He heard it the minute he walked from his room the next morning. The sound of the piano being put to very good use if what he was hearing was any indication. He knew it was her playing. No one else but him ever sat at the old-fashioned instrument, and she’d been fascinated by it the moment she saw it tucked away in the alcove under the staircase.

Alex slowed his steps and listened. She was doing some runs, learning the way the baby grand responded to her fingers. He’d only had to listen for a few moments to understand that she was incredibly talented. And then she began playing a song. Something he’d never heard before. It was soulful and haunting, just like her.

He knew she couldn’t see him and wouldn’t be aware of his presence so he quietly came to the bottom of the stairs where he sat down, with his elbows resting on his knees, closed his eyes and let the melody sink into his senses. She played beautifully with a confidence that made listening a pleasure.

Sensing the piece was coming to an end, Alex moved behind her, as she played, oblivious to her audience. Watching as she swayed to the music, her beautiful hands moving by rote against the keys, he was transfixed by the passion with which she played.

When the song came to an end, she lifted her hands slowly from the keyboard and sat quietly as the last vibrations faded from the air.

“Meghan, my God. That was beautiful.”

He wondered if she’d known he had been listening because she didn’t startle at his voice or immediately turn around. When she did, he sucked in a quick breath at the wave of emotion he found in her gaze.

“Thank you. It’s one of my favorites.”

He went and stood next to the piano and searched her face. “I’ve never heard that before. Is it something you wrote?”

“Oh lord, no! I can play almost anything but a composer I am most definitely not. That piece is from an artist I enjoy. It’s called “Broken” by David Nevue.”

“It was lovely. Just like the woman playing it.”

She didn’t actually acknowledge the compliment, just waved her hands over the keys and sat back to look at him. “Y’know, I’m never sure with that song whether it makes my happy or sad. Must be why I like it so much. It can be anything you make of it in the moment.”

“It’s been a long time since someone sat on that bench and played anything so beautiful.”

She smiled that time and actually blushed. “I thought you said you played,” she teased.

“Well I do, but not like that,” he laughed.

“Show me,” she said, scooting over to make room for him on the bench.

“Are you challenging me, woman?” The warmth and humor in his voice made her eyes twinkle.

“Mmm hmm. Show me what ya’ got big guy.” She patted the bench and raised her eyebrows. “Unless of course, you’re full of shit.”

He enjoyed her lighthearted manner. “Blow me,” he taunted as he sat down by her side.

He had to laugh when she pointed to her face and chuckled. “This would be a shit eating grin. Now either put up or shut up. We’ll discuss getting blown, later.”

Alex met her wicked grin with one of his own. “Deal. And I’m going to hold you to it, later.”

“Tell me something I didn’t already know,” she teased with a dramatic roll of her eyes.

Alex thought for a moment. He wasn’t much for Rachmaninoff but he did have a serious selection of pop music pieces he could whip out with no problem. Wanting to impress her he decided on an old Elton John composition that reminded him of his college days in New York City.

Meghan watched while Alex readied to play something for her. She’d been touched by his praise and found sharing a love of music with him deeply personal and not just a little seductive. It was a rare man who would admit to being so moved by a simple piano piece.

He surprised her with his choice of songs and his obvious musical talent. Not only could the man play, he could sing too. Something she hadn’t expected. Sitting alongside him as his hands played the familiar piece; he treated her to a moving rendition of “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters”, a song she knew well.

Alex Marquez continuously surprised her. His dexterity on the beautiful instrument showed an artistry that delighted her. He was a musician through and through. My God, she thought. There was so much more to him than met the eye.

When he finished, she beamed at him and elbowed him gently in the ribs. “You dog. What other hidden gifts do you have?”

He seemed pleased with her reaction, took hold of her chin and said, “Well, this one you already know about.” And then he kissed her.

“That was nice,” she whispered when their lips separated.

He had some kind of light bulb moment after that, telling her, “Look. I’ve got to head into Sedona on business this morning. Tori is coming along because she wants to do some baby shopping. Would you mind going with us? Drae is tied up with clients, and he’s concerned that she’ll overdo and spend too much time on her feet.”

