At the end of the first chorus, I looked up to see Colby leaned against the doorframe, unapologetically eavesdropping. My voice stuck in my throat at being caught in so vulnerable a position. Meanwhile, he stood there looking gorgeous in his tailored suit, which outlined his delicious body.
His gaze traveled over me from head to toe and then rested on my right hand. “You’re, uh, wrist looks good.”
I cocked my head to the side, smiling at him. “You really need to work on your game with a line like that.”
He chuckled. “I didn’t intend to interrupt. That was beautiful.”
His compliment meant a lot. “Thanks. You’re home early.” I glanced at the clock, having thought I had another hour until he’d arrive home. “I’ll get changed.” I got up from the bed, realizing his eyes were still on me.
“Yeah. Um, take your time.” He seemed to break out of his trance and moved out of the room.
Once I was ready, I found him in the living room. He smiled, and I took his offered arm, letting him lead me out to the car. It was the first time in weeks I could walk without a crutch.
“So, how does it feel?”
“Amazing. I came back here and took an absurdly long shower, simply because I could do it without having to put plastic bags around everything and was able to use both hands while washing my hair.”
He laughed, helping me into the car and, once I was settled, pulling out of the driveway and onto the street. “When do you start occupational therapy?”
“Day after tomorrow. I scheduled it at a place next door to the Children’s Hospital, as I started volunteering there. It’s something to do with my time this summer until I have to move home.”
He frowned. “If you move home.”
“Right. If I move home.” At this point, I was feeling less defeated and more like myself. However, I’d need to start looking for a job soon if I wanted to make staying here remotely possible.
During dinner at a local seafood restaurant, we talked nonstop about his hotel business in Cabo and my doctors’ appointments then slipped into small talk. Once we got back into his car, he glanced over and grinned. “Are you up for attending a party?”
“What kind of party?”
“Hollywood type. You’ve been itching to get out of the house. Plus, there’s someone I want you to meet there.”
“Sounds intriguing. Who is it?”
He shook his head. “It’s a surprise. So, my car service dropped you at a spa today after your appointment. Did you have a good time?”
“If you could call a bikini wax a good time. But I guess the purpose of one is to ensure a good time later, not while getting one. Sort of gives new definition to the whole ‘no pain, no gain’ concept.”
“Uh. Right.”
An awkward silence followed. Then we both started talking at once and then stopped.
I giggled, watching his eyes glance over.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“The irony, I suppose.”
He arched a brow. “Do tell.”
He exuded sex appeal while driving the car, with his tie slightly loose and his button-down shirt rolled up to his elbows showing the strength of his forearms. Now it was time to try to display some of my own.
“The irony is that talking about a bikini wax is now uncomfortable when three weeks ago there was nothing awkward about tasting myself on your lips, having you make me come for the first time, or taking you to the back of my throat.”
I was rewarded with the sharp intake of his breath and his pained expression. When his eyes finally focused on me, they were an incredibly dark green color. “You can’t say shit like that to me.” His voice sounded strained.
I shrugged. “See, you’re proving my point. I used to be able to tell you anything.” My eyes wandered down as he adjusted himself with one hand. Holy shit, had I made him hard? “Are you—?”
“Stop. We can’t have this conversation. I told you no repeats.”
Some girls might want to cry, some might prefer to shout, however I needed a minute to examine my emotions before doing either of those things. He might continue to fight it, but at least he wasn’t unaffected by me.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked after the next ten minutes of silence.
“I’m contemplating whether or not to tell anyone where to locate your body after I kill you.”
He smirked. “There would be a lot of disappointed women at the funeral.”
I rolled my eyes. “Hm, I may be willing to risk it. How long are we staying at the party?”
“Not long. Why? Do you have a hot date later?”
It annoyed me he’d assume I wouldn’t, so I decided to be bratty. “Maybe I do.”
He lifted a brow. “You’re double-booking me?”
I grinned, wondering if any woman had ever done that to him. “Not yet, but the night’s still young.”
***
Once Colby pulled into the gated community in front of a massive compound resembling a house, we were met by a valet. I stepped out of the car and turned towards him. “Who lives here?”
“Clive Shaeffer. He’s a director.”
“Huh, he did that big alien flick a couple of months ago, right?”
“Yeah. That big alien flick was called Invasion, and he’s done thirteen other movies before that.”
“Oh, busy guy, then.”
He took my hand and laughed. “You could say that.”
I enjoyed the feel of entwined fingers, noticing that he didn’t let go until we got to the front door.
He turned toward me suddenly. “There are a lot of people in the industry at this thing. So you’re my friend’s younger sister from back home.”
His expression was very serious, and I couldn’t help but mess with him. “Oh, goodie. I’m used to playing that role. Don’t you worry. I won’t let anyone know that only three weeks ago you had your face buried in my pus—”
His eyes widened as he put a finger to my lips to shush me while fighting his grin. The thing about Colby was he could always appreciate my humor, but when his thumb stroked my bottom lip, and he swallowed hard, the gesture turned sexual in a hurry. The air around us thickened, charged with a sensual energy that made it hard to remember the world was more than just the two of us standing here. That is, until we both turned towards the annoyingly high voice interrupting the moment like ice water on a fire.
