Misbehaving Under the Mistletoe (Mills & Boon M&B): On the First Night of Christmas... / Secrets of the Rich & Famous / Truth-Or-Date.com (Mb)

by Heidi Rice

  When their lips parted, Andy was panting just as hard as he was. She looked so beautiful, standing there with her dark hair spilling down her shoulders, her cheeks flushed pink and the most stunning smile on her face.

  A wave of hair fell forwards as she rested her head on the front of his shirt and he lifted it back from her forehead and tucked it behind one ear before wrapping his arms around her back and holding her tight against him, his chin resting on the top of her hair.

  Eyes closed, they stood locked together until he could feel her heart settle down to a steady beat.

  All doubt cast aside. Her heart beat for him, as his heart beat for her.

  Andy moved in his arms and he looked down into her face as she smiled up at him with, not just her sweet mouth, but with eyes so bright and fun and joyous that his heart sang just to look at them. And it was as though every good thing that he had ever done had come together into one moment in time.

  And his heart melted. Just like that.

  For a girl who was not wearing much make-up and did not need any.

  For a girl who was just about as different from him and his life as it was possible to be.

  And for a girl who had made her tiny bedroom the size of Jason’s luggage store into a private art gallery and was willing to share her joy with him. And wanted nothing in return but a dance.

  God, he loved her for that … Loved her?

  Miles stopped, his body frozen and his mind spinning.

  He was falling in love with Andy.

  Just when he thought that he had finally worked out how to protect himself from being hurt by a woman.

  Think! He had to think. He could not allow his emotions to get the better of him.

  If he loved her then he should stop right now, because the last thing Andy needed was a one-night stand that would leave her with nothing but more reasons to doubt her judgement.

  This was not what he wanted. He wanted temporary. He wanted live for the day.

  ‘I think we might want to rethink the whole arriving-early-at-the-hotel thing.’ She grinned as though she had read his mind.

  ‘Right as always,’ he replied, and stroked her cheek with one finger. ‘God, you are beautiful. Do you know that?’

  Andy blushed from cheek to neck and it was so endearing that he laughed out loud and slid his arms down to her waist and stepped back, even though his body was screaming for him to do something crazy. Like wipe everything off the desk and find out what came next.

  He sucked in a breath.

  ‘You are not so bad yourself. I had no idea that sportsmen were such good dancers.’ And then she bit down on her lower lip and flashed him a coquettish grin. ‘Or did I just get lucky? You are one of a kind, Miles Gibson.’

  Lucky? He thought of the long days and nights he had spent training, training, training to the exclusion of everything else in his life, including the girls who had cared about him. Lori had lasted the longest and she’d had her own reasons for putting up with him.

  He had sacrificed everything for his sport. Everything.

  Now as he looked at Andy he thought about what lay ahead and the hard, cold truth of his situation emptied a bucket of ice water over his head.

  His hands slid onto her upper arms and locked there. Holding her away from him and the delicious pleasure of her body against his.

  ‘I am not so sure about the lucky bit, Andy. Right now I am struggling to get back into the mad world of the sports business. Months on tour. Constant pressure. And all the while I feel … I feel as though I have lost everything.’

  ‘No, you haven’t,’ she said. ‘You have not lost everything.’

  ‘Don’t you get it?’ He took hold of her hand and pressed the knuckles to his lips. ‘I don’t have a career any more. I have been to ten experts and they are all telling me the same thing. Game over. I am finished. Retired. At thirty-one. Have you any idea how terrifying that is? You deserve better than that, Andy. You deserve someone with a dream and a future they can clasp hold of.’

  He lowered her hand and started pacing up and down the bedroom, then looked around and suddenly the walls seemed to be closing in on him, and the ceiling was crushing down on him.

  It only took him a minute to skip down the staircase, and fumble with the lock on her front door before lurching out onto the small porch, sucking in the air in one long breath after another. Desperate to be outside under a sky. In the open air.

