Chapter 3

A week later, Addilyn adjusted the large sunglasses on her face and stared out the window. Her dark wig had started to make her head itch, but according to the driver, she didn’t have much longer.

As the car pulled up to the large white farmhouse, the driver turned his head and smiled. Too often she’d caught him staring in the rearview mirror, but she’d learned long ago that people rarely recognized her when she put on the disguise. Most men, like this one, were too busy staring at her figure and wishing her top was just a little more low-cut.

“Do you want me to wait for you?” he asked.

Pulling out the cash from her wallet, she shook her head. “No, thank you.”

The driver accepted her money and opened the trunk for her. She expected him to get her luggage out, but he didn’t seem inclined to help. With a sigh, she retrieved her own luggage and slammed the trunk shut. When the cab drove off, it’s tired spun on the slick earth.

It wasn’t her first trip to Nashville, but normally she stayed within the city limits. Kade Hardy, to her surprise, didn’t live in the city. Instead, he resided just outside the city on a large farm.

It had rained recently, and her heels sank into the ground as she struggled to roll her bags onto the sidewalk. Finally, she’d made it to the front stoop. Pushing the doorbell, she crossed her arms and tried to dampen her enthusiasm. Over the past week, she’d reviewed Kane’s work. He was a talented man, and if there was anyone who could help her get started with her songwriting, it was him.

The door opened, and he stood half-naked as he stared at her. At once, her mouth completely dried. Was this the same put-together man that she’d met in Christopher Park’s office? She’d been slightly distracted by his handsome face and gorgeous blue eyes, but it was nothing compared to what she saw now. Tattoos covered his muscular arms, and a sheen of sweat covered his well-formed chest. For one insane moment, she wanted to reach out and touch him, to feel the raw power that seemed to cascade off him in waves.

He gazed down at her with a lazy smile. “They don’t usually send me something so classy looking, but I’m sure I’ll find something improper about you beneath that dress?”

Gasping, she whipped her glasses off her face. “Excuse me?” she said indignantly. “It’s me. Addilyn.”

The smile didn’t change, and too late she realized that, despite her disguise, he knew exactly who she was. He was teasing her. When he didn’t move, she blinked at him. “Are you going to let me in?”

“Are you going to tell me what you’re doing here?”

“We have a contract. We have work to do,” she reminded him.

A flicker of confusion crossed over his face, but he did step aside. He was also the second man that day to decline to offer to help her with her bags. “Your house is charming. It’s not what I expected.” Reaching up, she removed the dark wig and shook out her own blonde hair. “Do you find your inspiration in the solitude that you have here? I have to admit. I’m so excited to work with you.”

“The solitude is an illusion. I live her with my daughter and our housekeeper,” he said pointedly. “Does that ridiculous wig actually work? All one has to do is look at your body to see who you are.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“I didn’t say that was a good thing. Why do you have luggage?”

Why was he being so rude? “I imagined it would take longer than a few hours to write a hit song,” she said dryly. “Do you have a guest room? I’d like to freshen up.”

“Freshen up?” he murmured as he took a step closer to her. “It’s a shame that you aren’t here in the summer. That dress would be clinging to you in some interesting ways.”

“You do realize that in the span of seconds, you’ve both insulted and attempted to flatter me. In the interest of our business relationship, I would prefer if you stuck to just one. That way I’ll know what to expect,” she said coolly.

Kade chuckled lowly, and it sent a tingle down her spine. “Kitten has claws. Fine, I’ll let you know exactly what to expect from this business relationship. You can go back to New York. I signed a contract that says that I’ll be writing your songs. I can do that much better if you aren’t here.”

“Did your friend not tell you that we’ll be having a close working relationship? There will be a lot of hype when I record my first album, and I’m going to have input in the songs.” She was not about to let yet another man block her from her dreams. The whole point of switching genres was to write her own songs.

“Christopher might have mentioned that, but I’m more worried about the contract that I signed. It says nothing about us working closely together. I’m sorry, Princess, but you just wasted your miles for nothing.” He grabbed her luggage and tossed it out the door. “Thanks for stopping by.”

“Are you insane?” she yelled. “That’s a Gucci bag!”

“I don’t care. Relax, darling. I’m good at what I do. I promise that I’ll write you something that will make you an even more insane amount of money. You can buy as many Gucci bags as you like. In New York.” Before she could protest, he grabbed her arms and pulled her up against his body. “Now, if you had something else in mind for this visit, maybe we actually have something to talk about.”

Pressed against him, Addilyn settled her hands on his chest. His skin was warm and smooth. As his muscles rippled under her touch, desire shot through her body and she aches to taste him. He took a step forward, forcing her back. “What do you say, Princess? Want to see if I can figure out how to make you sing?”

His hands slid down her body, and she stepped back in a panic. How could a man that she barely knows manage to steal away her very breath, to take back all of her control? “If you think that I’m so easily distracted, Mr. Hardy, you couldn’t be more wrong. I am not here to be your plaything.”

“Too bad. Still, I figured that much. You’re too uptight for me anyway.” It wasn’t until he grinned that she’d realized he’d maneuvered her right out of his house. With an amused smile, he slammed the door and left her alone on the front porch.

Shaking with anger, Addilyn pulled out her phone and called Gia. “Kade Hardy is an arrogant, chauvinistic, pig-headed asshole!” she growled.

There was a second of stunned silence. “He does have a bit of a reputation,” her assistant said finally. “Did he hit on you?”

“Not because he wanted to sleep with me, but because he wanted to manipulate me,” she growled. “What do you mean, reputation?”

“He’s a playboy. He seduces singers, decorates their arms for award shows, and then moves on. He’s talented and successful, but he likes the power. I’d be careful with him.”

“There’s not need to be careful,” Addilyn retorted. “He barely let me in the house. Which he claims to share with a daughter, though I’m not so inclined to believe him. He practically seduced me right here at the front door. I’m calling a taxi, and I need you to get me a flight back to New York.”

“What are you going to do?”

Addilyn bit her lower lip. “He may have signed a contract, but I have not. I’m so tired of people thinking they can walk all over me. Kade’s about to discover that how much power I have.”

Gia groaned. “Addilyn, you have a reputation to protect.”

“Haven’t you heard? I’m going country now.” Hanging up, Addilyn looked over her shoulder and smiled coldly. Kade Hardy was going to learn the hard way that kitten had more than claws.