Despite all of these questions and her own selfish needs, she knew deep down that a fling or even a relationship—if they did give in to one—would be leaked to the public somehow. Nothing stayed private in Beaumont Bay and if word crept out that she was sleeping with her producer, Hannah couldn’t even imagine the damning headlines.

  That was the last thing she needed when she was trying to reinvent herself and prove she controlled her own career.

  Her cell rang and she glanced around until she spotted the device peeking beneath a dress on her bed. She smiled at the name on the screen, then answered.

  “Gram, how are you?”

  “Well, I need a small favor if you’re not too busy.”

  Eleanor Banks rarely asked anyone for anything, but when she did, people never told her no. Not the music industry, not her husband, not her granddaughters.

  Hannah met Hallie’s eyes and shrugged. “Sure, what do you need? Hallie is here with me.”

  “Well, I just got to dinner with some friends and received a notification that a package I’ve been waiting for is going to be delivered before six. Is there any way you could go to the house, sign for it, and then put it inside? I’m so sorry, honey. I thought it was due tomorrow.”

  “No need to apologize,” Hannah replied. “What am I signing for?”

  Eleanor laughed. “You always were the nosy one. It’s a one-of-a-kind painting I had shipped from Milan and I wanted to hang it on the wall over the staircase to replace that ghastly one that was given to me a few years ago. I think I’ve let it run its course, don’t you?”

  Hannah laughed. “I’ll get it taken care of. Enjoy your dinner.”

  Hannah disconnected the call and blew out a sigh. “I’m going to Gram’s really quick to wait and sign for a package.”

  “Want me to go instead?” Hallie asked.

  “Nah. Just stay here and keep working through this mess if you don’t mind. Maybe you can narrow down the choices to five instead of all fifty we seem to have out.”

  Hallie nodded. “I don’t mind a bit. I’m really excited for you.”

  Hannah smiled. “I know you are. You’re really the best sister and friend I could’ve ever asked for.”

  “You’re right, I am,” Hallie laughed. “Go on, I’ll figure out the perfect outfit while you’re gone.”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  Hannah hoped the delivery didn’t take too long. She really wanted to get back and figure out the photo shoot. Then she wanted to get Will’s opinion after she decided. She couldn’t help but wonder what Will thought she looked best in. What would he choose for this new angle in her sound and look? Something sexy and sultry with a new country feel or something classic and timeless like old school country?

  Everything she did, every thought she had, circled back to Will. When she had been with Cheating Hearts, Hannah certainly hadn’t thought of Mags all the time.

  Working with Will was going to be an entirely different ball game and Hannah wasn’t so sure she was ready for this crazy ride she’d set into motion.

  When she’d decided to leave Cheating Hearts, she’d immediately thought of Elite. Will Sutherland was the top man in the industry. He and Elite had worked with some legends and she knew he could take her brand in a new direction.

  The Sutherland brothers all worked in the industry in one manner or another and she wanted to be a part of that. She wanted her label to feel like a family and not like a monarchy.

  Hannah wasn’t quite sure how things would play out with Will on a personal level. One thing was certain, though—she would most definitely not be bored.

  From the very beginning she worried about her attraction to Will. Now she had all of this heat between them to contend with and it was already hotter than anything she’d ever envisioned.

  SEVEN

  Will punched in the code to Hannah’s front gate and let himself in. She’d told him she’d be home trying on things and figuring out the best option for the photo shoot. She’d mentioned wanting his opinion and he’d tried ignoring that pull. He’d even had a mental pep talk with himself about just staying home and letting her sort it out.

  Yet here he was, pulling up to her front entrance like some damn high-school kid with a crush on the popular girl.

  He was the CEO of a multimillion-dollar record label. What the hell was he doing letting Hannah get to him this way? It wasn’t as if he’d never worked with a powerful, beautiful, strong-willed woman before.

  Maybe he liked that challenge. Maybe he found Hannah more intriguing than he cared to admit. Maybe he liked her a little more than in just a professional capacity. That was fine, right? He should like the people he worked with.

  But she was the only colleague he had sexual fantasies about...so whatever he was feeling, it went well beyond the simplicity of the like zone.

  Will shoved aside any inappropriate thoughts about his newest artist and headed toward her front door. He rang the bell and took a step back to wait.

  Moments later, the door swung wide and Hannah appeared, looking to be out of breath.

  Then he caught sight of her outfit. It was body-hugging and long. It draped over her shoulders, leaving them exposed. The sleeves were long, but the damn thing still showed off every single curve.

  “Will,” she exclaimed, clearly surprised. “What are you doing here?”

  He stepped in without waiting on the invite. “Since we talked, I thought I’d help you. Remember? You asked me to?”

  “Actually—”

  “I don’t think that’s the dress you should wear for the shoot. Too sexy and that’s not the vibe you want to give off for this particular piece.”

  Hannah’s shoulders squared, her lips thinned, and she stared at him. “Is that so? Well, I’ll have you know this dress is definitely in the running for my favorite so far. I have tried on the entire closet.”

