Seduction by Song (34 page)

Dad wraps me up in a tight hug as soon as I’m within arms’ reach. As he pulls back, his eyes gravitate to a spot over my shoulder, making me spin around to face Romeo’s confused, but amused, face.

“Is there someone you would like me to meet, Erin?” Romeo asks, that familiar teasing note back in his voice.

I blush, stepping back to get out of the way of the two men. “Romeo, this is—my father, Garrett Gouchet. Dad, this is Romeo Ortiz, my—.”

“Boyfriend,” Romeo says without hesitation as he extends a hand to my dad. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.
Now
I see where Erin gets her good looks from.”

Dad laughs, taking the proffered hand and giving it a firm shake. “Well, you
are
quite a charmer, young man.”

I feel my cheeks heat up even more. Perhaps I
did
want my father to meet Romeo, but this was all so sudden. So
embarrassing
. I can’t help but smile, though, because they’re getting on fabulously. Dad thanks Romeo for the cigars and Romeo congratulates him on raising such a fine daughter. (They’re both careful not to mention Logan at all.)

Soon enough, Romeo is called away to get ready for the show. I lead my dad to his seat and make sure he’s comfortable, and taken care of by Maddie, the only one who was able to make it to the show that night, before I head backstage again as well.

Romeo is just about to head out when he spots me, stopping for a quick moment to tug me behind the curtains.

“I’m sorry,” I blurt out before he can say anything. “I—should have told you I invited my father. I wanted him to see you sing, to understand how amazing you were in person. I didn’t meant to force a meeting on you—I honestly wanted to ask.”

Romeo laughs, quietly, and tilts my head up to catch my mouth in a perfect, almost chaste kiss. “It was a pleasure meeting him, Erin. I meant every word. Now,
your
job is to make sure he doesn’t go anywhere—I’m taking you both out for dinner after tonight’s show.”

I stare at him for a while, disbelief flooding my mind. How could such a perfect man be mine?

He kisses me once more before disappearing to the stage, greeting the crowd as they roar for him.

I settle back in a seat that would let me see through the curtains, just enough to catch glimpses of Romeo moving around the stage. I smile and relax, allowing myself to imagine what a lifetime of this would be like.

Chapter Thirty-nine

Although the last show in Atlanta isn’t the last show in the tour, it felt like some sort of landmark—and we all felt it. The band and my girls all gather in the green room before the performance to open up a bottle of champagne, celebrating the grand success the tour has become.

Magazines are raving that no other band has ever had such a successful comeback. Fans are begging the Rocks to stay around forever. Even Santiago calls in before the show to tell them just how proud he was.

I laugh as I catch April and Dante smooching on the couch as I make my way back across the room to Romeo’s side with two fresh glasses of champagne. (Romeo, generally speaking,
never
drank before shows—but tonight was a special exception.) He wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me to his side as he speaks to a privileged reporter allowed to join us for an exclusive interview.

“I’d say it’s all thanks to this lovely woman here,” Romeo says, giving me a squeeze, “and not
just
for the obvious reasons.”

I smile up at him as he waggles his eyebrows at my teasingly before returning his full, serious attention to the reporter.

“She’s kept me going,” Romeo says as he curls his hand at my hip. “I never thought I would be so fortunate to have someone like her in my life, but—I guess I’m just a lucky man, huh?”

The reporter finishes jotting down every word Romeo says like it’s gospel before he scuttles back a few steps and pulls out his camera, asking us if we could give him a kiss for the cover of his magazine. Romeo looks to me for confirmation, and I don’t even think about denying him for a second.

As I stretch up to lock lips with him, a ruckus just outside the screen down interrupts us. Just as we look up, the doors burst open as the security guards outside fail to stop the determined woman breaking in.

Louise Valdez looks like hell on earth.

I startle as Romeo pulls me closer to his side as though instinctively protecting me from what might be coming. Louise scans the room, her sharps eyes roaming over every face before they finally settle on mine and Romeo’s. Her lips curl into an ugly sneer as she stomps over to cock her hip to one side right in front of us.

“What the
hell
do you think you’re
doing
, Romeo,” she says coldly, her finely manicured nails bright red against her hip. She looks me a look like I’m scum before looking up to Romeo again, batting her false eyelashes. “What on
earth
is the garbage I’ve been hearing about your public confession to this bitch, hm? You can’t possibly be
serious
about a groupie.”

Romeo tightens his grip on me. “She’s not a groupie, Louise. This is Erin—my girlfriend.”

Louise laughs, the sound ugly and grating against my ears. “You can’t have a
girlfriend
, idiot. You have me—your
wife
.”

“You haven’t been my wife for years, and we both know it,” Romeo says quietly, unwilling to rise to her goading.

“That’s not what the law says,” Louise retorts, suddenly lowering her tone to threatening levels as well. “We’re joined in holy matrimony,
darling
, and
I
say, as your
wife
, that you will stop seeing this harpy instantly.”

Romeo doesn’t waver for even a second, his conviction in staying at my side filling me with warmth and protecting me against the cold hatred in Louise’s eyes. “There’s no love between us anymore, Louise. Leave Erin and me alone.”

Louise flinches back as though stunned by the blunt declaration. She frowns again, the expression quickly turning into a scowl. “You want to play
that
game, do you? Well, fine! There may not be love, but there’s your entire fortune sitting between us—and you know what? I think I’ll take it all. What’s that? A pre-nup? Well, honey, you didn’t
sign
one. So what’s it going to be?

