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“Right,” Therin said, dejected.
Bose, at last, took note of his colleague’s demeanor. “Therin? What is it, son? This is good news, you know?”
With everything going on, the last thing Therin wanted was to cause any further upset. He forced a grin to his face and laid a hand across Bose’s. “You’re right. It is. You should be proud of putting this thing together.”
“Marley wouldn’t want you worrying this way, son.” Bose saw through the act Therin tried to put in place. “Think about tonight and have a good time, hmm?”
Therin allowed a curse to slip past his lips once Bose had moved on. Thinking about that night was all he’d be able to do. Unfortunately, thinking about that night in conjunction with having a party would be damn near impossible.
Kianti should have been headed far away from him by then. She should have been far away from him and hating him with a passion for what he’d done. He should have known this wouldn’t be an easy thing.
He maintained a somewhat secluded spot near the dining room entrance and focused in on her. She appeared happy, laughing with her drummer friend, Shelton Innes. Therin grimaced, figuring the guy was about to be even more satisfied than he probably was at that very moment. Kianti was going to need a shoulder to cry on once he attacked her sensitive heart…again.
“Key…” Shelton called, directing his gaze above her head.
Kianti’s laughter softened and she studied Shelton’s pointed expression for a moment before turning to see what had him so subdued.
The scent of Therin’s cologne had her swallowing around an emotional ball that had formed in her throat even before she looked up into his face. She could only hold eye contact for a split second before she looked away.
Shelton cleared his throat and quietly made his exit. Kianti didn’t notice he’d gone. She didn’t notice much of anything except that Therin was within touching distance. After all that had happened, she couldn’t make herself forget the feel of his body against hers.
“May I talk to you?”
“You can do whatever you like and you seem to take a lot of enjoyment in it,” she muttered, turning her back on him in the chair she occupied.
“I expected you to be gone already.” Therin kept his voice as cold and as guarded as his gaze.
Kianti folded her arms over her chest. “Sorry to disappoint you. Don’t worry, though. The guys gave me your message. I got it loud and clear.”
He took the seat Shelton had left vacant. “Then you understand?”
She could have laughed over his nerve. “Don’t worry yourself, Therin, I’m not hanging around to appeal to your sensitivity. You’ve shown me what you’re made of.”
Her words cut Therin deeper than they would have had he actually deserved them. Somehow he managed to hold on to his aloofness.
“I could say the same.” He slid a pointed glance toward Shelton, who was across the dining room talking with his group and a few other musicians. “You seem to be moving on.”
“You’re an ass.” She barely raised a brow. “If you don’t mind leaving now? I think I’ve let you waste enough of my time.” She feigned sudden interest in the contents of her coffee mug and tried to wait him out.
When Therin left the table, she forbid herself to cry.
The impromptu concert party was a success. There was varied conversation among the crowd regarding the scandal rocking the organization and the arrest of Marley Terrio. Thankfully, the unrest was tempered by a slew of great performances.
Most of the performances were artist’s collaborations. Only a few acts performed new work. Kianti had hoped her appearance with Shelton and the group from Scottie’s would suffice. The audience wanted more. Not to be outdone by the other acts who’d shared original efforts, Kianti gave the audience a taste of her own original piece, “Stolen Moment.”
Of course, Therin was a part of the audience. After their chat earlier that day, he’d decided to remain absent from the evening’s festivities. The decision held up all of five minutes. Taking in the beautifully haunting melody she’d first played for them during their private moment together, it was all he could do to remain there and toss back one gin and tonic after another.
Kianti took her bows and Therin headed out. Something led him backstage. To do what, he had no clue. When he got there, however, her back was toward him and she was crying.
Instinctively, Therin made a move toward her but he stopped himself short.
By the time Kianti had sensed she wasn’t alone and turned, he was gone.
“Where is she?”