  It took him a few minutes to realise that there was a warm body pressed against his back, her breasts tight against his shirt, her arms around his sides.

  He grasped hold of her hands and they stood in silence together for so long that the shiver that ran across his back was more due to cold then apprehension of the unknown.

  Andy slid her fingers from between his and he turned around and looked at her, his arms at her waist.

  And the look in her eyes almost made him lose it.

  He was about to apologise, to explain, but she lifted one finger and pressed it to his lips.

  ‘I know two more things about your future career options. No, actually three,’ she corrected herself with a blink and a mini shoulder shrug. ‘You don’t like confined spaces.’ And she flicked her head back inside. ‘Office work may not be your strength. I am thinking something sports related.’ Then she smiled a closed-mouthed smile and rubbed her hands up and down the goose bumps on his arm. ‘Warm climate. You are definitely in need of a warm climate.’ And then standing on tiptoe she kissed him on the end of his nose, which made him smile despite his best intentions.

  ‘What about number three? Miss career advisor.’

  ‘Hardly,’ she laughed, and then ran her tongue over her lips as though she was nervous.

  ‘Just say it,’ he whispered, tipping up her chin towards him. ‘Tell me what you are thinking.’

  She nodded. ‘Okay. Here goes.’

  She sucked in a breath and ran the collar of his dinner suit between her fingers. ‘The Miles Gibson people will see at the award ceremony this evening is strong and worthy of respect and admiration. You have achieved so much and worked so hard to make your dream of being the best surfer in the world come true.’ She paused and smoothed down the shirt, her fingers running in long slow tracks.

  Then her fingers stopped moving and she looked up into his face as though she was looking for something. ‘But that is not the man who wrote those emails and who came to my museum and loves his brother and is willing to take a risk and give me a job so that I can realise my dream. That Miles is capable of reconnecting to his old friends and making new ones and having fun.’

  Andy tilted her head to one side. ‘Somewhere along the way to being the best and all that work I think you forgot the fun part. And that funny wild and creative Miles can set new goals and get excited about new things and have the best time of his life. That aqua-therapy session was brilliant! You have so many skills and talents it is dazzling.’

  Stretching up onto tiptoe, she kissed him on the lips. ‘You. Dazzle me.’

  She stepped back and patted him twice on the chest. ‘You have to say goodbye to the old you and say hello to the new you. Because the new you is amazing. And surprising and inspiring. And he has shown me that I can make my dreams come true in my own way and I don’t have to take second best. Ever again. And I will always be grateful to you for that. Always.’

  Then she laughed. ‘And now it is time to leave before I embarrass myself even more. And I think the car is waiting,’ she squeaked, and moved a step backwards with a smile.

  He frowned, nodded just once and said something under his breath along the lines of what he did for his brother, then lifted his head, turned towards the door and presented the crook of his arm for her to latch onto. ‘Shall we go to the ball, princess? Your carriage awaits.’

  CHAPTER TEN

  From: Andromeda@ConstellationOfficeServices

  To: Saffie@Saffronthechef

  Dear fairy godmother. Am emailing from the back of a limo. And I
have to tell you—I could get used to this amount of pampering. I have roses. I have a charming prince and your borrowed red shoes are as hard to walk in as glass slippers. Now all I have to watch out for is the clock chiming midnight.

  Totally dreamy. Tell you all about it tomorrow.

  Cinders.

  ANDY snuggled back against the sumptuous soft leather seats in the back of the limo and gently spread the silk skirt of her red cocktail dress like a fan on either side of her before patting it with the palm of her hand. ‘That’s better,’ she said to herself.

  Miles snorted out loud, and then gave a couple of manly coughs into his rolled hand to cover up his laughter.

  She play-hit him on the shoulder with her clutch bag.

  ‘Stop it,’ she teased, then broke down in her excitement and gave a girly giggle and waggled her bottom from side to side. ‘I am having way too much fun.’

  Her fingertips fluttered over the smooth fine wood trim. ‘I must say that when you pamper a girl, you do it with style. This is definitely a step up from my usual way of getting around.’

