counted out one hundred dollars. “Here. This is for buying the ticket.”

He shook his head. “That’s all right. You hang on to it. I know where to find you if I need it.”

“I’m really tired,” she said with a soft sigh.

Kieran patted his shoulder. “Here, you can lean up against me. Close your eyes and take a nap. We’ve got a long ride ahead of us.”

“You’re a really nice guy,” she murmured as she wrapped her arms around his. Pressing her cheek to his sleeve, she drew in a long breath. “You smell good, too.”

Kieran chuckled. “I wouldn’t breathe in too deeply. I’ve been on a bus for twenty-four hours. I could use a long, hot shower and some clean clothes.”

“Me, too,” she said. “A shower would be perfect.” Maddie closed her eyes and let her thoughts drift. But they didn’t wander back to the life she’d run out on, her mother’s angry face or her manager’s warnings that her career would be over if she didn’t perform. Instead, they focused on the man who had rescued her from certain discovery.

It sure was nice to have someone in her corner for once.

2

FOR THE FIRST time since he’d boarded the bus in Seattle, Kieran slept. Not just a half-conscious, restless nap interrupted by the slightest noise or jolt. He was out, completely unaware of his surroundings, lost in a deep, satisfying slumber.

Afterward, he and Maddie chatted, learning a little bit more about each other as the Kansas landscape passed by. Chatted, he thought to himself. That was a benign word for what they’d done. Full-on flirting was a more apt description. They’d laughed and teased, injecting tiny sexual innuendos into the conversation at every turn.

And when the teasing wasn’t enough, there had been the casual, almost accidental physical contact. A touch here and there, her warm hand on his arm or his face, his shoulder bumping against hers.

When they’d grown bored with silly stories, they’d found a discarded book of crossword puzzles in the overhead bin and had filled in the empty spots on the half-finished puzzles, arguing over the answers playfully.

It was the most fun he’d had with a woman in—well, ever. He could be himself with her, not afraid to reveal the flaws he kept secret from others.

She found his obsession with financial matters charming and his constant checking of the schedule strange. She’d called him a “stuffypants” and a “human calculator,” not to mention a few other things that he might have taken as insults coming from anyone else. But Kieran liked that she spoke her mind.

And yet, they hadn’t talked about anything serious, or anything real. He still didn’t know the circumstances that brought her to the bus station or why she felt the need to run. All she’d said was that the life she’d left had become too much for her.

The lunch stop had been at a small diner along the interstate and once again, Maddie had ordered four or five entrees from the menu, then picked through them until she found something that piqued her interest—this time a grilled cheese sandwich and a strawberry shake. Kieran hadn’t even bothered to order. He simply enjoyed the dishes she rejected. He was getting to know her faults as well, and didn’t mind them a bit.

They pulled into Topeka at a quarter after eight in the evening, fifteen minutes earlier than scheduled. He thought about getting out for something to drink, but Maddie was dozing beside him, her arms wrapped around his, her cheek resting on his shoulder.

As he stretched his other arm over his head, he noticed two young girls standing in the aisle staring at him. “Hi, there,” he murmured.

They giggled and pointed to Maddie. “Is that Maddie West?” they asked.

Kieran frowned. He should have suspected his Maddie was using an alias. “Who is Maddie West?” he whispered.

“The country singer,” one of the girls said. “Can we have her autograph?”

“This isn’t Maddie West,” he said calmly. “Sorry. She gets that all the time. Her name is Alice. Alice Smith. But I’ll tell her you thought she was Maddie West. She’ll get a kick out of it.”

The girls walked down the aisle and out of the bus, disappointed. Kieran looked at the woman sleeping beside him. So she was Maddie West, country singer? Now, suddenly, the reason she’d had the two goons looking for her made perfect sense. They were probably her bodyguards. And for all he knew, they believed she’d been abducted. Maybe it was about time for some answers.

Kieran turned and shook her gently. “Maddie,” he whispered. “Maddie, wake up.” She groaned softly. “Maddie, they need you onstage.”

Maddie’s eyes flew open and she jolted upright, scrambling to pull her hood over her tousled hair. “What? Now?” Rubbing her eyes, she looked around the bus, then groaned. “What are you doing? Why would you do that to me?”

“I think maybe it’s time for you to tell me the truth. The whole story.”

“There is no story.”

“Then maybe I should tell those little girls out there that they can come back and get Maddie West’s autograph. Because they seemed pretty damned impressed that they were on the same bus as a big country-music star.”

With a low curse, she sank down in her seat. “Oh, great. There’s nowhere I can go in this world to get away from it. It follows me everywhere.”