  “I haven’t seen any and you asked for my help.” He glanced toward the staircase. “Lead the way.”

  Hannah laughed. “If you think I’m just going to lead you to my bedroom, you’re out of your mind.”

  Will rolled his eyes. “I didn’t think you would try them on in front of me, but I should at least see what outfits you are thinking about.”

  Hannah pursed her lips and crossed her arms, as if she was unsure about this whole situation. Something wasn’t right, and Will had no idea what game she was playing now.

  “I don’t think you need to come upstairs,” she replied, then motioned toward the front room. “How about you wait in there and I’ll bring down some options?”

  That was it. That was what was off. This wasn’t Hannah at all—it was Hallie.

  No way in hell would Hannah give up on an argument so easily. She would order him to do something and argue if he disagreed. Hallie had always been rumored to be the sweet sister and there was the proof right before his eyes.

  And now that he knew what was going on, he could see that Hannah and Hallie had even more differences than he’d realized. Hannah’s curves were a bit more prominent, something difficult to tell considering Hallie typically didn’t wear body-hugging dresses.

  So where was Hannah?

  He pulled out his cell and started typing.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  Without looking up, he replied, “I don’t like these games.”

  “Games?”

  He sent off a text to Hannah and pocketed his cell before turning his attention back to Hallie.

  “Where’s your sister?” he asked.

  Hallie’s eyebrows drew in and she jerked slightly. “Uh...she’s at our Gram’s house. Why?”

  “Because this switch she keeps doing with me is getting ridiculous.”

  Hallie narrowed her stare and crossed her arms. “So you know I’m Hallie?”

  “Not at first,” he admitted. “But I do now. Does she find this amusing or is this something you both do often?”

  Hallie shrugged. “Not so much now that we’re adults. It certainly came in handy during school or with Gram when we were younger and one of us was in trouble.”

  Oh, he had no doubt those two pulled off some schemes during their teens. He and his brothers had been quite a handful as well, and he couldn’t imagine what would have happened if two of them had been identical.

  “Your sister posed as you last week,” Will stated. “Are you aware she does that?”

  Hallie laughed and dropped her arms. “No, I wasn’t, but I’m not surprised. Sometimes she doesn’t want to be recognized, so if she dressed calmer, like I do, then she doesn’t get bothered too much.”

  Will could understand that...to a point. Not so much when she was supposed to be meeting with her new record producer.

  His cell vibrated in his pocket, but he ignored it. Let Hannah sweat just a little. He might not want to be part of her little games, but she was the one who’d pulled him into this and made him a player whether he liked it or not.

  His frustration level with her was starting to reach an all-time high.

  “How about I wait on Hannah here, and you can go,” he suggested.

  Hallie quirked an eyebrow—that was such a Hannah move. Damn, these two could easily fool someone...but not him. Not now that he knew exactly how Hannah moved, her irritated facial expressions, the curves of her body...and the way his body reacted to her.

  “You’re dismissing me?” she asked in a tone that suggested he’d just made a serious mistake.

  Will shrugged. “I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but I want to have a private conversation with Hannah when she gets home. You might not want to be here.”

  Hallie’s face split into a smile. “Oh, I’d love to be here for that, but I actually am about done upstairs. I will call her later and discuss my thoughts on the magazine shoot. We had almost figured it out before she left.”

  “And where did you say she went?”

  “Gram called and needed her to run over for a bit,” Hallie replied as she turned toward the steps. “She should be back anytime. I’m going to go change and get out of here.”

  Will watched as she disappeared and shook his head. How in the hell had he thought Hallie was Hannah, even for a moment? There was a little lilt in Hallie’s voice that Hannah didn’t have. Hannah would cock her head to one side when something irritated her, whereas Hallie seemed to throw daggers with an intense glare.

  Will turned in the foyer and glanced around as he made his way into the front room. He hadn’t been in this room before so he took this opportunity to get to know more about Hannah.

  Surprisingly, her decor was rather simple compared to her wardrobe. The white sofas with pale gray pillows and green potted plants of various sizes and styles seemed to be calming and relaxing. He didn’t see one piece of evidence showing Hannah the superstar. There were family photos here and there, with a few along the mantel, which drew his attention.

  Will crossed the room to examine them further and couldn’t help but smile at a young Hannah and Hallie dressed up standing on either side of Eleanor Banks as she held one of her many prestigious awards. The girls appeared to be about five if he had to guess. He didn’t know much about children, but they were small with missing front teeth and huge grins.

  He moved to the next photo and saw a little older Hannah and Hallie, one of them putting makeup on Eleanor while the other one seemed to be curling her hair.

  As he glanced around, Will realized all of the photos were of the twins and their grandmother. There was no doubt family was the foundation of Hannah’s life.

  Will knew Hannah’s parents had left when the twins had been younger. They’d gotten business opportunities and were so busy traveling, the girls went to live with Eleanor to have a stable lifestyle. She didn’t mention them much in public and she’d said nothing to him. All he knew was her close relationship with her grandmother.