  ‘Are you referring to the excellent public transport system in this fine city?’ Miles asked while trying to keep his voice calm and serious, but was let down by the telltale crinkling of the left side of his mouth.

  She replied by lifting her right leg out high until it almost touched the driver’s seat, and twirling her ankle so that the red high-heeled sandal dangled from her toes.

  ‘Regular exercise is essential for the office worker.’ She nodded and was about to lower her leg to stop her dress from riding up any higher, but Miles beat her to it.

  His warm fingertips clasped around her ankle, his thumbs caressing the back of her foot.

  ‘I’m guessing ballet lessons?’

  ‘Four years,’ she whispered from lungs that were too hot to manage a full answer. ‘No talent.’

  ‘Worth it. My, you have a lovely ankle, Miss Davies. Good calves too.’ He smouldered and ran the palm of his hand the whole length of her leg to the knee, before she grasped hold of those treacherous fingers and lifted them clear of her leg and back to his own.

  Only when she was safe of his touch did she lower her leg and tug her skirt down.

  ‘Was that your professional opinion?’ she asked in a low casual voice, her gaze firmly fixed on the brightly lit London streets they were gliding down in such quiet and luxurious comfort. Shame that it was in total contrast to the fierce heat burning in her belly from that simple touch of those fingertips on her leg.

  ‘Maybe.’ He smiled. ‘Maybe not.’ And he grinned at her. ‘You are looking good, girl. Has to be said.’

  Then he turned away, clearly oblivious to the fact that his simple grin filled her heart and her mind with such joy that she wanted to sing and yell and jump up and down on the seat and roll down the window and embarrass herself by shouting out to the whole of London that she was having the best night of her life and Miles Gibson was her date!

  Her heart was thumping, her throat dry and she was clutching onto her bag for dear life.

  Miles was temptation was a capital T.

  She wanted to hold his hand and snuggle next to him on the back seat, which was wide enough for some serious semi clad cuddling. And more.

  Instead she moved one inch closer to the window as they slowed next to the window of a famous London department store. Singing and dancing penguins played on a bright winter scene while Father Christmas flew overhead in his sleigh, packed with gifts, drawn by smiling reindeers.

  Miles was going home to Tenerife tomorrow to prepare for a long overseas trip.

  And somehow the thought that she would not be seeing him again for weeks, maybe months, was almost too much to think about.

  She could send him emails and talk to him on the telephone—if he wanted. But this was it. The last evening they would be spending together for a long time. The last time she would be close enough to inhale his fragrance and feel his body close to hers.

  He had not promised anything. No long-term commitment. She knew it. But she could always hope … couldn’t she?

  And yet, there was this new idea that kept pushing up. Live for the moment. That was what Miles had shown her. Take the risk Andy. Take the risk, and get out there and have the night of your life with this crazy and amazing man who will never know how much you care about him.

  She inhaled slowly and turned back to face Miles with a grin on her face.

  ‘Don’t we make a handsome couple,’ she said with a smile in her voice.

  His reply was to slide one arm along the back of her seat so that he could tip her chin up and kiss her on the lips, before moving back to grin at her, brimming with self-satisfaction.

  ‘Gorgeous. The press will be far too busy photographing your loveliness to worry about raggedy old me.’ He tapped one fingertip on the tip of Andy’s nose. ‘Dazzler.’

  Andy laughed out loud and shook her head. ‘Now I know that you have been overdosing on your painkillers. Seriously though,’ she added, sitting back, ‘is there anyone there tonight who I need to dazzle or watch out for? Because you know that honesty you keep praising?’ She sucked in air between her teeth. ‘Not always my best feature when I have to be nice to the big cheeses.’

  ‘Relax.’ He smiled, and squeezed her hand. ‘I do this all the time. The professionals are only interested in the sports personalities and the award winners. There are bound to be a few freelancers who need photos for the gossip pages but they won’t bother us. Especially when Lori Wilde is within posing distance. Lori adores this sort of event.’

