“Oh, I’m not a model,” she said, not even looking at the picture.
“Sure, you’re not,” the female photographer said, rolling her eyes as she approached. “Ballplayers always date tall, beautiful women who aren’t models or actresses.”
Everly blinked. “But, I’m not—”
“What’s your name?” Bastian asked.
“I’m not—” she tried again.
“Her name is Everly Wallace,” Caroline said, giving Everly a slight nudge in the side. “I assume you’ll be paying her the industry standard for modeling in this shoot?”
Bastian glanced at the man in the background, who nodded. “Sure, sure.”
“That’s a guaranteed thousand dollars for this type of shoot,” Caroline whispered to Everly.
“I’m not here to earn money,” Everly returned under her breath. She felt hot in her long-sleeved cotton shirt and cardigan. “I just wanted to see Cole.”
Cole hadn’t said a thing. He watched the photographers and the man in the background with a puzzled expression on his face. Then his gaze moved to the other side of the set. Everly realized he was looking at Wayne. The agent didn’t look pleased.
Realizing things had taken an unexpected turn, Everly glanced at Caroline. “Will this help Cole?”
“It would seem so.”
She squared her shoulders. “All right. What do I need to do?”
* * *
Before Cole could tell Everly not to listen to the photographers, she was offering up her services and getting whisked off the set by a couple of wardrobe stylists. He started to hurry after her, but Caroline took his arm.
“Let Everly do this for you, Cole,” she said.
“I didn’t ask her here to participate,” he protested. He hadn’t ever argued with the owner’s wife, but he’d seen Everly’s expression when she realized the photographers were talking about her. “She’s just here to keep me company and have fun.”
“I know. But she’s been given an opportunity to shine for no other reason than being who she is and being in love with you. Let her do this.”
He looked at Caroline.
Everly? In love with him?
“Would you please come with me, Mr. Parker?” asked a female voice.
“I...”
Caroline turned him in the direction of the stagehand. “Let them get you positioned on the set,” she said.
He didn’t have time to argue. Everyone around the set moved in a blur of activity. He was given a bottle of water to drink and someone zipped by with makeup that he had to suffer through being applied to his face. He tried to ask three different people what was going on, but he wasn’t given an answer.
Lights were adjusted. The background was switched up. People spoke in hushed tones as cameras flashed in the background.
“We’re all set,” Bastian said. “Cole, keep the robe on. When Everly approaches, you should remove your robe slowly, then wait for her to remove hers. Then I want you to kiss her, taking your time in the approach.”
What the hell?
Cole was going to argue, knowing Everly wouldn’t be comfortable with this. Then she walked onto the set and all he could think about was her.
They’d loosened her gorgeous red hair so that it tumbled in soft waves around her face and down her back. Whatever they’d done with her makeup made her brilliant eyes even more potent and alluring. Her full lips had been colored in a soft shade of lipstick. She wore a dark blue robe that dipped in a low V over her breasts and ended at mid-thigh. He saw legs for miles.
Gone were the props. Gone were the stagehands. Gone were the viewers and the flashing cameras.
Their eyes locked and held. He reached for the belt of his robe. She looked down and watched him untie the belt. Her cheeks filled with color. There was something equally innocent and erotic about that look. It sent jolts of sensual awareness through him.
Once his robe was off, her gaze slowly moved from his feet up to his eyes. There was no disguising the interest he saw there. It was driving him out of his mind.
Then she reached for the belt of her robe.
He was entranced. He heard nothing else. Saw nothing else. His world consisted of Everly and that belt.
He watched as she pulled the tie free from its first bow. Then she used both hands to loosen the middle tie. There was something delightfully uncertain about her movements. She was clearly not used to disrobing for anyone’s viewing pleasure. That, plus the fact that she continued to hold his gaze, made him want to pull her against him and kiss her senseless.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered Bastian telling him to wait until Everly got her robe off and then take his time before he kissed her. That was all that kept him from rushing her and ripping the damn robe from her shoulders.
At long last, she removed the belt. Then she slid the robe off her body to reveal a deceptively simple white lace bra and panty set.
He thought he must be in a dream. They both looked each other up and down as they moved closer together. If Bastian was issuing orders, Cole couldn’t hear them over the pulse racing in his ears. All he could focus on was Everly.
At last, she was close enough to touch. He reached up to stroke the petal-soft skin of her cheek. The look she gave him was just shy of adoration.
He leaned down, eager to taste her again.
“That’s a wrap,” Bastian said.
Chapter 30
There was a loud sound of protest from all around the set over Bastian’s declaration.
Everly snapped back to her senses as though she’d been doused with ice water. When she remembered where she was and what they were doing, she felt a flush building in her neck. Fortunately, a wardrobe stylist tossed a robe over her shoulders.
“What?” Cole said as a robe was also handed to him. “Seriously, Bastian?”
“You two just gave me the shots of my career,” the photographer said, standing with the man in the suit and giving him a preview through the camera’s display. The man’s grin was a mile wide. “We raised the hotness level of this campaign through the roof. You want duality? How about passion and innocence? What could be any hotter than that?”