“Oh, no problem. I’d be happy to tag along. I can never say no to a shopping excursion.”

Alex reached out and took her hand, bringing it slowly to his lips. Placing a kiss on her knuckles that charmed the pants right off her, she practically swooned with glee.

“Thanks, baby. Drae will be relieved, and I’d enjoy your company. Did you grab breakfast yet?” At her affirmative nod he eased from the bench and gestured toward the kitchen. “Well, I’m gonna stuff my face and then make myself presentable. How about we meet back here in say, forty-five minutes? I’ll text Tori and let her know the plan.”

“Sounds good. I’ll get changed too. Put on my bargain hunting outfit and do some power stretches!”

He barked with laughter and shook his head. “Heaven save me from women clutching a credit card when there’s a sale nearby.”

 

 

Waiting for Alex to reappear was probably the longest forty-five minutes of her life. Tori had bustled into the hacienda ten minutes ago and was chatting happily about the things she hoped to pick up, telling Meghan her plans for the nursery she was decorating and gushing about her love for a hand-carved cradle her hunky husband had made for their baby. Seeing her joy and hearing how she spoke of Draegyn warmed Meghan’s heart.

When Alex finally did stroll down the big stairway from the second floor, she almost vapor locked at his appearance. Used to the bearded and burly presence that he made look so damn good, she was unprepared for a completely different side.

The beard was gone and instead of his usual casual clothes he was wearing a dark blue business suit that was obviously tailor-made to fit him perfectly. She almost giggled like a schoolgirl at how unbelievably sexy he made the serious suit look. If Tori hadn’t been right there she would have leapt on him like a crazed fan girl and given him a lip lock he wasn’t likely to forget. Damn—he was one handsome dude.

“Ready ladies?” he asked when he hit the bottom step.

Picking her jaw up off the floor, Meghan smirked at him and feigned a swoon while teasing, “Oh God! Be still my beating heart!”

Tori busted out laughing and fanned herself in jest, joining in the fun. “Don’t tell my husband I said this Meghan, but he is seriously hot, huh?”

Alex’s broad smile at their exaggerated reaction to his makeover was cute as hell. Sliding a pair of Ray-Ban aviators on, he flashed his pearly whites and offered each of them an arm.

“C’mon wenches. Time to get this show on the road.”

As if his transformation wasn’t enough to get Meghan’s insides all tingly and warm, when they went to the driveway she saw that today he was driving the top-of-the-line car she’d seen on her arrival. The beautiful S-Class was the ultimate in Mercedes Benz luxury. Meghan was familiar with the amazing car, having purchased one for her parents with her lottery windfall.

She knew all about the hot stone massage seats, the way the rear seating would enable Tori to comfortably recline, the kick-ass audio package, and the unbelievable safety systems that made the car unique. It was first class from top to bottom.

Once they were on the road, she couldn’t help but smile. He handled the vehicle a lot like he handled her body—with skill, pushing the limits and then backing off. An instinctive ability that made her sit up and take notice. He looked over at her from time to time and met her smile with one of his own. Yeah, he really was full of surprises.

When they were close to their destination, the three of them mapped out a plan. Alex would drive straight to the office of the legal firm where his meeting was being held and let the ladies take the car for their shopping excursion. They’d meet up in a couple of hours, grab a late lunch, and head back to the Villa.

When the time came for Meghan to slide behind the wheel, he kissed her briefly by the side of the car and helped her get situated then totally blew her mind by insisting they use one of his credit cards that was so exclusive they could literally purchase anything they wanted. Money was hardly an issue for her but he wouldn’t take no for an answer, admonishing Tori to buy whatever her heart desired for the baby with his compliments.

And they did. Over the next few hours they visited a number of high-end boutiques and specialty stores that took shopping for baby to a whole new level. Meghan enjoyed watching Tori bring her nursery vision to life.

With a trunk full of bags and boxes and a bounty of other things ordered for delivery, they returned to the office building where they were to meet Alex. The minute they walked through the door a cheerful receptionist who was clearly anticipating their arrival offered a friendly greeting and directed them to an empty conference room where they could wait while Alex’s meeting wrapped up.