  ‘Lori Wilde the fashion model?’ Andy asked, picking up on the change in his voice and shuffling around so that she could look at him face to face. ‘The girl who has that modelling talent show on TV at the moment?’

  ‘The very same. Only when I first met her, Lori was a struggling model waiting for her big break. She was smart, beautiful and ambitious and I talked Jason into using her for our bikini and water-sports ranges. Lori did the rest. We made quite the celebrity couple.’

  Couple? Did Miles just say couple?

  ‘Wait a minute. Back up. Are you saying that Lori Wilde was your girlfriend?’

  He replied with a relaxed shoulder shrug. ‘I thought you knew. We were hard to miss back then. The press loved us. The surfer and the model.’

  Miles looked out on the street and nodded slowly. ‘We had a spectacular three years. It was Lori who I had left in bed that morning I had the accident. She had a lingerie shoot the next day in New York and I wanted to get some work done before taking her to the airport.’

  Three years. Miles had been with one of the most beautiful women in the world for three years!

  The bottom fell out of Andy’s stomach, leaving a cold emptiness. What was he doing with her?

  ‘Three years. That’s a long time,’ Andy said in a low voice.

  ‘That it is. But we split up after my accident.’ He smacked his lips. ‘Ironic, isn’t it? That I should be meeting her again tonight of all nights.’

  ‘Lori Wilde?’ Andy blinked, her brow creased in confusion as her brain struggled to catch up with what he had been saying. ‘Lori isn’t going to be there tonight, Miles. I went through the guest list this morning with Jason and I would certainly have noticed that name. Are you sure that she was invited?’

  ‘Carlos Ramirez is bringing Lori as his guest. He left me a voicemail message on my personal phone to give me fair warning. Carlos is no fool—he knows that Cory Sports is paying for the award ceremony. He won’t do anything to spoil his chances at winning this evening. So don’t worry about Lori. She can take care of herself just fine.’

  Andy was just about to reply, when the limo slowed, Miles took one glance out of the side window, flashed his signature killer grin and patted her hand.

  ‘Hey, relax. Remember what I said. Just keep smiling, stick by me and you’ll be fine. Ready? We’re on.’

  And before Andy knew what was happening, and could gather her
thoughts, the limo pulled slowly to a halt, their driver was at her passenger door and she barely had time to release her seat belt and grab her clutch before Miles took her hand and helped her step out of the car.

  To a blaze of flashlights, people screaming and calling his name, over and over again, a crush of bodies and music and colour, which merged into one long blur of overwhelming cacophony.

  It was only by physically holding onto Miles as he waved and posed for photographs and forcing her feet to move one step at a time that she survived at all.

  As it was, she practically ran through the huge hotel door held open by the liveried doorman.

  The red carpet had looked so short when she saw it through the car window, but when she was actually on it? It was a completely different matter.

  Leaning deeply against Miles to catch her breath, Andy slumped sideways.

  ‘That. Was. Horrendous,’ she gasped between breaths. ‘How do you manage to look so relaxed?’

  ‘It’s easy.’ He smiled. ‘You just keep telling yourself that all publicity is good publicity. Cory Sports are paying for this event tonight and the media are going to make money from it. Advertisers, shareholders, everyone in the chain. We need one another.’

  Then Miles hugged her closer and whispered in her ear, ‘You were amazing. What a star! Thanks.’

  ‘I was a star? Really?’ she asked, looking into his grinning face.

  A star, he mouthed and pointed at her with a loaded finger. And winked.

  And just like that she started to breathe again.

  Maybe she could survive this. Even if his gorgeous ex-girlfriend was going to be here. Oh, boy.

  One arm around her waist, he turned around and gestured towards a cluster of people gathered at the foot of a long winding staircase. Jason had already seen them and was waggling his fingers at them to come over.

  ‘Shall we go and meet the rest of team? Yes?’

  But before Miles could take her hand, a camera crew spotted them and the well-known TV news reporter practically jogged over with his microphone.