“Not everywhere. I didn’t recognize you. But then, I’m really not a fan.”

“I figured that out right away. It was one of your most endearing qualities.” She quickly stood. “I have to get out of here. If those girls recognized me, then it won’t be long until everyone on the bus is looking at me.”

“Where are you going to go?”

“I don’t know. Where are my sunglasses?” He handed them to her and she put them back on her nose, then pulled her hood over her hair. “I can’t stay here.” Maddie held out her hand. “Thanks for everything. I really appreciate you riding to my rescue.” When he refused to shake her hand, she turned to hurry down the aisle, then paused.

A moment later, she stumbled back to him and threw her arms around his neck. Her lips met his, soft and sweet and unbelievably exciting. Kieran slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her closer. The kiss was so unexpected and yet so perfect.

Her lips parted and Kieran took the invitation to explore more deeply. A tiny moan slipped from her throat as their tongues met and his hands slipped beneath the sweatshirt, circling a tiny waist and pulling her down into his lap.

He’d known this girl, this woman, for a half day and yet, they seemed to sense what the other wanted from the kiss. Kieran settled her against his body, furrowing his fingers through her hair. The high backs of the seats hid them from the view of the passengers still on the bus and they lost themselves in a rare moment of privacy.

When she finally drew back, she sent him a winsome smile. “I hate goodbyes,” she said.

“Me, too.”

“I really should go. I have to keep moving or they’re going to catch up to me.”

“Why are you running? That’s a little drastic, don’t you think?”

“I just want a different life for myself and this is the easiest way. I don’t want to argue anymore or fight, I just want to wake up each day and feel as if it’s going to be the best day of my life, not the worst.” She paused. “Maybe you could come with me?”

The offer was so tempting. But Kieran had other responsibilities to fulfill. He’d made a promise to his grandfather and no matter how beautiful she was and how much he enjoyed kissing her, he was bound for Bitney, Kentucky. “I can’t. I have to go to Kentucky.”

“I still want to go to Kentucky,” she said. “We’ll just find a different way. Maybe we could go by train?”

“I don’t have the money for a ticket,” he said.

“If you come with me, I’ll buy your ticket. And your meals. It’ll be fun. I’ve never taken a trip on a train. Don’t you want a little adventure in your life, Kieran Quinn?”

Kieran groaned inwardly. If he went with Maddie, life would certainly become a lot more interesting. And who knew where things might lead between them.

He’d always been so careful about how he lived his life, especially when it came to women. But his grandfather had wanted him to imagine a completely different life for himself. Taking a cross-country road trip with a runaway music star would certainly be something new.

“All right,” he said. “But how do we know that we can catch a train here?” He shook his head. “I don’t know where we are.”

“Topeka,” she said. Maddie pointed out the bus window. “And there’s a sign for the Amtrak station right there.”

“Then let’s go.” He grabbed her waist and set her in the aisle, then stood up and got his bag from the overhead rack.

“Really? You want to come with me?”

“Yeah, I’m looking for a new life, too. I don’t think it matters if I start the search in Topeka, Kansas, or Bitney, Kentucky, as long as I find it.”

Maddie held out her hand. “All right. Let’s go.”

They hurried off the bus, Maddie’s identity once again obscured by the hood and the sunglasses. Kieran wasn’t sure what the future held with this crazy, impulsive, sugar-addicted woman, but hitting the road with Maddie West was sure to be much more fun than another five hours on a bus.

When they stepped onto the platform, there was a crowd gathered nearby. Suddenly, one of the girls who’d asked for an autograph jumped out from the crush of people. “There she is! That’s her. That’s Maddie West.”

Kieran was shocked at how fast the people surged toward them both. And he was doubly shocked at how quickly he reacted. He grabbed Maddie’s hand and pulled her around to the other side of the bus. “We need to go. Right now.”

Luckily, there was a cab parked on the street about fifty yards away. If they could reach it before the crowd got to them, they’d be safe.

With a scream, Maddie took off, pulling him along behind her. She was quick and nimble, crossing the distance like an Olympic athlete. She quickly crawled in the backseat of the taxi, ordering the driver to go as Kieran threw his bag in the backseat. He got inside as the cab was pulling away from the curb, then looked at Maddie. She was smiling, her color high, her pretty green eyes flashing.

“Where to?” the cabbie asked.

“I don’t know,” Maddie said. “Just drive for now. We’ll figure it out later.”

Kieran, breathless from the run, grinned at her. And then, adrenaline took over. He grabbed her and pulled her into a long, desperate kiss. His hands frantically grasped at her clothes, wanting to touch her anywhere, everywhere at once. And Maddie was just was frantic, her fingers working at the buttons of his shirts.