“A life in poverty with this dumb bitch or a life of marital bliss with me,
hm
? Would you really give everything up to be with
her
?”

I feel my heart skip a beat. There it was—the ultimatum. Romeo is stiff and still next to me. The whole room, in fact, has gone silent and perfectly still. No one speaks or moves as Louise begins to smile, reveling in her victory already.

Finally, Romeo opens his mouth.

Chapter
Forty

“Of course I would,” he says firmly, no hint of doubt in his voice. He shifts his arm around my waist to wrap it around my shoulders instead, pulling me in close to his side. “No amount of denial and manipulation is going to change the fact that Erin is the love of my life, and I intend to spend the rest of my life with her—what use do I have for a fortune when I have her?”

My heart swells with so much warmth that I think for a second it might burst. I’m finally able to look away from Louise and her penetratingly icy glare, instead smiling up at Romeo’s gorgeous face that’s completely full of love for me. I know my expression is showing the exact same sentiment right back to him when he smiles down at me.

Louise, it seems, isn’t finished. She screams shrilly and literally stomps her foot.

“
No!
” she shouts, pointing one accusatory finger at us. “I don’t allow this! You won’t get away with this! I’ll tell everyone you fucked her while you were married to me—I’ll tell everyone about all the
other
groupies you fucked. I’ll ruin the band! I’ll tell everyone you lip-synch
all
your songs—that you don’t even sing on your albums! You’ll regret fucking me like this, you’ll—.”

“Actually,” I say, loudly enough to be heard over her rant. She seems so shocked to hear me speak that she actually goes quiet long enough for me to smile at her, just as coldly as she sneered at me. “You won’t be able to do anything of those things. The Rocks don’t lip-synch their songs and they do sing on their own albums. Romeo hasn’t slept with any groupies. As for me, well—.”

Louise begins to smile again, sensing that she is winning once more.

I roll my eyes and continue, “Romeo didn’t meet me until you had been separated for years. Besides, you
did
sleep with
your
co-stars.
That
can be proven. In fact, I think that means Romeo can sue
you
for your wealth over infidelity. After all, your crimes were committed while you led Romeo on as though you truly loved him.”

Louise begins to splutter, trying to find some hole in my logic. I stand firm with Romeo at my side, though, and watch her mind reel as she fails to find a loophole that will help her get her way.

Once more, she lets out a shrill scream and storms out of the green room just as dramatically as she had broken in, swearing at the top of her lungs that this wasn’t over—that she was going to get us
good
.

I highly doubted that.

Romeo spins me to face him to sweeps me up into a passionate kiss. The reporter interviewing him snaps the perfect picture for his magazine while everyone else in the room erupts into a hearty bout of clapping and cheering, a few voices celebrating the departure of the evil witch.

“How did you know just what to say?” he asks, smiling wildly as he hugs me tight.

I laugh and admit, a bit sheepishly, “I sat in on a few law seminars last year. I—didn’t have many hobbies?”

Romeo laughs, too, deep and melodic in my ear. He pulls back and lets go of me to grab out champagne glasses, pressing mine into my hand.

“To us,” Romeo says, bringing his glass up for a toast.

I clink my glass against his and hear everyone around us raising theirs and saying, “To Erin and Romeo!”

After the show, which was of
course
a smashing success, Romeo drives us straight past our hotel. He smiles secretively when I ask him where we’re going and I know without having to hear him say it that this was going to be another surprise.

He pulls up in front of a luxurious hotel just out of town—not part of a chain, but rather a family-owned business that boasted a beautiful honeymoon suite with gorgeous oak furnishing and gold-trimmed
everything
.

Their room was exactly as advertised. Romeo sweeps me off my feet and carries me bridal style through the threshold. I feel giddier than I ever have—even when I was a teenager, and teenagers are
built
for giddiness—as he deposits me on the grand four poster canopy bed dominating the center of the room.

He lays me down carefully before climbing up with me to spread his warmth out over the length of my entire body. Still partially aroused from watching him perform, I lift my hips instinctively as he begins to pull my skirt and panties down all in one motion. He pulls my shirt up, too, but doesn’t take it all of the way off. Instead, he twists it at my wrists, effectively trapping my arms together above my head while he straightens to strip out of his own clothes.

Unable to move, I watch raptly as each inch of his flawless skin is exposed to the pale lamplight shading the room. His smooth skin slides across mine as he settles over me again, bringing one hand up to pin my arms down against the sheets as he tilts my head up to kiss me again.

He leaves my mouth only after stealing my breath away, leaving me panting and soaking wet as he kisses down the length of my body. My legs spread for him without needing to be asked—we do everything in perfect harmony without needing any words.

I gasp as he covers my clit with his mouth, flicking his tongue over the sensitive bud and sliding the fingers of his free hand inside of me, first two—then three. I groan and writhe on the bed as he keeps me pinned to the bed until I climax, crying out his name.

He releases my hands, then, though he doesn’t remove my shirt to free my arms. Settling both of his hands at my hips, he drags me up until his cock is positioned at my opening. Our eyes meet and lock together as he begins to slide in, entering me slowly but surely. I groan, feeling my arousal mounting once more as he begins to thrust into me.

Except for my whispering and moaning his name into the air around us as he pistons his hips in and out of me quicker, harder, we make love without words. His hands roam my body, stroking every inch of my skin as we explore each other’s mouths with our tongues. His grunts grow louder as he nears his climax, bringing me to a shuddering second orgasm as well as he spills his seed inside of me.

Without letting him withdraw, I pull him in close to whisper, for only him to hear, “I love you, Romeo.”