“I’ll say,” Caroline said, fanning herself. She winked at Everly, who clutched her robe’s lapels and struggled not to burst into flames of embarrassment.
“Come with me,” said the girl who’d handed Everly her robe. “You can get changed back into your clothes.”
Eager to get dressed, Everly turned to follow her. Her eyes widened when she spotted four of Cole’s teammates standing among the set’s observers. She recognized Marshall Grant, Anton Copernicki, Billy Devereux, and Javier Rios. They all turned to stare at her as she walked by. She couldn’t help but stare back. She’d followed each of their careers, especially since they came to Atlanta. What she wouldn’t give to have a baseball for them to autograph.
“Do we get to work with her?” Javier asked, his accent thick on the words. He followed her with dark eyes. “Hot damn.”
Everly feared her entire body had turned pink. She finally looked away from the group and focused on the back of her wardrobe stylist as they walked. They passed several other sets. Soon the sounds from Bastian’s set weren’t audible.
They’d had Everly change in Cole’s dressing room, since the studio was so busy that they didn’t have another room free. The stylist used a key to open the door and waved Everly inside.
“Thanks,” Everly said.
The door closed on the stylist’s, “Sure.” Everly wasn’t offended, though. She could see this was a hundred-mile-an-hour job.
Walking over to the clothes rack, she untied her robe and removed it. Just as she was about to place it over the back of a chair, the door burst open.
She brought the robe up with a gurgled shriek and watched with wide eyes as Cole entered the room. Was that cheering she heard in the distance? Why was Cole out of breath? Had he been running?
He closed and locked the door beh
ind him, his gaze on her.
“There’s no way Bastian’s robbing me of this kiss,” he said in a rough voice.
Crossing the room in two strides, he took the robe from her hands and tossed it to the side. His gaze practically singed her skin as he looked at her in just the bra and panties. The hunger she saw when he met her eyes emboldened her. She reached down and untied his robe, then shoved it from his shoulders.
He reached behind her head with one hand and dragged her mouth to his. She eagerly parted her lips, welcoming his passionate assault. Her body sang with pleasure as he pressed against her. Achingly sweet sensation rolled through her like the build-up to the crescendo of an opera.
It overwhelmed her.
She ran her hands along the contours of his body, wanting to offer him the same magnificent experience that he was giving her. His sounds of approval served to stoke her own desire.
Then his mouth tore away from hers. Her chest rose and fell as she tried to catch her breath. Dazedly, she realized he had turned his attention to the side of her neck. She also realized that he had lifted her onto the dressing table. He stood between her legs and took her earlobe between his teeth, gently grazing it in a way that sent sizzles of pleasure along her arms.
She swallowed a moan as his lips and tongue slowly trailed along her neck, tracing her rapid pulse. His hands lifted from where they sat on her hips, caressing her sides until they reached her breasts.
This time, she couldn’t stop the moan. As if sensing her loss of control, he once again claimed her mouth.
She should protest, she thought in the back of her mind. Dear Lord, what he was doing to her mind and her body was beyond sinful.
Beyond blissful.
But instead of protest, she allowed her hands to touch him more freely, following his lead. When she provoked a reaction over a touch, she did it again. He made a strangled sound against her mouth. Was she giving him pleasure? Pain?
He broke away from her. Bracing himself on the dressing table with his hands on either side of her hips, he bent his head and fought for control.
“Jesus, Everly. You’re killing me.”
She bit her bottom lip. “Did I hurt you?”
He choked out a laugh. “Not in the way you mean.”
She couldn’t help but feel a little proud as she reasoned out what he meant. She guessed that she had pleased him to the point of pain. Since she had experienced a similar reaction herself, she didn’t feel too bad about that.
A loud knock on the door made Cole jerk just as Everly leaned down with the thought of kissing him again. He cracked her right in the nose.
“Ow!” She brought a hand up to her face and blinked back tears of pain.
“No sex in the dressing rooms,” a female voice ordered.
“Oh, God—I’m so sorry!” Cole said to Everly. He tried to see what kind of damage he’d done.
“It happens all the time,” the person on the other side of the door replied. “You can keep the underwear, by the way.”
Despite the lingering sting in her nose, Everly burst out laughing. Cole watched her for a second, then grinned, shaking his head and pushing away from the dressing table. Then he helped her down and planted a light kiss on the tip of her nose.
“Sorry about the head butt. I’m normally classier than that.”
“Uh-huh.” She ran her fingertip over his bottom lip because it continued to tempt her. His reaction made her smile. Then she walked over to the clothes rack and began to get dressed. “I wonder what kind of sexual gymnastics she thought we were doing when the first thing she heard was ‘Ow?’”
He laughed as he pulled on his jeans. “I have no idea. But I think I’m framing this underwear.”
* * *
Cole took Everly’s hand when they exited the dressing room. He led her back over to Bastian’s set. He’d seen her wide-eyed look when she spotted his teammates, and although the guys probably thought Everly was checking them out, he knew she was just star-struck.
