powerful, muscular body and sexy, Southern accent. But Nick was more interested in riding women than horses. He exuded sexuality, smouldering with an animal magnetism that women seemed powerless to resist. And he did little to discourage them. Jenna wasn’t stupid – she’d heard the stories and knew that his womanizing was notorious. He was legendary for never being pictured with the same girl twice, yet the ladies still flocked to him, and Jenna was as smitten as any of them.
She was vaguely aware that someone was trying to speak to her, but she wasn’t paying attention. She couldn’t take her eyes off Nick as she watched him make his way across the room, radiating confidence and charisma. The crowd pressed against him, the women vying for his attention. Jenna wasn’t surprised – he looked utterly gorgeous, devastatingly handsome in the Armani tux he was wearing. His bow tie was undone and thrown around his neck with an almost arrogant indifference; his shirt unbuttoned just enough to show the smooth, tanned flesh beneath.
Then, almost as if he’d known exactly where she would be, Nick raised his head and looked straight into Jenna’s eyes. Her stomach went into freefall, a bolt of electricity surging through her as she heard herself gasp in shock. Nick’s face creased into a smile of recognition and he began slowly walking towards her. The sea of people parted to let him through – he didn’t even have to push, just walked with that easy swagger, the crowd moving naturally out of his way. And then suddenly he was standing right in front of her, so close that she could see every lash framing those amazing blue eyes, each curve of that luscious mouth …
‘Congratulations,’ Nick murmured. His voice was rich and gravelly, deliciously sexy.
‘Thanks,’ Jenna squeaked, horrified to discover her voice seemed to have gone up two octaves. Her heart was pounding and she knew her cheeks must be flushed. She lowered her head in embarrassment, not realizing how impossibly cute it made her look.
‘Good to finally meet you,’ Nick said smoothly, in that low, Southern drawl. He leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, his fingers resting lightly on her waist. Jenna was sure she would melt right there and then, dissolve into a puddle at his feet.
‘You too,’ she faltered. ‘I can’t believe you’re here. I mean, I heard you were coming and I hoped it was true but I didn’t know for sure …’ she raced on, mentally cursing herself for saying something so stupid.
‘Well I definitely noticed you were here.’ He looked her up and down with a slow, assessing and decidedly sexual gaze. Jenna felt the heat rising in her face as waves of lust flicked through her belly.
‘I …’ Jenna began, but she had no idea what she was trying to say. He was mesmerizing. If he’d taken her hand right there and then she would have followed him without hesitation.
‘Aren’t you going to introduce us?’
Someone beside them spoke and Jenna tore her gaze away to see Zac Knight, lead guitarist with Phoenix, standing with his arm around his supermodel girlfriend, Amber. Zac was almost as gorgeous as Nick, but in a very different way. Where Nick had classic boy-band good looks, Zac was the archetypal rock star, with his dark, wavy hair and razor-sharp cheekbones. His chocolate-brown eyes swept quickly over Jenna as he told her, ‘Amber’s been dying to meet you.’
Jenna thought she might hyperventilate. This was unprecedented!
Zac was legendary for avoiding industry events like this. He’d married young, before the band took off, and he’d been through a messy break-up with his wife, Jessica. He’d fallen head over heels for Amber when they met backstage at New York Fashion Week, wrestling with his conscience as he agonized over whether or not to leave his wife. Amber had finally solved the problem for him by breaking the story to Page Six of the New York Times and ensuring that a first-edition copy was hand-delivered to Jessica Knight. It was a hell of a way to learn that your marriage was over.
Jenna could still remember the vitriolic headlines and stared curiously at Amber, the woman who’d been labelled a home-wrecker for luring Zac away from his childhood sweetheart.
‘We met once before,’ Jenna told her breathlessly. ‘At a party in Marrakech.’
‘I don’t remember,’ Amber told her blankly, looking at her with an expression of disdain.
What a bitch! thought Jenna, returning the haughty stare.
Okay, so Amber was undoubtedly stunning, Jenna conceded grudgingly, as she took in the silver column dress that emphasized Amber’s slimness and poise. The sleek curtain of copper hair and flawless pale skin demonstrated why she had become the darling of the fashion pack – and why she had become Zac Knight’s girlfriend. But her attitude certainly left a lot to be desired, thought Jenna, bristling with indignation at the put-down.
‘Well, it’s great to meet you,’ Zac said lightly. His laid-back accent and relaxed manner quickly melted Jenna’s rigid expression. It was impossible to stay mad on a night like tonight, when she was standing between Zac Knight and Nick Taylor!
Very gently, almost possessively, Nick put a hand on her arm. It was a gesture of complete confidence, and Jenna caught her breath at the skin-on-skin contact.
‘I don’t wanna be greedy, but I think I’d like to monopolize you this evening,’ he said silkily, his gaze never leaving her face. Jenna felt her stomach flip-flop at the way he looked her over.
‘I guess we’ll catch up with you guys later,’ smiled Zac, as Amber slipped a wafer-thin arm around his waist.
‘Over here, baby, there’s some people I want to introduce you to. It was nice to meet you, Jenna’ Amber lied, steering Zac through the crowd as she led a chorus of exclamations and air kisses.
As Nick bent his head low to speak to her, Jenna thought she might pass out. She could feel the warmth of his breath against her ear, the intense contact making her skin tingle. And that accent! Phoenix were named after the band’s home city in Arizona, and all the guys spoke with a slow, sexy drawl. It was so fucking delicious, Jenna didn’t think she could ever get tired of it.
Amazingly, the crowd seemed to leave them alone. It was as though Nick Taylor’s presence acted as a barrier that no one dared penetrate. He was sending out a clear message that Jenna was his and no one else should touch her. She could barely believe that he knew who she was, let alone that he wanted to spend the evening monopolizing her, Jenna thought, a thrill of excitement shooting through her as she recalled his words.
‘So,’ Nick began, breaking into an easy smile that lit up his face and made his blue eyes sparkle. ‘Enjoyin’ the party?’
Life had always come easy to Nick. Since his school-days back in Arizona he’d had no trouble attracting the ladies, keeping the prettiest girls in class on a constant rotation. More interested in music than schoolwork, he found that being in a band sent his pulling power off the scale and he exploited it to the full. He’d even managed to juggle two girls on the night of his high-school prom, making Kacey Ann Kruger wait in line for fruit punch and hotdogs while he deflowered Tiffany Wilkinson in a dark corner of the parking lot.
‘Yeah – I mean, it looks amazing,’ Jenna gushed, ‘but I don’t seem to have had a minute to myself.’
‘Everyone’s trying to grab a piece of you, huh? I’m not surprised,’ Nick grinned, pointedly looking her over as he allowed his gaze to linger on that hand-span waist and those incredible breasts. Man, he certainly wouldn’t mind grabbing a piece of Jenna Jonsson.
‘So what are you up to at the moment?’