“Oh, my God. Colby Singer, is that you?”
The woman behind the words came from a car that had just pulled up.
Colby tensed up immediately with a curse under his breath.
“Oh, my Lord, it is you.” The bubbly blonde squeaked, going in for the full body hug—or tackle—depending on your perspective. It took a minute, but after she finally peeled herself off of him, her scrutiny fell on me. “Who’s this?”
I quirked a brow when Colby moved towards me, slinging his arm around my shoulders. Oh, no, he didn’t. He wasn’t using me as a shield for bleach blonde Malibu Barbie after his no repeats, act like my friend’s little sister speeches earlier, so I beat him to the introduction. “Hi, I’m McKenzie. Colby is my big brother’s good friend, and he was nice enough to bring me to a real-life Hollywood party. You must be Chelsea?”
Colby covered his laugh with a cough, his eyes twinkling with humor.
Her nose crinkled up, but strangely her forehead didn’t move with it. Botox at twenty-something. Sheesh.
“I’m Holli with an I.”
Even though she looked relieved that I wasn’t with him, she still had a voice that was like nails on a chalkboard, something I wasn’t going to suffer through a minute longer than I had to.
“Oh, that’s right. Guess I should leave you two to catch up then.” I leaned in towards her, whispering loud enough for him to hear. “I don’t want to cramp his style, being the friend’s little sister.”
Her veneer smile returned, but Colby wasn’t shaken off that easily. “Sorry, Holli, I’ll find you later as
I need for Kenzie to meet someone first.”
She gave a practiced pout. “You promise?”
“Uh, sure, I’ll do my best.” He led me away and in through the front door before she could respond.
We went by the bar first, where he grabbed two beers, handing me one before he took a long pull on his.
Scanning the room, I noticed there was no shortage of beautiful people everywhere. “How hard will you try to find her later?”
He frowned. “Not very. And no, I haven’t had sex with her, despite her best attempts.”
I thought it curious he’d share that tidbit. “Good for you. Did you, uh, want to mingle?”
He nodded, scanning the room and seemingly taking inventory of the guests. “Yep. Come on this way.”
A few people appeared to recognize Colby as we navigated through the crowded room, and it became clear he was comfortable in this type of setting. When we stopped in front of a group of gentlemen, I immediately recognized Max Tambor from his online profile as the award-winning, not-quite-meant-to-be mentor for my internship. He was in his mid-fifties and could be an Ed Harris doppelganger. He stood upon seeing us approach.
“Colby, nice to see you, man.”
“You, too, Max. This is McKenzie Lane. She’s the almost-intern I spoke with you about yesterday.”
My eyes widened at his words, but I didn’t have a chance to respond as Max’s gaze settled on me.
“Nice to meet you. I was sorry to hear about your accident.”
“I was sorry it meant I wouldn’t have the privilege of working with you this summer, Mr. Tambor.”
He glanced down toward my boot. “How’s the recovery?”
“Better, as I had both casts removed today, thank you. A few weeks of therapy and, if all goes well, I’ll be back to normal.”
“I certainly hope you’ll reapply for a fall internship.”
Oh, wow. I hadn’t given it much thought, but it was something to consider. “Uh, I’ll be sure to do that.”
Colby chatted with him about a couple of other things having to do with a movie soundtrack on which they were collaborating before it became clear other people were starting to wait for his attention.
“It was really nice to meet you, Mr. Tambor. Have a good night.”
He took my hand, gently giving it a kiss. “You, too, my dear. The pleasure was all mine. Talk to you later, Colby.”
We walked away, and I expelled the breath I’d been holding. “That’s why you brought me here?” I asked in barely a whisper.
“Yes. I wanted for him to at least meet you.”
“You called and told him about my accident?”
He shrugged. “Yeah well, sounds like if you were to apply again for the fall internship, he’d pick you for sure.”
It certainly seemed that way. “And you didn’t call in any favors?”
He looked insulted. “No, but even if I did, they would be mine to call in.”
“I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. I appreciate you’d go to all this trouble for me.”
He appeared almost shy about it before abruptly cursing. “Shit. This girl doesn’t give up.”
Glancing in the direction away from which he was suddenly turning, I noticed Holli with an I making a beeline towards us.
When she reached him, her long nails splayed on his chest. “Hey, handsome. I was thinking about trying out Clive’s hot tub, but only with some company—”
That was all I could stomach. He may not have slept with her, she might only be flirting, yet watching it made me want to tip her off her five-inch stripper heels. “You know what? I’m gonna go check out the view.”
I didn’t bother to wait for his response choosing instead to quickly make my escape out the nearby glass door onto the balcony. The stunning panoramic vision over the hills instantly made me feel as though I was on top of the world and was definitely a welcome distraction from Colby’s stalker.
“Takes your breath away, doesn’t it?” A deep voice came from behind me.