  He recalled that the media loved capturing Eleanor out and about with her granddaughters when they’d be heading to their private school or going to an awards shows.

  No doubt that’s what had led the girls into this life in the music industry. It was no wonder they shared such a solid, special bond with Eleanor.

  Family was another area he and Hannah had in common. His brothers were everything to him. They might butt heads now and then, but overall, they were always a solid unit. He knew at any time Gavin, Luke, and Cash would always have his back and he would have theirs.

  “Will.”

  He turned to see Hallie in the wide, arched doorway. She’d changed from the body-hugging dress to a pair of jeans and a simple green sweater.

  “Just a warning,” she went on. “Mags ran Hannah’s life for so long that I don’t want that to happen to her again.”

  Interesting. The quiet sister getting bolder and bolder. Maybe she was the backbone of the duo...or maybe the twins were each other’s backbone.

  “You think I’m going to control her?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure yet,” Hallie admitted with a shrug. “I know you want to make money and Hannah will definitely do that for you. I just know she has other aspirations, too.”

  More aspirations than being the biggest star in country music, rivaling her own grandmother? She hadn’t shared any of those aspirations with him, other than wanting to cultivate a more mature sound. Was there more? If she had such goals, that should’ve come up during their contract negotiation process or when she’d first approached him.

  “If she wants me to know something, she should tell me.”

  Hallie pulled in a breath and tipped her chin. “She’s more vulnerable than most people think.”

  Will took a step toward her, keeping his eyes locked on Hallie’s. “Everyone has a vulnerable spot.”

  “Maybe so, but not everyone is thrust into the limelight to have theirs exposed,” Hallie retorted. “Hannah isn’t as confident as she wants everyone to believe.”

  Not confident? The woman was too confident. She was bold, daring, passionate, and in-your-face. Lack of confidence was definitely not a vibe he’d ever gotten from her.

  She sure as hell seemed confident when she tipped up her head and silently begged him to kiss her.

  The front door opened and closed and suddenly Hannah filled the doorway next to her sister. Her eyes darted between the two.

  “A meeting without me?” she asked with a smile. “Sorry I’m late. Who wants to fill me in?”

  Yeah, now side-by-side, Will could definitely see the subtle differences. Aside from what they were both wearing—and Hannah had on one killer dress—they each had their own look.

  “I was just leaving,” Hallie announced as she turned to face her sister. “The white dress has to be in the top two choices. I put that pink wrap maxi dress out, as well. I think you should consider it. I tried to pick up as best as I could. We did some damage in there.”

  Hannah smiled. “Won’t be the last time, but thanks for picking up. I could’ve gotten it.”

  Hallie reached out and hugged her sister before easing back. “No worries. I’ll let you two get to your, um, meeting.”

  Hannah laughed. “We don’t have a scheduled meeting.”

  “We do,” Will corrected. “You told me to stop by.”

  Hannah jerked her attention toward him and raised her eyebrows. “You didn’t actually confirm.”

  He shrugged. “It was implied.”

  The silence seemed to crackle between them as Will refused to look away from her. Was she angry he was here? Well, he was angry she kept turning him on. And now, with her dressed in that damn body-hugging number, neither his anger, nor the attraction he felt, were any different.

  Hallie finally broke the tension.

  “Okay, well, I’ll just let myself out.”

  Moments later, she was gone and Will continued to stare at Hannah. She blinked without making a move. She’d been home for two minutes and already he’d irritated her...or maybe she’d irritated him. Hell, at this point he couldn’t tell.

  “So what did you and my sister have to talk about?”

  Will started to close the distance between them, his eyes never wavering from hers.

  “We covered a good bit while you were gone.”

  Hannah’s eyes widened, whether in fear or worry or arousal, he had no clue. At this point he didn’t know all of her quirks and habits...but damn if he didn’t want to.

  “Is that right?”

  Will stopped just before he reached her and nodded. “Vulnerabilities, insecurities. Why she tried to pose as you when I first arrived.”

  Hannah hesitated before she smiled and did that signature head tilt that made him want to lean down and nip at the creamy, exposed juncture between her shoulder and neck.

  “Hallie is used to playing the part when people assume she’s me,” Hannah stated simply. “We’ve done it for each other for so long, we just go with it. Especially if it’s something to do with the industry. She’ll just tell me what I need to know. Sometimes I swear she knows more than I do about all of this.”

  “She’s your manager,” he replied. “Not you. These are the games I was talking about at the coffee shop. Or did you forget?”

  “I didn’t forget anything,” she retorted, her voice raising just enough to know he was getting her riled up. “You didn’t tell me when you were coming for certain, so none of this is on Hallie or me. It’s on you.”

  Hannah started to turn away, but he reached for her arm.

  “Where are you going?”

  She sent him a glare over her shoulder. “I’m going back to my room, where I was before my gram called. Coming with me?”

  His entire body tightened at that invitation. There was nothing professional about following her upstairs. They could discuss the ideas down here. They should have Hallie here, as well. Together, they could all talk about this photo shoot.