“I don’t get it, man,” Javier complained in his loud voice as they approached. He stood on the set in just the underwear he was modeling. Much of his upper body was covered in tattoos, a fact that had Everly gaping until Cole gave her hand a squeeze. No one had noticed them yet, so her ogling went unobserved. “Cole got to get it on with some hot supermodel and I have to pose with a pair of effin’ runnin’ shoes?”
“You’re a catcher, Javy,” Bastian said as he tested the lighting. “But you hold the National League record for stolen bases last year. Duality, man.”
“Why can’t the hot supermodel hold the shoes?” Javier persisted.
“Because she’s dating me,” Cole said.
All eyes turned to them. Cole couldn’t help but be amused when Everly glued herself to his side in an effort to be less conspicuous. It didn’t help. Nearly everyone was looking at her.
“So what, man?” Javier said with a wide grin. “You ain’t got a problem with sharin’, do you?”
“Javier,” Caroline warned.
She hadn’t even raised her voice, but Javier’s smile dropped. “Sorry, ma’am.”
“I’m not the one you should apologize to,” she said in her calm tone.
Javier cleared his throat and looked at Everly. “Sorry, hot mama.”
Everly surprised Cole by smiling. “It’s okay. I’ll consider it payment to see you in that getup instead of buried under all of that catcher’s gear.”
Javier grinned and did an exaggerated pose, his muscles flexing. “You like what you see?”
The camera flashed. “Let’s see some more of that, Javy,” Bastian said, his camera to his eye. “Let her see what she’s missing. Perfect.”
“Cole, can I talk at you a sec?”
Turning, Cole caught Marshall’s gaze. His friend looked oddly serious. Cole glanced at Everly, who was watching Javier and covering her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing out loud.
“Go on, Cole,” Billy said. “We’ll keep your girl company.”
Now, Everly’s attention shifted. She looked up and saw Billy and Anton staring at her.
Glancing at Cole, she said, “If you need to talk to Marshall, don’t worry about me. I’m not going anywhere.”
He knew Marshall wouldn’t pull him away for no reason, so he nodded. Because he also knew Billy was an outrageous flirt, he pulled Everly close and gave her a quick kiss.
“Back in a minute,” he said.
As he turned to follow Marshall to a quieter spot, he heard Billy say, “Howdy, Everly,” in a way that made him want to go back and grab her to keep her close to his side.
Where had this sense of possessiveness come from? He’d never felt this insecure, especially around his teammates. There was a code among them that prohibited any serious poaching.
Besides, this was all meant to be a cover to protect his work with Everly.
Wasn’t it?
“What’s up, Marsh?” he asked, not wanting to pursue that line of thought.
“Hey, man.” Marshall looked uncomfortable. He glanced back at where Everly stood talking to Billy and Anton and egging Javier on as the camera flashed. “Just wanted you to know that I asked Rebecca about Everly’s tires.”
Cole stiffened. He’d discussed the incident with Marshall the day after it happened to gauge his friend’s involvement, but he hadn’t expected this.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Marshall said, holding up his hands in a show of innocence. “But I was really friendly with her. I told her that I’d heard Everly’s tires had been slashed, and that it sure sounded like something a jealous ex might try. Hell, I told her I might have done the same thing, just to get her trust. Know what I mean?”
Cole nodded, his gaze on Everly.
“She denied doing it,” Marshall said.
Something about his tone had Cole glancing back at him. His friend looked like he didn’t want to go on. But he did.
“The thing is, man, I know how to read B.S....and I bel
ieved her.”
Chapter 31
Since Everly’s shift at Prix Fixe started at four that afternoon, Cole drove her home after the shoot concluded. He wanted to take her to lunch, but she insisted on going home to spend some time with her grandpa before she had to work.
“I’m sure I sound paranoid,” she said, staring out the windshield of his car. “But I don’t like the idea of my grandpa being alone with my father for too long.”
He blinked, then just replied, “All right.”
Her statement sat in his mind throughout the drive to her grandpa’s house. What was her father like that she had such suspicions? Where did he usually live? Why was he staying with Jake and Everly right now?
The lack of answers was more frustrating now than it had once been. He realized that he wanted to know more about Everly. Even more than that, he wanted her to trust him with the darkest parts of her life. He knew that, for her, sharing those things would be a significant claim of her feelings.
Caroline’s statement that Everly was in love with him had lodged in his brain. He wanted to know if it was true. He wanted to know how Everly really felt about him.
He refused to consider why.
“Looks like my father’s gone out,” she noted as they pulled up to her grandpa’s house. “At least that’s one less thing to deal with before work.”
“Whose car is that, then?” he asked, pointing at the silver SUV in the driveway.
“Jonette. She comes out almost every afternoon to check up on Pee Paw and work with him on his respiratory exercises.”
“Ah. I don’t suppose I’ll be invited in to participate in the festivities?”
She gave him a regretful smile. “You understand, don’t you?”
“Sure.” He reached out and brushed a few stray hairs from her forehead. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t miss you the moment I drive away.”
Was that him saying such a corny thing? What the hell was happening to him?
Fortunately, Everly didn’t seem to find it cheesy. Her smile widened. She got a look in her blue-green eyes that made his heart thump like a bass drum in his chest.
The XOXO New Adult Collection: 16 Full Length New Adult Stories Page 48