Turning, I found the source of the voice and, wowsers, was he attractive. Like, movie-star handsome, which made sense considering this was that type of party. I surveyed the overlook once more, taking in the view in every direction. “It does.”
I sensed him come up beside me and lean over the rail.
“What’s your name, beautiful?”
“I’m Kenzie.” I faced him, realizing that once he was up close, he was even more good-looking. Brown hair clipped short but stylish in the front, strong jaw, and the most important criteria when meeting a guy: he was taller than I was, standing well over six feet.
“Nice to meet you, Kenzie.” He extended his hand, taking mine.
“You, too, but you didn’t give me your name.”
“You don’t know who I am?”
“Uh, no, why would I?”
His blue eyes showed surprise, then amusement. “I’m Jordan, and this is refreshing. Let me get you a chair, so you can get off that boot. What happened, by the way?”
“I got hit by a car.”
He started to laugh and, once we sat down, he studied me. “Holy shit. You’re serious?”
I nodded, thinking the story was definitely a good ice breaker. “It’s true. One minute I was walking on a sidewalk, and the next a drunk driver jumped the curb and took out three of us.”
“Damn. Everyone okay?”
I liked how he asked this question. “We all made it. Broken bones, but no lives lost, thankfully.”
“So, you truly don’t have a clue who I am?” He raised a brow as if to challenge whether I was playing him or not.
I shook my head. “Sorry. I’m guessing you’re an actor, but unless you’re on Walking Dead or Game of Thrones, I wouldn’t know who you are. Even then, with all of the makeup, I’m not sure I’d recognize the cast in plain clothes, either.”
He threw his head back, chuckling good naturedly. “I won’t take it personally. And you have good taste, as I love both shows.”
“Kenz, there you are.” Colby’s voice came up from behind us. I saw the look of recognition when his gaze fell upon the younger man next to me. “Jordan, nice to see you.”
“You, as well, Colby. You two know one another?” he questioned, glancing between us.
I didn’t miss the possessive way Colby put his hand on my shoulder while standing directly behind me and I wasn’t having it. Not because I was actually interested in Jordan, but because I was determined to call Colby out on his indecisiveness. He didn’t get to have it both ways.
“Colby’s like an older brother. A protective one at that,” I said, shrugging away from his touch while giving him a pointed look over my shoulder as if to say, aren’t you?
Jordan seemed relieved, flashing his own version of a PDG in my direction. Not bad, not bad at all. His eyes then focused on a man who’d stepped out on the balcony and was giving him a nod. “Sorry, honey, duty calls as there’s a director in there I need to speak with. You’ll be out here when I return though, right?”
My brow arched at his assumption that I’d wait for him. “I may or may not be. But if not, then it was nice meeting you.”
His megawatt smile faltered. “Uh, I’ll only be a minute. Promise.”
After watching him go inside, I turned toward Colby, who was frowning at me.
“What the hell was that about?” he demanded.
“What do you mean? You’ve never seen a guy hit on a girl and her not make it easy for him?”
Annoyance was obvious in his tone. “He’s a complete player. Has a new girl every other day.”
“Let me guess, you guys have a special nod or ring that signifies membership in such a club?”
He took the seat Jordan had just vacated, directly across from me. “He’s me a few years ago, so believe me when I say I’m aware of the type.”
Interesting. “So you’re not that way now?”
He appeared thrown with the change in subject but then went for shock value.
“If I was, I’d have Holli with an I in a closet somewhere right about now.”
“Wow, that’s classy with a Y.”
He winced. “I didn’t say I was proud of it. Only telling you how I used to think when I was Jordan’s age and at one of these parties.”
“Who the hell is he, anyhow?”
He barked in laughter. “You don’t know? Seriously?”
“No clue, but before I go double-booking you with my next date, I figured I’d better find out.”
“There is no way I’m letting you leave with him. And he’s Jordan Pratt. One of the biggest actors on television right now.”
I scrunched my nose up. “What show is he on?”
“It’s a paranormal series on Showtime called Blood Lines.”
I’d heard of it but never seen it. Evidently, I needed to branch out from zombies and medieval times when it came to my cable television choices into vampires. “I thought he seemed nice.”
“I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but he’s way out of your league.”
“Wow, you’re really bringing your A for asshole game tonight, aren’t you?”
“It has nothing to do with how you look. Obviously, you’re gorgeous; rather it’s the fact that you don’t have the sort of experience…”
I was trying really hard not to be distracted by the fact that he’d called me gorgeous. “You think I can’t possibly handle my own with a man because he’s a movie star?”
He sighed. “He’s a ‘take you back to his place tonight, but won’t call you tomorrow’ type of guy. And I have no doubt you’re able to flirt and hold your own with college boys, but this guy has more game than any of those other boys combined.”
“So, let’s make a bet.”
There was a competitive gleam in his eyes. “You got it. What’s the wager?”
“He asks for my number.”
He shook his head. “Too easy. Let’s go with if you actually hear from him after tonight.”
“Fine. Deal.”
We shook on it.
“Hm, now what will you do when I win the bet?” he provoked.
Bet Me Something (Something Series Book 3) Page 14