Private Melody

“Or not—considering you were in the um…shower.” He cleared his throat over the last word.

Kianti shifted on the chair. “You must’ve just missed us when we left the other day,” she added quickly to change the subject. “Not to mention I wasn’t expecting you.” She gave Therin a slight wink.

“Yeah.” A quick frown marred the sensual elegance of his features. “There was business.”

“Not good business?” She tilted her head inquisitively.

“Is there such a thing?” He shook his head and rubbed his hands together. “I only wanted you to know that I hadn’t broken my promise.”

“And I appreciate you coming all this way to tell me that.” Her dark eyes twinkled knowingly.

He braced his elbows to his knees. “I did have an ulterior motive.”

“Shall I guess?”

Therin’s thoughts returned to the kiss. “You, uh… You know about my involvement with EYES?” he asked, figuring that line of discussion was safest. At her nod, he continued. “I’m hoping to organize an event—a weekend thing. I already have a host of performers lined up, but when I heard you play, I knew I had to have you.”

Both pairs of eyes faltered on the suggestive tone of the last few words. Therin focused on the bridge he made with his fingers while Kianti shifted once more in her chair.

“I’d be honored,” she said, smiling when he looked up. “We’ll have to talk about the time—schedules, locations and such….”

“You’ll probably need to spend time in Vancouver—to practice at my place there. Get a feel for the venue… The piano’s top-of-the-line but I don’t profess to be a musician, so—” he smirked “—I’ll leave things like tuning and pitch up to the professionals.”

“I’ll check my schedule and we can go from there.”

“Sounds good.” His gaze narrowed toward the window. “I didn’t mean to disturb you so late in the day. Have you eaten?”

She pulled her legs out from beneath her and scooted toward the edge of the chair. “I was about to put something on. I’d love it if you stayed.”

Again, the kiss resumed its place at the front of his thoughts. Therin knew a lengthier stay might not be the best idea.

“I shouldn’t intrude on your night,” he said.

Kianti shrugged and toyed with a lock of her hair. “I usually spend the first few days after a performance holed up here just to get my bearings.”

“Is that something you usually do alone?” Therin averted his gaze as his voice dipped into a softer octave.

“Yeah…usually… Why?” She caught the smile he gave at her response.

He leaned back and propped an elbow to each arm of the chair. “Your…entourage. It’s hard to believe not one of them has made a play for you.”

“Hmph.” Kianti grinned as though the summation wasn’t a surprise to her. “Few people understand our dynamic. They nod and smile when I say we’re like family but no one really believes it.” She smiled off into the distance. “We do tease each other relentlessly but we trust each other, love each other, stick up for and bully one another when we feel it’s necessary. But they’ve got their own love lives.”

“And you?” His bright stare was probing then, daring her to look away. “You expect me to believe your work is all you need?”

“No.” She shook her head slowly yet decisively. “There’ve been involvements.” She flopped back on the chair. “Any Google search could’ve told you that. But nothing has gone on in that area for years now. So…” Her tone sounded more refreshing then. “No need to worry over being a home wrecker, Mr. Ambassador. Will you stay? I’m a pretty decent cook.”

He smiled. “What’s for dinner?”

Vancouver, BC, Canada~

“The old man won’t breathe a word about it,” Morgan Felts snapped when he slammed down his office phone.

“Is there anybody on his staff who might know why he wants to talk to Therin?” Peter Stanson asked.

“The general’s retired,” Vaughn reminded them while he sat on the edge of Morgan’s desk and tossed a wad of paper back and forth. “Most of his staff is back in D.C. on other assignments.”

Gary Bryce turned from the coffee tray. “Could still be worth checking out,” he said. “See if he made remarks about anything before he left his post.”

“Has Therin ever met with the general before?” Peter watched the other men shake their heads in response to his question.

Morgan threw a pen across his desk. “This is weird—an uncomfortable weird. Guess we’re stuck waiting ’til Therin gets back. Where the hell is he, anyway?”

“Being real tight-lipped about it.” Vaughn shrugged beneath the crisp baby blue of his shirt. “Said he’d be back in a few days.”

“Gary, man, maybe if you checked out the general’s former staff, somethin’ might turn up.” Peter tugged at his earlobe and looked doubtful.

“We could be wasting our time,” Vaughn warned.

“Maybe, but we need to be a step ahead on everything from here on out. Especially after what happened with Ruby.”

Gary agreed with Peter’s assessment and raised his coffee mug in mock toast. “I’m on it,” he said on his way out of the office.

“Say, Vaughn,” Peter called while they shuffled from Morgan’s office. “What’s up with Ther, seriously?”

Vaughn clapped Peter’s back. “For a change, the guy has got something other than politics on his mind.”

“Who ever said musicians aren’t paid well?” Therin asked as he and Kianti rounded out their after-dinner tour of her home. It went without saying that he was very impressed.

“Well, Dr. Chapin and his wife really loved my music.” Kianti smoothed her hands up and down her arms as memories resurfaced. “They came to all the shows I had in the area back when I was just starting out.” She stopped to lean against the railing along the walkway where they strolled.

“Later, I found out they had all my CDs—even the little promotional ones I put out when I was trying to get noticed.” Her dark eyes held a poignant gleam as she stared out at the Pacific crashing against the rocks below. “They left me the house. His foundation got all the scientific equipment and the youth home they supported got all the furnishings.”

“Nice.” Therin appreciated the artwork lining the wall along the walkway. “Very nice,” he added when they entered the studio.

“I do most of my practicing here. It’s one of the few places where I don’t feel pressured.”

Therin watched her fingers graze the glossy top of the baby grand piano. “You’re lucky. There aren’t even a few places I could claim.”

“Must be nice to be needed.”

“It’s been nicer.”

Kianti leaned against the piano. “Do I sense another career change?” She braced her elbows back on the baby grand and regarded him with playful suspicion. “Just exactly what do you do for a living?”

He chuckled, smoothing a hand down a sideburn. “Guess I do whatever I damn well please. But I choose to torture myself for a worthy cause. Basically, I connect people with similar interests.”

“Interests here being educational.”