When he finally appeared, there was another man with him in an equally gorgeous business suit that looked to be about Alex’s age and someone he clearly knew quite well.

“Well, if it isn’t Mrs. St. John,” the man said with a welcoming smile at Tori who quickly rose and responded with a big hug.

“”It’s good to see you again, Parker. Draegyn and I had a great time last month at the picnic. Are you guys playing again anytime soon?”

“Actually, I was just trying to get old Thunder Foot here to drag his sorry ass out tonight for a reunion gig at Crazy Pete’s.”

“Oh my God!” Tori giggled with glee. “For real?”

“Okay. That’s enough,” Alex replied drolly. “Don’t try and use the pregnant woman against me. Not fair, dude. Not fair. And take your paws off Mrs. St. John before I have to knock you the fuck out.”

The three laughed in unison as Meghan stood by and watched.

“Come on over here, sweetheart,” Alex told Meghan, “and meet one of my oldest friends.” She smiled when he called her sweetheart and went to his side aware that he was looking at her like she was the most beautiful woman on the planet.

Meghan was glad she’d decided to wear the teal colored bandage style dress that showed off her curves and made her boobs look like a million bucks when she saw appreciation light up Alex’s eyes.

Causally putting his arm around her waist he introduced her to the other man. “Meghan, this is Parker Sullivan. We grew up together, and as it happens, we even went to the same college. Luckily for me and the agency, he’s taken over his family’s law practice since he knows where quite a few skeletons are buried from our younger, wilder days.” His affection for the lawyer was evident.

“Parker, this is the lady I was telling you about. Meghan O’Brien.”

He’d been talking about her? Squee!

Parker took her hand and gave it a good squeeze. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Meghan. You’re everything I’d expect when it comes to a woman being even remotely interested in putting up with this guy’s bullshit.”

Meghan laughed but swiftly removed her hand from his when she felt Alex’s reaction tighten at their brief contact. She liked that he was outwardly possessive toward her.

“It’s good to meet you too, Parker. Mind if I ask what thunder foot refers to?”

Tori chuckled as Parker answered. “He hasn’t told you then? Sheesh, Alex. You’d think you were embarrassed by your former notoriety! To answer your question Meghan…back in the day, Alex and I played together in a cover band. Started in high school and kept up through college until other things became more important. I gig with a couple of the other guys for shits ‘n grins a couple of times a year but getting this one to join in is like pulling teeth. Maybe you can convince him that an evening spent in a dark bar playing old school rock ‘n roll for our devoted and mostly inebriated fans is more fun than it sounds!”

“Seriously?” she asked, looking at Alex for explanation.

“You play dirty,” he sneered at his old friend. “First the hormonal pregnant lady and now my girl? Come on dude. I’m still trying to impress her, not scare her the fuck away with an aging rock star fantasy.”

Tori chimed in, waving her cell phone at them. “It’s settled. I texted my husband, and he’s all in for a trip to Crazy Pete’s. Sorry boss, but you’ve been outnumbered on this one.” Her snarky smile said it all.

“You will pay for this, Sullivan,” Alex ground out.

Meghan couldn’t tell if he was truly annoyed at having been maneuvered so neatly or just playing a part.

Slapping him on the back, Parker laughed at his reaction. “We go on at nine o’clock. Hope that’s not too late for your old ass. Bring your sticks man and be ready to rock out with your cock out.”

Meghan snorted out a disbelieving laugh at the man’s pithy remark while Tori chortled gleefully with a delighted and smug look on her face.

“Irish, you are in for a treat!” she said.

Alex’s dark scowl suggested he wasn’t happy but had no choice but to go along.

“Alright you asshole. You win this round. But I’m gonna seriously consider taking my legal business elsewhere.”

“Fuck you, Marquez!” Parker barked with laughter. “Meghan, I’ll see you tonight. “ And with that the strange encounter ended as Alex made his farewells and hurried them along to the car for the drive back to the Villa.