When they finally drew back, they were both still breathless. The cab driver watched them in the rearview mirror. “Are you someone famous?” he asked.

Maddie laughed. “No. Not anymore.”

“You know, I once had Willie Nelson in my cab. He was a real nice guy.”

“I’m sure he was. Could you take us to the Amtrak station?” Kieran asked.

The train station was only a few blocks away. Kieran decided to have Maddie wait in the cab while he checked the schedule. Unfortunately the next train east wouldn’t leave until the following morning at 5:00 a.m. He bought two tickets with the money Maddie had given him, upgrading to a private room to keep fans from recognizing her.

When he returned to the car, she was waiting. “The next train leaves tomorrow morning,” he said.

“What are we going to do?”

“I suggest we get a hotel, take a shower, relax and get a decent night’s sleep.”

“Take us to a nice hotel, please,” Maddie told the cab driver.

“Nice but cheap,” Kieran added.

“No, not cheap,” Maddie said. “We want room service. And a big bathtub would be nice. And maybe someplace nearby where I could buy some clothes.”

“Everything downtown is closed,” the cab driver said. “I could take you out to the Target. It’s just a couple miles north of here. They’re open twenty-four hours and their prices are real reasonable.”

“There we go,” Kieran said. “Reasonable.”

“Why are you so hung up on money?” Maddie asked. “We have plenty.” She turned to the cab driver. “All right. Target, first, then a nice hotel near the station. Something with room service.”

“I’ll fix you up,” the cabbie said. “No worries.”

They both sat back in the seat. “You know, we really should be more careful with your money. You’re not even sure how much you have,” he whispered.

“You seem to be more worried about my money than I am.” She grabbed the cash out of her pocket and handed it to him. “Here, you take care of it. There’s more where that came from.”

“If you use a cash machine, they might be able to trace your movements.”

“I have a secret account,” Maddie said. “No one knows about it, not even my mother. And I have this debit card.” She pulled a card out of her pocket. “So, stop worrying about money, Mr. Scrooge. I’ve got it covered.”

Being too free with money went against every instinct he had, but he wasn’t living his own life anymore. Why not see where this led him? It might be fun to stop worrying about every move and be more like Maddie—spontaneous and impulsive.

“All right. You’re in charge.”

Maddie reached out and gave him a hug. “See? We’ll make wonderful traveling companions.”

In truth, Kieran wasn’t so sure. It was easy to keep his hands off of Maddie when they were out in public, riding on a bus or sitting in the station. But sharing a hotel room for the night was tempting fate. Though getting two rooms wasn’t budget-conscious, it would certainly would delay the inevitable.

Kieran knew he and Maddie would end up in bed together. And whether that happened tonight or further on down the road, they wouldn’t be able to avoid it very much longer.

MADDIE STARED AT the selection of hair coloring, trying to decide. In the end, she pulled seven boxes of color in various shades of auburn, blond and brunette and tossed them into her basket. She’d figure it all out later.

Since she’d decided to start a whole new life, she figured the best way to do that would be to leave everything behind, including her five-hundred dollar hair color. No more celebrity stylists, no more designer gowns and red-carpet appearances. She could finally live the life she wanted.

Maddie couldn’t imagine what this trip would be like if she’d been alone. Maybe she wasn’t cut out to live her own life. She’d never had the chance to try. Most girls graduated from high school and went off to college, breaking away from their parents and learning the skills needed to get along.

She’d never had her own apartment, never paid a bill or made an appointment for herself. Everything had always been done by her business managers or her mother. And she’d missed out on so much—high school dances and football games, graduation and the first day of college.

The only problem was, Maddie wasn’t quite sure what this new life of hers should look like. When she imagined her future, it was only a blurry image, without any detail. All of her dreams had revolved around a singing career. But now, the only thing that she could really see in that image was a man.

Kieran was exactly what she’d always dreamed of. He was handsome and sexy and kind. And better yet, he hadn’t had a clue who she was when they first met. And here they were, like two normal people, strolling through Target late at night, shopping for … stuff.

“Hey.”

Maddie turned to find Kieran standing next to her. “Hey.”

“What are you looking at?”

“Nothing,” she said, turning away from the hair color.

He grabbed a box from the basket. “You’re going to color your hair?”

Maddie shrugged. “Maybe I won’t get recognized so easily. I’m going to cut it, too.” She glanced over at him. “So, what do you think? Redhead or brunette?”

Kieran frowned. “I kind of like it the way it is. The color and style suits you.”

“It’s not real,” she murmured, staring at a strand. “Besides, I need a fresh start.” She pulled the boxes out of the basket and set them back on the shelf, leaving only a light brunette. “This is close to my natural color. That should do.”

He held out a CD to her. “Look what I found,” he said.

Maddie stared at the cover of her second CD, then took it from his hand. “This was a good album. I remember when I made this. I was sixteen.”

Kieran wrapped his arms around her waist. “You look so young.”

“I was so young. Just a kid. I thought this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, the concert tours and the awards shows. But it was a trap. Once it sucks you in, you can’t escape. Unless some guy forces you to buy him a turkey sandwich and then just won’t go away.”

“But you were good at it,” Kieran said. “You must have been.”

She sighed and handed the CD back to him. “You should never achieve your dreams so early in life. There should be a rule against it.”

“If you don’t go back to singing, what are you going to do?” he asked.

Maddie shrugged. “I don’t have to do anything. I have plenty to live on for years. And I can always write more songs. I like doing that.”

“You must be good. There’s a whole bin of your CDs in this store.”

“I am good,” she said with a smile.

“Do you have everything you want?”

In truth, she had everything she needed. She had a sweet and impossibly sexy man to occupy her thoughts and soothe her doubts. He kept her grounded, gave her sensible advice and watched over her. And when he touched her, her body tingled and her knees went weak.

“I need to get a few more things,” she said. “Some underwear. And shoes.”

“I can help you with the underwear,” Kieran said, grinning.

Her thoughts moved to what was going to happen later that night. Once they got a room, there wouldn’t be much to do except explore the attraction between them. Sure, she could order dinner and maybe watch a movie, but it was silly to pretend that they didn’t want to spend their time in other pursuits.

A shiver skittered down her spine as she thought about all the possibilities. Suddenly, she realized that there was a purchase she still had to make. Condoms.

But putting them in the cart might add too much pressure. She just wanted to be prepared, just in case. “Why don’t you go check out the underwear and I’ll join you there,” she suggested. “I—I’m just going to—run to the bathroom.” She pushed up on her toes and kissed his cheek.

Maddie hurried away, but as soon as she saw him head down another aisle, she returned to the health and beauty section. Only when she reached the condoms, Maddie was faced with another dilemma—too much choice. Did she want large or extra large? And what about color, ribbed or lubed?

She grabbed three boxes and hurried to the cashier. But when she got there, she realized that she’d given all her cash to Kieran. Maddie pulled out her debit card and walked up to a checker, dumping the boxes on the conveyor belt.

The checker gave her an odd look. Maddie smiled. “Big night,” she murmured. Thank God, she was still wearing her sunglasses. She could imagine the tabloid stories if anyone recognized her. Country star starved for sex? Maddie West, sex addict? Maddie the Nymphomaniac? The debit card had her real name on it, Sarah M. Westerfield, so that offered a bit of safety.

“Credit or debit?” she asked.

“What? Sure. Whatever. Debit.”

The cashier finished checking Maddie out and then put the three boxes in a small bag. Maddie stuffed them into her pocket, then smiled as she took her receipt. “I’ve got more shopping to do,” she said, then walked back into the store.

Maddie found Kieran where she’d sent him, in the underwear section. He was leaning over the shopping cart, studying the selection of bras. When he saw her approaching, he straightened and smiled.

“People were starting to wonder about me,” he said. “I think they thought I was some kind of pervert.”

“I guess that remains to be seen,” she said, grinning. “So, what have you picked out for me?”

“Well, I’ve always been partial to black. And I think lace is pretty.” He paused. “Should I really be picking out your underwear?”

“It’s nice to have a male opinion,” she said.

“Am I going to be seeing your underwear?” he asked.

“It’s a distinct possibility,” she said. “Do you want to see my underwear?”

Kieran chuckled. “I wouldn’t mind taking a peek. I bet they’re really pretty.” He drew a sharp breath. “Can we just quit talking about it and buy some?”

Maddie tossed her choices into the cart, then mentally went through her shopping list. Shampoo, hair color, scissors, mascara, hair dryer, underwear, a few cute outfits, three cotton dresses and—”Luggage,” she said. “I need a bag to put all this in. And shoes.”

But as they walked to the shoe department, Maddie caught sight of a rack of party dresses. A couple of teenage girls were going through them, giggling excitedly as they held their choices up in front of them.

“I bet they’re going to a dance,” Maddie said. “I’ve never been to high school dance.”

“Neither have I,” Kieran said.

“You didn’t go to prom?”